The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"So, I learned a lesson from this positive story, a lesson that I thought about for a long time before I understood. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Black and white can never cancel each other out; they can only blur and form a confusing gray."

Shi Bai squinted at the rising sun on the horizon.

"You meet someone, make a mistake, and want to make amends and pay back what you owe. But in the end, you realize that you are powerless to undo the damage. The sins committed can never be redeemed, and we can never pay back what we owe."

"...That person was not wrong."

After a long silence, Kazami Yuuka finally spoke.

"Yes, but his disciples weren't wrong either. No one in the story was wrong, was they?"

Looking down at the wine jug in his hand, Shi Bai spoke calmly.

"Some things, once done wrong, are simply done wrong, there's no point in arguing. Even if I took steps to rectify Hong Meiling's situation beforehand, I was the one who guided others to brutally sever her body. I've experienced that excruciating pain myself, so I absolutely cannot feel at peace with myself. Does calling 120 (emergency services) beforehand after stabbing someone mean you're innocent? Don't be ridiculous. Similarly, while the person in the story may have raised and mentored his apprentices, he also robbed them of their families and fulfilling lives... Do you think you can gain forgiveness through those actions?"

"........."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I made you listen to all that nonsense."

Suddenly snapping back to his senses, Shi Bai smiled apologetically at Kazami Yuuka beside him.

"Let's go back. I'll make you breakfast. Would you like something to eat in the morning... uh?"

When Shibai saw Kazami Yuuka suddenly reach out and grab his hand, he was taken aback.

Looking directly into the eyes of the person in front of her, Kazami Yuuka spoke earnestly.

"There is me."

..................................................................

As if it were a fateful cycle, after going around in circles, Shi Bai returned to the mountain where the dragon vein was finally laid, the place where Xiao Hong and Mei Ling appeared before him.

So much time has passed, and the two small bamboo houses they once built on the mountaintop have long since crumbled and turned to ashes in the passage of time. However, they have now been rebuilt by Huo Qing'e using her Taoist magic.

When Shiro and Kazama Yuuka returned to the mountaintop, they saw Huo Qing'e walking hurriedly out of the bamboo house with a happy expression on her face. When she saw Shiro returning, her face lit up with joy, but when she saw Kazama Yuuka beside Shiro, Huo Qing'e's face immediately fell.

"Teacher, are you back?"

"Hmm... Is Hong Meiling awake?"

Shi Bai didn't notice the change in Huo Qing'e's expression before and after, and asked Huo Qing'e a question.

"He woke up for a while earlier, but he's fallen asleep again now... It seems like he's alright."

Huo Qing'e nodded.

"I'll go in and check on her now. You go and start a fire first. I'll make breakfast for you later. Whatever you want to eat, I have it here."

After a moment of contemplation, Shi Bai gave Huo Qing'e an instruction and then went straight into the bamboo house, leaving only Kazami Yuuka and Huo Qing'e outside.

"........."

Looking at Kazami Yuuka standing in front of her with an umbrella, Huo Qing'e hesitated for a moment before reluctantly speaking.

"Good morning, Master's wife."

"Immortal... I heard him say you're his student, right?"

Sitting down on the bamboo chair, resting her cheek on one hand on her lap, Kazami Yuuka asked Huo Qing'e a question with apparent interest.

"Shouldn't you address him as 'Master'? Did he ask you to call him 'Teacher'?"

"That's right. My teacher seems to really dislike it when other people call him 'Master,' saying it's unlucky... I don't know why."

Huo Qing'e nodded reluctantly.

"Master...Master...Master's wife, you..."

"There's no need to force it. After all, strictly speaking, I can't be considered your teacher's wife yet. At least we'll have to wait until... well, until I marry her."

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and Yuuka Kazami turned her head away nonchalantly.

"Holding your hand, growing old together, these are the words he once said to me."

"........."

After hearing what Kazami Yuuka said, Huo Qing'e immediately felt even more unhappy.

...So I should have firmly chosen to stay by my teacher's side from the beginning!

After breakfast, Shi Bai called over Huo Qing'e, who was about to wash the dishes, and began to speak to her.

"Hong Meiling's condition is unstable right now. I need to take her to the Heavenly Realm for further treatment. Do you want to come with me?"

"Master... Master, will she also go to the Heavenly Realm?"

Huo Qing'e quietly pointed to Kazami Yuuka, who was about to enter the bamboo house to visit Hong Meiling.

"Hmm? Of course, after all, I promised..."

"I want to go too!!"

Before Shi Bai could finish speaking, Huo Qing'e nodded firmly.

"Sure, that's exactly what I wanted to ask you for your opinion... By the way, this trip to the Heavenly Realm might be a bit long, so you should be prepared and take care of anything that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

"Very long...?"

"Well, it will probably stay for one or two hundred years, but the exact length of stay will depend on Hong Meiling's condition."

Shi Bai nodded.

"If you think about it, it's been so long since I've been back, I don't even know..."

"So short?"

Huo Qing'e, who had already resigned herself to staying in the Heavenly Realm for thousands of years, looked on with surprise.

"........."

"Teacher, I was wrong."

Before meeting her teacher, Huo Qing'e suddenly fell silent. Huo Qing'e decisively lowered her head and honestly admitted her mistake.

I shouldn't have interrupted you twice.

"...You feel that time is short because you are at a different level now. In the future, you will know how long a hundred or two hundred years is."

Looking up at the sky, Shi Bai was speechless.

"By the way, speaking of which, where are Soga no Tokiko and the others? Where did you move the Shrine of the Gods?"

"Uh... another, safer place. Soga no Toru has always found a better way to evade the pursuit of those hellish messengers, so she chose to willingly fall into a deep sleep..."

"Pack your things, we're going to the Heavenly Realm soon."

Shi Bai turned around, interrupting Huo Qing'e's words in a retaliatory manner.

"........."

P.S.: Good morning!

Chapter Nine: Who told you to have such high emotional intelligence?

After the dragon vein was severed, the Ten Divine Artifacts of China, which Shi Bai had buried to suppress the dragon vein, also awoke from their slumber.

When Bai arrived at the mountain peak, the Shenzhou Ten Armors, sensing his presence, spontaneously gathered together and formed a circle around him, suspended in mid-air.

The Gate to Heaven – the Eastern Emperor Bell; Manipulating Minds – the Fuxi Qin (a type of zither).

The strongest power – the Xuanyuan Sword; the elixir of immortality – the Shennong Cauldron.

Traversing the Void – Pangu's Axe, the Fountain of Immortality – Kongtong Seal

Refining all things – the Nine Li Pot; Traveling through time – the Kunlun Mirror.

Absorbing Stars and Changing the Moon - Haotian Tower, Resurrection and Regeneration - Nuwa Stone.

—These are the ten treasures of China.

"The power that these things carry..."

Feeling the terrifying power emanating from the Ten Divine Weapons from afar, Kazami Yuuka was secretly startled.

Although she rarely goes out, the scepter held by Zeus, the king of the gods, which she had seen on Mount Olympus in the Western world, was no match for the imposing presence of the beings before her.

"The Ten Divine Weapons of China, the most powerful divine artifacts in legends that disappeared in the mythological era... Have they finally reappeared after being covered in dust for so long?"

Looking at the scene before her, Huo Qing'e was filled with emotion.

As an evil immortal who has traveled through the mortal world for hundreds of years, her knowledge is far beyond what it was back then. In the past, she could use the Pangu Axe to chop wood and the Shennong Cauldron to cook soup without any guilt, but now she would never do such a thing.

"Alright, you're free now. Go wherever you want."

Shi Bai reached out and stroked each of the Ten Divine Weapons in front of him, and laughed.

"From now on, you have only one task: to protect this land. Through the method I just passed on to you, you are free to reincarnate and roam the human world at will, and I will not interfere in any way."

The artifacts were said to be sentient. After Shi Bai spoke these words, they all nodded to him. After circling him one last time, they transformed into various colored lights and scattered in all directions. Some went in pairs, while others went alone. In the end, the only thing left in the field was a small, ancient bronze bell.

"Ha... Brother Zhong, I'll have to ask you for help again for this trip to the Heavenly Realm."

Donghuang Zhong gestured slightly, then flew to the top of Shi Bai's head and deliberately concealed his form.

"Okay, let's go."

Turning around, Shi Bai took the still-sleeping Xiao Hong Meiling from Huo Qing'e's hands and spoke seriously.

"Remember, once you arrive in the Heavenly Realm, if you encounter any trouble, be sure to report my name immediately. I have a lot of influence there."

"........."

Unlike Huo Qing'e, who nodded with obvious trust in her teacher, Kazami Yuuka turned her head away expressionlessly.

The Eastern Emperor Bell, the gate to the heavens.

With the power of the Eastern Emperor Bell, Shi Bai once again led people to smuggle into the Heavenly Realm. Compared with the vast land of the Underworld, the Heavenly Realm was in some ways just as impressive.

Because he only returns once in a long while, Shi Bai is not very clear about the current situation in the Heavenly Realm. He only remembers that when he last came back here... the Eastern Heavenly Court had already been built.

Unlike the last time he came here and was not greeted, when the four of them arrived in the Heavenly Realm, several beautiful young women dressed in feathered robes were already waiting for them.

Upon seeing their arrival, a woman who appeared to be the leader stepped forward, bowed to him, and then spoke to him very respectfully.

"By order of the Dragon God, we have been waiting here for a long time. Please follow me."

"Hmm? You are..."

Looking at the people in front of him, Shi Bai couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

"Our Yongjiang clan are Dragon Palace Envoys residing in the clouds. We live inside the clouds and have protected the Dragon God for generations, responsible for conveying the Dragon God's will to the world."

As she led the way, the woman explained this to herself.

"In accordance with the Dragon God's command, we have come here to welcome our distinguished guests."

"Dragon God..."

Looking at the huge island floating in the distance, Yuuka Kazami narrowed her eyes slightly.

The Celestial Realm can be roughly divided into the following areas: firstly, the Eastern Heavenly Court, which is the residence of immortals who have attained enlightenment; secondly, the Heavenly Peak, which is for celestial beings to live in; and thirdly, the Mysterious Cloud Sea, where dragon palace envoys, such as the Yongjiang Clan, live in the clouds.

In addition, there are several other areas or forbidden zones that are not open to outsiders. For example, the dwelling place of the Dragon God is one such place. Without special permission, no one can enter such a place.

Therefore, upon reaching the edge of a huge floating island, the Dragon Palace envoys, who had not obtained permission to enter, quietly took their leave. However, before leaving, they subtly mentioned something to Huo Qing'e, and then together with Huo Qing'e, they took Xiao Hong Meiling to other places.

In some matters, Huo Qing'e was self-aware. Knowing that she had not been granted access, she glanced at Kazami Yuuka with some resentment before heading to other places with Xiao Hong Meiling and the Dragon Palace envoys.

"...Saya is the Dragon God, right?"

Upon setting foot on the island, Kazami Yuuka suddenly asked this question.

"Hmm... Xiaoye isn't the Dragon God, but she is the Dragon God... You'll find out in a moment."

After realizing that it would be difficult to explain clearly in a short time, Shi Bai casually waved his hand.

"I haven't been back for so long, I almost forgot how to get here... Ugh, let me think..."

"........."

......................................................

After traversing forests, crossing wastelands, stepping over swamps, and traversing waterfalls, and getting lost more than a dozen times along the way, someone successfully found the correct path using the mathematical method of exhaustive search.