The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

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When Shiki Eiki finally finished her sermon, Heca had completely turned ashen. As the supreme deity who ruled over Hell and the Underworld, there was practically nothing in this world that could frighten her.

She can squander someone's bank card without hesitation, borrow money from someone without any guilt, and even sell herself off without any scruples. It can be said that she has almost no natural enemies.

However, as the saying goes, every creature has its nemesis. Having almost no natural enemies doesn't mean she has no natural enemies. In front of Shiki Eiki, she couldn't even run away. She could only obediently kneel there and accept the other party's lecture, even though she was the other party's boss.

Heka even suspected that if the Dragon God did something wrong, Shiki Eiki would not hesitate to grab him and lecture him as well...

—Who told her to have an older brother who dotes on her so much?

However, even disregarding this aspect, Heka felt that Shiki Eiki wouldn't change much.

...So you really should try to sell yourself, right?

Staring at someone not far away who was wearing an apron and cooking, Heca muttered to himself.

He's handsome, powerful, and an excellent cook. Where can you find such a great man? And if I sell myself to him, I'll have a secure future. It's a sure-fire way to make money, right?

To be honest, she herself didn't know exactly how much money she owed the other party. If she were to make a list of all the thousands of IOUs she had written, it would be an astronomical figure.

...Even if you sold her, you still couldn't pay it back.

Although money is just a number to her, given her status in the underworld and hell, and she can have as much as she wants, the rules are the most important thing.

After all, it took a lot of effort to establish this complete financial system, and then you start to break it down. That would be completely meaningless and would only be a loss.

The stronger a person is, the more willing they are to abide by the rules.

But come to think of it... the other party seems to be the one who least follows the rules, right?

Suddenly recalling the times the other party had led people to smuggle into the underworld, Heca's expression became rather subtle for a moment.

On the one hand, they don't follow the rules, yet in such trivial matters, they are the most rule-abiding. On the other hand, they repeatedly and recklessly break the rules by virtue of their strength...

P.S.: Good morning!

Chapter Sixteen: A Light Sleep, Never Drunk

When it comes to culinary skills, Shi Bai is second to none.

Originally, the meal was intended for Eiki Shiki, but because the location was chosen in the rather ambiguous Hakugyokurou, it ended up being a meal specifically for a certain glutton due to Eiki Shiki's large appetite.

In just a few hundred years, the Saigyouji Yuyuko who used to be embarrassed to eat noodles at a noodle shop has become a thing of the past. Now she has become a ghost lady who can eat all the food on the table without batting an eye and then look completely innocent.

It must be said that time brings about tremendous changes in people.

After cooking for hours to satisfy a certain foodie's appetite, Shi Bai suddenly missed the Saigyouji family's young lady who still had a lot of principles back then.

The meal started at noon and lasted until evening. In the end, it was basically all eaten by Saigyouji Yuyuko alone, and she still seemed to want more.

"Shi Bai, stay here at Bai Yulou!!"

The eyes of a certain foodie shone brightly.

"Compared to your cooking, Yaoji's is absolutely awful. I really need a chef here. If you're willing to stay at Baiyulou, I'll agree to any conditions!"

"........."

Upon hearing this, a loyal gardener who was sweeping the courtyard floor stiffened slightly at first, but then continued his work as if nothing had happened.

——It hurts.

"Forget about it, you can't afford my salary."

With a slight pout, Shi Bai lazily lay down on the bamboo bed.

Eiki Shiki had already finished eating and left satisfied, dragging Heka along with her. The previous lecture was just a break; it was still a long way from over. How could she have the energy to lecture if she didn't eat her fill?

In the entire underworld, only Baiyulou can see the starry sky. Although the dazzling scenes in the starry sky are just a simulation by the system, as long as they look realistic enough, why can't we get immersed in them?

I slept soundly, without ever getting drunk.

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When Bai returned to the sunflower field, it was already the morning of the next day.

A light rain began to fall from the sky, adding to the desolate atmosphere of autumn.

Shameimaru Aya and Himekaido Hattori were still there. When Haku returned, he saw them yawning as they walked out of the wooden house.

As the owner of the sunflower field, Kazami Yuuka rarely returns to the Dream Mansion and spends most of her time leisurely in the sunflower field.

In the very center of the sunflower field, there are naturally a few small wooden houses built there. When they were captured and brought to the sunflower field to do hard labor, they slept in the sunflower field, so they didn't consider themselves outsiders.

A large parasol, several meters in diameter, blocked the misty drizzle and also kept out the bleak autumn chill.

"...Is this the money you said you'd lend us?"

After staring silently at the scattered coins on the table for a long time, Aya Shameimaru finally looked up.

"Ahem... A gift of a goose feather from a thousand miles away is a small gift but carries great meaning."

Feeling a little embarrassed to meet the other person's gaze, Shi Bai turned his head to the side and coughed a few times, looking slightly awkward.

"Although this amount of money is a little less, it still adds up to about several tens of yuan, which is enough for you to have a full meal."

"........."

After staring at the person for nearly five minutes to confirm that the other person was not joking, Aya Shameimaru, as if giving up, slammed her face heavily onto the table, letting out a mournful cry.

"A few dozen yuan... what can I do with a few dozen yuan? I knew it, after so long apart, our feelings have definitely faded. You've changed, you're no longer the Shi Bai we used to know. I should have let Yu Li pounce on you and hug your neck from the very beginning, maybe that would have reminded you of... Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, be gentle, be gentle!!"

"Aren't you embarrassed enough already?! I'll say it again, don't drag me into this!!"

With her left hand twisting forcefully up and down around the other person's waist, Ji Haitang Yuli's words carried a hint of frustration.

"Things from when I was little are from when I was little. Can you please stop bringing them up again and again?!"

"What? I just said what you wanted to do, and you have the nerve to blame me?"

Having forcibly broken free from the other party's clutches, Aya Shameimaru hid behind Shibai and began to speak to him in a serious manner.

"By the way, let me tell you, don't let Yu Li's current demeanor fool you. She's actually a total tsundere, the kind who talks a big game but does a lot more than she says. So don't be fooled by her angry, almost 'I want to eat you alive' expression; actually..."

"That's enough, you two. If you keep making a racket like this, believe me, I'll just arrest you both like I always have."

Reaching out to take a cup that Ji Haitang Yuli had thrown at him, Shi Bai opened his eyes and began to speak.

"And Wenwen, if you keep stirring things up for me, do you believe I'll...?"

—The second cup smashed directly onto his head.

Shi Bai: "..."

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Five minutes later, Aya Shameimaru, with a large bump on her head, and Hatake Himekaido sat obediently in their seats.

"Honestly, you're all grown up, yet you act like little kids, insisting that I discipline you..."

Looking at the two obedient children in front of him, waiting to be disciplined, Shi Bai spoke in a rather irritable tone.

"If this happens again, you two will have to write me a 10,000-word self-criticism each. Can't we just sit down and talk things out?"

"I told you long ago, the newspaper is broke, we don't even have money for food..."

Shameimaru Aya rubbed her head and muttered to herself.

"Otherwise, why do you think Yu Li and I stayed here overnight? It's because there's free food here. We were hoping to borrow some money from you to alleviate the newspaper's financial crisis, but you lent us a few dozen yuan instead..."

"No... are you really that poor?"

Shi Bai felt a strange toothache, and his lips twitched slightly.

"Yes, yes, we are that poor."

Looking up at him, Aya Shameimaru spoke dryly.

"Xiaohua joined the patrol team of Youkai Mountain and gets to eat meals, but it's impossible for the two crow tengu, Yuli and me, to compete with the white wolf tengu for work, right? Besides, we also have to handle the newspaper's affairs, so we're completely overwhelmed. If we can't borrow enough money from you this time, let alone not having enough to eat, we won't even be able to print the next issue of the newspaper... How about you give us a little more?"

"So, how do you come to the conclusion that I have a lot of money...?"

With a long sigh, Shi Bai tossed a bank card onto the table.

"I did have a lot of money before, and 100 million yuan was just a small goal for me. But now, I'm a million yuan in debt, and these few dozen yuan are the biggest motivation I can give you... After this, I'll start planning where to go to work and earn money to pay off my debts."

"...But I remember you were very strong, right?"

After a slight pause, before Aya Shameimaru could speak, Hagoromo Himekaido asked with great curiosity.

"Furthermore, there are rumors that you have an improper relationship with our Heavenly Demon Lord, who claims to be your fiancée... Would someone like you be short of money?"

"Of course we're short of them! We weren't short of them before, but we are now."

Shi Bai sighed with a hint of melancholy.

"Yes, I am indeed very strong, the kind of person who is the best in the world. But does being strong mean that I can just run to someone and make them give me all their money? For example, I once knew someone who was really strong, almost as strong as me. No matter what enemy he encountered, he would defeat them with one punch. But even such an invincible person lived in a dilapidated old apartment building and had to go to supermarkets in different cities every week to buy special offers... It's too miserable."

"But if someone exists like that, they should be able to improve their own life, right?"

"Yes, he can, but he has his own principles."

Recalling a certain bald man, Shi Bai shrugged.

"The so-called strong people will generally take the initiative to abide by the rules, because they have their own principles and pride. So, it is actually very simple for us to be short of money."

"So in the end, isn't this still the case that no problem has been solved at all..."

Resting his chin on the table, Aya Shameimaru looked utterly listless.

"If you don't have any money to lend, then I really can't think of anyone else we can borrow money from. In that case, we won't be able to print the next issue of the newspaper, and this match will basically be irrelevant to us."

"Lend me money..."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai made a suggestion.

"If you really want to borrow money, I have a very suitable candidate here."

"who is it?"

As soon as Shi Bai finished speaking, Aya Shameimaru quickly raised her head.

"Your Heavenly Demon Lord."

Shi Bai laughed.

"To be honest, the most appropriate thing for you to do is to borrow money from her directly."

"...You make it sound so easy, but haven't you even considered the feasibility?"

Shameimaru Aya rolled her eyes, speechless, as she lay back down.

"The way you put it is like a commoner of a country going to borrow money from the emperor of that country; he would be beaten to death."

"Uh... is it really that mysterious?"

Shi Bai reached out and touched his chin, looking thoughtful.

"How about this, I'll talk to her later and ask her to lend you some money. That should be fine, right? By the way, how much do you need to borrow?"

"...Five thousand yuan."

After a brief discussion, Aya Shameimaru spoke with some hesitation.

"As long as it can sustain us until the next few issues are printed, there shouldn't be any problem. After all, we now have a lot of first-hand news information, and our newspaper should sell very well. However, this process will require several issues to build up its reputation."

"Okay, no problem, I'll send it to you when the time comes."

After glancing at the increasingly heavy rain outside and pondering for a moment, Shi Bai smiled and began to speak.

"It's almost winter now, so the competition will start next spring, right? When next spring comes, I'll take you to the White Jade Pavilion in the Underworld to admire the cherry blossoms."

"real!?"

Upon hearing Shi Bai's words, both Shameimaru Aya and Himekaido Hatate's eyes lit up.

They used to be able to go to places like Hell, but not the Underworld. However, although they had never been to the Underworld, they still knew about the biggest annual event in the Underworld from the newspapers published in Hell.

If they can really go to the underworld to participate in that grand event, then their newspaper will truly be a unique exclusive story, so why worry about the newspaper not selling well?

“I never lie, and besides, it’s not a particularly difficult thing to do.”

Shi Bai shook his head.

"What do you mean it's not particularly difficult? Apart from that elusive demon sage, I've never heard of a living person being able to enter the underworld, let alone bring someone in... Oh well, we'll talk about that later!!"