The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"Isn't your ideal man not only a peerless hero, but one day he will also wear golden armor and come to marry you riding on a colorful cloud in front of everyone?"

"Yes, it's just as you said."

Her eyes lit up slightly, and Heng'e nodded, having completely spoken to her heart.

"So, can you help me?"

"What help do you need? I understand the principle of 'better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage.' Breaking up someone else's good marriage is something that deserves to be struck by lightning, let me tell you."

Seeing that Ibaraki Kasen beside him seemed about to make a move, Shi Bai quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, then shook his head.

"And since you're unwilling to marry into that clan, surely there are others in your clan who would be willing to marry into it?"

"That guy is the leader of the Youqiong clan. Not only is his archery the best in the world, but he is also the strongest in the Youqiong clan. Naturally, only the most outstanding geniuses from the Tushan clan can be chosen as his marriage partners."

With her chin resting on her hand, Heng'e sighed helplessly.

"If it weren't for this reason, do you think I wanted to come here?"

"Alright, I know you're the most outstanding genius in the Tu Shan clan..."

"I feel a slight toothache," Shi Bai replied, pressing his forehead with his hand.

"Since Hou Yi's archery skills are unparalleled and his strength is the strongest among the Youqiong clan, he should be considered a peerless hero among your beloved, right? What exactly is it that you are dissatisfied with?"

"Hmph... I'm just not reconciled."

With a soft hum, Heng'e turned her head away.

"I want the hero of my own heart, not the one of others. These rumors alone cannot meet my standards. Besides, I've never even met him. What if he's ugly and has a blue face and fangs?"

"Your emotions outweigh your reason... This level of tantrum, I think you've simply reached the rebellious phase, haven't you?"

Shi Bai pressed down on the boiling cabbage leaves in the hot pot with her bamboo chopsticks, and finally understood why the other person was being difficult. She couldn't help but purse her lips.

"Don't worry, someone who can be the face of a clan leader must be a handsome guy like me, so you can rest assured."

"...A handsome guy like you?"

Heng'e's gaze lingered on the face of the person in front of her for a few moments, a strange expression on her face.

"What, am I not handsome?"

With one hand in a V-shape placed under his chin, Shi Bai struck a pose with a serious expression, and even gave a flirty wink.

"Let me tell you, my charm level is naturally maxed out, you know?"

"Sorry, I didn't see any charm points, I only smelled a strong salty fish smell."

Speechless at the other party's behavior, Heng'e rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Uh... the strong salty fish smell is because the hot pot is cooked..."

Ibaraki Kasen's voice rang out weakly from the side.

"Since I still have some salted fish that I specially cured at sea, I simply added it all together to the hot pot..."

She found herself holding a bowl and chopsticks in her hands without anyone noticing. Ibaraki Kasen turned around and glanced at the person who was still posing in the same way. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded in agreement.

"...Aside from certain special periods, he does sometimes resemble a salted fish."

"Tch, do you even know what it means to appear foolish but actually wise?"

Putting his hand down, Shi Bai replied rather unhappily.

"This is what I call being wise in a foolish way. Even a salted fish can turn its life around, okay?"

"Even if a salted fish flips over a hundred times, it's still a salted fish."

Holding the bowl and chopsticks that Ibaraki Kasen handed her, Heng'e focused on picking through the beef balls that Ibaraki Kasen had enthusiastically recommended in the hot pot, and replied without looking up.

"If that guy's looks are really on par with yours, then it's barely acceptable... but if he's not the hero in my heart, then it's still not good enough."

"After flipping over a hundred times, the salted fish evolves into the Salted Fish King, and then the Salted Fish King can evolve into the Tyrannosaurus Rex. What do you know about saltiness... Holy crap, leave me some!!"

"First come, first served; when you're not ready, you're out of luck. That's what you said last time after you snatched all the meat by yourself, leaving me with nothing but cabbage in the end."

While answering with a vengeful tone, Ibaraki Kasen's hand movements became even faster, leaving afterimages above the hot pot.

"Don't forget what you said when you were so smug last time."

—The words of a certain ghost king were filled with obvious resentment.

"Hmm...did I really say anything too offensive?"

Watching the meatballs in the hot pot rapidly disappear as the two girls scrambled for them, Shi Bai could only accept the situation, having already made his decision. He then crossed his arms, looking thoughtful.

"Speaking of the last time we had hot pot... ah, I remember now."

With a sudden clap of his hands, the man looked as if he had just realized something.

"My foolish Kasen! Hate me! Despise me! Continue to fight me! Until one day, you can come before me with your hatred, disgust, and power, and then try to steal my meat!!"

"Click."

As soon as someone uttered those words, the bamboo chopsticks in Ibaraki Kasen's hand snapped in two instantly.

Heng'e: "???"

Ibaraki Kasen: "..."

Silently placing the broken bamboo chopsticks into Shi Bai's bowl, Ibaraki Kasen casually took the chopsticks from the other person.

...I always feel that the murderous intent in my heart is increasing day by day as the journey goes on...Is it just my imagination?

Overall, the hot pot meal was quite enjoyable—especially for Heng'e alone.

Completely consumed by a desire for revenge, Ibaraki Kasen didn't even leave a piece of salted fish for the person. So in the end, Shi Bai could only hold the broken chopsticks and stare speechlessly at the hot pot in front of him, which was now just cabbage.

"Hmph, you really fell for it! You have no idea that my favorite food is actually cabbage!! I, Shi Bai, will always be the emperor!!"

After arrogantly uttering those words, Shi Bai struggled to stuff cabbage into his mouth with the broken chopsticks.

"........."

Hmm... next time, maybe we shouldn't even leave him any cabbage...

Looking at the person in front of her, Ibaraki Kasen silently made such a decision in her heart.

P.S.: Good morning!

Chapter Four: Unexpected events often happen so suddenly.

This long-accumulated downpour lasted for nearly an hour and a half, only starting to subside after the sky began to darken.

However, this doesn't mean anything. On the gray-brown ground next to the tent, a thin layer of ice had formed. As the light rain fell, the water droplets turned into splashing hailstones...

It is obvious that such extreme weather and climate change is undoubtedly extremely severe.

Is the weather this bad often here?

Peeking through a corner of the tent at the view outside, Ibaraki Kasen asked Heng'e with a hint of worry.

"Also, is it really okay to leave your mount out like this?"

"Don't worry, this kind of environment is exactly what Jingfeng is like."

After straightening the longbow on her back, Heng'e stood up inside the tent and turned to the two people inside, speaking seriously.

"It will become very dangerous here if we wait until nightfall, so let's set off now."

"No, I didn't promise you anything. This is just a quarrel between you and your husband. I don't want to get involved in something that's thankless and exhausting."

After hearing Heng'e's words, Shi Bai, who was lying on his side on the ground flipping through a comic book, couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"We have our own travel plans, so there's no need to bother you any further. It's fate that we met by chance, and perhaps we'll meet again in the future. As long as the mountains remain green and the rivers flow on, how about we take our leave here?"

"Who said we were husband and wife? I've never even met that guy. At most, I'm just his fiancée."

With a soft hum, Heng'e muttered something under her breath.

"Furthermore, my ideal man must be a peerless hero. One day he will come to marry me, wearing golden armor and riding on auspicious clouds."

"Come on, you don't have to take a casual remark I made to heart, do you? I'm telling you that it's a very unlucky thing to say, so stop making such a big deal out of it."

His lips twitched involuntarily, and Shi Bai weakly turned the comic book in his hand upside down and placed it on his face.

"In short, I'm not going to get involved in something that's thankless and exhausting, so you should just give up. Believe me, your soulmate is Hou Yi. Um... by the way, regardless of whether you are Chang'e or not, let me just give you a friendly reminder."

As if suddenly remembering something, Shi Bai pulled the comic book off his face, revealing his eyes, and spoke to Heng'e with a serious expression.

"...Please be very careful of Pure Fox."

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

Because of someone's inexplicable remark, Heng'e left with a completely bewildered expression.

She had originally run away to clear her head out of spite, and if she continued to stay outside, the people from her clan who had come with her would definitely worry.

The marriage alliance between the Youqiong clan and the Tushan clan is definitely a major event, especially given the current situation of frequent beast uprisings, it is an important event that cannot be overlooked.

Although she felt a little awkward about marrying someone she had never met, she was still very clear-headed when it came to matters concerning both clans.

Watching Heng'e ride away on her mount, which she named Jingfeng but which someone jokingly called the White Dragon Horse, Ibaraki Kasen lowered the curtain and asked the lazybones inside the tent with a slightly puzzled look.

What is a Pure Fox?

"Pure Fox? Pure Fox is Pure Fox, how would I know what Pure Fox is... To be honest, I'd really like to know too, okay?"

With a slight pout, Shi Bai changed from lying on his side to lying on his back, holding the comic book high in front of his eyes.

Chunhu? How would he know who Chunhu was?

As a fairy spirit purified by resentment, Chunhu had forgotten her past.

Pure Fox is just a code name, not her real name. After all, she is a spirit purified by resentment, and no longer needs information about who she is.

She purified her hatred to the point that even her own identity no longer mattered; anger and hatred were the only driving force behind her actions, and the very place where her soul resided.

What kind of deep-seated hatred could lead someone to choose to forget even their own existence?

Can a person who forgets their own existence truly exist?

...Nobody knows.

Although Shi Bai vaguely knew some things, compared with the current situation, there were clearly too many discrepancies.

In later stories, the reason Chunhu harbored resentment towards Chang'e was because Chang'e's husband, Houyi, had killed Chunhu's child, which led to Houyi being killed by Chunhu herself. After that, Chunhu turned her assassination target to Chang'e.

This is the origin of so-called resentment.

Just like the brief introduction given when the ancient mythological era ended, the background story of Junko only exists in a simple conversation between Eirin Yagokoro and Reisen in later generations.

The biggest discrepancy that Shi Bai believed was... was that Hou Yi's wife wasn't named Chang'e at all, but Heng'e!

Furthermore, since Chunhu herself killed Houyi, the murderer of her child, why did the resentment in Chunhu's heart not only not weaken, but instead become even more intense, to the point that she eventually forgot everything about herself because of the resentment?

Is the feud between Chunhu and Chang'e really just that ordinary and simple?

Just like exploring the complex relationship between the Oni and Tengu clans, investigating these lost secrets in history is also one of the driving forces that Shi Bai has found to move forward.

...Of course, the main purpose is still to collect the complete Gensokyo illustration.

The problem is, he not only failed to find Chang'e, but he also didn't know where Chunhu was.

It must be said that this is an extremely sad thing.

To be honest, although Heng'e is more emotional than rational, she speaks very generously, and coupled with some small details she has cultivated, she has won Ibaraki Kasen's favor quite a bit.

Well... in some ways, Heng'e is probably a very charming person, and it's hard for people to feel any ill will towards her.

The reason for specifically reminding the other party at the end is probably this: regardless of whether the other party is actually the Chang'e in your mind, a little reminder won't hurt...

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

Just as Chang'e warned before she left, as night fell completely, the danger level in this grove increased dramatically, and the temperature also dropped sharply.

However, this luxurious tent had already been enhanced to +9 by Shi Bai, and the constant temperature capability that emerged during the enhancement process ensured that the temperature inside the tent did not leak out, so it did not have any impact on them.

With everything outside icy and hailous, Ibaraki Kasen, who had originally planned to use this time to train, looked at the leisurely person comfortably reclining on the quilt, flipping through comics and casually sipping wine. After glancing back at the dark, cold, and hailing environment outside, Ibaraki Kasen silently announced the cancellation of tonight's training plan after a long silence...

Hmm... it's mainly a psychological imbalance.

Therefore, the old saying "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, one who stays near ink gets stained black, one who stays near blue gets wise, and one who stays near white gets salty" still makes a lot of sense.