The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

And the people they were most interested in all became themselves... especially Hou Yi.

P.S.: There might be another update tonight. (Tickets/tickets)

Chapter Seven: The Search for the Pure Fox

As a mysterious and powerful figure who had eliminated the Spider Mother, easily resolved the disaster, and incidentally saved over a hundred people, including the fiancée of the Youqiong clan leader, Shi Bai and Ibaraki Kasen received a warm welcome from the Youqiong clan.

Even so, to be honest, Shi Bai's understanding of the Spider Mother was limited to the fact that her skin was tough and she was very durable; he didn't have any other knowledge about her strength.

After all, compared to the immortal beings in the celestial realm who were once used as sparring partners, the Spider Queen is simply no match for them.

Don't let his current strength fool you; he probably wouldn't last more than a few punches against Xiaoye... No, he should be able to hold on now...

Shi Bai lay on a bench under a large tree in the courtyard, resting his head on his hands, looking at the sky through the gaps in the branches and leaves, his face thoughtful.

Hou Yi could somewhat guess the reasons behind his enthusiasm, since in the current dire situation, having another strong person to help could effectively reduce many losses.

Although his conversation with Hou Yi didn't last very long, he clearly gained a vague understanding of the other man's personality.

This is a man who is almost indifferent to his own affairs.

Even though his fiancée was right next to him, he showed no concern for her whatsoever, and was even more interested in Ibaraki Kasen than in Heng'e.

It's hard to say whether this personality is good or bad, but it's clear that the other person is closer to the kind of sage who worries about the world before enjoying its pleasures. Calling him a blockhead or a straight man would be too kind.

If the other person also had the added bonus of being a hero who saves the damsel in distress, perhaps Heng'e would still have fallen for him; after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But now…

"...I don't think it's wise of you to keep coming here to see me."

Shi Bai rubbed his forehead, looking quite troubled, and turned to the girl beside him to speak.

"You can see for yourself, I'm just a lazy bum. Can't you smell the strong salty smell emanating from me?"

"Hmph, don't flatter yourself. Who said I came here to see you? I came here to see Huashan."

With a soft hum, Heng'e, who was sitting at the stone table with her head propped up by one hand, turned her head away, but soon she couldn't help but turn her head back again.

"Honestly, can't you really guide me in my cultivation?"

"........."

Shi Bai is now filled with regret, a deep, deep regret. If he had chosen not to intervene earlier, none of these subsequent events would have occurred.

Are you looking for Hua Shan?

Since arriving at the Youqiong clan and receiving their warm hospitality, Ibaraki Kasen, feeling indebted, has been going out every day to help eliminate the threat of ferocious beasts. Since she considers this a form of training, she is quite enjoying it.

Therefore, Ibaraki Kasen is usually not present during the day.

Ever since that day, Heng'e has been using this excuse to come to his place every day. Sometimes she would bring some pastries or food she had made herself to share, and then she would seriously ask him about the taste so that she could make improvements...

Having a very attractive young woman by your side is actually quite nice, but the problem is that she is the fiancée of Hou Yi, the leader of the Youqiong clan, which is terrible.

However, Hou Yi was someone who didn't care about such things at all. Even though he had subtly mentioned Heng'e to the other party, Hou Yi only realized it after a moment of realization, and then apologized and asked him to give the other party some pointers...

The other party was so calm, what could he do?

What seemed like a very abnormal thing to him was perfectly normal to everyone in the Youqiong or Tushan clans.

Is it okay to ask your savior for advice or to repay their kindness in your spare time?

The more you compare things, the more you realize how dark your own mind is.

"...Let's talk about something else."

After a moment of silence, Shi Bai closed the comic book in his hand and put it aside, then sat up a little straighter.

"Don't even think about my cultivation methods. Giving them to you would only harm you. After all, you won't have my good fortune..."

"Luck? When it comes to luck, I'm definitely no worse than you."

Before he could finish speaking, Heng'e confidently began to speak.

"If they could be saved even in such a desperate situation, isn't that enough to prove the point?"

"So I already said that's not... Never mind, what do you want to learn?"

Rolling his eyes, Shi Bai pulled out five books from his storage ring and placed them on the stone table.

"Take whichever of these five cultivation manuals you like, or even all of them."

"Tch, if you don't want to teach, just say so. Why keep making excuses..."

She pursed her lips, and although she said that, Heng'e still picked up the books on the table. However, after reading a few, her expression suddenly became quite strange.

"Um...can I ask you something? What is the 'Lion's Roar Bullet'?"

"Lion's Roar Bullet... Simply put, it's a magic cannon fired using spiritual power. Just think of it that way."

Picking up the comic book again, the person waved it off nonchalantly.

"...What about the Seven-Colored Battle Qi?"

"After mastering this technique, you can transform your battle qi into a horse, making you unbeatable and terrifyingly powerful!!"

"Then... the Kamehameha?"

"It's a type of magic cannon. Its power depends on the user's combat strength. The stronger the user, the stronger the Kamehameha. It's not impossible to destroy the moon with one blow."

"The Mirror of Heaven and Earth...?"

"Hmm... The divine techniques created by Nuwa can only be practiced with the five-colored stones used to mend the sky. You can practice this if you want."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai nodded.

"I'll help you find the five-colored stone then."

"...I could understand the other books, but this last one..."

She gave Shi Bai a disapproving look, picked up the last book, and Heng'e's expression was unusually strange.

"Finally, could you please tell me what kind of divine technique this book, 'Postpartum Care of Sows,' is?"

"Postpartum care for sows? Uh..."

Turning his head to look at the book Heng'e was holding, Shi Bai paused for a moment, then patted his head.

"Sorry, sorry, I picked up the wrong book. I was listening to the King of Poetry, so when I habitually summoned comics to look at, I summoned a book called 'Postpartum Care of Sows'... Wait a minute, let me find it for you."

"No, I see now. You're just trying to get rid of me. What divine technique created by Goddess Nuwa... Do you even know how many years ago Goddess Nuwa lived?"

Heng'e stacked the books together and put them aside, then began to speak in a rather irritable manner.

"You can't joke about those ancient sages, that's common sense. Actually, these books are all just made up by you, right? And what about turning fighting spirit into a horse, destroying the moon with one blow... Are you deliberately trying to annoy me? Is it fun to fool me like I'm an idiot?"

"So where exactly did I lie to you? I'm known as an honest and reliable young man, a spotless and handsome boy. What good would it do me to lie to you?"

Rolling his eyes, Shi Bai turned his attention back to the comic book in front of him.

"However, this isn't the first time something like casting pearls before swine has happened. Believe it or not, it's up to you~"

"Well……"

After hearing what someone said, Heng'e hesitated slightly at first, but after her eyes fell on the rather eye-catching book "Postpartum Care of Sows" at the top, she decisively dismissed her hesitation.

"...Fine, if you're not willing to teach me, then I won't. But I can still ask you some other questions, right?"

Having completely condemned those five books in her heart, Heng'e asked the man lying on the recliner in front of her with a serious expression.

"But this time, you can't lie to me about what I'm asking you."

"Sure, what would you like to ask?"

Shi Bai glanced at the five books that had been swept to the edge of the table and answered casually.

"Which clan do you come from?"

"Strictly speaking, it's Huaxia; broadly speaking, it's Dongshen. It all depends on how you interpret it."

"...What is your age and date of birth?"

"I don't know how old I'll be, but I'll always be eighteen. As for my birth date and time, I can't even remember my own birthday, so who would remember those things?"

Seeing the other person's face growing increasingly dark, Shi Bai kindly added another sentence.

"Really, I really can't remember. After all, in terms of years, I'm older than all of you combined."

"...What kind of person do you like? Is it someone like Huashan?"

"No, Kasen is just my teammate."

The man pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, which had somehow ended up on his nose, with a deep, thoughtful expression.

"Gentlemen, as everyone knows, Shi Bai likes lolis."

"...Are you really determined not to have a proper conversation with me?"

After a long silence, Heng'e turned her head and looked to the side.

"Is it really that annoying that he's just chatting with me?"

"Hey, hey, hey, I've been having a perfectly good conversation the whole time, okay?"

Shi Bai's lips twitched involuntarily, his face a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"You're the one who told me to tell the truth completely, right? Everything I just said was the truth, okay?"

"Hmph! If those fabricated stories could be considered the truth, I would eat this table right now."

She quickly composed herself, gave a cold snort, and stood up from behind the stone table.

“I haven’t heard a single word of truth from you. If this is how you treat me, then I have nothing more to say… I’m going back.”

"Uh...have a safe trip?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai raised his hand and waved at the other person.

"I said I'm going back!!"

"Hmm... then I wish you all the best?"

Shi Bai was completely baffled as he looked at the girl who was saying she wanted to go back but was standing there staring at him without moving.

"...Don't even think about me coming to see you again!!!"

After becoming absolutely certain that the person had no intention of getting up, Heng'e angrily threw down this sentence, turned around, and strode angrily out of the courtyard.

"So what did I do this time...?"

Watching the girl's departing figure, Shi Bai scratched his head in bewilderment.

However, it was better that she said she wouldn't come again. After all, her wedding with Hou Yi was approaching. Although no one would think much of it because of this, he still felt a little strange.

Hou Yi was still Hou Yi, but Chang'e had become Heng'e. However, the pure fox he was looking for never appeared.

In the past few days, through research, he has figured out the relationship between Heng'e and Chang'e, or rather, Chang'e's original name was Heng'e.

However, in later generations, due to the taboo of certain emperors, the name Heng'e was changed to Chang'e, which is why it has been passed down to this day...

Although later generations know the story of Chang'e flying to the moon, very few people know her original real name. In the beginning, he was also among those who did not know.

However, the solution to an old problem is often accompanied by the emergence of a new one.

Given the grudges between Chunhu, Houyi, and Chang'e, if Houyi and Chang'e both appeared, then Chunhu should have shown herself at that time as well.

In his quest to find Chunhu, this person went to great lengths, but so far, he has not found the slightest clue related to Chunhu... not even the slightest bit.

He did speculate that Chunhu might have been Hou Yi's second wife, but the problem is that given Hou Yi's personality, it would be highly unlikely that he would marry a second person, because it would be too troublesome.

So... where exactly is the pure fox I'm looking for?

After the sage Heng'e, who was imprisoned in the Moon Capital in later generations, left her courtyard in the mythical legend of Chang'e, Shi Bai made more than a dozen speculations about where Chunhu might be.

After all, as a gamer with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, it would be almost unbearable for me to be unable to collect even one character.

Unfortunately, in the end, he still came up with nothing.

Pure foxes seem to simply not exist.

P.S.: Good evening. I said I'd update tonight, and I meant it.