Chapter 668

Bai Ze can speak human language, understand the emotions of all things, and know the forms of all creatures under heaven.

In a certain sense, Bai Ze is a celestial beast rather than a demon; in this world, Bai Ze possesses the ability to erase history and create history.

Because she greatly loves humans, since arriving in Gensokyo, Shang Bai Ze Huiyin has used her powers to protect the people of the Village of the Human Realm, and also opened a school to teach knowledge and history.

Occasionally, outsiders come to the Village of the Human Realm; she lightly examines their historical traces to prevent the infiltration of utterly wicked individuals or disguised demons.

For Bai Ze, normal history appears before her eyes as textual symbols, but the residual historical traces on that man gave her an illusion.

It felt as if she were not examining history, but rather the symbols were watching her.

When she came to her senses, immortals and gods stood lined on both sides of dragon pillars, amidst misty clouds; a robed man with indistinct features sat upon the high seat, his aura thick with the dust of ages, silently observing the transformations of seas and fields within the lofty heavenly palace.

A celestial with white hair and a youthful face flicked his fly whisk and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the monkey has reached the Southern Heavenly Gate."

Suddenly, the figure with half-closed eyes turned toward her, merging with the outsider man from the Village of the Human Realm: "Ah, it's Bai Ze."

The. The Hun Hun Tian Di?!

Didn't the Mythic Age vanish along with the gods?!

In panic, Shang Bai Ze Huiyin tried to avert her gaze from these historical traces, but discovered that strange black symbols had appeared—unnoticed—forming similar yet distinct figures surrounding her.

Pulling at her, each figure manifested bizarre, surreal scenes, until—

A ball of Bai Guang descended, burning everything to ash.

"Huiyin, Huiyin."

Fujiwara no Mokou, seeing Huiyin's vacant gaze, angrily grabbed Su Lin's collar: "What did you do to Huiyin?!"

Her vision gradually returned; Huiyin stared blankly around and realized she was in the temple school room.

"Mokou."

"Are you alright, Huiyin?"

Fujiwara no Mokou released Su Lin, saw Huiyin rise from the floor and reach out her arms, rushed over to support her—but the next second—

Huiyin's head tilted slightly backward, gripping Mokou's arms and yanking hard.

"Didn't I tell you to learn proper manners?!"

Boom!

Headbutt strike.

Huiyin pressed Mokou's head and arms down, forcing her to bow mechanically three times: "Please forgive her—this child has always had such a temper."

"It's fine, we're all bros."

Su Lin waved his hand.

The moment he said it, Mokou, still dizzy, took another headbutt.

"I've told you a hundred times—girls should act like girls!"

The external heater emitted a soft hissing sound, warming the room during the autumn evening.

"Please have some tea."

Mokou reluctantly served two cups of tea, glaring fiercely at Su Lin—clearly holding him responsible for the two headbutts.

Affinity decreased.

With no choice, Su Lin pulled out his phone and played a short video he had practiced for two and a half years, explaining the Kun Ge meme to her.

"That bitch!"

Successfully shifted the negative affinity to Kaguya.

"Mokou."

The effect was like a fire extinguisher—immediately calming the furious Fujiwara no Mokou, who sat quietly to the side.

"My apologies," Huiyin said with a tone of regret:

"Lately, more outsiders have come than before; for the safety of the Village of the Human Realm, I acted rashly."

"Isn't Gensokyo a hidden place?" Meng Qi held his teacup to warm his hands, curiously asking: "Are they all ordinary people who were spirit-abducted?"

"Not entirely," Huiyin hesitated, then said: "Ordinary people make up a small portion; occasionally, there are dangerous individuals as well."

"Sorry, I think I left my gas on."

Su Lin tried to sidestep common RPG plot developments, but Meng Qi grabbed him firmly.

"Don't mind him—he's not quite right in the head," Meng Qi gestured for her to continue: "What happened to those dangerous people later?"

Shang Bai Ze Huiyin forced a smile and said: "They were dealt with by the shrine maiden and the yokai who helped her—nothing more than minor disturbances."

Su Lin, recalling how his own company had grown accustomed to gas leaks and explosions, sat back down.

"But the specific details—I can no longer recall them. Perhaps it was the work of the Youkai Sage."

No trace seemed to remain; even this Bai Ze, who records history, had no memory of it. But given the frequent anomalies in Gensokyo, even ordinary people wouldn't care.

How to put it

This Gensokyo does have some unusual qualities.

Since he planned to stay in this world for a while, he didn't press further to satisfy his curiosity, merely chatted casually and asked a few questions about precautions in the Village of the Human Realm.

Unlike the person beside him, who claimed to be weak yet kept causing major disturbances, he was now a true ordinary person—he must remain cautious.

'Resurrection artifacts cost money… No, I can't keep thinking about resurrection artifacts.'

Meng Qi slapped his forehead.

He realized his mindset had been affected—he'd developed habits from a combat style of constantly risking death and reviving, which shouldn't have been there.

Huiyin, who had remained upright and formal, turned to Su Lin: "You—"

"I heard that a Parallel World's Gensokyo once made contact with this one," Su Lin interrupted with a smile, hands tucked in.

"Uh… yeah, that's correct."

"We're also from somewhere like a Parallel World, visiting friends; so if Huiyin Young Lady recognizes me, it's probably not the same person."

Shangbaize Huiyin nodded thoughtfully at the words, yet a hint of strangeness lingered on her expression.

Su Lin glanced at the sky outside the window, met Meng Qi's gaze, and said, "It's getting late; we should take our leave."

"Teacher Huiyin, since this is a school, could you kindly lend me some historical books about outside-world myths and legends?" Meng Qi asked.

He had never imagined that in this world's Fantasy Land, he could stumble upon the Divine Whip and the Investiture of the Gods like picking up bargains at an antique market.

At present, no divine power could be detected; he had simply followed some obscure, inexplicable intuition to find these two items on the shelf.

"The terakoya doesn't have such books," Huiyin shook her head.

"If it's myths and legends you're after, Mr., it would be better not to read what's written in those books."

The two were momentarily baffled.

"The gods and immortals circulating in various regions—aside from a few exceptions and later-born local deities—mostly trace their origins to a single entity."

Huiyin paused, then gave an example: "For instance, the sun god Apollo and other mythological solar deities, such as Amaterasu Omikami here in Japan, are the same being."

"As human civilizations developed, different cultures emerged, each crafting their own versions of stories, yet beneath all variations, the true history shares a common origin."

"There are exceptions, such as Chang'e, imprisoned in the Moon Capital."

As if slipping into lecture mode, Shangbaize Huiyin grew increasingly animated—but then she caught sight of the two men while searching for a blackboard and snapped back to awareness.

"My apologies. If you need it, I'll compile a list of the historical facts I know for you both."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Meng Qi stared, dumbfounded.

It felt as if the myths here possessed a kind of truth-world beauty.

He didn't know what Huiyin had told Fujihara S妹紅, but after leaving the terakoya, she reluctantly took on the role of guide.

"Tch," Fujihara S妹紅 clicked her tongue. "Huiyin is exhausted on a daily basis; don't casually add to her burdens."

"Things are looking grim," Su Lin squinted.

"Is it a problem with this Fantasy Land?" Meng Qi asked.

Su Lin shook his head: "The Bamboo Group currently holds the upper hand; the Undying Group is at a disadvantage. The situation is dire."

Meng Qi didn't understand, and didn't care to.

Fujihara S妹紅 asked, "When are you returning to Eternity Pavilion?"

"We're not going back today. We'll find a hotel or somewhere to stay." Su Lin said.

"How could there possibly be such a thing?!" Fujihara S妹紅 rubbed the spot where she'd been headbutted:

"I'll arrange for one of my acquaintances to let you stay at his place; just pay him for meals. Foreigners who come here have always done the same."

There isn't?

Now that he thought about it, this place wasn't a tourist attraction.

"Do you have any capsule hotel devices?" Meng Qi asked.

"You think this is Dragon Ball?" Su Lin was saying, when three people walking toward the Hakurei Shrine came into view at the intersection ahead.

Kleen said flatly, "You're still alive?"

Su Lin: "I was careless. Didn't dodge. The young shrine maiden broke the code of conduct—ambushed me."

"Mr. Su Baoguo, you don't need to explain."

The remains of the unicorn lay at the entrance of the Hakurei Shrine; out of respect for the offering money, Hakurei Reimu considered turning it into a souvenir for pilgrims.

"I've decided," Lu Mingfei exclaimed. "We'll hold it at the Hakurei Shrine."

Su Lin frowned: "Hold what at the Hakurei Shrine?"

"My wedding with Hui Liyi!"

Good heavens, the sun had risen in the west—had he not yet escaped the Infinite Tsukuyomi of Po Xun?

Has the guy who hesitated even to kiss a girl's lips finally grown up?

"I'm pleased—but I must suspect you two are conspiring to swindle me out of my wedding gift," Su Lin glanced at Meng Qi.

Lu Mingfei wasn't acting on impulse.

The romantic wedding destination in the "Tokyo Love Story" dating simulation planned by Jiude Mayi and Su Enxi had also been the Meiji Shrine.

Now everything had changed; they had visited the Meiji Shrine, but it was no longer suitable for a wedding.

In Old Lu's words, it was a regret—and regrets must vanish into another dimension.

"Does the local host object?"

"I gave Reimu all the money I had, and I'll ask Kaguya to help arrange it."

Fantasy Land had no fixed currency, but it vaguely accepted old Japanese yen banknotes—and now Lu Sang, the only one carrying substantial wealth, claimed he had no money.

Huai Shi asked, "Why not return to Eternity Pavilion?"

"Exactly. Go back quickly," S妹紅 nodded.

"Not today," Su Lin said.

Zhao Shuangdian had arrived too, and with Yuyin Yonglin's dissecting gaze, it was hard to imagine how many experiments they'd force him to endure.

In Su's vault, besides a pile of green bills and red notes, were collectibles from various worlds, each carrying some trace of the supernatural—he couldn't possibly fool ordinary people with fading historical projections.

As for the others…

Meng Qi? That guy still owes him money.

Huai Shi? The crow would be lucky to leave him a single coin for the bus—precious metals like gold and silver couldn't possibly be on him.

"Dear Mr. Poor Fool," Su Lin walked over with a warm smile. "What are you looking at?"

Kleen was currently holding a newspaper, sketching on it with an ink-dipped quill:

"To prove many things are mere coincidences, not evidence of my flaws—for example—"

"Going to the Imaginary Tree, the warmest place on Earth is at its summit. You've already been to the Imaginary Tree."

"Go to the Hakurei Shrine with Su Lin—there's a wedding happening there. Lu Mingfei is about to get married himself."

He crossed off each entry from the Wenwen Daily's Kaguya Day schedule one by one.

"When will it be 'Su Lin is the best'?" Qian asked calmly.

Su Lin smiled without mirth: "When I throw Lu Meng a wedding on the Source Fortress."

"Really?!" Lu Mingfei exclaimed. "It's a deal—double joy!"

Both turned to look at him; Lu Mingfei felt his head grow dizzy, and when he came to, he was crawling up from the ground, dusty and grimy.

"You just fell down," said the Sky Phantasm, retracting its foot and pulling Lu Mingfei up.

"Thank you."

No, he'd used up his quota of conversations with Qian today—he couldn't ask this guy about money.

"You're dragging your feet like women!" Fujiwara Mokou growled, impatient. "I'll tell Teacher Huiyin—you can stay at the Jishibuya tonight."

"By the way, do any of you have humans?"

"If you're human and willing, come help—our blood supply keeps running low."

She waved her hand, and the group followed her to a clinic.

"Who among you are human?"

They all raised their hands in unison.

"Non-humans, don't come and endanger others," Fujiwara Mokou muttered, her eye twitching twice as she pointed to the patrol officers lining up inside.

"Sometimes humans get injured fighting yokai and need blood; pregnant women need it to prevent hemorrhaging during childbirth. Just get a few bags of two hundred milliliters each."

"Hmm." Su Lin walked inside.

He could easily sever the connection between his blood and himself, turning it into ordinary blood—and now he had no worries at all; everything but the backup had been burned.

Meng Qi was much the same—his mortal body held no special qualities.

Huai Shi, Lu Mingfei, and Qian stood outside.

"I thought the three of you were the most human-like," Fujiwara Mokou said, surprised.

Huai Shi: "..."

He was indeed human—but also a mountain spirit. Even a single drop mixed in wouldn't save lives; it would only beg for release.

"Sir, what blood type are you?" asked a man dressed as a physician.

"Type B," Su Lin said. "By the way, is your blood bank's supply going to end up at the Red Magic Mansion?"

"You're joking, of course—that could never happen," the physician said to his assistant, who was recording inventory with his head lowered. "Type B—label it."

Preserved using talismanic methods at low temperatures

That was strange indeed.

After Su Lin left, the assistant looked up at the physician behind him and secretly slipped several blood bags into his coat.

Until dusk fell.

He went to the back of the small courtyard, where a silver-haired woman wearing a mask and sunglasses appeared as if by teleportation; the two exchanged money for goods.