Chapter 672

"Strange. What's going on?"

In the gap, Yuyin Yonglin continuously manipulated the boundaries between truth and falsehood, as usual, trying to erase certain truths that ought not to exist.

"No way! Stuck?!"

The boundary of forgetting and remembering.

The boundary of cause and effect.

The boundary of existence and nothingness.

After another bout of struggle, Yuyin Yonglin, wearing a white lace-trimmed bonnet and with slightly curled golden hair, gritted her teeth and crawled out of the gap filled with terrifying crimson eyes:

"This can't be real."

"My lord, a visitor has come to call." Yuyin Yonglin's shadow appeared behind the frosted glass.

"Heh." Yuyin Yonglin opened the door and stared directly at Huiyin, who was rubbing against her nine fluffy tails, and sneered: "You've tricked me, Princess of Eternity Pavilion!"

Huiyin set down her nine fluffy fox tails and let the flustered Yuyin Yonglin retreat with tiny, hurried steps.

"Grandma Purple, I don't understand what you're talking about." Huiyin wore an innocent expression.

"Are you going to play dumb?"

Ignoring the disrespectful address, Yuyin Yonglin smiled without warmth as she regarded her visitor: "Then, what brings you from your cluttered dwelling to the House of Lost Paths, using a year's worth of movement?"

"To provide feedback on recent security issues, as a resident of Gensokyo."

Huiyin concealed the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, smiling faintly: "It's truly terrible—my guests are all terrified and fleeing this place."

Fleeing

Yuyin Yonglin slashed the air beside her with her folding fan, revealing the man named Su Lin, backpack packed, being pinned to the ground by several others.

"Let me leave this Gensokyo full of dark settings! I want to go home!"

"He's having a panic attack! Someone stop his mouth before he bites his tongue!"

"I'm supposed to get married at the Hakurei Shrine—don't you dare give up on treatment, Wise One! Quickly activate your Word-Becomes-Reality!"

"Lu Mingfei, you'll step in dog shit tomorrow."

"You're the dog shit!"

Inside the temple school, the noise gradually turned into brawling, until Fujiwara no Mokou, unable to bear it any longer, hurled a fireball—only to be struck by a headbutt from the enraged Teacher Huiyin.

The scene was utterly chaotic.

The gap closed.

"I owe you a favor from the Lunar War, but that's not a reason for you to bring people from another world into Gensokyo without consent."

Yuyin Yonglin's tone was icy: "Especially factors that might bring danger."

She had no intention of brushing this off—indeed, their presence had genuinely interfered with Yuyin Yonglin's alterations to Gensokyo's truth.

Huiyin smiled sweetly and said:

"In the past, you handled all those matters unilaterally; we never knew the details. Even if we did, our memories were altered as part of Gensokyo, so naturally we never learned what was forbidden."

"Though neither I nor Yuyin Yonglin care about these things, bringing someone here without permission is indeed my fault."

"Then I shall bear all responsibility for this matter—you may kill or punish me as you wish."

Her attitude and reasoning gave no room for criticism.

Yuyin Yonglin studied Huiyin for a moment, then drew out a tea set and fruit from a gap, inviting her into the inner chamber of the House of Lost Paths.

"This kind of punishment holds no meaning for you."

"If anyone can end my eternal life, it should be you."

Huiyin picked up an orange from the table and peeled it; the two chatted as if in idle conversation.

"Even if Gensokyo is destroyed, you won't die. Even if the outside world and the entire universe meet their end, you are the only one who will survive."

Yuyin Yonglin wore an expression of deep exasperation, as if genuinely struggling with how to deal with Huiyin.

But who knows what her true thoughts are?

No one in Gensokyo understands Yuyin Yonglin's behavioral principles.

"I'm not the only one from the Land of Penglai," Huiyin smiled.

"But isn't the key ingredient of Penglai medicine derived from 'eternity' itself?" Yuyin Yonglin opened her folding fan and gently fanned herself:

"If a danger arises so great that even the people of Penglai cannot survive, I believe they would return their only hope of survival to you."

"You even know that." Huiyin broke off a segment of orange: "Hmm, by the way—is this a threat?"

"You're overthinking. I lack that power—I merely heard some secrets and wanted to verify them." Yuyin Yonglin's lips curled into a faint smile.

"So, would you mind telling me what's going on?" Huiyin swallowed the orange segment, licked her fingers, and said:

"If there's trouble, I'll consider relocating."

Isn't this the moment to offer active help?

Yuyin Yonglin closed her folding fan and tapped it irritably against her palm several times.

A gap split open, swallowing the entire room, while countless eyes reflected Yuyin Yonglin's figure.

Yuyin Yonglin addressed a coolly dressed 'Yuyin Yonglin': "Sorry, the Reincarnator you lent me is broken beyond repair—better go back now."

Huiyin narrowed her eyes in surprise and said: "Of course—only you can freely contact and interfere with other Parallel Worlds in Gensokyo."

"Parallel Worlds? Heh ahahaha."

A group of Yuyin Yonglins emitted melodious, bell-like laughter.

"That's not inaccurate."

"But a more precise term would be certain timelines before the world's reincarnation."

"And the Yuyin Yonglins from Gensokyo that developed under different possibilities."

Seeing the stunned expression on Huiyin's face, the Yuyin Yonglin she knew also softly laughed:

"Let's just call it a peculiar trait of realm spirits."

"Please behave and don't stir up any more trouble."

Kagami Shizu closed the gap and called for Kagami Aoi to see the guests out.

"Has age made your memory worse? Don't turn things around on me, Mom Purple."

Hōrai-san Kaguya shut the door behind her, showing none of the politeness she'd shown upon arrival; her shadow slowly faded from the frosted glass of the doorframe.

"My lord, is it safe to tell Eternity Pavilion about this?"

"Since we can't alter that part of the truth now, let's try again after those outsiders leave."

After yawning, Kagami Shizu picked up a newspaper with a sly smile.

"By the way, have you heard something interesting, Aoi?"

"Huh?" Kagami Aoi paused, mid-cleaning of the tea set.

"About the one imprisoned in the Moon Capital—the Chang'e," Kagami Shizu said to herself.

Kagami Aoi replied, "I recall the Moon Rabbit was punished to pound medicine because of her."

"More precisely, it was Chang'e's husband."

Chang'e's husband shot down the suns; Tsukuyomi, missing his sister too much, fashioned a human form in the image of 'Amaterasu.'

He was born with dominion over 'Eternity' and 'Moment.'

"Thus, although Hōrai-san Kaguya is a princess of the Moon Capital, she is not Tsukuyomi's biological daughter."

Kagami Shizu's smile turned frightening, making Kagami Aoi's fur stand on end; under her gaze, a gap opened toward the Moon.

"Slipped my hand." Kagami Shizu erased part of the information on the Bunken Daily and tossed it onto the lunar surface.

"Maybe I'm just getting old."

Kagami Shizu opened a gap in the ceiling and continued observing the students in the temple school—but now the noise had stopped, and a faint blue, olive-shaped vertical pupil hovered against the ceiling, staring into the gap.

"What are you staring at?"

"."

She silently closed the gap.

The next day, outside the temple school.

After a simple breakfast, the group chose to continue to the Hōrei Shrine to scout the location.

"Thank you," Su Lin and the others expressed gratitude for their lodging last night: "Fujiwara Mei Hong-tan, next time you and Kaguya cook offal soup, I'll bring you hotpot base."

"You and that dead bitch Kaguya better vanish from my sight forever," Fuwahara Fujiwara Mei Hong grumbled, turning her head away.

She hadn't returned to the bamboo grove last night and had been forced by Teacher Huiyin to sit through an entire night of etiquette lessons.

Still, these guys had indeed helped Teacher Huiyin resolve a problem, so Fuwahara Fujiwara Mei Hong thought for a moment and made a promise:

"If you need anything in the Village of Mortals, come find me."

【Prompt: Fuwahara Fujiwara Mei Hong's favor increased】

Probably a mass hallucination—how else could five people all see such a delusion?

Leaving the Village of Mortals, they entered a dim, winding path where sunlight and rain alike were scattered by the forest's leaves—this was the only road to the shrine.

Among the five, Meng Qi and Huai Shi rubbed their eyes as if half-asleep; no one knew if they'd been stealing cows in the night.

Don't ask why they walked when they could fly—just accommodate that picky guy's mortal experience.

Kleen started a group chat: "How should we handle the Reincarnators from other Fantasy Lands that Kagami Shizu brought in?"

Lu Mingfei sent a message: "Want to understand the meaning of life? Want to truly live? Yes or No?"

Su Lin: "or"

Song Shuhang: "I choose death."

Su Lin: "Reward: a resurrection artifact."

One Reincarnator from a reincarnation space was already troublesome—now another from the Master God Space? If not for Kaguya's confirmation last night that these were test pawns brought by Kagami Shizu from another Fantasy Land, they'd have fled this place in an instant.

Still recovering from serious injuries and now facing a peak match?

Maybe if I were reborn once.

And it's not just the Master God Space.

"So, has this happened before in the Fantasy Land where Kaguya resides?" Weigong Shilang asked.

"There were things I couldn't recall before—only that an anomaly occurred," Kaguya replied from Eternity Pavilion, lying in bed while playing her PSP:

"But I never imagined it was Old Lady Purple bringing dangerous elements from other timelines here."

"Like transmigrators, reincarnators, or Reincarnators who want harems."

"The attackers last night at the temple school seemed to come from a Fantasy Land where Reincarnators frequently appear."

Zhongli: "Is this also a power of the Boundary? Do all the Sage Youkai in every Fantasy Land possess this ability?"

Hōrai-san Kaguya: "From my knowledge, there are differences in strength among the Kagami Shizu from different timelines."

Su Lin: "So we just happened to meet the most troublesome one—and just happened to be the ones who came here?"

Hōrai-san Kaguya: "Just coincidence. But thanks to you, I finally learned the truth."

This woman definitely knew some secrets and simply rode the wave.

Realizing he'd been used as a tool, Su Lin felt cheated—other games at least gave you a few Primogems, Crystals, or Talismans.

Hōrai-san Kaguya: "Reward: You can turn this Fantasy Land into a paradise."

Su Lin: "@Yi Leina, can I open a harem in this Fantasy Land?"

Yi Leina: "?"

Ye Fan: "Isn't it better to get the rice cooked before you talk about it?"

Xiao Yan: "Unless forced by irresistible circumstances, I suggest remaining faithful."

Purple Gold Divine Dragon: "Explain the force majeure factors—I like hearing about them."

Huai Shi: "I'm loyal, but I need some guidance on force majeure factors."

Xiao Yan: "No, I'm serious."

Panting, Yi Leina put down her staff and glanced around the prismatic dimensional space: "Is this some kind of trashy boyfriend chat group?"

When did these guys raise their magic to this level? Even stole my private spells.

"Behave yourselves! Hand over all prohibited items!"

"Privacy freedom! Down with the tyrant Yi Leina!"

Several figures emerged from the mirror surfaces of the prismatic space, each bearing the same magical mark; then light appeared, tracing along the magical frameworks layered through the dimensions.

A fundamental link bound the several together with Yi Leina.

This was the modified spirit-summoning ritual, using shared resonance to replicate Yi Leina's magical abilities.

It seemed they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

Crimson leaves gradually faded into winter hues, not fallen, but clinging stubbornly to the branches, swaying in the wind.

First snowflakes drifted down, white beginning to stain the mountaintop.

Outside the Hakkai Shrine, Su Lin touched the skin as white as ever, his fingernails lightly tracing it, eyes filled with longing and pity:

"Unicorn"

Even turned into a ball of iron, he recognized it as the unicorn that had fought beside him for so long.

He had cut down angels on Mystery Street, battled Hun Tian Di in the Hand Tractor Championship, blasted the SHIELD in the Marvel Universe, yet fell to a city enforcement officer.

Thinking of this, Su Lin—with his strong empathy—felt tears welling in his eyes.

"Old friend, I've come."

He pulled out a black crystal in the shape of a hexagonal prism; a visible stream of green data began to envelop the iron ball known as 'Unicorn.'

Moments later

【This scrap metal lacks the basic conditions for transcendence and has no interface. Please select a complete inorganic lifeform.】

So many resources and immortal metal modifications… the Unicorn.

The USB drive bearing the Saint Machine Great Freedom Nirvana Code fell to the ground.

Amid swirling snow, Su Lin lowered his hands and cried out in despair: "No!"

"Is that weirdo your friend?" Hakkai Reimu asked, holding her broom. "Even the village's scrap collector won't take that thing. I'll have him come pick it up later."

Lu Mingfei and the others, seeing Su Lin like this for the first time, didn't want to accept this reality.

Bro, don't embarrass yourself!

"By the way, are you offering incense money today? If not, get off the mountain quickly—don't disturb my work." Hakkai Reimu glanced at the stove inside, shivering as she rubbed her arms.

Lu Mingfei blinked: "Didn't we just give it yesterday?"

"Yesterday was yesterday. Today is a new day." Hakkai Reimu waved her hand.

At that moment, Su Lin stood up, smiled warmly, walked up to Hakkai Reimu, and pulled a pile of gold bars and silver from his chest, placing them atop the donation box.

"A small token."

"Please, take your seat."

Hakkai Reimu respectfully opened the door.

"Aren't you broke?!" Lu Mingfei and the others stared at Su Lin, who had entered wearing slippers.

"Historical projection."