Chapter 1: The Death of the Traveler
Why aren't you speaking
Returning to the mountaintop, one can see the scenes of the village below, and Yae Jiao feels a sense of relief. She takes out the rectangular peculiar object from her small bag
Will Sakura not be sealed inside this evil box?
Hmm?
The monster has no consciousness and only attacks humans. My father said that it is the hatred of the deceased monster that is at work
That is a demon beast! The villagers of Yae Village refer to them as 'yokai'! These yokai possess immense strength, and the previous shrine maiden who protected the village met her demise at the hands of a yokai
A strange melody suddenly emanated from the evil long box
The "Cherry" in the evil long box still remained silent, and Yae Miko became anxious, her small hand suddenly pressing a button.
The delicate boy murmured softly, occasionally glancing up at the hillside, as if waiting for a miracle to occur
Small hands frantically grab and揉 the hair, turning a beautiful head of pink hair into a tangled mess
The limbs of the "bear" are adorned with distinct purple crystals, which subtly reflect a pinkish hue under the sunlight, making them particularly beautiful
Even the clothes worn by that poor person are vastly different from theirs
Yaeji suddenly recalled the various legends of monsters in the shrine. Could it be that the "Sakura" in the evil long box is actually a transformation of a heart-bewitching monster?
The small face of Yaoyue turned pale with shock, which was hardly better than witnessing a scene of monsters devouring humans
According to common sense, he should return to the village as soon as possible to inform his father, so that he can lead the young and strong to exterminate the monster
How could a stranger come here
However, the monster
More bizarrely, the "Sakura" sealed within the evil long box actually has a pair of pink donkey ears
Are you sealed inside?
Of course ... When he sees that the form is incorrect, he will not foolishly go along with it.
Ah
Yaeji vaguely remembers the first time the village killed a monster, when the people joyfully carried the monster's corpse back to the village. In this era, there are few opportunities to eat meat, and the ferocious beasts that occasionally appear outside the village are a rare delicacy.
Cherry? How could there be cherry inside?
Yaeji is unable to discern the truth from falsehood, and he cannot distinguish anything at all
Yaeji found a stone to sit on, touched the small pouch tied around her waist, cradled her chin with both hands, and her small face was filled with sorrow
Yet Yaeji did not dare to move, his pupils constricted to the extreme! This was still the first time he had witnessed a scene of a monster devouring a human!
Yaoyue Ji certainly would not think so
Sakura is his younger sister, and they have lived together since childhood; how could he possibly not recognize her
When he arrived here, the bear-shaped monster was biting down on the upper body of that person and shaking it wildly, as if something had flown out of a pocket and crashed to the side
However, around the village, monsters generally do not appear; at most, there are ferocious beasts that are somewhat larger in size. If he has a sharp blade in hand, he would dare to step forward and fight.
With a slight shake of her delicate hand, Yae Miko nearly flung the wicked long box out of her grasp
Indeed, if the water in the river has all dried up, and the cherry blossom trees are still able to bloom, that would truly be a sight to behold.
The hillside is too far from the village; by the time he runs over to inform his father, the villagers will be finished! As a member of the family that serves the deity in the village, he naturally must take on the responsibility of protecting the village. This is the belief that his father has instilled in him since childhood.
Yaeji touched the small bag she carried with her. She had previously promised Rin to fill a small bag with cherry blossoms to take back, but now this plan could be said to be completely ruined
The bloodstains and the droplets of blood splattered in other places always reminded Yae Miko of the ferocity of the monsters when they devoured humans. Suppressing the discomfort in her stomach, Yae Miko moved towards the shadow that had been thrown.
Who is so careless
The girl with ear-length pink hair ... . ... The boy looked towards the highest point of the hillside, a hint of disappointment revealed in his blue-violet eyes.
As far as the eye can see, there are bare branches everywhere, and the ground beneath has cracked in some places. Not to mention the sky full of cherry blossoms, not even a single petal can be seen. Hachijoji has a small, sorrowful face, looking pitifully down at the ground.
Peering out from behind the bare cherry blossom tree and other withered plants, Yaeji cautiously poked her head out to look down the mountain
The girl sealed within the evil long box bears an eight-part resemblance to Sakura, yet Sakura is clearly much younger than her
With the left hand pressing down on the training wooden sword slung at the waist, Yachong Ji bent down and followed the sound all the way here
Are you Sakura
The pupils of Yae Miko constricted
Roar
Ah ah ah
The small face of Yaeji turned slightly pale; he had initially thought it was an ordinary ferocious beast, but he never expected it to be such a monster! This hillside is close to the village, and once the patrol team in the village discovers a monster, they will notify the shrine for handling.
It is withered. If there were moisture, Yae Jiji would likely have to use all her strength to break these branches.
The slender branches have lost their former resilience, easily breaking with a casual snap.
Not far away, Yachongji found the "black shadow" under a withered tree. It was a rectangular, peculiar object, which must have been flung out from that person's pocket, striking the trunk before falling down.
How to explain to Lin
Yaoyue licked her chapped lips, instinctively swallowed, yet found no sweetness or moisture in her throat
People only regard monsters as larger ferocious beasts. After the barbecue feast... some villagers surprisingly turned gray and became monsters that only attack humans. Additionally, some villagers experienced a slight enhancement in their physical condition, but after consuming too much meat, they still transformed into monsters.
After the monster left, Yaoyue Ji dared to get up only after more than ten minutes had passed
The cherry blossom tree planted in the shrine has not bloomed, yet he solemnly promised his gravely ill sister at home that he would definitely return with the mountain filled with cherry blossoms
How should I tell Lin? Two years ago, when the cherry blossoms were in bloom... I seem to have been sleeping under the tree? Yaeji carefully recalled, and before long, she arrived at the top of the hillside
The cherry blossom trees on the hillside are almost all like this, with bare branches scattered across the mountains, devoid of any vitality, presenting a scene of great desolation
Ah?
The captain's supply is fully guaranteed, and there are no drops in the captain's instance.
Yaeji observed some familiar scenes from the peculiar rectangular object above.
Not right! Eightfold Dawn took a few deep breaths and carefully looked at the evil long box in hand
A massive beast resembling a bear has bitten down on the upper body of the young man, shaking him violently
Yaeji was taken aback; he hadn't called out that loudly. His small face was filled with alertness. It was unclear when the number of ferocious beasts wandering outside the village began to increase. Every time he left the village, he would carry a specially made incense pouch from the shrine to mask his scent.
In the distance, the roar of a ferocious beast echoed, prompting Bajie to immediately stuff the rectangular, peculiar object into his small bag and retrace his steps up the mountain path. Without further thought, it was evident that the scent of blood would attract a considerable number of ferocious beasts
If you are sealed inside, just blink your eyes, and I will find a way to rescue you out
The sun hung high in the sky; the season for cherry blossoms to bloom was not supposed to be this hot. However, without the supply of moisture, a fine layer of sweat had already appeared on the pure white forehead of Yae.
... ...
The young girl "Sakura" was wearing the miko attire from the Yae Village Shrine, which left Yae Jiji both surprised and delighted
The girl in the scene, "Sakura," suddenly changed her posture, and the expression on her pretty face turned to one of disgust. She stood sideways with her arms crossed in front of her chest, emanating ominous black gas from her entire body
The metallic scent of blood easily masked the smell of dust, and the corpse lying on the ground remained motionless; the monster devoured the person completely in just a few bites
Moreover, the only words that person could understand, apart from the screams, were just a rough idea.
The peculiar rectangle has one side emitting a bright light, while the figures in the picture...
Yaeji glanced at the village below, then discerned the source of the screams. Gritting her teeth, she cautiously made her way toward the origin of the cries.
Yaoyue stepped towards the pool of blood; at the scene, apart from the torn fragments of clothing, not even a shred of bone remained.
Yae Jiji cast a wary glance at the evil long box and reached out her small hand to "touch" those "donkey ears".
Ka-