Why can't humans do it too?

"I've never experienced building a family in an ordinary world, complaining about soaring prices while wages remain stagnant, or worrying about my child's grades and education... have I?"

"Having neither been worn down by society nor become more peaceful with the passing years... In this situation, isn't it a bit too much to expect people to get used to a secluded life after witnessing the storms of life for decades, hundreds, or even thousands of years?"

Looking down at Xinke's face in his arms, Suer asked himself a question.

“You’re just bored,” Xin Ke calmly stated her judgment, meeting Su Er’s gaze. She was delighted. “Even the lives of immortals need adjustment… to find a rhythm that suits them.”

"Bored...?"

Muttering Xinke's words, Suer couldn't find any point to refute them.

It didn't take long; just over a year was enough for him to get fed up with this primitive world. There were no cell phones, no computers, no entertainment, and no variety of delicious food... It was utterly awful.

Aside from the various novel monsters, there are basically no advantages to be found; on the contrary, if you were to list the disadvantages, there would be no end to them.

The most terrifying thing is that this kind of life could last for tens of thousands of years, at the very least, for the myth to truly become a myth.

The thought that he might have to witness the process of human evolution firsthand sent chills down Suer's spine.

It was a living hell.

Chapter 41 Demon

In Suer's eyes, time still proceeds at a human pace—that is, to exert oneself to the limit in the most precious and cherished years, so that one's short life can be made in the most valuable way.

For people whose average age is under one hundred, or even under fifty in war-torn and backward worlds, such a code of conduct is naturally not a problem. They must make full use of every second of their lives to let themselves shine with the most dazzling and meaningful light.

Time wasted can never be turned back. Humans who adhere to this principle are like the most beautiful fireworks. But Suer has transcended this limitation. He will no longer feel panicked by the urgency of life like those short-lived humans, nor will he rush about because of it.

Unable to calculate how long he could live, lifespan was not a problem for Suer; he was simply not yet used to this change and felt a unique kind of bewilderment.

Yes, he could naturally dig a hole more than 10,000 meters underground and sleep for tens of thousands of years, but the thought was immediately resisted by Suer's instincts—wouldn't falling into a deep sleep be like giving up one's life and making no progress at all?

Despite having many complaints about this primitive era, Suer had to admit that it contained all sorts of novel things that he might never have the chance to encounter again in the future. Not to mention, if he chose to sleep for tens of thousands of years, how much would he miss during those tens of thousands of years?

Just as he had just told Xin Ke, he had no experience facing the world at the age of thirty, fifty, eighty or even more, nor did he possess the experience that comes with the passage of time.

If he chooses to sleep for tens of thousands of years, then what Suer is like now will be the same tens of thousands of years later—without any growth, or rather… has he really become stronger?

Moreover, there's Xin Ke, this curious forest elf. Would she agree to fall into a deep sleep along with him?

She has a strong desire to research and is very curious about everything unknown.

Suer kept asking himself, if Xinke really agreed to suppress her thoughts and choose to fall asleep with him, could he really sit idly by and watch her sacrifice herself for this?

Ignoring her thoughts.

He was no longer alone, a fact that Surby realized more clearly than anyone else.

Therefore, he needs to find a long-term rhythm that matches his current life, a rhythm that matches Xin Ke... and this may be a very long exploration.

"Have you made up your mind?" Xin Ke noticed the unusualness when Su Er's scattered thoughts finally came together. She asked softly.

“Ah, I’ve made up my mind,” Suer nodded in reply.

"Nine-tailed fox? Or Izumo?" Xin Ke drew a circle on Su Er's body with her finger, then drew another circle. She was asking about the person Su Er had ultimately chosen to help or get involved with after some thought, but unfortunately, she was wrong about everything.

“No… To make a decision, you should at least understand the matter more deeply, right?” Holding Xin Ke, Su Er stood up from the bamboo corridor and laughed heartily, “Let’s go and take a look together, Izumo, and that beautiful fox.”

Right now.

--------------

"Huh? He's not here?"

Standing at the entrance of this quiet and elegant bamboo house, you only need to turn slightly to the side to see a small field behind the house where fruits and vegetables grow out of season. Even when covered by snowflakes falling from the sky, it does not affect their growth in the slightest. On the contrary, it adds a bit of vitality. Their existence allows their owner to satisfy some of his appetite in this meager world... even if it does not improve things much.

Yukari Yakumo would even presume to say that she knows more about everything around this bamboo house than the person who built it. However, compared to the delicious fruit behind her, what she cares about more at this moment is the small figure standing on the bamboo corridor in front of her.

Although the outline is clearer than when I first saw it, the little butler named Yashiki-warashi is still a stick figure that emits a glowing green light in the dark, and at this moment she is solemnly crossing her two slender arms to express her resistance.

"Can you tell me where they went? When will they be back?" Yakumo Yukari squatted down and looked directly into the eyes of the Yashiki-warashi, or rather, at eye level, and asked patiently.

"Swimming~, swimming~, swimming~"

It was clear that the small green figure was trying hard to tell her something, but unfortunately, neither its frantic gestures nor its sounds conveyed any real information. After a series of nonsensical exchanges, Yukari Yakumo realized that she had completely wasted ten minutes of her life.

"Have they gone out...and at this time..." She stood up again, wanting to look through the window to see what was happening inside, but Yukari Yakumo found that the man had set up a barrier at the window, preventing her from seeing in from the outside.

However, it certainly didn't seem like someone was there. At least, even she, being suspicious, couldn't find any reason why Suer would refuse to see her.

What a weird thing.

It was just as the sun was rising again. The reason why this youkai, who was busy pursuing her ideals, took the time to come to her door was simple. After a busy night, Yukari Yakumo had finally made some arrangements for the youkai mixed in with the Izumo army. In the spare time during this busy period, she was constantly thinking and finally decided to come and persuade Sull.

The immense power that seemed to be able to change the world was still etched in her mind. When the dragon of earth and rock that swept up the power of the earth and soared into the sky circled and rose up around her, even a monster like her who knew no awe couldn't help but silently recite those two words in her heart—God.

The real god.

Yukari Yakumo does indeed possess an instinct that even youkai would fear, and this instinct constantly trembles within her heart, warning her to stay away from such dangerous figures. The horrific image of Kazami Yuuka, whom even she found extremely troublesome, having her heart easily crushed and thrown into a field as fertilizer also lingers in her memory.

This is a natural disaster that her schemes and power cannot control, a true power that can arbitrarily manipulate the world.

She should stay away—that's what Yukari Yakumo told herself.

However, she couldn't resist approaching. Perhaps this is the essence of the demon race—an existence that defies common sense. They are themselves synonymous with danger, yet they are attracted to even greater dangers.

Chapter 42 Suer is intimidated

Because of desire, because of greed, because of impermanence.

Because of these very origins that led to their creation, the monsters instinctively resisted the gods and acted recklessly.

Yukari Yakumo feared Sull, feared that power, and wanted to stay away from danger. However, the ambition burning in her heart made her unable to help but imagine what it would be like if that power were on her side.

The birth of every monster signifies a subversion of common sense, and each monster is consumed by the desires in its heart, driven to walk in this world.

Driven by her dream of becoming the ruler of all yokai, banishing the gods from Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, and establishing a truly pure kingdom for yokai on the land… Yukari Yakumo willingly embraces danger.

Just like with fire, which is scorching, dangerous, painful, and deadly, those apes with their fur still intact grasped the burning branches after being struck by lightning, preserving the embers, illuminating the night, and dispelling the danger... and igniting civilization with fire after many years.

Burying these conflicting thoughts deep in her heart, Yukari Yakumo approached Sue and Shinko with the most cautious attitude she had ever had since birth. She used words that would not offend them and adopted the gentlest manner. She even carefully considered several reasons to persuade Sue before stepping into his door this morning. However, she never expected that the man would be gone after only one night.

It seems unlucky; to be precise, it means I've gone out.

"Is it there... or there?" Yakumo Yukari murmured softly, her gaze falling on the distant west, then gradually shifting towards the east where she had just arrived. Her face, turned away from Yashiki-dōji, was extremely serious.

This is precisely what she fears—an uncontrollable, self-willed, and arbitrarily roaming natural disaster.

Yukari Yakumo is praying.

--------------

He had no idea that a blonde banshee was at his doorstep speculating about his whereabouts. In fact, to talk about the whereabouts of Suer and Xinke, we probably have to go back a little further in time.

“I’m so glad you’re willing to grant my wish and catch that beautiful fox for me,” Xin Ke said, giving Su Er a hard kiss on the right cheek, setting the tone for the whole thing from the outset.

"...No, things aren't confirmed yet, let's wait a little longer." With a blank expression, she rubbed her right cheek. Even though it was an energy body without a physical form, Su Er didn't know why Xin could feel this sticky sensation when she kissed her, as if there was saliva left on it.

Suer's act of wiping his face earned him a sharp rebuke from Xinke—"What do you mean by wiping your face like that? Are you disgusted with me?"

It seems that regardless of racial differences, there are subtle similarities among women.

"...The Nine-Tailed Fox is probably no match for Izumo Kingdom when they go all out. As for whether to save her or help her, I'm not sure...maybe we'll just beat them both up," Suer stammered under Xin Ke's choke attack.

Suer and Xinke were walking on a plain not far from the valley where their bamboo house was located. This plain, which used to be very peaceful and serene except for the normal biological cycle of nature, had now become a mess.

Back in Yamato, he didn't realize this because he quickly entered the underground world, but today, Suer has truly experienced the shocking scene that occurs when humans gather on a large scale and monsters are also present.

In just one day, the plain was ravaged to the point of being unbearable to look at. At least within Suer's detection range, apart from the animals that had fled into the valley, there was no trace of wild animals within a radius of several hundred kilometers. Some of them had become food reserves, while others were being captured by humans and monsters, emitting a fragrant aroma, all amidst this stench.

Yes, it smelled awful.

Perhaps due to the existence of gods, the number of humans in this era far exceeds what should be expected for their time, as does their ability to gather together. The army of Izumo Kingdom has about two thousand humans, which is an impressive army in this era, but there are far more monsters.

What will happen when these humans and monsters come together?

There is only one answer—a manure-producing machine.

Suer didn't even want to walk on the road, opting instead for the sophisticated technique of gliding low over the ground. The area where the Izumo army was stationed had been utterly ruined. Apart from the excrement from the two thousand-plus people, much of it came from the monsters. After all, monsters without physical bodies only made up a small portion; the majority were monsters transformed from wild beasts.

Then they just pile up together—or they don't pile up at all, they're just stepped on.

I'm sorry, but the scene was just too overwhelming for my brain. After careful consideration, Suer decided to think of something a little better.

Let's just destroy it.

No, wait a minute.

Even his mind was in chaos. Su Er stopped breathing. At this moment, even when he opened his mouth to speak, it felt like something would float into his mouth. Even Xin Ke, who did not have a physical body, couldn't help but purse her lips. In less than ten seconds after arriving here, they seemed to have been defeated, and they didn't even have the mood to play around with each other anymore.

What to say?

Although he knew it was due to the limitations of the era and that he couldn't blame the humans and monsters, Suer still couldn't hold back—he even hesitated about whether he should go to Izumo Province again.

He and Shinko floated like ghosts at the edge of a height where they could see and hear everything happening in the camp, but neither the humans nor the monsters of Izumo below noticed their presence.

Compared to Suer's extreme physical and mental discomfort, the humans and monsters in the camp below showed no discomfort whatsoever, and even took it all in stride.

The enormous dog demon, about the height of a one-story building, revealed its true form and casually lay down in an open space in the camp, chewing on some unknown roasted meat, while some humans with fawning expressions groomed its glossy fur.

Although it seemed extremely discordant, Suer could see that while the humans were grooming their fur, they were also talking to the dog demon about things that had happened during the march. The dog demon also generously promised the humans that it would bring them some meat after dawn.

Regardless of their relative status as mentioned in their conversation, Suer and Xinke did indeed experience a strange harmony in this relationship.