Why can't humans do it too?

Although the monsters from the myths and legends actually appeared before him later, the tense atmosphere at the time did not give him the opportunity to ask about these trivial matters.

“…I don’t know,” Suer said frankly after a moment of silence. There was no need to hide something that couldn’t be concealed. “Go on.”

"Well, anyway, that was the golden age of yokai. Everyone gathered together, drinking, eating meat, fighting, and cheering. Yokai were really powerful back then... They would draw their swords if they didn't like someone, and drink with someone they liked," Nurarihyon sighed deeply, like an old man reminiscing about his youth.

He could roughly tell that the great demon in front of him seemed to have lost some of his memories, to the point that he didn't even know his own affairs. But this was not surprising. He guessed that the demon had been sleeping in some secluded world until now, and had forgotten things after sleeping for too long.

"By the way, is that sir here now? Why don't we invite him out for a drink?" Suddenly remembering something, Nurarihyon enthusiastically stretched out his hands, gesturing with both hands over his ears, and subtly puffed out his chest, looking like a disrespectful elder.

Suer realized he was talking about Xinke.

"...Am I also in those stories?" After exchanging a glance with Suer, Xin Ke revealed herself and asked curiously, "How are they described? Me and him?"

“Of course,” Nurarihyon’s expression turned serious. “Whenever it comes to great yokai, you two names are indispensable: the Great Yokai with Two Souls in One Body—Star-Picking Moon-Taming Sorrow, the Yokai Sage Shinko.”

Suer: "..."

This sounds like it came from the world of immortal cultivation.

And why is it another monster sage?

Could these monsters have been telling the truth and it gradually became their nickname... in a physical sense, like plucking stars and grabbing the moon?

"Actually, the title of 'Sage of Yokai' is an honorific for those yokai who are resourceful and guide the continuation of the yokai as a whole. However, so far, there are only two of them: you and Yukari Yakumo," Nurarihyon added, perhaps noticing the doubts of Sull and Shinko.

"It is said that the two were born in ancient times. Although they each possessed powerful demonic energy, they were forced to coexist in one body. However, they did not fight or separate because of this body. Instead, they developed love for each other over a long period of time and never separated, making them a model of love among demons. To be honest, even now, many demons use the legend of the two to encourage each other when they express their love."

Nurarihyon got more and more excited as he spoke.

“Oh right, speaking of which, I just remembered. You two are now the guardian yokai of love. Even when I married Yingji, I prayed for you two in front of your statues,” Nurarihyon said with a hearty laugh. “And it’s not just among yokai. It’s said that in many parts of Japan, even humans pray for you two when they get married, haha.”

Suer: "..."

Xin Ke: "..."

What the hell is all this stuff?!

Why does this even happen?!

"Hmm... I heard there's a shrine built specifically for you in Nara, and the incense offerings are said to be quite good," Nurarihyon stroked his chin.

Chapter 106 Good News

“…Huh? A shrine?” Sur exclaimed, caught off guard, wondering if he had misheard.

“Yes, it’s a shrine.” Nodding and extinguishing Sull’s fantasy, Nurarihyon sighed and said, “Times have really changed. Not to mention the young people who have already come of age, just look at the students who go on school trips every year. Wherever they go, the first thing they do is look for shrines that are believed to have a good chance of helping them find a partner. As a result, other shrines have become much quieter.”

Suer: "..."

Not only him, but even Xin Ke was momentarily at a loss for what expression to make.

What the hell? How did he and Xin Ke suddenly become monsters who bless marriages and connect lovers? And they were born as one body with two souls and developed feelings for each other over a long period of time... Why don't they just go to heaven?!

"...How did these things get out?" With too many questions stuck in his throat, Suer asked with a dark face.

"Where did it first spread from? That's a bit of a question for me..." Nurarihyon scratched his bald head. "Hokkaido? Or Nara? I don't remember. It feels like many things have become commonplace without us even realizing it. But there's no problem with your largest shrine in Nara."

No, no, no, you don't need to speak in such a proud tone at all!

"...I mean, where did this idea originate?" Su'er's face darkened even more.

"Huh? Your legend? It must be the sage yokai, Lady Yakumo Yukari, right?" Nurarihyon muttered uncertainly, but quickly nodded in confirmation. "That's right, it must be Lady Yakumo Yukari. I remember that all the biographies related to the great yokai were compiled and circulated by the sage yokai."

Hehe, so it's you, kid...

Hehe, Yakumo Yukari...hehe.

You're finished!

Although he didn't know what was going on, Nurarihyon, true to his name, keenly sensed the murderous aura emanating from him. The old monster then changed the subject, saying, "By the way, where is the other person, sir?"

He must get out of danger immediately.

Suer/Xinke: "?"

That person? Who is it? How come I don't know them? Why are you being so mysterious?

Shafulin?

"There's one more?" This time, Su'er wasn't faking it; she was genuinely bewildered. "Wasn't it just me and Xin Ke?"

However, before Nurarihyon could explain further, Shinko, with her quick wit, had already guessed something, and she said repeatedly:

"A woman? With amber-pink hair? A halo above her head? A pair of white wings?"

Although it was only a semi-transparent soul, its imposing aura was in no way inferior. Shinko's voice grew louder and faster, until it was almost touching Nurarihyon's face.

"Ah, yes, yes, that's exactly what it looks like!" Nurarihyon subtly moved to the side, ready to run away. "But I don't know the name. It seems that the lord looked down on all kinds of yokai and didn't even bother to mention their names, so the details have not been passed down at all."

“…I understand,” Suermu said with a stern face. Now that things have come to this, who else could that person be?

It's Lady Jibril, of course.

Moreover, since it was him, it wasn't strange that he didn't give his name. Suer had no doubt that apart from himself and Xin Ke, no one else in this world would be taken seriously by Jibril. If we're talking about arrogance, even Xin Ke couldn't compare to the Skywing race.

But Jibril from the future also came? Hmm... although it seems to have come to the past according to the timeline.

But it's good that I'm here. To see such familiar people in such an unfamiliar place, Suer suddenly couldn't help but look forward to what he would do in the future.

"Humph!"

Lost in thought, Suer suddenly heard a cold snort in his ear, but before he could say anything, Xin Ke had already crashed into his body, and no matter how much he shouted, there was no response.

'They're people I know...and after all, in this strange world, why are they getting angry for no reason...' Su'er kept muttering to herself, but... Xin Ke still didn't react.

"Ahem, it's nothing, she's just a little tired, don't worry about it," Sue could only pretend nothing had happened and continue talking to Nurarihyon. "By the way, the person you mentioned isn't here right now either."

Indeed, he was not there. Although Sull wanted to ask more about things related to himself back then, it was a pity that Nurarihyon probably wouldn't know any more. After all, as he himself said, when Sull did great things hundreds of years ago, he was just a young man struggling to make a living, far from reaching the top of the yokai society at that time.

Thinking of this, Suer felt even more regretful.

"If only you were a little older... a thousand or two years old would be just right," Sora said, looking at Nurarihyon with a regretful expression.

Nurarihyon: “…”

To be honest, this is the first time he's been criticized for not being old enough.

"Then can you help me get in touch with Yakumo Yukari? I need to talk to her about something right now," Sull asked Nurarihyon while mentally launching a harassing offensive against Shinko, displaying a persistent and relentless attitude.

“It’s difficult,” Nurarihyon replied, shaking his head without exaggeration. “In fact, ever since you and Inu no Taisho accomplished something great four hundred years ago, the yokai have been declining ever since… and the Yokai Sage began to disappear from sight from that time onwards, until finally she became completely untraceable.”

"As you've probably seen, a yokai like me is considered powerful these days. But what about hundreds of years ago, or even the eras you experienced?" Nurarihyon said with a wry smile. "With my power reduced to this level, I probably wouldn't even be worthy of cheering."

“…Indeed,” Suer agreed after a moment’s thought, “It has indeed declined too much, as if the whole world has fallen into a deep sleep.”

“Yes, in fact, it’s not just me. The other old guys are in a similar situation. It’s not that no one wants to find the Sage of the Demons again, but no matter how hard we search, we can’t find any trace of her… It’s as if she has disappeared from this world, but how could that be?”

After a pause, Nurarihyon said seriously, "Therefore, we suspect that the sage probably lives in a secluded world that is absolutely inaccessible without her permission—after all, a yokai like her would never die."

Chapter 107 Modern Monsters

Indeed, Sullar agreed with Nurarihyon's assessment.

Although he had jokingly speculated when he first arrived in this era whether Yakumo Yukari had died of old age or been killed over a long period of time, Suer actually found it hard to imagine that the cunning, cautious, and ruthless female demon would not have survived to the present day.

Suer was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't find Yakumo Yukari, the great library that had weathered countless storms since ancient times, to obtain information. Even these youkai living in human cities were so well hidden, so it seemed even more difficult to find Yakumo Yukari, whom even these youkai couldn't find.

Legends and stories can be found slowly in the hall, but what Sull is more concerned about is the great things that Nurarihyon has mentioned twice about him and Yakumo Yukari and the Inu no Taisho that you have never heard of. So he asked about it.

"The battle against the monsters," Nurarihyon frankly admitted, "to be precise, it was a battle against the gods on the moon and the moon people. I heard it was a very fierce battle. I ran away quickly, so I didn't participate—and thankfully I didn't."

Suer: "..."

This seemingly cunning old monster didn't hesitate to admit he was running away, completely disregarding any notion of saving face.

Gods on the moon? Lunar beings?

Suer couldn't help but look up at the bright full moon in the night sky. The light was not emitted by the moon itself, but reflected from the sun. When he first came to this era, he simply broke through the atmosphere to confirm the shape of the moon, but he did not actually go to the moon. What was hidden on the moon?

Let's go up and take a look later.

“It seems you don’t remember either… Well, that’s normal. Sleeping for too long always causes some problems.” Mistaking Sull’s silence for a recollection, Nurarihyon refilled his sake and said, “Do you like this era? Or rather, the things that humans have created? Why don’t you stay with me for a while? My house is quite big, enough for you to slowly experience this world hundreds of years in the future.”

Nurarihyon pointed to the towering buildings in the distance that were brightly lit even in the dark. Their lights could reach quite a distance even over the walls of this courtyard. Unlike the quaint courtyard, it exuded a modern vibe, a city that never sleeps.

“No need, I have a place to stay,” Sull simply declined Nurarihyon’s offer. “Besides, your grandson probably already recognizes me. I was working at a McDonald’s and I happened to run into him this afternoon.”

Nurarihyon: “…”

He was so shocked that he was speechless, and the wine glass he had been holding between his fingers fell to the ground, but he managed to catch it in the next second.

"This, this is really... shocking." Nurarihyon subconsciously took a sip. Compared to the era when Sull didn't dislike this human, the fact that this great yokai was actually working personally was what shocked Nurarihyon even more.

"Let's talk more about your situation," Su Er waved his hand, not wanting to dwell on his part-time job, and continued, "Are all the monsters active in human cities like you these days?"

“You don’t seem like a yokai anymore, do you?” Nurarihyon stretched out his hand in front of the two of them and smiled bitterly. “It’s not that it’s your habits or your way of speaking, but that you are fundamentally different from the yokai of hundreds of years ago.”

As he spoke, a black demonic aura began to spread along his arm, and the cloud-like smoke emitted a faint blue light. As it gathered together, it outlined a blurry human figure, but its specific shape was not clear.

"This is the aura of Nurarihyon, dreamlike and illusory, like a mirage. For all the yokai who haven't hidden themselves in the secluded world and are living in modern human cities... we are essentially a different race from the yokai of the past..."

As Nurarihyon's voice reached its lowest point, his demonic aura draped over his shoulders and back like a garment, as thin as gauze, carrying an ever-changing and unpredictable imagery.

“This power is called fear,” Nurarihyon said intently. “Fear, awe. By using this emotion as a guide, you can make the demons who are your enemies waver or feel fear. Then you can break through their demonic aura with unstoppable force.”