Why can't humans do it too?

As for the Yukari Yakumo we see now, she is not the Yukari Yakumo who has lived to the present day, but the ancient version of her. This ancient Yukari Yakumo should not know anything about the Twin Souls Shrine, otherwise her reaction when she saw them would not have been so indifferent.

So here's the question: wouldn't it be a bit too despicable to beat up Yakumo Yukari from the past because of future crimes?

Suer hadn't made up her mind yet, but Yakumo Yukari could feel the unfriendly, eager gaze from Jibril behind her, which made her extremely vigilant.

For Sull, it wasn't actually that long a separation, but in Yakumo Yukari's eyes, they were already beings who needed to be re-acquainted with and compared to the impressions in her memory.

“That cherry blossom tree is indeed not a youkai… at least it doesn’t have the ability to become one yet,” Yakumo Yukari casually changed the subject, trying to divert the pink-haired woman’s attention away from herself. “The Saigyouji monk who planted it hundreds of years ago was able to suppress the mountain range and the earth’s veins because of its existence, which is why this area has always maintained a state of good weather and benevolent people.”

"An ordinary cherry blossom tree?" Suer questioned.

“At first it was just an ordinary cherry blossom tree… but as you know, after living for so long, it is already extraordinary enough,” Yakumo Yukari chuckled twice.

Several people were walking in the courtyard of the Saigyouji family. It was clear that Yukari Yakumo was a regular visitor here. The servants, who were either invited by the Saigyouji family or simply adopted and raised in the courtyard, cast curious glances at the group led by Yukari Yakumo, but in the end, they simply bowed respectfully and said nothing.

This blonde female monster walks around a family whose main job is exorcising demons and monsters with such ease that it's as if she's in her own home, creating a comical contrast.

"Just call me by my name, there's no need to be so formal."

"Then I shall respectfully comply."

Xin Ke has already begun to examine the various spells hidden in this courtyard. Perhaps when this cherry blossom tree was first planted, the spells used to guide and suppress the ley lines were quite obvious. However, after hundreds of years of natural development, to be honest, if Yakumo Yukari hadn't mentioned this history, Xin Ke wouldn't have noticed this without careful examination.

Before long, Yukari Yakumo led them to the deepest part of the Saigyouji family compound, which was also the place with the most protective and restrictive barriers, and the place where the cherry blossom tree, which had theoretically benefited the area for hundreds of years, was located.

Yes, Suer had come here secretly before, but now she appeared openly with someone leading her, and also met someone she hadn't seen before—a descendant of the Saigyouji family.

She wasn't very old, only in her early twenties, with pale skin that had lost its color due to living at home all year round. Her pale skin was made even more noticeable by her long, light pink, cherry blossom-like hair.

Thin and frail—that was Su'er's first reaction upon seeing this descendant of the Saigyouji family. He looked weak and sickly, and even spoke softly when introducing himself.

Saigyouji Yuu, it sounds like a boy's name, but it is indeed the name of this delicate and sickly beauty. If she has lived in the Saigyouji family's courtyard since birth and has never gone out, then the name Yuu is quite fitting for her.

"So you were the one hiding her all along?" Su Er asked, glancing sideways at Yakumo Yukari with a hint of exasperation.

The last time he came here, he was secretly wondering why there were houses built on the other side of the huge cherry blossom tree. There was not a speck of dust on the corridors of the houses, and there were traces of human life inside the rooms. But where did the people go?

Looking back now, it's probably because this female demon discovered their presence and secretly hid Saigyouji Temple away.

Tsk, making him look like some kind of thug who forcibly abducts women, has this female monster gone mad?

"I'm so sorry, Yu has grown up here alone since she was little and has never interacted with anyone else, so she seems very shy," Yakumo Yukari said with a smile, patting Saigyouji Yu's hair beside her, pretending not to see Suer's disdainful look.

"Does she have some secret? Or did the Saigyouji family do something to her?" Xin Ke asked curiously.

“If it’s a disability, we can definitely help. If you’re really worried, you can watch from the side. To be honest, it’s much easier to take her soul out and put it into a healthy body than to cure the disability directly. As for the body’s cultivation, it will use her own cells, so there’s no need to worry about her not being able to adapt,” Suer comforted Yakumo Yukari, who seemed a little off.

There are indeed not many good people like him these days.

"Disabled? What are you talking about?" Yukari Yakumo didn't understand.

"Huh? Isn't this the ancestral home where the Saigyouji family's disabled children are housed?" Surbi was even more puzzled than Yakumo Yukari. "Aren't there some problems with the people here who bear the Saigyouji name? It's alright, don't be afraid to admit your problems. Only by speaking out can you cure your illness. Isn't that why you brought us here?"

Old Su is a good man.

"...", Yakumo Yukari's expression twisted for a moment, "...No, that, Yu's body is fine, she has no disabilities."

“Really? But she doesn’t look healthy at all right now,” Jibril said, her words sharp as knives.

“Yes…sigh,” unable to deny it, Yakumo Yukari sighed deeply, “That’s because of the secret that Lady Shinko just asked about.”

“Yu is special… and this specialness is not only for the Saigyouji family, but also plays a very important role in the entire region centered around this cherry blossom tree.” Yakumo Yukari’s gaze shifted to pity and heartache as she ran her fingers through Saigyouji Yu’s hair.

Perhaps thinking that since she couldn't hide it from Suer and the others anyway, she might as well just tell them the truth. Yakumo Yukari's current vulnerable appearance, which made no attempt to hide her emotions, even drew strange looks from Shinko, who knew her somewhat.

Has the female monster changed her gender?

Chapter 53: Chronicles of Saigyouji Temple

"I love beauty more than power"—for some reason, this phrase popped into Su's mind when she saw Yakumo Yukari's unintentional display of such an attitude.

Is Yakumo Yukari abandoning her original grand vow and choosing to walk a different path?

"Um, please don't blame Yukari... If I understand correctly, you all came to treat me at her request, right?" The girl named Saigyouji Yu smiled gently. "Actually, I'm not sick at all, and I don't need any treatment right now. Thank you all for your kindness."

"Yu!" Yakumo Yukari suddenly raised her voice, but after Saigyouji Yukari chuckled, grabbed her hand and held it in his arms, there was no further response.

Although she has hair color similar to Jibril's, this girl named Saigyouji Yuu seems to be the complete opposite of Jibril in personality. Although she didn't use much force when holding Yakumo Yukari's hand, Yakumo Yukari was speechless because of this simple action.

Let's leave this topic here for now... at least we won't talk about it in front of Saigyouji Yuu anymore. Even though Yakumo Yukari seems to have softened over the years, Sue still doesn't think that her personality has become the kind that would stand by and watch someone she cares about get into trouble.

It's obvious that if this continues unchecked, something will happen to Saigyouji Yuu, which is why Yakumo Yukari is acting so urgently.

Suer and his party were guests at the Saigyouji family as friends of Yakumo Yukari. The servants prepared food and served wine. The only thing that bothered Suer was that the servants refused to bring the food in directly, no matter what they said. Instead, they would leave it at the entrance of the inner courtyard and then bow and take their leave.

According to Yukari Yakumo, Yuu Saigyouji grew up in such an environment to reach this age. She knew that other humans lived just a wall away from her, and that the meals she ate every day were prepared and delivered by the people in the courtyard. However, apart from the monks who returned from her family, she had not seen many other humans.

Her only companions every day, filling her loneliness and emptiness, are the various books in her room and the small animals that occasionally appear under the cherry blossom tree... Only in recent years has Yakumo Yukari joined her.

"Won't it be boring?" Jibril offered advice, considering they had similar hair color. "Human life is so short, isn't it? Why worry about it so much? You want to go out and have fun, don't you?"

Jibril couldn't imagine being locked up in one place all day without being able to go out; just imagining it was a nightmare.

But no matter what she said, Saigyouji Yu simply smiled and remained silent after expressing her gratitude, the meaning of which was already quite clear.

She wasn't physically strong; more accurately, she was thin. After only a few drinks at the banquet held to celebrate the arrival of her friends, Saigyouji Yuu was already drunk and passed out at the table under Yakumo Yukari's deliberate pleading with her to drink, muttering Yakumo Yukari's name.

"Now you can tell me, right? What exactly happened?" Xin Ke asked, tapping on the table.

But don't misunderstand, what Lady Nirbalen cares about is not the life of this human girl, but whether this matter is related to the opened portal of time and space. You see, according to her observations over the past few days, the mirage-like cloud-like portal connecting the past and present has not shrunk with the passage of time, but has instead expanded.

If this expansion trend doesn't slow down, it probably won't be long before it spreads directly from the back mountain of Higurashi Shrine to other parts of the city, and many people will wake up to find that the view outside their window has turned into a primeval forest—after all, Higurashi Shrine is built directly in the city.

How many people will be transported to ancient times, and how many monsters will infiltrate modern society, is an unknown quantity.

Suer didn't want to see modern society descend into chaos, nor did he want to test the dark side of humanity. In this world, human resentment and ambition, even the corpses and souls after death, could potentially transform into monsters.

"...Where should I begin?" Yakumo Yukari asked, taking a big gulp of her sake. Her gaze drifted. "Let's start with the monk Saigyouji who established all of this."

“Even I have to admit that, for humans, he is a hero who protected many humans from the clutches of yokai,” Yukari Yakumo recalled the figure who stood in front of her hundreds of years ago, confronting her. Her voice also lowered. “Compared to the situation back then, where yokai could still roam the earth, it is unimaginable that now the number of human villages that can be seen far exceeds the number of yokai.”

"I suppose you're not interested in hearing about the history of these youkai and humans constantly vying for dominance, so I'll just tell you what I discovered here in Yuu," Yakumo Yukari said, lowering her eyes and not looking at the others' reactions. "Back then, the monk Saigyouji found the ley lines that connected the fragments of Ashihara no Katsuyuki to this planet, which is where we are now. He then planted this cherry blossom tree at the node of the ley lines and poured all his spiritual power into the tree until his death."

"From that time on, this became the destiny of the successive heads of the Saigyouji family. When they felt that their bodies were approaching their limits, they would return here and follow the example of their ancestors by pouring all their spiritual power into the cherry blossom tree. Because of this, the spiritual power flowed into the earth's veins along the tree, just like adding one type of bean to two cups of mixed beans of different colors until, in the end, it looked almost entirely like the latter type of bean."

"So that means the monsters will be suppressed in this land?" Xin Ke nodded knowingly.

“That’s right. Favorable weather and suitable climate are just the most basic changes. More importantly, since then, many humans with naturally high spiritual power have appeared on this land. When they come of age, they will join in the act of suppressing monsters,” Yukari Yakumo sighed. “But how could such a good thing not come at a price?”

“Spiritual power is spiritual power; in the end, it’s just a kind of alien power. Trees need sunlight, water, and fertilizer to grow, but unless they transform into spirits, they don’t need spiritual power at all. Rooted in the earth’s veins, it’s more like a conduit driven into the earth by the Saigyouji family. The spiritual power flowing into its body is like poison that causes its heartwood to crystallize and wither,” Yukari Yakumo said expressionlessly. “Under these circumstances, how could this tree possibly grow to this height without taking some other measures?”

Following Yakumo Yukari's words, Su Er and the others' gazes fell on Saigyouji Yu, who was already drunk and lying on the ground.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Selflessness

"...You mean?"

"Each head of the Saigyouji family would pour all of their spiritual power into the tree before they died, but this was just imitating the behavior of their ancestors and was not a written family rule. In history, there were indeed a few heads of the family who did not do this for various reasons."

"Even if they didn't do it, there would be no punishment or condemnation. At most, they would just be criticized by some clansmen in private. However, there is a rule in this family that has been in place for hundreds of years without ever being wrong or delayed."

Yakumo Yukari recounted everything expressionlessly, but Suer noticed that the female demon had unconsciously clenched her fists.

"Theoretically speaking, this cherry blossom tree should have died hundreds of years ago, and the only reason it has survived until now is because the Saigyouji family extended its lifespan... I'm sure you've already guessed it, right? Yu is the sacrifice," Yakumo Yukari said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Since this tree was planted hundreds of years ago, the Saigyouji family has used a secret method to bind the life of one of their family members to this tree. No, perhaps it should be compared to using that person's life as the soil for this tree to live. This is the reason why this tree has been able to live to this day, hundreds of years later."

"When one person's life comes to an end, will a second person take their place? In other words, its lifespan has actually already come to an end, and what is being used now is Saigyouji Yu's lifespan?" Xin Ke nodded knowingly.

“That’s right. Each time it was filled in, it was the person with the purest and strongest spiritual power in the Saigyouji family at that time. Only such geniuses could satisfy the tree’s long-term extraction. On the contrary, only those with second-best spiritual power could only be relegated to the position of family head,” Yukari Yakumo said sarcastically. “If you keep going like this, even I think Yukari’s status is too high. Who can blame her when her spiritual power has surpassed everyone else’s?”

"...Do you think there's a connection?" Su Er turned his head to look at Xin Ke. What he was asking was, of course, whether the Saigyouji family's actions were related to that portal.

Although it might be unfair to say this to Yakumo Yukari, the truth is quite clear once you do the math.

The Saigyouji family adopted a strategy of producing only one person per generation. Even if you counted at most, they had only produced a hundred people over several hundred years. However, in return, the entire region enjoyed favorable weather and was free from natural disasters. You should know that in ancient times, even wars did not result in many deaths, but famine and plague could cause vast areas to be deserted.

As the population increased, so did the number of people with spiritual power. These people with spiritual power seized more land and the right to live from the rampant monsters. From this perspective, what the monk Saigyouji did back then can be described as a meritorious deed for the present and a benefit for future generations.

The Saigyouji family has never broken the vow of their ancestors, and to this day they are still active on the front line of fighting against monsters and protecting humanity, fully living up to the worship and love that Suer discovered for them when he was exploring this land.

Suer also saw many small temples that people had built specifically for the Saigyouji family, and even had them enshrined in their own homes. This is what is meant by "Buddha in every household".

If he were just an ordinary human living in this era without any spiritual power, then everything the Saigyouji family had done gave him the confidence to farm in the fields without worrying about being eaten by monsters, which was undoubtedly something to be praised and grateful for.

Suer believed that Yakumo Yukari was not unaware of this principle, but what this female youkai wanted was also very clear—she just wanted Saigyouji Yu, whom she knew, to live.

Having realized this, Suer was less inclined to get involved in the matter.

If this situation is destroyed, what will he do if droughts, locust plagues, or demons run rampant? If he walks on the road at that time and sees people of this era dying without even the strength to cry out, or scenes of people exchanging children to eat each other... can he bear it?

So, let's eliminate that portal to another time and space as soon as possible.

Let the past be the past, and the present be the present.

"I don't know. I need to check the spell at the bottom of this tree and the flow of the earth veins first, since this is the first time I've encountered something like this... It'll be an interesting subject~", Xin Ke smiled easily, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.

This attitude made Yukari Yakumo furrow her brows even more, even though she didn't know what Su and the others were talking about.

But Suer still felt a little reluctant.

"You monsters didn't cause any trouble in this kind of situation? That shouldn't be the case," Su'er said, somewhat puzzled. He had only brought up a topic that could lighten the mood.

Given how much Yukari Yakumo values ​​Saigyouji Yu, it's impossible for this female youkai not to cause some disruption or break the current situation. Even if Saigyouji Yu herself has no opinion about her fate, it won't change the youkai's mind.

Yukari Yakumo didn't forcefully take Yuu Saigyouji away because the life of this girl from the Saigyouji family was already connected to the cherry blossom tree by the magic. Forcibly taking her away might only result in the death of both the girl and the tree. But what other methods were there?

Or perhaps the appearance of the portal to time and space, the past curling towards the future, is precisely because of Yakumo Yukari's attempt?

"...Humans always produce some incredibly talented and audacious individuals...like that Saigyouji monk who brought all this to fruition," Yukari Yakumo sighed with a wry smile, unaware of Su'er's thoughts. "When he planted this tree, he foresaw that a youkai would come to destroy it, so he directly used the location of this tree as the yang point and planted another tree in the opposite position, which is the yin point."

"Based on these two points, the monk Saigyouji set up a formation that relies on the earth's veins. Over the past few hundred years, there have been demons who have tried to disrupt this situation, but even the most powerful demons have had no choice but to give up when faced with a formation that protects them with the power of the earth's veins... This is also why I wanted to ask Lord Suer to take action."

Yukari Yakumo had personally witnessed Sul using the power of heaven and earth to overturn the world. If she had to find one being among all those she knew who could change the course of the world, it could only be this man.

"If all else fails... even if it's just to free Yu from this fate, that would be good enough."

Yukari Yakumo prayed, all she wanted was for the drunk girl beside her, who was now clinging to her arm in a daze, to live.

But Suer noticed another point hidden in her words.

Another tree?