I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Amidst the mournful music of the shamisen, shakuhachi, and Wajima style, there are murmurs that sound like chanting.

"...I pray to God, for in this life, my flesh is weary, and my dreams have vanished..."

It was like a whisper in his ear. Lu Ban felt a chill run down his spine and quickly turned his head the moment the whispering stopped.

But all around was darkness.

In Lu Ban's vision, all that remained was the road beneath his feet and the torii gates along it. He could only see what was within arm's reach; beyond that, all was quiet darkness.

"Red leaves?"

Lu Ban tried calling out, but even his voice blended into the darkness, and there was no response.

He looked around and could only roughly make out the direction up the mountain.

Beyond the darkness that shrouds the road, nothing is known.

"In any case, he shouldn't be dead yet?"

Lu Ban climbed upwards, and torii gates came into view and then receded into the distance. These dilapidated buildings seemed to be covered in grime, but Lu Ban didn't know what it was or how the grime had been splashed onto them.

In the endless darkness and silence, Lu Ban's heart beat about three hundred times, only to find himself still between the torii gates.

"Is it another case of being trapped in a maze?"

Lu Ban thought for a moment, then squatted down, picked up a stone and made a five-pointed star mark on the torii gate before continuing forward.

With each step, as the darkness brightened as they drew closer, Lu Ban tensed up, worried that something strange might emerge from the shadows.

Just like when I was a child walking at night, it was pitch black outside the lamplight, and I was careful with every step, afraid that something ferocious and terrifying would suddenly appear on the road.

He was originally planning to continue walking for another 300 heartbeats, but when he counted to 233, Lu Ban stopped.

He saw the five-pointed star mark he had just left on the torii gate next to him.

Furthermore, there is another mark beneath the five-pointed star.

It was a symbol that seemed to have been drawn casually, yet it was full of eerie meaning.

"...There's someone else on this path, and he's already spotted my mark. Is it Red Leaf? Or is it something else...?"

Lu Ban pondered for a moment and decided to continue.

Just as he turned around and started to walk down, his vision cleared ahead, and Lu Ban saw a person standing next to the torii gate in front of him.

The person was dressed in a red and white shrine maiden's outfit, which was spotless. Her black hair fell smoothly down her back, and her face was pale, reminding Lu Ban of the crystal doll hanging in the sky that he had seen during the day.

She stared at Lu Ban, her eyes seemingly filled with resentment.

"Did you bring me here?"

Lu Ban stopped and asked a question.

The other party remained silent, only slowly taking two steps back before disappearing into the darkness.

Lu Ban did not rashly leave the road full of torii gates. Although it seemed like there would only be a cycle here, going out was obviously not a good choice.

He continued walking downwards, his heart beating over a hundred times.

Then I noticed that there seemed to be another mark on the torii gate next to me.

That was Lu Ban's own five-pointed star.

However, the pentagram that Lu Ban originally marked should have been facing downhill, but now it's facing uphill.

"Has the torii gate changed, or are these all illusions?"

Lu Ban took a step and looked at the back of the torii gate.

On the mottled, peeling red paint surface are shocking scratch marks. These scratch marks are not from sharp claws, but rather look like they were made by human hands scratching repeatedly. Beneath the peeling red paint, there is an even richer blood color!

One can imagine that perhaps a priestess really did get lost on this road, experiencing this repetitive cycle again and again, until she finally lost her mind, went completely insane, scratched at the torii gates with her fingers, and finally left the road, never to return.

The surrounding darkness deepened, and the midsummer night's temperature caused Lu Ban to break out in a sweat. The sweat soaked his clothes, sticking them to his skin uncomfortably.

Lu Ban suppressed his wandering thoughts and took a few more steps forward.

Suddenly, I felt something strange under my feet, as if I had stepped on something hard and protruding. It was not a stone, but something curved and brittle.

Lu Ban looked down.

There is a mask there.

Chapter 103 This is a song that brings good luck.

"The mask... its shape... is it made of red leaves?"

Lu Ban recognized the mask.

He bent down and picked it up; the mask was real.

"She left her here to guide me?"

Lu Ban pondered for a moment, then opened his mouth.

"Good luck, may good luck bring you joy and love..."

In this silent world, Lu Ban began to sing "Good Luck".

The joyous songs echoed between the torii gates, resounding throughout this tranquil land.

As Lu Ban sang, he looked around and felt as if the stars around him were shining.

As Lu Ban sang, he suddenly saw a face approaching him on the dark road.

He stopped singing.

"...What are you singing?"

Hongye carried a lantern, her expression slightly awkward, as if she was considering whether to just leave Lu Ban alone at the shrine.

"This is a song from my hometown that brings good luck. Do you want to learn it?"

Lu Ban asked with enthusiasm.

"no need……"

Hongye raised the lantern to illuminate Lu Ban's body, and only after confirming that he was alright did she feel relieved.

“I told you, don’t get caught up in the shadows. The torii gates along this road are not just decorations, but also a kind of barrier, a barrier used to imprison monsters.”

“I just saw a witch on the road.”

Lu Ban then said.

"Miko?"

Hongye seemed to be deep in thought. She gestured for Lu Ban to follow, and when she saw him walking behind her, she pulled him up to stand beside her, their arms pressed tightly together.

“Each shrine is actually a cage. Using torii gates, spells, and barriers, we collect the filth from the vicinity of the island. Every New Year, the shrine priest will take action to purify all this evil.”

Hongye explained that her clothes clung to Lu Ban's exposed arms in his short-sleeved shirt, the silk texture was subtle, and their arms would occasionally touch through their clothes, confirming each other's presence.

"So, those evil spirits have to be suppressed in the shrine for a whole year?"

Lu Ban couldn't help but ask.

"What if something goes wrong halfway through and they run away?"

"The divine fire of purification cannot be extinguished, so each purification will cause a certain area to be permanently abandoned and cannot be used for a long time. As for the leakage problem, aren't we investigating it now?"

Hongye raised her eyebrows.

"Since the side effects of purifying fire are so severe, why use it to exorcise evil spirits? Aren't there other methods?"

Lu Ban had no time to appreciate the softer arms of Hongye than he had expected; he simply asked out of curiosity.

"...At least, the Purifying Fire can delay the destruction of humanity."

Hongye's tone revealed a hint of helplessness.

“The Divine Child is remarkable. She has borne burdens that ordinary people cannot bear. The reason I want to become the Divine Child is not for fame and power. When I was young, my village was attacked by filth, and it was the Divine Child’s purifying fire that saved me. From then on, I took it upon myself to become that kind of person.”

"But you failed to become a god."

Lu Ban said subconsciously.

"...That's because I'm not capable enough. The current Divine Child, she used to be my friend, I know her very well. She's gentle, strong, and has the power to overcome all difficulties. She is indeed the best candidate to become the Divine Child."

Hongye sighed, climbed the steps, and grabbed Lu Ban's wrist.

The calluses on her hands and fingertips rubbed against Lu Ban's skin, creating a unique feeling unlike that of ordinary girls.

"Maybe you're just unlucky. How about I teach you to sing that song you just sang? It really brings good luck."

Lu Ban said it persistently.

"...No need."

As the autumn leaves passed through the last step and the long tunnel formed by the torii gates, the dark and secluded Wajima Shrine came into view.

"By the way, I saw some people on the island who recovered even from fatal injuries. Is that also a form of pollution?"

Looking at the impressive building, Lu Ban casually asked a question.

"Is this how you see it?"

Hongye released Lu Ban's hand.

The fog on the mountain seemed to have thinned out, making it possible to see more stars and the sky brighter.

"In my eyes?"

Lu Ban was confused.

"Pollution doesn't just cause people to lose their minds and go crazy; it also alters their cognition or alienates them from themselves."

Hongye briefly explained in two sentences.

“Those things that have been contaminated are no longer in human form. Just like the person you saw during the day who was knocked down by the rickshaw, he was essentially just a lump of filthy flesh and blood.”

"...So, in my eyes he's human, but in reality he isn't?"

Lu Ban took a slight breath.

“That’s right. We call this kind of thing an obstacle. It’s the same principle as invisibility or transformation. The more you know about this world, the less likely you are to be hindered by obstacles. It seems that you know more than you show.”