My personal opinion on Gensokyo

I have been back from the Gintama world for a day, and just in time for the Lunar New Year in Gensokyo, the young men and girls are holding a New Year's party on the beach next to Shonai Hot Springs.

"Cheers~" ×8

As the toast was spoken in unison, eight jade wine glasses made of high-quality jade gently touched each other, making a pleasant and crisp sound.

After clinking glasses with the girls, Shang Yang picked up the jade cup, drank the beige wine in it, and nodded slightly with satisfaction.

"Well, this rice wine is more suitable for me. I always feel that the sake in this country is just like that."

Here, the girl with short lavender hair, Miss Gu Mingdijue, swallowed the small cup of rice wine in her hand, and took the cup of rice wine in front of her sister Lianlian, who was curious about the rice wine in the jade cup. After drinking it, she seemed to feel a little uncomfortable, raised her slender white hands, pressed her temples, and revealed a slightly complaining expression.

"Hmm... I can't get used to any kind of alcohol..."

"me too……"

After sipping the wine in the glass bit by bit, Shana showed a slightly uncomfortable expression and said in a low voice.

"I still prefer iced orange juice."

"Just get used to it. You still have to know how to drink a little~"

Kaguya also drank the rice wine in her cup and persuaded him with a smile, while picking up the porcelain wine bottle, filling it up for herself, holding it up, and approaching Shang Yang with a playful smile.

"Then, Shang Yang, have a drink with me?"

"OK……"

Hearing this, the young man readily agreed without hesitation and picked up the jade cup and wine bottle.

"Wait, let me pour the wine...eh? It looks like it's already poured...Thanks, love."

"Ah."

Noticing Shang Yang thanking him, Ai, who had just poured wine for Shang Yang and was now using chopsticks to put a piece of tofu from the bubbling hot pot into his small bowl, responded softly.

Lifting the jade cup and gently clinking glasses with Her Royal Highness the Princess, the young man with gray hair and the former Princess of the Moon City drank the wine in the jade cup at the same time.

Then, the young man with gray and messy hair picked up his chopsticks and picked up the cooked high-quality beef in the hot pot.

"Come on, hurry up and get started. Wen Che and Wen Ju, you two sisters, stop just standing there. Thank you, sisters. Although we may have only been traveling for half a year, you two sisters have been diligently helping us look after the house for hundreds of years. Thank you so much. You two sisters, hurry up and eat."

"No, it need not be so, sir!"

When the two sisters heard Shang Yang's thanks, the uneasy Fusangshen girl Wen Ju was the first to bow to Shang Yang, feeling a little frightened.

"Although it is because of you and Lord Jue's orders, it is also because of this that my sister and I have been able to enjoy a peaceful and worry-free life for hundreds of years. It is you and Lord Jue who should be thanking me."

"Hmm, that's how it is..."

After hearing Ershan Lingba's words, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"If you think so, that's great. I was worried that you wouldn't be used to living here."

"No, nothing, Lord Jue."

Hearing Jue's words, the frightened undead girl Wen Ji also bowed to Jue and explained softly.

"My sister's words are all true. It is precisely because you and Lord Shang Jun allowed me and my sister to stay in the Hot Spring Manor and your house that we have been able to avoid being involved in the various disputes that have occurred in this land for hundreds of years."

"You sisters did report these things to us in another world through Shana's 'Causal Connection'."

After hearing Wen Ji's speech, Shang Yang put down his chopsticks.

"...In other words?"

"Yes, Lord Shangjun, the speculation you previously told us two sisters is gradually becoming a reality."

Not surprisingly, Wen Ju responded to Shang Yang's question calmly and softly.

"Buddhism, introduced to this land from India via the Tang Dynasty, has completely merged with Shintoism, which originated here. The fear and faith of mortals have given rise to a large number of monsters like me, born directly from 'rumors' or 'hearsay'. In the five hundred years since mortals moved their capital to Heian-kyo, the number of such monsters has snowballed."

"At the same time, as you speculated, the social rules and living habits of mortals are becoming increasingly evident among the monsters."

"Originally, the youkai, who were supposed to be homeless, have increasingly begun to develop the concept of 'territory.' The more powerful youkai no longer simply gather those willing to follow them to launch the One Hundred Demons Night Parade. Instead, they have begun to form master-servant relationships with the weaker youkai, just like in mortal society."

"The monsters who are willing to follow them will be made their 'retainers', and the One Hundred Demons Night Parade they lead will be transformed into specific forces."

"Monsters of the same origin and species form a 'clan'. The powerful monster who leads the entire clan is called the leader of the clan."

"The forces of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, which are made up of different groups of monsters, are called 'groups', and the powerful monster that commands these 'groups' is called the 'General'."

Having said that, Wen Ju carefully observed the gray-haired young man with no change in expression, the owner of Mount Yoshino, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to explain.

"The title of "Lord of the Monsters of Each Region," originally merely a respectful title, has begun to have a specific meaning, representing a monster's unquestionable dominance over a certain region."

"For you, Lord Kaku, and us 'ancient monsters' who have lived for nearly a thousand years, 'Great Monster' represents a realm. But for the many monsters born after mortals moved the capital to Heian-kyō, 'Great Monster' represents a monster general who commands the power of the Hundred Demons Night Parade and possesses immense prestige."

"It's unclear when this misconception first emerged."

"'Dayoukai' has become a simple honorific..."

He also put down his chopsticks, nodded slightly thoughtfully, and spoke softly without much surprise.

"That's not surprising. After all, hundreds of years have passed, so it's normal for some cognitive concepts to deviate to this extent. By the way, what's with that vague description of powerful monsters that you reported to us through Shana's 'Causal Connection'?"

Hearing Jue's question, sisters Wen Ju and Wen Ji looked at each other, nodded to each other, and then Wen Ju explained softly.

"I'm truly sorry, Lord Jue. That vague report is my sister and I's responsibility. We will give you a detailed report now."

"Now, hundreds of years later, in this land, the vast majority of powerful youkai who have made a name for themselves over these long centuries are following a path... that we, the 'ancient youkai,' consider extremely reckless..."

"When their mana reaches a critical point at the monster level, the vast majority of monsters choose not to continue accumulating and honing their mana and innate abilities, but instead choose to completely fuse their relatively weaker innate abilities with their mana, shaping them into another unique innate mana."

Hearing this, Jue, Shana, Ai and Kaguya were stunned at the same time and spoke subconsciously.

“…It’s simply too reckless.”

However, Shang Yang, who had also heard Wen Ju's report, spoke with great interest.

"Hmm... indeed, the innate abilities of monsters can be temporarily manifested in the form of mana. When their abilities are weak, temporarily attaching their abilities to mana can indeed allow the mana to take on some of the properties of their abilities, thereby enhancing the power of their attacks. In fact, hundreds of years ago, many monsters did this when they were weak.

"But ultimately, ability and mana are two completely different forces. Mana is the power that inhuman beings extract and cultivate from this world, while ability is the 'power' manifested by the 'understanding' and 'desire' of the world, manifested by a wider range of inhuman beings, including gods and monsters."

At this point, the easygoing owner of Yoshinoyama narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a rare expression of great interest.

"By integrating abilities into mana, the mana will take on some of the characteristics of the abilities. If you integrate abilities when your mana is close to the level of a great demon, you will indeed gain terrifying mana that is close to the level of a great demon, while also possessing the characteristics of abilities."

"However, the price of doing so is that your abilities will be permanently lost, and subsequent cultivation will become extremely difficult."

"I can roughly guess the reason for this eager pursuit of power. Besides the influence of faith, it's simply because the spread of Tang Buddhism to the East, which I promoted, gave rise to a large number of monsters before the Heian period, making the law of the jungle more thoroughly implemented among the monsters."

"But, since the number of youkai has increased so dramatically, it's not surprising that over these centuries, 'great youkai' have emerged, those with far-sighted vision who can persist in cultivating their abilities and magical powers, reaching a realm beyond 'this world's principles'... Wen Ju, haven't there been such great youkai in these centuries?"

"You're right."

Wen Ju answered calmly.

"Even if such a person appears, it is not surprising. However, Lord Shangjun, the facts themselves are not just like this."

"It's true that the law of the jungle, where strength reigns supreme, is increasingly being enforced by the monsters. However, the primary reason that has driven all of the 'living monsters' of the past few centuries to choose the path of integrating their abilities into their magic is that, for them, relying on separate cultivation of abilities and magic to reach a state that transcends the laws of this world simply isn't feasible."

"After the Tang Dynasty brought Buddhism to this land, the power of the 'present demons' was largely based on fear, or the power of faith."

"This is why the path of ascension of the 'ancient monsters' was abandoned by the 'modern monsters'."

After Wen Ju said this calmly, Shang Yang and the girls became thoughtful.

The reason is very clear. Fear only comes from the power of human faith. If one wants to reach a state beyond the "principles of this world", one cannot rely on any external power.

If you want to achieve the realm of a "great monster" that transcends the "principles of this world", you must never rely on any power of "fear".

It's not that modern youkai, lacking foresight, choose the path of ascension followed by the ancient youkai. Rather, those who choose to cultivate their abilities and mana, hoping to reach a realm beyond the "principles of this world," are hindered by their own fear during the ascension, failing to ascend. Either their strength is permanently reduced to a minimum, forcing them to retreat into seclusion, or they are consumed by the power of the "principles of this world," utterly annihilated and extinguished.

Volume 5: The Miko of the Warring States Period: Chapter 230: Undercurrent

I see……

After listening to Wen Ju's explanation, Shang Yang was thoughtful.

The plan of spreading Buddhism to the east through the Tang Dynasty, which was led by Shang Yang, was also similar.

It is difficult to make a leap without relying on external forces. This is something Shang Yang knew before he guided Tang Buddhism to Japan. Nearly a thousand years ago, Shang Yang guided Tang Buddhism to the east. In addition to using the spread of Buddhist beliefs to greatly increase the number of medium and high-level combat monsters, Shang Yang, who was not a big monster at the time, also wanted to use the monsters to rely on the power of faith to limit the birth of top monsters and prevent the course of the first lunar war from changing.

Of course, since Shang Yang became a big monster, this plan has no meaning. After all, the power of "fear" will sooner or later spread among the monsters. Ordinary people always hope to get something for nothing, and most monsters are the same in this regard.

"Hundreds of years later, the 'living monsters' who did not participate in the Lunar War hundreds of years ago lack direct knowledge of the power of true great monsters like you and the Monster Sage."

"Although there are still countless monsters in this country, and even the monster forces of the Hundred Demons Night Parade have expressed their obedience to you, the commander-in-chief of the monsters, these monster generals are only using your name to avoid being attacked by other Hundred Demons Night Parade forces."

Wen Ju analyzed calmly.

"The forces of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons that are truly willing to serve you, Lord Shangjun, are probably extremely rare."

Shang Yang didn't care after hearing Wen Ju's calm statement.

"This is to be expected. Since the leader of the Hundred Demons Night Parade has transformed it into a regional Hundred Demons Night Parade force and clearly defined its territory, then the one the Hundred Demons Night Parade follows is naturally not me, but the Hundred Demons Night Parade's general. There's nothing to worry about."

Having said that, Shang Yang paused for a moment and asked casually.

"Any news about Yakumo Yukari and Kazami Yuuka?"

"The wise monster is still elusive."

Hearing Shang Yang's question, the Fusangshen girl answered.

"Although there have been reports of the Sage Monster appearing in the past few hundred years, not only in the western and eastern regions of this land, but also in the Five Capitals and Seven Provinces. It is said that in Southeast Asia, Tang Kingdom, and even in Europe, there have been reports of the Sage Monster appearing in the past, but there have been no reports of the Sage Monster taking any specific action."

After Wen Ju finished speaking, her sister Wen Ji continued to report.

"As for the owner of the Great Flower Field, Lady Kazami Yuuka, she has completely concealed the location of the Great Flower Field since the Ghost City Banquet ended hundreds of years ago. Even now, it's difficult to determine whether Lady Kazami's territory, the Great Flower Field, is still within the Izumo Province area."

After saying this, the two of them bowed to Shang Yang at the same time, full of apology.

"I'm truly sorry, Lord Shang Yang."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

Hearing this, Shang Yang waved his hand nonchalantly and turned his attention back to the hot pot. He picked up his chopsticks and advised.

"If the two of them don't want others to find them, even I will have trouble finding them. That's enough to know."

"Well, Shang Yang is right."

After replacing the orange juice in her jade cup and taking a sip, Miss Jue softly comforted the two sisters.

"These reports have been a huge help."

After comforting the two sisters, Jue turned his gaze to Shang Yang beside him and made a soft suggestion.

"I'm planning to visit the other side for a while. Although it's unlikely that there will be any major changes underground, after all, the underground world is too monotonous, but after all, I am still the nominal master of the monsters in Hell, so it's only right for me to confirm the current situation on the other side."

"No problem, I think you and I are on the same page."

Hearing Jue's words, Shang Yang nodded slightly in agreement.

"I also plan to check the current situation of the other world. I'll go with you."

Hearing this, Jue nodded slightly to show his agreement.

Seeing that Lord Shangyang and Lord Jue did not care about this matter, Wen Ju and Wen Che looked at each other, and it was the younger sister, the Fusangshen girl, who spoke up to explain.

"Master Shang Yang, Master Jue, we sisters have three things to report to you two masters."

"One: Two hundred years ago, a dog demon named Douya Wang, revered as the 'Dog General' by the dog demon tribe of the Western Kingdom, drove out the leopard-cat demon tribe that had previously occupied the countryside of the Western Kingdom and led the dog demon tribe to occupy the Western Kingdom. Furthermore, Douya Wang also expelled all powerful demons that refused to submit to him, becoming the overlord of the Western Kingdom."

"Secondly, a fox demon known as 'Hagoromo Kitsune' secretly controlled Kyoto Heian-kyo three hundred years ago. Most of the Kyoto monsters, who had originally worshipped Shangyang-sama as their master, left Kyoto for the ghost capital of Nara, where the oni and monsters still rule. 'Hagoromo Kitsune', a fox demon who uses his reincarnation power to parasitize the bodies of human noblewomen, hides in the darkness and secretly manipulates the human court."

"Third: Lord Shangyang and Lord Kaku had instructed the Kyoto youkai to aid them in establishing themselves within human aristocracy. The Kyoto youkai, regarding Lord Shangyang as their agent in Kyoto Heian-kyō, had succumbed to the wounds sustained in battle against an ogre. He was eventually discovered by the human court and slain by its warriors."

"Hmm...that infatuated 'White Ghost' has been dead for three hundred years."

Hearing this news, Jue was stunned for a moment and sighed softly.

"...I guess he won't regret it. After all, it's the way of life he chose."

"probably."

Hearing Jue's comments, Shang Yang also agreed and asked.

"What about the family left behind by the White Ghost?"

"After the death of His Highness the White Ghost, a high-ranking nobleman in Kyoto, my sister and I journeyed to Kyoto. Together with the city's monsters, we escorted His Highness the White Ghost's wife, a daughter of a noble family, and her children, who bore the blood of the demons, out of the helpless city."

Upon hearing Shang Yang's question, his sister Wen Ji answered immediately.

"We have placed her family in a human village near Nara Ghost City. The ghosts in Ghost City will also take care of this family from time to time."