My personal opinion on Gensokyo

The first person on the left, an elderly man who was also elderly, bowed to the elderly man in the main seat, his tone equally gloomy.

"A year ago, my clan received word that the legendary Four Souls Jade had appeared in a remote countryside of Musashi Province, guarded by a miko of profound spiritual power. Due to the distance between the Eastern Province and Kyoto, our clan was trapped in Kyoto, and the presence of His Highness Konoe Teru, the "Guardian of Kyoto," we gave up on sending our clan members to Musashi Province to seize the Four Souls Jade. You, the family head, are also aware of this."

Having said that, the old man on the left could no longer suppress his inner greed, and he suppressed his tone and spoke slowly.

"But, Master of the Family, things are different now. We have waited for a rare opportunity. The shrine maiden who guards the Four Souls Jade has come to Kyoto!"

"With the large number of clansmen in Kyoto, the Four Souls Jade, which can greatly enhance demonic power, is almost within our reach..."

PS1: The scheduled release I set yesterday could not be refreshed at noon today. I went to the backend and found out that the scheduled release was changed from August 3 to September 3. I’m sorry.

PS2: I recommend the book "The Bizarre Adventures of the Tartarus Fleet" by 32zi. I think most readers are familiar with this book.

PS3: I can actually continue writing. 32zi is amazing.

Volume 5: Miko of the Warring States Period: Chapter 265: The Hisakawa Clan

Hearing this, all the nobles present at the scene, whose faces, blurred by the dim environment, revealed greedy and vicious expressions.

“This is truly a unique opportunity.”

The head of the family, who also suppressed the greed in his heart, spoke in a cold tone on the main seat.

"The feathered fox lurking within the palace had secretly left Kyoto a year ago, leading her One Hundred Demons Night Parade. She seemed to be heading for the deep mountains of the Western Kingdom, searching for the great demon dragon bone spirit, who had long been sealed away by the Western Kingdom Dog General, hoping to usurp the dragon bone spirit's demonic power."

The elderly family head paused for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"However, this is only superficial. The ocelots, defeated and expelled by the Western Dog General in the early years, are now making waves in the Western Kingdom. Both the princess of the Western Dog Demon Clan and her son Seshomaru, born to the Dog General, are in a very difficult situation right now."

"Hyuga Fox is waiting. After the Leopard Cat Clan conquers the Western Dog Demon Clan, she can then lead her Night Parade of One Hundred Demons to conquer the Western Leopard Cat Clan in the name of revenge for the Western Dog Demon Clan, and then conquer most of the Western Kingdom. This information is probably only known to my clan at the moment."

"From this point of view, this opportunity is indeed rare. If it is handled properly, the Four Soul Jade will naturally belong to our Jiuchuan clan."

Having said that, the old family head cast a stern glance at the clansmen on both sides who showed greedy and vicious expressions, and spoke slowly.

"However, what our family wants to know is, have you considered how to deal with His Highness, the 'Guardian of Kyoto'..."

"Our present position as a clan is entirely due to the kindness of His Highness Konoe Teru and His Highness the Commander-in-Chief. If His Highness the Guardian discovers this, and our clan breaks the oath we swore centuries ago, seizes the legendary Four Souls Jade, and once again interferes in the affairs of the youkai clan, then our centuries-old position of staying out of trouble will be completely lost."

The reminder from the old family head made all the nobles present fall into deep thought, and at this moment, a young man spoke slowly in an indifferent tone.

"Grandfather, don't worry. Perhaps the Four Souls Jade is meant for our Hisakawa clan. I have received accurate information that His Highness Konoe Teru is currently with His Highness Princess Watatsuki in the eastern region of Echigo, not in Kyoto."

"what?!"

Hearing this, the old man was stunned and his face changed drastically.

"...How dare you send your clansmen to spy on the whereabouts of His Highness?!"

Hearing the shocking words of the head of the family, all the nobles present also showed expressions of astonishment, and cast their eyes in disbelief at the young noble who was also sitting on the left, his expression unchanged.

"You, do you know what you are doing?!"

After taking a deep breath, the elderly family head regained his composure and stared at his grandson, enunciating every word.

"The Hisakawa clan resides in Kyoto and is under the jurisdiction of His Highness, the Guardian of Kyoto. Although His Highness has never interfered with the Hisakawa clan's lives in Kyoto, in the interests of justice, we, the Hisakawa clan, remain his subordinates. If His Highness were to discover that the Hisakawa clan had dared to send people to spy on her whereabouts, committing a treasonous act, then the Hisakawa clan's demise would be imminent..."

"Don't forget, Her Highness Konoe is not one of those naive princesses from the imperial or aristocratic families. She is the 'Guardian of Kyoto,' appointed by the Monster Commander Shang Yang-sama, to oversee the Kyoto Imperial Court and the western region!"

"Of course I haven't forgotten, Grandfather."

The young nobleman bowed to the elderly head of the family, his grandfather, who was sitting on the main seat, and spoke calmly.

"Please rest assured. In Kyoto, the people I used to observe the area around the Kyoto Guard Station were just a few ordinary humans who were unaware of the situation. In the eastern Echigo area, I simply used the country folk of my clan to 'replac' me in observing His Highness Konoe Teru. It is also an honor for those country folk to serve the Hisakawa clan."

"...Is that so? If that's all, there's still some room for maneuver."

After hearing his grandson's report, the elderly family head nodded slightly and gave serious instructions.

"However, you must remember not to let the ordinary humans you are using know any inside information. Only in this way can our Jiuchuan clan be protected in front of His Highness."

"Yes."

Hearing this, the young noble, with a calm expression, bowed to his grandfather again.

"However, Young Patriarch, your actions are indeed a bit hasty and reckless."

At this time, the old man sitting in the first seat on the left also let out a long sigh, turned his head thoughtfully to look at the young noble who was also sitting on the left, and asked tentatively.

"Although this was done to ensure the success of our Hisakawa clan's bid for the Four Souls Jade, by choosing to spy on the whereabouts of His Highness, the Guardian of Kyoto, could it be that the Young Patriarch intends to become an enemy of His Highness, the Guardian..."

Hearing these words, the expressions of all the nobles of the Jiuchuan clan present changed slightly again, and they cast their inquiring gazes towards the young heir whose expression also changed slightly.

"No, that's not the case... The elder is worrying too much. The greatest enemy of the Hisakawa clan is the feathered fox entrenched in the palace."

His expression changed slightly, and he glanced silently at the family elder who was also sitting on the left and had always followed his grandfather. The young noble bowed to the old man again.

"Hundreds of years ago, the elders and other lords of the family, along with grandfather, made a desperate bet, burning their boats. This is how the Hisakawa clan came to be what it is today. I don't think that grandfather and the elders made any mistake in their decision back then. Now, our most dangerous enemy is the great Kyoto monster, Yuyuko, who shares a similar way of survival with us."

"As you all know, the ancient demon princes, including the Demon General, have no interest in the fighting between demon forces today. Moreover, two hundred years ago, Yuyuko and the former Inu General conspired to rebel and launched a trivial rebellion against the Demon General."

"Although the commander-in-chief is indifferent to the rebellion of the fox and the dog general, who are like ants in his eyes, if the Hisakawa clan can seize the Four Souls Jade this time and use its power to defeat the fox entrenched in the depths of the Kyoto Palace, we will completely take over all the power that the fox has accumulated over hundreds of years in Kyoto Heian-kyo, the most prosperous place in the world."

"And the Guardian will most likely turn a blind eye to our clan's actions."

"From now on, our Hisakawa clan will not only be able to become the de facto lords of Kyoto's demons and monsters, but we will also be able to control the world through the Kyoto court!"

"This is the future of our Jiuchuan clan."

Volume 5: Miko of the Warring States Period: Chapter 266: Dangerous Night

After listening to the young heir's speech, the expressions of all the nobles of the Jiuchuan family who were present calmed down, and some nobles who looked a little younger also showed their yearning for what the young heir said.

"The grandson of this family is right."

The old family head nodded slightly with satisfaction, coughed lightly, and his tone returned to that cold tone.

"The Kyoto great monster Yuyuko, who has a similar way of survival to our Hisakawa clan, is our most dangerous enemy. Similarly, if Yuyuko finds the opportunity, she will destroy our Hisakawa clan at any time."

"So, in order to protect ourselves from the hostility of Yuyuko, and also for the future of our Hisakawa clan, we must seize the Four Souls Jade Reading - yiyi Lingyiqi④ Wujiu [⒋ Jiu Ba!"

The fierce tone of the old head of the family echoed in the dim main hall. As the family meeting progressed to this point, time gradually turned darker from evening, and the remaining light disappeared in the dim main hall.

The deep darkness completely enveloped the nobles of the Jiuchuan clan, but no one stood up to light the candlesticks, but just let the light disappear and the darkness come.

It's as if they were born from darkness.

At the same time, in the city of Heian-kyo, Kyoto.

The Muromachi shogunate's repeated heavy taxes on the residents of Kyoto and surrounding areas, as well as the war that lasted for nearly fifty years, made the entire Kyoto Heian Kyoto appear dilapidated. Some streets in Kyoto were even just a pile of ruins.

However, there are a few exceptions in the dilapidated and gloomy Kyoto Heian-kyo.

In the town market, called "machi", townspeople engaged in production and trade and merchants from Kyoto gathered together.

The residents here are called "town people" or "town citizens", and these cities and towns are also managed by these "town citizens" themselves.

Although such cities and towns are important tax collection locations for the shogunate to increase temporary taxes every time, they can still maintain the most basic vitality. They are also the only place in Heian-kyō, which is dilapidated and has been ravaged by war for years, where people can feel the breath of life.

Seeing this street market which still looked dilapidated and old but had the breath of human beings, although Kikyo's expression seemed still cold, Shang Yang could also sense that her mood had improved a lot because of the existence of this street market.

The reason for coming here is naturally to find an inn where they can stay overnight, which is not a difficult task. In order to facilitate the traveling caravans of merchants passing through Kyoto from various places, many merchants in this town dominated by handicrafts and traveling merchants have taken out money to build many wooden houses that were originally dilapidated due to war into convenient inns, and started a business of providing accommodation for the traveling caravans of merchants.

We found a slightly old post house that was built entirely of wood and had a roof covered with dried straw. Although it was difficult to get a comfortable accommodation in such a town, such a post house also had its advantage, which was quietness.

Both Platycodon and Shangyang prefer a quiet environment, and the oldness and disrepair of the post station are not a problem worth worrying about for Platycodon and Shangyang.

It took some time to find a place to stay. After the owner of the place brought simple rice balls and miso soup, and I spent some time enjoying dinner, it was almost evening. The evening sun lingered on the sparse dirt road in the town. Whether it was the horse caravans of traveling merchants or the townspeople doing business, they all settled down in the post station or returned to their own simple houses.

The level of public security in Kyoto Heian-kyo at night is not much different from that in the deep mountains and dense forests where bandits roam freely. Except for those who dare not openly offend the shogunate palace in Muromachi, Kyoto, and the palaces where the imperial family lives, bold thieves may appear anywhere in Kyoto Heian-kyo, and even the mansions of the nobles who once controlled the government but now only decorated the facade of the Kyoto court may be spied on and visited by bold thieves.

late at night.

The half-moon in the night sky looked hazy and extremely dim. The dilapidated Kyoto also became even colder. The howling cold wind blew from time to time. There was almost no light in the whole Kyoto, and it was all shrouded in darkness. Only the palace in the center of Kyoto and the Nijo Castle where the shogunate's palace was located were lit with little lights. Those were the lights used by the guardian warriors who guarded the Kyoto palace and the shogunate's palace to illuminate the night.

In a guest room of an old post station, on an old, dilapidated square table with a missing corner, a lamp with almost exhausted oil was extremely dim, only bringing a little dim light to the area around the square table. Beside, a witch in pure white clothes lay on the table, resting her head on her arm, her face slightly tilted to the side, her eyes gently closed, breathing evenly, her beautiful sleeping face cool and quiet.

The ancient catalpa bow was placed beside her.

However, it was at this moment that the dim light that was still struggling to burn was gently extinguished by the slender index and middle fingers from other directions, and the last trace of light in the room disappeared.

He extinguished the oil lamp casually, glanced at Platycodon who was sleeping leaning against the square table, then glanced at Zigong who was beside Platycodon, and at Shang Yang who had appeared in Platycodon's house at some point, and shook his head helplessly.

The dark environment naturally did not hinder Shang Yang's vision.

He took off his outer clothes, bent down, and gently covered the frail and thin body of the sleeping witch with his clothes.

Kikyo has been traveling these days and seems a little tired. No matter how much spiritual power she has to protect herself, Kikyo is still a human being. Shang Yang has not forgotten the last time she went out to exorcise a high fever and fell ill.

I have to rush back to Maple Village in Musashi, East Country, early tomorrow morning. It would be troublesome if I catch a cold.

"Although she is considered a very reliable and kind miko by the farmers in the Musashi area, she doesn't always take good care of herself."

Sighing, Shang Yang shook his head gently again.

"...Forget it, that's it."

After putting clothes on Kikyo, the young man with gray and messy hair straightened up, sighed deeply again, half-opened his eyes, and turned his gaze to the outside of the house. In the courtyard shrouded in darkness, the young man muttered to himself casually and complained softly.

"Really... I run into trouble wherever I go, and they don't even want me to rest well late at night."

"Even if we arrive in Kyoto, the Four Souls Jade will still be coveted by the monsters hiding in the darkness of Kyoto."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man's figure suddenly disappeared in the witch's house, leaving only the weak and thin beautiful woman, sleeping quietly in the house.

Volume 5: The Miko of the Warring States Period: Chapter 267: Testing

In the deep darkness of the night, some ruthless criminals are acting swiftly.

The masked thugs dressed in black lay quietly on the thatched roof of the post station. As a big thief in a gang of brutal bandits who often roamed around Kyoto, they not only stole property but also killed everyone in the house they robbed to keep the secret. The big thief was not in a hurry. Their rich experience, audacity, and excellent stealing skills made almost every theft and robbery go smoothly. This time, they received a commission from a mysterious noble in Heian-kyo, Kyoto, to send their gang of thieves here to steal and kill a priestess who lived here.

A mysterious nobleman in Kyoto promised that if they succeeded, they would be given a very generous reward.

The reward he was about to receive was so huge that the thief lying on the straw on the roof couldn't help but think about the lavish spending afterwards.

Clack.

With the dull sound of bones breaking, the thief's thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Before he died, his face was full of disbelief and horror. He didn't understand until his death why he was suddenly killed.

After crushing the throat bone of the thief who was lying on the roof with evil intentions, Shang Yang picked up the thief's body and casually threw it into a large post station nearby.

Many traveling merchant caravans chose to rest at the nearby inn. Throwing the thieves' bodies there could easily conceal their tracks, and would not implicate the owner of the old inn where he and Kikyo were staying.

"We have to leave Kyoto Heian-kyo early tomorrow morning."

After dealing with the body, Shang Yang looked up at the dark night, estimated the time, and then turned sideways to look in the other direction of Kyoto.

"Then let's take this opportunity to deal with the obstacles that will prevent us from leaving Kyoto Heian-kyo tomorrow morning."

After he finished speaking, the young man with gray hair disappeared from the roof in an instant.

Then, in the stunned and terrified eyes of some Kyoto bandits who were groping along the corner of the wall towards the inn where he and Kikyo were staying in the dark, the young man crushed the larynx of all the Kyoto bandits in the blink of an eye, without letting them make any sound.

When reaping the lives of these Kyoto bandits, Shang Yang did not hold back at all, nor did he need to. No matter whether it was the big thief just now or these bandits wandering around Kyoto, the concept of robbing others and not taking other people's lives seriously has penetrated into the bones of the bandits.

These bandits are not dissatisfied with their current lifestyle; instead, they enjoy it.

After silently eliminating these wild bandits that roamed around Kyoto and disposing of the bodies, Shang Yang casually patted his sleeves and looked in a certain direction of Kyoto with a casual tone.

"The part that was used as a gun has been dealt with. Now we need to deal with the part that uses the gun."

Another place in Heian-kyō, Kyoto, is the residence of the noble Hisakawa clan.

"…In addition to the shrine maiden guarding the Shikon Jewel, a half-demon with unknown origins also came to Kyoto with her. It's currently unclear whether this half-demon, who looks almost indistinguishable from a human, is a servant of the shrine maiden, or a demon with ulterior motives."

Still in the main hall shrouded in darkness, this time, there were only three people sitting there. The grandson of the head of the Hisakawa clan, the young heir of the Hisakawa clan, spoke expressionlessly to the elderly head of the clan who was sitting upstairs, and the family elder beside him. At this point, the young heir of the Hisakawa clan paused for a moment, and continued in a slightly disdainful tone.

"However, there's no need to worry too much about a mere half-demon. The only one we need to pay attention to is the miko guarding the Four Souls Jade."

"The miko's spiritual power, capable of protecting the Four Souls Jade, cannot be underestimated. Grandfather and the elders of the family also know this. When my clansmen, including the Hisakawa clan, were following her in Kyoto, she even spotted us once. Fortunately, due to our clan's advanced sorcery, the miko only mistook us for thieves roaming around Kyoto."

Having said this, the young heir of the Hisakawa clan revealed a sinister sneer.

"The shrine maiden who guards the Four Souls Jade can ruthlessly slay demons, but the fact that she can protect and remain unaffected by the Four Souls Jade is proof of her kindness. When faced with ordinary humans, even those with hearts comparable to the worst demons, the shrine maiden will only harm them to stop them."

"However, whether it's injuring or killing people, it won't affect us, the Hisakawa clan. We have already strictly guarded the post station where the shrine maiden who guards the Four Souls Jade is staying. As long as the shrine maiden, or that half-demon, kills the villains we sent, we, the Hisakawa clan, can claim that those villains are our servants and report to the Shogun in Nijo Castle. The shogunate will then charge the shrine maiden with murder and send samurai to arrest the shrine maiden who remains in Heian-kyo, Kyoto. On a human level, we will put the shrine maiden, who is also a human and guards the Four Souls Jade, into a trap set by our Hisakawa clan using the imperial court and the shogunate."

“…Yeah, not bad.”

After hearing these words, the old head of the family slowly opened his eyes.

"As expected of a grandson of the main family, you, at the level of an ordinary human, have used the imperial court and the shogunate to temporarily trap the miko guarding the Four Souls Jade in Kyoto. This is indeed a good method, but there is a flaw."