My personal opinion on Gensokyo

Having said that, Shang Yang's tone returned to its usual casual tone.

"Besides, if we really fight, you can't beat me."

"I don't want to fight you and then face a three-way fight between your sister and your teacher who think I'm bullying you. That would be the end of me."

silence……

After hearing Shang Yang's complaints, Mian Yue Yiji cut off the conversation with Shang Yang without saying a word.

Looks like he's angry...

Shang Yang didn't care when he realized that Her Royal Highness the Second Princess of the Moon City had unilaterally cut off the conversation.

That's right, Yiji, you don't need to worry about this. There's no need.

After finishing the conversation with Mian Yue Yiji, Shang Yang looked at the heavy snow again, and then looked at Feng who had fainted on the ground with a thin layer of snow. He carefully picked up the priestess who was leaning in his arms with her eyes closed and a peaceful face.

It's so light that you don't seem to feel the weight.

With one last glance at the ancient shrine before him, now covered in snow, Shang Yang picked up Platycodon and gradually disappeared like dispersing clouds...

On the other side of the underworld, the cold hell, the underworld is full of ups and downs.

Different from the desolate scenery of the underworld, the extremely cold area of ​​Hell is blown by a hellish wind that is countless times colder than the cold north wind in winter.

Even the earth monsters who already live in the underworld hell are not willing to come to the cold hell, because this place is too cold.

However, today, this cold hell, which has been uninhabited for thousands of years, welcomed a visitor.

Holding the delicate body of the witch, the young man with gray hair walked slowly in this freezing hell.

Although the biting cold wind was howling, no sound could be heard.

This place is more desolate than most places in the underworld.

Not long after, Shang Yang stopped in front of a cold lake, which was covered with snow that had not melted for thousands of years and looked like a volcanic lake on earth.

Although this place is called the Cold Hell, it is not one of the hells in the underworld where the Yama of the "Hall of Right and Wrong" punishes the souls of the sinners.

The souls of ordinary humans simply cannot withstand the cold of the cold hell. Any ordinary human soul that falls here will be frozen to the bone by the extremely cold and silent hell wind, and their souls will be shattered, and they will never be reborn.

Shang Yang lowered his head and quietly gazed at the peaceful and cold face of Kikyo in his arms, then he spoke slowly.

"Although hell is not a place suitable for you, Kikyo, this is also the most ideal place to preserve your body."

After saying this, Shang Yang bent down and gently placed the lifeless body of the witch into the cold water of the icy lake.

Clack, clack…

The moment the shrine maiden's fragile, lifeless body came into contact with the cold, icy waters of the lake, the water quickly solidified and froze. With the crisp sound of the water freezing, almost the moment Kikyo's delicate body was completely immersed in the lake, it was enveloped by layer upon layer of ice. It formed a cocoon-like shape, rising from the water beneath the icy lake, sealing Kikyo's fragile, lifeless body beneath a thick layer of ice.

This is not the end. After Platycodon's body was frozen in the ice, accompanied by crisp crackling sounds, the entire cold lake began to freeze from the bottom of the ice cocoon to the surface of the lake that came into contact with the water of the ice lake, completely freezing the surface of the ice lake and turning the entire surface of the ice lake into a frozen ice field.

Under the thick layer of cold ice, Platycodon's gentle face is clearly visible, with her eyes gently closed, as if she is just sleeping quietly.

After using the power of Liang Yi to completely freeze this volcanic lake-like ice lake, Shang Yang raised his hand and gently touched the surface of the ice layer that wrapped around Kikyo's body with his slender index finger.

The veins glowing with spiritual light gradually extended, and the ice layer wrapped around Platycodon's body was like an eggshell that was nurturing something. The unique cold spiritual energy of the cold hell in the underworld gradually became thicker on the ice field on the lake, almost condensing into a thin white mist, slowly seeping into the ice cocoon wrapped around Platycodon's body.

As the cold spiritual energy that had almost condensed into white mist seeped in and was frozen in the ice cocoon, Platycodon, which had originally looked a little pale, gradually became more relaxed, and its fragile body, which had lost its vitality, seemed to come back to life.

Volume 5: The Miko of the Warring States Period: Chapter 310: Farewell

The cold spiritual power of the cold hell in the underworld, after being adjusted by the "Liang Yi Technique" arranged by Shang Yang, slowly seeped into the body of Platycodon, which was frozen by a thick layer of ice. The frail and delicate body of the witch, which was exhausted, slowly recovered.

It seemed that because the entire volcanic lake-like ice lake was completely frozen by Shangyang, the wind and snow in this cold region, which was covered with snow that had not melted for thousands of years, seemed to be getting more severe.

Facing the thick ice cocoon that froze Platycodon's body, and looking at the cold woman sealed under the thick layer of ice, Shang Yang sighed.

However, just when he was a little distracted, a thin and petite figure appeared behind the young man with gray hair and gently hugged him.

A few strands of soft, long, ink-black hair fell in front of Shang Yang, and a cold girl's voice, which could not conceal a hint of worry, gently reached Shang Yang's ears.

"it does not matter……"

Shang Yang gently hugged his beloved from behind. The girl with long black hair seemed to feel a little relieved and leaned on Shang Yang's back, her clear dark red eyes slightly closed.

His tone was gentle, as if he was worried about disturbing Shang Yang, but also as if he was comforting him.

"She'll understand."

The reassuring words flowed slowly into the young man's heart like a stream. A cold, white, and tender hand grasped the young man's hand inconspicuously and held it tightly.

"So, it must be okay."

Shang Yang was slightly stunned when he heard the cold tone of the girl who appeared quietly behind him, which was barely concealed with a hint of concern. He shook his head helplessly, and took the opportunity to hold the girl's somewhat cold white hand and comforted her.

"It's okay, Ai, don't worry. I'm not thinking about whether the witch will understand such a question. This question is not important."

"It's just a little regretful."

Having said that, Shang Yang turned sideways and gently hugged the girl's thin body, holding her gently in his arms. It seemed that he was worried that the cold wind in the cold hell area would make Ai uncomfortable, so after holding Ai in his arms, he slowly apologized.

"Sorry for making you worry."

Hearing Shang Yang's apology, Ai shook his head gently, his tone very light.

"No need to apologize, Shang Yang did nothing wrong."

"So, no need to apologize."

Hearing Ai's soft words, Shang Yang nodded slightly in understanding, hugged the thin girl in his arms a little tighter, and spoke casually.

"Then...thank you?"

"Well, you're welcome."

Hearing Shang Yang's usual easygoing tone, Ai felt more at ease and hugged him tighter. There was a hint of tenderness hidden in his cold voice.

"It's been hard work these days."

"Go home together?"

"Well, it's time to go back."

Hearing Ai's cool and gentle words, Shang Yang nodded slightly, slowly let go of Ai in his arms, and explained.

"We still need to take measures to ensure the safety of the witch here, but before that..."

As he spoke, Shang Yang casually took off his gray-white coat and naturally draped it over the girl with long dark hair who was only wearing a thin shirt and a knee-length skirt.

Although he understood that the severe cold of the Cold Hell area had little effect on the girl with long black hair, the young man still gave a somewhat helpless warning.

"Anyway, Ai Ai, please wear more clothes before you come here... Although the cold here shouldn't affect you or me, it's cold just by looking at you wearing so little."

Watching her beloved putting his coat on her while nagging helplessly, Ai couldn't help but reveal a faint and gentle smile.

She raised her hand and tugged at the coat Shang Yang had put on her, as if to wrap herself up warmer. Facing her lover's nagging, Ai nodded seriously.

"……Um."

After putting on his coat for love, Shang Yang turned around again, glanced at Platycodon grandiflorum frozen under a thick layer of ice, breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand and waved gently.

The black and white Yin-Yang Qi floated out from Shang Yang's sleeves, intertwined with each other, and stopped in front of the thick ice cocoon that froze the Platycodon grandiflorum, and once again gathered into the shape of a human figure.

After the auras of the two yin and yang were gathered together, the figure that appeared was a "young man" with his eyes closed, sitting cross-legged, his back to the thick ice cocoon that froze Platycodon's body, and his face was no different from Shang Yang.

"Shang Yang" sat cross-legged with his eyes lightly closed, as if he was resting his mind. However, although he seemed to be resting his mind, he did not have the slightest breath of life.

There is no doubt that this is just an empty shell.

This empty shell was exactly the body that Shang Yang had transformed into with a trace of consciousness power before.

However, although it is just an empty shell, it contains protective measures arranged by Shang Yang using the "Liang Yi Method" to ensure the safety and integrity of Platycodon's body frozen in the thick ice cocoon.

If a monster from the underworld living on the other side comes here, or if there is any other situation, Shang Yang can instantly bring his consciousness into the empty shell of the body left here to ensure the safety of Kikyo's body frozen under the thick ice cocoon.

Of course, this method is partly to ensure the safety of Platycodon grandiflorum's body, and the other part comes from Shang Yang's own ideas.

Shang Yang glanced at "himself" who was sitting cross-legged with snowflakes gradually falling on his body due to the wind and snow, and nodded slightly.

For the past fifty years, the body I had when we were together has been protecting you.

After taking this measure to protect Platycodon's body, Shang Yang took a last look under the thick layer of ice. It seemed that Platycodon was really just sleeping. He reached out and held the soft little hand of his love beside him, gazing at the peaceful and beautiful face of his lover.

"Okay, love, let's go home."

"Ah."

While quietly agreeing, Ai also held Shang Yang's hand back.

The biting cold snowstorm seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. In the wind and snow, the young man and the girl held each other's hands. In the cold hell of wind and snow, they were getting farther and farther away. Gradually, only two blurry shadows could be vaguely seen, and they gradually disappeared in the cold hell of wind and snow.

On the lake surface that was frozen by Shang Yang and turned into an ice field, the thick ice cocoon that froze Platycodon grandiflorum was gradually covered by the accumulated snow, and the transparent ice layer completely concealed the cold woman who was clearly visible inside the thick ice cocoon.

The body left behind by Shang Yang, which was formed by a trace of consciousness, was gradually covered by the snow and turned into a pile of snow of medium size.

On this seemingly eternal snowfield, under the endless snow that has stretched for thousands of years, thick ice cocoons covered with crystal snowflakes and buried snow piles remain safely on the desolate and empty icefield.

Waiting for her to come back here again one day.

PS1: Five years from now, I could certainly make this paragraph even more cruel, but after thinking about it, I decided to be a human being. (Distant Eyes)

PS2: The next chapter will be a new volume fifty years later.

Volume 6: Thoughts Across Time and Space: Chapter 311: History Lessons from the Future

Five hundred years later, modern Japan, Tokyo.

It was an ordinary spring afternoon in an ordinary junior high school class somewhere in Tokyo, and all the students were studying hard.

The sleepiness that came with spring made some boys in the class who had stayed up late playing video games lie on the desks, prop up their textbooks to block the view of the elderly teacher on the podium, and fall asleep behind the books.

Some girls couldn't resist the sleepiness in the spring afternoon and took a short nap leaning on their arms.

Looking at the listless classmates in the class, the girl sitting in the second to last row, next to the window, wearing a white and green school uniform, with the sun shining and the breeze blowing, her black hair gently lifted and her bangs slightly fluffy, sighed and looked out the window with some boredom at the cherry tree growing next to the school teaching building, which was full of pink cherry blossoms, and whispered to herself.

"If only there were something interesting..."

Just as the beautiful girl was expressing her feelings, the gray-haired old history teacher on the podium pushed his reading glasses and casually raised his hand to point at the girl who was staring blankly at the cherry blossom trees outside the window.

"...Well then, Higurashi-san, please read the section about the Warring States Period in the textbook."

“…Huh? Ah, yes!”

Hearing the gray-haired old history teacher call her name, the girl with long black hair, Kagome Higurashi, stood up in a panic, flipping through the history textbook on the desk and muttering to herself.

"The Warring States Period... The Warring States Period... Uwaaa, where on earth is this..."

Seeing the girl's panic, another girl sitting next to her, who was wearing a light-colored headband and had short hair that reached her shoulders, called out to her friend softly while raising her index finger and pointing to the page in her own history textbook.

"Kagome, here, is this page..."

"...Hmm, page 98...Ah! Found it!"

Seeing the page number pointed out by her friend Eri, the usher, Kagome Higurashi hurriedly turned to that page in her textbook, breathed a sigh of relief, coughed lightly to cover up her panic, and read aloud in a pleasant voice.

"...The Warring States Period refers to the period of war and chaos in Japanese history from the 15th to the 17th century..."

"…Beginning with the Onin War in 1467, the first year of Onin, Japan entered the longest period of war in the country's history…"

"...Historically, the first year of Tensho, or 1571 AD, is generally considered the year when Oda Nobuna, the Oda clan leader who originated in Owari Province, received the shogun's order, marking the transition from chaos to order during the Warring States Period. The complete end of the Warring States Period did not occur until..."

Five hundred years ago, in 1558 AD, the first year of Yongluo, the Warring States Period.

This year marks fifty years since Shang Yang and Ai returned to Yunzhongting from Feng Village.

For fifty years, the Warring States period, which had been plunged into chaos, had not improved at all, but had become even more chaotic. Because of the war, countless fields had been abandoned, and the number of bandits and robbers had greatly increased. The chaotic war was undoubtedly the main theme of this era.

Although the 13th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, who succeeded him several years ago, was extremely courageous, even the shogun in Heian-kyo, Kyoto, could not stop the gradual decline of the Muromachi shogunate. The guardian daimyo in various parts of this land had already formed their own systems and were engaged in continuous fighting.

The Ashikaga Shogun, who ruled the world from Kyoto, had long been unable to restrain the extremely ambitious Warring States daimyo.

The endless wars of the Warring States Period seemed to be continuing.

The warm sunshine of a spring afternoon shines on the grass in the clouds.

Growing on the cloud soil in the clouds, there are countless cherry trees that never wither. Large pink cherry blossoms sway in the breeze. From time to time, cherry blossom petals fall from the treetops, are blown by the wind, and scatter everywhere in the cloud courtyard.

In the afternoon, in the living room of the hot spring villa located in the cloud courtyard.

In the huge living room, there were only Shang Yang and Wen Ju, a tsukumogami girl wearing a light-colored kimono. Ai and Jue were not in the hot spring villa at the moment, but had gone out earlier, leaving Shang Yang alone to look after the house. Wen Ju had just returned to Yunzhongting Hot Spring Villa from Kyoto because she had something to report to Shang Yang.

Sitting casually cross-legged at the table, Shang Yang looked through the information in his hand that was sent back by the "Kyoto Guardian" guard stationed in Kyoto with a strange expression on his face, and asked his subordinate who was sitting in front of him in a light-colored kimono in disbelief.