The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"Alright, is there anything else? If not, I'll be going now."

"……Walk?"

Saigyouji Yuyuko paused for a moment.

"Of course. Now that the handover is complete and everything here is basically settled, it's time for me to leave. You don't think I'm going to stay here, do you? I'm not your gardener."

The black-haired man in front of her looked at her with amusement, then turned around casually and waved at her with his back to her.

"Don't worry, in a day or two at most, I'll have your gardener send you here. Then you won't feel lonely anymore, and who knows, there might even be someone coming here every day after that..."

"........."

Watching the other person's figure walk further and further away from her sight at the steps of the Hakugyokurou until it disappeared from sight, Saigyouji Yuyuko looked up at the blue sky and white clouds above, then looked back at the devastated scene in the courtyard that had been ravaged by the blizzard. For a moment, she fell silent.

Speaking of which, the reason that guy left in such a hurry... it probably wasn't because he didn't want to stay and clean, right?

............................................................

Distant mountains, deep valleys.

Nestled in a slightly elevated valley far from human habitation are two simple yet clean and tidy wooden houses.

Although it was still early morning, two figures, one tall and one short, were already standing in front of the wooden house.

"Continue, practice the most basic sword swings a thousand more times."

A middle-aged man with white hair, who looked stern and even overly strict, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the large wooden house. He spoke coldly to a white-haired little girl who was sweating profusely while holding a wooden sword in the open space in front of the house.

"........."

The little girl's physical strength seemed to have reached its limit, but under the pressure and invisible force of the people around her, she could only grit her teeth and persevere. Large drops of sweat slid down her forehead and splashed some dust on the ground.

"What, you can't even hold on anymore? You haven't even mastered the basics of swordsmanship, how can you talk about practicing real swordsmanship!?"

Just as the little girl was about to fall to the ground, her legs gave way and she was about to collapse, a tree branch that stretched out from the side of the ground struck her foot precisely, forcibly keeping her in place.

"You are still far from learning true swordsmanship!! You must double your efforts and keep going!! Don't stop until you pass out!!!"

Soulful Demon's words did not contain much emotion, and even had a somewhat cold and inhuman tone.

It is said that he is not very good at expressing his emotions. Ever since he witnessed Saigyouji Yuyuko's suicide that day, he felt that he had failed in his duty and was not worthy of being a gardener, so he began to wander aimlessly in this world.

Over the course of several hundred years, he experienced countless events.

Initially, out of guilt, he even deliberately indulged himself and made a great name for himself with Morichika Rinnosuke, but this also caused him to incur considerable enmity.

Soul Demon King didn't care about the enemies he had made, because he was powerful enough to protect himself from harm, and he had no weaknesses.

Therefore, he was unrestrained and reckless, wandering aimlessly through the world as if venting something, acting without distinguishing between good and evil, only following his own heart.

During his long journey spanning hundreds of years, he also experienced love, which resulted in the birth of a child. He deeply loved his wife, and she deeply loved him as well. Unfortunately, at that time, he did not realize what he had done wrong.

Then, he paid a heavy price for it.

When an invincible strongman has something to worry about, that thing becomes his greatest weakness. Due to an unexpected oversight, his wife was killed by his former enemy... It was a stormy night.

At that time, the demon king went mad to avenge his wife, and he succeeded, but this created an even greater enmity, which he was unaware of.

Soul Demon believed that the power had brought misfortune to his family, so he hid everything from his son and also hid the White Tower and Temple, letting them gather dust for decades, hoping that the passage of time would erase the pain of the past and allow him to willingly live the life of an ordinary person.

But once you've stepped into this chaotic and disorderly world, how easy is it to leave? Life is a journey through a martial arts world; how can you simply walk away?

...The tragedy happened again.

At that time, he held his only granddaughter whom he had saved, and knelt for three days and three nights in the blood-red rain until his granddaughter's cries woke him up.

This is probably a punishment for myself, because the sins I have committed will eventually come back to haunt me. When a person who has no weaknesses develops a weakness, how vulnerable they become, so vulnerable that they are almost driven to madness.

After carefully settling his granddaughter, he picked up the White Tower again and silently sought out his old enemies, taking revenge on them one by one. He didn't know who was behind all of this, but at the very least, he wanted to eliminate all those he knew... nip it in the bud!

After returning from the endless carnage, Soul Phantom realized one thing: in this world, the weak have no control over their own destiny; only the strong have the right to truly control their own lives.

A tiger that has sheathed its claws is merely a pet kept in a zoo for people to observe; a wolf that has lost its wild nature is just a dog domesticated by humans. Therefore, he trained his only granddaughter with the highest intensity, regardless of whether she could bear it or not.

—This is the story of the strongest swordsman known as Soul Demon, and the painful events that happened to him over the past few hundred years that he still deeply regrets to this day…

ps: Third update.

Today is the last day of the month. As usual, if you are willing to vote, I will continue with three updates today.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Jade Pavilion Master

"hire?"

Looking at the black-haired man in front of him, Soul Demon spoke coldly.

"If you wish to hire me as your bodyguard, I'm afraid you cannot afford the price. Please leave as soon as possible; I have no intention of killing anyone right now."

The black-haired man in front of him, whose background he couldn't discern, appeared in his room quite abruptly, like a guest who had arrived without invitation.

"Well, I'm being very sincere. Don't rush to draw your sword. Are you sure you don't want to hear about the reward first?"

With a peculiar smile on his face, the black-haired man rested his head on one hand on the table and tapped the tabletop with his fingers.

"The only reward I can offer is to grant you one wish, whatever it may be. The price is clearly stated, and I will treat everyone fairly, young and old."

"Any wishes?"

Quite unusual, Konpaku Youki revealed a rather mocking smile on his face.

"Sure, can you let me see the dead in my current living form? That's my wish. If you can't, please leave here as soon as possible... I've been very patient."

In the end, Soul Phantom's words carried a chilling murderous intent.

"That's it?"

However, to his surprise, the man's reaction was quite unexpected.

The other person pressed their head down and sighed helplessly.

"It seems you're really not suited for negotiation. I thought you'd propose something more outrageous, like bringing the dead back to life... and this is all you get? Do you know how much of an opportunity you've wasted? I rarely grant people's requests. You just made a wish, and this is all you get? That's a bit too low-class for me."

"Just this?"

With one hand resting on the hilt of the White Tower sword at his waist, Soul Demon spoke coldly.

"The abode of the dead is the underworld, an absolutely forbidden place for the living. Even the gods of the living world can never enter the underworld. The only way to enter the underworld is through death. It is the world of the dead, where life and death cannot be confused. The living cannot set foot in the underworld, and the dead cannot go to the living world. These are absolute rules of the world, and no one can change them. As for someone who sneaks up on me and appears before me by some unknown means, I don't believe you have the ability to do that."

"Ha... Do you know what the essence of rules is?"

As if he didn't care about his tone at all, the man in front of him maintained a very relaxed attitude.

"The essence of so-called rules is actually a tool set up by the strong to protect the weak. Rules can bind you, but they can't bind me. I can take you to the underworld, but I'm not sure if the person you're looking for has been reincarnated. However, if you're lucky enough, you might be able to find the person you're looking for."

"........."

Soulful Yoki did not answer, but his grip on the sword hilt tightened noticeably, and the veins bulged.

"Believe it or not, read this contract first. It details your job responsibilities and related matters. If you still refuse after reading it, then forget it. I can always find someone else. The only reason I hired you to be that glutton's judge is because you have experience. It's not like anyone else can be the judge. I can always go to the township head..."

A paper contract was placed in front of him, and the man in front of him seemed quite indifferent.

"........."

After a moment of silence, Soul Phantom Youki reached out and picked up the contract in front of him, opening it to the page.

............................................................

"Grandpa, are we moving again?"

After hearing the words of her unruly grandfather, Xiao Yaomeng, who had just taken a shower, changed her clothes, and was about to begin her daily training, was quite stunned.

"Okay, pack your things and let's leave right away."

He nodded slightly, his face expressionless.

Due to Youki's personality flaws and upbringing, Youmu's childhood was not easy. She spent her days with her wooden sword, without any time for entertainment or play. This shaped Youmu's earnest and simple personality. She puts her whole heart into everything she does. It's not that this personality is bad, but it makes her vulnerable to being teased and bullied.

From this perspective alone, Konpaku Youki is not exactly a qualified guardian. Konpaku Youmu's later success as one of the three most popular bottoms in Gensokyo is directly related to the strict upbringing she received as a child.

Soon, back in her little wooden house, Xiao Yaomeng packed her belongings into a small bag and carried it on her back. Because she and her grandmother moved frequently, Xiao Yaomeng didn't have many personal items.

You can't expect Konpaku Youki, who spends his life with his sword, to know how to take care of girls. This makes Youmu's sense of gender quite vague. Adhering to the ancient samurai code taught by her grandfather, she can sometimes be quite stubborn.

Among the personal items that Xiaoyoumeng packed herself, let alone clothes suitable for girls, almost all of her clothes were made by Konpaku Youki herself from old clothes. She didn't care about aesthetics but only about practicality. And with Konpaku Youki's hands, which had been wielding swords for almost her entire life, sewing clothes, one can imagine how skillful she was.

However, with the almost inhumanly intense training of Soul Phantom, a piece of clothing would often be severely damaged after only a short time. So in the end, the things that accompanied Little Demon the longest were the two wooden swords that Soul Phantom had made based on the White Tower and the Louguan Sword.

When Xiao Yaomeng stepped out of her little wooden house, she saw that a rather strange gate-like structure had been erected in the open space in front of the house where she used to practice her swordsmanship. This structure had been built by the strange guest who had visited earlier.

Because she has always been protected by her grandfather, Xiao Yaomeng knows very few outsiders and has almost no friends her own age.

Her grandfather did have some friends, but because they moved frequently, there were even fewer guests who would come to visit. The last time she saw a stranger was a month ago when her uncle, Mori, came to visit her grandfather for drinks.

Therefore, based on this, Xiaoyaomeng was filled with great curiosity about this strange guest who had suddenly arrived and whom she had never seen before.

Despite her curiosity, she had undoubtedly inherited her grandfather's good manners. After glancing over there with some curiosity, she quietly carried her small bundle and two wooden swords to stand behind Soul Demon.

"A spell similar to teleportation...?"

Gazing at the completed Gate of Hell, Youki Konpaku silently pondered in his heart.

"The Hell Gate is constructed of obsidian and can be easily and quickly created using a flint and steel to transport you to Hell."

With a snap of his fingers, the black-haired man in front of him seemed to have read his mind. After explaining this to them, he took the lead and walked inside.

"........."

Watching the black-haired man disappear into the crowd, he turned back to look at Youmu Konpaku behind him, one hand still tightly gripping the sword hilt, and followed behind the other.

Finally, with the arrival of the little demon, the valley, far from any human habitation, returned to its former tranquility.

...............................................................

"You're pretty lucky; the person you're looking for is still here."

Shi Bai shrugged as he handed the list to the spirit demon in front of him.

"In recent years, due to a shortage of manpower in the underworld, we have expanded our recruitment efforts. Your wife happened to meet the criteria to become a Grim Reaper and was selected to become one in the underworld. As for the others, they have voluntarily reincarnated. Death is not the end, but rather just the beginning."

"........."

He opened the book in his hand, which someone had named the Book of Life and Death out of a wicked sense of humor, and looked at the contents recorded inside. Soul Demon remained silent for a long time.

It wasn't until much later that he spoke in a hoarse voice.

Has she forgotten me already?

"Death Gods are not human. They still belong to the underworld. However, theoretically speaking, when the dead voluntarily transform into Death Gods and remain in the underworld, they actually have the option to retain their memories or drink the Meng Po soup to forget their past lives. This is entirely up to their own decision."

Shi Bai leaned back on the table with his arms crossed, and pouted.

"Instead of dwelling on this issue, you should think about what you're going to do next. You have a lot of sins on your conscience, don't you? Someone like you, burdened with sin, will go to hell to be punished after death. Didn't you see the look in Shiki's eyes when she saw you just now..."

"...Can all the Grim Reapers see the sins in me?"

"I don't know if the other Shinigami can tell, but Shiki definitely can. However, even if they can't, they have their own methods of judgment. For example, Komachi judges the extent of a ghost's sins by the amount of money they carry, and that's how she decides the number of people to go on the journey and the time to cross the river."

Shi Bai shrugged.

“I was once a Grim Reaper myself. If it were you, you would never be able to board the Grim Reaper's ferry to the other side. Instead, you would be kicked into the river and drift along the Sanzu River to hell to be punished.”

"I understand."

He handed back the Book of Life and Death and nodded.

"From today onwards, I will become the Gardener of Hakugyokurou and be responsible for protecting Lady Yuyuko. After I have trained Youmu to become a qualified Gardener, I will put aside those things, pass on the Hakugyokurou mansion to her, and then go to atone for my sins."

"Don't overthink it. Yuyuko is stronger than you now. You can't protect her. The Underworld is safe. You're just someone who cooks, cleans, and trims the garden."

"...It's alright, I will repair and maintain Hakugyokurou. It's just Hakugyokurou. I used to be the gardener of the Saigyouji family, and now I'm just returning to my old profession."

His expression inexplicably stiffened, and Soul Demon replied.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you, Baiyulou covers an area of ​​2000 square kilometers. I hope you're alright."

"……How many?"

"2000 kilometers."

"...How many courtiers are inside?"

"Just you? How many more do you want? Human resources are very valuable, you know!!"