Change the world with entertainment with Yokai Girl

Deep in the mountains and forests, the unknown mountaintops were shrouded in layers of mist. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see anything, making it quite unpleasant. But to those below, this fog appeared as a mysterious and ethereal sea of ​​clouds. The clouds, like ocean waves, churned and changed shape, and no one could fathom the mysteries hidden deep within.

In the traditional courtyard house, a reception room with tatami mats was set up, where people were seated at separate tables for a dinner banquet.

This way of eating, where people sit on the floor and eat separately at their own tables, is something you usually only see on TV. It feels quite novel.

The dishes were exquisite and delicious. On the left was a small dish of chestnut puree, a dessert made from fresh chestnuts picked from the mountains, served with a pancake covered with nuts. The drink was juice made from the sweetest fruits from the mountains and the clearest, sweetest spring water. The grilled saury was served with crispy fried chicken pieces with plenty of meat inside breadcrumbs. The main dish was fragrant glutinous rice with mushrooms and minced meat. The soup was a snow-white yam and pork rib soup.

In addition, there is freshly prepared sashimi, sushi, tempura, and fried tofu.

In the past, Qin Jing would have already been feasting like Xiao Kui.

But Qin Jing was sitting cross-legged, lost in thought, completely oblivious to the lavish dishes on the table...

One moment he was at home, the next he woke up in a strange place. He couldn't tell if he was dreaming or in reality. He never expected to have a situation like Zhuangzi's dream of a butterfly. He could only choose to be alone and stare blankly.

Indeed, he did consider that he had value in being kidnapped, but that doesn't mean he can easily accept the fact that he is being kidnapped like this now.

Although the other party didn't seem to intend to harm them, the problem was the target of the kidnapping...

Why would it be a monster?

The servants who served the wine and dishes were well-trained; they set the plates, faced the guests, and retreated almost silently. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to have nothing unusual about them.

However, in Qin Jing's eyes, she could clearly see the beings around her, whose bodies were completely different from those of humans.

The burly man who kidnapped him and Xiao Kui exuded a dangerous, beast-like aura. At this moment, he was frantically devouring large chunks of meat and chugging down alcohol with astonishing force…?

The blue-feathered kimono-clad woman, whose eyes kept darting towards him, was thankfully stopped by the shrine maiden, preventing her from lunging at him. He felt she was several times more dangerous than a kidnapper; it seemed Aoi absolutely couldn't get close to her.

So Hanako, who wanted to sit with Qin Jing, became the sacrifice, held tightly in Qin Jing's arms, unable to break free, and could only resign herself to accepting the feeding play.

Hanako's gaze was filled with resentment. "Better a nun than me," Qin Jing thought, turning her head away.

The old man, leisurely sipping wine alone, also had large, black wings like those of a raptor, and his every move seemed quite majestic.

The most harmless one should be the antlered girl, sitting inside a large blue clam shell, happily eating sweets; she must be a natural.

But what if I told you that this seemingly natural creature is capable of releasing mist to form a sea of ​​clouds, creating vast spaces in the mountains, and building the houses we live in?

You might just think this is utter nonsense and not believe it at all.

But Qin Jing witnessed all of this firsthand; perhaps this is what they mean by "you can't judge a book by its cover" or "you can't measure the sea with a bushel."

Ancient legends also mention mirages, where the "mirage" is sometimes interpreted as a dragon. The wondrous sights seen in the sea, desert, and sky are said to be magical realms created by the breath of dragons.

The true dragon, Jiao Tu, one of the nine sons of the dragon, possesses the magical ability to create illusions and make them real.

And this powerful being was now smiling as it scooped up a spoonful of chestnut puree, happily savoring this product of nature in the mountainous region.

At this moment, Su Jiu, who had been pretending to be kind and gentle, looked over. She was sitting to Qin Jing's right, with Xiao Kui between them.

Xiao Kui happily ate the rare delicacies from the mountains, her face covered in sticky food.

"Nini! This! This! They're all so delicious!" Xiao Kui recommended.

"Okay...eat slowly, don't choke." Qin Jing put another piece of grilled matsutake mushroom into her sister's bowl.

“Yuyuyu…” The snow doll floated in the air, circling around Jing and calling out.

"Okay, okay, so it turns out it wasn't a dream after all." Qin Jing used a chopstick to pick up a small piece of chestnut puree from the bowl and fed it to the little animal.

The snow doll swallowed the sweet chestnut puree, covered its face, and danced in the air in blissful delight.

"What an adorable little sister. Isn't she, Shizuka?" Su Jiu, dressed as a shrine maiden, seemed to really like children, constantly putting food into Kui's bowl and gently taking care of her.

"Hmm..." Qin Jing thought to herself, 'This person really is the worst! It feels so eerie!'

"Don't be so wary. I just like taking care of cute little kids," Su Jiu said as she wiped the grease from Xiao Kui's mouth.

"Thank you, Sister Su Jiu!" Xiao Kui continued to eat happily.

"..." Qin Jing was stunned for a moment, feeling as if she had been mind-read.

"Is the food not to your liking?" Su Jiu asked.

"No, it's delicious, but I really don't have an appetite right now," Qin Jing replied. He could tell that compared to the two-meter-tall giant, this beautiful woman in front of him was the most powerful person here, and a very dangerous one at that.

Qin Jing sighed inwardly: 'At the end of the day, he just wanted to be an ordinary literature enthusiast, so why did he have to encounter all these strange things?'

“No! You’re anything but ordinary.” Su Jiu said to Qin Jing seriously.

Section 41.41: The Banquet and the Dialogue with the Demon

"Huh?" Qin Jing looked at Su Jiu in confusion.

Although she didn't know what the scene looked like in other people's eyes, in Qin Jing's eyes, this person was undoubtedly a monster as well.

The priestess was smoothing her jet-black hair with her fingertips when she inadvertently lifted the ribbon of her jade crown. There was nothing there but her hair; instead, long, pointed, furry animal ears on either side of her head were swaying gently.

“That’s right, we are monsters, but do you understand the precise definition of what a monster is?” Su Jiu asked.

"Fairies and monsters, higher intelligent life forms other than humans and gods, right?" Qin Jing thought for a moment and answered.

"Most of it is correct, but gods are also on our side, since humans have a very vague understanding of the distinction between demons and gods," Su Jiu said with a mysterious smile.

"Over the long course of history, humans have categorized natural phenomena such as storms, torrential rains, lightning, and thunder as gods and monsters. Initially, there was no distinction between good and evil. Natural spirits that bring sunshine and rain to promote crop growth were praised as gods of harvest. Locust plagues that devour everything and destroy crops were called the Locust God," Su Jiu said.

"Yes, people in ancient times would regard birds and beasts as totems of their faith." Qin Jing nodded.

"Humans attribute the loss of children, people getting lost, strange illnesses, and all sorts of inexplicable things to the work of monsters or spirits. They might even spontaneously sink girls into lakes to make them brides for the dragon god, or send young boys and girls to the deep mountains to pray for the protection of the gods."

"Like how rabies or mental illness are said to be caused by demonic possession, and skin diseases like tinea or tumors are said to be caused by being cursed?" Qin Jing asked.

"Yes, you understand very quickly. As expected of the person I chose." Su Jiu smiled approvingly and continued.

"However, when faced with all the problems that have been overcome, modern humans attribute them to science, thus forgetting the benevolent gods of nature that bring good harvests, as well as the evil gods of locusts and insect plagues. Neither mountain gods nor dragon gods are revered anymore. Therefore, these gods that are no longer recognized have become monsters in the mouths of humans."

"So the difference between gods and monsters isn't that big, it just depends on whether someone worships them?" Qin Jing asked.

"That's how it is! But there are also gods worshipped by monsters." Su Jiu nodded in satisfaction.

"Then why did you kidnap us?" Qin Jing asked bluntly.

“At least none of you here are natural enemies who have to eat each other, so you can rest assured,” Su Jiu said with a smile.

"I thought you guys wanted to fatten Xiaokui up like Tang Sanzang and then eat her up," Qin Jing said, glancing at Xiaokui who was still happily enjoying her food.

Just like the C-rank anti-hero in the drama starring Rin and Sakura, the true aesthetic is the terrifying moment of giving children hope and then pulling them from the doorway of hope into the abyss of despair.

"Really? Did I scare you after all? You didn't seem that surprised. But just as you thought, I'm the founder of this group," Su Jiu said without any attempt to hide it.

"It's more accurate to say that I've been surprised by so many things that I don't know how to react. Kidnappings, monsters with superhuman strength, and all that. Although I've had a vague feeling before that there might be intelligent beings in this world besides humans," Qin Jing said frankly, after all, there are beings as intelligent as dogs, even more so than monkeys.

"Oh~ Has someone similar to us contacted you before?" A cold glint flashed in the shrine maiden's emerald eyes as she thought, 'Could there be other forces taking advantage of this? Why didn't the guys in Tokyo do anything about it? I specifically told them to protect you properly.'

At that moment, Aunt Li, who was enthusiastically hawking fried chicken and croquettes in the shopping street, sent a chill down Uncle Huang's spine.

"No, it's just that I feel a bit strange, and there are always strange looks coming from behind me," Qin Jing explained.

He used to feel strange gazes behind him when he went to and from school, but when he turned around, he could only see trees and bushes. Although he suspected it was Hanako, he could still feel that strange feeling when he walked with Hanako and others.

Sometimes, uncles, aunts, or older sisters wearing masks would appear, holding lollipops, panting, and saying they would take him to catch goldfish.

Sometimes candies, cookies, and snacks would be placed on the ground, with some placed at intervals, extending all the way into the dark alley.

Around the corner, two hands suddenly reached out from someone else's wall. He couldn't see their bodies, but they were beckoning to him, wanting him to come over. He'd encountered this kind of thing many times before, but of course, Qin Jing had no intention of going over.

When he encounters a strange person, he usually gives them a sweet smile, leaving them stunned for a few seconds, before running towards a crowded area. If the person he encounters is really too awful, he'll call the police.

"Just as I thought, I was wondering why there were so many strange people in broad daylight. They were monsters!" Qin Jing exclaimed. It seems she needs to teach Kui and the other children to remain vigilant in the future.

Su Jiu seemed to have seen something terrifying. She could no longer pretend to be profound and started shaking her head, causing her pointed ears to droop.

She covered her eyes and cried out as if shocked, "No, no... I think those are all humans! Humans are so scary! Monsters would never want to take you to catch goldfish... Ah... I can't imagine what would happen if you followed them into the alley! The human world is too dangerous. Jing, your life isn't easy either..."

"I don't think this is the kind of thing that someone who kidnaps people should say..." Qin Jing thought to herself, "So he really can read minds. That's enough. No wonder I thought this fox demon was the most dangerous. Facing such an opponent, even begging for mercy won't work."

Su Jiu regained her composure and said, "Ahem, let's get back to the main topic. Do you think humans are more similar to apes or monsters?"

"According to the theory of evolution, humans evolved from ancient apes. DNA research also shows that human DNA is very similar to that of chimpanzees, with at least 70% similarity. We can see the stages of human physical development in surviving fossils, but until we solve the origin of ancient apes, we cannot prove the origin of humankind," Qin Jing nodded.

“Yes, aren’t those monsters that take human form more like humans than chimpanzees? I don’t look much different from humans anymore,” Su Jiu said.

"But this was conjured up, wasn't it?" Qin Jing asked doubtfully.

“This isn’t magic, nor is it an illusion; it’s a living body.” Su Jiu said, reaching out to cup Qin Jing’s face in her hands. “Feel it for yourself; the touch is exactly the same as a human’s, isn’t it?”

My hands felt warm and soft against my cheeks; they were indeed no different from those of a human.

"You mean that when a monster transforms into human form, its structure is actually the same as that of a human?" Qin Jing asked.

"It's roughly the same, even children can be made! You can think of it as a transformation of the body, like a tadpole turning into a frog, or a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, but of course, the physical attributes are still at the monster level," Su Jiu said.

"It's practically like a fly that's grown abnormally large," Qin Jing said, frowning. He was reminded of the maggots crawling and writhing all over a bucket of rotting flesh in horror movies.

"Don't put it so harshly. We can change freely." Su Jiu, seemingly disgusted as well, frowned and said.

"I think I understand," Qin Jing said.

"You... you're actually imagining those images on purpose to disgust me, aren't you?" Su Jiu asked.

Qin Jing turned her head away in silence.

"So that's how it is..." Su Jiu said, covering her face. "I didn't expect to be tricked again. You really are something else."

"Well, after all, I'm not without experience dealing with strange creatures," Qin Jing said frankly. In reality, he has a monkey teacher, and in his dreams, he has even dealt with aliens, so monsters are really not that novel.

"Yes, by a twist of fate, you have experienced countless reincarnations, leaving behind fragments of memories. This is an incredible treasure," Su Jiu exclaimed.

“But I’m still just an ordinary person with no special abilities. I’m not worth you coming all this way to find me,” Qin Jing said.

“No, it’s precisely because you lack ability that you’ve accomplished so much more. Like understanding the feelings of the weak, like the concept of equality for all beings. That’s why I say you’re not ordinary. It’s because of this ability that you were destined to be involved with us from the very beginning,” Su Jiu said, looking at Qin Jing.

"What happened?" Qin Jing asked, her eyes wide.

Section 42 The Banquet and the Dialogue with the Demon (Part 42)

"The abyss buries withered bones, blood and marrow become literature. Extraordinary thoughts astound heaven and earth, the final stroke enters the cycle of reincarnation." Su Jiu said to Qin Jing through telepathy.

"What do you mean?" Qin Jing asked Su Jiu seriously. This was his biggest secret. Although he didn't understand what was going on with him, his countless reincarnations began in that abyss.

“We know your origins, we know you are in the cycle of reincarnation, and we have no ill intentions towards you,” Su Jiu said.

"How much do you know about that abyss, about my past life?" Qin Jing pressed. He had always passively accepted the arrangements of fate, entering the cycle of reincarnation after death, repeating the cycle endlessly.

He didn't know if everyone was like this, or if it was just him, but he hadn't encountered anyone who could answer his questions.

Or perhaps, in the distant past, he had asked certain beings, but forgot in the cycle of reincarnation. In any case, this is indeed a question closely related to himself.

And what intrigued him most was...

"What exactly did the skeleton write?" Qin Jing asked.

Su Jiu shook his head and said, "I actually know very little. Probably no living being except the author knows what that article is about."

All I know is that the world was alarmed at the time, to the point that many beings in various worlds could sense the location of that unknown abyss, so quite a few guys came to invite the skeleton.

That abyss is also a legendary forbidden place among monsters. There is no sound, no light, no concept of life, and no death there. Once you fall into it, you will fall into eternal silence, like an indelible stone, forever forbidden, until the world reaches its end.

The skeleton had previously possessed no power, nor did it bear any signs of severe injury, leading to the assumption that it was perhaps just an ordinary human in its past life. I cannot imagine what kind of person the skeleton was originally, under what circumstances it fell into the abyss, nor can I imagine how it could, in such conditions, have written such earth-shattering works.

"But you! Qin Jing, you are the reincarnation of that withered bone after reincarnation. You are destined to be extraordinary. Do you still have the memories of that time in the abyss?"

"As for the vague fragments, I can't remember anything about that article," Qin Jing said, thinking that if it was a dream, he had indeed experienced many magical things, such as water ghosts and demons, dragon palace immortals, and legendary heroes inviting him to travel to different worlds... But that was not the person he was now. There might be similarities, but they were different people.

"Is that so..." Su Jiu nodded with some disappointment.

"Now can you tell me your identities? What is your purpose?" Qin Jing asked.

"We'll leave the details for next time. Since you know we mean no harm, and you were simply chosen by us a long time ago, let's talk about it formally first. Let me introduce the situation here. The last time we met was in your dream, so there were many things we couldn't discuss properly."

"Are you a deity from the Inari Shrine? Or a yokai? What are you going to do with me if you've chosen me?" Qin Jing asked疑惑地.

"No? I'm just an agent. In a way, I'm from the same hometown as you in China. When I came down from the mountain, I lived in the State of Lu, but by modern standards, it's hard to say..."

"Tamamo-no-Mae? Su Daji?" Qin Jing wondered suspiciously.

“Daji of the Yin Shang Dynasty is my senior, and she's the one who put me in charge of this shrine.” Su Jiu shrugged.

"So you're the one who played the feudal lords with the beacon tower?"

"That's Bao Si."

"Could it be the one that led to Fuchai's kingdom being destroyed?"