He changed Tiwat

"I want to know what happened here back then, and what exactly the Zhaigong Palace did here," Ying asked again.

Harunosuke once again took out a talisman from his sleeve, but this time he didn't just casually scatter it. Instead, he pricked his fingertip and used his own blood to write words on the talisman.

Han Fu looked at the movement of his fingers and could roughly tell that he was writing some people's names.

The slips of paper with names written on them turned into human figures after they fell to the ground—these should be the so-called "shikigami" (spirits).

The first to appear were two young men. One had a single horn on his forehead and a face as red as a jujube, and he looked like a descendant of the Red Oni clan. The other had a square face and looked serious and unapproachable.

"Ah, that's Yu Yu Dao Qi!" Ying recognized the "Puppet Sword Demon" she had fought with in the Tianling Fengxingfu.

Han Fulai recognized the square-faced youth; he had seen him in the memories of the "scattered soldiers": "The other one was one of the 'Three Shadow Warriors,' who later became the Assistant Director of the Sand-making Bureau and the Chief of the Imperial Carriage."

The two of them were completely unresponsive to the sounds from the outside world—after all, they were just "paper dolls" and could only act according to the instructions given to them by Harunosuke Yuugami.

However, Harunosuke flicked his finger, and the two brothers began to move.

Yu Yu Changzheng reached out and patted Yu Yu Daoqi on the shoulder, seemingly to comfort him: "Daoqi-ge, don't worry. Mother will definitely come back."

“I know. She will definitely come back. After all, she is…” Yu Yu Daoqi shook his head, still unable to shake off the worry on his face.

At this time, they were unaware that their mother, Mikoto Chiyo, had been corrupted by the abyss monsters; they were only worried about their mother who was on the front lines resisting the monster invasion.

As the two brothers were talking, a new voice joined in—a lively-sounding female voice: "Harunosuke, have you seen Tengu-sensei?"

The two brothers turned around and happened to see a girl dressed in red and white shrine maiden clothes, carrying a longbow on her back.

This beautiful girl with silver hair and purple eyes is none other than Asase Hibiki, one of the "Three Shadow Actors"—at this time, Asase Hibiki was still training at the Suikosaigu Shrine of Narukami Taisha, and seemed quite different from the Kiyonori Guardian Shrine Maiden who later rebelled against the shogunate with the great pirate Akako Hyakume and single-handedly destroyed the Inazuma Shogunate fleet...

The man in the hunting robe wearing a fox mask who was being questioned by Asase Hibiki was none other than the former Harunosuke Yuugami.

Harunosuke pointed to the two brothers, Mikoto and Harunosuke, but both brothers shook their heads.

"Looks like no one has seen Tengu-sensei... He must be out fighting, right?"

"Is the teacher in danger?" Asase Hibiki was clearly very worried.

"It'll definitely be fine, yeah. After all, he's the leader of the Shadow Tengu." Harunosuke nodded as if trying to reassure himself, then abruptly changed the subject: "But what about that Takane-san, he should be alright, right?"

Hibiki Asase raised her hand and stroked the longbow on her shoulder—that purple longbow was a treasure bestowed upon her by the general, the Flying Thunder String.

This longbow is engraved with divine symbols, which can add the power of lightning to the arrows it fires with the "Thunderbolt Ba Seal".

It was a treasure that the General once bestowed upon the leader of the Tengu clan, Kagami Sasa Yuri, and later became a family heirloom of the Inatsume Tengu clan, passed down to Reizenbo.

Later, Takane Kombu-maru, a junior apprentice who studied under Reizenbo, made great contributions and gained the status of a hatamoto (chieftain) of the shogunate and the name "Kiri-giri Takane". Reizenbo then presented him with this engraved bow, asking him to serve the shogun well.

The "Uncle Takane" that Harunosuke mentioned refers to Kirigiri Takane.

As for why Kirigiri Takane's longbow ended up in Asase Hibiki's hands, it was because of a bet—before accompanying the general on his expedition to Kanria, Kirigiri Takane used this famous bow bestowed by the general as the stake in a high-stakes wager with Asase Hibiki:

"I'm going to wager this finest bow in the world on whether I can return here alive. You can keep the bow. If I, Gaoling, lose, then the bow is yours. But, if I win..."

If he wins...

A blush crept onto the girl's face.

Perhaps it's time to think about a life where I change my name to "Kirigiri Hibiki".

Hmm... if I have a daughter in the future, I'll name her "Kyouko Kirigiri"...

"...It'll definitely be fine. He made a bet with me..." Asase Hibiki murmured to herself.

She had no idea that, years later, the lonely traveler, stumbling from the abyss, would one day meet the no-longer-young priestess again. And she would use that bow to pierce the head of her lover, whose soul had been corrupted by the abyss.

The most serious-looking royal attendant interrupted the girl's reverie: "Alright, we should go and do the task our teacher gave us. There are still many people waiting for us at our teacher's residence."

As he spoke, he pointed in a direction—to where a withered branch of a sacred cherry tree now grows.

But five hundred years ago, there wasn't a single tree here, but...

However, when Harunosuke Kami flicked his finger again, a talisman flew out and transformed into a magnificent mansion.

The grandeur of this mansion's main gate alone is in no way inferior to that of the shogun's castle tower.

If the entire appearance of this mansion were to be fully displayed, it would probably fill the entire underground palace.

However, Harunosuke slowly uttered the name of the mansion: "Tengu Annex, Senmon Kōshū".

Chapter 226 The Thousand-Door Void Boat and the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism [4k]

The Heavenly Dog Villa, a thousand gates and an empty boat.

Although it is called a "detached house", it is actually a ship.

"Back then, it was on this very ship that I, A-Xiang, and Changzheng studied under our teacher," said Yujin Harunosuke, his voice filled with nostalgia. "This Thousand Doors Void Ship was built by our teacher and the Tengu clan over several decades with the combined strength of their entire clan. It embodies the secret techniques of the Tengu clan, capable of expanding space and accommodating thousands of doors and households. Our teacher once said: 'This body is a void ship in the world, where can I not be free?' Hence the name 'Thousand Doors Void Ship'."

"The teacher said that once this 'treasure ship' is completely completed, it will carry the General, the Lady of the Palace, Aunt Yuyu, and the rest of us juniors to travel around the world and bring back treasures from all over to show to everyone in Inazuma..."

Han Fulai understood immediately upon hearing this.

In ancient China, Zheng He sailed the "treasure ships" to the Western Ocean, while on Inazuma's side, Reisenbo planned to sail the "thousand-door empty boats" to the Western Ocean.

In fact, among all the inhabitants of the Inari family, only Kagemyo Tengu, who helped the Kujo family build "One Night Castle," possessed such outstanding engineering skills.

Even the desolate underground palace they are in now was likely built with the help of Ling Shan Fang.

Lei finally understood why Fox Palace had asked Ling Shan Fang for this "treasure" back then.

This "Thousand Doors Empty Boat," capable of accommodating thousands of households, is indeed the most suitable "refuge."

Moreover... even if the "Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism" fails and Fox Palace has no choice but to use its last resort to perish together with the enemy, the "Thousand Gates Void Ship," which embodies all the supernatural powers of the Tengu clan, can still carry the Inazuma people on board to break through the sea and return to their homeland.

The reason she had never heard of the "Thousand Doors and Empty Boat" was because Ling Shan Fang had kept it a secret from her, planning to give her a surprise after it was completed.

—Yes, back then, when Kosai-no-miya recommended Hiiragi Hiroshi, the first Kansei-bu-gyō (Minister of Imperial Sacrifice), to her and her sister to support the shogunate in overseas trade, it was also related to this "treasure ship," wasn't it?

Although Inazuma, five hundred years ago, did not have the restriction of "national isolation," it was essentially not much different from "closing the country to the outside world."

Because Inazuma is isolated overseas and separated from the Teyvat countries by vast oceans, it is extremely difficult for it to conduct trade and exchanges with other countries.

Even without General Raiden's thunderstorm blockade, going to Inazuma was a tough job that even the most experienced sailors avoided.

The unpredictable weather at sea, the risk of getting lost, the crisis of lack of food and fresh water... and the occasional appearance of giant sea monsters are all reasons to hesitate.

Inazuma is located near the "Dark Outer Sea," and the sea monsters that emerge from there are often much more ferocious than those found inland. Most of the legends of giant sea monsters, such as the "Great Inspector," a giant whale capable of swallowing an entire island, originate from Inazuma legends.

—Hokuto, the now-famous leader of the "Southern Cross" fleet, first rose to fame by slaying the sea monster "Seamount." And who knows how many more monsters like "Seamount" lurk in the seas off Inazuma's side…

The dangers of ocean-going rice paddies are evident.

In recent centuries, the number of fleets from various countries heading to Inazuma has increased because the first Kanjō followed Hiiragi Hirotsugu's preferential policies for long-distance trade and developed relatively well-equipped deep-sea ports.

Merchants were willing to take the risks to come to Inazuma because they were attracted by the benefits of low tariffs and the convenience of the port.

It was thanks to these profit-driven merchants who paved several relatively safe routes by sinking countless ships that Inazuma's ocean trade began to improve.

Five hundred years ago, when foreign fleets went to Inazuma to conduct long-distance trade, it was practically a business where they risked their lives.

While successful people may indeed make a fortune, it comes at the cost of risking their lives, and can be said to be entirely based on luck—those who are not lucky enough sink into obscurity.

In addition, Inazuma's land is barren and its produce is scarce. Apart from the "coral pearls" that are a specialty of Umijima Island and the weapons and armor made of "tamahagane" by artisans from Narukami Island, which have a certain market abroad, other countries don't even look at them. There is actually a great lack of products available for trade.

"Coral pearls" are harvested entirely by hand, and their production is scarce, often taking several years to produce a single batch; "Tamagang" weapons are strictly controlled by the shogunate, and their production capacity is also very limited... Even if you risk being eaten by fish, you might not be able to bring back many local specialties.

If you're not lucky enough, even if you manage to overcome all the difficulties and successfully reach Inazuma, the rewards might not be as substantial as making two trips back and forth between the coastal countries of Mondstadt, Liyue, and Sumeru.

Moreover, at that time, the system of surveying and demarcation had not yet been established. The outlying islands that are now allowed to be settled by foreign merchants were still deserted islands at that time, and there were no ports for large ships to dock. This led most foreign merchants to be unwilling to do this arduous and potentially unprofitable business.

Unfortunately, due to their lack of access to information, the Inatsume people believed that their "Eternal Country" ruled by the Thunder God was perfect and had little interest in actively engaging with foreign countries. The pampered high-ranking nobles in the shogunate regarded the foreign products brought by overseas trade as a privilege reserved for the nobility, and most of them even resisted overseas trade among the common people, so as not to let the common people use the same precious "imported goods" as they did.

Meanwhile, due to the frequent invasions of monsters from the "Dark Sea," the two shoguns of the shogunate, Raiden Shin and Raiden Kaido, focused almost all their attention on "defending against the Dark Sea," and spent far more time enforcing "maritime prohibitions" than opening up maritime trade...

For various reasons, Inazuma's isolation continued until the era of "dark calamity".

However, this does not mean that everyone in Inazuma is turning a blind eye and a deaf ear.

Hiiragi Hirotsugu was not the only one who recognized the benefits of long-distance trade.

They strongly supported Hiiragi Hiroshi's construction of the Fox Palace on the outlying island, and the Tengu clan leader Reizenbo was also a person who was capable of crossing the ocean with supernatural powers and wings. They were also knowledgeable and farsighted people. In fact, they had the idea of ​​conducting long-distance trade with other countries much earlier.

At the same time, they also realized that the biggest problem that led to Inazuma's isolation actually lay in the "ship".

Policies can be provided by the government, and port craftsmen can build them, but the raw materials and technology for shipbuilding cannot be obtained out of thin air.

Due to the barren land, the timber suitable for building large ships is extremely scarce in Inazuma, and is mainly concentrated on Seirai Island. Furthermore, due to the lingering resentment of the Thunderbird, thunderstorms on Seirai are even more frequent than during the "Isolation Order," and the shipbuilding capacity of Seirai Island is far from sufficient to support Inazuma's long-distance trade.

—Without the protection of the Raiden General, even the warships of the Shogunate army that once went on an expedition to Kanria would not have been able to cross the vast ocean…

This meant that in the past, Inazuma could only passively wait for foreign merchants to "come in," but could not rely on local merchants to take the initiative to "go out."

However, if the people of Inazuma had large ships capable of supporting merchants on long voyages, there would always be brave merchants willing to venture out.

It is likely that the Fox Palace secretly discussed with the Spirit Hall back then, so that the Inazuma demons would be the "first to try this," using the Tengu's supernatural technology to build a large ship to sail the ocean, carrying back treasures and technologies from various countries, inspiring the Inazuma people's yearning for overseas, and making Inazuma no longer isolated.

Unfortunately, with the passing of these two women, the plan to "sail the seas with a thousand empty boats" came to an abrupt end. Inazuma's isolation during those two years of "national seclusion" was even more pronounced than it had been five hundred years earlier...

"Back then, we followed our teacher's instructions and activated the magic array inside the 'Thousand Gates Void Boat,' taking the Inazuma people who were hiding inside away from this underground palace... Although I have no memory of what happened after that, I think that Lord Saigu's 'Great Purification of the Divine Cherry Blossom' must have been successful, otherwise Inazuma wouldn't have 'five hundred years later,' right?"

However, with a gentle wave of his hand, the images conjured by those "shikigami" vanished.

Lei nodded silently.

According to Harunosuke Yuugami's memories, the Fox Palace borrowed the "Thousand Gates Void Boat" from Reisenbo as a "refuge" for the people of Narukami Island to hide in. Then, they lured the invading monsters of Narukami Island into the trap of the underground palace and launched the "Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism" to seal them away in one fell swoop.

However, Kami Harunosuke and the others, along with the "Thousand Gates Void Ship" and the Inazuma people who had taken refuge in it, escaped from the underground palace before the "Great Exorcism of the Divine Cherry Blossom" was activated.

Up to this point, the events that occurred in the Desolate Sea Palace five hundred years ago have basically been connected.

But one thing remains unexplained.

"So, according to Mr. Harunosuke, what is the current state of the Inazuma Spirit Vein, or rather, what problem has arisen with the 'Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism'?" Han Fulai asked on behalf of Lei Films.

However, Harunosuke turned his gaze to Han Fulai, his narrow, fox-like eyes staring at his face with great interest.

"May I ask your honorable names, sir, and those two beautiful young ladies and young miss?"

Han Fulai replied simply: "I am Han Fulai, the current 'Minister of the Interior' of the Inazuma Shogunate, the two of you are 'Shogun's Attendant' Ying, and the other is Hideaki."

This official title is clearly very useful.

"So you are the general's... Minister of the Interior, how rude of me." Harunosuke Yugami quickly bowed. Han Fulai felt that there was something hidden in his words—uh, could it be that the position of Minister of the Interior had some other meaning he didn't know in the Inazuma language of five hundred years ago?

Meanwhile, Kagami Harunosuke bowed to him very solemnly: "I have noticed that Mr. Han seems to possess supernatural powers, and judging from his name, he seems to be from Liyue. May I ask if you are a disciple of the Liyue Immortals?"

"Well, I know a little about Liyue Immortal Path. If the 'Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism' needs any Immortal abilities, I should be able to help out."

Han Fulai doesn't need to be modest now.

He is no longer in the situation where he had immortal power but didn't know how to use it at the beginning of his transmigration; he has truly "cultivated immortality".

"Oh, that's good, that's good." Harunosuke Yuugami nodded repeatedly. "In my opinion, the Inazuma spiritual vein is overflowing with filth at this moment, and it should be time for the 'Great Purification'. If no one presides over the ceremony to eradicate the filth, the filth in the spiritual vein will soon spread throughout the entire island, and then it will be another calamity for all living beings."

"I am currently in a void state and cannot perform the ritual in person... Fortunately, I have a good memory and am known for my photographic memory. I can verbally recite the 'Outline of the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism' written by Lord Zhaigong and the required 'Words of Power' to you all. Uh, does anyone have paper and pen ready?"

"Yes." Han Fulai immediately took out his notebook. It's standard practice for secretaries to carry a small notebook with them.

Although he had a very good memory, this was not the time to show off; after all, a bad pen is worse than a good memory.

Thus, with Yuijin Harunosuke dictating and Han Fulai taking notes, a "Brief Outline of the Great Purification Ritual of the Divine Cherry Blossom" was quickly compiled:

"First, I offend the gods of Heaven, then I offend the sea gods of the land. I then offer my prayers to appease the gods' anger."

The above rules are set forth before all sacrificial rites, purification rites, blessing rites, and incantations.

If you perform a major purification, you must follow the precedent.

The tree of the Thunder Cherry, a branch transplanted from the Divine Cherry.

The spirit of the God of Gaiming is a branch spirit of the main spirit, and the spirit of the secondary shrine of the Great Society is connected to the secondary shrine of the main society.

At that time, there were calamities of heavenly rebellion and monstrous evils of earthly rebellion. The land was filthy, fierce generals were domineering, and hundreds of ghosts were jumping around.

The temple was visited to remove branches and transplant trees to ward off evil spirits.

Over the years, the damage to things has accumulated.

A purification ritual is necessary to quell the disturbances.

The purification of the Thunder Cherry Blossom will take place within sixty years.

Furthermore, the size and rituals differ.

After several rounds of minor purification, a major purification must follow.

The time for the minor purification ritual is for sinning against Heaven and the country. The boundary is marked by a knot, and the phrase "fear the skill" is recited.

The miasma and pestilence obscure the boundary, hiding the root tumors to avoid the countryside.