My golden finger is not right

☆, fifteen,

fifteen,

Regarding the topic of the Fountain of Youth, Yamashita didn't go into details, and Nadeko didn't continue to ask because of hiding her identity.

After all, it is impossible for an ordinary person to have heard of such things as the Fountain of Youth.

"Not long after I arrived here, I discovered that the human beings I protect are a group of guys who treat women like goods."

"Because the soil around here is not fertile, the food produced by the cultivated land is pitifully small every year. So in exchange for more food, every spring, some girls from the village will be taken out of the village."

"Then come back with them and enough food after winter comes."

Nadeko opened her eyes slightly: "Why..."

"Because from spring to winter, it's enough to make up ten months..."

Yamashita's unfinished words were very cryptic, and I saw Nadeko's face turn pale, and the disgust and resentment in his eyes could not be concealed, so I calmed down a little.

ten months?What can you do for ten months?Huh...huh? !

Could it be that……

Yamashita also paused for several seconds before speaking again: "The eyes of those girls are the nightmare of my life."

"Later, I spread blessings on that piece of soil. As time went on, the harvested grains gradually increased. Although it's not exactly a storehouse, it's enough to withstand a whole winter."

"I thought they wouldn't have to use women as reproductive machines for food."

"But I was too naive."

"People will only get worse and worse, not better, especially the kind of people who are rotten to the root of their bones. You create a new environment for them, hoping that they will change. But in the end the result is just, They found another way to enslave women."

"In the past, girls were sent from one village to another in exchange for food, but now girls are sent from one house to another in exchange for food."

"I slowly realized that food is enough, but those humanoid demons who are used to sucking the flesh and blood of others will never be satisfied."

"They control the food and concentrate the supplies in their own hands in exchange for what they want."

"For those girls, a new torment has begun. They used to be tireless reproductive machines, but now they are puppets kneeling under men, laughing and beckoning."

"I can't interfere with them, because the law only allows me to collect offerings, not to punish rape and eliminate evil."

"But I am very angry, so I can only punish those people in my own way. I took back those blessings. I made the soil barren again, I made the paddy fields dry again, I no longer puffed up clouds, no longer Shi Yun rains rain. Until they run around in fear for their livelihood again, until they kneel before me for the first time, begging for my protection."

"So I told them, I want girls, and I just want girls who are fresh and untainted. In this way, some tragedies can be fundamentally reduced. At least there will always be one or two girls Children, because of being chosen as sacrifices, are spared from those disgusting fates."

"But I can't bring too many humans to the mountain, and I have to convert them into monsters before other monsters notice. They must first be contaminated with the smell of monsters, get used to the life of monsters, and then rely on the power of the fountain of youth , directly converted into a half-demon."

"In the beginning, they didn't have any objections to the requirement of having one girl a year, and they were even willing to sell my face. But nearly a hundred years have passed, and as the concept that people have a girl is not as good as a boy has continued from generation to generation, the number of girls has also increased. Gradually dwindling. Up to you, there were less than ten young girls left in that village."

"But they can also bring back girls from outside the village..." Nadeko thought for a while.

"But I don't agree." Yamashita evoked a childish smile, "I told them that within my sphere of influence, any non-local girls would be captured by me as extra offerings. They Hearing this, I will faint, and I don't dare to lose my wife and lose my army again."

"But if this goes on, wouldn't it be..."

"This village will slowly disappear on this land." Yamashita accepted her words in a relaxed tone, and his expression did not show any worry, on the contrary, he showed two dimples.

"Is Nadeshiko really worried about me? I'm very happy~"

"But don't worry, there is no problem at all." Yamashita smiled and approached Nadeko's face, his eyes were gentle and affectionate, but his next words were not at all human, "No one will find that this village has disappeared, on the contrary , as long as the village disappears, I make the soil fertile and productive. In less than ten years, a new batch of settlers will come here and cover their last traces."

"After all, those girls who have suffered a lot also need a place to let go of their hatred."

A child raised by monsters...

I swallowed the chill that kept rising in my heart.

Even though it has devoured human thoughts, it is still quite unscrupulous in its actions.

I can't comment on his way of overturning a boat with one pole, after all, they don't have enough food, and there is no other way to get food, except... But this way is really bad!

An undeniably bad!

But if according to Yamashita's narrative, after the harvest, they still do this terrible thing, then it is understandable to punish them, but not all of them are so bad.And when the young and middle-aged are old, what about those old women and newborn children?

Obviously, he didn't think about that much, he just decided the life and death of others according to his own likes and dislikes.There is no one around him who can persuade him, neither can those girls who forget the past, nor can those girls who hold hatred.

Eh... wait!

Masako, Masako should be able to persuade, right?After all, she has such a father who loves her deeply, it is impossible for her to watch her father and younger brothers grow old and helpless.

"What does Nadeko-chan think of my approach?"

When I came back to my senses, I saw the smiling young man approaching Nadeshiko with a proud expression on his face.

"As a bystander."

Eh!

Sure enough, he found out!

I hurriedly looked at Nadeko, afraid that something might happen when she got nervous.Fortunately, Nadeko had a calm face.But to my surprise, in the next second, she directly admitted:

"I am indeed not from here. I was invited by Masako's father to take her home."

"Although your actions are despicable, they do not violate the rules."

So I won't interfere.

Nadeko's eyes were as quiet as a lake.

"So it's Masako's...Father..." Yamashita Wenyan twitched the corners of his mouth with a strange expression, "If that's the case, why not ask her if she wants to go home, if she is willing, I can let her go downhill."

"But other than that," Yamashita narrowed his eyes slightly, "do you have anything else to ask for?"

"The Fountain of Youth is very attractive, but my family has always only exorcised demons, not seeking wealth."

Yamashita held back his smile and looked at her quietly for a while.Time froze for a moment, Nadeko always looked at him calmly, without any guilt or darkness.

"Monsters have a way of judging the true from the false." After a long time, Yamashita smiled as usual, and said gently, "I know you didn't lie to me, but you really broke my heart."

"If only you came here for the Fountain of Youth..."

"In this way, I can keep you with me forever on the grounds of ulterior motives."

Nadeko still had that expressionless face, but I noticed that her breathing was light for a second.

"I am the warlock of the family and will always belong to my family."

"I know." Yamashita's smile faded a little.

"I know……"

-

"How's your day, Nadeko-chan?"

At bedtime, Chanako knocked on Nadeko's door with a paper lantern in hand.

It was rare for me to feel sleepy, and I curled up on Nadeko's shoulder in a daze.As soon as Nadeko got up, I rolled down her sleeve and onto the cushion.When I got up and floated back to her, there was already a dimpled girl on the opposite side of the low table.

Eh?Why is Chanako here so late?

I sat up a little bit, and looked at the other party suspiciously.

Different from the loose and comfortable dress in the past, Chanako is wearing a set of quite formal kimono today. The hem of the clothes is embroidered with many intricate and delicate cloud patterns, and the dyed colors are also magnificent and rich.

She combed her hair into a bun, and only inserted a hairpin inlaid with a small piece of jade on the top and bottom.

She looks a little different from usual, but she doesn't have any problems just by serving and dressing up... probably because... her temperament is a little different...

My gaze wandered around her several times, and finally returned to Nadeko.

Having said that, something was wrong with Nadeko today, it was already late at night, but she was still wearing her daytime clothes, and she didn't fall asleep early as usual.

I thought she couldn't fall asleep because of those words at the bottom of the mountain, but I didn't expect... It turned out that I was thinking too much...

"Did Nadeko-chan already guessed that I would come?" Chanako put the lantern by her side, and the lantern went out after a while.

"I can smell it." Nadeko said with a pun.

Chanako smiled slightly, and raised her hand to touch her temples, as if she was considering how to speak. After a long time, she spoke again: "Since they are all of the same kind, then I don't need to hide any more."

"Miss Yan Ye Fuko."

Nadeko had a calm face, as if she was not surprised that she knew her identity.

"From the first time I saw you, I knew that you are a warlock. And you are a purebred bloodline owner." A trace of jealousy flashed quickly in her eyes.

"At first I thought your target was also Yamashita and what he owned, but today Tsuruno, who was ordered by Yamashita to go to the village to inquire about the news, came back, and she told us your identity—the eldest daughter of the Yanye family, Yan Ye Fu son."

"Unlike other people here, I already know your name like a thunderbolt. You are a new star in the warlock world, the most talented warlock in a century, and the first heir to a third-class warlock family..."

"My family has always been curious about why such an amazingly talented warlock appears in the Yanye family every once in a while."

Seeing Nadeko's face turning cold, Chanako quickly changed the subject:

"But these are not important. The important thing is that your surname is Yan Ye. The members of the Ye family are the most noble. They have always disdained to run around for things that monsters once possessed."

Chanako raised her face, with a childlike innocence and ignorance of the world: "So what is your goal? Miss Yanye?"

"My goal is Masako, follow her father's wish and take her back." Nadeko replied calmly, "It's that simple, Miss Godguard."

Guardian? !

What is going on?Chanako is also a warlock?Is she lurking here for so long because of the fountain of youth?

Chanako's smile froze: "How did you know? I thought you could only smell that I was a warlock."

Upon hearing this, Nadeko pointed to the hairpin on her hair: "I just found out."

"Except for the deputy sect of the guardian, no one will divide a part of their soul in the things they carry with them."

"But I don't understand one thing. As far as I know, isn't it only males who have their souls extracted to make accessories in the vice sect of the guardian?"

"..." Chanako stopped laughing completely.

Only then did I realize that Chanako looked a little scary when she wasn't smiling.

"Miss Yan Ye knows a lot..." Chanako pulled the hairpin from her head, "I have indeed had my soul extracted, but I am not a man."

"But I'm not a woman either."

sixteen,

The calmness on Nadeko's face was broken, replaced by a kind of surprise at the unknown.

Neither male nor female.

What is this?

But Chanako didn't continue talking, but returned to the topic at the beginning: "It is my greatest sincerity to tell you this secret."

"I know that Miss Yan Ye's goal this time is only Masako, and she has nothing else to ask for. So if possible, please don't tell anyone here about my identity."

"We have no conflict of interest." Nadeko looked at her for a while, then asked again, "Is your goal the Fountain of Youth?"

Chanako nodded and shook her head: "My family sent me to lurk here, and the main purpose is to be at the foot of Banyao Mountain."

"I think that since Ms. Yan Ye knows my family so well, you should have heard about the difficulties my family has been in in recent years."

"The world of warlocks is actually no different from that of monsters..." Nadeko sighed.

"Yes, monsters who abide by the law, if they want to survive, they must accept contracts and offerings from humans to maintain their strength."

"It doesn't matter about production. Warlocks who only know how to slay demons and eliminate demons must have human beings who provide offerings if they want to survive."

"And the corn village that has always respected my family and provided offerings to my family was taken away by people from other families." A trace of resentment flashed in Chanako's eyes.

"So my family is now desperately looking for a place with a large population and sufficient food to rebuild their faith."

"But this place doesn't meet the requirements." Nadeko suddenly remembered something, and his face gradually turned cold. Do you want to control Yamashita for his use?But this is impossible.His strength is almost equal to mine, and it is impossible to defeat him with your level.Besides, those big monsters at the top will not agree. "

"Miss Yan Ye, don't be so brainy..." Chanako stood up slowly, then patted her clothes, looking like she was done talking, "I didn't plan to use force to control him, otherwise I wouldn't Been lurking here for so many years."

"If you want to control him, you only need to grasp his lifeline and weakness."

"What's more, Yamashita hid and transformed so many girls, which is already a serious violation of the law."

"But having said that." Chanako looked at Nadeko seriously and asked, "Miss Yanye won't stop me because of a monster?"

"Then what will happen to those girls who have been transformed into half-demons after your business is completed?"

"What are you talking about, Ms. Yanye." Chanako frowned, "They are also monsters, but they just put on some human skins. You should understand the day they agree to transform..."

"Owning the eternity of monsters also means that they have to face the fate of monsters—being killed by humans, or killing humans."

-

"I can't stop her, because there is nothing wrong with what she did." After Chanako left, Nadeko took out a black solid with invisible material from her arms, and lit some with the light.It didn't take long for the solid body to emit smoke, and slowly turned into a human face.

It should be a man about 50 years old, his face is full of wrinkles, he looks very thin, and he looks exhausted.But only his eyes were sharp and stern, not like an old man.

"I understand." After hearing Nadeko's words, the man nodded slightly, and responded with some indifference, "Since it doesn't conflict with your mission, and it didn't hurt innocent humans, then let her go." Bar."

I was taken aback by his voice. The man seemed to be in his old age, but how could he sound like a young man?

Nadeko seemed to be unable to bear it, she moved her lips, and was about to say something more, but the man took a step ahead: "Boss, it has been more than a year since you left, far exceeding the time it took for others to experience adulthood. It's time for you to come back."

"Whether it's my will or strength, I'm not strong enough to undertake that plan, so I hope I can continue to practice."

The smoke that gathered on human faces slowly approached Nadeko, as if trying to judge whether her words were sincere.

Nadeko didn't respond, letting them surround her.

After a long time, the smoke drifted away, and the man's voice said: "In this case, I will give you another year, but today after one year, you must return to the family."

"I'm running out of time. Before I can close my eyes, the project must begin."

"Yes, brother."

There are more places I don't understand...

I lay on Nadeko's head like a corpse, watching the smoke gradually dissipate.

Why is Nadeko's older brother so old, and what is the plan that Nadeko must participate in?

And Chanako... Chanako...

I slowly closed my eyes.

-

Waking up early in the morning, Yingji took her and came bouncing around looking for Nadeshiko with a few squirrels.She seemed in a good mood, and kept talking about making squirrel meat for Nadeko.

"The squirrel meat here is the fattest and the most delicious. Last time we roasted squirrel meat together, but because we couldn't eat it, we had to give it to sister Tsuruno and Masako. But because it was too fragrant, Masako still ate it." Lost food for two!"

Half demons cannot eat human food, so things can only be eaten by the only remaining humans on the mountain.

"Masako... was she eaten in front of everyone?"

"Eh? Let me think about it...it doesn't seem to be there. She said she would take it home to eat, and then left."

Food for two... Could it be...

The other one is for Chanako? !

Masako knows that Chanako is still human!

Nadeko obviously thought of this too, she took Yingkichi's hand and asked in an unquestionable tone: "Where is Masako now?"

-

When the door was opened, Masako was holding a bag of things and sprinkled it on the ground, as if she was feeding.Her house is a closed space without any lights, but her side is surrounded by things like fireflies, they are shining and competing for the things that Masako dropped.

But the knock on the door scared them into the corner.

"Why are you here?" Seeing that it was Nadeko, a trace of worry and surprise flashed across her face, "This is not a place for you, get out!"

"What are you feeding?" Nadeko asked unmoved.

"It's just some little bugs..." She walked up as she said, as if she wanted to drive Nadeshiko out.

"Those are monsters, right? You're feeding monsters, right?"

Masako's hands froze.

After a long time, she nodded, her tone was a little stiff: "I shouldn't have let you know, after all, everyone will be afraid of monsters. So feeding this kind of thing, only me and Tsuruno Do, now Tsuruno is no longer a human being, I don't remember what happened before, so..."

"Let human beings feed the monsters without the half-demons knowing?" Nadeko couldn't understand what she meant.

"Although in the eyes of humans, they are just some small things that don't even have a small shape, but in the eyes of them, who are also monsters, they are the most real and terrifying forms that humans cannot see."

"A monster seeing a monster is completely different from what a human being can see when looking at a monster."

Masako's words suddenly reminded me of Chanako holding the lantern on the first day I came here. I knew that it was probably a lantern monster, and I guessed its identity because of the firelight.Because Chanako kept holding the front of the lantern inward, she seemed to be afraid that Nadeko would see the eye on the lantern and be frightened.

Now that I think about it, she was exposed so early...

Because it is impossible for a half-demon to hold a ghost lantern.

"Then why don't you ask Chanako to help you?"

"Cha Naiko? Why did you mention her? Isn't she also a half-demon?"

Nadeko looked at the other party's pale face, and her gaze gradually dimmed.

"Do you really think she has been transformed into a half-demon?"

"What do you mean?" Masako squeezed the paper bag in her hand.

"She's a human being, like you, you've always known that, haven't you?"

-

"What the hell do you want to do?"

"I want to take you away."

This answer was obviously beyond Masako's range of acceptance, and she asked in surprise, "Why me?"

"Because I was entrusted by your father." Nadeko took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and handed it over.

I thought Masako would cry out of excitement when she saw her father's token, but she seemed to be irritated. Not only did she not take the handkerchief, but she patted it off as if she saw something disgusting.

"So you were sent by him!" Masako's eyes turned red with anger, she rushed over with a big stride, and then pinned Nadeko to the ground.

She pinched Nadeko's neck tightly with both hands, mumbling something in her mouth.

Nadeko didn't react for a moment, so she was held down by her.She desperately wanted to break free, but Masako got a strange force out of nowhere, making it impossible for her to break free.

I hurriedly climbed onto Masako's hand, trying to push it off Nadeko's neck, but it was in vain, not to mention that it was an ant shaking elephant, because my body passed through her hand every time , I knew that in my current form, it was impossible to help.

Just when I was spinning around in a hurry, my body suddenly seemed to be caught by something invisible, and I started to rise rapidly.The last thing I could see was the foot of the mountain in a hurry.

Like a deflated balloon, I rose, passed through the roof, and flew to heights I had never reached.

I gradually felt sleepy, gradually felt powerless, and a strong desire that I had never felt attacked me, making me just want to sleep for a long time...

"Outsiders?"

A deep male voice exploded in my ears like thunder, waking me up from my stupefied state.

I found myself in a pure white space, looking far and wide, it was all white, stretching as far as the eye could see.

And right in front of me was a white tiger kneeling and lying on its stomach.It has a special aura that makes people want to worship it uncontrollably.Its body is very big, an indescribable size, and I am as small as an ant in front of it.

This feeling of smallness and powerlessness made me tremble involuntarily.

"Go home..."