The Mystery of Fangshi Edo

The right choices accumulate, paving the way to hell.

[August 2007]

In a remote mountain village, there are plants with drops of water after the rain, as well as panicked and bewildered villagers.

"As I said, the culprit of the incident has been solved, and nothing terrible will happen again."

The villagers looked at each other, and then a bold-looking man stepped out from among them.

"Stop talking nonsense! Those two monsters are still outside, and one day they will come back to take revenge. You are in this business, right? Then find a way to solve it!"

Really noisy.

Xia Youjie rubbed his sore brows.

It turns out that human voices can be so annoying.

He ignored the excited villagers, and continued to ask calmly: "What kind of monster are you talking about?"

"Of course it's pretending to be a human being. It looks like a little girl, but it actually has demon-like abilities. The grandson of my neighbor's mother-in-law was injured by them last time," the villager said exaggeratedly, " Usually they are locked in the cage well, but last time the guards dozed off and they ran away."

"Please kill those two things quickly, or we won't be able to live a peaceful life!" Someone immediately echoed.

Nonsense.

None of the villagers here can see the curse spirit, so the only ones locked up may be humans.

And a child with magic power.

……I see.

Because they couldn't see the curse spirit of the instigator, they pushed this series of strange events on the two children who possessed the magic power.

Put them in a cage and treat them like monsters...

"Is an existence with a human appearance and special abilities a monster?" He smiled instead of anger, squinting at the villagers, "Then what do you think I am?"

As the voice fell, only a "bang!" was heard, and the trees around everyone suddenly fell down as if they were cut off in the middle, and even the well in the village not far away also shook, overflowing with mud. of sewage.

If there is magic power, it can be seen that Xia Youjie manipulated the magic spirit to do it, but the villagers present obviously did not have this ability.

Rustling.

Those angry eyes, fearful eyes, shocked eyes...

"...It really looks like a monkey."

……

Following the clues given by the villagers, Xia Youjie searched for it in the forest.

If he wasn't eager to save people, he would have manipulated the curse spirit to 'clean' the village just now.

This was not an impulsive decision, on the contrary he was very calm.It is precisely because I have thought clearly that I will make such an important decision.

But now it can only be delayed for a while. If the two children ran into the forest without shoes as the villagers said, the longer the delay, the more dangerous it would be.

Even if they have magic power, they are only young children. In addition to encountering wild animals, they may also suffer from diseases, starve and suffer from cold.

There is no doubt that they are human beings.

So when it comes to priorities, the 'monkeys' even the 'killed' have to lean back a little bit.

……

"Also, can I go? I, carry you?"

The black-haired little girl was covered in wounds, her face was covered in bruises and blood stains from the ignorant villagers, and she couldn't even speak a complete sentence smoothly.

But even so, he still supported his companion who seemed to be working harder than himself.

"I'm fine, where's Mimiko?" The blond girl forced herself to hook her mouth, then paused as if feeling a tingle, and turned her face away, "I can walk by myself."

Can't cry, tears mixed into the wound will hurt.

My left foot is about to lose feeling, because I was hit by a stone a few days ago, and the wound is bleeding and festering. I don't know how to deal with it.

No one will show compassion and kindness, so run away, to a corner where those people will never find you.

"If it is possible, meeting a good person like my mother...should allow us to use the rope to find something to eat?"

Mimiko looked sad at the rope that appeared out of nowhere.

Young children who lost their parents early do not even know why they are ostracized and persecuted.

After walking for a while, the two sat under the tree to rest, still holding hands.

It had been two days since they escaped, but they had nothing to eat except to drink some stream water.

Nanako felt that her vision was a bit blurred, and just about to tell Mimiko that she was going to sleep for a while, she heard a voice suddenly coming from behind the tree.

"How pitiful."

It was an old man's voice full of love and sorrow.

"A stray sheep is hurt by wolves, ah, it's really tragic."

who is it?

The two children wanted to turn around, but suddenly felt sleepy.

"Sleep peacefully, I will lead you to the right path..."

Maybe it was because they were too tired, or maybe the voice was so gentle that it made people want to cry, Mimiko and Nanako did not struggle, and slowly fell asleep.

……

When he woke up again, everything in front of him had changed.

Nanako opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a neat and bright ceiling, a soft bed under her body, and a quilt that exuded the fragrance of the sun was covering her body.

so warm...

There are no cold, damp caves with weird smells, no iron cages and villagers with malicious expressions.

Am I dead?Is this heaven?

"Mother……"

She couldn't help murmuring.

Then, I heard footsteps coming from far and near.

"Are you awake?"

It was the voice he heard before he passed out.

Nanako raised her eyes and saw an old man with a white beard standing beside the bed with a crooked cane, looking at her with a kind expression.

Just as she was about to ask something, her hand was suddenly held.

"Great."

The old man said in a happy and sad tone, and patted her hand lightly.

This kind of unreasonable kindness and eagerness made Nanako feel strangely uncomfortable in her heart, but she quickly put this feeling behind her, raised her upper body, looked around and asked, "Where's Mimiko?"

"The sheep with you has also woken up and is reading with everyone in the hall downstairs." The old man smiled at her, "I am Kensaku Mimakihara, just call me Grandpa Kensaku or the rancher. This is Salvation Ranch, the most hopeful place in the world, no longer need to be afraid of wolf attacks."

Nanako blinked, and then she was about to get out of bed, and when she lifted the quilt, she found that she had changed into clean and soft pajamas, and the wound on her foot seemed to have been carefully treated and bandaged.

"Be careful, your injury is serious, I can help you serve the meal, or do you want to go down to find your companion first?"

"I want to find Mimiko." She replied urgently.

"Ok."

Mimakihara Kensaku immediately nodded in agreement.

...The discomfort just now should be an illusion.

Thinking of this, Nanako lowered her head to the rancher, and said "Thank you" as her mother taught her in her vague memory.

Kensaku Mimakihara looked happy, stroked his beard, and handed her a small walking stick.

"Your foot needs to recover slowly, first use this for support."

"Um……"

Led by the rancher, she came to the hall on the first basement floor.

There are small bookshelves and wooden round tables in the bright and spacious room, and there are some children sitting quietly reading or talking quietly at the table.

"Nanako?"

A black-haired girl with bandages and plasters on her face was sitting in a corner, looking around in a daze. Seeing Nanako approaching, she quickly walked over to hug her sister, and began to cry.

"I'm fine, don't cry."

Nanako patted Mimiko's back repeatedly, but her own eyes were also filled with sour tears.

saved.

They were literally, saved from that hell.

……

But this thought only lasted until the evening of the third day.

"Relief... the world?"

In a certain underground room, looking at the rancher who suddenly had a serious face in front of her, the blond girl subconsciously tightened her companion's hand and took a small step back.

She didn't understand why the ranch asked them to come to this place alone after dinner, but the other kids seemed to understand it, so they followed.

As a result, after arriving here, Mimakihara Kensaku seemed to be a different person, the kindness and gentleness just now had become almost cold and severe.

"Don't be willful. Although you will feel pain and exhaustion, this is a necessary sacrifice on the road of 'salvation'. For the sake of the world, for the world, you must become the savior."

"The savior, is the one who saves others?"

"Yes, to bring equal redemption to all mankind, the whole world."

Nanako's voice trembled a little: "Then, does it also include those who locked us in cages?"

"This is natural," Mimakihara Kensaku replied, "As a sheep, how can you have hatred in your heart. One day you will return to those people and protect them from wolves and doomsday."

"...But, I don't want this." Mimiko couldn't help but said, "I just want to live with Nanako, let us work or do housework! But I don't want to go back to those around people..."

She doesn't want to go back.

There are only nightmares, only endless pain, and now you want to let yourself save those people?

Why.

Hearing this, the rancher sighed heavily.

"Poor sheep, you have been wandering in the world for too long, and you have forgotten how to accept your mission."

He said, while looking at the two children with compassionate eyes, he raised his hand to activate a certain device in the room. It looked like a chair with a semicircular helmet on it, and a blue light flashed faintly inside. colored current.

"But it doesn't matter, as long as you wash everything away and start your life again, you can get back on the right path..."

"do not want!"

Nanako panicked and retreated towards the door with Mimiko behind her, only to find that the door had been locked at some point.

This is underground and there are no windows.

The two children could only huddle together in the corner, watching the rancher walking towards them with a helpless and compassionate face.

"Why? They're all painful things, wouldn't it be better to forget them?"

"But I don't want to forget Nanako, and I don't want to forget my mother..." The little black-haired girl begged, "Please, let us go, let us leave, we promise never to..."

never again what?

What are we doing wrong?

Could it be that it is wrong for 'Mimiko' and 'Nanako' to be alive?

Then simply...

The black-haired girl's eyes dimmed, and then a piece of rope suddenly appeared in her hand, tremblingly stretching it towards her neck.

then.

"Oh!"

The door was opened violently, and a strange-looking curse spirit suddenly rushed in from the outside.

"Oh, what an impolite guest."

As the rancher said, he raised the shepherd's crutch in his hand, and expelled the cursed spirit with a single blow, but at the same time, the real intruder also stepped into this not-so-spacious research room with the dust. .

"I don't think it's polite to a guy who experiments with children."

Xia Youjie raised his chin. Although he was smiling, his eyes were extremely cold.

"It's really easy for me to find."