Curse this wonderful world

79: [The Curse of 79]

"Seeing in human form is my art." Bai Ju raised the puppet in her hand. "Using the words of those conjurers in your 'memory', it may be a spell. But I don't understand these, and no one taught me. I will enter the box, and it will happen naturally."

Before entering the box, Bai Ju had never seen a conjurer, and did not know what a spell or a spell was.However, maybe it is the instinct awakened between life and death, or maybe it is because the place where her coffin is enshrined is the gatadai shrine that used human form to support the dead children in the past. The spiritual power here resonates with the young witch .In short, the young witch in the box has the power similar to a spell.

"The human form is the form, and I can connect other people's souls to it. In this way, it is equivalent to the other party's substitute. If you destroy the human form, you can hurt the other party. If you destroy the human form, the other party will die. But at the same time, Human form can also temporarily replace the existence of that person.”

Jijiuhua never leaves the coffin cage except for the time of secret marriage.Yucheng mixed with Yequan is contained in the coffin cage, and they use this as a medium to connect each other's [viewed] memories, and use their respective coffin cages as nodes to maintain and purify the enchantment.Therefore, theoretically, after entering the box, Shen Yu cannot leave. For the same reason, Shen Hong cannot meet her daughter.

But the world is different.She fell out of the coffin cage during the ceremony, was eroded and infiltrated by the night spring, and was burdened with too many negative emotions. Although her body was still in the night spring, she kept falling towards the deep other side of the yellow spring, but her soul and The physical connections have become thinner and thinner over the decades.Under the erosion of the night spring, her soul is inevitably changing and degrading towards the wraith—or curse spirit.

Therefore, where the night spring spreads, her soul can move freely.It's just that she won't leave Black Zee too far most of the time.Even if the soul leaves the body in the night spring, it is mostly wandering by the lake on the other side.She still retains her rationality, precisely because she knows that she is too dangerous for living people, so she never goes to places where living people who strayed into the mountains may pass by.

However, this is also what Bai Ju has been worried about.For decades, Fengshi has always suppressed negative emotions with a pure and tenacious heart, and resisted the erosion of Yequan with powerful spiritual power, so that his body did not melt, and he maintained the eternal flower state of immortality.

Permanent flowers are not dead, as long as they don't melt for a day—or, in other words, don't die—they won't really fall in the world.But on the other hand, once her soul and body are melted, her degenerate soul will no longer be able to resist the erosion of the curse and the miasma of the underworld, and will instantly degenerate into what those conjurers call super-cursed wraiths— — just like the spirits of the dead witch priests that have been polluted on the mountain now.

Even if Shen Yu can serve as a new pillar to suppress Ye Quan and support the enchantment, she may not be able to prevent the transformation of the world.The target is too powerful, and it will be very difficult to use spiritual power to forcibly break the spell.Unless she can get rid of her obsession with the world—however, that happens to be something that Bai Ju knows, something that Shen Yu can never do alone.

At that time, perhaps, all Shen Yu can do is to rely on her or the power of the priests and maidens who followed her up the mountain to exorcise the resentful spirit and let her sleep peacefully.

——However, that would be too sad.

So I want to delay her melting no matter what.For Bai Ju, the world is a special existence.Even if it is one more day, one week, or one month, I want her to continue to live, and I don't want her to die by turning into a curse spirit.

"And I'm different from Fengshi. Even if you see me now... I haven't left the cage."

As Bai Ju said, she shook her hand, and the clothes on the faceless puppet in her hand instantly became white Wugou.She shook it again, and the doll then changed into the same white and red hakama as Fukaha like magic.

Under Shen Yu's surprised gaze, the young witch with white hair and red eyes pursed her lips, slightly bent the corners of her mouth, a little proud, but more lonely, and smiled very shallowly.

"My body is still lying in the coffin. What you see now is a puppet connected to my soul. As long as I don't leave the coffin for too long, I can go anywhere."

"Of course, when I say 'where', it's actually just a few places in this mountain."

I don't know the forest, Katadai shrine, the palace, the valley of death, the house of knots, the catastrophe, and the lake on the other side.That's all.

"However, this is enough for me. Anyway, I have no other place I want to go." Although the appearance is young, Baiju is the "oldest" one among the permanent flowers.Nearly a hundred years have passed, even if it is polluted by the underworld, even if there are only dolls and children's wraiths for company, this place is still the mountain that Baiju is familiar with.And beyond the mountains, where the sea has changed, there is no longer any familiar scenery, and the only person she wants to see again.

For her, there is a different world.

Expand your own world from a small box to a box garden where you can see the vegetation, flowing water, clouds, sunset, and people can talk and play.For Bai Ju, it was enough.

— Rather, without that person, everywhere would be just as lonely.

"But you are different." You still have someone you want to meet again, right?

Bai Ju said, looking up into Shen Yu's eyes.

"The puppet is formed by my technique. It can't be too far away from me. Therefore, you can't let the puppet go down the mountain instead of you. However, it can be reversed. Your spiritual power is strong enough. As Yequanzi, your soul can't be separated. It's easier. I can attach your soul to the puppet, and the puppet can connect to your spiritual power. In this way, maybe the puppet can be left in the box for you to suppress the barrier."

She slightly bent the corner of her mouth, and suddenly changed the subject.

"You and Crimson, put into the box before Baishi melted. Because of the share of Crimson, Wushi was able to support until now. With your purification, she can support it for a longer time."

Even if this support is painful for Feng Shi, Bai Ju would rather "live" as she is now.

Whether it is self-willedness or obsession, it is her selfishness towards the only priestess who has shared her feelings and thoughts with her for a long time.In this world, only Kurosawa Fengshi can prove that Bai Ju's memories are not illusory illusions, and only Kurosawa Fengshi is the same person who is waiting, looking forward to, and missing her.

Kunihiko Aso.Ayan.A boy who always wears Tsume Yuki's kimono.He is very smart and knows many things.Know the names of stars, flowers and plants, can write difficult Chinese characters, but not rap.She is a little shy when she smiles, her eyes are like lake water in spring.

Bai Ju was gentle and nostalgic, narrowing her eyes.

Oh she knows.To Ayan, she is just a frail playmate who needs to be cared for and accommodated.

But for her, Ayan is the most special person.

So, at the ceremony, she asked Ayan to cut off her hair.It was her incense.She was looking forward to, just like when he was a child he could always find her when playing hide-and-seek, when he grows up, one day, he will come to Rishang Mountain with sending incense, and find her hidden in the small dark box again. her.Then, they will continue their childhood promise together in the small darkness.

However, she did not wait until Ayan.Bai Ju blinked, she looked at Shen Yu, but seemed to be looking through her to somewhere in the darkness.

She didn't wait for Ayan.She only [saw] that she fell in love with the grown-up Ayan, but she didn't tell him anything about his fate.

How strange.She handed the incense to A Yan, made an agreement with him domineeringly, and stubbornly believed that he would definitely come.But Fengshi clearly [saw] Ayan's intentions, but he didn't say anything, and let him go down the mountain just like that.

They really are not the same at all.At that time, Bai Ju thought.

But later, she discovered that they are the same.

She, Fengshi, Crimson, and Shenyu, they are all the same.

The young girl with white hair and red eyes raised her head and looked into the deep and misty darkness.

——Now, that person is no longer in this world.Neither in this world nor in the hidden world.He probably, one step ahead of them, went to the other shore.

Is it because he left too hastily, so he didn't come?Although Baiju still thinks this way occasionally, she is no longer obsessed.

After such a long time, Ayan finally became an existence that only existed in her and the memory of the world.That's why she didn't want to let Fengshi leave—whether it was leaving her alone to face the memories.Or seeing the girl he likes turn into a cursed and filthy wraith is something Bai Ju can't bear.

——At this point, Bai Ju is very grateful to Fuka Yu.This is also one of the reasons why she would come to see her.

"Similarly, the longer you last in this world, the longer you can stay in this world."

——Even though, this "longer" may only be a few days, a few months, or a few years.

"But even so, you want it, don't you?"

Looking at the girl in front of her, Bai Ju thought of herself a long time ago.On the day before the festival, she dragged Ayan to hide under the steps of the shrine's worship hall.That is their secret base.People come and go outside the steps, but inside the old yellowed curtain, there are only two people, a quiet and intimate small world.

It would be great if I could hide here forever, but it would be great if the festival never comes.If only time could be stopped so that the sunset would never set.At the time, she really thought so.Whether it's an hour or a quarter of an hour, as long as you stay here with Ayan, you don't have to think about the upcoming separation.

But later, she still left that darkness.How did you leave?She can't remember.Bai Ju only remembered that when she left that darkness, she cried for the first time. *

Speaking of which, why would I awaken a human form to see such a spell?

Bai Ju suddenly thought, and then, she looked at the girl in front of her, blinked her eyes, and smiled as if she had realized it.

——Probably because, even if I know that Ayan will not come, I am still bound by that promise, right?

//He took my incense, my soul.So, that person will take my soul and return to me.

will come. //*

he will come.It was a long, long time ago, when Baiju hid under the young altar of the Katashiro Shrine and secretly wrote in his notes.is it today?Or tomorrow?Waiting makes people uneasy, there is no light in the box, let alone the passage of time.So, if you fall asleep, will you miss it?

Just thinking about it, there is no way to close your eyes anyway.Ah, if only the puppet in this shrine could wake up instead of me.Wake up, watch, wait, so you won't miss his presence.

As if the old days reappeared, the permanent flower whose appearance remained in its infancy forever laughed as if crying.

As a result, what they want most has always been the simplest sentence "to be with the person they like".

——But, I have, I will never see that person again.

——However, you may still have a chance to leave here and meet the person you want to meet again.

"Don't say sorry. You didn't apologize to anyone."

"On the contrary, I'm very happy."

I'm glad you chatted with me, I'm glad you helped Fengshi, I'm glad... I can help you.

Baiju stretched out her hand, and handed the puppet in the maiden costume to Fukaba.

"So, Fukaha, give it a try and do what I can't do."

Shen Yu knelt in the water, staring blankly at the doll being handed to her eyes.After a long, long time, she stretched out her hand tremblingly, and tightly grasped the faceless doll in the priestess costume, crying loudly again like a child.

In December, the first snowflakes fell on Rishang Mountain.

At that time, Kurosawa Koki was kneeling alone in the main hall of the Water Palace.

This is an ancient shrine built in Lake Bigan, the closest building in the entire Rishang Mountain to the Black Lake and Night Spring.The shrine, which is surrounded by water vapor and dense fog all the year round, has no road leading to the outside world. The only way to get in and out is to take a boat upstream from the palace.

Seven months had passed since the ceremony.

After they accompanied Hinasaki-sama to the Water Palace, not only did Misfortune disappear, but the surrounding curse and miasma of the underworld were continuously purified by the powerful spiritual power overflowing from the coffin cage.It has only been a few months since the permanent flowers have been put into the box, the thick fog on the lake on the other side has lightened a lot, and the sign of the mountain singing has disappeared - there is no doubt that everything is developing in a good direction.

Even after autumn, the hazy and distant shadow on the lake on the other side no longer appeared.

Their approach worked.Although the pollution all over the mountain is still there, and the black lake has not subsided, but under the strong spiritual power of Lord Hinasaki Fukaha, the crisis of the night spring flooding again has indeed been delayed.

However, Kurosawa Honghui is not relieved by this.

The architectural style of the Water Palace is extremely simple, so the lighting is extremely bad.Coupled with the perennial mist on the other side of the lake.Even in daylight, the hall was dark.There is no sound, and pure silence surrounds everything—this is also a matter of course, the environment of the Water Palace is really not suitable for living people to live in, even though it is much better than when we first came here, it is still the place with the worst miasma.So Kurosawa Honghui arranged the other entourage in Yougong.He is the only one left here.

That's good too, since there are no other priests and maidens, he doesn't have to hide his emotions anymore.

It was only seven months old, but the old man looked much older.Originally, his beard and hair were all white, but his figure was very tall and straight, and his actions were full of bearing and majesty that did not match his age, without showing any signs of aging.However, at this moment, although Kurosawa Koki's back was still straight, his whole body was lifeless.The flickering candlelight cast a layer of withered yellow on the old man's wrinkled and ravine face.He knelt in the hall expressionlessly, looking like a piece of rotten wood like a stone statue, as if it would blur and melt into the shadows in the hall at any time.

Until in the dead silence, there was a slight crackling sound of the candle wick.Only then did the old man raise his head, and turned his gaze to the coffin cage in the middle of the hall illuminated by simple and gorgeous lamps and candles.

As if the statue had been infused with a little life, Kurosawa Hiroki's expression softened.He stood up, walked towards the candlelight, skillfully picked up one side of slender scissors, and cut off the falling candle tears.

This is the only light source in the entire Water Palace, and what Kurosawa Koki has done the most during these seven months is to add fuel to the lamp to ensure that the taboo fire that guards the everlasting flower and the coffin cage can stay lit day and night, Burn forever.

Suddenly, a certain kind of coldness and darkness gathered in the air.The candlelight flickered abruptly, and a cold and old voice came from the shadow cast by the firelight in a corner of the hall without warning.

"...Eternal Flower... Sending Fragrance...Pillar..." The hoarse and sharp voice of the old woman rang up and down like a soliloquy, "Prepare for a secret marriage... Ema..."

"There are no incense sticks. No one draws emas."

The old man who was arranging the candles replied without turning his head.

"Photos...photos...to find the right rare person..."

"No photos either."

"……No……?"

The cold came, and Bai Ying approached without warning.The wraith in the image of an old woman——Yuki showed a puzzled expression on her stiff face.

"Yes, no. Hinasaki-sama did not leave a photo that can replace Ema."

"no photo……"

The old wraith muttered and repeated.With the repetition, her cloudy eyeballs turned slowly, staring closely at the old man's movements, and the muscles on the stiff face surrounded by thick miasma and black mist slowly pulled downwards, showing a gloomy expression, looking very The outside is eerie.

Kurosawa Hiroki's calm expression did not change at all.

This is knot girl.On Rishang Mountain, the married woman wears white clothes and is in charge of the secluded marriage ceremony of permanent flowers.Kuang Nu, dressed in black, is responsible for escorting Yongjiu to Yequan. Eighty years ago, it was twin old women who held these positions.Unlike the priests and maidens who were killed, they were in the Black Swamp when the catastrophe happened.First, he was swallowed by the night spring and died, and after his death, he was polluted by the miasma of the underworld.When Kurosawa Honghui and the main hall of the shrine escorted the coffin into the main hall, they bumped into these two wraiths who had transformed after death.

It is a very powerful spirit, judging by the method of a conjurer, it is at least a first-class conjuration spirit.However, like the other wraiths they've seen along the way.After seeing the coffin cage, the wraith who was trying to attack the living suddenly stopped.Even though the whole body is still entangled with cold miasma and strong death air.They suddenly calmed down.

Of course, in the eyes of ordinary people, it is not so much calm as it is eerie and strange sluggishness.Just being stared at by Yuu's cloudy and dark pupils like this is enough to make a timid person scream in horror.

But Kurosawa Koki has long been used to it.During these seven months, almost exactly the same "dialogue" has been staged countless times between him and Yuu.Kurosawa Koki even knew what Yuu would ask after this sentence.

The vengeful spirit has no consciousness, it just repeats the obsession before death——if Hinasaki-sama can see it, she will probably laugh and say something like "like the NPC in the game".

Thinking of that girl, the old man's expression became darker.In a moment of distraction, Kurosawa Hiroki almost cut off the candle wick.He quickly put down the scissors, and while putting the residual wax into the lamp, he heard Jie Nu's cold and slow voice again.

"Master Aso...the photo..."

Sure enough, it's still these few sentences.Kurosawa Hiroki paused for a moment. "He's not in now."

"Not yet... Master Aso..."

"...he won't come."

"...Why don't you come... Dazhu...waiting..."

"I can't come anymore." The old man said, the oldness in his voice was no less pale than Jienu's. "He's dead. He died a long time ago. 29 years old? Or 30 years old? In short, he has been dead for 80 to [-] years."

"...Dead...? Master Aso...is dead?"

"Yeah. Dead. Exhausted, doesn't exist anymore." Probably because there was no one else here, Kurosawa Hiroki's voice sounded a little lazy.He used colloquial vocabulary that he would not normally use, and said flatly, "Some people say that he died during the expedition, probably in some deep mountain forest. Some people say that he died in the mouth of a cursed spirit. Anyway, no matter which one, he will die." He died at a young age. In this world, there is no such person as Aso Kunihiko for a long time."

"Dead...dead..."

Jienu repeated her murmur again, her figure began to fade away, as if appearing suddenly, the resentful spirit disappeared into the shadow cast by the flickering candlelight.

Kurosawa Hiroki straightened up.I am also ready to return to my fixed seat.

At this moment, there was a sound of "ding--", and there was a soft ringing like a bell in the void.Kurosawa Hongki's expression changed suddenly, and he turned around immediately.However, before the old man found the trace of the bell, the coffin cage in the center of the hall shook violently.

"!!!" Kurosawa Honghui's eyes suddenly widened, and he was about to pounce on him immediately.

But someone is one step faster than him.Like boiling, with a sound of "Boom!", the jet-black Yequan suddenly rushed out of the coffin cage, lifting the lid of the box like a tide.Then, a white and slender arm protruded from the black water, trembling, and desperately clung to the wall of the box.

In front of Kurosawa Koki, he personally watched the girl who entered the box, Hinasaki Fukaha pushed the lid of the coffin cage from the inside, was completely soaked, and turned out of the box in a state of embarrassment.

"boom!"

As if she couldn't support her own weight, she fell to the ground.The red and white shrine maiden clothes were already soaked, and Fukahae was dripping water all over her body.Her skin was as white as snow, and she looked cold and bloodless.The pitch-black night spring slid down her hair, cheeks, arms, and clothes. With a gloomy air, while falling, it was transpired by the rich spiritual power in the enchantment, turning into dense black mist, and dissipating in the air.

The old man froze in place in a daze, and in the next second, he immediately threw off his cane and rushed to Shen Yu's side.

"Master Hinasaki!" The old man knelt down on one knee and quickly hugged the weak girl, "how are you?"

what happened?Is there a change in Yequan?However, the enchantment has not changed, is it another problem?

The majesty and sharpness returned to the old man in an instant.Worried that the short-term departure would affect the permanent flower, he immediately used spiritual power to investigate the situation of the girl.But a hand stopped him.Leaning against the old man's arm exhausted, Fukaha squeezed out the remaining strength and tightly grasped the sleeve of Kurosawa Koki's kimono.

"Ha...ha..." Panting for breath, she raised her head and stared into the old man's eyes.She had to say it quickly, otherwise, she was afraid that she would faint before she could finish speaking.

"Mr. Kurosawa... Yequan and the enchantment are fine... My lord, it won't melt right away..." She tried her best to keep herself awake, but black mist had filled her vision.No, not yet.

"...Master Bai Ju and I have found... we have found a way to delay the melting of Master Fengshi...I can do it!"

"Even without being in the box... I can do it. So, so..."

And one last sentence!

"...I want to go back—"

Shen Yu's voice came to an abrupt end as if the string had been cut.Kurosawa Koki hurriedly put his hand on the neck of the unconscious girl, and he breathed a sigh of relief at the weak but real pulse.

Then, the old man moved his hand away.Under the candlelight, the expression gradually disappeared from his face.Kurosawa Koki was not too old to lose his ability to think, he clearly understood what the girl said.

It is precisely because he understands that he can't describe his mood at this moment.

Fortunately?remorse?ecstasy?panic?Or, is it peace of mind?

I don't know, even though he is older than most ordinary people, Kurosawa Koki doesn't know how to describe the complicated shock in his heart at this moment.But there was only one thing, only one thing he was sure of.

The old man pursed his lips, suddenly hugged the girl horizontally, and strode towards the outside of the hall.

"My lord, it won't melt right away..." - he heard the girl say so.

Under the candlelight, drops of water fell from his movements.Kurosawa Hiroki raised his head, his eyes lit up.

Without warning, he suddenly laughed in a low, hoarse voice.

——Sure enough, even so, even so...

——He also hoped that she could continue, "live".