[Gintama] Immortal

The thin golden sunlight slanted down, and the dust, like stardust, was suspended in mid-air.

The fire was piling up embers, and there was no one around. A pair of pointed ears came out from behind the bushes hesitantly, fluttering and fanning.

For a moment, it seemed that there was no human breath nearby, and the pair of pointed ears trembled more cheerfully.

A creature that looked like a fox or a rabbit poked its head out from behind the bushes, looked around for a while, and slipped out lightly.

The smell of cooked food was faintly wafting in the air. The little guy sneaked to the side of the fire, bit a piece of grilled fish, and turned around quickly.

The fluffy tail fluttered happily, the red-haired fox didn't run far, when a tall shadow suddenly cast in front of him, completely blocking his way.

It raised its head and met the gaze of the humans looking down at it. Its bright red eyes seemed to be curved but not curved, as cool as a deep well.

The red-haired fox trembled, the hair all over his body exploded, and the grilled fish pieces fell from his mouth to the ground.

As if anticipating that it would die soon, it pursed its mouth and burst into tears with a "Wang Chi".

That was the first time Yae heard a fox make a "wow chirping" sound.

Seeing the fox squatting at Xu's feet and weeping, she couldn't help laughing.

Hearing the laughter, the red-haired fox turned its head, as if it had caught a life-saving straw, it swished over, its fluffy tail circled around her calf, sticking to her calf like a leg pendant.

"...Go down." The cold smile froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.

As if confirming that this was the only way to survive, the red-haired fox clung to her feet and refused to leave.

Yae lowered his head, the little furry guy looked terrified, shivering like chaff.

"You scared it." She cast a condemning glance at Xu, "It's just a fox."

"so what?"

Curving his eyebrows, he said slowly: "Who is the person who almost became the nourishment for plants because of his carelessness a few days ago?"

"..."

Yae's gaze wandered to the side for a moment: "That was an accident."

Plants resembling piranhas grow in the dark and backlit. At first, it was impossible to tell whether she was food or not. She was very honest and let her poke here and touch there, and opened her mouth full of fangs in confusion. , and was chopped into pieces in the next instant.

She was stunned as the strange slime rained down.

...Should it be said that the Great Demon King is the Great Demon King no matter where he goes?

During his short stay on this planet, Xu has established himself at the top of the food chain.

The ecological environment is complex and diverse, and it naturally breeds all kinds of creatures.The first few large hunters she met were all killed by Xu Li, and other creatures in the forest ran away when they saw Xu, and she hadn't seen one that came forward for a while.

"I should have told you," Xu Xu casually looked at the red-haired fox, who was trembling, with a frightened expression on seeing Hades.

"Creatures on this planet are more dangerous than you think. Throw away your boring sympathies as soon as possible."

...No, the most dangerous creature is you.

Yae held back his complaints expressionlessly.

Xu Xu's eyes were not friendly, and the furry leg pendant was about to cry again. She sighed slightly, bent over and picked up the red fur fox, and held it up to her face.

"...Why have you been following us these days? Huh?"

Sneaky, not too far and not too close to the back, today it was tricked out with a little dried fish, shouldn't the fox be a smart animal?

As if being poked at a sore spot, the red-haired fox started howling, with a small expression that seemed to be as wronged as it was.

Yae blinked: "..."

It's no use asking a fox these questions.

Anyway, it was estimated that he was just here to steal the dried fish. Yae put the red-haired fox back on the ground, and said earnestly: "Okay, I'll let you go. You can hold the dried fish too. Here, here you are."

The red-haired fox bit the fish block blankly, as if he couldn't believe that he had escaped a catastrophe, he walked forward a few steps like sleepwalking, and then stopped suddenly.

It turned around, looked at the two of them rather entangled, spared a few times in place, and spared again.

Gently tugging the hem of Yae's kimono, the red-haired fox raised its tail and ran towards a certain direction in the forest as if pointing the way.

——On the seventh day of staying on this planet, Yae met the aborigines here for the first time.

Follow the red-haired fox to turn left and right in the forest, and finally come to a place like the forest road.Tall and straight fir trees stand on both sides, and the misty sunlight slantly falls.

A figure stood still in the vast ancient color, as if waiting there for a long time.The red-haired fox ran over and hid behind the man, only showing its pointed ears.

The man was wearing a long cloak, with strange patterns painted on the invisible material, like some ancient symbol of belief.

Judging from the figure alone, the other party does not seem to be an adult, but he is not as petite as a child, and is between a teenager and a young man, slender but not weak.

Xu walked up to her, didn't put his hand on the handle of the knife, just stood there.The breath around him was oppressive and cold, as if whether to kill or not was only in the next thought.

It was the clear and soothing boyish voice that broke the silence first.

"... Appearing rashly, please forgive me." Raising his hand, the figure gently pulled down the hood.

The sunlight outlines the black hair and light wheat-colored skin. It is a face that is very similar to a human being. The light gray pupils are soft and bright, like the stars that guide the lost traveler in the long night.

The boy who looked about sixteen lowered his eyes slightly, showing a harmless and friendly smile:

"I've been waiting for you two here for a long time—guests from distant alien planets."

……

The boy with gray pupils calls himself "Zhu" and is the priest who guards the forest.

The boy and his people have lived on this land for generations, revering nature as a god, and seem to have a very close connection with Altana on this planet.

Since his birth, he possessed a keen perception different from ordinary people. The young man named "Zhu" was elected as a priest by his tribe. He looks young in appearance, but he speaks like a calm old man.

He took the two of them to a village inhabited by a hundred people, where men and women were wearing similar cloth clothes, with similar hairstyles, and totem-like patterns painted on the edge of the skirt and cuffs.

According to Zhu, the two had landed in something like a nature reserve before.Because the Altana flowing from the earth is too thick, it is an overburdened blessing for ordinary creatures. That area was designated as a sanctuary by the villagers, and only priests of one family were allowed to go there.

"Too heavy?" Yae looked curious.

The boy replied: "It's the same as oxygen. Altana is the source of life for the planet, but if the concentration is too high, it will produce side effects like oxygen poisoning. Ordinary creatures cannot survive in the sanctuary."

The blood in the fundus of the eyes was slightly dark, and Xu smiled softly: "What do you mean by ordinary creatures?"

As if he didn't notice the coldness, the young man's expression was still gentle: "I seem to have some wonderful connection with Altana on this planet, so I can occasionally notice some things that ordinary people can't observe. Both of them came from the earth. Coming here must have a relationship with Altana on Earth."

There was no malice in this man.

Yae raised her hand to grab Xu's sleeve, and shook her head slightly when he looked down.

Now that the village has been found, it means that they are more likely to return to Earth.

The universe is so vast, even if she had a chip implanted on her body, it would not be easy for Naraku to find her in a short time.

The village located in the mountains is not big, the roads are dense and dense, the wooden buildings are high and low, and the sloping roofs pressed with stones and straw seem like the earth hundreds of years ago.

The men and women in the village showed respect to Zhu, silently touching their eyebrows with their fingers and bowing their heads as he passed by.

The southernmost building seems to be the priest's residence, with specially shaped straw ropes and pine branches hanging in front of the door.

After passing through the entrance, the structure of the house looks quite familiar. There are charcoal logs for fire in the center of the floor, and unidentifiable herbs are placed on the wooden shelves beside the wall.A thick buckskin is spread on the upper seat, which seems to be the place where the priest belongs.

"The two of you have come from afar, so you must be tired."

Zhu smiled slightly, and the curtain leading to the back room was lifted gently, and three or four young women came out in a file, with downcast eyes and a humble and submissive posture.They walked towards Yae, reaching out to take the haori of her shawl.

"unnecessary."

Xu raised his eyelids, his red eyes were cold.

The maids froze in place, with their heads down, neither advancing nor retreating, their white fingertips trembling slightly.

"If you still want to keep your hands, disappear now."

The young priest with light gray pupils frowned, and then opened them quickly.

"We have no malice towards your partner."

"..."

Yae: "...Huh?"

The boy's eyebrows frowned again: "If it's not called a partner...spouse?"

Putting his thumb against the knife, he looked at him for a moment, and moved his finger slightly away.

The young priest turned to Yae, with a gentle voice like water: "Sorry, I took the liberty before. Asking guests to cleanse themselves and take a bath is our way of hospitality since ancient times. You...don't you like hot springs?"

The implication is that women of their family like to soak in hot springs.

After regaining consciousness, Yae coughed lightly, and put his finger to his lips: "...I don't mind."

Xu Xu's eyes moved over, she just pretended not to see it.

"Is there really a hot spring here?"

"Yes, it's just behind the mountain."

"……is it okay?"

"of course."

Yae didn't hesitate: "I like hot springs the most, thank you very much!"

……

Came alive.

Immersed in the hot natural hot spring, every pore of the body seems to be relaxed, which is indescribably warm and comfortable.

Although the need for washing can be solved by the lake, the real hot bath is different after all.

Yae soaked in the hot spring, and white smoke rose up, reflecting the verdant trees by the pool, making the scenery here more and more picturesque.

"...Are you sure you won't come down?"

She sighed comfortably.

The black figure was blocked by the rock, Xu Xu's voice was faint, with a slight mockery.

"You are quick to accept kindness from unknown sources."

Yae tilted his head slightly, and looked in Xu's direction: "Trust and try first."

Relaxing her body and sinking into the water, her lazy voice seemed to be softened by the spring water: "Besides, isn't there still you here?"

All the maids who were going to help her change clothes and take a bath were kicked out.

Occasionally, I want to try the feeling of being served by a gentle and amiable woman, so Yae feels a little melancholy.

"...Oh? Is this what you mean by asking me to help you deal with the mess?"

"No, it's a compliment that I think you are very reliable."

The hot air is dense, the white smoke is lingering, and the green pool water reflects the trees with strong rosin.The shrubs are dotted with fine wild flowers, and the reddish-brown petals are bright and gentle, very gratifying.

Yae leaned against the hot spring, raised her head and thought about the words vaguely lingering in her ears.

……companion.

A partner is someone who spends time together.

People who were, are, and will be together in the future.

The temperature of the spring water seemed to be a little high, and Yae raised his hand to touch his face, thinking that he probably had almost soaked.

Clean and soft cotton cloths and clothes were placed by the pool, she got up and left the hot spring, picked up the stacked cotton cloths.

The kimono was taken to be washed by the previous maid, and the clothes presented looked like simple undergarments, the left front was pressed over the right front, and the waist was tied with cloth strips.

There are not as many layers as kimonos, but the fabric is soft and strong, and it is easy and comfortable to wear.

After soaking in the hot spring, the body feels soft, and the hot steam makes people's cheeks slightly hot.Yae wiped her wet hair and came behind the rocks that shaded the hot spring.

"I'm ready. You really don't want to try?"

The ground is filled with the temperature of the spring water, and it is not cold to step on it with bare feet, but it feels warmer.

"...Why are you looking at me like that." Yae wiped off the dripping water from her hair, "If you want to soak in the hot spring, go there. If you are worried, I can watch out for you."

Holding back his smile, his eyes deepened slightly:

"What do you look like?"

Yae looked at what he was wearing at this time: loose robes, everyone here wears it like this, there is nothing wrong with it.

"I don't quite understand what you're talking about...Huh?!"

It was dark in front of her eyes, and for her, the oversized haori suddenly covered her, and the day turned into night in an instant.

Yae lifted up a corner of Haori, hugged her into his arms, raised his hand and covered Haori back, completely blocking her vision.

"What are you doing all of a sudden!"

She struggled in his arms for a while, like a restless little animal, finally lifted the tightly pressed feathers, and stared at the culprit: "I will be smothered to death."

Xu Xu pressed the hand she was about to take off the haori and throw away, his dark red eyes were dark and frosty:

"Are you going to meet people like this?"

Yae looked at him with strange eyes: "Why can't I look like this?"

She is well dressed, at most... showing her ankles?

It's not normal to be wrapped in feathers by him.

"No." Xu Xu's expression was unmoved.

"why?"

"...Don't you want to get along with the people here?"

After a pause, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, a warm smile sticking to his face like a mask.

He curved his eyebrows and said:

"Then you don't want to kill anyone, do you?"

"..."

Yae came back to his senses, wanted to say something, let go of his voice softly, and continued in a gentle tone: "Tolerating those people approaching is already the limit."

"Be obedient." He said kindly.

"I don't want to kill yet."

The author has something to say:

I've tried my best, but it's really hard to maintain the normal sweetness and greasyness.

Xu Zong has nothing to do with normal people

I've also reached my limit.