Geisteswissenschaftliche Fakultät

Kapitel 24

"It's nothing..." Boya changed the subject awkwardly, not wanting to admit that he was also curious.

"Shall we go then?"

"..."

"Let's go."

"Let's go."

"good."

That's how it was settled.

(two)

Abe no Seimei and Minamoto no Hiromasa arrived at Suzaku Gate at exactly 1:15 PM.

A faint summer fragrance wafted in the air, and faint music seemed to drift from the direction of the Qingliang Hall; it was unclear who was playing the pipa.

According to eyewitness testimonies, the woman appeared every night at Hai hour (9-11 PM) below the Zhuque Gate tower. After appearing, she would repeatedly mutter something and pace back and forth, occasionally squatting down and desperately pounding the ground, seemingly in great pain. The woman would disappear one quarter before Mao hour (5-7 AM) the next day. At this time, there was still some time before the woman appeared.

"So, did you find anything?"

"It is a bit strange."

"oh?"

"It has an otherworldly aura, but it doesn't seem to be any ordinary ghost or monster."

What is that?

"..."

"It's here!" the night watchman whispered, pointing in a certain direction.

Not far in front of them, a woman dressed in a Tang-style dress with willow-branch stripes appeared in their sight. The woman lowered her head, her long, beautiful hair hanging down to cover most of her face. She strolled slowly back and forth on both sides of the city gate, muttering something as she walked.

"I really can't understand anything!" Minamoto no Hiromasa exclaimed.

The rumors were indeed true! The woman's voice was clearly audible, and Boya could hear every word and phrase clearly, but once the syllables were strung together, Boya could not understand their meaning at all.

"Hey, Seimei, can you understand me?" Hiromasa turned to Seimei for help.

"Seimei?"

Abe no Seimei walked towards the woman, who seemed to have noticed him and stopped.

"Oh, Lord Seimei is talking to that woman!" the night watchman exclaimed in surprise.

Abe no Seimei and the woman with her back to him were indeed engaged in a lively conversation, but Hiromasa and the night watchman couldn't understand a word. After a moment, Seimei stopped talking to the woman and returned.

"Let's go, Boya."

Where to?

"You'll find out when you get there."

"Shall we go?"

"Let's go."

"Let's go."

Before the night watchman, Seimei, Hiromasa, and the woman passed through the Suzaku Gate one after the other.

After a long time, the night watchman still hadn't seen Seimei and the others return. He went to the city gate and looked, but there was no trace of the three of them. The woman, Seimei, and even Minamoto no Hiromasa had all disappeared.

The three men filed out and did not return for a long time. The night watchman rushed over to look for them, but there was only the vast darkness.

It is said that such a record was left in the "Konjaku Monogatari".

(three)

"Where...where is this?" Boya looked around, so surprised that he stammered.

Following the woman through the Vermilion Bird Gate, Hiromasa found himself in an unfamiliar market, completely bewildered by the surrounding environment.

"Lightsabers, magic wands, and other best-selling items on sale!"

"Take a look! This is the latest body-shaping invisibility tunic that lets you become invisible, enhance your bust, supplement calcium, and beautify your skin!"

"I'll sell anything with magic, including the Ring, the Bracelet, and the Golden Hoop!"

"Hey, sir, would you like to buy a couple of shikigami? They're very useful; I've been training them for a long time." An old man in a strange robe stepped forward and grabbed Abe no Seimei, followed by two women dressed in similarly strange clothes.

"Old Eight, don't block my way." The woman who had been walking ahead without saying a word suddenly turned around and said fiercely to the old man.

Hiromasa was stunned. It turned out that the woman was perfectly normal-looking, even incredibly beautiful. Why did the Fujiwara samurai fall ill and bedridden after just one glance at her?

"Oh, is this Xuanxi your guest?"

"Nonsense, didn't you see I was walking ahead?"

"But you're so thin, it's not surprising that my old eyesight is failing and I missed you..."

"What did you say?"

"N-nothing..." The old man coughed twice, cupped his hands to Qingming, and said, "Until we meet again." With that, the old man and the two women disappeared in front of everyone.

"What a pity for two good shikigami." Seimei sighed slightly, seemingly reluctant to see the old man leave.

“If you knew what price that old man was asking, you definitely wouldn’t feel sorry for him,” the woman retorted sharply. “Old Ba’s ruthlessness is notorious in this market.”

After speaking, the woman continued walking forward. She skillfully weaved through the crowd, in the maze-like market, a place that seemed like a grand gathering in another world on a summer night, leading Seimei and Hiromasa to some unknown place.

"Seimei, where are we going?"

"We don't know yet."

"What?"

"Boya, are you scared?"

"I don't!"

"Then follow me."

"Let's go then."

Minamoto no Hiromasa turned his head away and followed after them in a huff.

The three walked through the market, which Boya later learned was called "Bomei Market".

(Four)

"arrive!"

Not long after leaving the bustling city center, the three arrived at a mansion surrounded by fences of varying lengths. The plaque hanging above the wooden gate bore the words "Super Giant Mirage Farm" in bold cursive script.

"It's an authentic work by Wang Xizhi!" Boya exclaimed in astonishment, speechless as he stared at the plaque.

"Come in." The woman pushed open the wooden gate and went in first.

"Let's go, Hiromasa," Seimei said, and entered through the door.

"This is……"

What appeared before them was a place that seemed like a fairyland.

A vast lake suddenly and abruptly came into view of the two of them.

Vast, clear, and boundless.

A thin layer of mist rises above the lake, and golden sunlight filters through it, dappling the surface with spots of light that dance like scattered gold before Seimei and Hiromasa. In the distance, a massive city gate looms indistinctly, and faint, melodious sounds seem to drift from it; a rainbow hangs seemingly within reach, and colorful fish swim freely in the lake, while aquatic flowers bloom quietly in its center. Occasionally, flocks of birds fly overhead—it is a place unlike anything seen on earth.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!!!" Even Seimei couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

"What is that?!" The monster that suddenly leaped out of the lake made Boya instinctively draw his sword.

The monster had a huge, snake-like head but no scales. One end of its long neck was raised in the air, looking arrogantly at Boya and the others, while the other end extended into the depths of the lake.

“Dinosaur,” the woman replied, clapping her hands. The monster then let out a low growl and obediently submerged into the water.

What are dinosaurs?

Hiromasa looked at Seimei and noticed that he too was frowning. So there were things Seimei didn't know, Hiromasa thought to himself with secret delight.

"Welcome to my super mirage farm!" the woman said, giving Seimei and Hiromasa a slight bow. It wasn't court etiquette, or even Heian period etiquette at all. Seeing the woman's left hand clenched into a fist with only her middle and index fingers extended, neither Seimei nor Hiromasa knew how to react for a moment.

"Then let the two of you witness my successful breeding." The woman clapped her hands, and a faint hissing sound immediately rang in the ears of the three of them, which sounded like the sound of silkworms spinning silk.

"It's a mirage!" Boya exclaimed suddenly as he followed the sound.

It really was a mirage!

The lakebed is densely covered with shell-like creatures of various colors and shapes. From their mouths, all kinds of silk-like threads are continuously sprayed into the air. The threads meet in the air and form a thick mist, which is the same thing that was floating on the surface of the lake earlier.

So it was mirage!

Boya suddenly realized that this otherworldly beauty was actually created by mirages.

"Let me show you around the Wizardry Guild first..." the woman said, producing a silver whistle from somewhere. As the whistle rang out, a dragon boat covered in golden scales broke through the water.

"My guests, please ascend. Tonight, I will guide you on a tour of Feng Zhi Xuan Xi's world."

(five)

Have you heard?

"Yeah, I heard about it. Apparently, Seimei also suffered a loss from his boasting."

"That's right. Even Seimei, who crushed a hundred-year-old tortoise and a toad with a single willow leaf in front of the monk Kancho, fell for that woman's trick. It's terrifying to think about."

"But I heard that woman hasn't appeared since then."

"Thank God!"

"but……"

"but?"

"I don't know why, but I just feel a bit bored. I thought I could finally unravel the mystery of that woman."

"Do you think so too?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit listless. How should I put it, Lord Mori, don't you find it a little boring?"

"That's true, it seems there's nothing to do tonight."