[Transmigration] Die Gemahlin des Kriegsgottes

Kapitel 20

More than the forgiveness of the Blue Palace, I long for the forgiveness of the Fifteenth Night! But it's too late… I suddenly rose and rushed to the bronze incense burner, ignoring its remaining warmth, and with all my might pushed it over; the massive bronze vessel groaned, trailing incense ash as it tumbled into the deep abyss. This sacred artifact holds too many lost souls' longings; only the sea's embrace can purify it! I silently watched the moonlight reflect on the massive, bluish-white column of water rising from the incense burner—perhaps my actions were meaningless, but it doesn't matter. As a human, this is all I can do!

The rumbling sound emanating from the earth was like the low growls of countless colossal beasts before they awoke. I looked up in astonishment at the sea. The decaying temple, as if shaken by an unseen hand, gradually collapsed, stones and rotten wood falling into the deep black sea. On the main body of the only remaining sacred tree guiding the throne—Sanyono—countless white orange blossoms suddenly ignited like tiny lamps, echoing the tree's transformation. Countless fireflies lit up the sea, illuminating the heavens and earth—the Soul-Welcoming Fire, the Soul-Welcoming Fire of the Ghost Festival!

In an instant, the forbidden white shrine disappeared, and like an unfolded scroll, the narrow white stone path was laid out and transformed into a square paved with smooth stone slabs. Strings of red lanterns lit up, and this place, which was once a prison, was once again transformed into a stage for commemoration and joy!

I saw Abao, Yize, Yinghui, and even Tianshizi mingling in the revelry. I couldn't get close to them in the surging crowd. Looking around, the "people" beside me were clearly not human, yet they didn't feel frightening or strange at all; on the contrary, they were so beautiful. "Humans! They're humans!" everyone who saw me said. "This is supposed to be a party for everyone, but you're always absent!"

The world has never rejected us; it is a joyous gathering of all nature, but humankind is always absent...

I was jostled by people whose faces were filled with anxious anticipation, immersed in the warmth of an open and welcoming atmosphere. But my eyes involuntarily searched for a figure—where was that child now? How was he, so thin and dirty, coughing incessantly? I couldn't understand my own feelings. Was my desire to see him so strong simply because he was the one who allowed me to stand here at this moment?

The sea suddenly boiled, and the welcoming fire, like constantly bursting bubbles, scattered particles of light into the air. The orange tree of Miyoshino's true form was instantly enveloped in a verdant halo, as if it had burst into flames. Seeing this, the crowd cheered: "The time has come! The Blue Palace is returning to its true form! Farewell..."

I had once witnessed the divine form of the Heavenly Lion, the spirit of nature in Lei Yuan. Now, with the divine form of the Azure Palace, which possesses the entire ocean, what kind of divine light would it radiate? Just as I was pondering this, a beam of intense light burst forth from the ruins of the temple with overwhelming power. This light not only delivered a visual shock, but before anyone could react, half of the people around me had instantly transformed into streams of multicolored light!

Countless streams of ethereal light passed through my body, rushing towards the place radiating divine light. As if drained of all strength, I collapsed, my knees unable to support my weight, and I even lost the strength to close my eyes. Suddenly, everything went black as someone covered my eyes from behind, and a hoarse, not-so-pleasant voice rang in my ears: "How careless! The divine light of the Blue Palace is not something your eyes can withstand!"

It always appears at the perfect moment, the wondrous voice of this wondrous child. My memory of that voice is so fresh, yet the familiar warmth of the child's fingertips clearly comes from a more distant time and space...

The divine body... has passed! I only felt a gentle yet violent wind blow through my body, whistling as it gradually disappeared into the distance.

The hand covering my eyes loosened, but that warmth was awakened from the depths of my heart. How could I forget that warmth that once made me feel so at ease! This time, I will never lose it again!

I quickly stood up straight and looked around—that dirty figure was about to disappear into the crowd cheering towards the sea!

"Wait!" I chased after him. It's always the same. He appears beside me when I'm in the most danger, then stubbornly takes everything upon himself and disappears silently. No matter what, this time I will never let him escape again!

At the end of the island, on the narrow, natural arch formed by the reefs, he finally stopped, finding himself with nowhere else to go. Even though he was coughing incessantly from running, his face covered in snot and tears, he stubbornly refused to turn around and look at me.

"It must be tough..." Maybe it's because of running, my heart is pounding so hard. I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. "Without a proper body, I can't grow up anymore, and I can't maintain my past self. It must be tough..."

The thin shoulder trembled slightly, but the tiny movement was immediately drowned out by a more violent cough.

"Why don't you hold my hand? Didn't you say that if we hold hands, we won't get separated..." I slowly approached that stubborn figure. Although the refreshing fragrance and transcendent beauty were gone, I remembered the warmth of his fingers, a warmth that I could never forget. "You are... Jujuya, aren't you!"

"Don't come any closer!" His hoarse shout was almost violent, his words coming out in broken sentences between coughs, "Why did you have to think of this? I don't want to see you! I don't want you... to see me like this..."

"What happened?" Unable to control my strained voice, I bent down and gently took his muddy little hand from behind. "How could this happen? Your true form is an orange tree; even if you're cut down, you'll sprout again..."

Suddenly, Jugoya violently shook off my hand and turned around, his eyes gleaming brightly in the light of the Soul-Welcoming Fire: "No! I can't sprout again! If I sprout and grow again, I won't be the same person I was before! I'll... forget you..."

I wanted to hug those trembling little shoulders, but Jujuya pushed me away roughly. But the next second, he hugged my helpless arms with a tender embrace: "Sanyo said I'm a fool... I really am a fool... What's the use of waiting for you? You've clearly already forgotten me..."

Yes, I really forgot! Before coming to this beach, I had absolutely no memory of Jujuya. This person, who suffered so much for me, I had completely forgotten! Burdened with unspeakable guilt, I could only hold that emaciated body tightly—even though I had forgotten him, Jujuya had not abandoned me! Beneath that dirty exterior, there was still a pure and innocent soul like an orange blossom.

At that moment, I heard Jugoya's muffled, tearful voice in my ear: "You're finally back, Neyan..."

Reticent? My name is Firewing... Like my cousin Icefin, our names symbolize powerful mythical beasts; yet the one who named us possesses the most humble name. Facing the other world, he is always taciturn, listening quietly...

I had misunderstood the yokai; their sense of time was better than anyone else's. Yes, it was decades ago, and I don't need to blame myself for not having this memory—I wasn't the one with Izayoi and the others at the previous festival; I wasn't the one Izayoi was waiting for…

That person is no longer here, not in any corner of this world. He was my grandfather, Neyan.

"Yes... I'm back." The moment I realized the truth, I smiled and hugged Jujutsu tightly, because I didn't know what kind of expression I had on my face at that moment.

My grandfather must also be reminiscing about the Fifteenth Night, a longing a hundred times stronger than mine. Perhaps because he didn't want to disturb the island's peace again, or perhaps because of other ties I can't know, he sealed away this longing. But that night, as spectacular as fireworks, must have frequently visited his soul in his dreams, so much so that that longing has been revived deep within my heart, which inherited my grandfather's abilities.

A sharp whistling sound ripped through the sky, followed by a short, crackling explosion. A huge firework burst open in the starry sky behind Izayoi, its multicolored petals instantly extinguishing into golden streams of light that slowly plunged into the sea like radiant tears. Countless magnificent beams of light rushed towards the sea, and then, one after another, fireworks rose into the dark sky, their vibrant colors reflected on the still surface of the ocean amidst the exhilarating sounds…

I felt Jujuya's hand loosen. He pressed down on my shoulder and stepped back, behind him a continuous golden rain. My vision blurred slightly, and the proud Miyoshi was already standing beside him.

"This is...the last time." Tiny specks of light flickered on the bodies of Jujuya and Miyoshino, gradually turning them transparent from their fingertips. "We'll never see each other again, Negi..."

We'll never see each other again. I understand. I understand the meaning behind Jujuya's firm, smiling words—this vibrant, long night has come to an end, the festival is about to conclude, and everything will begin anew. Nodding vigorously allows me to temporarily forget my thoughts: "I'll miss you." Although Jujuya will never know, I will cherish the deepest longing inherited from my grandfather, a longing shared by two.

Where the water meets the sky, a long-awaited light appeared—unlike the sharp, piercing light of dawn cutting through the darkness, it was the warm, orange glow of sunset. Had only an afternoon passed, or had we already arrived in another time and space? On this island, even the laws of time were no longer absolute…

"Firewing!" Standing on the stone bridge, I heard someone calling my name. A blurry shadow gradually appeared in the sun on the horizon, getting closer and closer. It was the landlady of the seaside inn rowing a small boat, and my cousin Icefin was sitting on the bow.

"Are you alright? Today is the Ghost Festival (July 15th of the lunar calendar)! I heard that people who came to the island at this time in the past either died or went blind!" The landlady exclaimed as she helped me onto the boat. So it's all on the same day! I really know how to pick my days; the paths that appear during the Ghost Festival are for those in the afterlife!

Seeing my regretful expression, the landlady complained even more enthusiastically: "You were too daring! This island is used to welcome the gods, so it's called the God-Welcoming Island!"

"Shenying Island? Isn't it Chenying Island?" I finally couldn't stand the landlady's accented Mandarin anymore. If I had known it was called Shenying Island, I would never have come to this island! But then... I wouldn't have encountered this colorful long night...

“Do you know Firewing? It’s said that of all the people who went to the island in Zhongyuan, only one child ever returned unharmed.” Icefin looked at me meaningfully and handed me an old booklet from his seat. “This inn keeps his picture. Can you guess who it is? If you guess right, it’s my treat to the night market tonight!”

I laughed a little lonely. I know without even guessing who the person in the photo is...

In the faded photograph, the grandfather, still a child, must be gazing calmly and gently at the endless void and darkness before him; the gaze looking back at him from the other world must also be calm and gentle...

(over)

House of Curses

"...So, after you deliver this box to the Ba family's ancestral home, come back immediately, understand? Firewing, Icefin!"

"But Grandma, you have to tell us what's in this box!"

“That is… the Prime Minister’s Screen.”

In early October, the wind was just the right amount of cool, and the sky was unbelievably clear. One idle afternoon, my cousin Bingqi and I were sent by our grandmother to run errands, delivering a black lacquered box with red patterns that looked quite old to the ancestral home of the Ba family at the end of the alley. It is said that the Ba family used to be one of the wealthiest families in Kagawa City. To say nothing of anything else, you could tell just by looking at their ancestral home; almost the entire alley was their courtyard wall. However, this family fled abroad before the liberation, and the house has remained empty ever since. The reason it has been preserved is that the Ba family once donated half of the house to build the Wuliang Temple, where they worshipped some deity. Even now, beyond the high yellow walls, you can still see the tall shrine tree that served as a place for the deity to reside.

My grandmother's family, who made the tongcao flowers, had always served the Ba family as artisans. They shouldn't have had any close relationship. However, my grandmother said that when she was a child, the head of the Ba family at that time, Mr. Lin, a very stern-looking old man in his seventies, once forcefully entrusted a lacquered box to my grandmother's family on the eve of his escape. It is said that the box contained the Ba family's heirloom - the Wuxiang Screen.

Icefin and I could never possibly have a good impression of the Ba family, because their children were preparing to return to China to develop their careers, and their first priority was to reclaim their ancestral home and build a high-rise on that land! Fortunately, their plan was quickly rejected—even though it was once their ancestral property, Wuliang Palace was a protected cultural relic, and building high-rises in the old city was strictly prohibited; however, the Ba family's children were extremely arrogant and forceful, and even the head of the family personally came to negotiate. It is said that this head of the family is now staying in the ancestral home, and because he dislikes this family's behavior, none of the neighbors in the alley, with whom he had a good relationship, have come to greet him. Grandmother also believes that we must quickly return the Wuxiang Screen intact and sever all ties with this family.

"Don't linger too long. This place is unclean; it has a reputation for being a cursed household." My grandmother repeatedly reminded us of this before we left.

We wanted to get back quickly too! After several unsuccessful attempts to knock on the door, Icefin and I simply pushed open the front door of the Ba family's house, which had already had its seals removed. Looking at the scene before us, Icefin, holding the lacquer box, complained loudly, "How are we supposed to get out of here?!"

After years of neglect, and with the recent summer's abundance of life, the courtyard in front of the main hall of the Ba family ancestral home was completely overgrown with weeds, its original appearance unrecognizable. If the front hall was like this, the back courtyard was probably indistinguishable from the surrounding area. Icefin gritted his teeth and cursed, "It's practically a haunted house..."

"You can't say those guys' names!" I immediately glared at my cousin, who was a month younger than me. "Besides, did we say anything about their positions?" Low-level spirits are attracted by human desires and obsessions, so places with strong emotional fluctuations often attract many creatures from the other world. If there are people living there who can see their appearance and hear their voices, then these creatures will gather with a hundred times more enthusiasm and refuse to leave. Coincidentally, like our deceased grandfather, Icefin and I are such people. So our house has been a haven for spirits for a long time. Compared to this kind of "haunted house," abandoned houses that have been empty for a long time generally don't have many of those kinds of things. If there are, then the abandoned house must be inhabited by a terrifying big guy that can attract low-level spirits.

This long-abandoned mansion was relatively "clean," with only a few low-level spirits passing by. We didn't know the origin of its reputation as a "cursed house," but calling it a haunted house was probably just the opinion of those who "couldn't see"—after all, seeing a large, dark, and uninhabited old house would always make people a little uneasy. Icefin and I were in a hurry to finish our task, so we had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk into the waist-high weeds.

"Is it heavy?" I asked with some sympathy, carrying the box, and continued walking ahead of Icefin.

"Luckily, it's not too heavy." Icefin turned and handed the box to me. I tried it out, and it really seemed like I could only feel the weight of the box itself. Although the box contained a decorative screen for a table, it was far too light. What on earth was this screen made of? Grandmother, really! Something like this should just be given to a museum. Why bother giving it to such an annoying family! I casually brushed aside a vine that was hanging in front of my eyes: "What is this? It's full of poverty-stricken vines. How can a family like this ever prosper!"

“That’s it!” Icefin drawled in agreement.

"...The Minister of State is coming back!" Suddenly, a middle-aged man's voice rang out in the room next to me. Before Icefin and I could react, several more voices followed: "Back already? Well then, we can begin 'that matter'!"

"We're saved! The Ba family is saved!"

"But will Lin obediently hand over the screen to us?"

"You can't trust Lin at all!"

I thought it was an empty house, but I didn't expect so many people to be gathered inside talking about family matters! They must be the entourage of the Ba family patriarch. They must have heard our rude words! Icefin and I exchanged a glance, too ashamed to even look into the room, let alone knock on the door and go in.

"Hey, you two, what are you standing there for! Come here!" A stern, aged voice came from the doorway of the side room opposite the spacious main hall. The commanding tone was extremely unpleasant. I turned to look at the arrogant speaker, but my movements froze for a moment…

The bright autumn sunlight couldn't penetrate the dilapidated old house; only a few thin rays of light leaked through the broken bricks and wood, appearing like a blade that would never rust in the damp air—golden dust danced in the air, and between light and shadow, a pale face emerged…

The face, scarred by the claws of time, hovered in mid-air as if sliced off from the body—this was terrifying enough, but what's more, half of that face suddenly vanished into a dark shadow, as if bitten off by a ferocious beast! "It...it's appeared!" "Hello, are you the head of the Ba family?"

My rude yell and Icefin's calm and polite voice rang out at the same time. As soon as they finished speaking, we both stared at each other in surprise.

The old floorboards creaked, and the "half-face" was about to emerge from the side room! I instinctively took a step back and hid behind Icefin, but Icefin remained nonchalant: "Excuse me, are you the head of the Ba family? We are from the Tongcaohua family."

"Is there any doubt about that?" The ruthless gaze swept back and forth between my face and Icefin's, and "Half-Face" said something that surprised me.

Peeking out from behind Icefin, I finally calmly assessed the situation before me—it turned out I had been mistaken! It was an ordinary old man, dressed in a dark blue robe that almost blended into the darkness, making his overly pale face appear to float in mid-air. The illusion that half of his face had been bitten off was due to a large blue scar on one side of his face.

Although his body showed signs of age, the old man with blue scars on his face still exuded an aggressive aura. I frowned—judging from his appearance, he must have a temper as hard as stone, perhaps even harder than stone! However, when it came to temper, the slender Icefin was definitely not inferior to anyone else. He raised the lacquered box in his hand and looked fearlessly at the fierce-looking old man in front of him: "We've come to return this to the Ba family."

“Let’s put up the screen.” The Ba family patriarch, whose face was covered in blue scars, glanced at the lacquered box in Bingqi’s hand and gave a meaningful sneer. “The one carrying the box… that screen is quite heavy, isn’t it? You’re quite strong.”

What does this have to do with... Icefin's strength? Before I could even react, Icefin had already shouted back angrily, "What do you mean by that? Didn't your family's former patriarch entrust this screen to us because he trusted our family's character?!"

It turns out this rude old man suspected the box was empty! That's outrageous! Is this how you treat someone who helped his family?

"At the time, I just thought the Tongcao Hua family was honest and simple, and wouldn't come up with anything fancy." The old man's disdainful sneer was especially annoying!

There was indeed no seal or lock on the box, but I'm sure my grandmother's family would never have touched the screen! Although my grandmother didn't tell me the complicated details, she must have worked very hard to protect this lacquer box through so many turbulent years! Today, I'm returning it to this family untouched, not expecting any thanks, yet this wicked old woman still doubts my grandmother's family's honesty!

"Let's go!" I forcefully snatched the paint box from Icefin's hand and placed it on the ground. "This kind of family... is simply, simply incomprehensible!"

Icefin grabbed my sleeve and glared fiercely at the head of the Ba family in front of me: "No one will let this go until we get to the bottom of this!"

The Ba family patriarch's pupils contracted instantly, his face appearing strangely unfathomable due to the different skin tones on his cheeks. At that moment, a commotion erupted from the side room behind him, as if a large group of people were rushing towards the tightly closed door. The room was surprisingly crowded! "The Wu Xiang Screen! The smell of the Wu Xiang Screen!" "Where is it? Where is it?" It seemed like dozens of people were chattering amongst themselves. Didn't they feel cramped? Even if the side room was large, it wouldn't be comfortable with so many people inside.

"Shut up!" The old man's roar was unusually authoritative. In an instant, the room behind me fell silent. Just as I was about to turn around to check the situation in the room, Icefin forcefully lifted the lid of the lacquer box.

In an instant, three voices rang out simultaneously—the mocking sneer of the Ba family patriarch, Icefin's suppressed scream, and the commotion from the side room behind them, like a pot boiling over—"Empty! The chest is empty!" "The screen of Minister Wu is gone!"

Icefin's fierce aura suddenly weakened. Surrounded by the noise, the Ba family head closed his eyes, shook his head, and made a pretentious clicking of his tongue. "How... could this be..." I supported Icefin's shoulder, who was momentarily confused, and bent down to examine the empty lacquer box. Inside the box, which was lined with faded red silk, there were still marks from a heavy square object, but where the screen should have been, there was only a yellowed letter, which looked like it was from many years ago.

Without thinking too much, I picked up the letter. Although there were tiny worm marks scattered on the paper, the ink was still very fresh. Ice Fin reluctantly leaned closer, and the moment we saw the calm and restrained familiar handwriting, we both lost our expressions—"At Mr. Ying Lin's request, I sent the Wu Xiang Screen to Sha Xiang Temple for offering." It was a letter left more than forty years ago, and the content was roughly like this. However, to Ice Fin's and my surprise, the signature at the bottom of the letter was Ne Yan.

—Neyan…that’s my grandfather’s name! It’s the name of my grandfather who passed away when Icefin and I were very young!

This is clearly a matter between the Ba family and my grandmother's family. How could my grandfather have gotten involved? Moreover, the claim that it was "at Mr. Lin's request" is too strange. When my grandmother was still a little girl, Mr. Lin, the head of the Ba family, had already fled abroad with his family and had never been heard of returning. How could he possibly have any dealings with my grandfather?

"What do we do? The Ba family is doomed!"

"I told you, you can't trust that kid Lin!"

"He wanted to ruin 'that thing' from the very beginning, which is why he secretly gave the screen to that kind of family!"

"So noisy..." Icefin gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. He'd probably never experienced such an embarrassing humiliation in his life; I could see the veins bulging on his forehead. But... I still felt... something was off about this...

First of all, when my grandmother was still a little girl, Mr. Lin was already over seventy years old. The letter was left forty years ago. If he were still alive at that time, he would have been around a hundred years old! And in the closed room behind her, the people talking all at once kept shouting "Lin, that guy" and "Lin, that kid"!

This is definitely not how a junior addresses an elder! A sudden surge of fear gripped me, and I furtively glanced at the door behind me…

"This is truly unexpected..." As if losing the family heirloom screen was less important than the humiliation inflicted on our family, the current head of the Ba family, with only half his face visible, let out a sour sigh. "What do you suggest we do?"

Icefin and I looked up at the old man who had gained the upper hand. A feigned expression of embarrassment played on his "half-face," and he pointed to the room behind us: "You heard it too… the sounds of those guys…"

"Huh?" I subconsciously moved closer to Icefin, but a face with a huge blue scar suddenly came closer: "Don't you understand? They are... ghosts!"

"Ahhh..." The Ba family patriarch's voice was drowned out by my sudden scream. More terrifying than his words was the face that suddenly filled my entire field of vision!

"Don't call them by their names!" Icefin's calm voice rang out after my scream.

The head of the Ba family glanced at us dismissively: "Do you think those rules are still useful? My family has been plagued by these creatures for a long time; they're always looking for a chance to take the head of the family's life. We used to have the Wu Xiang Screen to suppress them, keeping them imprisoned inside… Now that the screen is gone, shouldn't you take responsibility…?"

So the Ba family is called an unclean "cursed family" because of this! They said it was a family heirloom and gave the screen to their grandmother's family, but they just wanted to get rid of the trouble and leave. Now that they can't shake off those guys, they're coming to take the screen back! What kind of family is this!

“Take responsibility,” Icefin said coldly, glaring at the “half-faced” man as if it were a matter of course. “We can just go to Sunagoji Temple and get the screen back, right?”

"You two?" The domineering old man glanced at Icefin out of the corner of his eye. "Are you going to leave an old man like me, who can't even kill a chicken, among these vicious creatures? What am I going to do if you two leave this gate and never come back!"

What "an old man who can't even kill a chicken"?! Who was it that just shouted and scared all those guys in the room into silencing them?!