chsdbacks Page 129
Page 129
Therefore, in order to reduce this negative impact, the shrine that enshrines the white fox made a decision—human sacrifice.
They would use human flesh and blood to appease the white fox's rage and use this as an opportunity to restore the shrine to its former glory.
Regardless of whether this approach was effective, that's what people did back then.
The initial results were better than expected.
At the very least, this sacrificial ritual limited the influence of the white fox's resentment to the "White Fox Forest".
Humans who settled on the outskirts only needed to perform a sacrifice every now and then to maintain this balance in the long term and obtain a good harvest as in previous years.
However, it is unknown whether this kind of human sacrifice was too heinous, causing the resentment accumulated within it to give birth to a new evil spirit.
This evil spirit also resides in the "White Fox Forest," but has achieved a delicate balance with the female white foxes in the forest.
Female white foxes do not leave the "White Fox Forest," nor do evil spirits enter it.
Every time humans performed a human sacrifice, the flesh and blood invariably became food for evil spirits, causing their appetites to grow ever larger.
Overwhelmed by the burden, humanity ultimately chose to burn down the shrine that enshrined the white fox.
Then they found a powerful samurai, hoping to use his strength to slay the evil spirit.
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"He called himself Ida Kojuro Iryu, a samurai who specialized in slaying demons."
When talking about the name "Ida Kojuro Iryu".
For once, Kuzuha Jiro was no longer so carefree, and his eyes were filled with admiration.
Without any surprises, Ida Iryu easily killed the flesh-eating demon.
Unfortunately, Ida Iryu himself was also affected by the evil spirit and ventured deep into the "White Fox Forest" while severely injured.
To everyone's surprise, the female white fox hiding in the "White Fox Forest" not only did not harm Ida Ryu, but also took good care of this powerful samurai.
This is certainly not some clichéd story of a human-demon romance.
On the contrary, the female white fox saw through Jing Tianjinglong's true nature at a glance.
This is a born demon slayer, capable of slaying any demon or monster with a single sword strike.
The female white fox had had enough of this lonely "immortality" and wanted Ida Izuru, after recovering from her injuries, to end her endless suffering.
However, although Jing Tianjinglong slew countless demons, he was still a human being with emotions and desires.
During his time with the female white fox, Ida Ryu found himself falling in love with the fox spirit.
Therefore, faced with the female white fox's pleas, Ida Iryu, unable to bring himself to kill her, ultimately chose to leave.
Before leaving, however, Jing Tianjinglong performed a ritual to help the spirit of the white fox daughter find peace, and left behind a hairpin infused with all his spiritual power.
Whether you choose to end your own life is your prerogative, but please wait until I leave this place before making your decision.
With a tone tinged with sadness and sorrow, Jing Tianjinglong left the female white fox with only a desolate silhouette.
However, Jing Tianjinglong, who resolutely left, did not expect that the female white fox would also develop feelings for him during their brief time together.
Not only that, the white fox, whose behavior was becoming more and more like a human, even transformed into a woman, watching Ida Iryu's receding figure.
Actually, if you asked, I'm willing to change for you once.
Clutching tightly the hairpin left behind by Jing Tianjinglong, the white fox, now in human form, was filled with deep affection and melancholy.
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"Isn't this just a love story?"
Saki, who had been listening for a while without getting a word in edgewise, finally couldn't help but speak up at this moment.
"After all that talk, you still haven't said what this has to do with you?"
"You're not trying to say you're that white fox, are you?"
Saki glanced at Kuzuha Jiro with suspicion, unable to reconcile the lively little boy with the affectionate white fox in the story.
"Of course I couldn't be that white fox; I'm just one of her offspring!"
Before leaving, Jingtian Jinglong performed a ritual to help the white fox's daughter find peace, allowing her flesh and blood to permeate every inch of the "White Fox Forest."
In a sense, from that day on, the entire "White Fox Forest" became the daughter of the white fox.
Of course, if that were all, there wouldn't be the Kuzuha Jiro we know today.
The truth is that not only the daughter of the white fox merged into that land, but also the evil spirit that was killed by Jingtian Jinglong.
The bloodline of the white fox clan is intertwined with the resentment of evil spirits, causing the "White Fox Forest" to come back to life in another way.
Logically, the son of the white fox and the original evil spirit became two sides of the same coin—one good and one evil.
Whenever the evil spirits become active, the white fox's son will also awaken.
At this time of year, the few remaining people in the know at the White Fox Shrine return to the "White Fox Forest" to relive the ancient and cruel practice of "human sacrifice."
However, it differs from the ancient practice of "human sacrifice".
Every sacrifice performed by these people who knew the truth was to strengthen the existence of the White Fox Child, in order to counterbalance the ferocious and tyrannical demon.
This is a major reason why, despite the repeated awakenings of evil spirits over thousands of years, they have never been able to expand their influence beyond the "White Fox Forest."
The hermit named "Kuzuno Jiro" was the victim of this "human sacrifice".
In fact, the White Fox's son possesses the memories and emotions of every person who has been sacrificed in the past, including Kuzuha Jiro.
——Monthly Tickets/Recommendation Tickets——
Chapter 205 Psychic Medium
On the outskirts of the White Fox Forest, near the Kuzuha family's street in a small town.
"Are you sure we really want to go find those mysterious parents?"
Walking along the quiet, secluded street, Lina looked around and suddenly felt a chill creeping over her.
"We also need to investigate the truth about the 'White Fox Forest,' which is the only clue that prevents us from entering the forest."
Daigo also felt a slight chill, but he was much braver than Rena.
Onoda, who followed closely behind, was not as bold as Daigo, but he did not show much fear either.
"Daigo is right, there's definitely something fishy about that couple!"
After saying this with absolute certainty, Onoda pointed to a house not far away and said...
"We've arrived. This is the Kuzuha family's residence."
When the three rang the doorbell, the Kuzuha couple quickly opened the door.
The couple were clearly taken aback when they saw that the person who came was Onoda.
Fortunately, Onoda had made ample preparations beforehand, and by making an excuse that he needed to learn more about Kuzuha Jiro's situation, he persuaded them to let the three of them into his home.
Daigo and Rena, both wearing uniforms, are strong evidence of this.
After all, ever since the Victory Team officially stepped into the limelight, all kinds of information about this organization have become hot news topics around the world.
Sending members of the GUTS team to investigate Kuzuha Jiro personally does indeed fit the story Onoda had prepared in advance.
The only downside was probably the slightly hesitant look on the couple's faces.
They clearly hadn't expected that Onoda would come knocking on their door again, even though they had already gotten rid of him.
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A short while later, in the living room of the Ge family.
"I already told you the specifics last time, but we really don't know much more."
Looking at Onoda, who kept asking questions, her husband said in a sad but helpless tone.
"As for the disappearance of Miss Xuena and Officer Danye?"
"That definitely has nothing to do with Jiro."
Admittedly, the husband's sudden revelation stunned everyone present.
Even Daigo didn't expect the other party to be so blunt, seeing through them at a glance that they weren't there for Kuzuha Jiro.
"you……"
They opened their mouths as if they wanted to say something but hesitated. Apart from the thick-skinned Onoda, Daigo and Rena both felt a sense of helplessness, as if they had been exposed.
"There's nothing strange about that."
Seeing through the confusion of the three at a glance, the wife, who had been sitting next to her husband, immediately spoke up to explain.
"After all, the town is only so big. With a little attention, it's not hard to notice the news of Officer Awano's disappearance."
"Considering Miss Scherna's inexplicable departure, the answer is quite obvious."
With no intention of hiding it any longer, the wife appeared much calmer than her husband.
"The demons of the White Fox Forest have gone out of control. Miss Xuena and Officer Danno are probably in grave danger."
Upon hearing this, Lina, who was the first to react, immediately became alert and reached for the Hyper gun at her waist.
"Don't be so nervous. From the moment we met you, we knew we couldn't hide it any longer."
Surprisingly, her husband spoke up at this moment with remarkable composure.
“Our Kuzuha family is a shrine family that has been passed down for generations, and we have always been responsible for protecting this mountain forest.”
"Because a terrible demon lurks in these mountains and forests, which was once slain here by a powerful warrior..."
"Unfortunately, the warrior was not able to completely exorcise the demon's resentment and flesh, causing it to revive every hundred years."
"Whenever demons revive, our Kuzuha family selects the most inspired member to be sacrificed to suppress the demons in the mountains and forests."
After a slight pause, both the husband and wife showed expressions of sadness.
"And the member chosen this time is our son."
Ignoring the astonished looks of the three men, the husband, having recovered from his grief, continued to explain.
"Jiro showed his amazing talent at a very young age, and he was the first to realize that the demon was reviving."
"This is the truth about the 'Hidden Ones' that Miss Xuena has been trying to investigate."
By listening to the sound of the strings, Daigo understood the subtle meaning behind them, capturing a crucial point in the process.
"But the demon has still revived. Does this mean your 'sacrifice' was unsuccessful?"
Nodding in affirmation of Daigo's conjecture, his wife chimed in at this moment.
"To be precise, we underestimated how terrifying that demon was."
"It is far more terrifying than the family records describe. Even Jiro's will to sacrifice himself and become the forest could not completely restrain the spread of its power."
"Jiro has done a great job in delaying the disaster that happened more than ten years ago until today."
Tears streamed down her face, and at this moment, the usually composed wife finally revealed her maternal side.
"Actually, if you had come a little later today, my husband and I would probably be on our way to the 'White Fox Forest' by now."
Suppressing the demons of the "White Fox Forest" has been a mission passed down through generations of the Kuzuha family.
After realizing that Kuzuha Jiro was no longer able to suppress the demons, the couple had already considered martyrdom.
"What about Xuena? What happened to Xuena?"
"And Officer Awano, he was just helping me investigate some information, why did he suddenly disappear?"
Just then, Onoda suddenly spoke up and asked a question.
If Kuzuha Jiro's "disappearance" was the result of a sacrifice by the Kuzuha family, then why did Shona disappear?
Is it simply because she entered the "White Fox Forest" that she became a sacrifice as well?
As for Officer Awano, needless to say.
He only helped me look up some information, so why did he disappear inexplicably?
Something just doesn't seem right.
"Miss Scherna..."