Aoki realized he hadn’t misjudged the youkai after all. The Giraffe Youkai’s cold indifference vanished the moment he recognized Aoki, replaced by the warm concern of an old friend reunited after years apart.
Of course, this concern only appeared after they finished discussing Nori.
According to the Giraffe Youkai, after Nori came to terms with the reality that she had devoured Aoki in a fit of mindless frenzy, she knelt amidst the city’s ruins and cut open her own belly. If not for the combined efforts of the other youkai kings to seal her memories related to Aoki, she would likely have ended herself then and there.
Receiving this news, Aoki felt a tumult of emotions.
After suffering so much malice, he had finally found someone who truly cared for him, only for her to consume him because of her uncontrollable nature…
As the image of little Nori’s every smile and frown flashed through his mind, Aoki’s thoughts were pulled back to that rainy night a hundred years ago. He could easily imagine Nori’s state at that time.
Although the one eaten was himself, the entire point of the simulation was to help Nori grow her tails, so besides noting that being eaten alive hurt quite a bit, Aoki really had nothing more to say about it.
And judging by the results, his past life’s sacrifice had helped Nori grow two tails, assisting her in forming her character—he had, in a sense, been a proper mentor.
Now, with Nori already having seven tails, it seemed his original guidance had truly borne fruit.
Therefore, her eighth and ninth tails would be his mission in this lifetime.
But how could a mere child help her now?
Aoki placed a question mark on this in his mind.
He and the Giraffe Youkai left the area early, arriving at a hidden grove. Aoki remembered this place—it was where he’d once used the secluded alchemy chamber deep inside to refine pills. Who would have thought it still remained unchanged after a century?
As they chatted, man and youkai entered the alchemy room. Aoki was amazed to find it exactly as he remembered.
“After that incident, I had the little youkai seal this place off.
I’d considered leveling it, but it always felt wrong somehow. I thought, perhaps one day it would serve a purpose, so I left it alone.”
Watching the childlike Aoki pace around the alchemy room, the Giraffe Youkai found it all rather marvelous and continued, “Mr. Aoki, about your current appearance…?”
“It’s pretty miraculous, isn’t it? Even after so many times, I still find it incredible.
To put it simply, you might say: the Underworld just doesn’t want me.”
Aoki brushed off the Giraffe Youkai’s curiosity, knowing that even if he explained, the other probably wouldn’t understand.
“So, Mr. Aoki, what brings you back this time?”
“To help Nori.”
“I see, to help Nori? To help Miss Nori.”
The Giraffe Youkai didn’t question Aoki, nor did he doubt him just because Aoki now looked like a child or because Nori had lost her memories. Instead, he muttered to himself, since in his heart, Aoki had already helped Nori greatly.
A hundred years ago, if Aoki hadn’t brought Nori, the Phantom Sword Immortal wouldn’t have come. Without the Phantom Sword Immortal, King Benji wouldn’t have died.
After that, Nori drove away the Phantom Sword Immortal, became a great youkai, scoured the world for rare treasures, and kept breaking through…
All of it was due to this butterfly named Aoki, whose wings had set off a storm.
Could even the current tense situation between humans and youkai be related to Aoki?
So now, what world-shaking changes would Aoki’s reappearance bring?
He was just a human, and yet—how formidable.
After their small talk, Aoki asked about Nori’s recent situation. According to the Giraffe Youkai, in recent years the situation between humans and youkai had become like fire and water. As a powerful youkai king, Nori was now under immense pressure due to some of her actions.
At this point, the Giraffe Youkai led Aoki out of the grove, carefully concealing the entrance, and took him to a certain place inside the palace.
Standing on the platform, Aoki looked out and saw a vast courtyard where a large number of humans were being held. The environment immediately reminded him of one thing:
A concentration camp.
But the Giraffe Youkai’s next words quickly set him straight.
In fact, this was where Nori kept humans under her protection.
Most humans captured in the youkai world ended up here with Nori. She intentionally gathered them together—not that she had ever explained it to the Giraffe Youkai, but in his view:
“Lord Nori is protecting these humans… She may have forgotten much, but she still remembers your teachings. She is very kind…
To this day, she believes the conflict with the Phantom Sword Immortal began because he invaded the youkai realm and slaughtered innocents.
Because she protects these humans instead of enslaving or harming them as other youkai kings do, she now faces suspicion and pressure from hostile youkai kings.
She desperately needs to do something to declare her stance…”
The Giraffe Youkai’s words gave Aoki a great sense of relief and joy.
He had long prepared himself for the possibility that Nori would become a cruel youkai king, but seeing this, he truly felt grateful.
Even if Nori truly were wantonly killing the innocent, this was still just a simulated world.
Later, Aoki subtly asked about Benji’s relics, but the Giraffe Youkai knew nothing, only suggesting that Aoki try his luck with Nori herself.
After agreeing that neither would speak of this meeting to anyone, Aoki also asked the Giraffe Youkai to pretend to know nothing about him.
Youjian Sect, Sect Master’s Quarters.
Lin Qiyou, in meditation, was disturbed by a servant girl requesting an audience. She opened her eyes as the girl prostrated herself and reported, “Sect Master, Elder Qin Feng has been taken by the youkai. The suspect is the youkai king Nori.”
“Hmm, I understand. You may go.”
Lin Qiyou nodded. After the servant left, she picked up a book from her desk and began to read.
She had retrieved this book from the body of Youkai King Benji a hundred years ago, and within its pages she had uncovered many secrets.
Among them was… a way to resurrect Aoki.
Propping her chin on her hand, her expression was calm, yet the excitement in her eyes was impossible to suppress.
But this excitement wasn’t for Qin Feng. Rather, because of her cultivation, she could sense that somewhere in the youkai realm, there was another carrier of a similar cultivation technique, one that called to her.
Benji had left behind only one such technique, with a slip of paper tucked inside, annotated with some content from the one Aoki had cultivated.
So now, somewhere in the youkai realm, the location of that technique’s vessel was clear.
Thus, she decided to set out.
She called for Qin Shuang, “Come with me out of Youjian Sect. There’s something we need to do.”
“What is it?”
Qin Shuang naturally knew her son had been captured, but as an elder, she could not leave her post lightly.
“Qin Feng was captured. Also, there’s something else—I’m going to the youkai realm.”
Lin Qiyou inspected her longsword.
“You are the Sect Master, I am an elder. Don’t act rashly.”
Qin Shuang could see the excitement in Lin Qiyou’s eyes. She knew that this journey was definitely not for sect affairs.
“I don’t get it… Why do you even care about Youjian Sect? I certainly don’t… If one possesses supreme divine power, yet cannot do as one pleases or see whom one wishes to see, what’s the point?”
Lin Qiyou challenged Qin Shuang, who fell silent as she stared at the tear-shaped mole beneath Lin Qiyou’s left eye.
This woman acted entirely on her own will, supremely selfish.
But she was right…
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