Long, long ago

This is a difficult era.

The power to change the world is still in the hands of nature; civilization has only ignited a tiny spark, and myths and legends still circulate in the world.

Compared to other living beings on this world at that time, humans were still a fragile and young generation.

Humans have no sharp teeth or claws, no wings or gills, no great strength to defeat other creatures, and no thick fur to protect themselves.

But people can learn, Imitation, absorb experience and pass it on, reflect on mistakes and learn from them.

Thanks to this talent, humanity has finally become the strongest among all living beings. Although not at the very top, they are not to be underestimated.

However, just when humanity could finally catch its breath from the threats of nature, it now faces another formidable enemy—

Human beings themselves.

Humans, while possessing intelligence surpassing that of other creatures, also possess intense desires unlike any other species. These desires lead to conflict, and conflict brings disaster.

Internecine conflict occurs between individuals, clans, tribes, groups, and nations. As human societies expand and develop, the scale of conflict grows larger, leading to increasingly severe consequences.

Among those who suffer the most are the ordinary people at the bottom of society. They not only have to struggle to make a living, but also try every means to escape the ravages of war. At the same time, natural disasters also visit them from time to time, and there is also the existence that is both one with all things and yet transcends them—

Monsters, that's what humans call them.

Those who deviate from the norm are called demons, and those who are different are called monsters. Humans do not know how to precisely define this kind of existence, so they simply categorize everything that is "different" as demons.

Animals that can speak human language, furniture that can move on its own, and even people who look no different from ordinary people but can use supernatural powers are all monsters.

Some monsters are unintelligent, while others are cunning; some monsters can be defeated even by children, while others require an army to subdue; although the differences between monsters are so great, they are all irrelevant to humans, as they are all enemies anyway.

Gradually, some monsters began hunting humans for revenge, while others hid among humans, even disguising their abilities to appear more impressive, deceiving some humans into worshipping them as gods. But what exactly is a god? Neither humans nor monsters knew.

Some monsters have befriended humans and passed on some of their abilities to them. Humans who have learned supernatural powers often use these powers to fight monsters. Human exorcists, demon hunters, and the like are examples of this.

Humans and nature, humans and monsters, humans and humans—in this complex era, with heaven and earth as the stage, a series of tragicomedies unfold.

There is no clear conclusion as to how monsters came to be, and even the monsters themselves do not know. There is a saying among humans, "Things that exist for a long time become strange," meaning that whatever exists for a long time will become strange.

That's true. Demons like fox spirits and wolf spirits have much longer lifespans than ordinary foxes and wolves, and some of the most powerful can even live for hundreds or thousands of years. But whether it's "they live long so they are demons" or "they live long because they are demons" is a question no one knows.

Even if you ask a monster, "Why are you a monster?", the answer will most likely be, "You were born a monster." This is because only by becoming a monster can one develop sentience and realize that one is a "monster."

However, there are exceptions—some humans, for some reason, become monsters. These are people who developed sentience before becoming monsters, but they can only say that they "felt that they had become monsters," and the specific process remains a mystery.

Another interpretation is that monsters are essentially personifications of certain laws and principles of the universe, such as dragons that control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and phoenixes that symbolize fire and life. However, this is only one aspect of the theory.

Therefore, whether it's a demon or a human, we no longer delve into these details. What is a demon? A demon is a demon. In a broad sense, anything that is not human can be a demon. In a narrow sense, anything that is not human but still harms humans is a demon, while anything that can help humans is a god.

For monsters, the most dangerous thing is growth.

Adult powerful demons all possess earth-shattering abilities, but they require hundreds or even thousands of years of accumulation; those with less than a hundred years of experience can only be considered minor demons.

If a human in their forties dedicates themselves to cultivating magic, they can achieve what a four- or five-hundred-year-old demon can do. A forty-year-old demon is considered an infant in their race and will die if they are not careful.

If animals were to develop intelligence, that would be one thing; they could hunt by instinct in the mountains far from humans and perhaps even grow powerful one day. However, some monsters are determined to depend on humans for survival.

Those monsters, like humans, need to eat cooked food and wear clothes to keep warm, but they lack the means to produce independently, so they have to hide in human society and make a living by various means.

Some choose to follow the rules of humanity and earn money through labor. However, others, due to their own circumstances, cannot find work even if they want to.

For example--

"Finally caught! You little thief! You've been stealing my steamed buns for days!"

This happened in a human village. A burly man grabbed a thin figure who was dressed in rags and whose face and hair were covered with thick dust.

"... I... I'm not a thief!"

Struggling was futile, and the little one tried to explain in a tearful voice.

"Not a thief! Then what are you holding in your hand? Aren't they my freshly baked buns?"

The burly man did not soften his stance just because the other party was a child, and continued to shout aggressively.

A large crowd gradually gathered around. Seeing that the burly man had been caught red-handed and the petty thief was dirty and unappealing, they all sided with the burly man.

"So young and already learning bad habits."

"He who steals a needle when young will steal gold when old."

"With someone like that in our town, who can sleep soundly at night anymore?"

"Send off to the official..."

The small figure grew increasingly frightened. If it were truly sent to the human authorities, who knew what dangers it might encounter? Therefore, it was better to—

"Oh!"

The little guy, who had been tightly gripped by the burly man, suddenly vanished right before everyone's eyes. Witnessing such a strange thing in broad daylight, could it be that the little thief was actually...?

"Monster!"

Soon, someone in the crowd screamed. The town wasn't big, so many people had seen the little guy before and initially thought he was just a homeless child, which wasn't unusual in this chaotic era.

However, it is actually a monster, which is a big problem. With its ability to appear and disappear unpredictably, what if it wants to take revenge later?

"Don't be afraid! Even if it's a monster, it's just a small one. There are many of us, so it'll be afraid! Everyone should search everywhere now, find it, and kill it. If it escapes, there will be endless trouble!"

The one who spoke was the man from the beginning. He knew the monster wasn't very strong, but its unpredictable appearances were a real problem. It was best to take advantage of the opportunity to gather a group of people and eliminate it as soon as possible.

Humans were unprecedentedly united in their approach to monsters, and this group quickly formed small teams and searched the streets one by one. Even if the monster suddenly disappeared, it couldn't have gone far; otherwise, how could it have been caught stealing?

Sure enough, after a few breaths, everyone heard someone shout from an alley, "Found it!" So everyone ran there and cornered the little monster against the wall.

They had surrounded it, but there was no one left to attack. After all, this was a monster. It was certainly afraid of the large number of people around, but who knew what other strange tricks it might have up its sleeve? If it fought like a cornered beast, it might just take two others down with it.

The man who had been shouting the loudest earlier was now just gesturing in the crowd, not daring to go over and arrest him.

The situation seemed to have reached a stalemate, but the crowd fell silent in an instant.

What are you all doing here?

An aged yet powerful male voice boomed from behind, cutting through all the noise. Upon hearing this voice, people stopped arguing, and the human wall spontaneously parted, as if welcoming the speaker.

Mr. Ji.

"Mr. Ji has arrived."

"Mr. Ji definitely has a way."

Finding the surroundings suddenly quiet, the little monster curiously looked up. It saw a head of weathered white hair and a strange Mask. Although it didn't know who the Mask was, it instinctively sensed a message—

--This guy isn't human!

Before he could analyze the situation, the man stepped forward and grabbed the little monster's wrist, saying:

"I see. You can leave the little one to me; you can rest assured."

The onlookers all nodded in agreement.

"Of course, of course, how could I dare disobey Mr. Ji's order?"

So the little monster was led away by that "Mr. Ji," and until the very end it still seemed completely unaware of what had happened.

The little monster had heard of the name "Mr. Ji". Despite its current childlike form, it was actually quite old. Although its strength was not great, it still possessed some intelligence, having lived among humans for so many years.

I know a little about some of the important figures in this town where I've been staying for a while.

"Mr. Ji," it is said, once encountered Zhurong that burned his face, which is why he always wears Mask. However, he is extremely learned and runs a small school in town. In addition, he also works as the town's doctor; no matter how serious the illness, as long as there is still a breath of life, Mr. Ji can save it. Moreover, the herbs he uses are only found in the deep forests where dangerous monsters roam, so the townspeople find him mysterious, respecting him while also harboring a touch of fear.

Knowing he was a mysterious fellow, the little monster never bothered him and would avoid him from a distance. Today was the first time it had come into close contact with him, and it turned out he wasn't human either—but that explained his mysterious nature.

Why this monster wanted to take it away, the little monster didn't know. Was it out of affection for its kind? Or was there some other purpose? But no matter what, it was powerless against the monster and had no choice but to go with it.

Mr. Ji's house was on the edge of town, a very simple little wooden house with two rooms. The room with the door open had a table, many strange bottles and jars, and a piece of furniture that looked like a bed.

"Take off your clothes."

As soon as he entered, Mr. Ji said this.

"Ah..."

The little monster was startled. Had he seen through its... and wanted to...? If that were the case, what could it do? It definitely couldn't win in a fight, and it didn't know if it could even escape... Was it going to...?

Seeing that the little monster didn't move, Mr. Ji casually waved his hand, and all the tattered clothes disappeared. The exposed body had many bruises and scars, which showed how difficult its life had been.

But that's not the point. The point is that this little monster's naked body, from a human perspective, is actually female!

To survive, the little demon had been hiding her gender. Although she'd heard that some female demons could quickly gain immense power by seducing human men, she had no intention of doing such a thing. She'd previously assumed that Mr. Ji had discovered her gender and wanted to use her to practice some evil art. Now it seemed that was indeed the case, but even if she committed suicide, she wouldn't...

"Inside, with hot water, wash it clean."

Unexpectedly, Mr. Ji tossed her a towel, pointed to the room inside, and uttered the three words mentioned above.

Perhaps he had misunderstood something? The little monster wandered into the inner room in a daze. The room was decorated like a bedroom, but in one corner, a screen had partitioned off a space where a large vat was placed, which was currently filled with hot water.

Not knowing what to do, the little monster had no choice but to follow Mr. Ji's instructions and soak itself in the hot water.

Ah, that feels so good~

Even if Mr. Ji has some kind of scheme, it's best to relax for now.

The water washed away the dust from the little monster's face and head. Now, although she was still young and hadn't fully developed, her face was definitely that of a beauty. After the dust was removed, her hair revealed its original color, which was golden like waves of wheat in the sunlight.

Just as the little monster was enjoying the hot water, it suddenly heard footsteps coming from the room. Looking up, it saw...

"Ah!"

A high-decibel scream, someone suddenly barging in while a girl is taking a bath—whether it's a monster or a human, the reaction is pretty much the same.

"Indeed... it really is beautiful."

Mr. Ji held the little monster's chin in his hand, lifted her face, and examined her carefully for a while.

What are you going to do?

Since the demon was under the eaves, the little demon decided to speak frankly. If Mr. Ji was planning something terrible, although she couldn't beat him, she had ways to annoy him.

"Don't be so nervous, I just..." Mr. Ji's tone sounded somewhat lonely. He stopped halfway through his sentence and changed his words, "Anyway, I have no ill intentions. I just wanted to invite you over as a guest, and I won't force you to do anything. If you want to leave after you've rested, I won't stop you."

"That sounds nice," the little monster thought, "but who knows what your scheme is, and besides—"

The little monster first glanced at Mr. Ji, then looked at the bathtub, as if to say, "If you're a good person, why would you barge in while a woman is taking a bath?"

"Hehe," Mr. Ji chuckled—hmm? The little monster suddenly noticed that Mr. Ji's voice had changed, from an old man's voice to something that sounded like a young girl's voice?!

"What's so interesting about a little girl? If I really wanted to see something," Mr. Ji removed his Mask, revealing a face that rivaled the moonlight, "Couldn't I just look at myself?"

Well?!!

The little monster completely crashed.

Setting the Mask aside, Ms. Ji, or rather, the female demon who called herself Ms. Ji, also took off her clothes and stepped into the bathtub, soaking face-to-face with the little demon. Only then did the little demon finally see Ms. Ji's face clearly: those captivating crimson eyes, the white hair that she had initially thought was due to old age now appearing more like silver hair washed white by moonlight, and those cherry-red lips, and perfectly proportioned cheeks—all of which made the little demon, who was also female, somewhat infatuated.

"Tell me your name first, little monster."

Most yokai (supernatural beings) are given names by nature. The moment they realize they have become yokai, the moment their intelligence is awakened, they know their names. These names usually carry unique meanings, some simple, some profound. Moreover, compared to humans whose names are given by others, the names of yokai, originating from heaven and earth, carry more weight. If they are spoken aloud, they are only revealed to those closest to them.

A little demon who cautiously navigated the human world would never normally reveal her name to someone she'd only known for a day. But for some reason, under the gaze of those crimson eyes, her mind seemed to be bewitched, and she murmured her name:

"Purple, Yukari Yakumo..."

After saying that, she suddenly realized that she was in trouble. Her real name had been revealed by her own words, and if the other party wanted to do anything to her, she would have no power to resist.

But things still didn't go as she expected. The girl opposite her smiled very happily after hearing the name, then looked into Zi's eyes and said seriously:

"So, little Yakumo, my name is Jizi. Could you please stay here for a while and keep me company?"

As promised, this is a trial chapter. If no one objects or criticizes it, I'll assume everyone wants to read it, and we'll continue like this. Of course, updating this chapter will be a lower priority than A Route, and all updates will have to give way to the important exam in a month, so...

However, as everyone knows, the Director is never one to keep his word, so there's a chance he'll occasionally resurrect.

-------------seek death-------------

When I typed out "Yakumo (emphasis) → little ← (emphasis) girl", I was completely speechless.