The Real Deal: Looking in the Mirror

Sakura really had no experience with family ethics and such. If anyone in Flame-Chasers had experience with this kind of thing, it was actually Mobius.

Yae Sakura nodded. Now, she would follow whoever could save her sister.

Even if she couldn't be saved in the end, she would accept it. It was much better than following her father and having him abandon Rin in the end.

"Oh, right, speaking of this, Sakura, you'd better be prepared."

As soon as Liu Bai spoke, both Yae Sakura and Sakura looked towards Liu Bai's position.

Ah... these two girls are both named Sakura, I feel like calling them that might cause some kind of misunderstanding...

"Ahem, I called for the older one."

"What preparations are needed?" Sakura nodded, indicating that she was listening.

"Be prepared to be a wish-granting machine."

Liu Bai said something that made Ying's vision go black.

"Those people might make some excessive demands on you every now and then, such as hoping for a bumper harvest this year, hoping for more rain, or hoping that someone's illness will get better."

"Hey! I can understand the first two, but what the heck is the third one?"

"Anyway, God is right here, so why not try praying and see if there's anything to lose?" Liu Bai chuckled.

These believers are different from Ji Lin and her group.

The people of Yae Village... well, to put it nicely, they're simple and honest; to put it bluntly, they're greedy.

The appearance of Sakura, the Fox God, is like having someone in the family become an official, allowing them to start lording it over everyone.

The few points Liu Bai mentioned were relatively mild; there's always the possibility of other selfish wishes like "hoping that a certain village will have no harvest" or "that someone will be punished by heaven."

If this were a fantasy world, Sakura would be nothing more than a wild god, easily felled and her temple destroyed. But this is a world in Honkai... Sakura is the greatest of the extraordinary, just like Christ descending to earth in the scientific age.

There is no solution for this era.

Of course, Christ descending to earth wouldn't be as troublesome as Sakura, since his sect has a complete set of rules.

If you can follow the rules, you're basically a saint; you don't need to make any wishes.

Can't do it? If you can't do it, how dare you make a wish? Go home and pray!

Even Ji Lin's tribe holds a grand sacrificial ceremony every year to pray for good weather and a bountiful harvest, so it would be strange if Yae Village didn't go even further!

Moreover, in reality, it remains to be determined how much of this rural village belief is true and how much is false.

Given Yae's father's excitement at the time, Liu Bai couldn't say whether it was the excitement of a believer or the excitement of someone in power.

With Liu Bai, a "living" god, by his side, Otto dared to contemplate waging a holy war. While Yae's father might not have the guts to wage a holy war, he certainly had the audacity to seek petty gains...

After hearing Liu Bai's words, Ying felt her head was spinning.

"Wasn't this avoidable?"

"Well... there's no need to avoid small things. After all, you're a god, and people will make offerings to you regularly. In a sense, it's an equal exchange."

Liu Bai could completely understand why gods wanted benefits; if he were in their shoes, he would want them too. Otherwise, why would he worship you? Wouldn't it be better to worship a clay or wooden statue?

Since it's all about offerings anyway, clay and wooden sculptures can't talk or cause trouble, so offerings are just some fruits and vegetables and that's it...

Sakura thought about it and realized that it made sense.

If she does nothing, she might actually be worse than a clay or wooden sculpture.

"Alright, you don't need to worry about this. I'll take care of it for you."

Liu Bai never thought about what Ying could do with it, like freezing dried fish.

"Okay, okay!"

Sakura nodded hastily. She had no desire to be a god; she'd leave that to the professionals.

Ah... thinking about it now, could it be that this is how the head of the household tricked Aponia into his hands?

"... I always feel like you're not thinking anything good in your eyes, and you're making fun of me again?"

"Cough, no way, you're overthinking it, sir." Sakura turned her head away guiltily.

I feel like I've really discovered something incredible.

"..."

I've definitely been framed...

Liu Bai was too lazy to expose Ying.

"Speaking of which, are you planning to bring Sakura and Rin along?"

"Well, they look so much like me and Rin. Sakura, would you like to learn swordsmanship from me?"

"Can I... can I learn Fox God's swordsmanship...?"

"Of course you can learn it, but I'm not the Fox God, the one next to me is the 'god'... Of course, don't tell outsiders about this." Sakura casually shifted the blame and flattered him.

"Then, is the Fox God the wife of the Lord God?"

Yae Sakura has also let loose, or rather, it's inevitable that a young girl has a strong sense of curiosity.

"After all, you call the deity 'Lord God' because you're the Fox God."

Although Yae Sakura is a child, she understands everything that is necessary. Those who call her "master" are either bandits or her husband and wife.

"Ahem! This, this can't be said carelessly... Well, if it's easier to understand this way, it's not impossible..." She blushed and looked away.

"Hey, where's your face?"

"Lord of the Palace! This year, this year it has been a drought for a month! Please ask the Fox God when it will rain so that we can hold our sacrifices."

The father of the Yae sisters, the former Yae Guuji, had a sorrowful expression on his face and was almost kneeling before the young man in front of him.

"Don't you know what sins you've committed?" Liu Bai replied calmly, without wavering in the slightest.

—This body is a true clay sculpture.

It is now the seventh year of the Wenzheng era, 1472, which is also the time when Rin was sacrificed in the original timeline.

Strangely enough, in Liu Bai's memory, the reign title of Wenzheng should have lasted less than two years, and the reign title was changed in April of the following year...

Incidentally, this change of era name was also known as the Bunsei Coup, and the next one was Ōnin. Along with the change of era name, the Ōnin War, which occurred at the same time, marked the beginning of Japan's Sengoku period.

Yes, that was the era when Oda Nobunaga and others were active. Of course, it's still almost a hundred years away from that time.

But now Wenzheng has been around for seven years...

"I...we..." Yae's father's expression froze.

Just kidding, the sins he's committed are too numerous to count.

"We can be human sacrifices! We can offer young boys and girls as sacrifices!"

"If I say one more thing, it's not as simple as just a severe drought."

Liu Bai's face turned cold.

"I've calculated it. You have more than enough grain reserves, and the wells in the village that have been dug in recent years still have water. If the distribution is even, you can easily get through this year. Now get out of here."

Yae's father left with a sorrowful expression.

He truly didn't have the guts to lay a hand on this new chief priest.

After all, the fact that this new company emerged from the ground was not unfamiliar to the villagers. When they went to the shrine, they would ring the bell, and the chief priest would pop out of the ground.

That's clearly a monster! Who would dare to lay a hand on it!

Moreover, this matter has not yet reached a life-or-death stage.

The village has indeed stored grain over the years, since no one collects taxes and the stored grain is indeed sufficient.

As for the wells, they were all dug over the years under the direction of the palace master. Otherwise, since there is a river next to the village, there would be no need to dig any wells.

Lord Miyaji is practically a prophet...

Wait, prophetic?

Could it be that the Fox God had already decided to punish the village? And the well was a test?

If the distribution is equal, we will regain favor; if not...

Yae's father shivered.

Well, Liu Bai's meaning was completely misinterpreted. Although drilling wells was indeed a backup plan for drought prevention, well... well, punishment and all that was just an excuse.

Simply to find a reason not to let the people of Yae Village expose Sakura's charade, and incidentally, to give off a sense of divine power.

Test? Test my ass! Who has the time to test you?

Ever since they learned that Yae Village had the custom of performing human sacrifices in the event of natural disasters, even knowing that this was due to feudal ignorance, it didn't stop Liu Bai and Ying from having a bad impression of Yae Village.

Rin's sacrifice was the same. The reason for sacrificing Rin was simple: the last sacrifice was not a virgin, so this time a virgin of the priestess bloodline was sacrificed again.

Then... well, the black box in the current timeline is in Europe, but the black box in the original timeline is in Yae Village, right where Rin and Rin are facing off. Rin is dead, so the whole mess of the Honkai is crystal clear.

However, this matter is a bit strange. The box containing the bell is no longer in Yae Village, but Yae Village still encountered a severe drought. Could it be that the drought is actually a normal weather phenomenon?

Liu Bai stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Guess who I am~

While he was pondering, Liu Bai's eyes were covered.

"It was Rin who spoke, and Sakura who blindfolded me."

After Liu Bai finished speaking, the hand covering Liu Bai's eyes was removed.

"Hey... how did God Brother find out?"

Liu Bai turned around. Rin looked sullen, while Yae Sakura looked slightly embarrassed.

"I just think you wouldn't be stupid enough to try and fool me with your undisguised voice."

"Sister, brother praised me for being smart!" Rin said proudly.

"He's not exactly smart either."

Liu Bai reached out and flicked Lin's forehead.

Ever since this girl recovered, she's become more and more outgoing... well, more and more like Rin.

However, Ling's is pure jumping, while this girl's is more like a compensatory jumping style.

"Ah... I'm sorry, it was Rin who insisted on playing."

Yae Sakura has also grown into a graceful young lady.

Yes, you can already tell that she and Sakura are cut from the same mold.

This incident surprised many villagers, including their father, but no one thought too much about it. At most, they thought, "What a coincidence! No wonder the Fox God chose her as the priestess."

However, for Liu Bai, not being able to see the ears always felt like something was missing.

"Um... Lord God, did my father say anything when he came just now?" Yae Sakura, somewhat concerned.

As she grew older, Yae Sakura became increasingly aware that her father was no kind of person.

"It's nothing, just some weather stuff. Don't worry, your father's methods are nothing special."

Chapter 532 The True Mirror

Liu Bai is not afraid of anyone causing trouble; in fact, he is afraid that no one will cause trouble.

If the purpose of this simulation was simply to save the Sakura and Rin sisters, then this simulation will essentially be over after today.

After all, these days, as long as Liu Bai doesn't cause any trouble, this small place in the Far East is indeed fine.

If no one steps in to intervene, Liu Bai really feels something is wrong...

Even if someone jumped, given Sakura's combat strength, it would only take two strikes to kill them.

Humans are just like that.

"Don't worry, with Dad's skill level, how could he possibly beat my brother?"

Rin looked completely unconcerned.