What Happened Four Years Ago

"Divine Lord..."

The woman in the memory, wearing a pink kimono like a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, bowed deeply to Xu Yanwu.

"My daughters, Sakura and Rin... I entrust them to you."

"Yae, the blood sacrifice in your village isn't real."

Although Xu Yanwu's voice was calm, if one listened closely, a slight tremor could be detected.

"I don't need your blood sacrifice, nor do I need you to offer your hearts. I don't need you to appease any god's wrath with the lives of your miko... The other god you worship doesn't even exist..."

Xu Yanwu's face, devoid of expression due to his lack of emotions, now had two streams of tears flowing down.

"Yae, promise me, leave..."

"You are very strong now. Pick up your 'Kite Bird' and leave this village. The world is vast, and there's nowhere you can't go. No one in your village can stop you."

"You don't have to give your life away based on the words of those people..."

The woman shook her head and smiled.

"Divine Lord, I am truly grateful. You taught me so much and told me so many stories..."

"But... I can't leave anymore."

The woman extended her hand. Although she was a soul, the injuries sustained in reality still manifested in her soul form.

And now, on the woman's wrist, was a horrifying, grotesque wound.

"I was poisoned before, and now my tendons have been severed. The only reason I can still stand here is because I am a soul."

"..."

Xu Yanwu remained silent, his thoughts unknown, but his expression was exceptionally grim.

"Divine Lord, even though you always say you have no emotions now," the woman said, smiling at Xu Yanwu without sadness for her own plight, "I can always see what you're thinking."

"...You protected them before."

"...You did many things for them."

"You don't owe them anything; they owe you too much... Why would they offer you as a blood sacrifice? You should hate them... But why are you still smiling..."

Xu Yanwu's voice grew softer and softer, until it was barely audible at the end.

Xu Yanwu vaguely remembered that many years ago, a little crazy girl had escaped from his clone, rolled down a hillside, and landed on him.

And then... she began learning swordsmanship with him.

With no way to interact with reality now, she was the only one who had accompanied him through those past years...

He had watched her grow up, get married, and have a daughter...

But now, those villagers wanted to offer her as a blood sacrifice to him, this god, for the absurd reason of appeasing his anger?

"Divine Lord, please don't hate those villagers..."

The woman said, "Actually... they had no choice. If there's no rain, the crops in the fields will wither and die. They could only do this to..."

"They don't understand, but don't you understand either?"

Xu Yanwu interrupted her. "That kind of blood sacrifice... is just for show! Blood sacrifice... Do you know how many innocent girls' hearts have been stuffed into my chest by those ignorant fools over these hundreds of years!"

Xu Yanwu tore open his upper garment, revealing a horrific void in his chest. Within that void, faint, hoarse roars could be heard, and even the woman could see solidified black energy.

"They all would have had beautiful lives, could have found a suitable husband with peace of mind... and lived happy, fulfilling lives... But!"

Xu Yanwu clutched the void in his chest.

"Their hearts were dug out and stuffed into my chest..."

"Their bodies were buried underground, silently rotting... Who do you think they hate?"

"They hate the injustice of me, their god, they hate the people who forcibly made them sacrifices... they hate this crazy world."

The woman fell silent. How could she not know this? But...

What could she do to stop it?

Xu Yanwu wanted to continue speaking, but upon seeing the wounds on the woman's wrist, he opened his mouth and was unable to say anything.

"...You, you are just a foolish girl!"

After a long silence, Xu Yanwu flicked his sleeve and left the woman's presence, leaving her in silence.

After a long while, the woman heard a sentence thrown in from outside.

"What you said before... about your daughters, I will take good care of them. At least I will do my best to ensure they don't walk the same path as you."

Upon hearing this, the woman's face immediately showed surprise and joy. She knelt on the ground and bowed deeply in the direction Xu Yanwu had left.

"Thank you, Divine Lord... Them... I entrust them to you."

...The evening of the next day...

In a room within the Yae Shrine, two little girls, about two years old, were sleeping soundly.

Beside the two little girls, Xu Yanwu sat, watching their sleeping faces.

"Sakura… Rin…"

Xu Yanwu pointed at the two little girls, slowly pronouncing their names.

"You two look so much like her."

"It's a shame… she today…"

A faint sigh echoed in the room, followed by a self-muttering voice.

"After all… should I go see her one last time?"

At the village altar, the villagers were busy with preparations, while the woman was already kneeling in the center of the altar.

There was no resistance, no crying out, she simply knelt there.

"Divine Lord, we offer our faith here. Please drive away the demons for us and bless our village with favorable weather!"

Looking at the villagers kneeling towards his body, which had been moved to the altar, Xu Yanwu, floating in the sky, could only feel… ridiculous.

But he was powerless to stop it from happening.

When the person holding the knife approached the woman, her gaze turned towards the sky—towards Xu Yanwu, a smile on her face.

This was only discovered after Xu Yanwu met her gaze.

At the very last moment of her life, she had indeed seen the soul-departed Xu Yanwu.

————Four Years Later————

"Divine Lord! Wake up!"

"Bad god! We're here now!"

"Hmm?" Hearing the chirping noise from his left and right, Xu Yanwu, somewhat dazed, emerged from his body and saw the two little girls, Yae Sakura and Yae Rin, surrounding him.

"Honestly, you don't even pay attention to us… you just sleep…" Yae Sakura complained with a pout.

"…I need to rest too, you know?"

"Divine Lord! You promised to tell us about our mother today! You can't go back on your word!" Yae Rin said coquettishly.

Xu Yanwu looked at the hopeful expressions on their faces, thought for a moment, then took a little girl by each hand and started telling the story as they walked towards the sword practice area.

"That was a very long time ago… Your mother, at that time… suddenly…"