The Order of Night and Day

In truth, as spirits and yokai possessing a trace of divinity, wild gods were quite powerful—at least significantly above the level of an average yokai. However, this strength was strictly limited by geography. A wild god only received bonuses from faith and divinity within their "core territory," the area where their faith was concentrated and their believers were numerous. Once they left their land of faith, they would revert to being ordinary yokai or spirits, their strength greatly diminished. Consequently, many Shugenja referred to wild gods as land gods. In contrast, while orthodox gods were also affected by the regional nature of faith, their inherent abilities were overwhelmingly powerful, making such influences relatively insignificant to them.

Thus, for Enokoneko, traveling a thousand miles from his place of faith in Echizen to Heian-kyo was an extremely dangerous endeavor. Having lost his wild god powers, he had to protect himself at all times; otherwise, he could easily become a choice morsel for a powerful yokai. Indeed, rumors circulated among yokai that the flesh of a wild god was exceptionally delicious.

This was exactly why Enokoneko had tried so hard to avoid Makoto and Nura Rihyon. He never expected that not only would he fail to hide, but he would also be dragged along to meet the Yokai Lord who governed the entire Kinki region and the surrounding demon realms. His heart was in his throat, and he looked as if he were on the verge of tears, though he didn't dare cry for fear of provoking the two clearly powerful yokai before him.

And so, Enokoneko kept his mouth shut, trembling with fear as Nura Rihyon escorted him onward. Meanwhile, back at the spot where the "beast" had been incinerated, Makoto prepared to take to the sky to follow Nura Rihyon. However, something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head and focused; her sharp Demon Bird's Eyes scanned the spot where the beast had self-combusted, landing on the faintly scorched grass.

Makoto extended her sharp talons and rummaged through the grass. Finally, from among the singed weeds, she pinched a small object. Upon closer inspection, it was a corner of yellow paper that had not yet finished burning.

Staring at the tiny scrap of yellow paper in her hand, Makoto’s brow furrowed slightly. She quickly stowed it away and flew from the scene.

Some time after Makoto and Nura Rihyon had departed, the ground where the blue flames had burned—land once covered by ash and weeds—began to shift. It suddenly burst open, and the "beast" shrouded in purple-black smoke crawled out from beneath the earth. After scanning the empty surroundings, it swiftly sprinted away.

...

The sun set and the moon rose; stars filled the sky as night descended upon Heian-kyo once more. With the waning of yang and the waxing of yin, the time of humans had ended, and the hour of yokai had arrived.

As Heian-kyo grew quiet in the darkness, the Ghost Market within the demon realm became bustling and prosperous. The most flourishing Ghost Market around Heian-kyo was undoubtedly Choyo-machi, built along the banks of a tributary of the Kamo River.

As the lanterns were lit, the area became a cacophony of noise. Along the riverbanks where a cool breeze blew, rows of various buildings expanded in an orderly fashion from the river's center, with neat streets interspersed between them. On the banks and along the streets, all the shops were open for business. Bizarre creatures of all kinds moved to and fro, and countless lanterns were suspended in neat rows above the market. For nearly ten miles, the area was brightly lit—a magnificent and lively spectacle.

"It's... it's so big, so grand... Is... is this the Ghost Market of Heian-kyo?!" Standing on a small hill at the edge of Choyo-machi, Enokoneko stared with his mouth agape, unable to find words. The prosperity and scale of the market before him far exceeded his understanding of what a Ghost Market could be.

Compared to humans, yokai were naturally less social and generally solitary, living alone or in small groups of their own kind. Even when a small number of yokai lived together to form a Ghost Market, the scale was never very large—at most the size of a human village. That was what Enokoneko had seen in Echizen. However, the scene before him completely overturned his perception. This Ghost Market, built along the river, was massive, far exceeding any ordinary yokai market—it was even larger than many human towns!

Such a Ghost Market was an absolute marvel within the demon realms of Japan!

"Ha! Staring, aren't you, little wild god from Echizen? This is Choyo-machi. Just as Heian-kyo is the largest city in the human realm of this country, this is the largest Ghost Market in the demon realm," Nura Rihyon said with a laugh, his expression clearly boastful. Amidst his shocked stupor, Enokoneko slowly spoke again.

"No way... how can a Ghost Market be this big? Is it... is it okay for so many yokai to gather in one place? How was this market even built to this scale?" As he spoke, Enokoneko's body trembled slightly; he was clearly intimidated by the dense, soaring demonic energy before him.

"Of course nothing will happen. What idiot would dare challenge the order established by the Great General?" Nura Rihyon said leisurely, his smile remaining.

"Choyo-machi wasn't always this big. Originally, there was only a single row of buildings on either side of the river. But after the Great General took over the Heian-kyo demon realm and released thousands of yokai from the Onmyoji's jails, everything changed..." Nura Rihyon said in a reminiscent tone. He then led the still-stunned Enokoneko down the hill and into the streets of Choyo-machi.

Nura Rihyon escorted Enokoneko along the riverbank where the breeze blew. Various yokai passing by would almost always greet Nura Rihyon with a respectful bow, and Nura Rihyon would respond with a calm, smiling nod. This showed Enokoneko that his captor seemed to hold considerable prestige here. To avoid being suddenly snatched away by a passing yokai, Enokoneko huddled as close to Nura Rihyon as possible, warily watching everything around him.

"Kappa... Yamawaro... Oni... Yurei... there are so many yokai. It's like a Night Parade is happening at every moment... If there were humans inside... Huh? Humans!" In his astonishment, Enokoneko suddenly noticed that among the crowds of yokai, human figures with no demonic energy would occasionally appear. Some were young nobles accompanied by samurai, some were Onmyoji in kariginu, some were mystics from the mountains in strange attire, and some were traveling merchants carrying large crates... No matter who they were, they all walked among the yokai with casual expressions, and the surrounding yokai seemed perfectly accustomed to it.

"Wait, why are there humans mixed into the Ghost Market? There are Onmyoji, sorcerers, merchants... and even human nobles?!" Seeing this, Enokoneko finally couldn't help but blurt out his question.

"Because the Ghost Market has what they want, of course. For instance, most of those Onmyoji and sorcerers are here to find materials for their spells or to contract shikigami. Dual-realm traders move between Heian-kyo and this place to resell goods. As for those noble playboys, well, hehe... they're here for fun, naturally. You have to understand, there's a curfew in Heian-kyo at night. Some wealthy humans get bored out of their minds and want a place to indulge themselves. The various female yokai in the Hanamachi are quite a thrill for them," Nura Rihyon said, shrugging his shoulders with a look of slight eagerness in his eyes.

"B-but aren't these humans afraid? Isn't the Ghost Market dangerous for them?"

"As long as they don't wander off into some dark corner, there's no problem. No one would dare challenge the night order of Heian-kyo here in Choyo-machi..."

"The Night... Order..."

"That is the order created by the Great General. Correspondingly, the three great Onmyoji in the Onmyoryo created the day order. Under that order, even yokai can move directly within Heian-kyo during the day. It's quite wonderful, isn't it? This is a sight you'll only see in Heian-kyo," Nura Rihyon said slowly with a smile and a hint of pride. Enokoneko, who had been subjected to one surprise after another, stood with his mouth open, murmuring to himself.

"Humans and yokai... they can actually operate in each other's domains? This is... truly unbelievable..."

"Hahaha! For you country yokai and wild gods, there are many unbelievable things here. But now isn't the time for sentiment. Hurry up, we're almost there."

As he spoke, Nura Rihyon pointed ahead. There, on the street along the riverbank, stood a five-story building with an exaggerated decorative style. Two massive maneki-neko statues stood by the wide entrance. Oversized decorations in the shapes of fish, copper coins, and gold koban were crudely but directly plastered onto the building. A large sign held up by two carved cat paws bore the words "Cat Izakaya" in bold characters. The entire building gave off a vibe that was both tacky to the point of being crude, yet radiating an air of overwhelming wealth.