Transformation

Looking at Miketsu before him, Ichimokuren's eyes lit up. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he spoke directly to her.

“Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto, if you wish for me to expend my faith to help you, it is not impossible. However, before that, you must first do me a favor.”

“A favor for you? Is it concerning the Shinigami of the Underworld?” Miketsu asked directly, looking at Ichimokuren, who nodded in reply.

“Precisely. I need you to protect a young girl named Xun from the Shinigami. Due to Yamakaze, the Forest King, she transformed into a Yokai and exceeded her lifespan. Now, the Shinigami from the Underworld have come to claim her life.”

“Shinigami claiming lives…” Miketsu murmured. As an Onmyo Taiyu who had spent over a decade in the Onmyoryo, she naturally understood what Shinigami claiming lives entailed. It was the Underworld's act of reaping those who had prolonged their expected lifespans through various means.

All mortals in the world have their own destiny; their birth, old age, sickness, and death are all preordained in the unseen. Each mortal's lifespan is recorded in the Judges' Book of Life and Death, and at the appointed time, they will live or die according to predetermined causality.

However, the world is unpredictable, and the lifespans set in the Book of Life and Death are not always accurate. There are many anomalous powers in this world that can disrupt the rules of the Book of Life and Death. For instance, mortals who encounter Yokai, spirits, or divine wrath may very well die before their allotted lifespan, becoming Wangsi Gui. Such spirits, if they remain in the living world, have a high chance of becoming vengeful spirits, creating more wrongfully dead. Even if successfully guided to the Underworld, they cannot be judged, but are instead confined to the Wangsi Cheng until their natural lifespan is exhausted, after which they are sent to Yama's Palace.

Conversely, there are those who use various methods to live beyond their expected lifespans, such as cultivation, elixirs, or transforming into Yokai. Regardless of the method, they violate the laws of life and death, and the Underworld will not stand idly by. Once such individuals who defy life and death appear, the Yamas immediately dispatch Shinigami to claim their lives, returning them to the normal cycle of rebirth.

These were all things Miketsu had read about in the Onmyoryo's archives, but she had once doubted their veracity. The reason was simple: she knew an existence who completely disregarded the principles of Yin and Yang, dancing on the coffin lid of the rule 'life and death are predetermined'—Fujiwara no Mokou.

Miketsu had once asked Mokou about Shinigami claiming lives, and Mokou had directly stated that she had never seen any Shinigami come to bother her. Miketsu had thus doubted whether such a thing as Shinigami claiming lives truly existed, until Eirin's appearance explained the source of their immortality. Miketsu then realized that perhaps the Underworld didn't not want to interfere with them, but rather couldn't. The Hourai Elixir that granted Mokou and others immortality was created by Omoikane-no-Mikoto using the power of the ancient god Chang'e, so perhaps the Underworld was eighty percent unable to interfere with them.

And it seemed that this was indeed the case today; those who transformed into Yokai without the influence of ancient divine power were immediately sought out by Shinigami.

“Alright… I can help you, but I first need to understand what exactly happened with this Xun…” Miketsu said directly, looking at Ichimokuren, who nodded.

“Very well. But there's no time to lose; let's go to Xun's location first. I'll tell you her story on the way.”

…

Between the great mountains, on a vast expanse of grassland, a small girl with short purple hair and a purple kosode was playing joyfully. Around her, a large owl flapped its wings, sharing in her merriment. A gentle breeze swept across the serene grassland, and a bright, carefree smile bloomed on the girl's face.

At the edge of the grassland, within the dense forest, atop a towering tree, Yamakaze, the Yokai Lord of Northern Ise and Forest King, stood silently, gazing at the girl on the grass. In his mind, he recalled the scene of their first encounter.

His beast-like appearance… the girl protected behind her brother, seen through his frenzied eyes. The subsequent memory was a flash of blood…

“What? You mean Yamakaze ate Xun’s brother, and only then successfully transformed?” Miketsu asked, her brows slightly furrowed, as she flew through the sky, listening to Ichimokuren’s words.

“Yes, I presume you’ve heard of it. The former Yokai Lord Yamakaze was a habitual man-eater, an extremely ferocious Great Yokai. Although he possessed immense demonic power, his extremely low intelligence prevented him from ever transforming. He cruelly ruled this land with his gigantic true form. To protect the weak, I once fought him for over a hundred years, until… the appearance of that brother and sister…” Ichimokuren recounted, looking ahead, recalling the past.

“That brother and sister were born into a priestly clan that once worshipped me, possessing extraordinary spiritual power talent. They were a rare delicacy in the eyes of countless Yokai. Yamakaze, being a habitual man-eater, naturally set his sights on them. During a clandestine outing, the siblings encountered Yamakaze. Inexperienced in cultivation, they were no match for him. Ultimately… the brother, to protect his sister and create an opportunity for her escape, single-handedly resisted Yamakaze and was eventually devoured by him…”

Listening to Ichimokuren’s words, Yorihime beside him was slightly moved, and the God of Marriage swallowed. Miketsu, however, spoke directly.

“And then, the devoured brother influenced Yamakaze?”

“You are correct… Xun’s brother possessed spiritual power aptitude that greatly influenced Yamakaze, who had devoured him. Yamakaze’s previously low intelligence rapidly increased. After consuming Xun’s brother, Yamakaze successfully transformed that very night, taking the appearance of the person he had eaten…” Ichimokuren continued. Hearing this, Yorihime beside him grew interested.

“Could it be that the brother’s soul merged with Yamakaze? Is that why he subconsciously took his form when transforming?”

“That’s what I believe as well… Regardless, Yamakaze’s personality changed drastically after that night. He was no longer as savage and ferocious as before; instead, he was deeply confused, unsure of what to do, until Xun reappeared…” Ichimokuren continued, his words momentarily perplexing the God of Marriage.

“Eh! Why would Xun appear before Yamakaze again! That guy is clearly so dangerous!”

“She was looking for her brother. Although her clan members had explained repeatedly that her brother had been devoured by a Yokai, she simply refused to believe it. She still ran up the mountain to search, and then, she encountered Yamakaze, who had transformed into her brother’s likeness.” Ichimokuren gazed ahead, a scene from the past unfolding before his eyes.

“The transformed Yamakaze, perhaps influenced by Xun’s brother, did not attack Xun. Instead, he protected her from other Yokai. Xun, believing Yamakaze was her brother, continued to follow him. They lived together in the mountains for a long time. During this period, Yamakaze emerged from his confusion, re-evaluated himself, and returned to his position as Yokai Lord.”

“After that, Yamakaze never ate another human and even forbade his Yokai subordinates from cannibalism. This greatly displeased the originally vast number of man-eating Yokai under Yamakaze. They united and launched a massive rebellion against him.”

Hearing this, Miketsu paused slightly. As Owl, she had also issued a ban on cannibalism to the Yokai around Heian-kyo. However, due to the presence of the Onmyoryo, the Capital City Yokai themselves had no tradition of cannibalism, so the ban was implemented very smoothly, encountering almost no obstacles. But in a place like Mount Nanakaku, it was likely different. Yamakaze was originally a habitual man-eater, so one could imagine the nature of his former subordinates. The consequences of Yamakaze issuing such a ban later were predictable.

“The Yokai rebels united and attacked Yamakaze together. However, these weaklings were no match for the Yokai Lord, whose strength had further increased. Seeing that their encirclement was ineffective, the rebels used a stratagem to collapse the battlefield, burying Yamakaze and Xun underground. This burial lasted a full seven days. Seven days later, the severely injured Yamakaze dug his way out with his hands…” Ichimokuren continued, and Miketsu couldn't help but frown as she listened.

“Seven days… without food or drink, a Yokai Lord would have no problem enduring for seven days… but a human…”

“Therefore, when Xun emerged, she was no longer human…” Ichimokuren said with a sigh, looking ahead.

“To this day, we don't know what happened underground during those seven days, but when they saw the light of day again, Xun had already been transformed into a Yokai by Yamakaze…”