On his first day in this era, Sū ěr had spent considerable time in the library poring over books related to mythology—from Izanagi to Amaterasu, down to the Izumo and Yamato states of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. However, the era Sū ěr had personally experienced was represented by only a few scattered, vague sentences. In less than three lines, the records skipped directly to the "Age of Men."
To be honest, Sū ěr wasn't surprised by these records. It was all too common for myths passed down by humans to have gaps, or to be twisted according to the whims of those in power.
Take, for example, Han Gaozu, Liu Bang, across the sea thousands of years ago. When he was driven back to Guanzhong by Xiang Yu, he lay in the old Qin palace and asked his subordinates about the gods the Qin worshipped. His subordinates replied that the Qin sacrificed to the Emperors of the Four Directions: Green, White, Red, and Yellow. Bang-ge [Brother Bang] then slapped his head and said he remembered there being five—including a "Black Emperor." In reality, everyone knows Bang-ge's level of education, but he went ahead and built a temple to sacrifice to the Black Emperor anyway.
After he founded the dynasty, the Black Emperor's status skyrocketed, and China gained another god. But we won't go into those details here.
In short, because he knew history so well, Sū ěr hadn't held much hope from the start. His search had been purely for peace of mind.
Furthermore, Japan didn't have true historical records of its own. Along with its myths and youkai legends, this aspect of their culture was only compiled and organized after the "Black Ships" opened the country. Naturally, it was influenced by foreign legends and cultures. One could clearly see external traces in many of the stories.
If one truly wanted to trace history, the accounts of youkai—who had long lives and never formed independent, rotating political entities—were far more credible. Their vast lifespans guaranteed that knowledge wouldn't be lost.
Finding an "old youkai" among a crowd of youkai so young they didn't even have wrinkles was remarkably easy. Just as he entered the inner courtyard of the main house, Sū ěr saw a youkai so ancient his body seemed to have shrunken in on itself. He was sitting by the edge of a pond, quietly holding a cup of hot tea.
He wore a black kimono with a brown haori [traditional coat]. Though he was so old his bones seemed to have compressed, his back wasn't hunched like a normal old man's; it was ramrod straight. His triangular eyes—unchanged by the aging of his flesh—retained a sharp, piercing quality. He lacked the typical serenity of the elderly.
"If you just reach out and touch him, you're definitely going to be noticed, right?" Think couldn't help but comment, watching Sū ěr cautious, hovering movements with a deadpan expression.
"...I'm just a little curious," Sū ěr said sheepishly, withdrawing his hand.
He couldn't help it. The back of this old youkai's head was just too enticing. It looked like someone had taken a human character model and pulled the back of the skull out by half a meter. What a long back-of-the-head!
Not to mention, because he was so old, he had long since lost all his hair. Right now, it looked so smooth and bald it was basically a French baguette.
"What kind of youkai is this? Did a back-of-the-head gain sentience and become a spirit?" Sū ěr chuckled, circling the old youkai a few times.
"Probably just what some youkai looks like when it gets old," Think laughed softly.
"Hmm? Is there a breeze?" Though the old youkai couldn't see or hear Sū ěr and Think, he suddenly sensed something and looked up, his wrinkled hand touching the side of his head.
"It's not the wind." Unhurriedly, Sū ěr sat down across from the old youkai, no longer hiding his form. He tilted his head and said with a smile, "Mind introducing yourself? What kind of youkai are you?"
Don!
The shishi-odoshi nearby filled with water, tipped over under the weight, and struck the stone slab with a heavy thud. It didn't feel very Zen; it was actually quite startling.
"...No, it truly was the wind." Even though the space in front of him had been empty a second ago and now held an uninvited guest, the old youkai showed no sign of panic. Instead, he grinned and held out a hand. The cherry tree overhead swayed, and a few petals spiraled down on the breeze, landing in his palm.
"I didn't expect to see you again in this era. But then again, how could a Great Youkai like you simply fade away?"
Sū ěr: "?"
He didn't quite understand, but the situation was easy enough to grasp—
"We've met before?" Sū ěr couldn't help but ask, searching his memories. But he had absolutely no recollection of this type of youkai.
"That galaxy. That well," Think reminded him immediately, her mind leaping to the most likely anomaly.
Sū ěr suddenly had an epiphany... So, we'll meet in the future? Meeting someone in the past because you saw them in the future... this temporal distortion is quite interesting.
"Of course," Nurarihyon continued, nodding, unaware of Think whisper. "Back when I was just a minor youkai with meager power, you and the Youkai Sage Yakumo Yukari were active across this land. In fact, even now, your legends are preserved in youkai villages; they're often told to the children."
Whoa.
Sū ěr raised his eyebrows, suddenly feeling a surge of excitement. Who could resist the feeling of having their own stories sung by others? Especially since those were things even he didn't know. His curiosity hit an all-time high. But before he heard the details...
"Mind introducing yourself?" Though phrased as a question, it was a command. Sū ěr tapped his index finger on the table in front of the old youkai, creating a crisp clack. "And tell me how we met."
"..."
"I really can't hide anything from you. Just like back then, you see through everything," the old youkai suddenly said with a wry smile. He picked up his tea and took a sip, appearing to relax.
When Sū ěr asked that question, he realized Sū ěr seemed to be missing part of his memory. But even before that, Sū ěr had detected the youki within this self-proclaimed old acquaintance suddenly surge.
It wasn't a reflexive defense triggered by a sudden stranger. When the old youkai had naturally greeted Sū ěr and spoken of their past, that youki showed no sign of cooling down.
On the contrary, he was becoming more vigilant, maintaining a hair-trigger state. This wariness was different from any normal alertness.
Sū ěr didn't know what his future self had done in the past, but he was certain of one thing: his relationship with this old youkai was definitely not just "acquaintances" or a "chance meeting."