Without paying attention to what had happened, Shusui rushed out of Heian-kyo and ran towards Fuxi Mountain in the suburbs.
She was very worried about her baby.
After crossing a mountain and entering a familiar valley, Qiu Shui stood frozen in front of the Yin-Yang Hall. The majestic poplar grove that had always accompanied them at the entrance was gone...
The button kept knocking on the dormitory door, and after a long time, a wary voice came from inside.
"who?"
It's a Zashiki-warashi!
"It's me, your father!"
Qiu Shui said anxiously, eager to know how they were doing.
After a moment of silence inside the door, the door slowly opened a crack, and the Zashiki-warashi's wary gaze fell upon her.
"May I have your name?"
Hearing this, Qiu Shui felt a sharp pain in her heart. "Qiu Shui, it's me, Qiu Shui! Open the door and let me in!"
There was silence inside the door for a while, then familiar footsteps approached from afar.
Who's at the door?
A shikigami asked.
The Zashiki-warashi remained silent.
"Is that your father?"
The voice of the hair-eating ghost came with surprise. A few seconds later, the dormitory door was opened, and the ghost looked at her with surprise, but suddenly her eyes reddened.
"Father, you're finally back... I thought I'd never see you again..."
His expression was sorrowful.
"Let's talk inside!"
Jue walked over with him, glanced around a few times, and let Qiushui in.
Upon entering the courtyard, Qiu Shui first looked for a familiar figure.
The big tree in the courtyard is still there, but the demon musician beneath it is gone. The little butterfly spirit sits on the treetop looking down, and the Jiao Tu (a mythical creature) spins quietly in the lake...
Half of the shikigami have disappeared!
Qiu Shui's heart sank. "Ghost, where is the Snow Woman?" she asked nervously, looking at the Hair-Eating Ghost.
The hair-eating demon's pipe fell limply to his side, and he murmured, "My sister is gone..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the empty room on the second floor, where a basket hung, and the Snow Woman's clothes were still there...
Scenes flashed before his eyes, and he squatted down as if his body was falling apart, covering his face with his hands and crying bitterly. Qiu Shui stared at him blankly, then turned to look at Jue.
"Satori, where is the Snow Woman?"
Jue didn't say anything, and Dahei walked over to him to comfort him.
Where is everyone?
Jue raised his head, sighed deeply, and counted on his fingers, "One, two, three... there are only seventeen shikigami left in the guild."
After she finished speaking, she pointed them out to Qiu Shui one by one.
"There's still me, Oni, Zashiki-warashi, Futakuchi-onna, Ichimokuren, Jumpy Brother, Youko, Menreiki, Ibaraki-dōji, Ara, and..."
"No, no, Huang is gone."
The little butterfly spirit said from the tree.
Qiu Shui stared at her blankly.
The little butterfly continued counting.
"Judge, Jiao Tu, Kosode no Te, Ibaraki-doji, Onikiri, Higanbana, and one more... Oh right, it's Arakawa."
She said in a low voice.
"Where are the others?"
"Yingcao went to the market to buy things needed for the monastery, but never came back. Guhuoniao went mad for some reason, and Xue Tongzi and the others left the Yin-Yang Bureau alone. We blocked the gate but couldn't persuade them to stay."
Futakuchi-onna said sadly.
"Where are the others?"
Qiu Shui asked numbly.
The hair-eating demon stood up, forcing himself to speak, "Father, it's best if you don't know about them. Butterfly spirit, please don't tell the adults..."
The little butterfly fairy on the tree lowered its head.
She looked down at the tree, where the sorcerer and the enchanter used to be.
The beautiful enchanting musician would always set up a table there, place a beautiful zither there, and play tunes she couldn't understand.
The old sorcerer would scoop the brewed honey into jars, spoonful by spoonful, and hand it over to Sister Yingcao to make delicious pastries.
They're all gone now...
They'll never come back!
Suddenly realizing what was happening, the little butterfly spirit emerged from the dream, tears the size of pearls streaming down her face.
After standing in the courtyard for a while, Qiu Shui sat down in her usual spot, and Da Hei sat down next to her after comforting Gui Gui.
Countless deep cuts were etched on his forehead and cheeks. When Qiu Shui wiped them with the leaves left by the firefly grass, his muscles twitched from the pain.
"How did it get like this?"
Qiu Shui's voice trembled.
"That day I went back to chase after Tamamo-no-Mae and Ibaraki-Douji, but I was still too weak to stop those madmen."
Gui Shi Hei sighed.
"Xiaobai would be heartbroken to see me like this. Thank goodness he disappeared before I came back."
He looked at the ground and murmured.
Where is Ibaraki?
Qiu Shui asked blankly.
"Ibaraki was injured by those NPCs while protecting Yuki-onna." Oni-shiki closed his eyes, seemingly recalling that day.
"Protect the Snow Woman? Why should we protect the Snow Woman? She's very powerful..."
Qiu Shui asked blankly.
Yuki-onna is everyone's older sister, her first shikigami, her motivation for exploring Heian-kyo, her everything, and her most beloved child. How could she need protection?
"Father!"
Gui Shi Hei called her softly, placing his hand on her arm. "That woman deliberately bumped into me. The Snow Woman struggled desperately, but the NPCs waved their hands, and she disappeared."
"Disappeared..."
Qiu Shui repeated herself, then stood up and walked upstairs to the second floor. The first room on the left belonged to Xue Nu.
She pushed open the door, where an old hammock sat in the room, the wardrobe was empty, and the table was covered in dust.
Walking to the place where the Snow Woman usually sat, she found an account book, opened the yellowed pages and neatly bound folders, and found the Snow Woman's notes inside.
[A little brother came today, a hair-eating demon. He ate two baskets of fruit, and it cost two hundred gold coins to buy his clothes.]
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