Arataki Itto: Can I really be blamed for this? I don't know all the characters, but I know most of the common ones. However, this seemingly convoluted incantation is just too difficult for me.
A few minutes later, Arataki Itto finally finished reciting the incantation. The scroll-like painting behind him, resembling rippling water, suddenly surged. Countless black wisps of smoke emerged, swirling rapidly around Arataki Itto before shooting into his body with a 'whoosh.'
"Hohohoho... I've waited so long, you finally arrived. Though this vessel for my descent is truly disappointing. If I hadn't come out on my own, it would be a ghost of a chance he could summon me!"
Arataki Itto's demeanor changed drastically. His pupils turned an inky black, and he looked at the two people before him, letting out hearty laughter.
This was the successful possession of Yuraku-sai's spirit.
While Yuraku-sai was happy to see his old friend, he still had to voice his complaints about the vessel chosen for his descent. It was truly subpar.
This wasn't to say Arataki Itto's body was weak. On the contrary, as an Oni, coupled with his constant physical activity, his body was unbelievably robust and incredibly resilient!
It was just...
This fellow's pitiful intelligence was utterly incongruous with his identity as a supremely clever and exceptionally intelligent connoisseur.
"Alas, it's good enough to have something to work with. Where else would I find such a perfect vessel for spirit descent? Easy for you to say, you're sitting here comfortably. Have some tea, have some tea..."
Feng Yi pulled out a tea table and tea set from the Serenitea Pot, placed it in the center of the room, and invited Yuraku-sai to have tea.
One couldn't just brag without having tea; wouldn't their mouths get dry?
"Sigh, after parting ways in those days, I never imagined we'd meet again in this manner. How I miss the lively Hyakumonogatari gatherings of yesteryear..."
Yuraku-sai accepted the tea offered by Feng Yi and sighed, reminiscing about the bustling times when all his friends were present.
Back then, Tengu soared across the skies, and Oni roamed the battlefields; Tanuki were seen in the fields, and Fox Spirits walked among humans.
Beneath the grand banner of Narukami, the Yokai, with their inconceivable power, aided humanity in overcoming the era of primitive agriculture and arduous journeys.
They built cities by mountains and by the sea, thus Inazuma was established.
Among the Yokai, the "Bai Chen Fox King lineage" was particularly noble, producing great Yokai generation after generation, leaving countless legends in the human world.
When the Yokai occasionally gathered for drinks, they would inevitably boast about new legends they had recently created.
What was said after drinking often deviated from the truth, but no Yokai minded, seeking only for the stories to be interesting and pleasant to hear.
Over time, this evolved into the "Hyakumonogatari Gathering."
At that time, Yuraku-sai would raise his cup and speak grandly, captivating all the Yokai, even causing the Fox Sakaki-mi, who hosted the banquet, to close her eyes and smile.
Only the young fox-form Shogun, always clinging to Fox Sakaki-mi's shoulder, would persistently point out flaws in Yuraku-sai's stories.
However, Yuraku-sai, being an astute and refined scholar, would simply stroke his beard and skillfully adjust his narrative.
Yet, the Shogun would always find new discrepancies. This cycle continued until the esteemed Sakaki-mi would laugh and urge them to stop: the audience was eager to hear the next story.
After several rounds of drinks and stories, the banquet was filled with Yokai too intoxicated to articulate coherent sentences.
The Yokai then dispensed with verbal arguments and simply used their powers to ascend into the air, competing to see who could darken the sky and achieve victory. This was the "Moonless Night, Hundred Demon Parade."
But after the great calamity five hundred years ago, the Yokai who once drank with him had vanished into war and history, and their surviving bloodlines had become increasingly sparse.
From then on, the "Hundred Demon Parade" became a legend of "a long, long time ago."
Five hundred years had passed, and the little fox who always found fault in his stories had transformed into a Yokai of profound cultivation.
Yet, Feng Yi became even more inscrutable to him. Feng Yi's power in the past five hundred years was unfathomable. Yuraku-sai still remembered Feng Yi's terrifying aura as she effortlessly annihilated demon remnants with a single finger.
How was it that after five hundred years, her strength had diminished? However, the mist shrouding her destiny remained as thick as ever.
Could it be true, as Lady Fox Sakaki-mi had speculated, that Feng Yi had returned to the past by traversing the river of time?
Yuraku-sai smiled and shook his head. With things as they were now, dwelling on what-ifs was meaningless. It was better to cherish this rare reunion and enjoy the tea.
"Life is like this. The opportunity to see each other again is already a luxury. Speaking of which, the 'True Spirit Summoning Notes' you wrote recently topped the bestseller list, outperforming light novels from Yae Publishing House, forcing even the Shogun to retreat. Yuraku-sai, you truly are something!"
Feng Yi winked at Yuraku-sai, teasing him and Yae Miko simultaneously.
"Hohohoho... It was merely something I did casually, a mere trifle of my doing..."
Yuraku-sai glanced at Yae Miko, who was seated opposite him. Although the little fox was trying to conceal it well, he had caught the momentary flicker of unnatural expression on her face. He couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Back then, when he told stories, the little fox always debunked his claims, which annoyed him greatly. Now that he had the chance to humble the little fox, it was a way of letting out some pent-up frustration.
Yuraku-sai's mood instantly brightened, and he nonchalantly dropped a humblebrag, which immediately earned him a roll of the eyes from the little fox.
Due to the Sacred Sakura's roots being damaged by the voracious beasts known as the Canine Hunter a while back, Yuraku-sai had the opportunity to emerge and linger near the roots. It was then that he suddenly heard someone exclaim, "Whoever it is, please let me write a great novel!"
On a whim, he entered that person's body and wrote a novel for them.
As for the spirit-summoning incantations in 'True Spirit Summoning Notes,' Yuraku-sai had created them to accommodate the less powerful minor Yokai. They had died defending Inazuma during the calamity five hundred years ago, and their residual spiritual energy was insufficient to possess ordinary people.
With the spirit-summoning incantations, these minor Yokai's souls, including those of human heroes who fought and died defending Inazuma, had a chance to linger in this world for a few more days, and those with itchy hands could show off their skills...
Regarding the trouble caused to those who were possessed, Yuraku-sai believed it was merely the sadness they felt when their dreams were shattered, perhaps a slight fever, but nothing major.
Besides, as humans, if they don't change their own destiny with their own hands, constantly wishing for windfalls, seeking external help, and lacking initiative, a little lesson is deserved.
If these individuals could truly awaken afterward, Yuraku-sai felt he would have done a good deed.
These were the primary reasons. As for overshadowing the little fox's bestselling novel and humbling her, that was, for Yuraku-sai, an unexpected delight...