This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 493 - 322. Ihui Humanoid (Target of 8000 words achieved)_2

Chapter 493: Chapter 322. Ihui Humanoid (Target of 8000 words achieved)_2

The matter was settled like that.

Sanseiyuan Tenzi, revered as a good spirit, officially moved into the Hayakawa family’s home, and if she ever felt uncomfortable there, she could head straight to Beichuan Si.

As for the other matter of digging up the humanoid at the floor site,

it wasn’t actually that complicated.

Beichuan Si could take care of it.

"Where about?" Beichuan Si lifted the tatami and floorboards, exposing the ground below, with half of his body under.

"Ah... it’s just the spot you’re stepping on," said Sanseiyuan Tenzi without even thinking.

Beichuan Si didn’t rush to dig after hearing that. He just glanced at Sanseiyuan Tenzi and said calmly, "I don’t want to dig in the wrong place."

He had already lost the trust he should have in this Salty Egg.

"How could I not remember the places I rest even if I’m laid-back!" Sanseiyuan Tenzi blushed and flustered.

"Who knows?"

Beichuan Si felt that this was something only Sanseiyuan Tenzi could manage.

However, seeing the other party retreating back headfirst and heated, he stopped bothering with Sanseiyuan Tenzi and began digging with the shovel.

About ten minutes later, Beichuan Si stood at the edge of a waist-deep pit and looked at Sanseiyuan Tenzi, "Should I keep digging?"

"Keep going. It’s definitely near here."

Sanseiyuan Tenzi nodded firmly, as if confident in her memory.

Since Sanseiyuan Tenzi said so—

Beichuan Si kept quiet and continued to dig deeper.

This time, after about five minutes, the tip of Beichuan Si’s shovel hit something solid.

Oh?

Beichuan Si took another look at Sanseiyuan Tenzi.

Not bad, as much as she is a Salty Egg, she hadn’t forgotten where her humanoid was placed.

Beichuan Si set the large shovel at the edge of the pit and took out a smaller shovel and brush.

He began to brush away the dirt, estimating the size of the object and delicately sweeping downward.

Several more minutes passed, and Beichuan Si unearthed a quaint wooden box about fifteen centimeters tall from beneath the ground.

"It’s in here," Sanseiyuan Tenzi floated down and inspected the quaint wooden box closely.

It contained the humanoid left to her by her mother.

"Let’s go up and talk," Beichuan Si efficiently filled the dirt back into the pit and climbed back inside the room.

He casually covered the floorboards and laid the tatami again before looking at the wooden box in his hands.

He had swept all the dirt from the wooden box’s exterior with the brush. Although some faint yellow soil stains remained, they were insignificant.

The vertical sides of the wooden box were carved with four different scenes.

Beichuan Si observed for a while before he could barely make out the sequence of scenes.

The first scene depicted a small island.

It was a scenic island surrounded by water. The people there lived peacefully, leading a serene life.

Then came the second scene.

Something unusual happened on the island, and evil beings attacked the people.

The third scene.

It was a huge tree.

Bigger than any tree Beichuan Si remembered.

Beneath this great tree, villagers continuously worshipped.

Lastly, the fourth scene.

Humanoids.

Hundreds of humanoids were placed on an altar, with a woman standing beside them.

The woman’s face was unclear.

It seemed like the village was conducting some solemn and serious ritual.

"Beichuan?" Sanseiyuan Tenzi’s voice rose in Beichuan Si’s ear, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Are you okay? You’ve been staring at this wooden box. What’s so interesting about it? The key lies in the humanoid inside." Sanseiyuan Tenzi stretched comfortably and urged, "Hurry and get my humanoid out."

Beichuan Si wasn’t in a rush. He simply rubbed the surface of the wooden box and after a while, finally spoke, "Sanseiyuan, do you have any specific memories of these relief sculptures on the box?"

"Specific impression?" Sanseiyuan Tenzi looked puzzled, "Isn’t this just a normal box for a humanoid? What else is there to notice?"

Talking to this girl was indeed tiring.

Beichuan Si rephrased, "I mean, did you have someone make this wooden box while you were alive? Or was your humanoid always inside from the start?"

"This wooden box has always been here because it was something my mother left me, so I never moved it; I just kept it in its original place." Sanseiyuan Tenzi looked at the wooden box, a hint of nostalgia flickering in her eyes.

Although she had no specific memory of her mother’s image, her leaving the humanoid was for her sake.

In a sense, this was also a relic from her mother.

Beichuan Si flipped his palm over, standing the wooden box upright.

On the front of the wooden box, there was a strange pattern.

Branches connected to leaves curved upwards from both sides, and in the middle was the crown pattern of the tree that Beichuan Si had seen.

"What is this mark?" Sanseiyuan Tenzi leaned in and whispered quietly.

Clearly, she had no memory of it.

Beichuan Si, getting used to her behavior, played with the wooden box back and forth, observing it for a long time before confirming, "This is a Kajiwara pattern."

After the last trip to Shenzhu Village, Beichuan Si had crammed up on the local customs throughout Japan, allowing him to recognize this unusual heraldry as a Kajiwara pattern right away.

"Kajiwara pattern?" Sanseiyuan Tenzi blinked in wonder like a curious child.

"Kajiwara pattern, or the pattern of the Kaji tree, is used in the makuuchi poles at shrines, mainly used for shrine ceremonies."

Beichuan Si ran his finger over the area where the tree leaves were, "This part of the leaves represents the container for the divine offerings to the spirits."

"Oh—so, it’s like a family crest? Similar to those of the daimyo during the Sengoku period?" Sanseiyuan Tenzi suddenly realized.

"..." Beichuan Si.

Beichuan Si took another look at Sanseiyuan Tenzi and explained simply, "This is a Divine Pattern, often used in ceremonial situations, not a family crest."

Yes, the concept of a Divine Pattern was entirely different from that of a family crest.

A family crest, like the white chrysanthemum pattern used by the Magong Family, symbolizes the meaning of the ’Magong’ family.

In contrast, the Divine Pattern represented elements of Shinto ceremonies.

"However, this Kajiwara pattern has been modified."

He closely examined it.

The Kaji tree had been replaced with an unknown large tree.

This meant that the large tree was a ’Divine Tree’ worshipped by the island villagers.

Wherever there was a Kajiwara pattern, there would be shrine ceremonies.

Even if there were no shrine ceremonies, it could represent a local belief.

Beichuan Si let his mind wander—

On an overseas island, villagers worshipped the Divine Tree they believed in, stacking humanoid after humanoid on the altar, with a woman whose face was indistinct...

What did all this represent?

Beichuan Si’s expression shifted slightly, and after a long while, he disassembled the pedestal and took out the humanoid belonging to Sanseiyuan Tenzi.

The humanoid felt as heavy as an infant in his hands.

Why was it so heavy when it was stuffed only with cotton and hair?

Just as Beichuan Si was about to take a closer look, a system prompt sounded in his ear.

Ding—

’System alert: You have discovered an Ihui Humanoid.’

It had triggered a system prompt?

Beichuan Si scanned the information.

’Ihui Humanoid: Used in ancient ceremonial rites, wards off misfortune, and serves as a vessel for Spiritual Bodies.’

This humanoid, dressed in a light purple kimono, felt substantially weighty and exquisite in his hands; from its sewn face, it was apparent that it was a female humanoid.

"Ihui Humanoid..."

Beichuan Si stroked his chin.

He recalled that Shen Gu Mirai’s parents were about to visit an island in Okinawa, which was named—

"Ihui Island."

Beichuan Si’s eyes deepened.

Could it really be such a coincidence?