"...You mean?"
"Every generation of the Saigyouji family head pours their entire spiritual energy into the tree before death, but in the end, that is merely emulating the ancestor's actions. It isn't a written family law. In history, several family heads have failed to do so for various reasons."
"Even if they don't, there is no punishment or condemnation—at most, some private grumbling from clansmen. However, in this family, there is a rule that has never seen a single failure or delay in hundreds of years."
Yakumo Yukari spoke expressionlessly, but Sū ěr noticed that the female yōkai had unconsciously clenched her fists.
"Theoretically, this cherry tree should have died centuries ago. The only reason it lives today is that the Saigyouji family has extended its life… Surely you've guessed it by now? Yuyuko is the sacrifice." Yukari curled her lips in a self-mocking smile.
"Since the tree was planted hundreds of years ago, the Saigyouji family has used a secret art to bind the life of one family member to this tree. No—it's more like treating that person's life as the soil that allows the tree to live. That is the only reason this tree has survived until now."
"When one person's life ends, a second person replaces them? So its lifespan actually ended long ago, and it's currently using Saigyouji Yuyuko's life?" Think nodded, understanding the logic.
"Exactly. Each replacement is the person in the Saigyouji family with the purest and strongest spiritual energy at the time. Only a genius can satisfy the tree's long-term extraction. Those with secondary spiritual energy are merely relegated to the position of family head," Yukari said mockingly. "Put that way, even I feel Yuyuko's status is too 'exalted.' After all, her spiritual energy surpasses everyone else's."
"...Do you think there's a connection?" Sū ěr turned to look at Think. He was asking, of course, whether these actions of the Saigyouji family were related to the time portal.
Though it felt a bit unfair to Yukari, the math was quite clear once calculated.
By sacrificing one person per generation, the Saigyouji family had lost perhaps a hundred people over centuries. In exchange, this entire region enjoyed favorable weather and freedom from natural disasters. In ancient times, war didn't kill nearly as many as famine and plague, which could leave thousands of miles uninhabited.
The population grew, and the number of people with spiritual energy grew with it. These empowered humans reclaimed more land and survival rights from the rampaging yōkai. From this perspective, the original Saigyouji monk's deeds were a monumental service to his era and a blessing for a thousand years.
The Saigyouji family had never betrayed their ancestor's vow; even today, they remained on the front lines of protecting humanity. They fully deserved the adoration and worship Sū ěr had discovered during his investigation.
Sū ěr had even seen small temples dedicated specifically to the Saigyouji family, and many households had shrines for them. They were truly viewed as living Buddhas.
If he were just an ordinary human living in this era without spiritual power, the Saigyouji family's actions would have given him the security to farm his fields without fear of being eaten by yōkai. It was undoubtedly something to be praised and grateful for.
Sū ěr believed Yukari understood this, but what the female yōkai wanted was also clear—she just wanted the Saigyouji Yuyuko she knew to stay alive.
Having clarified this, Sū ěr felt a bit reluctant to intervene.
If he destroyed this balance and a drought, locust plague, or demonic infestation occurred, what would he do? If he saw the people of this era dying because they lacked the strength to even cry out, or scenes of parents exchanging children to eat... could he bear it?
Therefore, it was better to eliminate that time portal as soon as possible.
Let the past belong to the past, and the modern to the modern.
"I don't know. I need to check the underlying spells of this tree and the flow of the ley lines according to this theory. After all, this is the first time I've encountered such a thing... it will be an interesting subject~" Think smiled breezily, similarly unconcerned with the moral weight from a different angle.
This attitude made Yukari's brow furrow tighter, though she didn't know exactly what they were discussing.
Still, Sū ěr felt a bit of pity.
"Why haven't you yōkai sabotaged this? It seems unlikely you'd just let it be," Sū ěr said, picking a topic to lighten the atmosphere.
Given Yukari's apparent devotion to Yuyuko, it was impossible for her not to attempt some sabotage or break the cycle, even if Yuyuko herself had no complaints about her fate.
Yukari likely hadn't forcibly taken Yuyuko away because the girl's life was already bound to the tree by the spell; a forced separation might kill both. But what about other methods?
Could the appearance of the time portal—the past curling toward the future—be the result of an attempt Yukari made?
"...Humans always produce a few brilliant and audaciously shocking individuals... it was that Saigyouji monk again," Yukari sighed with a bitter smile, unaware of Sū ěr internal monologue. "When he planted this tree, he anticipated yōkai would come to destroy it. So, he set this tree as the Yang point and planted another tree at the corresponding Yin point."
"Centering on these two points, the Saigyouji monk laid an array relying on the ley lines. For centuries, many yōkai have tried to break it, but even the strongest can only give up in frustration when facing an array protected by the power of the earth itself... That is why I wanted to ask for your help, Lord Sū ěr."
Yukari had seen Sū ěr turn the world upside down by borrowing the power of heaven and earth. If there was one being in her knowledge who could change the fundamental momentum of the world, it was this man.
"If nothing else can be done... at least let Yuyuko alone escape this fate."
Yukari pleaded, looking at the drunk girl who was currently mumbling and clinging to her arm.
However, Sū ěr noticed another point hidden in her words.
Another tree?