It stands to reason that such a barren place should not have a little girl living alone.

She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, and it was the time when she was a little childish. Her face was still a little fleshy, with a lovely blush. Her red dress was bright and beautiful, like a fiery cloud at dusk, and she took it off and cut it into pieces and wore it on her body. The hem and cuffs of the coat are decorated with several clumps of white velvet cotton, like white and fluffy cumulus clouds. Her cotton socks stepped into the clogs, bouncing deftly, light as if she could float at any moment.

The parched, chapped earth was devastated, and she was the only flower that bloomed.

The little girl lived in a dilapidated yard with an old adobe house that was about to collapse, and the thatch on the roof was so rolled up that the light leaked in. There is a well in the yard, which has dried up, but the towering trees on the side are still alive. The tree draws deeper groundwater. It lived for a long time, too long to count the rings, and its roots firmly clamped the gray and yellow earth, as large as its canopy, covering almost the entire courtyard. Its height is five or six feet, and even if it is bare now, it is not difficult to see the majestic posture of the tree.

The little girl carried a wooden bucket full of water and walked back in a hurry. It stands to reason that this bucket full of water is not light, but in her hands it is as easy as an empty bucket. It's just that she was a little reckless, and the water was spilled all the way, and when she pushed the door in, there was only half a bucket of water left. The spilled water was quickly absorbed by the thirsty soil, leaving no water stains.

"Huh? Isn't it there......"

The little girl scratched her head and took a few more steps out of the house. She looked around, and finally found the strange man in the only tree. He didn't know when he went up, and he sat in a high position. He leaned there in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Hey, why are you here?" The little girl put down the bucket and crossed her waist, "I'll just say that my head is heavy." ”

The man suddenly woke up from his daze, nodded to her, and jumped straight from the tree, unharmed.

"Drink some water, shall you? You've been very unmotivated. It's been three days and I haven't eaten anything, is it really okay? ”

"I guess it's fine. Trouble the kapok girl, how much trouble, thank you very much. ”

"Hmmm......"

The girl, known as Kapok, circled around him, sniffing up and down.

"Humans are very unmotivated if they don't eat for three days. Although you are also very unmotivated...... But you can also climb trees. Actually, you're a youkai, right? Only the youkai has not eaten for so long, and the state can be very good. ”

"Do you think I'm in good shape?" The man smiled wryly, "That's a good thing." But I thought that the kapok girl had already seen it, but in fact I was not a human thing. ”

Kapok nodded slightly.

"I thought at first you weren't human—no one was going to be here. It's dangerous, and as vast as it is, there are a lot of restless people lurking. But you have a strong human smell, I smelled it early on, and I'm pretty sure. But you haven't eaten for three days, you're either wandering around the yard or you're in a daze in the house, and I don't think you're human anymore. ”

This little monster is very talkative. She probably hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time, so once she saw a living thing, she poured out all the words she had to say. The first day I saw her, she chattered a lot. The man is probably a good listener, he has something in his heart, and as for what it is, Kapok doesn't know. So from the next day, he pestered him to talk about a lot of outside things, and he didn't feel annoyed after talking about them all day, even if those things were nothing special to him.

Maybe mixed with some painful memories.

"I knew at a glance that you were a youkai. It was so strange that I must not have recognized it before, but at most I thought it was strange that there was a little girl living alone in a place like this. The man said.

Kapok looked at him with a wink.

"So are you human or not? Is it a demonic person, or is it a powerful monster? I heard that those big monsters are very strong, and they can hide all their demonic energy, just like a mortal without flaws. ”

The man was thoughtful and silent for a while before answering her, "Not really." ”

"Why?"

"No matter how strong the demon is, it can't imitate the breath of a human, and can only make itself infinitely close to non-existence. If you are blind, you will be able to tell whether it is a man or a demon who is approaching you. And the demon who hides his breath, as long as his steps are light enough, can make you unnoticed. ”

"You know so much."

"I also found out later...... I've traveled a lot and a lot has happened. ”

"Then you can continue to tell me? I can only be here all year round, I can't leave, it's boring. Wait, you haven't answered my question yet-" Kapok suddenly grabbed him by the sleeve and said as if questioning, "what are you?" ”

“…… I do not know. ”

This question seemed to him to have been thinking about it for a long time, and he was looking forward to it for a while. Receiving such a disappointing answer, she naturally let out a sigh. Soon, however, the man said:

"But whether it's a human or a monster, they all call me a half-demon."

"I've heard of it." Kapok thoughtfully, "But it doesn't sound good." What about the name? There's always a name, you never told me. ”

The man said with some hesitation that he didn't like his name. But for the sake of the kindness of the half bucket of water, he still told her. In fact, he was a little surprised, but the kapok girl kept urging him to tell the story, and he shirked the sentence, and his throat was dry. Little did she know that she had really found water from this barren land.

"Takimiao? Isn't that hard to hear. ”

"You don't understand."

"What's not to understand?" Kapok crossed his waist again and said loudly, "I have lived for hundreds of years, but I understand!" ”

“…… How to say it. The family that gave me this name was not good to me. Have you survived all this long? Have you lived alone for hundreds of years? ”

Takimiao asked her. So Kapok sighed, revealing some old men who did not belong to this appearance.

"No, there isn't. I used to have many brothers and sisters here, they were all flower demons, and the area was very lively, and there were some humans living with us. But about 20 years ago, everyone disappeared. ”

"Why?"

"I don't know." Kapok said calmly.

"Don't know? But haven't you never left here all these years? ”

The two walked into the house. Kapok turned out a bowl with a gap, casually soaked it with water, poured a little new into it, and handed it to Takimiao. After he took it, Kapok answered him.

"There are two sources of water in the range of my activities. One is closer, an endless river. I was away from my body for too long, thirsty, and drank some river water. When I got back, I was the only one here. ”

"Poof—"

Takimiao squirted out the water she had just drunk into her mouth.

"Oh, what are you afraid of. This bucket is the water from the ground, and it is also the place where the roots of the tree draw water. Farther away, it seeped through a crack and accumulated a small pool in the lower ground. The water is fine. There is a problem with the water in the river, the color is blood yellow, a little red, you can see it at a glance. ”

Takimiao's surprise made him unable to close his mouth: "You dare to drink this kind of water?" That's a red ......."

"I'm red too." Kapok unfolded his long sleeves and fanned twice.

“…… Good. But what is going on with the river that will make the earth change so much. Is it forbidden to do so? ”

Kapok frowned and pondered for a while. In the end, she said, she didn't know. Because there was nothing wrong with the bowl of water when she drank it, Kapok gradually found that she couldn't remember many broken memories. She knew she had many sisters, but she had forgotten some of the moments she had together, and she had almost forgotten what it was. Most importantly, she couldn't even remember the reason for this situation.

Takimiao's eyes were a little apologetic, but she didn't feel that she needed comfort. So he reached out and touched Kapok's head. She doesn't seem to be annoying.

"What about you...... Miss your family and friends? ”

"I should have thought about it. Although I can't remember a lot of things, a group of people is much more lively than I am now. What about you? Do you have any other siblings or close friends at home? ”

For a while, Takimiao didn't know which home it was. Rather, it's neither. He hesitated again and again, and said in a hurry:

"Now...... There is one older brother left. He's a monster who always pesters me and wants me to be a complete monster. I don't like it, so I always avoid him. Kapok girl, I'm sorry I can't stay here too long, or he's afraid he'll find this place, and he won't know how much trouble he'll have to cause you. ”

Kapok seemed to understand, and nodded reluctantly, naturally feeling a pity, but it was not blocked. She was more curious about another question, which was, "Don't you want to be a youkai?" ”

"Maybe that's what I thought at first...... But I encountered the six impermanences – the impermanence of goodness. They want me to give up my identity as a youkai and become a real reborn person to live well. ”

"Six realms of impermanence?" Kapok thought for a while, "Ah, I have an impression of this. Whom should I know...... In my mind, he shouldn't be a bad person. I met much earlier, on the banks of that strange river. ”

Takimiao was a little excited: "Who is it?" What does it look like? ”

"Forget."

She said confidently, and Takimiao was deflated again. Kapok was a little unbearable, so he comforted him and said:

"Or ...... Shall I take you to the river again? I haven't dared to go alone for a long time since I drank water. ”

Takimiao thought it was an idea, and although there was little hope, he agreed. He walked a long distance with the kapok, and the scenery next to him did not change at all, and wherever he went, it was cracked soil. Emptiness is the main theme of this vast land.

Both of them were silent all the way, neither of them speaking first. Until they saw a strangely colored "belt" in front of them in the distance, the closer they looked, the more they realized that it was not as simple as a slender and long river, but a very wide and gentle river. At first glance, the opposite shore is almost impossible to see, and the water flows so slowly that it is almost impossible to see.

Although the water is strange in color, it does not have a disgusting taste.

At this time, Kapok suddenly grabbed the corner of his clothes again, and pointed to the end of the river with a surprised face. Maybe it's upstream, because Takimiao also noticed that something was floating down. It's just that the river doesn't have any waves, and you can't see the speed.

"What's that?"

"Like, like a person......" Takimiao was a little nervous, "Are we ...... Should I get it up? ”