In this barren mountain range, where will someone come, it won't be a monster or something.

And I've been here so many times, I haven't found any traces of man-made next to it, this piece is almost a hidden place, basically no one comes, and she only came here by chance.

At this time, a cool breeze was blowing.

Cold.

The piercing meaning spreads from the soles of the feet.

Ai Fukuhara immediately panicked, she was already a timid person, and she thought of the many monsters in the barren mountains and mountains, and her body began to tremble slightly.

"No, don't eat me—" She closed her eyes tightly as if she were afraid of seeing something terrible.

Island country yokai refers to the legendary monsters of the island country. There are a lot of legends about yokai among the people of the island nation, which is probably related to the fact that the people of the island country have a tendency to mysticism in their psyche. The island people who like to be more serious classify the monsters and write books such as "Island Country Monster Language" and "Island Country Monster Encyclopedia", which are also equipped with exquisite illustrations, which can be seen in the library.

The old people of the "local associations" in various places talk about the goblins of the past and present, and they are even more fond of it. The origin of yokai began in ancient people's reverence for nature and animals, and people called their invisible, intangible, and uncontrollable forces collectively known as yokai. The island nation is a country with a great respect for water.

So many legends are related to water, such as Granny Bean, who is a goblin who uses a sieve to catch people in the water to eat; The bridge girl is a female ghost who commits suicide for love; The kappa, which is active in the river, is likely to be based on a ferocious freshwater crocodile.

In the deep mountains and old forests, the most famous monster is the mountain boy.

Mountain boys, as the name suggests, are mountain demons, haunted in the deep mountains and old forests, and they appeared very frequently in the area of Kyushu Island, not only on the border of Kyushu Island, but also in the autumn and eastern seasons in other places.

Because of their many connections with kappa, there are also some local sayings that kappa are kappa, and it is generally believed that kappa become a kappa when they enter the mountains in autumn. Legend has it that after Kappa entered the mountain, not only did the name change, but also the form and nature of the body changed a lot, so the Sappa and Kappa can be considered two completely different monsters.

When spring arrives, the mountain boy will descend the mountain and dive into the water again to start life in the water and restore his identity as a kappa, so he is believed to be a yokai that only exists from autumn to spring. In addition, it is said that those who witness the transformation of a kappa into a mountain child, or a mountain child into a kappa, will encounter a catastrophe and become seriously ill, and eventually die because there is no treatment.

The island nation is not only surrounded by the sea, but also the river surface crisscrosses the islands, which naturally leads to the prevalence of "water culture", and there are many water-related monsters. Among the demons in the waters, the kappa can definitely be called a famous demon, and its big name is believed to have been heard by many people in China.

Because they live in rivers and rivers in various parts of the island country, they are called "children who live in rivers", hence the name kappa.

The body of the kappa was originally the god of water, equivalent to the domestic river bo, and later under the influence of foreign religion, gradually lost believers, there was no incense on the temple to worship, the divinity continued to fade and had to be self-reliant, and fell into the mortal world to become a monster.

The sand monk in "Journey to the West", after being transmitted to the island country, is always portrayed as a child in anime games, and it is for this reason.

The earliest record of kappa in the island country is from the "Shoki of the Island Country". During the reign of Emperor Nintoku, a traveler was poisoned and vomited when he crossed the river. She is also recorded in ancient books such as "Hundred Things", "Ten Thousand Ghost Records", and "Demon Monster Language". There are many colloquialisms related to kappa in Japanese, such as kappa who loves cucumbers, so the dish of seaweed rolls and cucumbers is called "kappa rolls".

According to various legends, the kappa is about a meter tall, the size of a child of four or five years old, with a face like a frog or a turtle, a sharp beak like a bird's beak, four fangs on each side of the mouth, and a rapid tear at food.

It has greenish skin, scales, red hair, and a dark green turtle shell on its back, which is very hard and invulnerable. When the shell is removed, the kappa becomes human. It has a foul smell and a slippery slime, and its hands have four fingers with webbing between them, and it can swim in the water at an alarming speed, so it is not easy to catch.

These physiological characteristics make it ideal for living in humid water environments.

Kappa amphibious, not only has the above-mentioned "water army equipment", its land function is also quite developed, its arms are particularly slender, can move flexibly from left to right, the bones of the two wrists are connected, if one end is cut off, it will immediately grow from the other end, and the regeneration ability is very strong. It is said that his severed arm can be made into a special medicine for bruises.

Its round eyes will glow, and the eyes are very sharp and far-reaching; And the nose is as sensitive as a dog. These points make it possible to escape and prevent when it encounters danger, and to advance and retreat freely. If you don't have time to escape, you will retract your limbs into the shell of a turtle, leaving the enemy helpless against the hard shell.

If it has a chance to escape, it will pout its hips, and there are three eyes on its buttocks, as long as it lets out a loud fart, the thrust of the jet will quickly reflect its body out, not to mention how fast it can escape! There is a common saying in Japanese called "kappa no fart", which refers to something that can be done in a simple way.

In the event of being caught by humans, kappa will make various vows with humans, either to give freshwater fish or to teach them the recipe for a panacea. "Kappa medicine" is quite effective in treating diseases, and it is a rare treasure.

Water is the greatest source of mana for kappa. Thus there is a defect in the center of its head, like a disc, filled with life-sustaining water that makes it extremely powerful.

When the kappa breaks away from the river and lands, its strength on land is proportional to the water stored in the tray, and as long as the water does not dry up, the sumo wrestler can drag a horse alive into the water. Therefore, there is a saying in the island country that describes the great disaster, which is called "the destruction of the kappa".

In addition, it is terrifying that an elderly kappa can have great magical powers and can use telepathy to gain insight into people's inner thoughts. However, prolonged frost and rain can cause the plate on the kappa's head to become stiff and brittle, and if the plate breaks, it can be fatal to the kappa.

Taking a step back, even if the water above the head evaporates or drains, the kappa's strength disappears, and it becomes very weak and unmotivated. Therefore, there is a common saying in Japanese for "kappa who goes to land", which refers to the inability to show one's talents due to changes in the environment.

Kappa is very big and likes to hunt for sumo wrestling. It has a very stubborn temperament, often luring people into rivers and drowning them, sometimes attacking horses drinking water by the river, and capturing children playing by the river. Although it occasionally helps people do something good, overall, kappa is quite dangerous. Its evil deeds include sucking human blood, eating internal organs, sneaking up on women, destroying fields, stealing horses, etc., and the list is endless.

Kappa are so large that just as "humans" can be subdivided into various ethnic groups, there are many different branches of the general term "kappa". The "Water Tiger" is fierce and fierce, and has the ability to turn into liquid; "Kakitaro" often pretends to be a fisherman and has the ability to attract fish.

As for the origin of the kappa, we have to start from our own country. In the upper reaches of the Yellow River Valley, there is a river god named Hebo, who is not very famous in Chinese mythology. During the Warring States Period, every year in the rainy season, the river swelled and flooded, taking away many lives and property.

People think that Hebo is making waves, so he sacrifices a young and beautiful woman every year to please Hebo. It wasn't until the new county ordered Ximen Leopard to take office that the superstition of "Hebo marrying a wife" was broken.

The people of Hebo hated God, and later because of the teasing of Luoshen, he was blinded by Hou Yi in one eye, and saw that he couldn't get mixed up in the country, so he simply rolled up the water and fled to the island country, followed the customs of the locals, changed his body, and even became short in stature, and became a kappa. Because of the suitable environment, kappa multiplied, but their lustful nature did not change at all, and they often grabbed girls to quench their thirst, and finally caused a big disaster.

One of the kappa chieftains, Kuzenbo, led the kappa clan from Japan to Toei, where they stayed at the Kuma River Unzen Onsen on Kyushu Island. The kappa have a bad habit and frequently harass nearby villages, stealing money, food, and women.

They conjure beautiful flowers by the riverside pools to attract humans to pick them, and they themselves become big fish and lie in ambush in the river. When humans approach, they leap out and drag them deep into the water. Not only did they drown many innocent people, but they also often attacked horses, cattle and other livestock that were drinking water by the river, pulling them into the water and sucking their blood and eating their internal organs.

Because Jiuqianfang has strange power and is brave and ruthless, the people in the village can't beat him, so they have to swallow their anger, and there is nothing they can do about the kappa. This was later known to the lord of Kumamoto Castle, Kato Kiyomasa, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's adopted son and general, one of the famous "Shidake Seven Guns", known for his bravery and fortification skills.

Such a man naturally can't let his subjects be humiliated repeatedly. In order to defeat the Kuzenbo, Kiyomasa first used a strategy to lure the kappa to the Hell Valley, which spews sulfur gas, and then gathered a large number of mountain apes, which the kappa feared most, to attack in groups. When people can't see the kappa, the mountain ape can still see the kappa clearly.

The kappa clan led by Jiuzenbo could barely resist at first, so Kato Kiyomasa ordered the hot sulfur stone to be thrown into the water. The heat emitted by the sulfur stone caused the water in the kappa's head plate to evaporate. The kappa, who had lost their strength, were sore and collapsed to the ground, obediently restrained and captured. From then on, the kappa had to live honestly on the Chikugo River in Kumamoto Prefecture, and later became the messenger of Suitengu.

There is also a theory about the origin of kappa, which is a native man-made theory. Legend has it that when the craftsmen of the island country were building shrines, temples and castles, they had a spell to write people's names on slips of paper and stuff them into the cracks of wood or straw dolls, which is called "souling".

However, when it was finished, the dolls were abandoned into the river. They were unwilling, so they transformed into kappa, causing chaos everywhere, posing a great threat to people and animals.

The mountain boy is a mountain demon alongside the kappa, and often haunts the deep mountains of the Kyushu area. He is as short as a child, with thick ape-like body hair, a disc on his head, one eye, and one leg, and the ability to stand and walk like a human.

Like kappa, the mountain children were brought to the island nation from China. In the area of the ancient Yue country in China, there are evil ghosts called mandrills. That is, the original body of the mountain child.

The mandrill is the representative of the ghost, a ghost that has mastered disease and fire, and is characterized by only one eye and one foot. In 334 B.C., the Yue Kingdom was destroyed, and the mandrills migrated eastward and landed on the west coast of the island country of Kyushu, and since then they have settled in the mountains and wilderness near Kyushu for a long time.

Although the mountain boy has a terrible appearance, he is not bad-hearted, not only does not harm human beings, but also is very helpful, as long as they give them rice balls to eat, they can mobilize their enthusiasm to the greatest extent. Especially for the woodcutters in the mountain streams, they often need the help of the mountain boys. For example, if it is difficult to carry a big tree over a dangerous peak, in addition to rice balls, give some more rice wine as a reward, and the mountain boy will work very hard to "hey, hey", "hey, hey".

No matter how heavy things are, they are easy for him, after all, he is a mountain spirit of great strength. However, don't give the rice balls to the mountain boys when you start working, otherwise they will slip away halfway through the work and seriously break their promises. So be sure to wait until the time is done before giving the rice balls, so that the mountain boy will come to help the next day.

All the monsters who look like children may have a little childishness, and they all like to play pranks, and so do the mountain boys. They sometimes break into houses to take a shower and leave the villagers dumbfounded naked.

Sometimes they sneak into the mountain temple and steal the monk's food to eat; If a hunter camps in the mountains at night, he will suddenly appear in front of the hunter, tell him everything in his heart, and then make a face at the surprised hunter. All kinds of comedic spoofs make people laugh.

But remember, although the mountain boy is warm-hearted, you don't want to calculate him, he has a strong sixth sense of danger, and if he finds that someone wants to harm him, he will immediately notice and flee immediately, and then punish the wicked with plague and fire.

Since there are many close ties between the mountain child and the kappa, there is also a saying that the mountain child is a kappa. In ancient times, kappa lived in many places, especially near rivers, but this was only in spring and summer, and in autumn and winter, when kappa who were afraid of the cold moved to the warmer mountains and forests, and only a small number of kappa who wanted to stay by the river and did not want to leave.

The kappa who moved into the mountains naturally changed to feed the mountain children due to the changes in the environment they inhabited. When the spring flowers bloom, the mountain children move to the river in droves and return to the water to become kappa.

Shingo Harano didn't have the heart to think that she was so afraid, and seeing her body trembling like a sieve, he felt as if he was playing a little big.

Hurriedly put down his hand, held her shoulder and said, "Turn around and see who I am." ”