Becoming a god in a low-key way in the supernatural world

Tsuchimikado Kiyomasa looked up at him, his lips moved, and his eyes shone brightly as he said, "A while ago, Tendoji escaped to Takamagahara to become a pet of some god, but it seems that it was later captured by some great god and has now disappeared. Even many gods are looking for it. Surely you don't know about this?"

Kotegawa paused for a moment, then asked, "So?"

"I'll trade my life for the whereabouts of Tentoji Temple!" Tsuchimikado Kiyomasa said without hesitation. "As for other matters, even if I knew, I couldn't say anything. I would still die, just like those two ancestral spirits of the Yagyu family, who died without even leaving ashes!"

"Do you know where Tian Du Temple is, a place even the gods can't find?"

Kiyomasa Tsuchimikado shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, this concerns our family's secrets and is also bound by cursed power, so I can't say."

Kotegawa looked at him and nodded slightly: "Okay."

Kiyomasa Tsuchimikado perked up, reached into his sleeve, pulled out a folded paper crane, and gently blew on it. The paper crane fluttered its wings and flew into the sky.

Kotegawa reached out and took the paper crane, then unfolded it. A line of small golden characters floated on it, but disappeared after only three seconds.

Kotegawa stared blankly at the creases on the white paper for a long time before whispering, "Really?"

“Absolutely true!” Tsuchimikado Kiyomasa said confidently, “If it weren’t true, you can come to the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang) anytime to take my life.”

Kotegawa nodded, and the white paper in his hand turned into a ball of flame and burned to ashes.

The next second, the Impermanence Domain shattered silently, and the two returned to their original positions.

Tsuchimikado Kiyomasa remained tense, looking at Kotegawa, who was quite far away from him. His mind wavered. It was a miracle that he could grab him from such a distance and not make a move!

The Kote River turned into mist and vanished in an instant.

"If you dare to do it again, whatever your reasons may be, you can leave them to your fox ancestor in the Ghost Kingdom to explain."

Kiyomasa Tsuchimikado's face remained tense for a long time before he collapsed onto the ground, seemingly exhausted.

He stood there stunned for a long time, then scrambled to his feet, frantically tapping on his phone screen while cursing, "Those bastards really sent me to my death! What the hell is this 'True King'? I was scared to death! Bastards, bastards! If I don't go back and hook up with all your daughters and granddaughters, I'll change my surname to 'Wangba'!"

……

When Kotegawa returned to the inn, he did not disturb anyone and quietly returned to his room, just as he had left.

The room light was still on. Hu Tao climbed out of bed, her loose bathrobe slipping down to her shoulders. Rubbing her eyes, she asked him, "All done?"

Although she hadn't taken on any exorcism missions for a while, her skills hadn't waned, and she could still easily sneak into the room.

Kotegawa took off his clothes and casually said, "That fifth-tier Grand Onmyoji in Kyoto... is a weirdo."

He changed into a bathrobe, went to the adjacent washroom to wash up quickly, and then sat down in bed. Hu Tao snuggled up to him, yawning, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"He said he was forced to issue the challenge..." Kotekawa briefly recounted what had just happened, and the invisible Nightmare Domain opened, completely silencing the unusual voice.

The next morning, a spirited Kotegawa and his friends gathered in the lobby, had breakfast together in the restaurant, then went back to their rooms to pack their luggage. After that, they followed the crowd onto the bus and left for Dazaifu City.

When visiting Kyushu, Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine is a must-see. It's even more important than cultural attractions like Okura Castle. After all, Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine enshrines the god of academics. And what are academics? They're the lifeblood of students! Even Kotegawa wanted to go and pray, hoping he could get good grades without studying.

But when he shared this wish with his friends, Yujia said that if she were the goddess of knowledge, she would definitely strike down with lightning and turn him, this opportunistic guy, into charcoal.

At 11:00 a.m., the bus arrived in Tianfu City. As usual, we went to our accommodation first, had lunch there, and then set off for Tianman Temple.

I'll stay here tonight, and I can go see the shrine maiden performance tonight.

Unlike Okura Castle, Tenmangu Shrine is always crowded with tourists, and the number of tourists is quite large, obviously all hoping that their children will have a bright future.

Kotegawa looked at the crowds coming and going at Tenmangu Shrine and sighed slightly. Even being a god is this busy. If it were Kitami Takemori, he would probably be driven crazy by now.

Although he unintentionally muttered a complaint about his boss, he was completely oblivious and followed the teachers inside after they had bought their tickets.

Just like when I visited Kokura Castle before, there was a guided tour first, followed by free time.

Kotegawa should also be a little careful to prevent a repeat of yesterday's incident.

However, the situation was much better than he had imagined. Perhaps the news from Ogura City had spread, because the streets were unusually clean today. There were hardly any people wearing floral shirts or even sunglasses.

Fukuoka Prefecture has a strong martial spirit, with numerous violent gangs. Moreover, because it is far from Kyoto and Tokyo and is a port city, countless desperate criminals live hidden in this area.

However, this has nothing to do with Kotegawa. As long as these people know what's good for them, he won't bother to raise the banner of justice and deal with them one by one.

After all, time is limited and everyone is very busy.

Kotegawa and his friends followed the crowd and stepped through the huge stone torii gate, heading towards the worship hall in front.

Over there, people were queuing up, and a shrine maiden dressed in white with her hands tied behind her back stood to the side.

When it was Kotegawa's turn, he clapped his hands, but just as he was about to bow, a powerful aura suddenly rose from the main hall behind the worship hall, and an invisible tremor came. He slightly raised his eyebrows, bowed without making a sound, and stepped aside to make way.

---Aside---

It's double the fun time again! Thank you all for your continued support. Please vote for me! The outline for my new book is one-third done, and I'm working hard on it. I hope my next book will bring you an even better story. Please vote for me!

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Chapter 207 The True Spirit of Sugawara (please vote for me)

When he was free to move around, Kotegawa went into the main hall of Tenmangu Shrine alone.

Inside the main hall, an old man in official robes, his body radiating white light, stood before the altar, looking up at the human-shaped stone statue in official robes.

When Kotegawa saw Him, he took a few steps forward, clasped his hands, and said, "The true king under Kitami Takematsu greets Sugawara no Kami."

The old man in official robes turned around, revealing a face exactly like the statue, and sighed, "Every time I look at my own statue, I feel like I'm looking in a very tasteless mirror."

He shook his head, showing no airs of a deity or the strange temper of a legendary vengeful spirit; instead, he exuded a strong scholarly air.

"Bei Yujianzun..." His eyes were filled with reminiscence and admiration: "Even the Queen of the Demon Path's close attendant has become a god. Amazing, truly amazing..."

Perhaps it was a habit of scholars, but He kept shaking his head and talking to himself for a while before looking at Kotekawa and asking curiously, "I see that your true spirit is condensed into one, and you are only one step away from a qualitative change. At such a critical moment, why don't you go to cultivate and come to worship me?"

Listening to learned people speak is a pleasure, let alone chatting with them.

Unfortunately, Kotegawa had no idea what stage his true spirit had reached. He paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me!"

"Spiritual guidance? The Queen of the Demon Path is an expert in this area, and her close attendants are almost as good. Why do you go to such lengths?" Sugawara no Kami shook his head and said, "This old man will not presume to do so."

“My god has been very busy lately and has no time for me…” Kotegawa explained briefly, “As for the Queen of the Demon Path, she doesn’t like me very much because of some things.”

Sugawara walked into the tea room with his hands behind his back and gestured slightly.

Kotegawa walked over, said "Excuse me," and sat down opposite Him, starting to brew tea over a fire.

The tea boiled quickly, bubbling and steaming.

Kotegawa wasn't very familiar with the tea ceremony here, so he could only do it the way he used to make tea for his master, who was a tea enthusiast.

After the water boiled and the tea was brewed, he pushed it in front of Sugawara no Kami and poured himself a cup as well.

Sugawara didn't speak, picked up the cup, sniffed the aroma, and sighed slightly, "How did you offend the Queen of the Demon Path?"

Looking at Sugawara no Kami sipping his tea, he said, "I killed Viper God, Demon King, and Evil Road King."

Sugawara took a moment to think, then shook his head slightly and said, "Back then, Kitamori Takematsu also sealed away the Viper God. The Queen of the Demon Path won't let such a small matter provoke her anger."

Kotegawa thought for a moment and said, "I also had a complicated relationship with His daughter for a while."

Sugawara was stunned for a few seconds, then exclaimed, "Corpse King Ruri? That's the Queen of the Demon Path's darling. Even the Three Noble Gods wouldn't dare to lay a finger on her. You're really bold."

Kotekawa Kami shook his head, cupped his hands, and said, "Regarding the cultivation of the True Spirit, I would appreciate guidance from Sugawara Kami."

Sugawara no Kami looked at the teacup in his hand and said, "Since I have drunk a cup of your tea, I should repay you... Although I do not know how you improved your true spirit under the blockade of the divine laws of order, just follow your method. There is no need to rush. One day, it will naturally come to fruition. After your true spirit is sublimated, you will need to seek protection from Kitami Takematsu."

He shook his head and said meaningfully, "Since a thousand years ago, no living being in the human world has been allowed to ascend to the divine ranks."

Kotegawa listened attentively, then asked, "May I ask Sugawara no Kami, what exactly is Tendo-ji?"

"Tendoji?" Sugawara was taken aback, then said speechlessly, "Didn't I just say that?"

Kotegawa was stunned for a moment, his pupils instantly shrinking to the size of pinholes.

After a long while, he cupped his hands again and said, "I was a little rude, I'm very sorry... Thank you for your explanation."

Sugawara shook his head and said earnestly, "I am a vengeful spirit who became a god. I was once helped by Her Majesty the Queen of the Demon Path, which is why I am meeting you. Young man, take care of yourself."

"Definitely!" Kotegawa replied solemnly.

Then he stood up and stood aside. Under Sugawara's slightly puzzled gaze, he clapped his hands together and made a wish to Sugawara: "Please bless me so that I can get good grades even without studying."

Sugawara fell silent, raised his hand, and streaks of lightning bloomed at his fingertips. Then he chuckled, shook his head, and disappeared.

"Go on, go on..."

Kotegawa said goodbye and left, finding his friends sitting under the pavilion eating ice cream.

Fujiwara-sensei and Ichijou Shizuka are also resting here.

Perhaps because the news of what happened at Ogura Castle had spread, Fujiwara-sensei didn't see his old friends this time and could only sit with his students eating ice cream in a sullen mood.

Yuka subconsciously asked him, "Kotegawa, where did you go?"

When the others looked over, he composed himself and said, "I went to visit the owner of this place and had a conversation with him."

"Oh." Yujia asked, bewildered, "Did they go to see the God?"

Fujiwara-sensei adjusted her glasses but didn't say anything.

After resting for a while, the second-year students of Kano prepared to leave Tenmangu Shrine. Fujiwara-sensei and Ichijo Shizuka stood outside the car, watching the students board.

Shizuka asked in confusion, "Teacher, given Kotegawa's current status, is it still necessary for him to pay respects to the local shrine priest?"

With a deep gaze, Fujiwara-sensei sighed, "Is the shrine master the master of this place?"

"Who? Isn't it the God Lord?" Jingyi was bewildered for a few seconds, but then her peripheral vision caught sight of the worship hall. She paused, then suddenly realized what was happening.

The master of this place is... Sugawara no Kami?!

……

The bus returned to the hotel, and each shift returned to its own area as usual. Kotegawa, as usual, guarded the first floor.

On a cool May afternoon, with a touch of springtime chill in the air, he rested his head on Qingkong's lap, gazing at the happiness before him, lost in thought.

Qingkong leaned back on the sofa, her small hand stroking her boyfriend's cheek, and asked softly, "Something on your mind?"

"Hmm, there's something I don't quite understand," Kotegawa honestly replied.

"what?"

Kotegawa raised his hand, gently lifting it up, sinking into the soft warmth, and then said, "I was wondering if Kitami Taketaka is being a little too nice to me?"

Qingkong thought for a moment: "You are His employee, so naturally He will protect you. Besides, you are His only subordinate now, so you naturally represent Him in your actions. He probably doesn't want you to embarrass Him?"

Kotegawa thought for a moment and nodded, "That makes sense."