How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

"..."

As Aonobozu watched Ibuki-dōji pull Shimizu Asahi away from her, her expression, which had softened somewhat, turned cold again.

She was in a bad mood again.

However, adhering to the principle of making a fortune quietly, she did not follow her heart and try to persuade him to stay. She simply looked at him for a couple of deep glances, then turned and left.

After being dragged away by Ibuki, Shimizu Asahi kept drinking in Ibuki's room.

Although they are all sake, no matter what kind of sake it is, if you drink too much, you will get drunk.

Even with clear water and sunshine, it became a bit too much to drink in the end.

Although Ibuki really wanted him to stay here, the wary Shimizu Mio smiled and led him back to his room.

No one can lay a hand on my brother in my own home.

The Ghost King, deeply disappointed by the result, pouted for the first time from the bottom of her heart... Getting her drunk and taking her to home base was also something she had considered.

What a pity.

When Shimizu Asahi returned to his room and fell into a deep sleep, the day at the Shimizu family came to an end.

Although many things happened that day, everyone had a happy time overall.

......

Meanwhile, on the other side of Heian-kyo, in the underground altar of the Minamoto clan's territory, the eerie and malevolent Serpent God sat cross-legged.

His face was calm as he looked straight ahead, but this time he was somewhat different.

In the past, he always gave people a sense of eeriness and darkness, but at this moment, he restrained his aura and power, making himself look more ordinary.

However, at this moment, Yamata is more like a scholar than an evil god; his clean and pure temperament is even more charming than clear water and the morning sun.

"...Finally, this moment has come."

Suddenly, a calm, ancient voice echoed, and the quiet altar was quietly shattered.

At the same time, as he spoke these words, a glint of light flickered in Hachimata's clear yet eerie purple serpentine eyes, and then, a scene was reflected in his eyes...

It was a desolate place with many piles of stones, but those piles weren't very big... or rather, "relatively small" would be a better word.

After all, it was just made up of two or three fist-sized stones.

However, these piles of stones were arranged very neatly.

The stones in the pile may be very disorderly, but the distance and spacing between different piles are very precise.

It's like... a cemetery.

"Having been sealed away for so long, you must want to let loose, right? Hehe... Fine, go ahead and cause a ruckus, my lovely children..."

Looking at that desolate land, the evil god murmured softly. Chapter 154, Section 157: The Serpent Tomb of Izumo Province?

In the scorching July sun, birds sing and cicadas chirp.

The crimson sun hung high in the sky, and its scorching heat permeated the surroundings.

Before we knew it, the scorching heat had replaced the cool breeze.

Qingshui Chaoyang sat under the eaves of the courtyard, holding a cup of tea and gazing at the blue sky. His handsome, sunny face was filled with a sense of tranquility and contentment.

"How peaceful..."

After the Xingyuan Castle incident subsided, Heian-kyo returned to its original tranquility.

The people live in peace and prosperity, and the nation is at peace. Every inch of the land beneath their feet exudes an aura of peace.

"It is indeed very peaceful."

A gentle and refined voice rang out, and the red-haired boy beside Shimizu Asahi responded, "The name Heian-kyo is not wrong."

Although Heian-kyo experienced hundreds of attacks by yokai, large and small, it was indeed the most peaceful place in this era.

Hundreds of monster attacks may seem like a lot, but if we consider the time frame of two hundred years, then the number becomes rather small.

Over the past two hundred years, there have been hundreds of attacks, which averages out to about once every two years.

Therefore, Emperor Kanmu's choice of the word "peace" was not wrong.

"By the way, Kidomaru, how's the progress at Anhara Castle?"

After taking a sip of tea, Qing Shui Chao Yang thought of Xingyuan City, which was under reconstruction.

Although he had heard that the Genji clan was working hard to rebuild Kyohara Castle, it was just hearsay. After understanding the Genji clan's methods of manipulating rumors, he no longer easily believed the Genji news circulating in the streets and alleys.

Upon hearing his friend's question, Kidomaru thought for a moment and then smiled, "In order to consolidate the reputation that I had just regained through you, Minamoto no Mitsunaka sent many members of the Minamoto clan, and even he himself chose to go along."

"Under his supervision, the Minamoto clan worked tirelessly, almost without sleep."

"At this point, it should be more than halfway done."

"In another month or two, it may be completely finished."

"So fast?"

Shimizu Asahi was a little surprised. Although he had personally guessed that Genji would work hard, he did not expect that Minamoto no Mitsunaka would be so decisive as to devote all of Genji's energy to it.

"The teacher said that the Genji clan has become much more disciplined now. They no longer interfere in the affairs of other clans, nor do they send people out to carry out missions. He guessed that the Genji clan would not have any other ideas in the short term."

"That's good... As long as Genji doesn't move, I can continue to maintain my peaceful life."

Gently exhaling, Qing Shui Chaoyang smiled and sipped his light tea.

"Is this the kind of life we're living now, staying at home and not going out? If so, then even if Genji doesn't move, the mission will soon disrupt it."

"why?"

Hearing Kidomaru's words, the black-haired boy showed a slight look of confusion.

"Don't you know? Your reputation has spread beyond Heian-kyo and Kyohara Castle."

Kidomaru blinked, then said with some delight for him, "Now, many people are specifically asking you to accept their requests."

"Eh...is that so? I really didn't know that."

After hearing Kidomaru's words, Shimizu Asahi exclaimed in surprise. He had thought that the Genji would block the news and only let it circulate in Heian-kyo and Kyohara Castle, but he did not expect that they would not do so.

However, after a moment of surprise, Shimizu Asahi came to his senses. He rubbed his head and said with a smile, "Then I'll have to get back to work."

"Hehe, you don't like it? If you don't like it, I can talk to the teacher. You are still a student of the Yin-Yang Bureau, and your primary task is to study. If you are unwilling to take on these tasks, the teacher will not force you."

Seeing his friend's happy expression, Kidomaru deliberately teased him.

"How could I not like someone who is willing to rely on me?"

Thinking that so many people were willing to rely on him, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but smile.

"I knew you'd say that... By the way, the teacher mentioned something about your mission to me last night when we were chatting."

Kidomaru paused for a moment as he spoke, then recalled their conversation from the previous night.

“I remember… it’s related to that snake mound in Izumo Province.”

"The Serpent Mound in Izumo Province?"

Upon hearing his friend's words, Shimizu Asahi paused for a moment, then frowned.

"You mean the Serpent Mound in Izumo Province that seals two great demons?"

Snake Tomb, also known as the burial ground for snakes.

This place was used to suppress or worship snake demons. Of course, although it contains the word "worship," the snake tomb's function was more about suppression.

Beneath each snake tomb lies a mass of snake demons.

Although among countless monster legends, the only snake demon people have heard of is the Yamata no Orochi, a demon god who fell from godhood, this does not mean that snake demons are weak.

Indeed, the demonic snakes suppressed beneath the snake tomb weren't particularly strong, but their lack of strength could be compensated for by their sheer numbers. And their numbers were unbelievably vast.

This vast land was once home to many snake demons. Before the Onmyoji became a mainstay of the force, they recklessly devoured food and humans, destroying many villages and towns with sheer numbers.

Although the royal family repeatedly sent people to besiege them, the warriors did not understand the arts of Yin and Yang and could not resist the snake demons' attacks. No matter what they did, they would fail.

This situation persisted until three hundred years ago.

Three hundred years ago, Onmyoji, who had mastered the art of Yin and Yang, emerged out of nowhere and fought against the snake demons with unprecedented power.

Although the Onmyoji had not yet mastered enough power due to the recent popularity of Onmyodo magic to completely eliminate the snake demons, they still managed to suppress a large number of them with their rudimentary sealing techniques.

The numerous snake tombs scattered across this land were left behind three hundred years ago.

Among these many snake mounds, the most famous is the snake mound in the Divine Gate County of Izumo Province.

Located within the Serpent Tomb in Shenmen County, two powerful serpent demons are sealed away. Both of these serpent demons possess the strength of great demons, and even after being sealed for three hundred years, they have not weakened in the slightest.

Even in June and July each year, they would struggle desperately during the snakes' mating season, trying to break through the seal.

For this reason, the Onmyoji of Izumo Province reinforce the barrier every year to suppress the snake demon's counterattack.

If I'm not mistaken, Izumo hopes that Shimizu Asahi will join them in suppressing the snake demon.

But... the suppression of the Serpent's Tomb has always been the responsibility of the Izumo Kingdom, and they've never issued any requests for assistance in the past three hundred years. Why would the Izumo Kingdom send him to help this time? Chapter 155 of Section 158: This wave is another victory for the Qingnvfang.

To the northwest of Heian-kyo (Kyoto), there exists a country called Izumo.

This country is extremely ancient; no one knows when it was founded, nor how long it has existed. All that is known is that its existence predates the royal family by far.

As the divine representative chosen by Amaterasu Omikami, the royal family has ruled the world since the time of the Human Emperor. There could never be a clan more ancient than the royal family in this world.

Even the Kamo and Fujiwara clans could not compare to them.

However, Izumo was not a clan. It was a nation, a nation that existed long before the imperial family unified the world.

It is ancient and mysterious, powerful and majestic. Although it is nominally a subordinate country of Yamato, even ordinary people know very well that Izumo has national strength that is no less than that of the imperial family.

These so-called subordinate states are only nominal.

On this day, this ancient country welcomed two guests.

"Is this Izumo Province...? It feels so desolate."

Two young boys and girls were walking along the narrow, winding path.