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

Before the request was made, the villagers had searched on their own for several nights, but the monster was too cunning, and they couldn't find it even after turning the whole village upside down.

The villagers grew increasingly frustrated after several days of fruitless efforts, and some even developed a determination to fight the monster to the bitter end.

However, not sleeping at night meant having to catch up on sleep during the day, which meant they couldn't work, and not being able to work meant no food... The cost of not working for several days in a row was too heavy. After much consideration, the villagers had no choice but to entrust the Yin-Yang Bureau to handle the matter.

After the request was submitted, it happened to be seen by Kamo no Tadayuki. He thought the request was very suitable for Kidomaru, so he gave it to Kidomaru to handle.

The first thing Kidomaru did after arriving in the village was to observe it, but like Shimizu Asahi, he found nothing.

That's actually normal. The monster neither came out to steal food nor to harm people. It did nothing but beat the drum and sleep all day, leaving very few traces behind.

However, Kidomaru didn't find it difficult. After finding no other clues, he found an inn to stay in and then waited for the monster to reveal its location.

Sound can contain a lot of information.

Of course, to pinpoint the location of a monster by its sound, you need to master a rather difficult skill: sound-based location identification.

Although many ordinary people can roughly distinguish the direction of a sound, some people with better hearing can even roughly judge how far away the source of the sound is from them.

But this is the limit that ordinary people can achieve.

The skill of locating sounds by ear requires specialized training to master.

There are very few students in the Yin-Yang Bureau who can identify the location by listening to sounds.

Unfortunately, Kidomaru happens to know this technique.

Therefore, the monster's drumbeats were the best clue for him.

Although the drumbeats emitted by the yokai were mixed with demonic power, which somewhat affected his judgment, he was an Onmyoji, an expert in dealing with yokai, and could easily break through this little trick.

In the end, Kidomaru found the monster under the floorboards of a villager's house.

Hmm, that's a little demon holding a drumstick, sitting on a magic drum, and not at all demonic or fierce.

Perhaps because it was too harmless, Kidomaru did not intend to take action.

He wanted to communicate with it, to get it to leave the village and stop disturbing human life.

However, before he could finish speaking, the little demon stopped playing and fled in a panic under Kidomaru's dazed gaze.

this.....

For a fleeting moment, Kidomaru wondered if he looked too fierce.

Otherwise, why did that little demon flee as if it had seen a ghost when I didn't say anything?

But he came to his senses the next second, and then slowly followed the little demon, watching it leave the village.

After the little demon escaped, he stayed in the village for two more days.

He was afraid that the little demon would come back again.

However, the noisy drumming did not resound for the past two nights, and the villagers were able to get a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time.

Therefore, Kidomaru concluded that the little demon would not return.

The day after making this judgment, the day before yesterday morning, he returned to Heian-kyo and became the first student to submit his assessment task. Chapter Sixteen: The New Assessment Arrives

Kidomaru's story isn't long, and the process is uneventful, like going through a script, giving you a feeling of "I've done it again."

But reality is often cruel; you guys are really not up to the task.

Hmm, even clear water and morning sun won't work.

Although he can also locate objects by sound, he is not as skilled as Kidomaru.

At least, he couldn't pinpoint the exact source of the noise that filled the entire village... He could only narrow it down to a general area.

"As expected, I still can't compare to you, Kidomaru."

Shimizu Asahi let out a sigh, then his dark eyes revealed a great deal of curiosity.

How did you train?

Sound localization is a skill, so there must be some tricks to it.

While there's a saying that practice makes perfect, having someone to teach you and not having someone to teach you are two completely different things.

A self-taught genius will definitely learn faster than a genius with a teacher.

If Shimizu Asahi wants to sharpen his observation skills, he naturally has to learn from others.

Oh, by the way, the so-called observation refers to a completely new understanding of everything in the world.

The key to observation is "observation". Many people think that observation is just looking, but in fact, looking is only a part of "observation".

Temperature, smell, sound, and traces, including taste and touch, are all part of observation.

Sound localization is a skill that emerges from a certain level of sound observation.

Shimizu Asahi didn't know that Kidomaru had such good observation skills before, so he never asked him for advice. Now that he knows, he naturally can't let it go.

Well, as for why Shimizu Asahi didn't ask Shimizu Mio for guidance... he still remembers the scene when Shimizu Mio first taught him Onmyojutsu.

At that time, Shimizu Asahi was still young and had not yet come into contact with Yin-Yang techniques, nor did he know what spiritual power was. Shimizu Mio demonstrated to him how to make the fire talisman breathe fire without saying anything, and then let Shimizu Asahi try it out.

He was only ten years old when he looked at his sister, his little eyes filled with great confusion.

He suspected his sister thought he was a monster...

Since then, Shimizu Mio has been teaching him while learning the basics of Onmyoji.

"How to train... just observe more."

"Observe more?"

Some of the vague answers made Shimizu Asahi tilt his head slightly.

"Yes, my teacher told me that observation skills are not an innate ability; everyone needs to use them frequently to improve them."

Kidomaru said this while recalling Kamo no Tadayuki's teachings.

To put it simply, observation skills are like skills in a game; you can only improve your proficiency by using them more. Unlike other skills, there are no shortcuts; you can only level them up one point at a time.

However, observation is a broad skill, which includes sub-skills such as sound, temperature, smell, traces, touch, and taste. Similarly, these sub-skills also have levels of proficiency...

Hearing Kidomaru's words, Shimizu Asahi blinked. This... if he could only silently grind proficiency on his own, then what was the teacher making him come here to learn?

Several questions popped into the minds of the young students...etc.

Does the teacher think I haven't started developing my observation skills yet?

Hmm... if that's the case, then everything makes sense.

After all, he had never mentioned to Kamo Tadayuki that he was training his observation skills, and when he submitted the mission, he only mentioned his observation of the village briefly, so Kamo Tadayuki thought that he had not yet started to develop this ability.

Kidomaru probably had the same idea as Kamo no Tadayuki.

He probably mentioned his mission to make Shimizu Asahi understand the importance of observation skills, so that he would be willing to put in the effort to improve his proficiency.

They truly are father and son.

Okay.....

Having figured this out, Shimizu Asahi chuckled and replied, "I understand."

......

At 6 p.m., Shimizu Asahi returned home.

He changed his shoes in the entryway and then shouted, "Sister, I'm back!"

Upon hearing her younger brother's voice, Shimizu Mio immediately came out from the courtyard.

She said gently, "Welcome back, Chaoyang."

"Sister will go make dinner now; the hot water is ready."

"Yes, thank you, sister."

Two hours later, after soaking in hot water and having dinner, Shimizu Asahi sat down by the courtyard walkway again.

In March, the days are short and the nights are long. When he returned, it was almost completely dark. By the time he finished his bath, it was completely dark. By the time he finished eating, the moon was already high in the sky.

The stone lanterns in the courtyard were lit by the clear water and the morning sun, and their soft light illuminated the entire courtyard.

The courtyard at night is different from the courtyard during the day. The courtyard during the day gives people a very comfortable and tranquil feeling, allowing them to feel the whole world. The courtyard at night gives people a profound sense of tranquility, allowing them to feel more of themselves.

Therefore, whether it's day or night, Qingshui Chaoyang likes to sit here.

He was holding something in his hands... well, this time he wasn't.

I drank tea all day and went to the toilet several times, so I really can't drink any more now.

It's all because Kidomaru's tea is too delicious; he can usually drink one cup of tea all day.

After a brief sigh, Qingshui Chaoyang began to clear his mind and cultivate his character.

Suddenly, a paper crane flew down from the sky without warning and landed next to Qingshui Chaoyang.

"This is... the teacher's paper crane."

Looking at the Kamo family crest on the paper crane, Shimizu Asahi paused for a moment, then picked up the paper crane and skillfully disassembled it.

Soon, a slip of paper unfolded.

However, there was only one line of text on the note.

"Come to the dormitory tomorrow morning to collect your assessment."

"A new assessment is coming so soon...?"

Looking at the words on the letter, Shimizu Asahi revealed an unexpected smile.

He thought he would need to rest for two more days.

As he was reading the note, Shimizu Mio, who had just finished washing the dishes, moved closer to him.

"Chaoyang, did Mr. Liao send this message?"

"Sister, you've come."

Turning to look at her older sister beside her, Shimizu Asahi nodded and smiled, "Yes, the teacher told me to go get the task tomorrow."

When do you plan to leave?