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

Amidst a warm and intimate atmosphere, the two strolled around the inner courtyard.

They didn't face the ground or plan their route; they simply strolled leisurely along the corridor in front of them, going wherever they pleased.

As the two strolled leisurely, deep within the shrine, in the serene courtyard, a burly man watching Shimizu Asahi's every move stared in disbelief.

"W-W-This isn't right. How did things turn out like this? Shouldn't that little guy Asahi be immersed in the thought that 'Ibuki will become his future wife'? Why did his relationship with this little girl suddenly become so much better?"

"Oops, did I make a mistake again?"

"Damn it, how could this happen! Oh no, what a loss, a huge loss!"

This outcome not only surprised the Han Dynasty, but also left them struggling to accept it.

His purpose in displaying his divine power was to bring Shimizu Asahi and Ibuki Doji together, but now, not only has he failed to achieve his goal, he has also strengthened the relationship between Shimizu Asahi and Aonobo. He originally thought that Aonobo was the biggest threat in the Shimizu family, and now he has even given her a helping hand. Isn't this like shooting himself in the foot?

"No! We can't let this go!"

"Asahiko and Ibuki are the right path; no other little girls are allowed to get involved!"

Realizing his mistake, the burly man prepared to find another way; he was determined to get Ibuki and Asahi together no matter what.

It wasn't just for Yamata, but also for himself!

"Sunrise, oh Sunrise, your brother is counting on you to help him escape this sea of ​​suffering."

The burly man clenched his fists and muttered in a low voice.

However, the very next second after he finished speaking, a gentle voice came from the side.

"Hehe, I heard that as soon as I arrived. Well, my husband, can you tell me what kind of sea of ​​suffering you want to escape from?"

"!?"

The sudden sound made the big man freeze reflexively. He opened his eyes wide, his dark eyes darting around.

A gentle woman with long, light brown hair came into his view.

"Miracle, miracle rice!?"

Looking at his wife so close to him, the big man's voice trembled slightly.

"Why, why are you here...?"

"Hmm, this is my home too, why can't I stay here? Or is it that you, my husband, have already grown tired of me?"

Along with these words, Qi Dao covered her mouth slightly and looked sad, as if the big man was about to abandon her.

"Waaah, I know I'm just an ordinary woman, not good enough for you, and it's only natural that you abandoned me. It's just that our poor daughter has only just woken up from her slumber and has to face this outcome... Waaah."

"Wait, that's not what I meant, Qidao, let me explain."

Upon seeing his wife's state, the burly man immediately became anxious.

Although he knew his wife was faking it, there was nothing he could do; he just couldn't bear to see his wife cry.

"There's nothing to explain, you've already started to dislike me."

Qi Dao pouted like a little girl, her face becoming even more sad and pitiful.

"I was worried about you and wanted to bring you some wine, but I didn't expect... Ugh, I guess I'll just have to go."

As she spoke, she picked up the wine beside her, then turned and left sadly.

"No, that's not it, Qidao. I, I'm talking about Chaoyang! Chaoyang! He's the child my sister adopted sixteen years ago, our little brother."

“Didn’t you want to see that little guy? He’s at the shrine right now. I was just looking at him.”

Seeing his wife walking further and further away, the big man anxiously wanted to call her back, but he couldn't think of a good explanation. Suddenly, as if a flash of inspiration struck him, he thought of Qingshui Chaoyang.

Little brother, I'm sorry, please help your older brother this one last time. (Chapter 171, Section 174: Trying to recruit his wife to his side)

"Is this the Kagura Palace?"

Before the gates of a palace filled with piety and purity, Qingshui Chaoyang paused in his tracks.

He looked out from the gate and took in most of the scenery inside the palace.

Kagura-den was a palace where shrine maidens offered dances and music to the gods.

Because rituals for praying to the gods must include the dances and music of shrine maidens, the Kagura-den (Kagura-den) is an extremely important palace among the many palaces of a shrine. Only a few shrines can compare to it. In some shrines that value dances and music, the Kagura-den's status is even second only to the main hall.

Yes, the Kagura-den of Izumo Taisha Shrine is second only to the main hall in rank.

After all, Izumo Taisha is the gathering place of the gods of Izumo. Every year during the Shin-zai-sai festival, the gods of Izumo would come from afar, and as the shrine maiden, she should naturally treat the gods well.

However, besides pure piety, all that human shrine maidens can offer to the gods are fine wine and music. Therefore, music and dance at Izumo Taisha Shrine have become an extremely important part of the festival.

Its role determines its status; the more important its role, the higher its status.

Therefore, the Kagura-den of Izumo Taisha Shrine holds a transcendent status.

"Qing Nu Fang, shall we go in and take a look?"

Turning his head slightly, the black-haired boy looked at the blue-haired girl with great anticipation.

Because dance and music are an integral part of the entire festival, and the festival lasts for a very long time, the priestesses who offer dance and music to the gods must have excellent physical fitness and a strong will.

—They must present the dance and music flawlessly during this long period of time.

To acquire this ability, the shrine maidens of Kagura-dono practice diligently every day, without taking a single day off, regardless of wind, rain, or scorching sun.

Standing outside the door, Qingshui Chaoyang could already faintly hear the beautiful music coming from inside the temple.

He had never seen such a dance and music offered to the gods before...

He wanted to see the Sea Harvest Festival properly, but because of the Genji's actions, the festival was completely destroyed, and the dance and music he had been looking forward to naturally disappeared as well.

"Kagura-dono?"

Looking up at the empty hall, Qing Nufang remained silent for a couple of seconds before nodding.

Although the dance and music were dedicated to Susanoo-no-Mikoto, she disliked Susanoo-no-Mikoto himself, not the shrine maidens' dance and music, so it wouldn't hurt to go in and take a look.

Of course, most importantly, he wanted to see it.

Seeing the girl nod in agreement, Shimizu Asahi smiled happily. Then, he took her small hand and stepped into the main hall.

For a typical small shrine, the Kagura-den (hall of worship) is not very large. After all, it is just a stage for performing dances, and a small stage is enough.

In fact, many shrines do just that: they build a stage of moderate size, hang shimenawa (sacred rope) to symbolize a sacred barrier, and a Kagura-den (sacred hall) is completed.

However, Izumo Taisha is not a small shrine after all. Even though it is located in the inner shrine, this palace is still divided into an outer hall and an inner hall.

Since the priestesses were practicing their dances in the inner hall, the two of them took a quick look at the outer hall's decorations before entering the inner hall.

Of course, they had greeted them, but perhaps the priestesses were too engrossed in their conversation to hear them and therefore did not respond.

Well, they still offered a small apology for entering without permission.

"As expected of a shrine, even this homey room is filled with the style of a shrine."

Walking along that long corridor, Qingshui Chaoyang let out a small sigh.

Indeed, even in the middle, this is still a shrine, and every corner here is filled with the atmosphere of a temple.

"The inner hall must be just ahead."

Looking ahead, the sounds entering his ears became clearer and clearer, and his intuition told him that he was almost at his destination.

"...Hmm? This is..."

Just as he was thinking this, he turned the last corner and arrived at the inner hall's main entrance.

However, upon seeing the inner hall's main entrance, he also saw a black-haired girl kneeling outside the entrance, cautiously peering inside.

"she is......?"

......

Meanwhile, at another part of the shrine, a woman with a tan complexion, who was about to leave, stopped in her tracks. She turned back to look at her husband and said in surprise, "The sun has come to the shrine?"

"Yes, he arrived not long ago. I was just looking at him."

Seeing his wife stop walking, the big man breathed a sigh of relief.

That's good. By diverting his wife's attention to Chaoyang, she won't have time to nitpick his words anymore.

Hehe, although it was just a sudden inspiration, this method seems to be very effective. He is such a clever little genius.

“Really? Where is it? I’ll go see the little guy.”

Setting down the tray, Qidao said with great anticipation, "Before I came back, my sister asked me to take care of that little guy. If it weren't for you, I would have gone to see him long ago."

"I wonder what kind of expression that little guy will have when he finds out he has a sister-in-law."

"Qidao, your sister isn't planning to tell that little guy our identities yet, so please don't do anything rash."

"I know, but not saying it now doesn't mean I won't say it later. I'm just looking forward to seeing your expression later."

The small, pale-faced man looked like a giant. Qi Dao sat down beside him and said, "So, what do you mean by helping that little guy escape his suffering?"

"Mainly because that little guy asked me for a marriage proposal..."

The big man briefly explained the meaning of that sentence; well, it mainly explained what Shimizu Asahi did when he came in.

Well, there was nothing wrong with the process itself. However, it was somewhat influenced by Da Han's personal feelings. Therefore, what Qi Dao learned about the events was what Da Han wanted her to understand.

"You mean, that little guy Asahi will marry Hachimata's child in the future?"

Qi Dao opened his eyes wide in surprise, his glassy pupils filled with disbelief.

"Isn't Yamata's child Ibuki? How could Ibuki fall in love with someone?"

"Husband, are you lying to me?"

"Qidao, how could I lie to you? This is the future I saw with my own eyes. That child's red thread is connected to Ibuki's red thread. If you don't believe me, you can ask the Goddess of Fate. She definitely has the red threads of those two little ones."

The burly man responded righteously and eloquently.

"The Goddess of Fate wanders everywhere, and no one knows where she is now. Where do you expect me to find her?"

With a slight pursing of her lips, Qi Dao said this.

However, after she finished speaking, she showed a hint of concern and asked again cautiously.

"Is what you're saying true? Will Asahi really end up with Ibuki?" Chapter 172, Section 175: The Great Han: They'll even have kids in the future.