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

"...Chaoyang, are you sure you want to go?"

After about three minutes of silence, Kamo no Tadayuki finally spoke slowly.

"The sea is not land; it harbors countless monsters and storms. Even I cannot guarantee that I could return alive under extremely dangerous conditions."

"Moreover, the Sea Kingdom is fraught with danger. Even if you manage to escape the monsters and storms and successfully land in the Sea Kingdom, you may not be able to take the Eight-Foot Magatama from the Lord of the Sea Kingdom."

"Chaoyang, my plan is to go there myself."

"Go in person? Teacher, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Shimizu Asahi frowned, seemingly disagreeing with the decision.

"If you go to the Sea Kingdom in person, you will need to leave Heian-kyo. No one knows the exact location of the Sea Kingdom, nor how long it will take to find it or get there."

"With your departure, Heian-kyo will lose its most formidable defense."

Even so, this is still the most likely option to retrieve the Yasakani no Magatama.

Kamo no Tadayuki seemed to have made up his mind, and therefore, there was a hint of determination in his words.

"Alright, it's decided then. Chaoyang, you should go back and rest now."

Exhaling a sigh of relief, the teacher waved his hand, signaling the student who seemed about to say something more, and told him to go back.

Seeing the teacher's resolute expression, Shimizu Asahi could only sigh helplessly and then get up to take his leave.

"...Alright, teacher, then I'll take my leave now."

After leaving those words, he took Qingnvfang and left the Yin-Yang Bureau.

However, once outside the Yin-Yang Bureau, Shimizu Asahi began to seriously ponder how Kamo no Tadayuki could persuade him to set off for the Sea Kingdom.

Just as no one knows when the Sea Kingdom will be found, no one knows when the Serpent God will arrive. As the strongest Onmyoji in Heian-kyo, Kamo no Tadayuki must stay in Heian-kyo to guard the capital in this critical moment.

Anyone can leave at this time, but he cannot.

therefore......

"We have to get the teacher to stay behind... but how do we do that?"

Qingshui Chaoyang lowered his head, looking somewhat troubled.

After more than a year of getting to know him, he realized that his teacher was stubborn and would not easily change his mind once he had made a decision.

If he wanted to convince his teacher, he had to prove that he was stronger than his teacher and more likely to reclaim the Yasakani no Magatama.

In other words, he wanted to prove that he was stronger than Kamo no Tadayuki.

But this kind of thing... is simply impossible.

How could he possibly compare to Kamo no Tadayuki, who was considered on par with the Demon King?

After racking his brains without success, Shimizu Asahi finally turned his gaze to the girl beside him.

"Qing Nu Fang, do you have any good ideas?"

"Hmm? Isn't this a simple question? Kamo no Tadashi doesn't want you to go because he's worried you won't be a match for the Lord of the Sea Kingdom. So, as long as you demonstrate your strength, he'll let you go."

The blue-haired girl blinked gently, and then, with an expression of matter-of-factness, gave an answer that even Shimizu Asahi would know.

"..." The black-haired boy was silent for a moment, then said helplessly, "I know, so what I asked was how to gain the strength that the teacher would recognize."

"Don't you have the strength to earn his respect?"

"Huh? Did I?"

“Although it’s not your own power, aren’t I, Mio, Ari, and Ibuki all on your side? If you ask, we will all go to the Sea Kingdom with you.”

Qingnvfang spoke calmly and naturally, and upon hearing this, Shimizu Asahi was subconsciously stunned, then a hint of joy appeared on her face.

"Yes, I still have you all. How could I not have thought of that?"

Although Qingnvfang, Ari, and Ibuki are only great demons, Shimizu Mio is a demon king. Even Tamamo-no-Mae admitted that the current 'she' is no match for Shimizu Mio.

If Shimizu Mio is willing to go with him, Kamo Tadayuki will definitely agree.

"While we're glad you don't want us to get hurt and intend to protect us, you can't solve everything on your own. So, try to rely on us, okay?"

Qingnufang gently shook her head, then looked at him and said this very seriously.

"...Ah, that's true. I'm sorry, Qingnvfang, I will start to learn to rely on you."

He rubbed his head, smiled gently, and then took the girl's small hand, saying, "Alright, let's go back quickly. My sisters must be getting impatient." (Chapter 194, Orochi, You're Dead!)

After returning home with Aonobo, Shimizu Asahi immediately felt the warmth and care of the three girls in the house.

They kept asking him with concern if he was injured, if he had encountered any trouble, if the mission was difficult, and if the journey was arduous... In short, from the moment he stepped into the house until he finished lunch, he kept talking about the incident.

After finally finishing recounting these events, he had a chance to bring up the matter of the sea with them.

The three girls all showed different expressions after hearing his words.

"Oh my, going out to sea? That sounds very interesting. I'm so old, and I've never been out to sea before."

Ibuki-dōji showed a very interested expression. Her eyes lit up slightly, and she said happily, "I'm starting to look forward to it."

Hmm... she doesn't seem to care whether Yamata no Orochi has been resurrected.

In contrast to Ibuki-dōji's interest and anticipation, Shimizu Mio appeared quite serious.

She looked at her younger brother and asked in a calm but somewhat unfriendly tone, "Chaoyang, are you sure the Snake God has been resurrected?"

"Yes, including the time in the Ghost Realm, I have faced the Serpent God twice. And the difference in strength between these two times was too great. Even if he has not been fully resurrected, he is almost there."

"Is that so...? That guy actually dared to do it!" These words made the black-haired girl's expression even more unfriendly, as if anger was rising in her heart.

In reality, she was indeed very angry at that moment.

Her anger reached its peak when she learned that her younger brother had almost died at the hands of the snake god twice.

I can't even bear to hit my own brother, how dare you touch him!

You're dead, giant snake!

Compared to the excited first two, Ali was rather calm.

Neither the resurrection of the serpent god nor the allure of going to sea stirred any excitement in her.

Well, actually, Ali's expression is quite strange right now. She yearns for freedom and is full of curiosity about the colorful, mysterious, and unknown world. So, she should be very happy to be going to sea for the first time in her life.

But now, she just frowned quietly and looked at Qingnvfang sitting next to Qingshui Chaoyang, seemingly lost in thought.

So close, isn't this a bit too close? Were Chaoyang and Qingnufang always this close before?

Hmm... she was concerned about the distance between Qing Shui Chao Yang and Qing Nu Fang.

In this era, the distance between people when kneeling is fixed, approximately half a meter. Although conversations among family members may sometimes be closer, this half-meter distance is maintained most of the time.

But now, let alone half a meter, even ten centimeters between the two of them would be extremely difficult.

This goes beyond the distance between family members; it's a distance that only couples should maintain.

What exactly happened between Chaoyang and Qingnvfang?

A strong sense of crisis enveloped the former courtesan. Qing Nu Fang, whom she had thought might become her ally, had suddenly become her biggest rival... This was something she found hard to accept for a while.

However, after glancing secretly at Ibuki and Shimizu Mio beside her, Ari breathed a small sigh of relief.

Aside from myself, they didn't seem to notice. Hmm, that's good, I still have an advantage.

Seemingly noticing Ali's gaze, Qingnufang, who had been quietly standing to the side, glanced at her unintentionally.

Then, she noticed that face with a slight smile and a defiant spirit.

"?"

A question mark appeared on her little head, as if she was wondering why Ali was looking at her like that.

However, she realized the next moment that she was a little too close to Shimizu Asahi.

Because we were always sitting so close when I was taking care of him at the Izumo Palace, I got used to sitting like this without even realizing it. I never expected that I would bring this habit home with me.

There's a little trouble... I guess she misunderstood something, I'll have to find a chance to explain later.

"So, sisters, can you come with me to the Sea Kingdom?"

After seeing the girls react in their own way, Shimizu Asahi looked at them expectantly.

"Hehehe, since Master has personally requested it, then this concubine will naturally go. But Master, please bring plenty of wine on the ship."

"Okay, I'll go. I've wanted to see the sea for a long time. This time, I can not only see the scenery at sea, but also help you. I'll definitely go."

Ibuki and Ari nodded in agreement without a second thought, and their agreement did not surprise Shimizu Asahi.

In fact, asking is just a formality; just as he wouldn't refuse their requests, they wouldn't refuse his either.

As for his own sister, needless to say.

Before Ibuki and the others arrived, Shimizu Mio almost always wanted to be by his side. No matter what mission he received, she wanted to go with him. It was only because he kept persuading her that she didn't go.

The black-haired boy smiled happily and prepared to thank them.

However, before he could finish speaking, Shimizu Mio's apologetic and guilty voice rang out.

"Um... I'm sorry, Chaoyang, but I... can't go with you this time."

The sudden words startled the four people present, and they all looked at Shimizu Mio with surprise and confusion in their eyes.

What's going on? The person who was least likely to not go is actually saying they're not going?

Is this definitely Shimizu Mio herself, and not someone else disguised as Shimizu Mio?

However, the look of surprise didn't last long. Shimizu Asahi was the first to react. He suppressed his surprise and confusion and smiled, "Okay, I understand. Then this time, I'll go with Ari, Ibuki and the others."

"Chaoyang, aren't you going to ask me why I'm not going?"

Such a direct answer puzzled Shimizu Mio. She tilted her head slightly and asked with some concern.

"Sister has her own reasons for not going, and I just need to understand. As for why... well, if sister wants to say something, I will say it even if I don't know how. If she doesn't want to say something, wouldn't it be making things difficult for her if I asked?"

The boy rubbed his head and said this with complete understanding.

Hearing her younger brother's sensible words, Shimizu Mio felt a surge of emotion. He truly deserved to be her sister's favorite brother; she hadn't spoiled him for nothing.

Of course, since Shimizu Mio asked that question, she was already prepared to tell Shimizu Asahi what she wanted to do.