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

Even when he occasionally manages to take a bath, he has to be careful not to be seen by anyone... His room is simply too small to fit a wooden tub.

As for Ibuki and the others, they were yokai after all, and they had lived like this before entering the Shimizu family, so they weren't really unaccustomed to it.

Oh, it's just that Ari doesn't feel uncomfortable because she has Shiranui's demonic power protecting her.

Of course, whether she secretly took a bath like Shimizu Asahi, nobody knows.

Anyway, Qingshui Chaoyang has never seen the clothes that Ali hung up to dry.

About half an hour later, the black-haired boy, having finished his comfortable bath, returned to his room and changed into a light blue kimono that matched the banquet. Then he went to call Ibuki and the others.

Because each person had their own private bathhouse, those things that people usually enjoy didn't happen.

A dozen minutes later, Shimizu Asahi, who had successfully waited for the three Ibuki girls, led them toward the center of the village.

The banquet was held in the center of the village because Suzuka Mountain also has its own festivals and a day for celebration, so the sirens decided to leave the center of the village empty.

In this way, they will feel a subtle sense of warmth and belonging when they celebrate.

When the four of them arrived at the center of the village, the sirens and the crew were already ready.

A bright bonfire was placed in the center, with dozens of long tables arranged around it. The tables were laden with a variety of delicious foods, including pastries, roasted meat, sushi, and sashimi. Of course, the finest wines and spirits, essential for such occasions, were also placed in front of everyone.

Perhaps because of their time together, the crew members were no longer afraid of the monsters on the island. They boldly sat with the monsters, chatting and laughing together, creating a lively and celebratory atmosphere that brought smiles to everyone's faces.

"Sir, you've arrived."

Upon seeing them approach, Kamo no Ito, who was seated, immediately ran over and said, "Sir, come this way. Lord Ōtakemaru has reserved seats for you."

Following the Kamo lineage diagram, the four arrived at the long table closest to the campfire. The other long tables were already full of people and yokai, but this long table only had a few people.

They had just met another demon king of Suzuka Mountain, Uminari, and the guardian of the Suzuka Mountain coast, Kyūjīra. After that, there was Scorpion Woman, and then seven other demons they had never seen before and did not recognize.

This must be the strongest fighting force in Suzuka Mountain.

But what about Ōtakemaru?

"Kito, hasn't Ōtakemaru arrived yet?" Looking at the empty main seat, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but ask Kamo Kito in a low voice.

He thought they were the last ones there, but to his surprise, Ōtakemaru arrived even later than them.

"Lord Ōtakemaru seems to have gone to get something, so he'll be a little late."

"If you are hungry, sir, you can eat first, it's alright."

He Mao responded quietly.

"I see. Then let's wait for Ōtakemaru to arrive," the boy said with a smile. However, he paused for a moment after speaking, and then whispered again, "By the way, how much food do we have left on our ship?"

"It can sustain us for another three months of sailing. If we are worried about not having enough food, we can buy some from Suzuka Mountain."

Thinking that Shimizu Asahi was worried about food shortages, she gave this answer after thinking for a while.

"Can it last us another three months...? Then we should have plenty left... Shito, tomorrow morning you take some men to unload a month's worth of food from the ship and hand it over to Suzuka Mountain. But we won't give it away for nothing; we'll say we're exchanging this food for treasure."

"The remaining two weeks' worth of food will be used to meet our needs on the island."

"Hey, sir, why is that?"

The girl was puzzled. Suzuka Mountain had plenty of food, and the Kamo family was not short of money. They had no need to exchange food for treasure.

Moreover, sailing on the high seas is an extremely dangerous activity. If they encounter a prolonged storm, even if they have stored up two months' worth of food, they may not be able to sustain themselves completely.

Although their journey there was relatively smooth, their return journey might not be so smooth.

"Okay, stop asking so many questions, just do as I say."

The boy gently shook his head. The spiritual energy crisis at Suzuka Mountain was the biggest secret, and Shimizu Asahi would never expose it.

Therefore, he had no choice but to keep it a secret.

However, Kamo no Ito, who trusted Shimizu Asahi immensely, stopped questioning him after hearing his words and replied, "I understand. I'll have the crew unload the grain tomorrow."

Hearing the assurance, the boy breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Regardless of whether he could find out what was wrong with Suzukayama, he wanted to do his best to help Suzukayama as it was now.

Instead of adding flowers to a blooming garden, we offer help in times of desolation and decay. (Chapter 238, 235: Ōtakemaru's Spying)

After arranging the next matters, Ōtakemaru arrived from a distance not long after.

He carried a jar of wine to the long table and said in a very friendly manner, "I'm sorry, everyone, I'm late."

"No, we didn't wait long, young master." Kyūjīra immediately replied, but after laughing, he looked at the wine jar that Ōtakemaru had placed on the table and asked with some confusion, "But young master, we have already prepared the wine, why did you go and get another jar? Besides, the dirt on this wine jar has not been cleaned off yet."

"This wine is different from other wines."

"This is the sake that my sister and I buried three hundred years ago. It's the first batch of sake from Suzuka Mountain. I usually keep it hidden away and can't bear to drink it."

Ōtakemaru chuckled happily, and then, under everyone's gaze, lifted the red cloth and opened the sake jar.

The moment the red cloth was lifted, a rich and mellow aroma of wine immediately wafted out from the mouth of the jar. In the blink of an eye, the indescribable pure aroma of wine engulfed everyone present!

"This is...! Such fragrant wine!"

Kyūjīrō's eyes suddenly lit up. He hadn't expected this jar of wine to give him such a big surprise. Just smelling the aroma made his body want to taste it. The aroma alone was enough to make him linger in his memory!

This is absolutely the best wine he's ever tasted! Bar none!

"Hehehe... I never expected to find such fragrant wine here! This trip was definitely worthwhile."

Ibuki looked at the fine wine in front of Ōtakemaru with great surprise. As someone who had tasted all the fine wines in the world, including the wine of the gods, she naturally wouldn't react to ordinary wine. However, this jar of wine truly aroused her desire. Her instincts told her that this was a jar of wine second only to the divine wine!

Joy and delight filled the Ghost King's chest. Her three greatest loves in life—handsome men, fine wine, and treasure—were now combined with two of them. How could she not be happy?

However, even with two of her three great desires fulfilled, Ibuki couldn't help but glance at Ōtakemaru and murmur, "Ah, if Ōtakemaru were to bring out the treasure of Suzuka Mountain as well, I would truly be content."

Hehehe... Ghosts are always greedy beings. No matter how good the things in front of them are, they will always crave something better.

The Demon King Ibuki-dōji was no exception.

However, well, it's best to just think about it. Regardless of whether Ōtakemaru agrees or not, if she were to actually say it, the master would be the first to scold her.

"Hehehe, let's just bear with it for now..."

Glancing at the clear water and rising sun, the petite Ghost King suppressed the greed in her heart.

Meanwhile, Shimizu Asahi looked at Ōtakemaru with some surprise.

He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Lord Ōtakemaru, isn't this a bit too much? Serving us sake that's been treasured for three hundred years..."

"Liquor is meant to be drunk. If you don't drink it, how can you see its true value?"

"Today, we won't leave until we're completely drunk!"

The once refined and scholarly Ōtakemaru now displayed his bold and unrestrained spirit.

The leader of the Sea Kingdom sat down directly and personally poured a bowl of wine for Shimizu Asahi, saying, "Here, have a taste!"

Seeing how much Ōtakemaru valued them, Shimizu Asahi let out a sigh of relief and stopped refusing. He picked up his sake bowl, toasted Ōtakemaru, and then drank it all in one gulp!

The moment the wine flowed into his mouth from the large bowl, its rich aroma swept out like a storm, and in an instant, the incredibly mellow fragrance engulfed his body.

The next moment, the wine touched his tongue, and a fiery flavor burst forth. The unparalleled impact was like a bomb, and his mind went blank in that instant!

The rich, mellow aroma and the intense aftertaste filled his entire body with two simple yet extreme sensations. Almost instinctively, Shimizu Asahi exclaimed, "Good wine!"

"Haha, come on, everyone, let's drink together!"

Upon seeing this, Ōtakemaru burst into laughter. He then handed the wine jar to Haiming and the others. The demons and humans at the table all filled their bowls and then eagerly swallowed them.

Just like clear water and the rising sun, everyone present was amazed by this fine wine. They almost simultaneously exclaimed in admiration and turned their gazes to the wine jar that exuded a rich aroma without hesitation.

There's only one jar of this wine, meaning only the first person to grab it gets to drink it.

However... this was meant to entertain guests, and they couldn't easily snatch it, so after taking one look, they regretfully turned their gaze away.

Noticing their gazes, Ibuki blinked. Then, she glanced at Ōtakemaru in the main seat and then at Shimizu Asahi, who was a few seats away.

"Hehehe... Consider this payment for letting me drink such fine wine." A charming smile appeared on her face. For the sake of her master and the wine, she took out her wine gourd.

"Although my sake is not quite as good as Ōtakemaru's, it is still better than other sakes. Would you all like to try it?"

Looking at the blue sake gourd, Kyūjīra and the others exchanged glances before finally picking up the gourd and pouring themselves a bowl of sake, with Ōtakemaru's permission.

After tasting it, everyone's eyes lit up. Indeed, although it was not as good as the 300-year-old wine treasured by Ōtakemaru, it was not far off. This was a good wine!

With a hint of joy in their eyes, the crowd began pouring themselves drinks and cheering. Ōtakemaru, who was in the main seat, also smiled happily.

Then, a celebratory banquet began.

This was a simple banquet, held to welcome Shimizu and Chaoyang. Therefore, there was no work, no business, only initial friendship and laughter.

The banquet lasted for two full hours amidst the extremely harmonious and joyful laughter of humans and demons.

When darkness fell and the bright moon hung high, the entire night sky was enveloped in the purest tranquility, the group departed with wistful joy.

Naturally, Shimizu Asahi and the others returned to their pre-arranged rooms after the banquet ended.

Because he had drunk a bit too much during the banquet, as soon as he got back, Qingshui Chaoyang collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

However, Shimizu Asahi was unaware that above the village, on a huge rock recessed in the mountainside of Suzuka, Ōtakemaru, who had left the banquet, was standing quietly, and the leader's gaze was fixed on his room! Chapter 239 Could Shimizu Asahi be his grandson?

Under the bright moonlight, the quiet village was filled with peace and warmth. Although darkness surrounded it, the faint vitality was enough to dispel the deep cold.

The banquet was over, and the sirens and crew members returned to their respective rooms. After a day of revelry, they all drifted off to sleep with sweet smiles on their faces.

However, amidst this peaceful and serene atmosphere, there was one person who did not return—the lord of Suzuka Mountain, who came to the mountainside.

He stood on a boulder, facing the wind, his pale yellow pupils quietly gazing down at the village below the mountain.

However, if you look closely, you will find that at the end of Ōtakemaru's line of sight is the room where Shimizu Asahi is resting.

He stood there for an unknown amount of time—was it the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, or an hour? He couldn't remember for sure, but his gaze never wavered.

No one knew what was hidden in his eyes, which were as calm as a stagnant pool.

Suddenly, the tranquility of the night was shattered by a sound that came out of nowhere.

"Young Master, it's late. You should go back and rest early."

He didn't know when it happened, but Haiming stood behind him, his weathered face revealing a hint of concern and affection.

"Hai Ming... It's so late, aren't you going to rest?"