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

Yes, the Mountain City Kingdom is a thing of the past... but... why doesn't his intuition deny this fact?

"If this is the Mountain City Kingdom... then where... have I been transported to by this divine artifact!?"

Shimizu Asahi was greatly shocked. He covered his head with one hand, his face full of turmoil... Unbelievable, this is too unbelievable. Time travel, is such a thing really possible?

Even if it's a divine artifact, that's impossible!

The middle-aged man in front of him looked at his conflicted and astonished expression, his displeasure subsiding. Then, he asked with some concern, "Are you alright? Did something happen to you? Should I take you to see a doctor?"

"No, no need. I'm fine, it's just... a little hard to accept right now..."

Shimizu Asahi shook his head, revealing a very forced smile, and then said, "By the way, sir, may I ask which emperor's era we are in now?"

"It is now the first year of Emperor Tenmanpo-hi."

"The first year of Emperor Tenmanpo-ni... In other words, it was when Emperor Kōtoku had just ascended the throne, which is... three hundred years ago... Damn it!"

Upon learning the exact year, the boy couldn't help but mutter a curse.

Yamashiro Province disappeared during the reign of Emperor Kanmu, and now there are still 150 years until the reign of Emperor Kanmu!

Qingshui Chaoyang swears that this is absolutely the biggest joke God has ever played on him!

"Young man, are you really alright?" Seeing the boy looking unwell again, the middle-aged man was still a little worried, so he asked again with concern.

"It's nothing, thank you for your concern, sir." With a soft exhale, Qing Shui Chao Yang bowed to the middle-aged man and said, "Sir, I suddenly remembered I have something very important to do, so I must take my leave now. Thank you so much this time."

After bidding farewell to the man, Shimizu Asahi returned to the alleyway where she had just appeared.

He leaned against the wall, his head slightly raised, his brows furrowed with unspeakable sorrow.

Three hundred years ago, he was transported to three hundred years ago. Not long ago, he was drinking with the demons of Suzuka Mountain, but in just a few hours, he arrived three hundred years in the past... Even though he was mature and had a strong ability to accept things, this kind of thing was clearly beyond his comprehension.

Now, Shimizu Asahi finally understands why his older sister, Shimizu Mio, spoke to him like that, and why she doesn't recognize him as her younger brother... This... Damn it, it was three hundred years ago!

He wasn't even born three hundred years ago, so how did Shimizu Mio know him?

The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became, and the calmness he once possessed had quietly vanished.

This shock was too great for him, really too great.

"call......"

"Calm down, you must calm down. This isn't the time to dwell on the fact that we've already traveled here. Finding a way back is the most important thing right now!"

The black-haired boy took several deep breaths before finally managing to calm down. The first thing he did after calming down was to think about how to get back.

Actually, this method doesn't require much thought. After all, you go back the way you came. If the Yasakani no Magatama could send him here, then it can naturally send him back as well. As long as you find the Yasakani no Magatama, you can go back.

"I remember that the Yasakani no Magatama is currently kept at the Izumo Taisha Shrine, which means that as long as I go to the Izumo Taisha Shrine, I can go back three hundred years to the future."

"But... my senior brother said that the Eight-Foot Magatama disappeared three hundred years ago... I don't know if it's still there now... I need to hurry."

After determining the location of the Yasakani no Magatama, Shimizu Asahi made a decisive decision to set off for Izumo Province.

But... just as he made up his mind to buy a map and set off, he encountered another major problem: he was out of money.

He is from three hundred years in the future, and the coins and silver he uses are also from three hundred years in the future, completely different from those of this era. Therefore, he is currently penniless.

Not being able to afford a map wasn't a big deal. After all, he had been to Izumo once before. Even without a map, he could still travel there again based on his memories. At most, the route would be different, and it would just take a little more time.

What really troubled him was that without money, he couldn't enter Shenmen County.

Paying money is required to enter and exit the city gates; this is an absolute rule. Even if Qingshui Chaoyang went to the gate of Shenmen County, he couldn't enter without money. As for sneaking out... he wouldn't do such a thing unless absolutely necessary.

"I never imagined that one day I would be troubled by money."

Rubbing his temples, Qing Shui Chao Yang couldn't help but sigh.

From childhood to adulthood, Shimizu Asahi had never been troubled by money. Although they didn't live a life of great wealth, they had never been bothered by financial matters. Whatever he wanted, Shimizu Mio would give him. This was the first time he had ever been troubled by a single penny.

"I need to find a way to make some money... Luckily, I'm an Onmyoji, so making money is relatively easy for me."

P.S.: The fact that Yamashiro Province was formerly known as Heian-kyo was changed by the author. Historically, Heian-kyo was a place within Yamashiro Province, not its capital. However, this change was made for the sake of the plot.

Chapter 257, Section 260: The Tamura Family, Tamura Yoko?

After revising his next steps, Shimizu Asahi left the streets and began searching for shops that were hiring.

Of course, it would be best to be a temporary worker, the kind who gets paid daily.

After all, all he wanted was the entrance fee to Shenmen County, not the food and lodging expenses for the more than half a month from Shancheng Kingdom to Shenmen County.

As an Onmyoji, being able to find food and lodging in the wild is a basic skill. When Shimizu Asahi last went to Izumo Province, he stayed in the wild for a few days.

However, things didn't go as planned. After walking around Qingshui and Chaoyang, they didn't see a single job posting.

"this......"

He rubbed his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. Why weren't any shops hiring? Were shop owners these days so passive?

Having no other option, he went to ask one by one, but unfortunately, after asking around, he still couldn't find a single shop that was hiring. This made Shimizu Asahi impatient, and he asked the owner of the last shop, "Shopkeeper, do you know where else we can hire people?"

"Hiring people?" The boss looked at him with amusement, then shook his head and said, "Forget it, kid. There's nowhere to hire people now. We can't even feed ourselves, let alone give you money."

"Not full? Shopkeeper, what do you mean by that? Doesn't the Mountain City Kingdom seem like a pretty good place?"

"It's fine now, but who knows what will happen after a while."

The shopkeeper replied with a sigh. He looked at the clear water and the rising sun, then at the door, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "Young man, I see you don't know anything, so I'll kindly remind you."

"The struggle between the royal family and the nobility is becoming increasingly serious. Although the emperor's ascension to the throne has given the royal family a slight edge over the nobility, the nobility are unwilling to relinquish their power. Therefore, the open and covert struggles between the two sides are about to begin again."

"If that were all, it would be fine, but we recently heard that the Emperor is planning to move the capital from Asuka. This has really stirred up the nobles' stronghold. You see, the nobles' power is concentrated in Asuka City. With this move, their power will be completely gone. Therefore, the struggle between the two sides has become even more intense."

"What will take this struggle to the next level is the new law that the Emperor is about to promulgate. Although I don't know the specifics, I can guess that it will definitely be detrimental to the nobility. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the two sides will have a major battle."

"Although our Mountain City Kingdom is some distance from Asuka City, it's not far. Once Asuka goes to war, the flames of war will spread to us. So, we are all preparing now..."

"As you can see, the shop is deserted and there are hardly any customers. We're barely managing to stay afloat now."

The shopkeeper's words startled Shimizu Asahi. He instinctively looked around and found that it was true. Although the shops and stall owners were trying their best to hawk their wares and negotiate prices with customers, successful transactions were few and far between.

"This...this is troublesome. I completely forgot about something so important."

Qingshui Chaoyang's head is getting a little big again.

The middle period of the Asuka period, during the reign of Emperor Kōtoku, was a very important and complex time.

Before this period, the nobility divided power among themselves, and the imperial family was merely a figurehead. The Soga clan, in particular, was extremely powerful and wielded almost equal power to the imperial family. If it weren't for the assassination attempt by court officials that killed the old and current heads of the Soga clan, it would have been a question mark whether Emperor Kōtoku could have inherited the throne.

Even so, it still took the imperial family, led by Emperor Kōtoku, two or three decades to complete this change.

Of course, the two sides did not fight during this reform, perhaps out of consideration for each other's strength. They fought fiercely in the court, but kept their hands clean and never sent troops without absolute certainty.

Therefore, this change was a close call but ultimately safe.

But Shimizu Asahi, having been through it all, could see things from the perspective of someone who had already experienced it, so he knew it was a false alarm. The common people of this era, however, were unaware of this. The royal family and the nobility were now at odds, and it wouldn't be surprising if they started fighting at any time. It would be strange if they weren't worried.

"It seems we need to think of another way."

Rubbing his head, Shimizu Asahi decided to think of another way. Since working for others didn't work, he would start his own business. As a disciple of a great Onmyoji, how could he possibly starve to death?

So he prepared to say goodbye to the shopkeeper and make other plans. However, as he was about to leave, the shopkeeper stopped him and said, "Young man, although we are no longer hiring, I can recommend you to the Tamura family."

"The Tamura family?" Shimizu Asahi looked puzzled.

"Yes, the Tamura family."

The shopkeeper nodded slightly and said with some emotion, "I don't know if it's because of the conflict between the royal family and the nobles, but the frequency of monsters appearing is getting higher and higher. Many villages near Yamashiro Province have been attacked, so the daimyo sent General Tamura to exterminate the sea monsters."

"But because the siren is powerful, the general had to recruit more men before setting off to ensure victory. Although recruitment has stopped now, I see that you are in good health, so perhaps General Tamura will make an exception and accept you."

"If you succeed, you'll become a samurai. No matter what, a samurai can always have food to eat."

"A samurai..." The black-haired boy stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Three hundred years ago, in what is known as the Age of Asuka, was a truly brilliant era. Despite the twists and turns and regrets along the way, it is still worthy of celebration overall.

Because the economy, culture, and lifestyle of this era are constantly developing, people are living quite well.

Even as darkness continues to grow in this era, and monsters hidden throughout the world remain powerful, there are still samurai to fight against them.

Yes, samurai.

The term Onmyoji originated from that ancient country three hundred years ago... during the Asuka period. Although Onmyoji possessed great strength and were better able to fight against yokai, in this era where only a very few people mastered Onmyo magic, samurai were clearly the right path.

Many people take pride in becoming a samurai.

If Shimizu Asahi wanted to become a samurai, with his strength, there would be absolutely no problem.

However, he is an Onmyoji after all, and it's impossible for him to become a samurai again, so this option can basically be ruled out... But what if I join as an Onmyoji?

Shimizu Asahi's eyes lit up slightly. If he couldn't join as a samurai, he would join as an Onmyoji. Since General Tamura was a general, he must have heard of the profession of Onmyoji. His idea might actually come true.

Sensing a possibility, a hint of joy appeared on his face. He then bowed to the shopkeeper in thanks and followed the shopkeeper's directions to the Tamura family's house. (Chapter 258, Section 261: "Release the Water")

In the western district of the Mountain City Kingdom, in the middle of a luxurious mansion, Shimizu Asahi was quietly kneeling on a cushion, and in front of him was a pretty young girl with black hair and black eyes, dressed in white and red.

She looked at the clear water and the rising sun, her face bearing a gentle smile like the rising sun.

"So you are the Onmyoji? Nice to meet you. My name is Tamura Yoko."

"Um... Nice to meet you, Ms. Tamura. My name is Shimizu Asahi."

The boy smiled in response, stated his name, then paused slightly before continuing, "I believe Miss Tamura already knows the purpose of my visit. I wonder what I need to do to join this expedition?"

After leaving the shop, Shimizu Asahi arrived outside the Tamura residence. After identifying himself, the guards politely announced his arrival, and he then met the eldest daughter of the Tamura family, Tamura Yoko.

Actually, Shimizu Asahi was a little worried when he came. After all, the profession of Onmyoji was just emerging in this era, and the main force in exterminating demons was still the samurai. Therefore, most samurai looked down on Onmyoji. Even three hundred years later, many samurai still disliked Onmyoji.

The most obvious example is the Fujiwara family. Their samurai looked down on even their own family's Onmyoji, let alone Onmyoji from other families.

However, his worries seemed unnecessary. From the moment he entered until now, he had not felt any disdainful looks. Even Tamura Yoko greeted him very politely.

She didn't act like a spoiled young lady at all.

Therefore, his impression of the Tamura family improved significantly.

"Mr. Shimizu, am I addressing you like that?"

Instead of directly answering Shimizu Asahi's question, Tamura Yoko asked him if her form of address was appropriate. Not caring about the form of address, he smiled and nodded, indicating that it was fine.