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

If the Onmyoji of Heian-kyo were to see the lifeless state of Kyoto Port, they would surely be enraged and would not hesitate to exterminate it.

Once Umibozu dies, the merfolk will be his possession, and they will only be able to produce merfolk beads for him for the rest of their lives!

The oath sworn in the clan emblem did not include the promise to "release it after the mermaid sheds tears".

As for not harming the merfolk? That only applies to his branch of the Minamoto clan; he has no idea whether others will be allowed to do so.

"Hahaha..."

At that moment, the greedy and cunning Onmyoji smiled coldly.

......

On the night that Umibozu wreaked havoc in Kyoto Port, the people of Kyoto Port fell asleep with worry and unease.

Meanwhile, in the hotel that had already turned off its lights and closed, the young student, Qingshui Chaoyang, took advantage of the darkness and quietly jumped out of the window.

The wide streets were deserted, and the entire Kyoto Port was silent. Following his memory from that morning, he found the largest mansion on the west side of Kyoto Port.

This is the residence of Minamoto no Mitsuaki.

Since it's speculated that the Onmyoji of Kyoto Port are related to the sea monsters, the first person Shimizu Asahi should investigate is definitely Minamoto no Mitsuaki, the strongest Onmyoji in Kyoto Port.

"Hopefully we won't be discovered..."

To be honest, Shimizu Asahi was still a little worried. This was the residence of a great Onmyoji, and there must be many protective formations around it. If he accidentally touched a barrier, it would be troublesome.

After deducing that there was something wrong with the Onmyoji in Kyoto Port, he developed a distrust of the Onmyoji in the city.

At least, he wouldn't trust the Onmyoji here until he had investigated everything thoroughly.

Fortunately, he didn't rashly contact those guys in the morning.

After concealing his form using Yin-Yang magic, Shimizu Asahi cautiously approached the backyard.

After confirming that there were no barriers around him and that no one was around, he quietly climbed over the wall and entered the mansion.

Once inside, Shimizu Asahi began exploring each room one by one.

Minamoto no Mitsuaki is the strongest Onmyoji here, so his house must be very large. In addition, Shimizu Asahi has never been here before and does not know the structure of the house, so he can only use this time-wasting method.

However, most of the servants were resting at this time, so Shimizu Asahi's exploration was not greatly hindered.

Before long, he arrived at a courtyard.

This courtyard is very large, much larger than an ordinary courtyard. It contains not only a pavilion and a small pond, but also an exquisite rockery that is two or three meters high.

"Is Minamoto no Mitsuaki imitating that ancient country?"

Looking at the scenery in the courtyard, Shimizu Asahi exclaimed in surprise.

Courtyards in this era were generally quite small, with a small pond, a lawn, and a cherry blossom tree, which was usually enough. Courtyards with artificial hills like this were very rare.

Because he found it somewhat novel, Shimizu Asahi took a few more glances at this rather unusual courtyard.

Two or three seconds later, he looked away and prepared to continue his investigation.

But just then, a faint vibration reached my ears.

The young student was startled, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

'Oh no, we've been discovered?'

The sudden sound made him instinctively look around. Finding nowhere to hide, he had no choice but to retreat into the room behind him.

Once inside, he gently closed the door, leaving only a small crack.

Two or three seconds later, the neatly arranged artificial mountain split in two, revealing a dark passage. Then, an Onmyoji dressed in clothing with the Minamoto clan crest walked out of the passage.

After he came out, he subconsciously looked around to make sure no one was there, and then touched a spot on the artificial hill a few times.

Subsequently, the artificial hill was put back together.

After doing all this, the Genji Onmyoji quickly left the courtyard.

Five or six seconds later, Shimizu Asahi cautiously peeked out. He first glanced in the direction the Onmyoji had left, and after confirming that he was really gone, he looked at the rockery that had returned to calm.

"I didn't expect there to be a secret passage here."

A hint of surprise flashed in the young student's dark eyes. He had originally thought that the artificial hill was just for show, but he hadn't expected it to be used to hide a passage.

"Looks like my luck isn't so bad after all."

Qingshui Chaoyang laughed.

He tiptoed out of the room and then came to the artificial hill.

"I remember it should be around this location..."

Carefully feeling around the spot where the Genji Onmyoji had just touched, Shimizu Asahi soon found a protrusion. His eyes lit up slightly, and then he pressed it down.

A slight vibration was heard, and Qingshui Chaoyang took two steps back. Then, the closed artificial hill was reopened, and the entrance to the passage appeared.

Shimizu Asahi's eyes lit up slightly, and he quickly slipped inside.

The artificial hill closed again the moment he went inside.

P.S.: Waaaaah, please stop scolding me! The author doesn't understand the concept of ending chapters. ╥﹏╥

Section 26, Chapter Twenty-Six: Anger (3,000 words)

There were no torches or oil lamps in the secret passage behind the artificial hill; it was pitch black, and Qingshui Chaoyang could only proceed in the dark.

However, not knowing if there was anyone below, he consciously lowered his breathing and footsteps, and then slowly felt his way down.

Three minutes later, he walked to a heavy wooden door.

"So fast?"

Shimizu Asahi estimated that the passage was only about fifty or sixty meters long, very short, and not dangerous at all.

However, judging from the sliver of light shining through the crack under the wooden door, his caution was correct.

There are people inside.

The young student squinted and carefully pushed open the wooden door.

Through the open crack, he could see a small part of the scene inside.

It was a small secret room that could hold twenty or thirty people, no different from an ordinary secret room... no, it was more like a prison cell than a secret room.

Shimizu Asahi shifted his gaze and saw a number of torture instruments placed to the side.

The moment he noticed the torture device, he heard the sharp sound of an object cutting through the air.

'The other side?'

The moment he heard the sound, he realized that prisoners were being held here.

However, this small gap was not enough for him to see what was happening on the other side.

After quietly widening the crack in the door, Shimizu Asahi finally saw what was happening on the other side.

His gaze fell on the three 'people'.

Inside were two Onmyoji dressed in hunting robes, one holding a long whip and the other a staff, while a girl with long blue hair was suspended by heavy chains.

The two Onmyoji were wielding their whips and wooden clubs without mercy, the sharp sound of their weapons cutting through the air filling the entire cell.

The sounds also included the heavy thud of sticks hitting flesh, the harsh crack of whips striking the body, and the girl's faint cries of pain.

Each of their attacks caused the girl's body to bleed profusely.

Skin torn open... truly skin torn open!

The clear water and rising sun behind the door involuntarily widened their eyes.

What's going on?!

The faint demonic aura in the air told him that the person hanging there was a demon.

But... why torture her like this?

Seeing the girl's miserable state, Shimizu Asahi felt a pang of pity. He didn't know why the girl was hanging there, but he felt that Genji's actions were a bit excessive.

Even if she did something bad, she shouldn't have resorted to such methods!

That's outrageous!

The young students gritted their teeth and persevered.

He despises monsters that hunt humans like prey, and if he encounters one, he will send it to the underworld without mercy. However, he also despises this kind of tormenting method!

'Damn it, should we stop them?'

Qingshui Chaoyang couldn't help but feel the urge to stop them.

The moment that thought arose, another thought popped into Shimizu Asahi's mind.

If he makes a move, his whereabouts will be exposed, and the mansion's defenses will be strengthened, making it much more difficult to enter again...

Normally, he should have ignored it for the sake of the mission, but....

The girl who was hanging there had stopped her faint wails and was now as silent as a dead person... If he didn't intervene, she would definitely be beaten to death!

Clenching his teeth and making a fist—to hell with revealing his whereabouts!

But just as Shimizu Asahi was about to break down the door, the two Onmyoji suddenly stopped what they were doing.

Seeing that they had stopped, Shimizu Asahi, who was about to rush in, paused for a moment, then quickly withdrew his left foot that had already stepped out.

The burly man threw the black club aside, spat hard, and said, "Alright, stop hitting it. If you keep hitting it, we'll kill this monster."

"Tsk, damn monster, we've beaten her countless times since this morning. Even someone who doesn't cry should have been brought to tears by now. Why isn't she crying?"

Another burly man put down his whip, sat on a wooden chair, poured himself some cold water, and cursed angrily.

"If this monster weren't so hard-boned, Lord Minamoto no Mitsuaki wouldn't have sent us. Besides, mermaids are inherently difficult to cry, so it's normal for it to take some effort."

'A mermaid!?'

Upon hearing the burly man's words, a hint of astonishment flashed in the young student's dark eyes.

His attention had been drawn to the torture, so he hadn't noticed the girl's identity immediately.

Why are merfolk here?