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

"Good morning... Um, what's your name?"

Shimizu Asahi instinctively responded, but he paused slightly halfway through his sentence, realizing that he still didn't know the name of the shrine maiden who was chasing them.

“My name is Amane, Amane Kurago. Mr. Shimizu, you can just call me Amane.”

The shrine maiden introduced herself.

but.

"Tenjō Kurako...Tenjō? Humans...can they use this surname?"

Shimizu Asahi blinked, looking somewhat surprised. The name "Heavenly Maiden" was more of a symbol than a surname.

In this era when mythology truly existed, "celestial maiden" generally refers to a shrine maiden who accompanies the gods to the divine realm... She is an excellent shrine maiden who serves the gods in the divine realm, such as Princess Toyotsuki-no-hime, Princess Yamato-no-hime, and Princess Wakashi-no-hime in the Ise Grand Shrine, as well as Princess Himiko five hundred years ago. Only these excellent shrine maidens are qualified to call themselves celestial maidens.

Therefore, this was the first time he had ever seen a family with the surname "Celestial Maiden".

Tennyu Kurago was not surprised by Shimizu Asahi's reaction. She smiled and explained, "Actually, the surname Tennyu was bestowed by the God Lord. Our Tennyu family has been serving the God Lord for thousands of years. The God Lord was moved by our family's sincerity and thus bestowed this surname upon us. Otherwise, we would not dare to use Tennyu as our surname."

"I see. So it was a name bestowed by Susanoo-no-Mikoto. That means the current shrine maiden of Izumo Taisha is also a priestess of the Tenjo family?"

After learning the surname of the Celestial Maidens, Shimizu Asahi showed a hint of understanding. Then he realized that if the Celestial Maidens were a clan named by Susanoo-no-Mikoto himself, then did that mean that the Celestial Maidens were the clan that ruled Izumo Taisha?

The priestesses who govern shrines and communicate with the gods are mostly from the same lineage. For example, at Ise Grand Shrine, the highest priestess, Saiou, has always been a woman from the Yamato Imperial Family. Could Izumo Taisha, which is comparable to Ise Grand Shrine, also follow this tradition?

"Yes, the position of the shrine maiden of Izumo Taisha has always been held by our Heavenly Maiden Clan. The current shrine maiden is actually my mother-in-law."

Tenjo Kurago nodded slightly, confirming his guess. However, thinking of the order given by her mother-in-law, she showed a hint of apology.

The young woman bent her slender waist and said from the bottom of her heart, "Sir, my mother-in-law not only mistook you for a thief, but also sent people to hunt you down. I am so sorry."

“It’s alright. I understand the princess’s feelings. As a family that has served Susanoo-no-Mikoto for generations, she must be proud to be able to protect Izumo Taisha. It’s understandable that she would react this way after the sacred artifact was stolen. Actually, I’m not angry.”

"So, don't worry about it too much."

"Really?"

An unexpected joy shone in the girl's eyes as she looked at the clear water and the rising sun, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

During their conversation yesterday, Shimizu Asahi didn't say a word. He simply leaned quietly against Reiko, as if he had left all the conversation to her. The shrine maidens, realizing they had done something wrong, were very worried that Shimizu Asahi might develop a dislike for them and refuse to return the artifact to them.

But now, feeling the boy's friendly aura, Tenjo Kurako finally relaxed.

Thankfully, he didn't come to hate Izumo Taisha because of this.

Perhaps it was the relaxation in her heart that made the girl's smile more at ease.

She couldn't help but say, "Mr. Shimizu is so kind."

"Although Shimizu has forgiven you, isn't it a bit too early to be happy now?"

A cool voice rang out from the side. Before Shimizu Asahi could respond to Tenjo Kurako, Reiko responded with a light snort: "I am not like Shimizu. He is a person who does not know how to consider himself, but I am a person with a very small mind."

“Your actions have angered me, and I will not return the artifact to you until you have obtained my forgiveness.”

The joyful expression didn't last long before it vanished. Tenjo Kurako looked at Shimizu Reiko and sighed helplessly.

However, she quickly cheered up. From the moment she made contact yesterday, she knew that Reiko would not forgive them easily. A protracted battle was the most likely outcome after the thirteen priestesses' discussion, so there was no need for her to feel frustrated.

Moreover, Shimizu Asahi didn't hold a grudge against them; such news was already enough to make her happy.

"hehe......"

Seeing his fiancée's light hum, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but chuckle. He skillfully shook her hand and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this for now. Let's go get some breakfast."

"Would you like to come along, Miss Celestial Maiden?"

When her name was called, Tenjo Kurako paused for a moment. Then, she glanced at Shimizu Reiko cautiously. Although there was a hint of reluctance in Shimizu Reiko's eyes, considering that only by making contact could she have a chance to gain Shimizu Reiko's forgiveness, she thought for a while and then nodded in agreement.

"Humph!"

Reiko hummed in a voice only she could hear, and then pulled Shimizu Asahi downstairs.

Seeing this, the Heavenly Maiden Cangzi immediately followed.

By the way, apart from Tenjo Kurako, the other shrine maidens stayed peacefully in their rooms. Although they wanted to help, getting forgiveness from others was not so simple. When apologizing, they had to be careful not to annoy the other party.

Constant apologies and requests will only annoy the other person, and if they have a bad temper, they might even choose not to forgive them at all.

Therefore, having a large number of people is not necessarily a good thing. After a night of discussion, they finally decided to entrust this matter to the most outstanding celestial maiden, Kurako, so that she could represent Izumo Taisha in seeking forgiveness.

As the successor to the next divine child, the Heavenly Maiden Kurako accepted this task without hesitation. (Chapter 314, Section 317)

The three of them went down the stairs, found a secluded corner to sit down, ordered three simple breakfasts, and then ate quietly.

Although Tenjo Kurako didn't have the habit of eating breakfast, after chasing Shimizu Asahi for so many days, apart from occasionally being able to eat something in the city, she mostly ate dry rations. Coupled with the fatigue of traveling day and night, she also enjoyed a delicious breakfast, which was a rare treat.

After breakfast, Tamako followed Shimizu Asahi out of the inn. Looking at the two who seemed to have already decided on their destination, she asked with some doubt, "Mr. Shimizu, where are you going?"

"Oh, I haven't told you yet, we're going to visit Fei Yichuan today."

"Fei Yichuan?" The girl blinked, somewhat puzzled. "Why go there? As for the evil god, wasn't he already destroyed by you?"

"Although we have destroyed the evil god, its corpse has not yet been sealed away..."

As Shimizu Asahi walked, he said, "The evil god can be resurrected because it must have a physical body. If we don't deal with its body, it might continue to be resurrected."

“This…indeed, the body of an evil god is the most likely vessel for His resurrection. How could I have forgotten that?”

The boy's reminder made Tenjou Kurako's expression turn serious. The recognition of the divine artifact and the course of events had blinded her, causing her to forget the evil god that should have been the most important thing to pay attention to. It was a miscalculation, indeed a miscalculation.

Those who are recognized by the sacred artifacts cannot be evil. As long as they have a proper attitude and sincerely apologize, the artifacts will definitely return to the shrine. But evil gods are different. They are the shrine's enemies, beings who were killed by the god they serve, Susanoo-no-Mikoto. If they were to be resurrected, it would be a catastrophic disaster for Izumo Taisha.

She should pay more attention to things related to evil gods.

If it weren't for Shimizu Asahi's reminder, she might not have noticed the problem until she got back.

Realizing she had made yet another mistake, Tenjo Kurako couldn't help but say, "Thank you so much for reminding us this time, sir. If it weren't for you, we would have overlooked this most serious problem."

"However, now that we know about this, let us handle it."

"The evil god has an indelible grudge against Izumo Taisha, and this is a responsibility that Izumo Taisha should bear."

"Moreover, dealing with the corpse of the evil god is too dangerous. Sir has already risked his life to protect the artifact, and we cannot let him put himself in danger again."

"It was just something we did on the side. Besides, we didn't want to destroy the evil god's corpse. We just wanted to seal him away, at least to prevent him from being resurrected so easily."

Shimizu Asahi smiled and shook his head. He had never considered destroying the corpse of the Yamata no Orochi. After all, when Susanoo killed the Yamata no Orochi, he must have thought of the possibility that if the corpse was not destroyed, it would one day cause a great disaster. But even so, the god only sealed it instead of destroying it completely, which means that the god was also powerless to do anything about its corpse.

Even Susanoo-no-Mikoto felt powerless to do anything about it, so he didn't think he had the ability to handle it.

"But..." Tenjo Kurako seemed to want to say something, but before she could speak, Shimizu Asahi interrupted her.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen."

“Even the evil god couldn’t do anything to me while he was still alive, let alone a lifeless corpse. Besides, if all else fails, I also have the Yasakani no Magatama.”

"With the power of the divine artifact, suppressing the evil god should not be a problem."

“This…” Although she was still a little worried, Shimizu Asahi had already gone this far, so she naturally had no chance to refute him. Therefore, she gave up trying to persuade him and replied, “Then I will help you too, sir.”

"By the way, sir, should I call Shi Xiao and the others over as well? They are both excellent shrine maidens; they might be able to help."

"No need, the three of us should be enough."

Although sealing the corpse of Yamata no Orochi was indeed very dangerous, he, Reiko, and the Yasakani no Magatama were enough to set up a seal.

If they can't seal the power of Yamata no Orochi even if they join forces, then no matter how many people come, the result will probably be the same.

Moreover, facing such a powerful evil god's corpse, the priestesses who are not strong enough may be corrupted by the demonic power, not only becoming their enemies but also putting themselves in danger.

Therefore, the three of them are enough to keep the situation under control.

"Okay... I understand."

The girl paused for a moment, then gave a helpless laugh. Clearly, she had somewhat guessed Shimizu Asahi's considerations. Indeed, sealing the corpse of the Yamata no Orochi was such a dangerous task that it was impossible to participate without considerable strength.

Moreover, Tenjo Kurako suddenly had a guess: could it be that Shimizu Asahi was hesitant to ask her to leave because she had already come along?

If she had asked beforehand, they probably wouldn't have even brought her along.

......

Meanwhile, as Shimizu Asahi and his two companions headed towards the Fei River, Shimizu Mio, who had been resting at an inn in Shimane County for the night, also opened her eyes.

She sat up comfortably and stretched.

This was the most comfortable sleep she had had in a month. Although it was just an ordinary bed, she felt no discomfort whatsoever.

The long-lost sense of ease brought a joyful smile to the face of the lord of the gods.

It's so great to be here.

With a light heart, Shimizu Mio quickly washed up and then went out to look for Shimizu Asahi.

Of course, she changed out of her magnificent gold coat and abandoned her arrogant and willful temper, making herself appear less conspicuous.

This is, after all, the human world; being too high-profile is not a good thing.

Well, as for how to find Qingshui Chaoyang, she hasn't thought about it yet, but she's confident that she can find it.

Although searching aimlessly without being able to sense the presence of Qingshui Chaoyang is like looking for a needle in a haystack, she came here under the guidance of Qingshui Chaoyang. Therefore, there must be some kind of unseen and intangible connection between them, and under the pull of this connection, they will surely meet soon.

Of course, more importantly, she is the ruler of all gods, the one who governs heaven and earth. Everything, from mountains and rivers to monsters and spirits, revolves around her. No one can disobey her will.

Therefore, the one she is looking for will appear before her on his own.

Hmm... However, what she didn't know was that the moment she woke up was exactly the moment Shimizu Asahi left the inn with Reiko and Amamiya Kurako. (Chapter 315, Section 318)

Without having to hide, the three quickly arrived at Fei River.

The scene that came into their view was exactly the same as yesterday... no, slightly different, because part of the huge pit was connected to the river, so the pit had been filled with river water and turned into a very wide lake.

"The combination of plains rivers and lakes looks rather odd."

Shimizu Asahi touched his head and couldn't help but smile.

Do you want to restore it to its original state?

Lingzi asked casually.

Although she is a sea siren and water control is her specialty, with her strength, she can forcibly move mountains and fill seas. Moreover, it is just a thousand-meter-deep pit, and restoring it to its original state is a very simple matter for her.

"We'll talk about that later. The main task now is to seal the evil god."