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

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Qingshui Chaoyang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

They had sealed the evil god's corpse and broken free from the space created by Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Although they were physically exhausted, they were truly overjoyed.

After covering the entrance again, they glanced at the darkening sky and, without lingering any longer, returned to the inn.

After returning, Shimizu Asahi and the other girl ordered some dishes and went back to their room to rest. The wise girl Kurako did not stay with Shimizu Asahi any longer. She turned around and went back to the next room, where she told the other shrine maidens what had happened that day.

Upon learning of this, the shrine maidens' affection for Shimizu Asahi skyrocketed. At the same time, perhaps because these girls had never seen the outside world and were still somewhat naive, their feelings for Shimizu Asahi changed from initial guilt and embarrassment to a touch of admiration.

Some of the priestesses even developed a slight liking for her.

The unspoken tenderness and the responsibility of bearing everything alone are so alluring.

Ah, of course, that sunny and cheerful face is also one of the key factors that makes the other person fascinated.

However, while they were having a heated discussion about Shimizu Asahi, Shimizu Asahi, who lived next door, had already finished dinner and taken a quick shower before falling asleep with his fiancée, Reiko.

Life with a fiancée is just that simple and unpretentious.

Just as they returned to their rooms and tidied up, Shimizu Mio, who had been traveling around Shimane County, also returned to the inn.

However, unlike her confident demeanor when she left, she returned with a slight hint of doubt on her face.

No, why is this happening? As the Lord of Destiny, who rules the heavens and the earth, and whose existence is so great that the world revolves around him, how could he have walked all day without encountering the person he wanted to meet?

Today, she went to countless places, but no matter where she was, she did not encounter Qingshui Chaoyang.

This situation made her wonder if he had left.

In her worldview, the only reason she could not meet Qingshui Chaoyang was that he left the city.

After all, only people who live in different places will not meet in the same city.

But you just dealt with the evil god yesterday, isn't it too rushed to leave today?

That's unlikely, isn't it?

Moreover, even if it were true, which city would he have gone to?

For the first time, Shimizu Mio, whose mind was filled with doubts, showed a troubled expression. It was the first time she had ever fallen into deep thought while looking for someone.

If I had known, I would have brought Tian Dian Nu Ming along. With her there, things would have been much easier for me.

Speaking of which, she could also get her good-for-nothing brother back...

"Wait, a divine artifact, the Izumo Taisha Shrine!"

Shimizu Mio, who was considering whether to ask Susanoo-no-Mikoto to return as soon as possible, suddenly paused for a moment, and then quickly realized what was happening.

That's right. Shimizu Asahi obtained the divine artifact, so naturally he should return it to Izumo Taisha. The reason I can't find him here must be because he has set off for Izumo Taisha.

"We finally managed to snatch the sacred artifact back from Him, and now he's already off to Izumo Taisha. That child must be exhausted..."

"Forget it, I'll get some rest early tonight and head out to find him first thing tomorrow morning."

Having made her own judgment and concluding that Shimizu Asahi had returned the sacred artifact to Izumo Taisha, the girl couldn't help but smile and decided to set off early the next day to find him.

She might even run into him on the street.

Shimizu Mio didn't think there was anything wrong with her decision, but if the shrine maidens serving her, such as Ame-no-Mikoto, Kiku-no-Hime-no-Kami, and Himiko, found out, they would probably think that the gods they served had been switched.

In their understanding, the Great God would never consider others, nor would he tolerate pursuing someone instead of that person pursuing his god. For them, the Great God's decision was no less significant than the reappearance of the retired Izanagi and the Izanami in the Land of the Dead.

In short, she must be crazy.

Afterwards, Shimizu Mio simply used her divine power to cleanse her body and went to bed.

She did not eat dinner, partly because gods do not need to eat, and partly because how could the lord of the gods eat such things?

......

Time slipped away unnoticed, and the next day arrived without anyone noticing.

As the sun rose, Shimizu Mio opened her eyes. She quickly washed up, refreshed herself, left the room, and then departed with a hint of anticipation.

However, no sooner had she left the hotel than Shimizu Asahi pushed open the door to her room.

Although Shimizu Asahi also woke up at the moment the sun rose, he had a fiancée after all, and it would take two people more time than one person. That's why they happened to open the door just as Shimizu Mio left.

However, at the same time they opened their door, the door to the room where the shrine maidens lived next door was also opened.

"Good morning, Mr. Shimizu and Ms. Shimizu."

Tenjo Kurago looked at the two of them, paused for a moment, but quickly bent down to greet them.

"Miss Celestial Maiden, please don't be so polite. We're just about to get breakfast, would you like to come along?"

"Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Tenjo Kurako glanced at Reiko first, and after noticing any unhappiness or other emotions, she nodded slightly.

The three of them sat down at the same spot as yesterday and ordered some breakfast items they hadn't tried the day before. While waiting for their breakfast, Kurako cautiously asked, "Sir, the matter in Shimane County is over. What are your plans now?"

"Plans? Hmm... Let me think. I'll rest in Shimane County for a while first, and then go see other places."

If possible, Shimizu Asahi plans to take Shimizu Reiko to see other places. She has begun to understand what family is now. Although this feeling is currently only directed towards Shimizu Asahi, Tamura Samurai, and Tamura Yoko, it is already very good news.

Everything is difficult at the beginning, but once feelings are established, everything else becomes much easier.

Now, let Reiko experience good and evil, and distinguish between truth and falsehood, before returning to Tamura to understand universal love.

If all goes well, Reiko will soon be able to develop a nation-building concept and establish the first country on the high seas. At that time, he will be able to retire successfully and return to three hundred years in the future.

“Other places… Well, before we set off, sir, you can come back to Izumo Taisha with us. You helped us retrieve the sacred artifact, and we would like to treat you well.”

"Going to Shenmen County...?"

Shimizu Asahi thought for a moment, then smiled and shook her head, saying, "I won't go to Shenmen County." Chapter 319, Section 322: Shimizu, Warming the Bed at Night...

After Shimizu Asahi and Shimizu Reiko decided to 'wander the world', they disappeared from everyone's sight. Apart from Tamura Samurai and Tamura Yoko, who occasionally received letters from them, no one knew where they were.

Even Tamura Samurai and Tamura Yoko couldn't know their current location from the letter. After all, in this era, letter delivery was very time-consuming; by the time they received the envelope, it might have been several days after they wrote the letter.

And so, spring came and autumn went, winter came and summer went, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

In the cold winter of that year, in the western district of the Mountain City Kingdom, a pleasant voice rang out from a seemingly ordinary yet grand mansion.

"The Lunar New Year is almost here again, Father. Do you think Qingshui and my sister will come back this year?"

In the open-doored room, Tamura Yoko tucked her slender legs in, her two fair and lovely feet pressed tightly together. Leaning against the heater, she looked at the heavy snow and murmured with a touch of longing, "They haven't been back for two years."

When they left, Shimizu Asahi and the others only said they were going to Izumo Province and would be back soon. At that time, she didn't think much of it. However, more than half a month later, she suddenly received a letter from Shimizu Asahi saying that he was going to "wander the world" with Reiko and wouldn't be back for a while. Although she was mentally prepared, she didn't expect that this trip would last for two whole years.

They had only been family for a short time, and then he disappeared for two years...

The first year was alright; she only missed them occasionally. But in the second year, she thought about them frequently. Basically, every time a letter came, she would ponder whether they intended to return.

"Two years... Time really flies, it's gone before you know it."

The middle-aged man, who looked two years older, murmured something under his breath. He looked at the pristine white snow outside and said with a touch of nostalgia, "Those days feel like they happened just yesterday."

"However, whether they come back or not is their decision. They will come back when they want to."

"That's what they say, but Father must have always wanted my sister and the others to come back."

Yoko turned her gaze to her father. She could sense that Tamura also hoped that Shimizu Asahi and the others could come back.

"Hmm... I miss it a little."

After Shimizu Asahi and Shimizu Reiko left, the Tamura family returned to its former peaceful state. He spent his days either training his soldiers or spending time with his daughter. Occasionally, he would go out to fight a minor battle that wasn't too important, and then return to happily hold a victory celebration. Although it was no different from before Shimizu Asahi and the others arrived, he always felt that something was missing in the past two years.

Especially on the day of reunion, the New Year, although the huge mansion was brightly lit, it was still rather desolate with only the father and daughter present, apart from the maids and servants.

Moreover, since Reiko entered the Tamura family, they haven't had a single holiday together, which is quite a pity.

Although he had considered asking Shimizu Asahi and Reiko to come back during the last Spring Festival, he didn't bring it up because he knew they had their own plans and intentions and he didn't want to trouble them for his own sake.

Ah, because Shimizu Asahi left them two talismans before he left, and told them that if anything unexpected happened, they should tear up the talismans, and he would immediately sense the situation here and rush back as quickly as possible.

"...Shimizu's last letter didn't mention anything about returning, so it seems we'll be spending this year together again."

Realizing that her father wouldn't ask them to come back, Ye Zi sighed softly.

Oh well... life is long, they'll come back when they've had their fun.

We've already waited two years, so what's a little more time?

But just then, a soldier rushed over and shouted at the door of the room, "General, the gentleman and lady are back!"

"What did you say!?"

Tamura Samurai and Tamura Yoko both widened their eyes at the same time, staring in surprise at the servants outside the door, as if they were frightened. For a moment, they were completely unresponsive, but after two or three seconds, they came to their senses and stepped out of the room at the same time.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Tamura family home, Shimizu Asahi and Reiko were sitting quietly by the fireplace, warming themselves. They had taken off their snowflake-covered clothes and handed them to a servant.

"How are you feeling? Are you warming up yet?"

While warming himself by the fire, Qingshui Chaoyang looked after his fiancée.

Reiko, whose little face was red from the cold, rubbed her hands together and then nodded gently: "Hmm... I'm much better now."

Although Reiko is a yokai, she is ultimately a mermaid, and her natural fear of the cold has always been with her.

If she had used her demonic powers, even though she was naturally afraid of the cold, she wouldn't have needed to warm herself by the fire. However, having decided to live like a human, she gave up her demonic powers and simply used her body to endure the winter, which led to this result.

However, Shimizu Asahi still found it a bit strange. Even without using her demonic powers, Reiko's body should be much stronger than that of an ordinary human, so this bit of cold air shouldn't be a problem, but...

Hmm... is this what they call one thing overcoming another?

"That's good. Next time, bring the talisman I gave you. If all else fails, you can use some demonic power. There's no need to keep doing this."

"No, if I said I would live like a human, then I should keep my word. It's just a little cold, but that's not enough to make me give up."

"You're really stubborn."

Slightly helpless, with a worried and indulgent smile, Shimizu Asahi took out a talisman, affixed it, and handed it to the girl, saying, "Alright, even though you say that, I can't just watch you suffer in the cold and do nothing."

"After all, I'm still your fiancé."

Looking at the talisman handed to her, Reiko blinked, then smiled happily.

Although she insisted on not using her demonic powers, she wouldn't insist on not letting Shimizu Asahi help her. She was his fiancée, and it was only natural for her to enjoy his care and attention. Moreover, she herself liked this feeling of being cared for by him.

Besides my own perseverance, another reason for achieving this is that I want to enjoy this happy feeling more.

If he used his demonic powers, he wouldn't warm his hands by covering them with his own, nor would he drape his clothes over himself to keep him warm, and he certainly wouldn't warm his blankets at night...