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

He had no concept of these basic Yin-Yang techniques before, but now he finally has one. The next divine son who just participated in the outer god's sacrifice was released so easily. His value is truly immense.

However... with Izumo Taisha placing such importance on him, he must be under a lot of pressure.

After all, as an ordinary person with no backing, no family, and only relying on his sister for survival, the Yin-Yang techniques he possessed were all things that could be learned from books. With Cangzi's talent, it would probably take less than a year to squeeze him dry.

Having no one left to teach is both a teacher's fortune and a teacher's misfortune.

At least personally, he still hopes to teach until he leaves this era.

But... well, let's just take it one step at a time for now. We can't exactly send Cangzi back, can we?

Therefore, Shimizu Asahi was the first to express his welcome.

However, Reiko, standing to the side, sensed something was amiss... Chapter 357 Uninvited Guest (Section 360)

In this household, the person who understands Tamako Kurako best is neither her friend Yoko nor her teacher Shimizu Asahi, but her enemy Shimizu Reiko.

Perhaps Reiko herself wasn't even aware of it, but there's no denying that she was the only one who sensed something was wrong with Kurako's words.

Her intuition told her that what Tennō Kurako had just said was both true and false.

Perhaps Izumo Taisha did issue such an order, but it's quite possible that it was she who made that order...

With her abilities, scheming against Izumo Taisha would not be difficult for her.

Tsk, I finally managed to get rid of her, but she came back on her own.

That guy is like a persistent ghost.

In fact, Reiko's guess was correct.

As someone whose talent might even surpass that of Shimizu Asahi, Reiko was well aware of how important the knowledge Shimizu Asahi taught her was. If she were to hand over everything she had learned to Izumo Taisha, then without a doubt, Izumo Taisha would have the ability to actively explore changes in spiritual energy and continuously move forward with its own thinking.

However, this means that even though Shimizu Asahi still plays an extremely important role in Izumo Taisha, he is no longer an 'irreplaceable existence'.

Moreover, if things go smoothly at Izumo Taisha, she might soon no longer need to learn from Shimizu Asahi, and she herself might not be able to stay at the Shimizu... Tamura family home.

Therefore, in order to ensure that Shimizu Asahi continues to play the role of an 'irreplaceable presence' in the eyes of Izumo Taisha, she slightly altered the process of cultivating spiritual power and concealed this crucial point.

And so, the Onmyōdō power of Izumo Taisha began to improve steadily and slowly, while she herself stayed peacefully by Shimizu Asahi's side, absorbing knowledge and energy.

Spring comes and autumn goes, cold comes and heat goes, and in the blink of an eye, another two years have passed...

In the past two years, apart from the Lunar New Year and the two necessary festivals and ceremonies of the gods, Tenjo Kurako has never returned to Izumo Taisha.

She absorbed all the knowledge that Qing Shui Chao Yang could teach her, and transformed that knowledge into power, soaring into the sky.

She has now grown into a powerful Onmyoji capable of fighting alongside Shimizu Asahi, and even the shrine maiden of Izumo Taisha is no longer her match.

After all the knowledge had been absorbed, all that Shimizu Asahi could teach her was practical experience.

Of course, although there was practice every day, practice is still practice and can't compare to real combat. So, Shimizu Asahi took the initiative to take on the task of defeating all the monsters in the mountain city.

During this time, he and Cangzi defeated countless monsters, including sea monsters and demons.

If the other party is a monster that wants to settle in the human world and has no intention of harming people, he will turn a blind eye. But if it is a monster with the intention of harming people, he will have Kurako send it to the underworld.

Perhaps because of his active performance, he is now a household name in the Mountain City Kingdom. Some people have even compiled his story into folk legends, making him a legendary figure.

Shimizu Asahi found these things somewhat amusing, but he didn't pay too much attention to them, since it was something he should do.

Besides these things, there is another matter that is also worth noting.

That means Tamura Samurai is coming back.

Two and a half years have passed since the expedition began. The Echigo fortresses, the Iwafune fortress, have been completed one after another. The war with the Emishi tribes also ended not long ago. Of course, most importantly, the implementation of the decrees has finally been completed. Therefore, most of the troops gathered in Echigo Province are finally going to return to their respective countries.

And naturally, Tamura Samurai was also ordered to return.

"It's been two and a half years... Father is finally coming home..."

Upon receiving the news, Shimizu Asahi sighed at the passage of time, then revealed a hint of anticipation.

With Tamura Shiichi back, the Tamura household will be lively again.

"Yes, we need to start preparing for our wedding too."

Reiko also smiled happily with her eyes narrowed.

Tamura's return signifies not only the end of the war and the reunion of the family, but also the start of preparations for their wedding.

The last time she and Shimizu Asahi got married, it took four or five months to prepare. This time, it will probably take five or six months, or even six or seven months, to prepare for their wedding. However, six or seven months is a bit long, so it would be better to keep it at five or six months.

"Is the gentleman about to start preparing for the wedding? That's perfect, I'll come and help."

"Although this is my first time helping to plan a wedding, and I'm not familiar with what to prepare or do, I will try my best."

The shrine maiden said with some anticipation.

But then she seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, and the wedding gift. It's your wedding, sir. How can I, as your student, not prepare the best gift?"

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely prepare the best gift."

"It's good that you have the intention. Also, I'm not your teacher... so don't talk about it outside."

Shimizu Asahi responded and then corrected the girl's mistake.

Over the past two years, although Cangzi had hinted to him several times, both openly and subtly, he maintained one attitude—he would not accept her as his apprentice.

At the beginning, Shimizu Asahi might have considered it, since Kurako was indeed a promising talent. However, later on, when he found himself unable to teach her any further, he gave up on the idea.

How can someone who can no longer teach her anything become her teacher?

As for teaching her life lessons, let's forget about that. As the next shrine maiden of Izumo Taisha, Kurako knows far more than the average person and doesn't need anyone to teach her.

Besides, he's about the same age as Cangzi, and he doesn't have the ability to teach him.

Therefore, he has refused to become an apprentice until now.

"Everything I have was given to me by Master, yet he still says these things..." The girl pouted, looking somewhat indignant. All she wanted was to become his apprentice and get closer to him, but he couldn't even grant her that wish.

Although she found her husband's stubbornness endearing, she found it truly annoying when he used it on her.

"Hehe, alright, let's leave it at that for now. Let's go back and rest. Oh, and we should also instruct the servants to make some preparations. We'll have a proper celebration when Father returns in a few days."

The three girls obediently went back to rest, preparing to welcome Tamura Samurai's return. However, they were unaware that in the distant seas off Yamashiro Province, an uninvited guest was rapidly approaching... Chapter 358: The Port's Peril (Section 361)

Seven or eight days of peaceful life passed. Then, on this morning, the four of them, including Qingshui Chaoyang, got up early from bed. After a quick wash, they went to the city gate of the Mountain City Kingdom.

Tamura Samurai is coming back today.

The four waited quietly and expectantly at the city gate, and before long, they saw billowing smoke rising slowly from afar.

Their gazes brightened slightly, and a surge of excitement welled up within the three of them, including Shimizu Asahi.

Then, at the edge of the four people's field of vision, a figure riding a warhorse slowly appeared.

The warhorse carrying the figure arrived at the city gate. The person on horseback immediately pulled on the reins, stopped the horse, and dismounted.

The resolute man looked at his daughter and son-in-law who came out to greet him, and a smile appeared on his weathered face.

"Chaoyang, Lingzi, Yezi... you've all grown up."

Two years is a very long time, no matter where you look at it. Although the letters did not stop, in this world, no matter how intimate the correspondence is, it is not as intimate as face-to-face communication and contact.

Therefore, Tamura Samurai felt a great sense of satisfaction.

"Father, welcome back."

Shimizu Asahi stepped forward to greet him and said, "Although I have a lot to say to you, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go home first."

"I have already had a banquet prepared."

"Okay, let's go home!"

He patted the boy's shoulder heavily, and Tamura Samurai led his warhorse forward.

Because it was early morning, there weren't many people on the streets, so the journey home was relatively easy for everyone.

Before long, the five of them returned home.

"Phew... Home really does feel the best."

After returning home, Tamura Shiro took off his armor, put on ordinary clothes, and sat in the hall, trying his best to relax.

Although he only led troops into battle a few times during this period of campaigning... because there were too many subordinate states involved, even though there were many battles with the Emishi tribe that required multiple attacks, it was not necessary for so many generals to launch more than ten attacks in two years. Therefore, he spent most of his time training soldiers in the military camp.

Anyone who isn't stupid can understand the difference between the environment of the military camp and the environment at home.

Even a general like him couldn't honestly say that the military camp was better than home.

"Have some water first, Father."

As the son-in-law, Shimizu Asahi poured Tamura a cup of hot water and said, "You must be tired from your journey."

"It's alright. Although the journey was very tiring, I'm doing much better than the soldiers."

After happily taking a sip of the tea offered by his son-in-law, Tamura Shi shook his head with a smile.

From Echigo to Yamashiro, he rode a horse, but the soldiers following behind him walked, so it was the soldiers who were exhausted along the way.

This is why Tamura Shiichi told the soldiers to go back and rest as soon as he returned.

"By the way, Chaoyang, who is this?"

After putting down his teacup, Tamura Samurai's gaze involuntarily fell on Kurako.

Actually, he noticed Tenjo Kurako when he came back, but he didn't dare to ask her at the time, so he kept it to himself until now.

Upon hearing Tamura's words, the shrine maiden took the initiative to introduce herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, General Tamura. My name is Amamiya Kurako. I am your student and I am currently staying at the Tamura residence so that I can study with you."

"student?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, revealing an expression of interest.

"Chaoyang, you actually took on students? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"no......"

“Father, that’s not how it is. Although Tenjo Kurako wanted to become Shimizu’s student, Shimizu never agreed. So, she is not Shimizu’s student.”

Just as Shimizu Asahi was about to explain, Shimizu Reiko beat him to it.