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

The girl's reaction made Umibozu clench its fists, its heart aching. But the next moment, it gently embraced the girl and comforted her:

"Don't be afraid, Grandpa Umibozu is here."

"Umibozu...Grandpa?"

The gentle embrace and voice brought the girl back to her senses, and she opened her jewel-like blue eyes to look at the familiar figure holding her in his arms. A feeling of grievance and fear welled up in her heart.

"Grandpa Umibozu!"

The girl stretched out her scarred arm and grabbed the sea monk's collar despite the pain.

"I know that Grandpa Umibozu will come to save me."

"Don't worry, child, Grandpa will never let this happen again."

Gently patting the girl's back, Umibozu did his best to comfort her.

"Um....."

The girl lay in the sea spirit's arms for a very long time. With the sea spirit's gentle caresses, the girl's trembling body finally stopped shaking.

Looking at the child who had calmed down, Umibozu took a deep breath and said, "Child, actually, it wasn't your grandfather who rescued you this time."

The girl raised her head, looking confused.

"Not...Grandpa?"

"Yes, the one who saved you was a very gentle child..."

......

After parting ways with Umibozu, Shimizu Asahi set off for Heian-kyo.

Although he had never traveled these roads before, he asked Umibozu to take him to the east, directly opposite Heian-kyo, so he only needed to follow the westward direction to get there.

Shimizu Asahi estimated that when he got ashore, it should be a little after dawn, which meant that he could return to Heian-kyo as soon as dawn broke.

This is the normal situation, but in reality, after dawn, the sun is still rising over the clear water.

There are many mountains on the eastern side of Ping'an. Although they are not high, they are still mountains. In addition, as it got darker, Qingshui Chaoyang could only slow down and pick up speed after dawn.

By the time he arrived in Heian-kyo, the sun had already risen for quite some time.

After returning to Heian-kyo, Shimizu Asahi headed towards the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang).

Before long, he arrived at the door of Kamo no Tadashi's office.

"Dong dong dong."

A gentle knock sounded on the door, and Shimizu Asahi respectfully called out, "Teacher, your student has come to submit the assessment."

The next second, Kamo no Tadayuki's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

"Thank you, teacher."

Shimizu Asahi sat down opposite Kamo Tadashi, greeted him with a "good morning," and then took out the authorization form from his pocket and handed it to Kamo Tadashi.

"Master, your disciple has completed the task."

Although he left all his luggage at the inn in Kyoto Port, fortunately, he carried the mission order with him, so he didn't have to worry about not being able to complete the mission.

If the commission form is lost, he will probably have to ask Kamo no Tadashi to reassign him the assessment task.

Looking at the order form on the table, Tadashi Kamo narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then, he looked at Qingshui Chaoyang, remained silent for a moment, and calmly said, "Completed the assessment in less than a day... You saved that merman?"

P.S.: Three chapters tomorrow! Three chapters tomorrow! Let's go!

Chapter 32, Section 32: Kamo no Tadayuki: My dream is for humans and yokai to live in peace.

The spacious, empty room was completely silent.

The young students stared wide-eyed at the calm and composed geomancer.

"Teacher, do you know about the Kyoto Port incident?!"

"I know part of it."

Kamo nods calmly and says, "Before assigning this task to you, I personally went to Kyoto Port to investigate."

"As for the merman, I've only seen him once from afar."

"So, the teacher knows everything? If that's the case, why didn't the teacher just save the child?" The young student became agitated. "Although that child is a monster, she has never harmed anyone."

Looking at the slightly agitated student, Kamo no Tadashi gently shook his head and said, "The reason I didn't save the merfolk is because I'm waiting for you to save them."

"This...you want me to go save them? Teacher, what's the point of you doing this?"

The sudden words caused confusion to creep onto Qing Shui Chaoyang's face; he couldn't quite understand what his teacher meant.

"Chaoyang, over the past year, I've asked you many questions about your views on monsters, but each time you've feigned ignorance and brushed me off. So this time, I want to use this mission to test your true thoughts."

"As for the meaning you mentioned..."

At this point, Kamo no Tadashi gently closed his eyes.

"Chaoyang, have you heard the story of my dream?"

"Sir's dream? This... I've never heard of it."

Kamo no Tadayuki was the strongest Onmyoji in Heian-kyo. There are countless stories about him, from besieging the Demon King to driving away the demon army and suppressing evil demons. Some of these stories are so well-known that Shimizu Asahi can recite them backwards.

However, he had never heard the story of Kamo Tadashi's dream.

"Is that so... It seems those nobles have forgotten about this matter."

Kamo no Tadayuki gave a light, self-deprecating laugh.

Then, the story begins...

Two or three decades ago, Kamo no Tadayuki, then only in his early twenties, was ordered by his family to exterminate demons. He arrived at the mission location with the Kamo family's onmyoji (yin-yang masters), and after a brief investigation, he decisively began to carry out the mission.

Although he wasn't as powerful back then as he is now, he was still one of the most outstanding figures in Heian-kyo.

Under his leadership, the Kamo family captured all the monsters hiding in the mission area.

They tied up the monster and executed it without mercy.

At that time, Kamo no Tadayuki firmly believed that monsters were the enemies of mankind. Therefore, he slaughtered the defenseless monsters indiscriminately, like a butcher.

But at that moment, a banshee who was about to be executed knelt before him.

She was begging for mercy.

For myself, and for the baby in my belly.

The succubus screamed in anguish, begging Kamo no Tadayuki to let her live until she gave birth to the child in her womb. She was willing to be a prisoner and to give anything, but her only wish was for the child in her womb to live.

The child in her womb is human.

The yokai's plea touched Kamo no Tadayuki's heart; before this, he had never imagined that humans and yokai could coexist in this way.

He wanted to spare the banshee, clinging to human emotions.

But just as he was about to give the order, he sensed the confused and disgusted look in his subordinates' eyes.

Those gazes burned at him like raging fire—they were demons, enemies of humanity, and as an Onmyoji of the Kamo family, he had to take action!

That was the belief he once held firmly and the glory of his family!

Ultimately, family honor triumphed over human emotions.

He Maozhong made his move, choosing to deliver the fatal blow.

He personally chopped off the banshee's head.

After delivering that final blow, Kamo no Tadayuki knelt on the ground, looking at his blood-stained hands, feeling his former faith gradually crumbling...

Since then, he has vowed never to accidentally kill a monster again and has begun to search for a way for humans and monsters to coexist.

Countless elders in the clan were furious about his choice and tried every means to help him regain the family's honor, but none of the comments affected his firm belief.

......

"Is this...the teacher's story...?"

Shock and disbelief crossed the young student's face; he had never known that his teacher had such a past.

"A very foolish story."

Kamo Tadashi said quietly, "I had the chance to save her and her child, but in the end, I was the one who took their lives with my own hands."

“I am a bad person. No matter what I say, I cannot erase the mistakes I have made.”

"Therefore, I want to atone for my sins."

"The story of the banshee gave me hope for the coexistence of humans and monsters, so I began to search for a half-demon child who could embody my ideals."

"Originally, I placed all my hopes on him... Yes, Kidomaru, that child was my hope."

"I placed my longing for a way of coexisting between humans and demons on him."

"But Chaoyang, a year ago, I met you again."

“You are different from other children. You are the only child who is willing to approach him and identify with him.”

"In you, I see the hope of humanity itself—can humanity, by its own will, acknowledge and accept yokai?"

"So that's how it is..." After listening to the teacher's words, the young student finally understood what the teacher meant.

The master hoped that he would carry on his will and work on the path to enable humans and monsters to coexist peacefully.

“Sir, if you want your student to inherit your will, you can just tell the student directly. There’s no need to test him in this way... That merman... that child has suffered a lot!”

Her hands, resting on her knees, clenched unconsciously. Although she understood her husband's thoughts, Shimizu Asahi could not agree with his actions.

Just to test his will, a girl suffered unimaginable torment.

He could not agree with this approach under any circumstances!

"That child... has suffered?" Looking at the student clenching his teeth, Kamo Tadashi's serious expression faltered for a moment.

"what happened?"