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

"Did Reiko still believe in me until the very end? That trust is really heavy."

He didn't know how long Reiko had stayed in Suzuka Mountain, nor how much she had sacrificed to find him, but he could sense the deep trust in her from just a few words.

"By the way, Ōtakemaru, do you know where Reiko and Yoko are right now?"

At this point, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but think of the most important thing for him right now—finding Yoko and Reiko!

They spent three hundred years searching for him, and now that he has returned, he naturally wants to see them as soon as possible and share his joy with them.

However, upon hearing this, Ōtakemaru gently shook his head.

"do not know."

"Not long after you left, Yoko set off alone to look for you. For the first ten years, she would occasionally come back to visit, but after ten years, she never came back. Although Suzuka Gozen guarded this place for twenty years, she also left Suzuka Mountain after not receiving any news from you and Yoko."

"As for where they went, they didn't say."

"So...his whereabouts are unknown...?"

His loosened hand involuntarily clenched again. Shimizu Asahi pursed his lips. He had somewhat guessed that Ōtakemaru had no leads on Reiko; after all, if Ōtakemaru had any leads, he wouldn't have let the Scorpion Woman go on a solo sea adventure. But he hadn't expected that Yoko's situation was exactly the same as Reiko's...

"Speaking of which, you don't seem curious about the fact that Ye Zi has survived to this day."

Ōtakemaru looked back with his pale yellow eyes, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the figure of a black-haired boy.

Yoko is human, just like Tenjo Kurako. According to human lifespan, it's impossible for her to live to be three hundred years in the future. However, when he asked this question, he didn't seem to imply that Yoko was already dead.

It was as if he knew she was still alive.

"Ye Zi is my wife. If I don't even know the health condition of my own wife, wouldn't I be a terrible husband?"

Feeling a little down, he forced a joke, then paused slightly before continuing, "Actually, I noticed before I left that Yezi's body was changing."

“She was originally a pure person, but after coming to the island, her aura began to become turbid, as if she had been polluted by something. Since then, I have been paying attention to her body.”

"At first, I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but when that murky smell surfaced, I knew."

"Ye Zi, without realizing it, transformed into a monster." Chapter 398, Section 401: The Red Thread of Fate

It is extremely rare for a human to become a monster. Although many legends tell stories of humans turning into monsters, stories are just stories, and no one would take them as fact.

The reason why Shimizu Asahi could so easily accept the fact that Yoko had turned into a monster was because he had already witnessed how humans could turn into monsters.

However, even so, he still had deep confusion and doubt about the changes in the leaves.

Ari was able to transform into Shiranui because her name was linked to Shiranui. Ari being Shiranui allowed the power of the 'Name Curse' to be fully unleashed. However, even the 'Name Curse' only combined their bodies and powers into one; their individual consciousness and thoughts were not truly integrated.

Therefore, in Shimizu Asahi's eyes, it's not so much that Ari has become a monster, but rather that she has been possessed by a monster.

However, Ye Zi was different; she had truly transformed into a monster.

Without the power of the 'Name Curse', nor the fusion with another yokai, she simply transformed from a human into a yokai.

This inexplicable change aroused many doubts in Shimizu Asahi's heart.

Why did the leaf turn into a monster so quietly?

Was it because she had too much contact with monsters and picked up their aura? Or did she herself yearn to become a monster, and her body responded to her?

Shimizu Asahi couldn't figure out the answer, nor did he have time to seek it. By the time he realized this, it was not long before his return.

But he wasn't too worried about the change, because he knew it was good for Ye Zi.

He will be gone for three hundred years. Humans cannot live long enough to wait for his return. But it's different for yokai. Yokai have no time limit. Even if he leaves for a thousand years, Yezi will still have enough time to wait for him.

From another perspective, he prefers to see such scenes.

Upon hearing his explanation, Ōtakemaru withdrew his gaze. "I see. You noticed her change before you left? Indeed, if you weren't sure if she could wait for you for three hundred years, you wouldn't have left so resolutely."

"But even if she could wait for you for three hundred years, you still wouldn't be able to find any clues about her."

"I will find her. I believe I will meet her again!"

"..."

His steps faltered slightly, and Ōtakemaru involuntarily turned his head again. The man who had silently abandoned them had a resolute and determined look on his face.

Just as they believed he would not abandon them, he firmly believed he would meet them again.

"Is that so... I don't know why you're so sure, but we've arrived."

"That place that collects scrap metal."

His dark pupils returned to what was before him, and the voice of Ōtakemaru drew his attention. Then, a huge yet simple palace came into his view.

"Unlike the roads, the Hall of Memories is exactly the same as it was three hundred years ago, it hasn't changed at all."

Although the palace in front of him was somewhat dilapidated, Qingshui Chaoyang recognized it immediately.

Because it was exactly the same; the palace before him was exactly the same as the one in his memory.

"There are fewer people collecting those things now, and the expanded palace you built is already sufficient, so I haven't made any further changes to this place."

"Although it has been cleaned in the last two hundred years, I remember the last time it was cleaned was about ten years ago, so it looks a little dilapidated."

"By the way, there's a lot of dust here. If you're not used to it, you can use Yin-Yang magic to clean it up first."

Ōtakemaru walked to the door and calmly offered a suggestion.

However, he smiled and shook his head, saying, "No need, let's just go in like this."

"Or, let me open the door."

"Do as you please."

Ōtakemaru took a step back, and then, Shimizu Asahi passed by his figure and arrived at the front of the main hall.

Looking at the grand hall before him, he took a deep breath and placed his hands on the door.

With a gentle exertion of force, a crisp 'crunch' sound immediately reached their ears.

The door was pushed open, revealing a gap large enough for one person to pass through. However, along with the crack, a thick, dense cloud of dust also drifted out.

Shimizu Asahi covered his mouth and nose and took two steps back, his dark eyes quietly looking ahead. After the dust had mostly settled, he lowered his arm and said, "Let's go in."

The two entered the Hall of Memories one after the other. Perhaps because the hall was surrounded by trees, preventing sunlight from penetrating, the hall was pitch black except for the light shining from the entrance, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Ōtakemaru looked around, then snapped his fingers. A flash of golden lightning streaked across the room, and the oil lamps placed inside silently lit up.

The light of the flames dispelled the darkness, and Qing Shui Chaoyang's vision became clear all at once.

—The main hall, obscured by dust, came into clear view of him.

"The dust buildup is really thick..."

After surveying the main hall, Shimizu Asahi moved his feet, and clearly visible footprints appeared before his eyes.

"After all, it's been ten years since the last cleaning."

Ōtakemaru walked in as if it were a normal thing, and soon stopped in front of a pile of miscellaneous items.

"Come here, this is what Suzuka Mountain has accumulated over the years."

Hearing what Ōtakemaru said, Shimizu Asahi walked over, but after seeing what was in front of him, he couldn't help but blink.

He didn't recognize any of the things piled up on top of him.

"That's only natural. Although it has been abandoned for two hundred years, quite a few things have been sent here intermittently over the past hundred years. The things you recognize... collected by Suzuka Gozen are all below."

"really."

Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but chuckle. Then, he prepared to walk around the pile of junk, but then he suddenly noticed a red rope on top of it.

For some reason, looking at the red rope, a strange emotion suddenly welled up in his heart. His steps, which were about to leave, stopped in place, and his arm, which had been lying quietly, stretched out uncontrollably... He grabbed the red rope.

"This is..."

"...This is the last thing Suzuka Gozen put in this place."

"Did Lingzi put it there?"

"She told me when she left that if I came back, she would bring me here and this red string would tell me where she is now."

Ōtakemaru said quietly, "However, she also told me not to tell you about this beforehand."

"If your heart hasn't changed, you'll naturally find this red thread." Chapter 399, Section 402: Cowardly Clear Water and Morning Sun.

"Not telling me... is Reiko testing me?"

Qingshui Chaoyang was somewhat at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

"Who knows? Or maybe she wanted to teach you a little lesson, in case you didn't recognize her the first time you came?"

Ōtakemaru crossed his arms, a faint smile appearing in his usually calm eyes.

“What you said makes some sense, but I think the last sentence that Reiko asked you to add was the one that was really lecturing me.”

By placing the red string here, Lingzi meant that she believed he would definitely find it, and she never doubted him.

Yes... She always firmly believed that he would return to Suzuka Mountain, and she always firmly believed that if he returned to Suzuka Mountain but she did not return, then he would definitely find the red rope and then find her.

The reason she left those words was simply to tell him, through Ōtakemaru's words, 'I believe you will come back, so before you find me, think about how to make me happy.'

As expected, even Reiko would have a hint of resentment after three hundred years.

The smile on his face gradually softened. Qing Shui Chaoyang gently wiped away the dust from the red rope, and then began to observe it carefully.

"..."

"..."

The surroundings fell silent once again. Ōtakemaru stood quietly to the side without saying a word, but his gaze did not move away from Ōmizu Asahi.

The quiet atmosphere lasted for about three minutes, and finally dissipated with a soft exhale from Qing Shui Chao Yang.

"So, any leads?"

Seeing him look up, Ōtakemaru immediately asked.

Although he never showed it on his face, Ōtakemaru always cared about his older sister, just as he cared about Shimizu Asahi.

For over two hundred years, if it weren't for his deep concern for Mount Suzuka, perhaps he would have already set sail alone to search for his loved ones.

However, Shimizu Asahi shook his head helplessly and said, "...Sorry, I can't see any clues."