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

Fortunately, both Kuzunoha and Abe no Masatsugu were far more skilled than the other Onmyoji in the Abe family. Unless they deliberately exposed themselves, the Onmyoji of the Abe family would not be able to see anything wrong.

As for why Kuzuha and Abe Masatsugu fell in love, to sum it up in one sentence, it was a classic case of a hero saving a damsel in distress.

The trope of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress is applicable in any era, and even if the protagonist is of a different race, as long as he is good-looking, there will be no problem.

Although Kuzuha isn't the kind of woman who judges solely on appearance, she never denies that the moment Abe Masataka saved her was incredibly cool.

After their simple act of heroism and rescue, they both developed feelings for each other. Afterwards, Kuzuha frequently visited Heian-kyo to see Abe no Masatsugu, and through these interactions, the two eventually became a couple.

Of course, it was precisely because Kuzuha became Abe Masatsugu's wife that she always arrived last at every gathering.

Although the nobles of this era were very leisurely, they only became leisurely after sunrise.

Before sunrise, nobles and courtiers had to get up at the fourth watch to attend court, while the Onmyoji (yin-yang masters) responsible for stargazing and divination had to get up at the third watch. As one of the imperial Onmyoji, Abe no Masatsugu was required to get up at the third watch every day.

Once at the palace, he had to wait until the morning court session ended before he could leave. If a nobleman asked for his help, his return home would be delayed even further.

As Abe Masatsugu's wife, Kazuha had to wait until he returned to greet him before leaving the house.

"Sorry I'm late again." As soon as he sat down, Ge Ye apologized to his two friends.

"It's alright, we know your situation." Shimizu Mio waved her hand with a smile, indicating that it was nothing to worry about.

"But Kuzunoha, you've arrived later than before these last two times. Did something happen?" Tamamo-no-Mae gently put down her teacup and asked with some curiosity.

"Yes, because the number of times villages near Heian-kyo have been attacked by yokai has suddenly increased, so Masatsugu has had to handle a lot of requests these days. If he receives a request from a village that is relatively close to Heian-kyo in the morning, he will go and complete the request before coming back."

At this point, Ge Ye sighed with some worry.

Although her husband is more capable than her, he is still human, and seeing him running around like this these past few days has made her feel a little heartbroken.

"There are more yokai near Heian-kyo?" The fox spirit looked suspicious upon hearing Kuzunoha's words. "The yokai energy near Heian-kyo hasn't changed, so how could there be more yokai?"

"I don't know either." White Fox shook his head in confusion at first, but then smiled gently and said, "However, the Fujiwara family has already investigated, and I believe we will have results soon."

"Is that so...? Then I'll go take a look around Heian-kyo tomorrow too."

"Eh?"

Tamamo-no-Mae's words startled Kuzunoha for a moment.

Seeing her friend's stunned expression, Shimizu Mio smiled and explained, "Didn't Tamamo agree to let Hagoromo go to the Onmyōryō? After a while, Hagoromo will have to live in Heian-kyo. If he doesn't guarantee the safety of Heian-kyo, then Hagoromo won't be safe either."

At this point, the girl even teased Tamamo-no-Mae a little, "The former fox spirit has now become someone who wants to protect Heian-kyo."

"Although that wasn't my original intention, I do indeed have to protect Heian-kyo now." Faced with his friend's teasing, the fox spirit directly admitted this fact.

"I see... That's great." Kuzuha suddenly realized, and then a smile appeared on his face.

Although Tamamo-no-Mae's purpose in protecting Heian-kyo was not for the sake of the people in Heian-kyo, she was still very happy that Tamamo-no-Mae made this decision.

After all, in reality, Tamamo-no-Mae did indeed become a bulwark for Heian-kyo.

Perhaps, she could even use this opportunity to make Tamamo-no-Mae fall in love with humans...

To be honest, of the three of them, she was the only one who was truly friendly to humans. Although Shimizu Mio lived in Heian-kyo, she never really valued humans. Apart from Shimizu Asahi, everyone else was a stranger to her and not worth remembering.

Before meeting the priestess Chiyo, Tamamo-no-Mae completely ignored humans, not even giving them a second glance. Even now, she maintains an indifferent attitude towards them.

As their friend, Kuzuha really hopes that they can establish a friendly relationship with humans.

The white fox took a sip of tea, filled with anticipation.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Kuzuha shifted her gaze to Shimizu Mio beside her.

"Speaking of which, Mio, didn't Asahi conduct an assessment at Kyoto Port the day before yesterday?"

"Hmm?" The girl, taken aback by the sudden question, paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, he went to Kyoto Port early the day before yesterday and came back yesterday morning... Hey, how did you know that the boy went to Kyoto Port the day before yesterday?"

"That child was actually in Kyoto Port the day before yesterday... Did he have a conflict with the Genji?"

Upon hearing that Shimizu Asahi was indeed in Kyoto Port the day before yesterday, Kuzuha's expression turned somewhat serious.

P.S.: Ugh, that's the end of the third update. My beloved Linis!

Chapter 40, Section 40: Genji's Life Was Saved

When Shimizu Asahi and Shimizu Mio returned home, it was already 7 p.m.

This point in time is considered relatively late for this era.

So, after taking a nice, relaxing bath, the two siblings went back to their room to rest.

For the next few days, they lived their lives as usual.

Asahi Shimizu stays at home practicing Yin-Yang techniques, while Mio Shimizu handles daily chores. Although their lives are ordinary and simple, they never feel dull or boring.

However, Shimizu Asahi was unaware that Shimizu Mio had been secretly investigating something ever since returning from the Inari Shrine. Two days before the start of the school term, Shimizu Mio received the information she wanted.

......

In the quiet of the night, when everyone was asleep, Shimizu Mio knelt before her desk.

She stared coldly at the letter in her hand, her beautiful, jewel-like eyes radiating a chilling aura.

At the Inari Shrine, Kuzuha told her that the Genji were investigating the Onmyoji who had visited Kyoto Port in the past few days.

She learned from her husband, Masatsugu, that Shimizu Asahi's mission assessment was not only commissioned by Genji, but also happened to take place in Kyoto Port. In addition, Genji's actions only began after he returned. Therefore, she was worried that Shimizu Asahi might have had some conflict with Genji, so she suggested that Shimizu Mio investigate.

If nothing happens to either of them, then everything is fine, but if something does happen, she can prepare in advance.

At first, Shimizu Mio thought it was impossible. After all, the Genji were royal nobles, one of the three great families of Yin and Yang, with noble status and prominent position. Her younger brother was just an ordinary Yin-Yang student who had no connection with the Genji at all. How could there be a conflict?

However, out of concern for her younger brother, she still sent someone to investigate.

This letter is what she has gained in the past few days—it contains the entire story of the Kyoto Port incident that took place a few days ago.

Minamoto Mitsuaki's plan, Shimizu Asahi's actions, and the battle between Shimizu Asahi and Minamoto Mitsuaki!

"I see... So you want to capture him to settle scores because Chaoyang rescued the merman..."

Her slender fingers left wrinkles along the edges of the letter, and a mocking sneer graced her cold face.

"Genji...what a magnificent sight!"

"Sister, don't get agitated. Don't you think there's something strange about this?"

In this dimly lit room, besides Shimizu Mio sitting at the desk, there was also a burly man who looked to be in his thirties or forties.

The burly man called out to the woman who looked to be only in her early twenties, and said with a slightly strange tone, "Although merfolk are indeed rare, it is reasonable for the Genji to settle scores with that kid Asahi over this merfolk. However, the Genji is not in the right in this matter. Their open and aboveboard investigation is likely to attract the attention of others."

"And this matter is not without flaws. If we can investigate it thoroughly, then other families can certainly do the same."

“Once other families notice this, the Genji’s enemies might use it to attack them… If it’s just for settling scores, it would be a huge loss.”

"Most importantly, even with Kamo no Tadayuki providing cover, the Genji can still lock onto Asahi within two or three days."

The big man's words made Shimizu Mio frown subconsciously.

Indeed, it wouldn't take Genji long to find Shimizu Asahi; if I'm not mistaken, Shimizu Asahi had already caught Genji's eye long ago.

But why... didn't Genji make a move?

The woman suppressed her anger upon hearing the news, a thoughtful glint appearing in her dark eyes.

"You mean, Genji has other plans?"

“The Genji are a family that has been passed down for hundreds of years. They wouldn’t be so foolish as to give away the opportunity for their opponents to strike.” The big man said this matter-of-factly. He took out his wine gourd, took a sip of wine, and then said, “If I’m not mistaken, they must have some other plan behind them.”

The words echoing in the silent room made Shimizu Mio slowly fall silent.

Indeed, as members of the imperial family, the Genji clan wielded immense power capable of threatening the imperial family. If they were not capable, the imperial family would have already taken action against them.

Therefore, there must be some conspiracy behind Genji's actions!

but.....

The thoughtful look in her eyes vanished, and the woman's cool voice rang out in the quiet room.

"The Genji's plans have nothing to do with me. All I know is that they want to target Asahi now!"

"So, sister, you want to destroy the Genji?" The burly man's laughter followed Shimizu Mio's icy voice.

As if oblivious to the coldness emanating from his sister, he said in a teasing tone, "Hmm, if my sister were to take action, she might actually be able to do it. But what about after destroying the Genji?"

"The Minamoto clan is the backbone of humanity's fight against yokai. If the Minamoto clan is destroyed, humanity's strength will be greatly reduced, and the yokai will take the opportunity to cause trouble. At that time, it won't just be the Minamoto clan members who die."

"So, you want me to let Genji go?"

The words, cold yet tinged with anger, echoed softly, and with that voice, the letter in Shimizu Mio's hand was instantly engulfed by the black flames that ignited.

"Genji not only nearly killed Asahi, but now he's trying to settle scores with Asahi. You want me to release Genji?"

Hearing the cold voice filled with a faint murderous intent, the burly man scratched his head. It seemed that his sister was really angry this time.

But didn't she always vent her anger in her room before? Why is she so murderous this time...?

Muttering to himself, the burly man composed himself and then advised, "Sister, it was a branch of the Minamoto clan that almost killed Asahi, not the main Minamoto clan. Although the main Minamoto clan also wants to take action against Asahi, they haven't done so yet, have they?"

"So, let's put aside the idea of ​​destroying the main family for now and settle scores with the branches first, shall we?"

"After settling accounts with the branches, I'll investigate the main Genji family to see what they're up to."

At this point, the big man paused slightly, and then brought out Qingshui Chaoyang.

"Sister, isn't the reason Chaoyang didn't tell you about this because he hoped you wouldn't kill people indiscriminately?"

"Please consider the child's feelings at least a little."

Upon hearing the burly man's words, Shimizu Mio subconsciously tightened her slender hands.

That's right, Shimizu Asahi didn't tell Shimizu Mio about this, firstly because he didn't want her to worry, and secondly because he didn't want her to kill anyone.

If she were to wipe out the Minamoto clan, given Asahi's personality, she would definitely blame herself.

It was all because of him that she attacked Genji. (Chapter 41: Freshmen's Opening)

The thought of her younger brother blaming himself for this incident made Shimizu Mio feel a little annoyed.

"Tsk!"

She clicked her tongue and had no choice but to keep the idea to herself for now.

Genji, you're lucky!