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

This shrine disappeared along with the City of the Sun...

A sense of melancholy rose in his heart, and the young man felt a touch of world-weariness.

The feeling of witnessing the changes of time evokes a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion/reflection).

"Hehehe...Master, now is not the time to think about these things."

"The shrine has disappeared, and even if the torii gate is still there, it's useless. It's time to leave."

Ibuki interrupted Shimizu Asahi's reminiscence with a smile. Although the old man's old-fashioned manner was fascinating, business was more important now.

"We're going somewhere else now."

"...Well, since we haven't found anything here, let's leave."

Shimizu Asahi blinked, then coughed softly, suppressing his emotions, and prepared to leave with the girls.

However, an unexpected event occurred at this moment.

The six turned around, preparing to leave, but suddenly, without warning, a sound arose in the quiet and serene forest.

—A crisp, yet anxious, sound of a pipa!

Their steps halted abruptly, and a sense of vigilance rose without hesitation. The six of them immediately turned around to look.

My gaze was fixed on the torii gate.

Despite the serene surroundings and the elusive sound of the pipa, which was difficult to pinpoint its source, Qing Shui Chaoyang and his companions were determined not to miss a single trace.

The sound of the pipa just now came from under the torii gate!

"who!"

Their eyes narrowed slightly. Although no demonic or spiritual power was released, everyone was prepared.

Be prepared to respond to any possible situations.

Like the wind, the sound of the pipa rang out again, but they still could only hear the sound and did not see the person.

Beneath that empty torii gate, there was nothing, not even a trace of life.

For a moment, Shimizu and Asahi even wondered if they had encountered a ghost.

However, the moment the thought crossed his mind, ripples appeared beneath the torii gate.

Just as the space was being silently teased, a pipa appeared silently before them.

"This is... a pipa?"

A look of astonishment flashed across the eyes of all six people. Was this the thing that had just made the sound?

Is this a person playing the instrument, or is it myself playing it?

For a moment, the six of them stood there, unsure of what to do.

It took a while for Shimizu Asahi to react, and then he cautiously approached the pipa.

However, when he came to the pipa and examined it closely, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

He recognized the pipa in front of him! Chapter 769, Section 772: Why is Ashiya Dōman here?

Although this pipa is of ordinary style and made of ordinary materials, seemingly no different from any other ordinary pipa, Shimizu Asahi would never mistake it for a real one.

That's right... he would never admit to being wrong.

The pipa before me is Daoman's pipa!

Why is Doman's biwa here?

This question couldn't help but arise in his mind.

More than a month ago, Ashiya Dōman came to Kyohara with Seimei Hagoromo to train with him. At that time, he clearly saw this biwa and even touched it a few times.

Although he couldn't offer Dōman much guidance on musical theory, he still gave many suggestions and sometimes even played the instruments himself to try them out.

Therefore, he was very clear whether the pipa in front of him was Daoman's or not.

But... why is Doman's biwa here?

Didn't he say he was going to travel to other places to become stronger? Why is he like this now...?

Wait, could it be that Daoman is currently in the City of the Sun?

The thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Although the legend of the City of the Sun is very ancient and would be impossible to know without deliberately inquiring, it is still impossible to guarantee that those ancient families or some relics in the world still retain something.

Just like Tamamo-no-Mae, he also sensed the Sun Wheel Castle in the Land of the Demon.

Therefore, although it is unknown where Ashiya Dōman found the Sun Wheel Castle or why he came to the Sun Wheel Castle, the fact that the biwa has already fallen here and that he is here cannot be changed.

—Without a doubt, Ashiya Dōman has arrived at the City of the Sun!

"Dao Man is not here, only the pipa is here, which means that Dao Man must have been captured by reincarnation as well."

“But…that’s not right either. The pipa is Daoman’s weapon. If Daoman was captured by Samsara, his weapon should have been with him. Why is it here?”

"And what is this power?"

Shimizu Asahi frowned, lost in thought.

However, with no clues at the moment, it's practically impossible to come up with an answer.

But then, Ibuki's voice rang out from the side.

"Sir, look, there seems to be something written here."

The slender finger pointed to a spot beneath the torii gate, and upon closer inspection, everyone indeed discovered a line of very well-hidden words.

"Was it left behind by Daoman?"

Qingshui Chaoyang approached the line of text and examined it closely, but... this line of text... it's more accurate to say it consists of two characters rather than a single line.

'Help me!'

These are just two simple words.

The idea of ​​getting information from this line of text has failed.

But these two words do indeed prove Qingshui Chaoyang's idea.

Ashiya Dōman was trapped in this cycle of reincarnation.

"Things seem to be getting complicated..."

Rubbing his head, Qing Shui Chaoyang couldn't help but exhale a breath.

Shimizu Asahi had already witnessed Ashiya Doman's pride during the two weeks they spent together. Even when faced with danger, as long as he had a sliver of hope, Ashiya Doman would never use the words "save me." If he said that, it meant that he had indeed encountered a problem that he could not solve no matter what.

"Leave at least some clues."

If Ashiya Dōman had left any clues, then Shimizu Asahi would still have a chance to save him. But now, there are no clues at all, so even if he wanted to save him, he couldn't.

If they can be rescued, Ashiya Dōman will also be a very powerful fighting force.

"Hehehe... Master, shall we take this pipa back with us?"

“Take it back... After all, it’s Doman’s weapon. If we can rescue Doman, it will also enhance his combat power.”

Qingshui Chaoyang nodded.

Besides, he felt that there must be some clue hidden in this pipa.

Ashiya Dōman was not an Onmyoji who had nothing but brute force; like Seimei, he was a man of careful planning before acting.

Well, it's true that when you feel you're guaranteed to win, you can't help but become a little arrogant...

Overall, however, Shimizu Asahi still really likes Doman.

Moreover, the arrogance of the past is now a thing of the past.

He is a completely new person now.

"Alright, let's stop here for today. There's nothing more to find if we continue searching."

The village to the east was the last place that Shimizu Asahi and the others did not set foot in. They had thoroughly searched all other areas... so there was no point in continuing the search.

It's unlikely that any new discoveries will be made.

"Ah."

None of the girls objected; today's discoveries were already quite good, no less than yesterday's.

However, just as everyone was preparing to go back, Reiko suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“That… Chaoyang.”

A hint of conflict crossed her face.

"Could we... take a slightly longer route? I'd like to go see that girl..."

"That girl? You mean Xiao Xi?"

Shimizu Asahi blinked, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Why do you want to see that child? Didn't Takiyasha-hime tell us not to provoke her anymore?"

Xiaoxi has a chance to break free from the cycle of reincarnation, but relying solely on her own strength, the process will be somewhat slow, so she probably won't be able to break free in the short term.

Furthermore, their approach is likely to stimulate Xiaoxi, accelerating this change in her.

Acceleration itself wouldn't be a problem, but such acceleration will cause Xiaoxi to deviate from 'facts', thereby triggering the appearance of ghosts.

They weren't afraid of ghosts, but Xiaoxi was, and they couldn't always be by Xiaoxi's side.

Therefore, as things stand, it's best for them not to stay with Xiaoxi.

“I know, but I’m a little worried about the child… and although it was our fault yesterday, Xiaoxi’s condition isn’t very good either. Even with Takiyasha-hime’s assurance, I’m still a little uneasy.”

A person was hiding in a corner crying, and also discovered that their parents had not returned.

No matter how you look at it, Xiaoxi's situation is terrible.

Although Reiko wanted to believe in Takiyasha-hime, she still couldn't let go of her feelings.

She wanted to see for herself what would happen next.

"Is that so...?"

Qingshui Chaoyang lowered his head and began to ponder.