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

Takiyasha-hime gently shook her head, her cold silver eyes showing no sign of wavering.

"I'm just waiting, waiting for this child to make that choice himself..."

"I cannot make decisions for this child... whether to regain his memories, whether to break free from the mire, and whether to remember the past thousands of years... all of these decisions must be made by the child himself."

"But if you do this, won't the child only have one path to choose from?"

Princess Takiyasha's words are very well said.

The past eight hundred years have passed in a dream, which would be a huge blow to anyone.

Some people may not think much of it at first, but when they truly realize 'I have really lived for eight hundred years,' their reaction will inevitably be very intense.

Therefore, it is best to leave the choice to the other party.

But in reality...

Of all the people here, besides her and Himiko, who else has lived through eight hundred years? And who knows that they have lived through eight hundred years?

Isn't it foolish to hand over the choice to someone who knows nothing, even when you already know the answer?

Besides, wouldn't they remember everything the moment the other party broke free of the mud?

What meaning does this so-called choice even have?

A hint of dissatisfaction flashed in Reiko's eyes. Takiyasha-hime's so-called choice was fundamentally unequal.

She seemed to want to say something, but a warm hand pressed down on her shoulder.

The girl turned around and saw the boy standing beside her at some point.

"Chaoyang?"

"Don't get agitated, Reiko. Since Takiyasha-hime said that, she must have her reasons. Let's trust her for now."

He gently patted his wife and smiled reassuringly.

Then, his gaze fell upon Takiyasha-hime.

"We can trust you, Miss Takiyasha-hime."

"...Ah, thank you for your trust."

The aloof woman gently curved her lips into a faint, almost imperceptible smile, and gave an affirmative answer.

"Then I'll leave this place to you. We'll head back now, Miss Takiyasha-hime."

After leaving that sentence, Shimizu Asahi didn't say anything else and left the house with Reiko and the others.

"..."

"...Is this really okay, Chaoyang?"

The six of them left the market, and Xiaoxi's wooden house had disappeared from their sight. Therefore, Lingzi no longer needed to suppress her doubts and asked the question.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Didn’t Takiyasha-hime say that the child should stay? Since she said so, let’s listen to her.”

"but......"

Don't worry, nothing will happen.

The boy smiled gently, without a trace of worry or doubt on his face.

"She is the guardian of this City of the Sun."

......

Inside the wooden house, Takiyasha-hime looked at the girl sitting on the wooden chair waiting for her father and mother. Even though there were tears in her eyes, she still insisted on waiting. She gently closed her eyes.

She turned and left the cabin.

This girl will never know that her parents will never come back...

......

After leaving the cabin, Shimizu Asahi and the other six returned to the watchtower. Because they had returned early today, they did not encounter Akira, who was coming down from the watchtower, so they went straight back to their rooms.

After closing the wooden door, Shimizu Asahi sat down and took out the pipa that he had put away.

"Alright, let's see what clues this pipa might leave us."

The wooden pipa was placed on the wooden table, and the six people gathered around it, quietly watching the pipa.

"Hmm... It looks just like an ordinary pipa. Moreover, this pipa is very well maintained. There are only traces of gentle playing, without any very vigorous movements."

"When Ashiya Dōman was trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, he didn't encounter any danger, did he?"

"Probably not... There are no civilians in that place, so it's unlikely they would encounter ghosts."

"So... he was simply devoured by the power of reincarnation?"

"That might be true... We've actually encountered this kind of thing before, haven't we?"

Shimizu Asahi stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "We were caught in a similar cycle on our very first day in the City of the Sun."

When they first arrived here, they were devoured by ghosts without understanding anything. Although they escaped, they still entered the cycle of reincarnation.

—Even though he was fighting against Takiyasha-hime, he still ended up on the coast of Ichizaki Island after waking up.

That time was actually a manifestation of their being trapped in a cycle of reincarnation.

It was only because of the suppression by Takiyasha-hime's power that she retained her memories and all her thoughts.

While it's not impossible to resist this power without Takiyasha-hime's protection, it's still somewhat difficult to resist spacetime magic without using the power of the divine artifact.

Ashiya Dōman must have realized the situation here and tried to find a way to escape, but found that his power was insufficient no matter what, so he could only be trapped in this cycle.

Even so, at the last moment, he still left behind his wooden lute, hoping someone would come and rescue him. (Chapter 775) How did he get captured by Himiko?

"Speaking of which, it seems that not everyone will lend a helping hand to Takiyasha-hime."

Mentioning Ashiya Doman being swallowed by time-space magic, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but think of a question.

When they first arrived in this City of the Sun, they were just like Ashiya Doman, knowing nothing... No, to be precise, Ashiya Doman knew more than they did.

Even though they knew nothing and even went to the Sun Wheel Pavilion to try to see Himiko from the very beginning, they were rescued by Takiyasha-hime, brought here, and learned about the past eight hundred years.

However, Ashiya Dōman, the onmyoji who arrived before them, was not saved...

"Alala, is this what you call differential treatment?"

Ibuki couldn't help but laugh.

"It shouldn't be that. Takiyasha-hime wouldn't be that kind of person... She must have her reasons for doing this."

"Indeed... Could it be that they don't want to waste their power?"

Saving a person is a very simple thing, but it also carries a certain degree of danger.

For example, two days ago, although they were saved by Takiyasha-hime, Takiyasha-hime was injured by Himiko and had to recuperate for three whole days to fully recover.

Ashiya Dōman must have been in great danger at that time, which is why Takiyasha-hime did not risk taking action.

"...Don't worry too much about this. We just need to figure out where Daoman is now."

Qingshui Chaoyang squinted his eyes slightly.

He lowered his head and thought for a while, then tentatively reached out his hand.

With his five fingers resting on the wooden pipa, spiritual energy flowed out silently.

If Ashiya Dōman did leave any clues, then without a doubt, they are hidden inside the wooden biwa (a type of lute), and the only way to explore this biwa is with spiritual power...

Just as he had guessed, when his fingers touched the pipa and spiritual energy flowed out, the wooden pipa seemed to be drawn by something and began to tremble.

The strings, which should have remained motionless, began to move on their own.

A pleasant sound rang out at that moment.

"Oh my, what a lovely pipa playing... It seems that the little fellow is quite familiar with the pipa."

"Only sound, nothing else... Is it that all the words you want to say are contained in the sound of the pipa?"

Reiko ignored Ibuki's nonsensical words and listened to the sound of the biwa, trying to glean something from it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the kind of person who was very familiar with music.

If it were singing, she might be able to recognize it, but the sound of the pipa... that really didn't quite suit her.

And the other girls seem to be the same... They have no problem fighting and killing, but this... they really can't do it.

"..."

Wait a minute, it seems like not everyone is really bad at it.

However, just as they were thinking this, a figure appeared in their minds.

Ah Li!

Reiko, Yoko, Aonobo, and Ibuki—all the girls' eyes were fixed on Ari.

Yes, although they can't do anything, there are some people who are not completely helpless.

Ah Li, as the most beautiful courtesan of Li Ren Ge, is not only proficient in dance, but also skilled in playing musical instruments.

At home, she often performed these kinds of shows for Shimizu Asahi.

If it's her, there shouldn't be a problem.

"..."

"that......"

Feeling pressured by the stares of her sisters, Ali shook her head without hesitation.

"Wait, wait, wait! I can't do it! Although I'm proficient in the pipa, the piece he played was just a simple one. Even if I understood what the piece was, I wouldn't understand what he was trying to express..."

Ali's words made Ibuki and the others pause for a moment, and then they frowned slightly.

Indeed, even if you understand the music, it doesn't mean you can understand what the performer is trying to express.

"...This is troublesome."

Ye Zi rubbed her head helplessly.

"Ashiya Dōman is really something... If he wants someone to save him, then he shouldn't be making such a complicated face."