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

"...Chaoyang, what do you think?"

The girls looked at each other, unable to find a good solution, so in desperation, they could only turn their attention to Qingshui Chaoyang.

If it's clear water facing the sun, then there should be a solution.

"..."

"..."

However, Shimizu Asahi did not give an immediate response.

He gently closed his eyes, seemingly listening intently to the meaning behind it. Seeing this, Lingzi and the others also closed their mouths and stopped talking.

About an incense stick's time had passed when the pipa, which had been excited by the spiritual energy, gradually stopped playing.

A short while later, Qingshui Chaoyang opened his eyes.

A glint of light flashed in his black pupils.

It seems he already knows Ashiya Dōman's whereabouts.

"So, Chaoyang, did you find it?"

"Hmm...Found it."

The boy nodded slightly, giving an affirmative answer, but... although he had found Ashiya Doman, the expression on Shimizu Asahi's face was... well, rather than solemn, it was more like helplessness.

"Although we found him, we can't get him out."

The sound attracted the girls' attention, and before they could relax or feel happy, they immediately turned their gazes toward it.

"why?"

That's what they asked.

"because......"

"That guy is in Himikona."

"......Um???"

The boy's answer stunned everyone present.

Ashiya Dōman...was captured by Himiko??

What... what's going on here?

They couldn't help but exchange a glance, their eyes revealing a hint of astonishment.

Queen Himiko, who rules the entire Sun Wheel City, actually took action to capture Ashiya Dōman?

Isn't she just keeping the city of the sun in check, without taking any action herself?

Moreover, even if they were to take action, it would only be against those who caused trouble in the palace, right?

Their undisguised shock immediately revealed their thoughts to Shimizu Asahi, so he spread his palms and said, "Although I also find it hard to believe after learning the truth, whether we believe it or not, this is the truth."

"Dōman... the Onmyoji Ashiya Dōman was captured by Queen Himiko of the Sun Wheel Castle."

"And it's right there on the fifth floor of the Sun Wheel Pavilion, the very place where Himiko rests." Chapter 776, Section 773: The City of the Sun Wheel is indeed mysterious!

Shimizu Asahi doesn't really understand music, since he spends most of his time learning Yin-Yang arts and knows nothing about music.

However, the reason he was able to understand the melody left by Ashiya Dōman was because it contained a pattern that only he could comprehend.

When they were in Kyohara, Ashiya Dōman was so excited that he specially composed a musical score that only Ashiya Dōman knew.

Once you hear this melody, you can understand what it means by interpreting the meaning within the melody.

Although Shimizu Asahi felt it was unnecessary, Ashiya Dōman was very happy and believed it would definitely be useful...

Not wanting to disappoint him, Shimizu Asahi could only nod in agreement.

This is what is known as a secret code that only two people know.

He thought he'd never need it in his life, but unexpectedly, it came in handy here...

only...

Why did Ashiya Dōman know that he would obtain the wooden biwa, and why did he know that he would come to this Sun Wheel City?

If he wasn't the one who found the wooden pipa, how could he have sent out a distress signal?

Or is it simply a gamble?

To be honest, I'm still somewhat surprised that someone like Shimizu Asahi would throw away all their weapons for a possibility that is almost zero.

Perhaps it was because he had never encountered such a situation and did not understand Ashiya Dōman's thoughts.

However, there is one thing he is certain of.

"There are still many things I don't know about this City of the Sun..."

Taking a deep breath, Qing Shui Chaoyang unconsciously rubbed his temples.

As he sighed that things were getting complicated, the girls finally recovered from their shock.

Although it seems somewhat unbelievable, as Shimizu Asahi said, no matter what, the fact has already happened, and what they want to do is accept it, not deny it.

"So... Chaoyang, what are your plans next?"

Reiko paused slightly and asked softly, "Will you continue to explore other information in the City of the Sun, or try to rescue Ashiya Doman?"

"Hmm...that is indeed a problem."

“Under normal circumstances, we should continue to gather intelligence and resources and then try to find a way to counter Himiko. Unfortunately, we have already searched the entire Sun Wheel City. Even if we continue to search, we probably won’t find the clues and resources we want.”

"There's only one choice left..."

"However, if we try to help Ashiya Dōman, we will have to face Himiko ourselves."

As Qing Shui Chao Yang spoke, Ye Zi couldn't help but offer this reminder.

No, it shouldn't be called a reminder, it should be called tension.

After all, Ashiya Dōman was with Himiko, so going to Ashiya Dōman would be tantamount to barging into Himiko's room and fighting her.

Without Takiyasha-hime's help, could they have accomplished that? And could they have escaped from Himiko's clutches?

This is a very serious problem.

The girls' expressions all turned serious at this moment, as if they were going to the battlefield to fight others tomorrow.

But Qingshui Chaoyang remained just as relaxed as ever.

"Don't be nervous. We're just trying. It doesn't mean we'll definitely face Himiko."

"Actually, we went to the Sun Wheel Pavilion twice. The first time was because we got attacked when we got close to the fifth floor. The second time, Himiko's target was Takiyasha-hime, right?"

"So, going to the Sun Wheel Pavilion won't be a problem."

"Besides... there's a good chance that the intelligence we need might be there."

"...?"

------

Time passed little by little, and soon the sun quietly set and the moon rose once again.

Ming Liu concluded his observations for the day, and Himiko returned to the watchtower from the market. The day's exploration and mission had come to an end.

Ming Liu arrived on time to call them for dinner. After dinner, Takiyasha-hime said that they could continue to ask any questions they had today, but Shimizu Asahi and the others did not ask too many other questions.

They asked two questions.

One of them is about Xiaoxi.

Although it was handed over to Takiyasha-hime to handle, they still needed to keep an eye on it.

Takiyasha-hime's answer was exactly what they had guessed.

She brought Xiaoxi's life back to its original 'track'.

Although Xiaoxi is still in a bad mood, there shouldn't be any problems tonight, and with her watching over her during the day, there's no need to worry.

The second question concerns the paper dance.

Although the decision was made to save Ashiya Doman, saving Ashiya Doman and bringing Kamimai into the team are two separate things, and these two things do not conflict with each other.

"Paper Dance...? It seems you've already been to the village to the east."

Upon hearing about the paper dance, Takiyasha-hime showed a slight surprise.

"Paper Dance never appears in front of outsiders. Every time an outsider comes in, she stays in the painting and doesn't appear... I didn't expect you to be able to find her and even communicate with her."

"However, you should all be aware of the matter regarding the paper dance."

"She was betrayed by Chun and then stayed here."

"This remaining Heian-kyo is her last memory. It's practically impossible to get her to join us."

"In fact, making her watch from the sidelines without intervening was already a very difficult choice for her."

"We can't ask her to do any more."

"Indeed, but... could you tell us about Jun?"

Shimizu Asahi did not deny the possibility, but instead of thinking about the issue, he asked Takiyasha-hime about Jun's situation.

"I don't think Chun is a bad person."

"Although I did feel a bit disgusted with Chun after seeing the Paper Dance scroll, I calmed down and thought about it again after I got back."

"If Chunruo is truly a fickle person, how could Zhiwu possibly fall in love with someone like that?"

“A blank sheet of paper can indeed be stained with the colors of others, but... it’s not that simple to get a monster to be stained with your own colors.”

"The simpler one is, the smarter one is."

"You mean, there was a reason why Chun left in the first place?"

Takiyasha-hime was taken aback when she heard this.

But then she lowered her head and began to think.

Indeed, just as Shimizu Asahi said, Paper Dance is not a simple monster. On the contrary, she is very clever, which is why she has been able to stay in the City of the Sun Wheel without being swallowed by reincarnation.