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

"Hmm... Aside from discussing matters, we mostly exchanged harsh words. Let me think... there were also agreed-upon rules?"

His eyebrows twitched involuntarily, as if he had noticed something, and his clear, bright eyes lit up.

Yes, rules. Since there are rules, the answer he wants is naturally within those rules.

"A word game...?"

He couldn't help but grin, and Shimizu Asahi began to seriously analyze the words spoken sixteen days ago.

"A reply was received within a month; the judge who passed the test was Lady Izanami alone."

'Satisfactory reply...Satisfactory reply......'

As if possessing some special charm, Shimizu Asahi unconsciously murmured the five words "satisfactory reply".

"What kind of answer would satisfy Lady Izanami?"

"If we leave it as it is, I wouldn't consider it satisfactory, would I?"

If you want to please Izanami, simply being on par with King Enma is probably not enough.

Although it seems impossible for him to be better than Yama, he became Yama, so the object of his comparison must be Yama.

A draw, or even a slightly worse result, will inevitably be overshadowed by the King of Hell.

Therefore, surpassing Yama is the first step to success.

"...So that's how it is, surpassing Yama, huh?"

"Was it because you were too busy with other things that you didn't even notice something this simple...?"

The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes slightly.

With a little thought, the answer to this kind of thing is easy to come up with; however, coming up with the answer doesn't mean that's all there is to it.

There are still fifteen to fourteen days left.

He has to find a way to defeat King Yama... Chapter 844: Outwitting and outmaneuvering the air?

Surpassing Yama is no easy task.

Shimizu Asahi simply thought of two methods, but the moment these two methods came to mind, he immediately rejected them.

—Prestige and achievements.

To surpass Yama, these two aspects are the simplest breakthroughs... no, it should be said that these are the obvious breakthroughs. Anyone who wants to grow into a qualified ruler must inevitably compare themselves with the previous ruler.

For ordinary people, if they want to surpass the past in the present rather than in history, they should start from these two aspects.

If it were anyone else, Shimizu Asahi would be absolutely confident of surpassing them. However, facing Yama, who had ruled the Land of the Dead for countless years, he lacked such confidence and assurance...

Prestige... Yama has been in the Land of the Dead for countless years. These days, he has also learned that the current Yama is the one who has been guarding this place since Izanami became the ruler of the Land of the Dead, and who has ruled this place for countless years.

It is absolutely impossible to surpass her in terms of prestige.

And achievements.

This is also quite simple; it involves doing things that ordinary people cannot do, such as exorcising monsters or eliminating hidden dangers. However, the Kingdom of the Underworld has been operating smoothly for years, with neither monster attacks nor crises. Even if Shimizu Asahi wanted to find it, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to do so.

These two simplest points of attack blocked him, preventing him from breaking through no matter what.

This test is so perfect that there's no way to even begin!

"As expected of Lady Izanami, she is truly not to be underestimated..."

"So, how should I begin?"

As Shimizu Asahi pondered the situation, she told her older sister about it, and Shimizu Mio also fell silent after learning about it.

Although Shimizu Asahi's guess is a bit far-fetched and there's no direct evidence to prove it, what need is there for evidence in this kind of thing? Given the mother's personality, this should be the key hidden in the matter.

Fortunately, her younger brother was clever and quick-witted; otherwise, their mother would have really figured it out.

However... although he saw through his mother's plan, what to do next was a real dilemma.

"...Never mind, since I can't think of anything right now, I'll stop thinking about it for now and get back to work."

Shimizu Asahi laughed, then greeted her sister before getting up and leaving.

He is now the King of Hell, and no matter what happens, the King of Hell's mission must never be abandoned.

Therefore, he had to go to work first.

Mio Shimizu nodded gently and told him that she would help him think of what to do while he was working.

Leaving the courtyard, Qingshui Chaoyang arrived at the Yama King's Palace.

The maids delivered the memorials on time and then took away the ones that had already been processed.

Generally speaking, if there are any problems with the memorial, or if someone disagrees with the criticism in the memorial, the maid can speak to them, and then the King of Hell will personally decide what to do.

However, such things rarely happen. It was only when Shimizu Asahi was being questioned that someone came to help, but Shimizu Asahi resolved them all without any problems.

Today's task, well, it's not much; compared to before, it's about a quarter less in thickness.

He looked at the stack of memorials, which was over a meter tall, and then at the maids with some surprise, asked, "Why are there so many fewer memorials today? Did something happen?"

"In reply to Lord Yama, it's because not much happened in the Land of the Underworld yesterday."

"Since you persuaded everyone, the people of the Yellow Springs Kingdom have become much more peaceful, so there have been fewer problems."

The maids respectfully told Shimizu Asahi what had happened. Although their words remained calm, the coldness in them gradually dissipated.

Clearly, Shimizu Asahi's performance over the past half month has won them over.

This is probably good news for him.

"I understand. I'll leave the rest to you."

The black-haired boy smiled and nodded, and the maids nodded in return before turning and leaving.

After the maids left, Shimizu Asahi began her task, diligently finishing reviewing today's memorials.

Because there were fewer people and most of them became obedient, the task wasn't too difficult. Even the more serious ones were handled carefully and meticulously.

Soon, it was evening, and Shimizu Asahi had completed all his tasks.

He stretched and summoned his maids, instructing them to carry out the memorials. Then he got up to leave.

To be honest, this is the first time I've ever experienced the feeling of leaving get off work in the afternoon, even though I've been in the position of King Yama for so long.

I can go home early today and get some rest.

However, as he was preparing to go back, he suddenly froze.

"Since we still have so much time, why not go and see the City of the Dead?"

He had been in this place for so long, and had been the King of Hell for almost half a month, but he had never actually seen this place.

Even the recent 'defense' was held outside the Yama King's palace.

He knew absolutely nothing about this city.

"..."

"That's true. How can one surpass Yama if one doesn't understand this city?"

Realizing this, he couldn't help but laugh, then turned around and walked out of the Yama King's Palace.

"Then let's go see...this city in the underworld."

Having made up his mind, Shimizu Asahi left the Yama King's Palace and came out onto the street.

The streets of Huangquan City are full of historical atmosphere.

The streets that appeared before him were made of dirt, without any stone bricks or slabs, and looked like they would become very muddy as soon as it rained.

The surrounding houses were even less impressive; they weren't tall or luxuriously decorated, and aside from the most basic necessities, they were simply made of planks or wood.

To be honest, after arriving here, I felt like I had stepped back into ancient times.

Not the kind of ancient times from three hundred years ago, but even more ancient than three hundred years ago... even more ancient than the City of the Sun eight hundred years ago.

That ancient land of Yamato might not have existed yet.

However, despite it being a very distant ancient time, the people living here showed no impatience whatsoever; on the contrary, they thoroughly enjoyed their lives here.

"Those who can enter this City of the Underworld are indeed no ordinary people..."

"If it weren't for the realm of the dead, this would surely be a highly revered city." Chapter 845: The Regret of the King of Hell

"By the way... if we modify this city... could we pass the test?"

Halfway there, Shimizu Asahi suddenly paused, perhaps because the surrounding houses were so striking that he couldn't help but think of this.

Although the houses were quite nice at the time, they were obviously not as impressive as the prosperity and splendor of later generations.

If he could change the current situation, could that be considered one of his achievements?

Touching his chin, Shimizu Asahi thought about it more and more and felt that the plan was very feasible. So, a glint appeared in his black eyes, and he began to plan which step to take.

But just as he was thinking this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Although he personally felt it was a good choice, the ultimate impact of this matter was on his people in the city. If he changed the situation in the city without saying anything, the people would definitely have complaints.

Moreover, although he was used to the rooftops and castles of the Heian period, the local people were not familiar with them. What if they didn't like these kinds of houses?

If that's really the case, then he's tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead.

"..."

"Indeed, it's best to remain calm in these kinds of situations."

Patting his face, Shimizu Asahi finally shook his head with a smile, deciding to put the matter aside for the time being.

However, he looked down at the ground beneath his feet and smiled.

Although the changes in the city are so drastic that they are hard for many people to accept, some minor issues should be fine.

At the very least, adding some bricks or something won't get you any complaints.

A faint emotion flickered in Shimizu Asahi's eyes, and then, with a lighthearted mood, he took a good stroll around Huangquan City.

When he got home, he told his older sister about it, and she was surprised and delighted to hear it.