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

"Onmyoji, the city lord has been waiting inside for quite some time."

On the high platform, a maid respectfully opened the wooden door, bent down, and extended her slender arm, gesturing for the three distinguished guests to enter.

"Thank you."

Shimizu Asahi responded politely and then stepped into the room.

This is a very luxurious room, with calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, vases and porcelain placed in the corners, and the open terrace is warm and elegant.

This building is called City Tower Pavilion, and it is the favorite pavilion of Lord Xingyuan City, apart from the Liren Pavilion.

During his leisure time, he would stand alone here, gazing at the apricot orchard, feeling quite pleased with himself.

If distinguished guests visit, he will invite them here to enjoy the apricot orchard together.

Today, the three members of the Shimizu family are his honored guests.

Upon learning that Shimizu Asahi had come to visit, he instructed his servants to invite them to the upper floor of the pavilion.

Lord Xingyuan knelt quietly in the main seat. The sound from outside the door made him open his eyes. Looking at the three people who entered the room, he showed a calm and natural smile.

He rose to greet him and introduced himself, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shimizu. I am Otahara, the lord of Kyohara Castle. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

"Nice to meet you, Lord Ota. My name is Shimizu Asahi, you can just call me Shimizu. I am not worthy of being called 'sir'." Shimizu Asahi replied calmly.

Although he was not from a noble family, he had some understanding of aristocratic etiquette.

Among the anecdotes recounted by Abe no Seimei were many scenes of the Abe family receiving distinguished guests. Through long-term exposure, he learned some of these things as well.

"I apologize for this unauthorized visit and for disturbing your work."

"Mr. Shimizu, you flatter me. I'm overjoyed that you came to visit, so how could I be angry?" Otahara laughed heartily, as if they were old friends.

"By the way, who are these two...?"

After exchanging greetings, Otahara turned his gaze, as if asking a question, to the two girls behind Shimizu Asahi.

He knew them.

Late last night, the two women suddenly barged into his room and woke him up to ask him to act in a play.

His first thought upon waking was that there was an assassin, and he instinctively called for the guards to protect him. However, Qing Nu Fang used her demonic power to isolate the room, so his voice could not be heard, and the guards outside the door remained motionless.

After his cries proved futile, he threatened them, saying that he was the lord of Xingyuan Castle and a follower of the Sea God. He warned them that if they offended him, they would be hunted down by countless Onmyoji, and that the Sea God Susanoo would not forgive them for harming his followers.

However, they were not afraid of his threats; in fact, they found them somewhat amusing.

After that, they expressed their intention to seek cooperation.

That's right, Shimizu Mio had no intention of using her power.

Although she could directly threaten Otahara, threats are always the lowest form of tactic.

Only when both parties are satisfied can things proceed smoothly.

Finally, they obtained Otahara's cooperation by offering some precious items.

His politeness and welcome towards Qingshui Chaoyang were also related to this.

"Ah, nice to meet you, Lord City Lord. My name is Shimizu Mio, and I am Asahi's older sister."

"Qingnu Room".

The girls gave brief self-introductions, their actions and expressions behaving as if they had just met, without any flaws.

"So it's Miss Shimizu and Miss Aonobo. Nice to meet you," Otahara replied happily.

After the introductions, he extended his palm, inviting the three to sit down.

"Please take a seat, all three of you."

Qingshui Chaoyang smiled and nodded, then calmly took his seat.

After the three of them were seated, Otahara called out towards the door, "Bring up the fragrant tea and pastries. I want to have a long chat with Mr. Shimizu."

After saying that, he looked at the black-haired boy.

“Mr. Shimizu, we must have a good talk today.”

“Um, sir, you don’t need to be so polite. We’ve only come to ask you about something, it won’t take up much of your time.”

Shimizu Asahi was surprised by Otahara's enthusiasm, so he hurriedly spoke up, but Otahara shook his head and said, "Since you've come, sir, I should naturally do my part as a host. Please don't refuse."

"Well... then I'll have to trouble you, sir."

The city lord's enthusiastic attitude made it difficult for Shimizu Asahi to refuse, and in the end, he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Beside Shimizu Asahi, Aono and Shimizu Mio turned their heads slightly and exchanged a silent glance.

They were somewhat surprised; it was just a few rare pieces of jewelry from overseas, yet it had made Otahara so cooperative.

Is Lord Xingyuan's vision a bit too limited?

In reality, they were unaware that those jewels were the most important treasures he had acquired from Ali.

The moment he saw Ali, he was captivated by her charming appearance. Every smile, every song, and every dance she performed on stage enchanted him.

So he made a decision.

He wanted that songstress, both her body and her heart!

Everything she owns belongs to her alone!

To win Ah Li's heart, he gave her everything he could get. But no matter what he gave, it all ended in failure.

After the last failure, Ali told him, 'There's nothing I want here.'

This rejection made her think a lot, and in the end, she came to a conclusion—what Ari wanted, Xingyuan did not have.

In other words, he needs to find other treasures, treasures that Xingyuan doesn't have, only then will Ali throw herself into his arms!

What Shimizu Mio gave him was a treasure he had never seen before.

Not only are they incredibly valuable, but they're also extremely beautiful. Using these will surely make Ali submit to me!

The thought of winning the heart of the beauty made Otahara excited, and his gaze toward the three men became even more amiable.

Fragrant tea and pastries were brought in by servants, and the four of them began to chat in the room.

When Shimizu Asahi inquired about information regarding Shiranui, Otahara, like a master of disguise, very naturally told him that no news of Shiranui's arrival had been spread in Kyohara.

Perhaps to increase the credibility of his words, he patted his chest and assured everyone that he had never heard of this news.

Finally, he added that he could send someone to help.

The arrival of Shiranui was a major event for Kyohara, and it was only natural for him, as the lord of the castle, to send people to investigate.

Encouraged by Otahara's enthusiasm, Shimizu Asahi nodded happily.

After the business was over, Otahara introduced them to the famous shops in Anbara.

Mio Shimizu memorized all of this, and planned to go shopping with Asahi Shimizu early the next morning.

Time slipped by quietly, and soon the sun, high in the sky, slowly set, while the bright moon rose silently.

After bidding farewell to Otahara, Shimizu Asahi and his two companions returned to their inn. Having spent the day in the castle tower, they decided to soak in the hot springs to relieve their fatigue.

However, Shimizu Mio and Aonobu were unaware that Shimizu Asahi had secretly run away again.

His destination was the City Lord's Mansion. (Chapter 107, Section 109: Who can take me away from here?)

The courtesan is the pinnacle and the ultimate goal for courtesans in Anbara.

A courtesan who becomes the most popular courtesan will be favored by countless men.

They would rush to present her with jewelry and clothes, and her every move would influence their actions.

Just like the most honored person.

In order to become the most beautiful courtesan, the courtesans devoted themselves to studying tea ceremony and learning singing and dancing, dedicating all their time to entertaining others.

Now, the title of the most beautiful courtesan in Xingyuan has fallen on Ari.

She became a courtesan at the height of her beauty, conquering Xingyuan with her stunning figure.

She was born a courtesan, her stunning beauty and every smile, her enchanting song and dance, were captivating.

She gained fame, status, and wealth.

Countless courtesans in the Liren Pavilion genuinely envied her.

only......

In the endlessly luxurious room, Ali knelt before the wooden railing of the terrace.

This is the courtesan's room.

Only the most beautiful courtesan of our time can indulge in extravagance and revelry here day and night.

However, this room, which should have been filled with sounds of debauchery, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Ali sat quietly, like a puppet on a string, listless and lifeless.

She climbed to the top of Xingyuan and became the most popular songstress, but her heart remained empty.

This is not what she wanted.

All she wanted was freedom.

Liren Pavilion is a pavilion built on an outlying island. Because the island is very small, there are no other residents besides Liren Pavilion.

She came to Liren Pavilion when she was a child. The owner of Liren Pavilion, who bought her and took her as his apprentice, said that Liren Pavilion was her 'home' and she could not go anywhere else.

As a child, she lived in a small room with only a wooden door and a window that felt like a cage.

During her breaks, she would stand by the window and gaze into the distance. Even though all she could see was the boundless sea, she was still very happy.

Sometimes she would wonder: What exists on the other side of the sea? What kind of scenery lies outside the Pavilion of Parting?

I want to see the outside world.

Children are always very curious. She told her master about her curiosity, and her master told her that when she grew up, she would be able to see the outside world for herself.

At that time, she didn't understand anything and thought that as long as she listened to her master, she could really see the outside world.

So, with a dream of seeing the outside world, she began to study hard. Through continuous learning, she came to know the mountains and rivers, and the villages and towns.