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

The unexpected news left the black-haired boy somewhat puzzled.

Why would they do that?

"I don't know, but I suspect there must be some kind of conspiracy involved."

Upon learning this news, Kamo no Tadayuki immediately speculated that the Genji had shifted their target to Shimizu Asahi.

After all, Shimizu Asahi not only ruined their plans but also made them pay such a heavy price... so wanting revenge is only natural.

Given the strength of the Minamoto clan, no matter how much their vitality is damaged, they would not be so weak that they could not even deal with a student of Yin-Yang.

—The Genji clan has countless ways to kill Shimizu Asahi!

Realizing this possibility, Kamo no Tadashi felt increasingly threatened, so he immediately summoned Shimizu Asahi.

"I cannot understand the Minamoto clan's actions, so I can only advise you to be careful."

"...Thank you for reminding me, teacher. I will be careful."

The black-haired boy squinted and pondered for a moment before replying seriously.

"Yes, if anything happens, you can come to me anytime. Your teacher will always be on your side."

After giving his proudest student a promise, Kamo no Tadayuki began to talk about Kidomaru.

"Alright, that's all for the Genji matter. Next, we'll talk about Kidomaru."

He laughed, a rare occurrence, and said, "Kidomaru has fully recovered. The effects of the Asura Demon King's resurrection on him have completely disappeared, and his half-awakened bloodline has entered a dormant state. He has returned to his original appearance."

"Not only that, I've also come up with a clue about how to suppress the Asura Demon bloodline. I don't know if it's true or not, but at least I have some hope."

Although many unpleasant things happened in the past month, just thinking about this matter makes Tadashi Kamo smile, no matter how troublesome the situation is.

The fact that my child can stay by my side is enough to erase all my worries.

"Really!? That's great!"

Not only Kamo no Tadayuki, but Shimizu no Asahi also laughed. Joy flickered in his dark eyes, and the sense of crisis of being targeted by the Genji vanished in an instant.

He was more pleased with his best friend's recovery than with his own unseen crisis.

"Hehe... He's staying at home now. If you have time, you can go and see him more often."

......

While Shimizu Asahi and Kamo no Tadayuki were discussing the incident, in the western part of Heian-kyo, within the Ōe Mountains, a burly man was quietly gazing at the summit of Ōe Mountain.

"Hmm... how should I bring that little Ibuki to Heian-kyo?"

P.S.: I'll definitely post three updates today!

Chapter 135, Section 138: Genji: I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense.

With one hand supporting his chin and the other holding a gourd, the burly man sat cross-legged atop a large tree, deep in thought.

After deciding to matchmake his best friend's daughter with his younger brother, the big man rushed over without stopping.

Although he is an idle, lazy, and indifferent person who doesn't care about anything even if it concerns his best friend, he will behave differently if the matter involves his best friend.

Ever since that unavoidable betrayal a thousand years ago, he has always felt guilty towards Yamata, and he would do anything to repay Yamata.

Moreover, this plan is directly linked to whether Yamata can escape successfully, so he naturally wants to complete it as quickly as possible.

However, after arriving at Mount Ooe, Da Han realized that he had not prepared a good plan.

Although Ibuki-doji likes her younger brother, she may not agree to live with him.

After all, if she had such thoughts, she would have left with him a month ago.

Hmm... The Great Han must find a way to get Ibuki to go to Heian-kyo on her own initiative.

Not only that, after Ibuki arrives in Heian-kyo, he will have to find a way to get his sister, Shimizu Mio, to keep Ibuki there. If she is unwilling, Ibuki may not even be able to enter the Shimizu family's gate.

"..."

"..."

Instinctively, the big man thought about what might happen if Ibuki appeared in front of his sister's house, and then fell silent.

To get his sister to agree to let Ibuki stay... he might have to be prepared to sacrifice himself.

"If I had known things would turn out this way, I should have gotten them drunk three months ago and made them have sex. That way, they could not only live together openly, but my sister wouldn't have been able to say anything against it."

It's not a good thing for an older sister to be too possessive of her younger brother... No, this is no longer just a simple case of an older sister protecting her younger brother, is it?

Considering his own precarious life, the big man couldn't help but sigh.

However, if we really have to say, it was Shimizu Mio's hostility towards Ibuki that was caused by him.

Those letters from the old sake village directly led Shimizu Mio to regard Ibuki as a philanderer. If those letters hadn't been for them, Shimizu Mio's attitude towards Ibuki might have been better.

After all, no one believed that the legendary Ibuki-dōji would fall in love with a human.

"...Never mind, there's no use thinking about it now. Let's focus on how to get that little guy to Heian-kyo."

Shaking his head, the big man banished the extraneous thoughts.

He now has enough time to think about his next steps.

With Ibuki as his trump card, Yamata will definitely not make a move against Asahi in the short term, allowing him to focus on preparing his own plans.

......

Meanwhile, on the west side of Heian-kyo, in a luxurious mansion, Minamoto no Mitsunaka sat quietly in the spacious room. Looking at the peaceful and comfortable courtyard before him, his resolute and dignified face showed a hint of relaxation.

Beside him sat a man who bore a striking resemblance to him.

This man was named Minamoto no Mitsuki. He was not only the brother of Minamoto no Mitsukasa, but also the second-in-command of the Minamoto clan.

At this moment, he looked at his brother with a puzzled expression.

"Brother, why did we release that kind of news? Isn't that just giving him away fame for nothing?"

"What's wrong with giving him prestige?"

Yuan Manzhong smiled calmly, speaking casually as if it were just a trivial matter.

“Brother, that guy ruined our plans twice. The incident at Kyoto Port was one thing, but the incident at Xingyuan Castle was a heavy price for the Minamoto clan.”

“We’re not thinking about how to kill him now, but instead we’re giving him fame. I don’t understand, brother.”

Faced with his younger brother's doubts and confusion, Yuan Manzhong handed him a cup of tea and then explained with a smile.

"Although we are trying to restore our reputation, this matter is inextricably linked to the Minamoto clan. Even if we shift all the blame onto Minamoto no Saneyoshi, the people will only recognize him as one of our Minamoto clan."

"If this continues, the Genji's reputation will certainly not be able to recover in a short time."

"Therefore, I plan to take advantage of the clear water and rising sun."

"The people only know that the Genji destroyed Kyohara Castle, but they don't know who saved it. As long as we release the news, the people will definitely pay attention to this matter immediately."

"With more attention from the people to him, they will naturally pay less attention to us, and the Genji clan's reputation will recover more quickly."

"In fact, if we personally visit him to express our gratitude when his reputation is at its peak, then all the fame he possesses will become ours."

Yuan Manzhong's words echoed in the room, plain and ordinary, yet they gave people a strange sense of trust.

What he said must be correct.

Minamoto Mitsuki took a deep breath. He hadn't expected that his brother's purpose in spreading the news was this... using others to boost his own reputation. No wonder he was the head of the Minamoto clan!

However... he had some reservations about this plan.

“Brother, the initial plan was excellent, but the later part... wouldn't personally going to thank them be a disgrace to the Genji clan?”

"Face?" With a slight shift in his gaze, Yuan Manzhong looked at his younger brother.

"Hehe, Mitsuki, you have to understand that Shimizu Asahi is just a minor Onmyoji. Although he has some strength, it still cannot hide the fact that he is inferior to Genji."

"The more sincere we are, the more we can demonstrate our magnanimity!"

That's right, whether or not one loses face depends entirely on their own abilities.

If you are strong, whatever you do will only bring you positive results.

If this incident is handled properly, Genji's reputation could even rise to another level.

"I see... As expected of my elder brother, you see things so clearly!"

Yuan Manji suddenly realized, and then an expression of admiration appeared on his face.

"If we don't think more deeply, how can we lead the Genji forward?"

Yuan Manzhong shook his head slightly. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his black eyes gleamed.

"Brother, after we've used that guy, will we still have to settle the score between him and the Minamoto clan?"

"...After we've used him, we won't take any further action. We must proceed with caution until we've regained our strength."

"Is that so... Although I'm a little annoyed, since my brother has said so, I'll just have to bear with it for now."

"Ah."

After a soft hum, his eyes shifted again, and Yuan Manzhong's gaze returned to the courtyard.

However, when he looked back at the courtyard, he didn't continue to admire the scenery—his thoughts drifted back to the previous night... to his conversation with the evil god.

P.S.: The author surrenders and is giving up on this month's semi-annual bonus. I'll try again next month.

Chapter 136, Section 139: A-Li: The Plan is Successful!

Last night, Minamoto no Mitsuaki received a very strange order.

The serpent god worshipped by the Genji ordered him to suspend all plans against Shimizu Asahi and forbid them from taking any further action against him without permission.

When he received the order, Minamoto no Mitsunaka was quite surprised.

It wasn't because of the content of the order, but because Hachimata had actually given him the order!

It should be noted that although that person had been worshipped by the Genji for a hundred years, he had never given any orders to the Genji during those hundred years.

Rather than calling him a god worshipped by Genji, it would be more accurate to say that he was Genji's partner—he paid Genji with power in exchange for the reward of seeing the world.

Therefore, this sudden order was surprising.