Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 1436

Given the precedent of manipulating souls to alter Kidomaru's personality, Kyosuke Kosaka doesn't believe she really won't continue doing it.

Kyosuke Kosaka didn't want to try to persuade her.

After all, Menreiki is a kind yokai who doesn't provoke people. If she does make a move, it must be because someone provoked her. Does Kousaka Kyosuke really want to advise her to be kind?

Before long, Kousaka Kyosuke and the others met up with Murong Ziying and Hyakume-ki.

Kyosuke Kosaka specially invited the two of them to lunch.

During the cooking and eating, Kagura, Menreiki, and Renka chatted, while Murong Ziying and Hyakume remained silent. Even so, it did little to affect the atmosphere, and Kousaka Kyosuke and his companions remained unaffected...

Time flies.

When the banquet was held in the evening, the host, Tamamo-no-Mae, came out to entertain everyone.

The meal was surprisingly plentiful, with fish, meat, and a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Kyosuke Kosaka enjoyed the food, which was prepared in a way that was different from what he was used to.

“The help from everyone present was very meaningful to me, and I will keep it in mind. I am truly grateful.”

When they had almost finished eating, Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly addressed everyone present at the banquet.

Kyosuke Kosaka understood the unspoken meaning: "This means he owes everyone a favor. And it's calculated by the number of people..."

That's quite extravagant.

Kyosuke Kousaka couldn't help but sigh.

Debts of gratitude are arguably the hardest things to repay in the world.

There are four of them on his side, including himself. He has to repay four favors, which means agreeing to four requests. Even doing something simple would be exhausting.

"Tamamo-no-Mae, I haven't been of any help to you by coming here, so you don't need to worry about it."

Murong Ziying spoke frankly.

In fact, even if he helped, he didn't expect anything in return.

He just felt a little sorry for Tamamo-no-Mae's wife, who shielded her from the heavenly punishment and was unable to reincarnate with her children.

"Brother Murong, I've simply kept it in mind." Yuzao-no-Mae smiled gently at Murong Ziying, her smile sincere.

Murong Ziying saw that Yuzao was pretending not to understand him and opened his mouth to refute something, but in the end he simply decided not to speak, since he didn't want anything in return anyway.

"Um... Tamamo-no-Mae, we are of one mind, I hope you can understand."

Kousaka Kyosuke coughed, politely declining further rewards while also trying to win over those around him.

When Tamamo-no-Mae heard Kousaka Kyosuke say the phrase "one body, one mind," she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Then, I sincerely wish you all the best."

A very light sentence, yet it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Kyosuke Kosaka vaguely understood some of the meaning behind it.

"Yes, the union of Tamamo-no-Mae and her wife is said to be the union of a priestess and a demon, but in essence it is also the union of a human and a demon. The meddlesome gods in Takamagahara are destroying it because of destiny... Of course I have to be wary of that."

Defense? How to defend against it?

Kyosuke Kosaka once thought that if such a situation were to occur, he would eliminate some of the troublesome gods.

Considering that doing so would put him at odds with top deities like Amaterasu and Susanoo, he decided to take a more cautious approach. If any trouble arose, he would delay it until these top deities disappeared, at which point he would have plenty of options.

"Thank you for your blessing, Mr. Tamamo-no-Mae~" Renka made no attempt to hide her happiness.

She hadn't yet experienced any intimate behavior with Kousaka Kyosuke, so she was very happy to receive his blessing, especially from a top-tier demon.

"One body, one mind... I like this saying."

Menreiki murmured, still savoring what Kousaka Kyosuke had just said, and didn't pay much attention to Tamamo-no-Mae's blessing.

In matters of the heart, Menreiki is the proactive one, so she is naturally not too moved by other people's blessings.

Kagura bowed politely and softly said "Thank you".

The one who was least in tune with the atmosphere on the field was definitely Murong Ziying.

Even though this cultivator, who had eliminated countless evil demons in the Central Plains, had changed his attitude towards some demons, it didn't mean he could accept love between humans and demons.

In short, he needs to take it slow...

Day 478 of crossing

At dawn, Kousaka Kyosuke, who had spent the night in Omahara, left with Kagura, Menreiki, and Renka.

Oh, and Murong Ziying is with them too.

When Kousaka Kyosuke saw the monk again after a night, he found that his complexion had returned to normal, and he no longer looked as awkward as he had the day before.

"Mr. Murong, are you planning to go back? Or do you have other plans? I can take you there, and if you want to travel alone, I can provide a map."

"Just return to the Water Department. The world has undergone great changes, and I am willing to do my part to protect the Water Department."

Murong Ziying replied earnestly.

His conversations with Tamamo-no-Mae over the past few days have finally made him clear about who is responsible for the changes in the world, so he is determined to do his part without hesitation.

"Mr. Kyosuke concealed something before, probably because he didn't want me involved, but how can our sect's cultivators retreat in the face of danger and cower in the back?"

"..."

Kyosuke Kousaka was speechless.

Seeing that Murong Ziying's spiritual power was still occasionally agitated, he felt that he couldn't be so shameless.

If it were Murong Ziying who could perform normally, he would definitely be a good helper, and he would not refuse. Unfortunately, this person did not fully control his own situation.

Therefore, how could Kyosuke Kosaka allow Murong Ziying to get involved?

He could guarantee that if Murong Ziying's battle lasted a little longer, he would fall into a state of demonic possession, and it would definitely take Kousaka Kyosuke a lot of effort to save him.

Unless Murong Ziying can adjust his own condition to a better level... wait?

“Brother Murong, I can easily tell that you are not in good condition. You are only moving with difficulty, so please forgive me for not being able to agree.”

"...I understand. I will adjust myself as soon as possible. The others I sent are still unable to control their spiritual power, so they probably can't provide much help."

"You're too kind! The Qionghua Sect are envoys representing the Tang Kingdom. They are our guests and should receive the best hospitality and protection. There's no need for them to do anything on their own initiative."

Kyosuke Kosaka spoke in a very official manner; to be precise, he was simply stating the facts.

However, Murong Ziying remained unmoved, only stating that he would adjust his mindset immediately before helping and would not cause any trouble...

This is why Kousaka Kyosuke has feelings for Murong Ziying.

"He's too upright."

Back at the Water Department Manor, Menreiki gave Murong Ziying this evaluation.

She had previously disliked Murong Ziying, but after hearing Murong Ziying's disapproval of her relationship with Kosaka Kyosuke yesterday, her attitude turned to dislike. Then, when Murong Ziying took the initiative to say that he wanted to protect the manor, her attitude towards Murong Ziying changed again.

“You all need to remember this, not all people from his sect are like this. Now Kagura and I are going to continue our work, you two go find other people to play with… I really didn’t expect to find anything here in the Demon Realm.”

Kyosuke Kosaka looked on with a sigh.

In the Land of the Demons, he discovered that the wheat grown there had the property of adapting to miasma, which was definitely a valuable discovery.

Because when the Yamata no Orochi begins to act soon, the miasma in the world will increase, and there will be little that can be stopped except by setting up a barrier. The miasma also affects plants.

Generally speaking, plants affected by miasma die, at most leaving behind a "corpse".

The wheat in the Demon Plains was not like that; it actually maintained its vitality despite being eroded by miasma!

Kyosuke Kosaka believes that if this trait is transplanted to high-yield crops such as corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, the later losses will be reduced even more.

"Kyosuke and Kagura, good luck to you both."

"Come on~"

Menreiki and Renka waved goodbye and left together.

Kousaka Kyosuke watched their figures, smiled, and focused his gaze on Kagura, who was silently watching him.

"You'll have to work hard again. I'll reward you properly tonight."

"Ok!"

Kagura nodded emphatically, clearly delighted.

Day 479 of crossing

The weather is light rain.

The sky was shrouded in mist, obscuring most of the almost solid, menacing serpent. Countless people breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere that had lasted for several days seemed to ease somewhat.

"Hello everyone, I am Yingcao. I am here to treat your injuries."

On a desolate rainy day, a black-haired girl holding a giant dandelion attracted the attention of many band members with her energetic voice.

"Wow, so cute!"

"Don't be rude, Lady Yingcao."

"Lord Yingcao is Lord Kyosuke's shikigami."

The noise only lasted for a short while before disappearing without a trace.

Under the strict management of the leader, each band member quickly became orderly.