The hair-eating demon removed the white silk ribbon and watched the white smoke rising from his pipe drift into the sky.
"I am a little demon living in the Black Night Mountain. I have no friends or family since I was born. I can only rely on my abilities to snatch food from the big demons or steal food discarded by humans from the foot of the mountain."
Being alone is always lonely. I was very young then, a very weak one, and often ostracized by powerful demons, like Shuten-dōji on the mountain. No one dared to mess with that kind of powerful demon.
A long time passed, perhaps a hundred years, or even longer, and I fell in love with this lovely thing called tobacco. Although I didn't love it as much as I loved smooth, black hair, I would find fresh tobacco leaves to fill my tobacco pouch every day.
I would sit on the rock and light them. Every time I saw the white smoke rising, I would see a woman—Enenra. She would emerge from the smoke, smiling and talking to me. She would help me find food and defeat the great demons who bullied me… I must say, she was an absolutely kind person, and her appearance was an accident.
Yanyanluo was very beautiful, and all the demons and monsters loved her. With her help, I became a great demon. Over time, I came to regard her as my older sister.
He took another drag of his cigarette.
"This is my story with her."
"I see..."
The beautiful woman touched his head.
She had always thought that the Hair-Eating Demon and Yanyanluo were siblings, but it turns out they weren't.
“Can you tell me more about your story?” she asked.
"What?"
The hair-eating ghost was taken aback, and after a long while, he slowly took a drag of his cigarette and coughed a few times.
"Are you referring to the words Jue Zeng said about disliking me? Hmm... There are many things that Father needs to understand for himself, so I won't tell you today."
The hair-eating demon stood up, and a tiny salted fish ran over and grabbed his hair.
"Hey! I've been buffed! Hey! Train me! Train me!"
"Kid, wait until you're as powerful as Huang before you talk. You two are only one character apart, but your abilities are worlds apart~"
The hair-eating demon exhaled a puff of smoke, which covered him and settled on his blue skin.
"Hey! Hey! I'm not discussing this with you, I'm informing you! Hey!"
Arakawa said angrily.
"Ha ha……"
Qiu Shuiyi covered her mouth and chuckled. Her shikigami are all so cute! She really wants to know their stories...
Why does the Ubume like children? Why does Satori hate ghosts? Why does the Rain Woman cry all day? Why does the Jorogumo go crazy when she sees a man? Why does Ara not like to talk?
They hold many secrets waiting for her to uncover.
"I've decided, I'm going to get into the main storyline!"
She stood up and announced.
"ha?!"
-
Yanxi forty-seven years
The reign of Emperor Daigo was a period later known as the Heian period. During this time, the people were not yet enlightened and firmly believed in the existence of demons and monsters.
In such times, humans and ghosts lived side by side in the shadows of the capital, sometimes even under the same roof.
Some ghosts dwell in remote, deep mountains and forests, while others emerge and appear before the world. This is the time when Onmyoji (Yin-Yang Masters) leave a significant mark on history.
Onmyoji, also known as illusionists or diviners, observe celestial phenomena and human features. They can chant incantations and use illusions. They possess the ability to summon spirits and communicate with souls.
Such positions were established in the imperial court, and the court had the Bureau of Yin and Yang. Among them, the most famous person who was granted the official rank of "Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade" was only one person, Abe no Seimei.
Abe no Seimei trained under the Onmyoji Kamo no Tadayuki from a young age, making him a unique Onmyoji who could be considered a genius.
But the person we're going to talk about today isn't this highly skilled and famous expert, but rather a young Onmyoji living in a mansion not far south of the capital, along Suzaku Avenue.
This morning, a young Onmyoji, dressed in ordinary clothes, with his long hair combed up, carried his usual belongings and money, walked along Suzaku Avenue to the city gate, and then walked out of the city gate.
As she walked along a road in the suburbs, several miscellaneous spirits followed her. Why "her"? Because she was a woman.
Although she had striking eyes and a flat figure, her smooth, delicate cheeks and bright red lips betrayed her identity.
Calling her a woman might not be quite right. This girl, who has only recently left her childhood, is already showing signs of maturity, but her demeanor still retains a touch of childishness.
The girl walked along the path, followed by a miscellaneous spirit. This spirit was subdued and controlled by an Onmyoji to protect the girl.
They are not considered top-tier shikigami. It's clear that the onmyoji who commands them doesn't possess particularly advanced onmyoji skills. These can only be described as inferior, and they would be quickly devoured if they encountered a powerful yokai.
The girl walked ahead, followed by several miscellaneous spirits. When they were about twenty miles away from the capital, she suddenly stopped.
"Don't follow me anymore, go back."
Her voice was very gentle. Several miscellaneous spirits hovered in the air and looked at each other for a few moments. The girl's childishness made them a little worried.
"could you?"
"There are many powerful monsters outside!"
"We cannot leave you."
"The adults will punish us..."
They all talked at once.
The girl smiled and waved her hand, conjuring a wall in the air, a wall as thick and opaque as a painted wall.
"Don't worry, I'll be back, please believe me."
Her voice remained gentle.
After saying these words, she turned and left, behind her the mischievous spirits wailing and crying. The wall in front of her was too thick; none of them could break it.
“Perhaps she really isn’t as weak as we think,” said one of the miscellaneous spirits.
“She will grow into an excellent Onmyoji,” another miscellaneous spirit said.
"Then let's go back."
The spirits were no longer blocked by the wall; they turned and headed towards Kyoto, while the girl continued forward relentlessly in the opposite direction.
Walking along the road, she encountered quite a few Onmyoji traveling on their journeys. Seeing the attendants beside them, she knew they were powerful Onmyoji, indicating that she had not yet left Kyoto.
It was the beginning of the Mina no Tsuki season, and the plum rains had not yet ended. It had been raining for several months along the way, and the girl couldn't help but feel annoyed.
I had planned to follow the map in the book step by step to find the way, but unfortunately, it was too troublesome at this time of year, and walking on the muddy road was an even more difficult task.
So she had to change her plans.
"What will be the consequences of changing my itinerary?" the girl asked, troubled.
Sitting in the room, the girl opened the book box behind her and found a book inside.
This book was a collection in the home of the great Onmyoji Kamo. A few months ago, she secretly went into the Kamo family's former courtyard and found it.
Now that the book was in her hands, she felt much more at ease, though perhaps there was also a hint of obvious fear, but it was all concealed by the tenderness in her eyes.
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