Chapter 198: The First Step to Changing Everything

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Taiso-ji Temple was near Shinjuku Gyoen. The prisoners held there were guarded by the Onmyoryo.

In the world of practitioners, onmyoji were like scientists, and also like the wizards in “Harry Potter,” researching and developing various functional spells, and also responsible for some strange tasks.

For example, investigating the movement of divine energy and dispelling supernatural phenomena caused by divine energy.

Rabbit, Yuka, Koi, Monkey, Fatty, and Horse Face had been locked up in Taiso-ji Temple since they returned with the demon-hunting ship.

The cells here were made of mahogany, and on both sides of each cell door, there were two small Jizo Bodhisattvas.

The Jizo Bodhisattvas were provided by Koyasan. Inside, there were spell seals derived from the “卍” light wheel, used to restrict the divine power of practitioners.

Mahogany was a research result of the Onmyoryo and had a similar effect.

Practitioners with less than thirty subjugations, once locked in, became no different from ordinary people.

“I’m about to lose weight, and I’m starting to hate prison,” Fatty looked at the prison skylight, his face numb, with an indescribable despair.

“Fatty, don’t be discouraged. There’s still a chance,” Monkey comforted.

“Monkey, he’s lying. Do you see him losing weight?” Rabbit, in another cell across the aisle, said…

“Rabbit, are we really going to be okay?” Koi couldn’t help but ask. This was already the umpteenth time.

When she went out to sea with the Shinto sect, Koi had paid someone to take care of her child who was still in school and her sick husband, but she was still worried.

Now that she was locked up in prison, she suffered from severe insomnia. When she finally fell asleep, she would wake up early.

“Don’t worry,” Rabbit was a single mother and also had a child, but she had to remain optimistic. “The group leader won’t give up on us.”

“But it’s been so long, and the group leader hasn’t gotten us out. Maybe she can’t do anything either,” Horse Face, who was slumped in the corner of the men’s cell, said weakly.

“Horse Face, you’re very manly at critical moments, but you’re usually so annoying,” Yuka commented.

“Isn’t it enough to be manly at critical moments?”

Fatty suddenly became energetic, left the skylight, and ran to the cell door, saying to the women’s cell:
“Yuka, Yuka, me! I’m also very manly at critical moments! Do you remember? At the station in Izumo City, I…”

Before he could finish, Yuka continued, “How many critical moments are there in a person’s life? So the usual is more important.”

“Those who pay attention to the usual are all irresponsible playboys,” Horse Face, who could only be manly at critical moments, chose a statement that was beneficial to him.

This kind of conversation had not stopped since they entered the prison.

They could only rely on teasing each other to avoid thinking about the future during the day.

Just as Yuka was about to continue refuting and Fatty decided to ask Monkey if he was manly, footsteps came from the corridor.

Lunch had just been eaten. The only one who could come was the interrogator.

The six of them held their breath.

Interrogation, no matter in which dynasty or country, would never be a simple question and answer like in the movies.

What’s more, the ones being interrogated were from the Shinto sect.

Fatty hid in the corner. Horse Face, who had been sitting in the corner, stood up. Monkey’s face was grim;
Rabbit put her hand on Koi’s back and gently rubbed it to comfort her;

Yuka bit her lip.

Two people came. One was dressed as a samurai, fierce and evil, his two eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, flying to the prisoner’s face. This was the prison guard who was guarding the six of them—the six of them didn’t know his official title.

The other person wore a red robe, purple trousers, and a crown.

The six of them recognized the latter’s attire. Because his rank was not low, Itomi Sayaka had科普them about it at a collective meeting.

At that time, Fatty had asked, “Group leader, should we run immediately if we see him?”

“No need to run,” the group leader with the cat mask said.

“No need to run?” Rabbit was puzzled.

“It’s useless to run.”

“…”

“A red robe is a second-level divine official. Not only does it require merit, but the strength must also be above thirty subjugations. Below that are the third and fourth levels, both with navy blue robes. The few of you, if you’re lucky and meet a fourth-level, you probably don’t need to run.”

“We’re too weak!”

The one standing in front of them now was a second-level red robe that they didn’t need to run from, although they had nowhere to run.

“My lord,” the “prison guard,” who had always been arrogant, moved aside.

The red robe took two steps forward, casually glanced at the six of them, and then ordered the prison guard, “Unlock it.”

“Yes.”

The “prison guard” did not take out a key, but drew a spell seal. At the same time, the other half of the spell seal appeared on the cell door.

The spell seal transformed from divine power was like pieces of colored jade, constantly rotating. At a certain moment, it suddenly stopped.

With a “click,” the spell seal disappeared.

The prison guard put down his hand that was forming the seal and shouted at the six of them, “Come out!”

The six of them looked at each other. In the previous interrogations, they had never interrogated everyone at the same time.

“Damn it, do you need me to do it?” the prison guard cursed and was about to step into the cell.

“Stop,” the red robe said, his tone neither blaming nor having any other emotion.

The prison guard immediately turned from a lion with its mouth wide open to a squatting, obedient kitten, standing beside the red robe fawningly.

The red robe’s gaze was on the six of them.

“Come out,” he said faintly.

It was not as scary as the prison guard, but for some reason, the six of them subconsciously obeyed his order.

They couldn’t help but swallow, walked out of the cell, and followed the red robe out of the prison.

Outside the prison, the red robe rolled up his large sleeves, and his divine power wrapped around the six of them, flying towards the Tokyo Daijingu.

Using divine power in a public place required permission, and the Honshu Shinto Lord had the right to grant permission.

The six of them had never flown in a place with so many people before. They were always careful, hiding in alleys, just like the rats the government called them.

But they were in no mood to enjoy this rare experience. They were uneasy. The situation in front of them was obviously the final judgment.

Will I die?
What about my parents? Who will take care of my child who is still in school?

And even if they had made a mistake and deserved to die, they still wanted to live.

Soon, the red robe brought them to a small shrine, and then through a barrier, to the legendary secret realm.

The six of them stood in a square. In front of the square was a majestic mountain, and a long flight of steps extended all the way to the top of the mountain.

Each flight of steps was very wide, and there were palaces built on them.

Between the steps, there was a vermilion torii gate, as if to draw a line.

The entire mountain peak was like a god sitting on a chair carved from a high mountain. The palace at the top was the god’s head.

The six of them’s mouths were wide open. Even though they had been to the Pacific Ocean and had been tossed about by the huge waves among a pile of yokai, looking at this scene that was like the celestial realm, they were still shocked.

People came and went in the square. The red robes that the group leader had said they didn’t need to run from were countless.

The rest were not the navy blue robes that symbolized the third and fourth levels, but shrine maiden’s attire and kimonos.

“Follow me,” the red robe said and walked straight up the mountain.

At this time, the six of them were worried about being left behind. Only by following the red robe in front of them could they feel a sense of security.

Passing through a forest that should have been a street tree, they began to climb the mountain.

One after another, the torii gates, and the pressure also pressed down one after another.

The occasional passing red robes, shrine maiden’s attire, kimonos, and shikigami, their gazes fell on them, all brought them fear.

They were almost at the top of the mountain. The red robes, who were above them, also quieted down.

This quietness was not the absence of sound, but caution and reverence.

Fatty couldn’t help but swallow. The sound was as loud as a noise.

Occasionally, a conversation could be heard, so far away that it seemed to come from another world.

When they were almost at the top of the mountain, a woman in a kimono was waiting for them as if she had been waiting for a long time.

The red robe quickened his pace, and a smile appeared on his cold face.

“Lady Yoko!”

“Lord Kanazawa, I am just a servant,” the woman named Yoko replied with a smile.

The red robe seemed to want to say something more, but Yoko bowed slightly and said, “Thank you for your hard work, Lord Kanazawa.”

“It’s all for Lord Shinto,” the red robe put away his smile and replied respectfully.

Shinto Lord?

The six of them were stunned for a moment, and then they thought of Minamoto Kiyomoto, who had become the Honshu Shinto Lord.

Rabbit and Yuka looked at each other. Rabbit was pleasantly surprised, and Yuka was half happy and half worried.

Rabbit gave Koi a firm look of reassurance. Koi didn’t see it. She clasped her hands together and lowered her head as if praying to the Buddha.

Monkey and Horse Face’s feelings were similar to Yuka’s, half hope and half despair.

Only Fatty was terrified. He had always remembered calling Minamoto Kiyomoto his little brother.

He had also said a lot of bad things about handsome men in front of him. Whenever this happened, Minamoto Kiyomoto was invariably singled out as a typical example.

Next, the six of them followed the woman named Yoko and continued to walk up the mountain. It was surprisingly quiet around them.

Rabbit observed Yoko. She was very beautiful. Although the kimono she was wearing was simple, the workmanship was exquisite and the material was top-notch.

Her long-sleeved, swaying gait, every move was very elegant.

After walking for a while, they heard the sound of a waterfall. Then their vision suddenly widened, and what they saw was a courtyard with lush trees, blooming flowers, and a splashing waterfall.

In the courtyard, there were cranes, white deer, peacocks, and rabbits.

Women in shrine maiden’s attire and kimonos shuttled through it like fairies.

The fairy-like and picturesque courtyard brought a greater sense of oppression.

The group lowered their heads, looked at Yoko’s heels, and came to a magnificent palace.

The six of them subconsciously raised their heads. Just as they saw the huge and heavy hall door, a chill ran down their backs.

On the left, the Hakone fire dragon bared its fangs and brandished its claws, circling in the clouds, looking down at the visitors;
On the right, the red-gold dragon was about to descend from the sky, from the clouds to the human world, from the painting to reality.

Under the gaze of the portrait, the six of them were like sand figures, trembling on the beach, and then they would be washed away by the waves and turned into sand.

Yoko, who was leading them, knelt down in front of the hall door and said in a loud voice, “Lord Shinto, the people have been brought to you.”

The six of them couldn’t think at all and subconsciously knelt down. The corridor was smooth and clean.

“Come in,” a familiar, clear voice came from the hall, with a hint of fatigue.

Yoko did not get up, but knelt and moved aside to make way for the six of them.

Fatty was hesitating whether to enter on his knees. Rabbit in front had already gotten up, and he quickly followed.

As soon as they walked into the main hall, the six of them felt their legs go a little weak. The coral demon moth, which had moved mountains and filled the sea and torn the sky in the Pacific Ocean, was staring at them.

After finally calming down, they realized that it was a painting. The real coral demon moth was sitting on the desk, rubbing its forehead, as if it had a headache.

It seemed that the rumors were true. Minamoto Kiyomoto had a problem when he subdued the coral demon moth!
He put down his hand and looked at them quietly, giving them a sense of looking down from above.

Very confident, his eyes casual.

The six of them all wondered about one question—should they kneel?

The other five left this choice to Rabbit, who was walking in front.

Rabbit was also hesitating. Just as the balance was about to tip and bend her knees, she saw Itomi Sayaka.

She instantly raised her head and puffed out her chest.

The five people who were looking at her with their peripheral vision were uncontrollably surprised. They admired her courage. She was indeed Rabbit!

Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at the few of them and then turned his gaze to Itomi Sayaka.

“What do you think I should do?” he asked.

“Let them follow me,” Itomi Sayaka replied immediately.

“Group leader?!” the five of them heard the voice and raised their heads with a whoosh, like the wind blowing, their heads all looking in the direction of Itomi Sayaka.

Itomi Sayaka gave them a reassuring smile.

Minamoto Kiyomoto had already investigated the family backgrounds of the six of them, as well as the reasons and experiences of joining the Shinto sect.

“Seeing that you have not done anything evil, and your character can be considered good, and you are loyal to each other and have a lot of affection, I will give you a chance,” he said.

The six of them stared at him blankly, unable to believe the meaning of his words.

“Sayaka, I’ll hand them over to you. Follow you on missions. If you make another mistake, don’t blame me.”

“Thank you,” Itomi Sayaka wanted to say something, like a guarantee, but when the words reached her lips, she could only squeeze out this word.

Just as the dust was about to settle, a charming and pleasant voice said, as if singing:

“Lord Shinto, everything should be done with a long-term perspective.”

The six of them had not yet recovered from their surprise when they were thrown into the abyss again.

“Oh? Does the Ise Miko have a different opinion?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked with a smile.

“No opinion,” the Ise Miko replied innocently like a little girl. “But, all who are Shinto Lords should be impartial and just, work hard without complaint, and cleanse their private intestines.”

This was not only to review the documents of the Honshu Shinto Lord, but also to review the Honshu Shinto Lord himself.

“The Ise Miko is right,” Minamoto Kiyomoto put his hand on the Ise Miko’s hand. “But if you only enforce the law, the villains will surely rise up and try to trap me in injustice.”

He looked at Himegami Izayoi’s eyes with a smile, without blinking.

“It is important to win over the hearts of the people. A combination of leniency and severity, and a combination of power and virtue, will result in fewer resentful people and more grateful people,” after she finished, Himegami Izayoi bowed to Minamoto Kiyomoto as if she had been taught a lesson. “Lord Shinto is right.”

The Honshu Shinto Lord patted her hand and showed a look of gratification.

“If you can correct your mistakes, then there are no mistakes. If you reflect on yourself at all times, what good can you not move towards? I encourage you.”

The Ise Miko said respectfully, “Yes~”

Itomi Sayaka really wanted to tell the two of them to stop being disgusting, but Yuka and the others were still there. For the sake of the Honshu Shinto Lord’s face, she endured it.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s life as the Honshu Shinto Lord began like this.

He was not in a hurry to reform, but in the process of handling affairs, he tried his best to break down barriers. Anyone who did not help because of regional relations would be severely punished.

This was only the first step. There were still a hundred steps, a thousand steps, ten thousand steps, and even possibly an endless road to the world he wanted.

But no matter what, he was already on the road and planned to keep walking.

[There is no national border, no yokai, no need for killing and sacrifice. Everyone lives in peace.]

If such a dream were to be spoken out, everyone would laugh their heads off, thinking that it was a dream, a foolish delusion.

But Minamoto Kiyomoto was not alone, and he hoped that those who laughed their heads off would one day join in and chase this dream together.