Chapter 81: Presenting a Treasure

The Kamo River is generally shaped like a “Y”.

The two forked lines at the top of the “Y” are the Kamo River on the left and the Takano River on the right.

The point where the three lines of the “Y” intersect is the Kamo River Delta.

Usually, citizens or tourists would play and have picnics there. Students from the nearby Kyoto University would come to set off fireworks, read books, and take photos.

At this time, three weeping cherry trees were transplanted onto the Kamo River Delta. Under the canopy-like weeping cherry trees were the thrones of the three rulers of Japan.

The straight line below the “Y” is the Kamo River.

Fallen cherry blossoms littered both banks of the Kamo River. The cherry blossoms followed the water of the Kamo River downstream. When it was almost at the “Marutamachi Bridge,” it was the location of Minamoto Kiyomoto’s terrace.

The Kamo River Delta is 1.4 kilometers away from the “Marutamachi Bridge,” and it takes about 14 to 18 minutes to walk.

What happened upstream, unless divine power was used, was otherwise two different places.

As the time approached seven o’clock, the crowd gradually quieted down. When Minamoto Kiyomi and the others on the opposite side also stopped laughing, the Summer Festival officially began.

Minamoto Kiyomoto listened to the gurgling sound of the Kamo River in front of him. The sound of fireworks came from far away, and the sky was a blaze of color.

The surface of the water transformed, and the scene of the upper reaches of the Kamo River appeared.

The Divine Lord of Shikoku, dressed in court attire, stood directly opposite the Kamo River Delta, facing the “Lord of Kyoto.”

The “Lord of Kyoto” sat behind a bamboo screen, and his appearance was still unclear.

To the left of the “Lord of Kyoto” was Kamibayashi Miko’s father, the “Ogosho.”

The “Ogosho” was a handsome middle-aged man, currently raising a glass to drink, with a smile on his face that made people feel close to him.

To the right of the “Lord of Kyoto” was the master of Hokkaido, the “Taiko.”

The “Taiko” was a sleepy old man leaning against a back chair, looking sickly and thin. He couldn’t even fill out his ceremonial robes, and he was curled up there like a baby in swaddling clothes.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked down and could see Kamibayashi Miko, who was closest to the throne.

The weeping cherry blossoms were as brilliant as a burning volcano. She was under such a cherry blossom tree, with Shirako kneeling behind her and the little butterfly on Shirako’s shoulder.

Opposite Kamibayashi Miko, on the terrace belonging to the Ise Shrine Miko, it was empty.

Minamoto Kiyomoto guessed that Himemiya Izayoi should be behind the bamboo screen, obediently pouring wine and arranging dishes for the “Lord of Kyoto,” doing the work of a maid.

Further down, the people sitting on the second terraces on the left and right could not be seen clearly.

The moonlight was hazy, the gentle breeze blew, and the cherry blossoms rustled.

In the four fields of Kyoto, Kiyomizu Mountain, Inari Mountain, Mount Hiei, Higashiyama, Daimonji Mountain, Arashiyama, Atago Mountain, and so on, these mountains were originally setting off fireworks, but at this time they also stopped.

In the dead of night, the only sound in the entire Kyoto was the voice of the Divine Lord of Shikoku chanting a congratulatory speech.

“I, on behalf of the court officials, offer this congratulatory speech:”

“Your Majesty rules the world with bright virtue, so heaven sends down auspicious signs, and the cherry blossoms bloom in August. It is a joyous occasion!”

Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up the three petals that had fallen on his knees, gently scattered them on the water, and watched the petals being carried away by the water.

When the cherry blossoms could no longer be seen, the congratulatory speech just happened to end.

“…May Your Majesty’s reign last for a thousand autumns, and may you rule Kansai for ten thousand generations. We, the court officials and the common people, will serve you with all our loyalty to repay Your Majesty’s grace!”

After the speech, the Divine Lord of Shikoku knelt down to the throne and accepted the decree of the “Lord of Kyoto.”

“It is indeed thanks to the loyalty of all the court officials, ministers, and governors that we have this auspicious sign. In the future, you should all respect the gods, cleanse yourselves, and work together for the prosperity of the world.”

The ceremony ended quickly. The “Lord of Kyoto” did not have the bad habit of a leader and only said one sentence.

On the various mountains, fireworks were set off again.

Dancing girls with bare feet stepped on the water to enter the stage; ducks and carp came and went, and the dishes on the table were also changed.

The sounds of the shamisen, the biwa, and the flute entered the ears.

Cherry blossoms fell from the sky like rain.

Sitting above Minamoto Kiyomoto was a guest dressed as a warrior, who was drinking while looking at the buttocks and chests of the dancing girls.

“Not bad, not bad. What do you think?” this person said to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“What?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was using chopsticks to pick out the snow-white fish meat of the alfonsino.

“The chests and buttocks of these dancing girls,” the warrior pointed at the Kamo River and said, “I’m a butt man.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto ate the fish meat while sizing up the dancing girls who were jumping like deer on the water.

The dancing girls were not all beauties, but their looks were at least decent. More importantly, each of them had a charming and moving figure and beautiful curves.

“If I have to choose, I should be the normal type. I like chests,” he said.

“Actually, you can’t just look at a woman’s chest and buttocks,” the warrior said. “For example, a woman with a protruding belly, no matter what her chest is like, how round her buttocks are, or how delicate her features are, it’s hard to attract a man’s attention.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded.

The warrior said again:
“Secondly, it’s personality. A woman who gets jealous at the drop of a hat is really not interesting. I once dated a woman who wasn’t very good-looking, but she had some moving points in bed. Later, when she saw me with other women, she immediately became jealous and even came to my door.”

“Good for her,” Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped.

The maid serving the two of them covered her mouth and giggled.

The warrior was stunned for a moment, then showed a disappointed look, turned his head, and drank by himself.

At this time, a light and shadow appeared on the water again. Minamoto Kiyomoto looked and saw that someone was presenting a treasure.

“Koyasan presents a dragon scale!”

The people around him immediately began to discuss. This dragon scale was left to him by the Good Woman Dragon King of India when Master Kukai prayed for rain at Shinsen-en.

Any disease, as long as the dragon scale was held in the mouth, could be cured.

Hearing the effect of this dragon scale, Minamoto Kiyomoto remembered a sentence Himemiya Izayoi had once said: there is no future in studying medicine.

As soon as the monk from Koyasan retreated, someone else came forward.

“Nara Kasuga Taisha presents a white deer shikigami!”

In ancient times, there was always a saying that a white deer was an auspicious sign. Although this shikigami was not very useful—in fact, most things were not useful to the “Lord of Kyoto”—but for a ruler, an auspicious sign was better than any dragon scale.

Next, the Minamoto clan presented a chapter of the “Parable of the Medicinal Herbs.” It was said that there was a small medicinal field hidden realm inside, which was suitable for the growth of all kinds of medicinal herbs.

Then the Taira clan stood up and presented a folding fan called “Cicada’s Break.” With a wave of the fan, it could release a wind blade, and it could also stir up a storm.

Then the head of the Abe clan came out and offered a curse that could search for shikigami between heaven and earth.

After Abe, it was the head of the Ashiya clan, who offered another curse that could turn ordinary plants and animals into shikigami.

The Fujiwara family, the Sugawara family, the Ono family, the Takeda family, and so on.

Precious magical artifacts, lost scriptures, jade carvings of Guanyin, and ebony statues of gods, these treasures all surged with divine light and were otherworldly.

Not to mention the people in the middle and lower reaches, even the Kosen, great nobles, and ministers in the upper reaches would drool at the sight of them.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes were even shining. He couldn’t wait to take all these treasures back and hide them in his small wooden house.

“Your Majesty,” a person familiar to Minamoto Kiyomoto came out. It was Tenmoku Ikka, whom he had met once in Hakone.

This person was both a Kosen and a family of blacksmiths that had been passed down for generations. Everyone looked at him curiously, wanting to see what new divine artifact there would be this year.

Tenmoku Ikka took out a clean white jade bottle.

“Your Majesty, the Tenmoku clan has been pursuing the forging of ‘worldly artifacts’ since ancient times.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto had heard from Himemiya Izayoi that the so-called ‘worldly artifacts’ referred to divine artifacts that could ‘break through the cognitive barrier that prevents ordinary people from seeing divine power and break the rules of heaven and earth that have existed since ancient times.’

“When I was young, I obtained a broken stele. The inscription on the stele recorded a strange artifact-refining curse—using the starry sky as a material to refine a juice.”

“I have studied it for fifty years. Recently, I heard the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’ and thought hard for four months before I could get started and refine a small bottle.”

Tenmoku Ikka opened the bottle stopper. Looking down from above, the bottle was filled with a black liquid with a faint blue luster.

“Ah, there’s stardust inside!” Minamoto Kiyomi on the opposite bank suddenly shouted.

Everyone heard and looked intently.

Sure enough, there were small lights inside, slowly rotating like a nebula.

“This thing is called: Starry Sky Liquid, presented to Your Majesty!” Tenmoku Ikka held the white bottle above his head, and the Divine Lord of Shikoku went forward to receive it.

After that, other Kosen came forward to present gifts, but unless they were Kosen from noble families, the gifts they presented could only be considered good things.

The topic of the crowd still remained on the Starry Sky Liquid.

“Can it really break the cognitive barrier of divine breath?”

“If we use Starry Sky Liquid to forge weapons, can ordinary people harm yokai? Can airplanes and cannons be used?”

“Lord Tenmoku only presented a small bottle to His Majesty. How long will it take to refine enough to arm ordinary people?”

“I don’t think the role of ‘worldly artifacts’ is there. Using the starry sky as a material, the power of such a divine artifact is probably greater than that of a divine artifact refined from the remains of a yokai. In the future, the price of divine artifacts from remains will definitely drop!”

“I’m curious, what kind of reaction will ordinary people have when they see divine power!”

“Don’t think so far ahead. It’s not certain whether ‘worldly artifacts’ can be refined. Lord Tenmoku only presented the material, not the finished product.”

The appearance of the Starry Sky Liquid made these well-informed and experienced guests’ imaginations run wild, and they discussed it animatedly.

It was not until a not-so-conspicuous minister, whose official position was only that of a doctor, stood up holding a treasure box high.

This person knelt on the water, the treasure box still held above his head, respectfully.

Everyone looked at him curiously, and even stopped watching the singing and dancing.

To be respectful to a treasure, besides the weapons of one’s ancestors (for example, a few days ago, the Taira clan sent someone to be reincarnated as Minamoto no Yorimasa and asked the Minamoto clan for the Lion King), it was either related to the “Lord of Kyoto.”

Could it be that the treasure box in this doctor’s hand contained the relics of a certain generation of the “Lord of Kyoto”?

But he was just a doctor. Although he was a court official and his status was above the common people, at the Summer Festival, standing up to present a gift could only be considered making up the numbers. What treasure could he have?
Just as they were thinking this, the doctor said respectfully:

“Your Majesty, a great treasure!”

“What treasure?” the lazy and majestic voice of the “Lord of Kyoto” came from behind the curtain.

That voice had already surpassed whether it was pleasant to hear or not. If one had to describe it, one could only use the sentence ‘that is the voice that the Lord of Kyoto should have.’

Besides sighing at the charm of the “Lord of Kyoto,” everyone’s attention became more focused.

Although the official position of a doctor was low, he could participate in the Summer Festival every year, and his knowledge would definitely not be bad. A great treasure spoken by such a person was worth looking forward to.

The doctor’s head drooped even lower.

“I, by chance, obtained—” he slowly opened the box.

Everyone quickly looked. Even Minamoto Kiyomoto, who had planned to turn a blind eye, couldn’t help but cast his gaze.

In the small box, there was a piece of yellow cloth. On the yellow cloth, there was a man’s hair crown.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes narrowed slightly. The dark red haori fluttered, and black divine power was injected into his pupils.

The hair crown flowed with a green light, ethereal and mysterious, as if it were in harmony with the principles of heaven and earth. And although it was clearly cast from gold, it had an otherworldly aura.

“What is this?” someone asked.

“Could this be—” Tenmoku Ikka suddenly stood up, knocking over the table in front of him. The dishes and sake scattered on the ground.

A maid quickly bent down to clean up.

Tenmoku Ikka ignored it, his eyes wide, staring at the hair crown in the treasure box in disbelief.

“Brother Tenmoku, what on earth is this? Tell us so we can all see,” Date Masamune, wearing the “Tosei Gusoku,” said with a smile.

Tenmoku Ikka ignored him and said sharply to the doctor, “Where did you get this thing?!”

“Tenmoku, don’t be excited,” the Divine Lord of Shikoku said.

Only then did Tenmoku Ikka swallow, take a deep look at the hair crown, bow to the Kamo River Delta, and sit back down.

“What on earth is it?” the Ashinoko Miko of Hakone Shrine, who had turned into a little girl with an apple face, asked in a clear voice.

“Your Majesty,” the doctor said respectfully, “this is the Xiangye crown that the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty wore for thirty years!”

It was as if lightning had struck the Kamo River. Everyone’s body felt numb.

“No wonder, no wonder,” Date Masamune said repeatedly, even more shocked than Tenmoku Ikka just now.

The people in the upper reaches of the Kamo River all fell silent, their eyes burning as they stared at the Xiangye crown on the yellow cloth.

In the middle reaches, the young masters of the noble families were all shocked. Some people with shallow knowledge looked around in confusion.

Not to mention the lower reaches, most people didn’t know what this was.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was also puzzled. Since there were cultivators, the Jiajing Emperor was definitely not an ordinary emperor, but what was the use of a hair crown?

Could it be that it sealed a spirit more powerful than the four divine beasts?
Just as he was thinking this, a warrior said, “Could there be a powerful shikigami in here?”

“Fool!” an old noble with a burning face and a look of madness said, “The Xiangye crown of the Jiajing Emperor, what shikigami can compare to it?! This is a peerless treasure!”

“Old man, what’s so precious about it? Just say it directly,” a warrior urged impatiently.

The old noble took a deep breath and explained:
“The Jiajing Emperor was the longest-reigning emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He controlled the court, enfeoffed the third living Buddha, and compiled the ‘Wulun.’ In that year, the ‘Chaos’ in Huaxian County turned over, and 830,000 people died. That was a yokai above the ‘county level,’ and it was killed by Jiajing from thousands of miles away.”

Everyone looked at each other, unable to imagine that someone could eliminate a yokai by himself.

In Japan, even a “village-level” yokai required everyone to work together.

What’s more, it was from thousands of miles away? And it was a yokai above the “county level”? A “county-level” yokai itself was enough to destroy the world.

“So what? What does it have to do with this Xiangye crown?” someone asked again.

“I heard that the Jiajing Emperor was devoted to cultivating the profound and seeking longevity. Could it be that this Xiangye crown is related to the Jiajing Emperor’s power?” someone from the noble side asked.

“Perhaps,” the old noble let out a long breath and finally moved his gaze away from the Xiangye crown.

“Perhaps?”

“The Jiajing Emperor did not attend court for thirty years. How many curse manuals did he read in the West Garden? Do you know? The ‘Daozang,’ the ‘Tao Te Ching,’ the ‘Nanhua Jing,’ the ‘Lu Wang Xinxue,’ the ‘Yin-Yang and Five Elements,’ the ‘Lotus Sutra,’ the ‘Kugong Wudao Jing,’ the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra,’ the ‘Past Sutra,’ the ‘Future Sutra,’ and the ‘Thirty-six Secrets of Internal Alchemy.’ There is no scripture or curse in China that he has not read!”

“Could it be…” someone’s voice trembled, and his gaze turned to the Xiangye crown.

“That’s right!” the old noble said with certainty. “So many scriptures, even with the Jiajing Emperor’s capacity, it’s impossible to remember them all. But this Xiangye crown that he wore for thirty years… remembered them all.”

Everyone was instantly silent. Their throats seemed to be blocked, and then they gasped violently.

They cursed the doctor in their hearts.

With such a treasure, he didn’t hide it and study it alone, and then accidentally revealed the news, letting everyone fight for it. He had to take it out and present it to the “Lord of Kyoto”!
The “Lord of Kyoto” had ruled Kansai for thousands of years and had never changed.

The Yagyu family had been passed down for five hundred years. They just instigated a conflict between the people of Osaka and Kyoto, tried to become independent, and were exterminated for the simple reason of being late.

Only one orphan was left, who was lingering on with the Shinto religion.

If the Xiangye crown entered the Seiryo-den, everyone would never see it again in their lifetime.

“Your Majesty,” at this time, the water waves rippled, and the doctor said again, “this Xiangye crown is a divine artifact. It is said to be built with the Tongtian Jianmu.”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Tenmoku Ikka nodded and said, “Although the Tongtian Jianmu is wood, it is golden all over and is the hardest thing in the world, so it can communicate with heaven, earth, man, and god.”

“So…” the doctor’s head drooped even lower, almost burying it in the water. “This thing needs to recognize its master.”

“…”

The entire Kamo River was as silent as death.

Only the fireworks, cherry blossoms, and ducks bloomed, were infatuated with the flowing water, and played without a care.

To use a divine artifact, one’s capacity must be sufficient, and the next user’s capacity must be deeper than the previous user’s.

The only exception was the “Divine Miko’s Aya,” which was passed down from generation to generation by the Divine Miko.

But the Divine Miko herself was special. Even the color of her divine power would be passed down. The hair crown in front of them was definitely not this kind of treasure that was passed down from generation to generation.

Now, facing this hair crown that the Jiajing Emperor had worn for thirty years, to obtain it, one’s capacity had to be deeper than that of the emperor who had ruled the Ming Dynasty for more than forty years?

Deeper than the emperor who had killed a yokai above the “county level” by himself from thousands of miles away?
What a joke!
Everyone turned their gazes to the rulers of Japan on the Kamo River Delta. Some were expectant, and some were watching the show.

‘Mine, this is for me!’ Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart itched so much that he wanted to take it out and scratch it. He couldn’t wait to partner with Himemiya Izayoi and steal it tonight!

He had always been conceited.

(End of Chapter)