Chapter 82: Ashiya Doman

The cherry blossoms, swaying in the wind, were reflected in the water of the Kamo River by the light of the paper lanterns, creating a confusing and dreamlike scene.

The fireworks that were constantly being set off in the distant mountains further accentuated the darkness of the night.

Facing the golden Xiangye crown, the Divine Lord of Shikoku, who had presided over countless Summer Festivals since ascending to the position of Divine Lord, did not know whether to go up and receive it for a moment.

If the “Lord of Kyoto” could make the divine artifact recognize its master, then his prestige would naturally increase greatly, but the “Lord of Kyoto” did not need this prestige at all.

On the contrary, if he could not make the divine artifact recognize its master, he would be criticized by others.

She looked down at the doctor kneeling on the water, and the shock of the Xiangye crown in her heart faded, and she began to doubt this person’s intentions.

The doctor held the treasure box in his hands, his head buried, and he kept swallowing. As a person who could attend the court, he understood the risks and rewards of sending such a treasure.

“Bring it up,” the majestic voice of the “Lord of Kyoto” came from behind the curtain.

The Divine Lord of Shikoku walked on the waves to the front of the doctor.

As she got closer, the Xiangye crown became even more mysterious, and there was a faint woody fragrance. For a moment, she was fascinated and lost in the smell.

The sound of fireworks woke the Divine Lord of Shikoku up. She couldn’t help but sigh in her heart: as expected of the treasure of the Ming Emperor!
She carefully stretched out her hands and picked up the treasure box.

Every inch the treasure box moved, the gazes of all the cultivators, nobles, ministers, warriors, and monks on both sides of the Kamo River also moved an inch.

“Congratulations to Your Majesty for obtaining the treasure,” the “Ogosho” said with a smile and raised his glass to celebrate.

“Kansai is also relying on its geographical advantage, being close to the land of China, to obtain such a divine artifact,” the “Lord of Kyoto” said in a calm tone.

“No wonder there are many scholars who agree with the theory of geographical determinism. Geographical location is indeed the fundamental factor that determines everything,” the “Taiko” opened his eyes a crack. Although he was saying envious words, his tone was sickly and listless.

The “Ogosho” laughed twice and said:
“Hokkaido has the blood of the Ainu and the white Russians, and it produces many beauties. On the contrary, my Kanto has nothing.”

“One place in Tokyo can match my entire Hokkaido,” the “Taiko” said in an unhurried tone.

While the three of them were talking, the Divine Lord of Shikoku had already carefully carried the treasure box, left the water, and walked onto the Kamo River Delta.

At this time, even the “Ogosho” stopped talking. He held his wine glass and looked at the approaching Xiangye crown with a faint smile.

“Minamoto Kiyomoto,” the “Lord of Kyoto” suddenly said.

Everyone’s heavy breathing stopped, and the Divine Lord of Shikoku stood still.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was looking at the Xiangye crown with a pained heart, like a father watching his daughter get married. The maid serving him quietly pulled his clothes.

“Your Majesty,” he came back to his senses and replied.

The water waves rippled. Besides the Kamo River Delta, the scene of his location also appeared.

The cherry blossoms were as brilliant as the clouds. He, sitting under the cherry blossom tree, was so handsome that people were lost in thought. The gazes of many noble young ladies immediately shifted from the Xiangye crown to him.

“I heard that you want to make the world ‘have no north, south, east, or west’?” the leisurely voice of the “Lord of Kyoto” mixed with the water light, as if it came from the heavens.

“Yes,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied.

“This Xiangye crown, you can take it.”

“What?!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Absolutely not, Your Majesty!”

Many ministers immediately objected. The Taira clan, who were mortal enemies with the Minamoto clan, objected the most strongly.

“Your Majesty,” the head of the Taira clan, Taira Ise, stood up from his seat and walked onto the water. “It’s not that I have a problem with the Minamoto clan, but that this Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart is not in Kansai at all.”

“Taira Ise, don’t we all know what you’re thinking? Stop talking about righteousness here!” Minamoto Nagatoku sneered.

“Lord Taira Ise is right,” the head of the Sugawara clan said. “Who doesn’t know that Minamoto Kiyomoto is infatuated with the Divine Miko? The two of them have been inseparable since they met.”

“I didn’t know,” the head of the Fujiwara clan said with a smile.

“Haha, I didn’t know either!” the head of the Abe clan also said. “Perhaps Lord Sugawara Dainagon is more concerned with these gossip news than with government affairs!”

A portion of the Minamoto clan, the Abe family, and the Fujiwara family all burst into laughter.

The head of the Minamoto clan, with a handsome face, drank his wine with a blank expression.

Fujiwara Shino was dressed in gorgeous clothes, a typical beauty of the dynasty.

She looked at her father, who was speaking for Minamoto Kiyomoto in the water light, and understood that her father wanted to send her to Minamoto Kiyomoto again. Tears welled up in her eyes for a moment.

“You don’t even know where the problem is. No wonder the Abe family is thinking about government affairs all day. It turns out that their ability is not enough,” the head of the Ashiya clan sneered back.

He stood up and bowed to the Kamo River Delta:
“Your Majesty, regardless of whether Minamoto Kiyomoto is from Kansai or Kanto, the Xiangye crown is a supreme divine artifact. Only the supreme can possess it. How can it be given to a young man who has only cultivated for four months!”

The Taira clan, the head of the Sugawara clan, and the people of the Ashiya clan all loudly agreed.

“Ashiya Chunagon, I’m telling you, how come you always don’t understand what people say and always speak in beast language? It turns out that your ears are not good,” the head of the Abe clan stood up. “His Majesty just said that he wants Minamoto Kiyomoto to realize ‘no north, south, east, or west.’ Why are you still entangled in the view of family status?”

“Of course I heard it, but my conscience doesn’t allow me to do so.”

“You still have a conscience?” The head of the Abe clan spread his hands in a comical manner.

The Minamoto clan and others laughed loudly again.

“Everyone,” the leader of the Ashiya group said calmly, “the nobility of the Xiangye crown needs no further explanation from me. Such a treasure, let alone in the hands of a young man who has only cultivated for four months, even a Kosen would probably not live to the end of the year. But—”

He turned around and looked at Abe:
“If it’s the Divine Miko, she can protect Minamoto Kiyomoto.”

How could everyone not understand what he meant? If the Xiangye crown fell into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s hands, it would be equivalent to falling into the Divine Miko’s hands.

If it fell into the Divine Miko’s hands, wouldn’t it fall into the “Ogosho’s” hands?
The “Ogosho” had a smile on his face, patted his knee, and in time with the faint sound of silk and bamboo music, he would drink a cup from time to time, as if he was not at all concerned about the matters on the field.

Many cultivators in Kansai who were watching the show also began to object.

The cultivators of Kanto, after being reminded by Ashiya, all voiced their support for Minamoto Kiyomoto.

And those cultivators with ulterior motives, thinking about how to make Minamoto Kiyomoto not live to the end of the month, also joined the debate and spoke for Minamoto Kiyomoto.

If they were to snatch something from the Divine Miko, it would be equivalent to suicide. If they were to steal something from the Seiryo-den, it would be suicide.

“How do you know that if he gets the Xiangye crown, that kid will be willing to share it!”

“Is the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’ any worse than any of the scriptures in the Xiangye crown? Minamoto Kiyomoto doesn’t even care about the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra.’ Does he still care about those scriptures?”

“After all this talk, it’s still a matter of whether that kid can get the recognition of the Xiangye crown.”

“Is Shakyamuni not as good as the Ming Emperor? A person recognized by even the World-Honored One will naturally have no problem!”

Everyone argued endlessly. On the contrary, no one paid attention to Minamoto Kiyomoto, the protagonist.

“Enough,” as soon as the “Lord of Kyoto” spoke, the entire Kamo River instantly fell silent.

No matter how much the others said, it was just an opinion. What to do specifically still had to be listened to by the “Lord of Kyoto.”

“Giving the Xiangye crown to Minamoto Kiyomoto is indeed harming him.”

The faces of the Taira clan were filled with joy, while the faces of Minamoto Nagatoku and others were gloomy.

“Minamoto Kiyomoto,” the “Lord of Kyoto” called out.

“Your Majesty,” Minamoto Kiyomoto had already arrived in front of the Kamo River Delta at this time, waiting by the side of the doctor who had presented the treasure.

“I heard that you have mastered a curse that can merge with the remains of a yokai and turn into the body of a yokai?”

“Yes.”

Everyone looked at each other, either shocked, suspicious, or curious.

The “Ogosho” no longer listened to the music and placed his gaze on Minamoto Kiyomoto. The “Taiko,” who was about to fall asleep, also slightly opened his eyes.

“How is your strength?” the “Lord of Kyoto” asked again.

“Tonight’s Kosen selection, there will definitely be a place for me!” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with certainty.

“Arrogant!”

“This kid probably drank the water of the Pacific Ocean and thinks he can swallow lakes and suck rivers.”

“Wrong, wrong, how can drinking the water of the Pacific Ocean cause such a disease? It’s obvious that he drank too much!”

Not to mention others, even Minamoto Kiyomi and others were embarrassed.

“How can Brother Kiyomoto say such a thing,” she covered her face and secretly said to Fujiwara Shino, feeling very ashamed.

Minamoto Kiyone sneered and prepared to watch the show.

“Your Majesty,” at this time, a person from the Taira clan stood up. “Since Lord Minamoto thinks he can become a Kosen, why don’t we start the Kosen battle now?”

“Minamoto Kiyomoto,” the “Lord of Kyoto” said, “if you can become a Kosen, this Xiangye crown will be yours.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Minamoto Kiyomoto bowed happily.

His determined look made everyone surprised and puzzled, and some were also sneering.

“Kid, I’ll be the first to meet you!” A minister with the Ashiya clan crest on his clothes walked down from the terrace.

“Ashiya Tetsuaki, we haven’t decided the winner last time. Come, come, let’s continue today!” A person from the Abe clan stood up.

These two were the next heads of the Abe clan and the Ashiya clan. Their curse magic and divine power were well-known even in the entire Kyoto.

“Abe Tomoyuki,” Ashiya Tetsuaki said word by word, and the purple divine power surged and spread, and the water of the Kamo River rippled.

Abe Tomoyuki was wearing a kariginu. Although his looks were average, his temperament was extraordinary, gentle and elegant.

“Then the first match will be Ashiya Tetsuaki versus Abe Tomoyuki,” the Divine Lord of Shikoku announced.

The Kamo River gradually quieted down. Minamoto Kiyomoto and the doctor retreated.

The doctor returned to his terrace. Minamoto Kiyomoto and Kamibayashi Miko looked at each other, smiled, and followed the maid with the lantern back to the middle stream.

Before they had walked a few steps, two huge divine powers, like tornadoes, rushed into the sky.

The dark night sky instantly turned purple and green.

The divine powers collided, the curses roared, and the air waves burst out. Although they were far away, everyone still felt the strong wind on their faces.

The cherry blossoms scattered in the strong wind, and the petals filled the river water, turning the Kamo River into a pink river.

The Abe and Ashiya clans, from Abe no Seimei and Ashiya Doman, had been mortal enemies and had been fighting endlessly.

The Abe family was good at shikigami and the five elements curse, while the Ashiya family was good at various dark curses.

Every time the two fought, it was an ultimate feast of curses.

Everyone forgot about the Kosen selection and the Xiangye crown, and watched the sky or the pond with fascination.

The two fought to a stalemate, and the divine power bloomed like fireworks.

For a while, they were above the Higashiyama, and then they fought to the Sagano. From time to time, they would collide, like a huge firework, blooming in the air.

The citizens and tourists of Kyoto, looking at the pleasing “fireworks,” stood there foolishly, lost in the brilliant scene.

Minamoto Kiyomoto also stood on the bank halfway, looking up at the clouds to observe.

His divine power was weak, but in terms of curses, he thought he had already glimpsed the mystery. Now, watching the two fight, his mind was constantly filled with insights, and he learned many subtle and exquisite uses of curses.

“Pluto’s decree, the soul will not leave!” Ashiya Tetsuaki suddenly stopped his attack and made a hand seal in the air, chanting a curse.

“It’s the soul-returning curse!” Minamoto Kiyomoto heard someone shout and quickly looked carefully.

Ashiya Tetsuaki’s face was pale, but his cheeks were flushed with a strange peach color. The purple light on his body dissipated, and his divine power actually turned blood-red.

“Blood-red? Could it be Ashiya Doman!” Everyone was in disbelief. Even the people of the Ashiya clan’s faces changed.

Abe Tomoyuki retreated far away, surrounded by his shikigami. The five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth surrounded him, and he looked at Ashiya Tetsuaki warily.

Ashiya Tetsuaki was powerless, as if he were being hung in the air.

His hair grew wildly, and his figure gradually swelled, turning into a fat man.

“It really is Ashiya Doman’s soul!”

“Is this the dark magic of the ancient times—the ‘soul-returning curse’?! It’s too scary!”

“Ashiya Doman is one of the thirty-six Kosen of the middle ages. It was hard to tell the winner between him and Abe no Seimei. This Abe Tomoyuki is going to lose!”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes forgot to blink. He found it very incredible that even a person who had been dead for a long time could be summoned back.

‘Ashiya Doman’ looked down at the cherry blossoms all over the river, and slowly put his hands behind his back. His eyes were very calm, and he seemed to be reminiscing.

“Another year of falling flowers. Seimei, I won.”

“What’s going on?” Everyone felt a chill. Although the temperature in Kyoto had returned to midsummer, they still felt cold.

They looked at the Ashiya clan, and the faces of the Ashiya clan were even paler.

“What on earth is going on?” a minister asked.

“Resurrected…”

“What?!”

“Speak clearly!”

“Ashiya Doman, our ancestor has been resurrected,” the head of the Ashiya clan muttered to himself, looking at the sky in disbelief.

A sense of terror spread among the crowd, like a pair of snow-white arms stretching out from the bottom of the Kamo River pond.

‘Ashiya Doman’ withdrew his gaze from the Kamo River and looked at Abe Tomoyuki in the distance.

“Kosen battle? Even a curse master of this level can participate? Surrender yourself, Seimei’s descendant.”

Abe Tomoyuki’s face was ugly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made a hand seal.

“The five directions are arrayed, the shikigami assist, and the evil soul is eliminated!”

All of Abe Tomoyuki’s shikigami turned into white lights and rushed into the five-element wheel. The five-element wheel spun faster and faster, and finally turned into a full moon.

The full moon slowly rose, and its light even replaced the moon, becoming the real moon.

The ‘moonlight’ was like a pillar, and it shone on ‘Ashiya Doman’ with a bang.

In the ‘moonlight,’ ‘Ashiya Doman’s’ long sleeves fluttered, and he stood in the void against the wind. Although his figure was fat, he was as otherworldly as an immortal.

“Boring,” under the shroud of the curse, ‘Ashiya Doman’ was nonchalant. He stretched out his right hand and made the simplest hand seal.

“Swoosh!” Blood-red chains shot out from the night sky and instantly tied Abe Tomoyuki up.

The full moon lost its divine power and melted into the night. The shikigami that had reappeared all rushed up, trying to bite off the chains.

The chains did not move at all and began to tighten slowly.

“Dismember him,” ‘Ashiya Doman’ sneered, as if he were discussing with himself.

“Ah!” Abe Tomoyuki let out a miserable roar.

Everyone was startled and stood up straight.

They didn’t expect that ‘Ashiya Doman,’ who had just reminded the other party to surrender, would want to dismember him in the next moment.

“As expected of Ashiya Doman!” There were also people who admired his strength.

Who was Abe Tomoyuki? Besides the head of the Abe family, he was the strongest curse master. He couldn’t even block a single move and was about to be torn apart.

“Stop!” the head of the Abe family shouted.

‘Ashiya Doman’ turned a deaf ear, as if he were watching a bug struggle, watching Abe Tomoyuki slowly being pulled by the blood-red chains.

Many women looked away, unable to watch anymore.

“Insolent!” the Divine Lord of Shikoku shouted, and the earth trembled a few times.

“Ashiya Doman, in front of His Majesty, you still won’t stop!” she stared at ‘Ashiya Doman’ coldly.

‘Ashiya Doman’ glanced at the Kamo River Delta, chuckled twice, and the blood-red chains retreated into the sky.

Abe Tomoyuki fell from the sky, and a three-meter-long white tiger swooped down and caught him on its back.

The people of the Abe family quickly went forward to check Abe Tomoyuki’s injuries.

Through the reflection in the water, everyone saw that his hands, feet, and even his head were in a state of being barely connected.

Fortunately, the Abe family had invited the Suitengu Miko of the Suitengu Shrine, and she immediately sewed him back up.

‘Ashiya Doman,’ in the blood-red divine power, slowly landed on the water. Everyone present looked at him with fear.

Even the people of the Ashiya clan did not dare to go forward and bow.

“I, Doman, pay my respects to Your Majesty!” ‘Ashiya Doman’ bowed to the Kamo River Delta.

“You, not bad,” the “Lord of Kyoto” said from behind the curtain.

“Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty,” ‘Ashiya Doman’ said. “Please allow me to continue participating in the Kosen battle.”

“Granted.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

‘Ashiya Doman’ straightened up, turned his head, and stood on the water in front of the Kamo River Delta, looking downstream.

“Who else is coming up?” he asked with his hands behind his back. “Let me, Doman, see the curses of a thousand years later.”

The blood-red divine power around him raged, and the sticky and bloody aura enveloped the entire Kamo River.

The strong wind blew on their faces. Those with slightly weaker cultivation had wrinkles on their faces like water waves.

The entire Kamo River was silent.

A generation would have many Kosen, but those who left their names and were rated as the thirty-six Kosen of the ancient, middle, and recent past were all the strongest of their time.

After waiting for a full thirty seconds, the Divine Lord of Shikoku took a step forward and said loudly:
“Since no one is challenging, of the two Kosen spots today, ‘Ashiya Doman’ will take one!”

“Wait!”

Everyone followed the sound and saw that at the very upstream, the head of the Minamoto clan stood up and slowly walked onto the water.

“Minamoto clan, Minamoto Kiyohiro, is willing to learn from the senior’s curses.”

‘Ashiya Doman’ squinted and sized him up, “Minamoto clan, huh? Back then, Minamoto no Hiromasa dared to speak to me only because he had the ‘Suzaku Flute.’ What right do you have?”

“This junior is not very promising. I also rely on the ‘Haneji Flute’,” Minamoto Kiyohiro held out his palm, and a flute appeared out of thin air.

It looked like a section of bamboo that had just been broken off. There was still a green leaf on it, and there was dew on the leaf.

Minamoto Kiyomoto had heard from Himemiya Izayoi that the ‘Suzaku Flute’ had two leaves, one red and one green. Later, in the battle with Duke Kyogoku, the red leaf was knocked off, leaving only the green leaf.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Minamoto Kiyohiro, with anticipation, surprise, and curiosity.

Minamoto Nagatoku frowned. He had already half-surrendered to Minamoto Kiyomoto. He didn’t expect that Minamoto Kiyohiro, who had become the head of the clan by picking it up, could actually get the recognition of the ‘Haneji Flute.’

The situation was very bad.

With the ‘Haneji Flute,’ he could control the Suzaku. Even if Minamoto Kiyohiro was not as good as ‘Ashiya Doman,’ he was far superior to an ordinary Kosen.

“Wow! Brother Kiyohiro actually got the recognition of the ‘Haneji Flute’!” Minamoto Kiyomi exclaimed.

Minamoto Kiyone snorted proudly.

The Minamoto clan called the ‘Suzaku Flute’ the ‘Haneji Flute.’ This was the name given by Minamoto no Hiromasa, one of the thirty-six Kosen of the middle ages.

Fujiwara Shino looked at her fiancé, who was standing tall and handsome, and her heart beat faster. She couldn’t help but clasp her hands and pray for him in her heart.

“The second battle, ‘Ashiya Doman’ versus Minamoto Kiyohiro,” the Divine Lord of Shikoku announced loudly.

“The Minamoto clan, relying on a ‘Suzaku Flute,’ is actually on par with me and Seimei? Just a bunch of fools who deceive the world,” ‘Ashiya Doman’ shook his head and sighed, not taking Minamoto Kiyohiro seriously.

A look of anger appeared on Minamoto Kiyohiro’s face.

“The Minamoto clan is a branch of the imperial family. Senior Doman, you are being too presumptuous!” he said in a cold voice.

“Alright, alright,” ‘Ashiya Doman’ yawned. “It’s getting late. I should go to sleep. Let’s begin.”

Minamoto Kiyohiro put the ‘Suzaku Flute’ to his lips and began to play leisurely.

The sound of the flute was clear and melodious, gentle and moving.

Although everyone was here to watch the battle, they were attracted by the sound of the flute. Many of the dancing girls who were serving as accompaniment were mesmerized.

Minamoto Kiyomoto also closed his eyes and listened to this incredible sound of the flute.

“Chirp!”

A phoenix cry came from the Ogura Pond. A firelight shot into the sky and instantly burned the entire night sky.

The fire clouds rolled, and the world turned crimson.

Fireballs also fell from the sky. The cultivators in charge of guarding quickly rushed in all directions to shatter the fireballs.

It was as if countless fireworks were blooming, colorful and magnificent, against the backdrop of the ancient Kyoto, magnificent and spectacular.

Minamoto Nagatoku became even more worried. He didn’t expect that this Suzaku, which had not yet been unsealed, would have such a world-changing power.

“Haha, I thought a second Minamoto no Hiromasa had appeared. It turns out to be a juggling act!” Just as everyone was lost in the dazzling neon lights, they suddenly heard ‘Ashiya Doman’s’ laughter.

Everyone on the Kamo River looked and saw that Minamoto Kiyohiro was sweating profusely, and the originally melodious sound of the flute had become intermittent.

“His musical talent is enough, but his capacity is a little lacking,” Tenmoku Ikka shook his head.

“Tenmoku, what’s going on?” Date Masamune asked.

The others also looked at Tenmoku Ikka with confusion.

“The Suzaku Flute, also known as the Haneji Flute, requires two conditions to be recognized. One is to be able to play a flute sound as beautiful as a phoenix cry; the other is capacity.”

Tenmoku Ikka continued:
“Clan Head Kiyohiro only has half of the Suzaku Flute. This Suzaku, I’m afraid it won’t come out.”

Everyone looked at the battlefield. Minamoto Kiyohiro’s divine power was like boiling water. He was desperately playing the Suzaku Flute, his face flushed, as if he were holding his breath.

And ‘Ashiya Doman’ actually walked slowly to the front of the Ashiya clan’s terrace.

He smiled at the head of the Ashiya clan, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, which scared the head of the Ashiya clan into shrinking back. Then he picked up a wine pot, drank as he walked, and returned to the battlefield.

“Every day I miss you, every day my love deepens. My illness has entered my heart, and my thoughts have entered madness. If you ask when my lovesickness will end, it will only be when I am with my beloved,” he raised his glass to the moonlight. “Seimei, we can’t drink together anymore.”

“Wow!” At this moment, Minamoto Kiyohiro suddenly knelt on the water and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“How is this possible!” he couldn’t understand.

He had clearly made the green leaf of the ‘Haneji Flute’ appear with dew. This should be a sign of recognition!

Could it be the red leaf?
“Chirp!” The Suzaku, which was about to fall back into a deep sleep, let out a very dissatisfied cry.

A meteor fell from the sky, rushed straight to the Kamo River, and crashed towards Minamoto Kiyohiro.

“Ah!” Many of the maids with little courage screamed in fear and wanted to run away.

‘Ashiya Doman’ waved his long sleeve, and countless blood-red chains locked the meteor and brutally strangled it.

“Boom!” The meteor exploded in mid-air.

The world turned day-white, and the sky was filled with red and purple fireworks.

Under the reflection of the firelight, ‘Ashiya Doman’ drank as he said, “I told you, the Minamoto clan are all fools who deceive the world.”

He threw away the wine glass, looked around, and asked, “Who else is coming up? Come and play with me.”

As if it had suddenly stopped, everyone stared at the dazzling neon lights in a daze, silent.

The night sky was crimson, reflected in the water of the Kamo River. For a moment, it was unknown whether it was a dream or not.

The Divine Lord of Shikoku was about to step forward when she heard a clear and pleasant voice coming from afar.

“Minamoto Kiyomoto is willing to learn from Senior Doman’s curses,” everyone looked and saw Minamoto Kiyomoto, his haori fluttering, walking on the water from downstream.

(End of Chapter)