MTLNOVEL Chapter 113: Minamoto no Yorimitsu's First Oni Slaying!
[Having understood Minamoto no Yorimitsu's true intentions, you decided to help her learn the oni slaying skills she expected.]
[But before that, you have some things to do.]
[This is related to your future attitude towards life.]
[You returned from the river to the house that had just been renovated.]
Click.
Ian struck a match.
The oil lamp in the house was lit.
The warm yellow light filled the entire house, covering everything it touched with a thin layer of cloth,
"Yorimitsu, let me ask you one last time."
Ian looked at the female warrior sitting in front of him.
"Do you really want to learn the art of killing oni?"
"Let me remind you—once you embark on this road of fighting against demons and ghosts, there is no chance to stop."
"There are intersections between all oni. If you kill one, you will inevitably encounter the second and third. You can't sit down and rest until all the obstacles are eliminated."
"Even so, do you still want to learn the art of killing oni?"
"Master."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu looked at the man in front of her, her purple eyes full of determination.
"I think I have already shown my thoughts—for the sake of the clan, I will never stop."
"Also, please don't forget."
"Before becoming such a hunter, I will first be a warrior."
"..."
[You felt Minamoto no Yorimitsu's overflowing determination.]
[You know she's not kidding you.]
[Great Onmyoji has been strengthened to Great Onmyoji+: Although you are eccentric and difficult to find, you are still moved by Minamoto no Yorimitsu's piety.]
[You plan to engrave your onmyoji blessing on her.]
"Yorimitsu."
Ian sat down in front of Minamoto no Yorimitsu.
"Show your chest."
"..."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu was stunned when she heard this—after all, she didn't expect Ian to make such a request.
But she soon noticed that the other party's eyes did not have any lustful thoughts.
On the contrary, this kind of undressing seemed to be a troublesome thing for him.
After thinking twice, she decided to do it.
"I understand."
Under Ian's gaze, Minamoto no Yorimitsu shyly untied her clothes.
Her fragrant white shoulders were slowly revealed in the other party's gaze, until even her proud curves were revealed, making everything ambiguous and unbearable.
However—
Ian's expression didn't seem to have any extra thoughts.
He stared at all this, still as if he was staring at the scenery.
He picked up the landscape on one side, then looked at Minamoto no Yorimitsu and said coldly;
"It might hurt a little next."
"But—"
"I hope you can bear it."
"I understand, Master."
"Okay." Ian nodded, "That's good."
After saying this, he took out the dagger that easily blocked Minamoto no Yorimitsu's weapon.
Holding the proud object, the great onmyoji gently wiped the slightly sharp tip of the blade across his lips, staining it with a little blood.
Then—
He used the blood-stained tip of the blade to gently stroke Minamoto no Yorimitsu's white chest.
Just like what he said at the beginning, this was a painful process.
But Minamoto no Yorimitsu knew that she shouldn't have any complaints.
After all, it was very difficult to get the great onmyoji in front of her to take action.
[Talent Genji Master has been acquired: You have officially become Minamoto no Yorimitsu's master, and she always believes in your words.]
[You are not engraving your mark on her body like this out of lust.]
[That is your unique onmyoji curse seal.]
[People who get this kind of thing are equivalent to getting your promise of protection.]
The last arc was outlined on Minamoto no Yorimitsu's skin.
Ian wiped the blood off and put her clothes on for her.
"Okay."
"From this moment on, you and I are master and apprentice."
Hearing this, Minamoto no Yorimitsu's purple eyes showed a burst of surprise.
"Thank you, Master."
"I will remember this kindness forever."
"That's not necessary."
Ian stopped Minamoto no Yorimitsu's gratitude.
"Whether the things I teach you can help you is still a matter to be discussed."
"But Master—"
Minamoto no Yorimitsu looked at the man in front of her gratefully.
"Being able to get your approval is a great honor for me."
"This at least means that my efforts are not useless!"
"...Maybe."
Ian glanced out the window, his expression a little heavy.
"Well, as agreed—"
"From tonight on, I will teach you the art of killing oni."
"Yorimitsu, this is a matter of life and death, you must not slack off in the slightest, understand?"
"Yes, I understand!"
Minamoto no Yorimitsu responded to Ian with an extremely serious attitude.
"I will remember every step!"
"Okay, I'm relieved to see you like this."
"Follow me."
[You took the marked Minamoto no Yorimitsu out of the house.]
[You and she came to the road in the village.]
[Talent Heart of Worry has been replaced by Onmyoji's Guidance: You decided to show Minamoto no Yorimitsu the essence of oni extermination tonight.]
[Of course, you no longer intend to make her give up this idea, but want her to realize the potential danger as soon as possible.]
[You swear you will ensure her safety.]
"Yorimitsu."
"Yes, Master."
"Since you plan to embark on the road of oni extermination—"
Ian looked at his plump apprentice.
"You should have understood this aspect in advance, right?"
"Yes." Minamoto no Yorimitsu nodded, "I'm not the kind of person who makes decisions on impulse."
"Okay, tell me what you understand about killing oni."
Ian looked at her.
"I want to know how you see it."
"Okay."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu was not afraid to reveal her thoughts in front of Ian.
"There are many enchanting things in the world. When the thoughts are deep, they will turn into real forms and appear in the world."
"This is often accompanied by many dangers, so it must be suppressed when it appears to avoid the breeding of sins and cause irreparable losses."
"And this behavior is consistent with my idea of gaining fame and revitalizing the Genji family, so killing oni is beneficial to me."
The underlying logic of the essence is unified and correct.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu was sure that this kind of thinking could make her extremely firm.
However—
After listening to her words, Ian did not cast an approving look.
On the contrary, he became silent.
After a long time, the great onmyoji spoke again:
"So, Yorimitsu, you just see the oni and kill the oni, right?"
"Eh?"
Although she felt that Ian's question was a bit strange, Minamoto no Yorimitsu nodded very seriously.
"Yes, Master."
"See the oni, and then kill the oni."
"Isn't this a very normal principle?"
"Yes, you're right."
Ian's eyes fell on Minamoto no Yorimitsu.
"But Yorimitsu, you missed the last and most important step."
"The last and most important step?"
Minamoto no Yorimitsu blinked, obviously she didn't understand what it meant.
But Ian didn't hesitate and explained directly.
"That's right."
"That is 'after killing the oni'."
"You know that oni are born from deep evil thoughts, which is of course very good."
"But you also ignored the meaning represented by the concept of 'birth'—oni are products, and thoughts are the source."
"Oni are products, and thoughts are the source?"
Reciting Ian's words, Minamoto no Yorimitsu began to think seriously.
Soon, she was enlightened.
"Master, do you mean that it's not enough to just kill oni, you have to figure out why oni appear, is that what you mean?"
Hearing the answer he wanted, Ian showed a satisfied smile.
"Yorimitsu, you are really smart."
"Yes, killing oni is just the beginning. How to prevent oni from lingering in this world is the real thing to consider."
"And there are thousands of oni, how to find the matching grievances among them is often the most troublesome thing for onmyoji."
"A little carelessness may cost you your life."
[Your words made Minamoto no Yorimitsu fall into deep thought.]
[She has a deeper understanding of your previous warning.]
[Killing oni is an entanglement like a knot. If the position of the scissors is wrong, the consequence will be deathly suffocation.]
[You realize that she might waver because of this.]
[But the result was not like this.]
"Understood."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu held the blade on her waist.
"Then Master, are you planning to show me what to do now?"
Ian was a little surprised by Minamoto no Yorimitsu's speed in adjusting herself.
But at the same time, he was also gratified—this was a rare mentality.
"Well, that's about what I mean."
"I think I said that before you and I leave together, I have to do something more for this village, right?"
"Yes, you said that."
"Then—"
Ian looked directly at the waxing and waning moon.
"It's almost time now."
As soon as the great onmyoji finished speaking, a voice came from a distance.
It was the clear and miserable crying of a child.
In this silent night, it was so clear and distinguishable that it made people feel hairy.
"Whose child is crying?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu couldn't help asking.
But as soon as she finished speaking, she noticed Ian's expression.
His expression was solemn and serious, completely unlike what it should be when hearing a child crying.
In less than a second, Minamoto no Yorimitsu reacted—this was the sound Ian wanted her to hear.
She leaned into his ear and whispered:
"Master, have we encountered an oni?"
"Yes." Ian nodded.
"This is also the reason why I have been staying here recently."
"Because the Kawa-akago is nearby, if it is not dealt with, it will harm this village."
"Kawa-akago?"
Knowing that Minamoto no Yorimitsu was just getting started in this area, Ian explained further.
"Kawa-akago is a kind of ghost that cries."
"The reason for its existence is that there was a child who fell into the river and drowned nearby."
"It didn't realize that it had been dead for a long time—it just simply thought that it had been abandoned by its companions, so it cried like this."
"..."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu's eyes widened.
Obviously, this was the first time she had heard of such a thing.
"Master, how do you know?"
"It's a bit strange to say, I don't know why I know all this."
Ian looked at the empty road.
"But when that voice sounded, I already knew these things."
"..."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu obviously found this a bit incredible, but the current situation did not allow her to doubt him.
"Then Master—"
"What are you going to do next?"
"It's very simple."
Ian raised his hand.
"Since we know how it was born, we just have to think about how to deal with it according to this idea."
"'It was born in the river, and it must hide in the river', and its crying is so clear, it must be nearby."
"Then—"
"As long as all the rivers nearby are gathered."
As soon as he finished speaking, Minamoto no Yorimitsu saw an incredible scene.
The quiet night sky began to make the sound of flowing water.
Clear river water poured in from all directions and gathered in the sky above Ian.
They were obviously moving, but because they formed a cycle, they maintained a static appearance.
The flying water droplets lingered above the great onmyoji, which was a miracle-like scene.
"It has no place to revive, right?"
[Just as you predicted.]
[After you gathered the tornado-like water flow, the crying sound came closer and closer.]
[You know something is approaching you.]
[That is the Kawa-akago.]
"Uwa—!"
A scream broke the silence of the night.
A red child's figure appeared in front of the two.
But its facial features had long been destroyed, and its arms and body were twisted into strange shapes.
"Come back... come back to me!"
The Kawa-akago made a ferocious sound in its mouth, and then began to run on all fours, like a mindless beast.
But even Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who saw it for the first time, fully knew its purpose.
"It was born in the river, and it must hide in the river."
Yes.
It wanted to return to the water gathered by Ian—that was where it was born as an "oni".
But the great onmyoji obviously couldn't let it do that.
He said:
"Yorimitsu, try it."
"Let it be the first oni you kill."
"Eh? Yes!"
Although she was still a little confused, looking at the Kawa-akago rushing towards her, no matter how inexperienced she was in this area, Minamoto no Yorimitsu knew what to do.
She pulled out her blade.
"Hya—!"
The blade swung;
The shadow followed;
The Kawa-akago was cut in two by her, and then turned into a black shadow and disappeared into the air, as if it had never appeared.
"Yorimitsu, it seems you are naturally good at doing this kind of thing."
Ian sent the gathered water back to where it should have been, then patted his shoulder with some emotion and said:
"I still have to move from time to time."
"Now I feel sore and painful in my waist and back."
"Yorimitsu."
"Yes!"
"Remember to wake me up early tomorrow, if we want to leave, it's best to do it as soon as possible."
"Also—I want to eat porridge."
"Yes! I understand!"
Minamoto no Yorimitsu was very excited at this moment.
She realized that the man in front of her was not just a famous name.
He was indeed a genuine great onmyoji!