Chapter 697: Fox Shadow in the Deep Night

Night. This should have been the busiest time for the Onmyo Bureau, the night-watch organization of Yingzhou Island.

Normally, Onmyoji would spend the night playing cat-and-mouse with the demons and hundred ghosts that liked to come out at night, preventing those guys who were eroded and out of control by demon nature from causing trouble everywhere.

But tonight, the Onmyo Bureau was very quiet.

This wasn't because something happened to the Onmyoji; in fact, it was the demons and hundred ghosts that had the problem.

No one knew what had happened, but for the past two months, the nights on Yingzhou Island had been frighteningly peaceful. Those hundred-ghost demons that used to frequently pop out from nowhere to cause trouble had suddenly disappeared.

This made the Onmyoji, especially the members of the elite ace team, very unaccustomed.

They should have been busy flying around at this time, but now, they had to wait for the night shift in the bureau.

After all, they were an ace team; ordinary small troubles didn't need them to go out.

"Ah, so boring. Can a demon come and fight me?"

An Onmyoji who was bored to death made such a comment.

"Hehe, Kaori, this wish of yours is not good to make. We'd better be idle; otherwise, it's not a good thing if we need to go out."

The deputy captain of the special action team, Kamo Akie, reprimanded this sister who spoke nonsense.

The ones that required them to go out were often big demons, and the destructiveness caused by a big demon's loss of control didn't need to be mentioned. Even if they rushed over to subdue the big demon, there would definitely be quite a few victims before they arrived.

Therefore, it was better to be idle.

"Akie-sister, I'm just saying. But I really can't figure out where those hundred-ghost demons have gone. If this continues, we might all be unemployed."

The girl named Saionji Kaori lay on the table, bored to death. Her cute cheeks with some baby fat were pressed against the table.

She was too lazy to even turn in a direction to lie down, just complaining like this.

And at this, Kamo Akie fell silent for a moment. She looked at the door of the Bureau Chief's office not far away, then sighed in her heart.

Is there a possibility that it was precisely because they were afraid that the Onmyo Bureau would be unemployed that there were so many out-of-control hundred-ghost demons in the past?

Ever since Kamo Tadayuki, the head of the Kamo family, was killed by that terrifying Ghost King, Kamo Akie and Abe no Seimei had been sorting through the head's relics, and in the diary left by the head, the two discovered a shocking secret.

A large part of the endless out-of-control hundred ghosts in the past were actually manipulated by the Onmyo Bureau behind the scenes.

If the world was peaceful enough for everyone to move freely at night, what would they need the Onmyo Bureau for?

No demand, then create demand.

Moreover, those out-of-control hundred ghosts were also good materials, consumables for practicing the Hundred-Ghost Buddha Dharma and condensing the Demon Buddha Body. Most of the demons and hundred ghosts captured by the Onmyo Bureau over the years, except for a part that became the shikigami of the Onmyoji, were secretly sent to the dungeon under the Tenshukaku, becoming resources for the Shogun's past practice of the Demon Buddha Body.

In short, the various crimes recorded in that diary were shocking, almost causing Kamo Akie's faith to collapse directly.

She had always felt that Onmyoji were truly the guardians of the night in Heian-kyo, and she had always been proud of being able to become an Onmyoji. Although she also knew a little bit about the dark side of the nobles and knew that the so-called nobles weren't as beautiful and clean as they looked on the surface, she still didn't expect her own family to be this dirty.

The various crimes of cultivating hundred ghosts, ravaging hundred ghosts, and making them lose control and turn into demons recorded in the diary were simply too numerous to record. This wasn't a guardian of the night in Heian-kyo at all; this was clearly an evil ghost incubation factory.

Fortunately, everything was over.

Kamo Tadayuki, the head who hosted the cultivation of evil ghosts, was dead, and the Shogun, who was secretly practicing the Demon Buddha Body, was also killed by that terrifying foreign Ghost King. The night on Yingzhou Island was finally peaceful.

Although the Onmyoji were indeed idle because of this, and could even be said to be facing the pressure of unemployment, it didn't matter. Kamo Akie liked this kind of peace.

And she and Seimei had also thought about whether to make this past sin public. In the end, the two decided to bear it all themselves.

After all, Yingzhou Island was already chaotic enough now. If another Onmyo Bureau disaster came, it would really be a mess.

And when it came down to it, the foundation of the Onmyo Bureau's existence was the shikigami system based on hundred ghosts. If the dirty things of the past were made public, it was afraid that the shikigami would be the first to jump out and devour their masters.

Coupled with the fact that Onmyoji themselves had always been sharing the pressure of the shikigami's demon nature, it was actually easy to lose control. If this stimulation caused their faith to collapse and they directly turned black, the trouble would really be big. It would be a true double-dose of demons dancing wildly.

Even Kamo Akie herself had been on the verge of losing control when she saw that diary. Fortunately, Seimei was by her side at the time, which suppressed her and didn't let her cause trouble.

Therefore, considering the overall situation, all they could do was to reorganize this dilapidated Onmyo Bureau as much as possible afterward, turning it into a true guardian of the Yingzhou night.

However, could the things of the past really pass like this? Could those sins really be treated as if they had never happened? Could the wailing of the wronged souls under the Netherworld be directly ignored?

Regarding this question, Kamo Akie didn't know the answer. As perhaps one of the only two people who knew the truth, she had been suffering in her heart these days. The collision between the duties on her body and her conscience often woke her up from nightmares.

Not only her, but even Seimei was the same.

The deputy captain miss looked up at the tightly closed Bureau Chief's office, then sighed helplessly.

And just at this moment, the door of the Onmyo Bureau was suddenly pushed open, and a figure stumbled in.

This was a witch wearing gorgeous clothes. Upon seeing this person's attire, Kamo Akie frowned. This was a noble witch.

However, the noble witch, who would normally pay attention to her demeanor and interests at all times, was very disheveled at this time. Her gorgeous clothes were messy, and her delicate and beautiful face was full of fear, especially those eyes, the whites of which were covered with bloodshot eyes, and the heavy dark circles under her eyes were terrifying.

This didn't look like a normal person anymore, but like a madman.

Lost control? But I didn't feel any demon nature?

When the Onmyoji on duty saw this situation, they subconsciously thought whether this fellow had also secretly practiced the Hundred-Ghost Buddha Dharma and then caused herself to be eroded by demon nature and lose control.

But several Onmyoji threw a few detection spells, and the results showed that everything was normal.

"Monster, there is a fox demon trying to harm me, save me, save me."

And the noble, who was like a madman, was overjoyed when she saw so many Onmyoji present. Her eyes were full of desire for survival, but such eyes made her look even more crazy.

"Shogun... no, that thing is not the Shogun at all. She is a monster, a fox demon, a devil..."

"Hehehe, crazy, everyone has already gone crazy, even I am, it's all that thing that caused us to become like this."

"Hee hee hee, but she is really too beautiful, too beautiful, I really can't control myself, everyone can't control themselves, can't help but want to get close to her..."

"Save me, save me, I don't want to be controlled by that thing..."

This fellow was probably really crazy. The words she shouted were somewhat incoherent, making people unable to understand what she wanted to express at all.

Finally, Kamo Akie stood up. She and Saionji Kaori, who had complained about being bored before, stepped forward, and then raised their hands to cast a few calming spells.

Fortunately, the power of the spells was effective. The noble, who had just been crazy, finally calmed down. The fear on her face faded a little, and she gradually became peaceful.

"Thank you, two lords, I feel much better."

She finally had a bit of the demeanor a noble should have, politely thanking them.

"Then please come with me, and tell me what exactly happened to you."

Kamo Akie saw this and breathed a sigh of relief. She took the person to the consultation room next door, preparing to ask what exactly happened that could scare this noble like this.

"Speak, what kind of monster is it, is it powerful?"

As soon as they entered the consultation room, the petite but lively Saionji Kaori couldn't wait to ask.

She was really bored to death, longing to fight a demon. Now that she finally had a clue about a demon, she couldn't wait.

"This is not a question of whether it is powerful or not."

And the noble fell silent for a moment. The fear that had just subsided because of the memory became fearful again. Fortunately, this time she didn't go crazy directly, at least she could still communicate.

"Please don't be afraid of what I'm going to say next, this is really scary."

She looked up at the two Onmyoji in front of her with those bloodshot eyes, warning them like this.

"Mm-hmm, tell us, we are professionals, we will definitely not be afraid."

Saionji Kaori also nodded repeatedly, holding up her broad chest that didn't match her small size, very confident.

Kamo Akie on the side was also very calm. The deputy captain miss wasn't panicked at all. After all, she thought that there probably wouldn't be anything more scary than the sins in the diary. Now, no matter what she faced, she didn't feel she would be afraid.

Then...

"Do the two believe that the dead can still be resurrected?"

This noble opened her mouth, and as soon as she opened it, the two Onmyoji were directly confused.

"Sister, don't joke, how can the dead be resurrected? Life only has one time, this is common sense."

Saionji Kaori said so.

As a Yingzhou witch, even children knew this kind of thing.

Kamo Akie on the side also looked at the noble in front of her suspiciously, thinking whether this fellow had really gone crazy, how could she talk nonsense for no reason.

"Hehehe, I didn't believe it before, but this time I saw it with my own eyes. The Shogun... no, that thing is not the Shogun at all, that Shogun who was killed by that foreign person along with the Tenshukaku being demolished not long ago is back. She is now in the Yoshiwara Flower Street, on the top floor of the Mirage Tower."

The noble witch looked at the two Onmyoji in front of her who didn't believe it, and she painfully grabbed her hair and pulled it. The fallen witch hair scattered on the table in this interrogation room.

Witches had always been very careful about their hair. After all, this was the best carrier for their own magic power, and the exclusive magic staff most suitable for witches was often the core of the witch's hair.

And now, looking at the "self-harm" behavior of this noble witch, Kamo Akie and Saionji Kaori also looked at each other, confirming the idea that this person was indeed crazy.

However, Kamo Akie was a bit sensitive to the words "Shogun." After all, the mastermind behind most of the sins of the Onmyo Bureau in the past was this Shogun who wanted to condense the Demon Buddha Body.

But the Shogun was indeed dead. Everyone witnessed the battle of the Tenshukaku demolition a few months ago, and they all saw the Shogun being judged by the Huang Quan Gate summoned by that foreign person.

They had never heard of that kind of magic that directly connected to the Netherworld before, and many people were scared.

"Okay, we believe, we believe, don't be excited, speak slowly, speak slowly."

Although Kamo Akie didn't want to believe the saying that the dead could be resurrected, she still opened her mouth to appease the noble in front of her and let her continue.

After all, just in case, if the Shogun really crawled out, then there would be one more person who knew the truth about the past sins of the Onmyo Bureau, which was not a good thing.

And the noble witch saw the two like this, and stopped grabbing her hair. She continued to open her mouth.

"At first, everyone actually didn't believe that the Shogun could be resurrected, but Lord Minamoto no Yorimasa personally confirmed with bloodline secret methods that it was indeed the Shogun herself."

"And the recent slaughter of the nobles by that executioner Battousai also made everyone really need a leader who could unite everyone, so we didn't say anything. No matter if it was the Shogun or not, it could be used anyway. Everyone thought so."

The noble witch said, but the next moment, her eyes became flustered, and the fear rolling in them almost turned into substance. She became trembling again.

"The first few days were quite peaceful. The plan to praise-to-kill the executioner proposed by the Shogun was also agreed by everyone, but later, everything changed..."

"The Shogun... no, that thing resurrected from the dead, I don't know what kind of demon law she used, anyway, everyone became strange day by day afterward."

Seeming to be terrified to the extreme, this noble suddenly fell silent, seeming to be aphasic.

"How did it become strange?"

Saionji Kaori couldn't help but urge. Why did this person speak half? This wasn't anxious to death?

She raised her hand and put a few more calming spells on her.

The power of the spell took effect again. The noble witch took a deep breath and continued.

"We all fell in love with her, and were gradually bewitched by her. That fellow should be a fox demon. I vaguely saw the fox tail shaking behind her."

"Eh, just this?"

Saionji Kaori, who was originally full of expectations, was suddenly bored.

She thought there would be some explosive development? The result was just this? You group of nobles are all lechers. Who doesn't know this on Yingzhou Island? You like any good-looking one. What kind of person bewitched you? I think it's your lecherous brain, wanting to hit on people.

"Oh, so that fox demon is very beautiful?"

The Onmyoji miss asked casually.

"Beautiful?"

The noble was stunned, then fell into memory. The fear in her eyes began to dissipate, replaced by a kind of obsession like being possessed.

"She is not a question of beautiful or not at all. She is really the kind of rare..."

"Forgive me for my lack of education, I can't describe her beauty with words at all. Anyway, as soon as we saw her, all kinds of desires rolled, and we couldn't control ourselves at all. Our hearts were full of only one idea, which was to want to possess her."

"In order to please her, we can pay everything. We are willing to pay everything. Everyone fought later."

"Hehehe, that beauty is mine, it's mine, no one can grab it, absolutely not."

"Yes, yes, yes, as long as I offer everything, that beauty will definitely respond to me. Come, beauty, take away everything I have, I am willing to offer everything to you."

"Oh, too beautiful, really too beautiful."

The noble's expression became gradually twisted. Her eyes were full of spraying desires, and her face was full of crazy obsession. And when everything reached its peak, she suddenly seemed to have realized something, gradually returning to peace and tranquility.

"Two lords, I'm really sorry today, disturbing your work. What I just said was actually a joke. I lost a drinking game, so I promised others to play a prank."

The graceful noble stood up and said so, no longer seeing a trace of fear and madness on her face.

Two Onmyoji: "..."

This sudden change made the two not come back to their senses for a while. They looked at this noble who had suddenly become normal, and for a while, they didn't react to what had happened.

However, a inexplicable chill quietly emerged from the hearts of the two.

"Alright, my friend is still waiting for me to go back. I'm really sorry for disturbing your work late at night. Tomorrow I will send someone to send some small gifts to express my apology."

The noble witch said politely.

Her smile was perfect, her demeanor was full marks, everything was standard as if it were a textbook, as if she were

She politely said goodbye and then prepared to leave.

Watching her retreating back, Kamo no Tadayuki couldn't help herself and subconsciously asked one more question.

"So, is that fox demon really that beautiful?"

Hearing her words, the noble stopped her footsteps. She didn't turn around but instead turned her head right where she stood, a charming and enchanting smile on her face.

"Then, my lord, do you think I am beautiful?"

She asked this, her long, narrow eyes slightly narrowed.

Upon seeing this scene, a chill shot straight from the soles of the two onmyoji's feet to their brains. For a moment, both were gripped by nameless fear and just stood there blankly, not daring to move.

Demon Fox is asking...

There shouldn't be any college entrance exam students still here, but I still wish everyone good luck on the exam, to be on the gold list, and to top the exam.

(End of chapter)