Chapter 143: The Dumbfounded Kamikawa Mitsu

His voice rang out.

Everyone instantly turned to Professor Beishan, eyes filled with shock.

Ashiya Dōman?!

Everyone was far too familiar with the name Ashiya Dōman—there was no need to consider the possibility of a namesake, for those who bore this name were exceedingly rare, and among notable figures, there was only one.

"Professor Beishan, are you saying Ashiya Dōman—the archrival of Abe no Seimei?!" Professor Nakata, fearing he had misheard, couldn't help asking.

"Yes."

Upon receiving Professor Beishan's confirmation, the next moment, Director Takahashi and the others all fixed their gazes on Morita Takeshi, eyes blazing like fire.

The implication was obvious.

Morita Takeshi, is the Ashiya Dōman Professor Beishan mentioned the same ancient figure you referred to?

"Professor Beishan is correct—it is Ashiya Dōman."

The words were spoken.

Everyone's eyes widened, their breath froze, then surged into outright horror.

Kamikawa Mitsu's family is connected to Ashiya Dōman!!

By now, even though Morita Takeshi had not yet explicitly stated Ashiya Dōman's connection to Kamikawa Mitsu, the fact that he had come all the way from Tokyo, investigated Kamikawa Mitsu's family, and mentioned Ashiya Dōman—any fool could tell the two were linked.

As expected.

At this moment, Morita Takeshi spoke directly.

"When we discovered that Kamikawa Mitsu's ancestral origin lay in the Seto Inland Sea, we began investigating whether any ancient figures or supernatural tales existed there.

We indeed uncovered a legend.

The legend says Ashiya Dōman was defeated by Abe no Seimei in one of their confrontations and exiled by the court to Harima; in the Muromachi-era chronicle 'Hōsōki,' records mention him—after his death, his descendants migrated to places near the Seto Inland Sea such as Higa and Miiya, continuing their ancestor's legacy.

Ashiya Dōman's descendants settled in the Seto Inland Sea, and the Kamikawa family also originated there—we had to investigate carefully.

After all, it might merely be a coincidence.

Or perhaps the Kamikawa family was connected to some other supernatural tale of the Seto Inland Sea.

Later, after extensive investigation, we finally located a prominent family in the Seto Inland Sea from the time of Kamikawa Mitsu's Ceng Zufu.

Since it was a prominent family, they kept the habit of recording diaries and historical accounts; we borrowed and read their preserved historical diaries and uncovered the connection between the Kamikawa family and Ashiya Dōman.

Ashiya Dōman's descendants settled near the Seto Inland Sea and continued practicing as onmyōji, gaining renown throughout the region.

Until one day, for reasons unknown, the Ashiya family vanished overnight, and on that same day, a new onmyōji clan named Kamikawa appeared in the Seto Inland Sea."

Everyone was stunned, their minds already suspecting the truth.

One day the Ashiya family vanished, and the next day the Kamikawa onmyōji clan emerged—just thinking about it made the connection undeniable.

As they pondered, Morita Takeshi's voice came again.

"The simultaneous disappearance and appearance struck me as suspicious—I believed the Kamikawa family must be linked to the Ashiya family, so I examined every historical diary in greater detail.

Then, in one of those diaries, I found proof: the Kamikawa family was indeed connected to the Ashiya family."

As Morita Takeshi spoke these words, his eyes flickered, his shoulders trembling with excitement.

Anyone could see his emotions were in turmoil.

No wonder—he was so moved; even Director Takahashi, a national high official, had his ears straining, utterly absorbed.

This was Ashiya Dōman!

Ashiya Dōman—a figure more legendary than legend itself, the only person in history universally acknowledged as Abe no Seimei's equal.

Though tales about him were scarce, every mention of him struck like thunder.

The reason? He was tied to Abe no Seimei—the lifelong rival of the greatest onmyōji, a figure of immense legend.

Who was Abe no Seimei? The foremost onmyōji in history, who made monumental contributions to onmyōdō and left an indelible mark on Japan's Shinto history; how could Ashiya Dōman, his rival, not be legendary?

In fact, in terms of sheer legendary stature, Abe no Seimei paled beside Ashiya Dōman.

Abe no Seimei was born into a family of onmyōji, a noble lineage; he received elite education from childhood, grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth, and with such advantages plus his innate talent, success and fame were inevitable.

But Ashiya Dōman was different—he came from no onmyōji clan, he was a commoner.

He had no family to rely on, no master to guide him; he clawed his way up from nothing, through sheer willpower and talent, becoming an onmyōji, achieving renown across Japan's onmyōdō, and earning the title of rival from Abe no Seimei himself.

Ashiya Dōman's entire life was a saga of legend—even in defeat by Abe no Seimei, his fame never faded.

To this day, tales of Ashiya Dōman still circulate, revealing the people's enduring admiration for this "evil" onmyōji.

"That historical diary recorded: the Ashiya family vanished overnight, the Kamikawa family appeared overnight. The diary's author found this suspicious and paid special attention to the Kamikawa family. Once, while visiting the Kamikawa household and passing through their main courtyard on the way to the toilet, he caught a fleeting glimpse of an elder from the Ashiya family.

At that moment, the diary's author realized: the Kamikawa family was the Ashiya family—they had changed their name, likely for some reason."

It was clear: Director Takahashi was stunned, and so were the others.

They stared blankly at Morita Takeshi.

Inside, their minds churned like a storm-tossed sea, waves crashing, towering and wild.

The Kamikawa family were Ashiya Dōman's descendants!!!

Shocking. Terrifying.

Director Takahashi and the others were struck as if by lightning; it took them a long time to recover.

"This…" Professor Beishan, upon regaining his composure, remained silent for a long while, unable to find words to express his inner turmoil.

He had assumed the Kamikawa family's connection to Ashiya Dōman was at most teacher-student or benefactor-beneficiary.

After all, the name Kamikawa bore no resemblance to Ashiya—there was no obvious link.

And who could imagine such a famed family as Ashiya Dōman's would change its name to something utterly unrelated?

At that moment.

"So… Kamikawa Mitsu is Ashiya Dōman's descendant?" Professor Nakata gasped, his throat feeling as if he'd swallowed a burning coal.

"Yes. Kamikawa Mitsu is Ashiya Dōman's descendant." Morita Takeshi scanned the group, his voice firm: "And I've confirmed: the Kamikawa family has no other descendants—only Kamikawa Mitsu remains. He is Ashiya Dōman's sole heir."

"What!!!"

At this moment, the crowd cried out in shock.

The shouting was not limited to those present — far from here, in an apartment in the Arakawa district, there were also cries.

"Huh?? The Kamikawa family are descendants of Ashiya Dōman?"

Wang Zun, who had been spying on Director Takahashi and the others, wore a thoroughly bewildered expression.

He had indeed laid out many plans and set them in motion simultaneously, but he had never arranged for the Kamikawa family to be the Ashiya Dōman family — in other words, the Kamikawa family really was the Ashiya Dōman family.

……