Chapter 844: The Final Five

Regarding the mysterious youth he had previously seen in Heian-kyo, Kamo no Tadayuki had once sent his subordinates to investigate; after all, some mysterious existences were like ticking time bombs that might explode at any moment, bringing great disaster to others.

However, a strange thing occurred: no matter how he investigated, the result was always that no such person existed, as if the youth he had encountered in Heian-kyo was merely a Phantom. As time passed, Kamo no Tadayuki put the matter of meeting Lingyun aside, never expecting that he would be able to see Lingyun again here.

Looking at the Onmyoji before him, Lingyun raised an eyebrow; he felt he had seen this person somewhere before.

"Kamo no Tadayuki greets you, sir." Seeing Lingyun before him, Kamo no Tadayuki dared not be negligent and bowed to Lingyun.

"Kamo no Tadayuki?" Lingyun raised an eyebrow; he had heard of this name, as he was one of the most famous Onmyoji of this era. "Are you also interested in Kaguya?"

"I do not wish to, nor do I dare." In front of Lingyun, Kamo no Tadayuki had no intention of hiding his thoughts. "I merely heard that the beauty of Kaguya-hime is like that of a heavenly maiden descending to earth, causing many nobles and aristocrats to be haunted by dreams of her. Furthermore, because many families have come to me asking to divine Kaguya-hime's identity, and my divination only yielded the four words 'noble beyond compare,' I became quite interested and thus came to request an audience with Kaguya-hime."

"So that is how it is. Please, come in." Lingyun led Kamo no Tadayuki and his son into the Bamboo House.

"This is... Kaguya-hime?"

When Kamo no Tadayuki's gaze fell upon Kaguya, even though his composure was extraordinary, a trace of bewilderment could not help but flash through his eyes. However, he quickly regained his senses and refrained from looking at the Kaguya before him.

Compared to his father, Kamo no Yasunori's composure was far worse; the moment he saw Kaguya, he became completely dazed, and in his eyes, it seemed as if Kaguya was the only person left in the world.

Seeing his son's state, Kamo no Tadayuki struck Kamo no Yasunori on the forehead with his fan. Kamo no Yasunori came to his senses, his entire face instantly turning bright red, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at Kaguya.

"Hee hee, he really is an interesting person!" Fujiwara no Mokou, who was to the side, watched Kamo no Yasunori's blushing face with a smile.

"And this is?" Kamo no Tadayuki's gaze fell upon Fujiwara no Mokou.

"This is my other student, Fujiwara no Mokou," Lingyun introduced.

"Fujiwara no Mokou... Fujiwara, is it?" Looking at Fujiwara no Mokou, Kamo no Tadayuki wondered what he was thinking.

"The outside world is currently in an uproar because of your matchmaking event. I wonder what your thoughts are on this?" Kamo no Tadayuki sat down at Lingyun's invitation and then asked.

"Matchmaking? Since you asked, Mr. Kamo, I will not hide it. This matchmaking event is merely to cut off the delusions of those outside. Kaguya's identity is not simple; it is not something they can bear," Lingyun said, waving his hand.

"Not something they can bear?"

"The wrath of a god—what do you think?" Lingyun raised an eyebrow.

"A god?" Even though Kamo no Tadayuki had been prepared, he could not help but be startled.

"That is correct. But if such a thing were spoken of, very few people would believe it, so we can only adopt this compromise," Lingyun said indifferently. "If this matchmaking event fails to find someone Kaguya fancies, then there will not be a next time."

"Using this method to stop the mouths of others, then?" Kamo no Tadayuki muttered. "Then, what if Miss Kaguya truly finds someone she likes during this matchmaking event?"

"Then she shall marry!" Lingyun said nonchalantly.

"Then what about what you said earlier, the wrath of a god?"

"My student, I protect! If that god wants to do something, I wouldn't mind letting her see what it means for a teacher to be protective!" Lingyun said dismissively.

"He shows no fear when facing a god? That means his strength is not at all inferior to a god's," Kamo no Tadayuki muttered to himself. "To be a human and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a god—he truly is a terrifying existence!"

After staying in Lingyun's Bamboo House for a while, Kamo no Tadayuki took his leave of Lingyun; his purpose for coming here had been achieved.

"Yasunori, you go back first. I must make a trip to the Imperial Palace," Kamo no Tadayuki said to his son after walking out of the Bamboo Forest.

"Father, why are you going to the Imperial Palace now?" Looking at the darkening sky, Kamo no Yasunori asked, somewhat confused.

"The name of Kaguya-hime is so widely spread; how could the Emperor not know? Regarding this widely rumored Kaguya-hime, do you think the Emperor will be tempted?" Kamo no Tadayuki asked.

"This..." Kamo no Yasunori was stunned upon hearing this.

"I hope the Emperor has not yet made any moves, otherwise it will be difficult to handle." Kamo no Tadayuki summoned his Shikigami and hurried toward the Imperial Palace.

After Kamo no Tadayuki left, Fujiwara no Mokou quietly leaned toward Kaguya: "Sister Kaguya, do you want to get married?"

"Get married? What kind of joke is that! I don't want such a thing at all!" Once the guests left, the previously dignified Kaguya instantly sprawled lazily on the table. "And you saw what those people who came to propose were like—they were all crooked melons and cracked dates; I don't want that at all!"

"Then what kind of person is Sister Kaguya's ideal partner?" Mokou asked.

"An ideal partner, huh? I haven't really thought about that. If I really had to think about it, using Teacher as a template would be fine," Kaguya said nonchalantly.

"Teacher, huh..." Fujiwara no Mokou looked toward Lingyun, who was reading a book to the side, a trace of secret longing in her eyes.

As time passed, more and more people came to propose to Kaguya by name. Facing the rules set by Lingyun, there were naturally some who did not want to comply. But in the face of Lingyun's powerful force, those people naturally became the chickens slaughtered to warn the monkeys.

In particular, one powerful Onmyoji relied on his own strength and tried to forcibly break the Array of the Bamboo Forest, but he was struck down by Lingyun in front of everyone in a single move, his Shikigami scattered and his Cursed Power crippled. The rest were left trembling, never daring to defy Lingyun's rules again.

The Array Lingyun had laid down was incredibly powerful; even though he had relaxed some restrictions, it was still not something ordinary people could pass through. However, there were some who, relying on their powerful family backgrounds and led by strong Onmyoji, managed to pass through the Bamboo Forest and arrive before Lingyun's Bamboo House.

In the end, there were five people who met the conditions, which made Lingyun mutter to himself whether there was some force in the dark guiding all of this.