Undercurrents

“It’s you… What are you doing here?”

Looking at the seemingly respectful but frivolous man before her, Miketsu said coldly. She hadn't expected him to pass the selection and become an Onmyo-sei.

“Naturally, like your esteemed self, I am here for this guarding duty. Seeing you here, I specifically came to say hello,” Saemon said. His tone was as polite as ever, but the subtle, strange undertone was unpleasant.

“Well, that’s certainly a bother for you…” Miketsu’s tone towards the man before her was not good.

“Not at all, not at all. Your esteemed self is now an Onmyo Junior Assistant, the most powerful among us who came from the Onmyoryo. Should we encounter danger later, we will have to rely on you,” Morimura Saemon said with a forced smile. Finally, after bowing to Miketsu, he left directly.

“Lady Uka, be careful. I have a feeling this fellow has ill intentions,” Tsuruha warned from Miketsu’s sleeve. Miketsu nodded in response.

“Yes, I know.”

Miketsu watched Morimura Saemon’s retreating figure, then looked at the Taira samurai patrolling around. Standing at the top of the mountain castle, she overlooked Fangshan Castle, and a premonition arose in her heart.

She always felt that the people here were secretly plotting something.

Shaking her head, Miketsu stopped dwelling on unnecessary thoughts. She decided to thoroughly explore this mountain castle first; after all, she had traveled so far to get here, so she should definitely take a good look around, treating it as a sightseeing trip.

…

Fangshan Castle, far from Heian-kyo, was surrounded by dense forests and undulating mountains. In this remote, uninhabited land, the natural miasma bred countless yokai.

In a clearing in the forest, dozens of carcasses of livestock and wild beasts were piled up: cattle, sheep, wild boars, everything imaginable, occasionally even mixed with human corpses.

Without exception, all these corpses had large gashes cut into them with knives, blood continuously flowing out. The strong scent of blood drifted far away, attracting the bloodthirsty creatures of this wilderness.

Innumerable yokai were drawn by the large stack of corpses, gathering in droves: multi-legged centipedes, gaunt and emaciated Gaki, wood spirits woven from vines, giant wolf-dogs with sharp fangs and claws, strange crows with black wings and mouths full of tusks…

These numerous yokai, living in the forest, were now attracted by the free blood meal, continuously gathering to enjoy the feast. Occasionally, disputes would arise, leading to mutual tearing and biting. All sorts of howls instantly echoed through the forest. The yokai attracted here had low intelligence, almost indistinguishable from wild beasts.

Standing on a tall tree, a man with a long sword on his back, dressed in black tight-fitting attire and with his face covered by a black cloth, overlooked the gluttonous feast below. On the branches beside him, several black-clad figures, dressed similarly to him, were half-crouching.

“Eat, eat… little ones, eat more so you’ll have strength tonight…”

With a slightly eerie laugh, the man with the long sword on his back slowly spoke, seemingly enjoying the scene before him.

After a while, one of the black-clad figures roughly counted the number of yokai below and respectfully reported to the man with the long sword on his back.

“It’s almost enough, Lord Yorimitsu…”

“Yes, I know…”

The man named Minamoto no Yorimitsu nodded. Then he extended his hand and formed a hand seal. The surrounding space darkened, and on the forest floor, a crimson magical array reflecting the Sasa Rindo pattern instantly appeared.

Suddenly, countless incantations appeared on all the corpses discarded in the clearing and left for the yokai to devour. The yokai that had eaten the meat and were now in the center of the array immediately stopped their feeding, struggling and collapsing to the ground, as if enduring something. Each one let out distorted howls, and in their howls, their eyes all turned a flashing crimson.

Finally, the appearing array and the incantations on the corpses vanished. These yokai stopped struggling, stopped eating, stopped tearing, and all turned neatly to face the black-clad men.

“It’s a success… another batch of little ones will join tonight’s banquet.” Looking at the large group of yokai staring at him, the black-clad Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s lips curved into a smile.

“This is already the third batch, Lord Yorimitsu. Do we need so many yokai to attack a mountain castle?” one of the black-clad men beside Minamoto no Yorimitsu asked softly.

“Don’t underestimate the Taira clan’s military might. Those who can dominate the Eastern Provinces and act as local emperors won’t be without some strength…” As he spoke, Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s expression hardened.

“Moreover, Taira no Kageyori is the son of that man. With a monstrous father, Taira no Kageyori won’t be weak. I might even need to personally intervene.”

Upon hearing Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s words, the black-clad man was visibly surprised. Although he wanted to say more, he ultimately said nothing and fell silent.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu looked at the yokai horde below again, then glanced at the black-clad figures around him.

“Alright, prepare the next batch.”

…

Fangshan Castle was built against the mountain, with countless earthen platforms layered upwards from halfway up the slope. Due to the mountain’s natural structure, one side was gentle and the other steep. The gentle side was also the most heavily fortified, with most areas guarded by soldiers dispatched from Heian-kyo.

At the mountain’s summit was a wooden building called the Oyakata, where the Taira samurai resided. Below the lord's hall, within Fangshan Mountain, there was a dedicated dungeon, currently used to imprison the “goods” transported by the Taira clan for this trip.

Slender white dogs, Kappa with dishes on their heads and long feet, slick-haired Abura-sumashi, long-limbed mountain spirits…

Various strange-looking yokai were now confined in individual cages, looking dispirited and listless, wearing shackles engraved with incantations, lying motionless in their cells.

This was Miketsu’s last stop on her tour of the mountain castle. The dungeon entrance was guarded by sentries who prevented others from entering. However, these guards were not Taira samurai but soldiers from Heian-kyo. Upon seeing Miketsu’s attire, they promptly granted her passage.

Miketsu walked among the yokai prisons, her expression solemn as she observed everything around her. She had never imagined that the “goods” the Taira samurai needed her assistance to guard would turn out to be a group of yokai.

Looking at the dejected yokai in the prison, Miketsu felt an indescribable emotion.

After multiple visits to Choyo-machi, Miketsu could no longer view yokai as ordinary animals… She could tell that the vast majority of these yokai possessed intelligence.

Why were humans capturing these yokai? What fate awaited them?

“Hehehe… Come on, come on, stretch out a little more, just a little more…”

Just then, a teasing voice reached Miketsu’s ears. She turned her gaze and saw a Taira samurai squatting in front of a cell door, a smile on his face, looking at the cage before him. In his hand was an iron rod, and at his feet lay a small, unknown wild fruit.

Inside that cell was a yokai covered in long black fur, with long drooping ears, and only two large eyes visible. Its eyes gazed longingly at the wild fruit placed at the samurai’s feet.

The furry yokai yearned for the wild fruit. It stretched its hand through the gaps in the cage to grab it, but the samurai immediately brought down his rod, striking the furry yokai’s hand hard. The yokai cried out in pain and retracted its hand. After a while, provoked by the samurai, it stretched its hand out again to grab the wild fruit, but was immediately struck back. The samurai seemed to find endless amusement in this.

Finally, after the samurai repeatedly struck the yokai several times, during one instance when he raised his rod high, a small stone, seemingly from nowhere, flew over and accurately hit his hand. The force of the stone was not great, but the sudden impact caused the samurai to drop his rod. The furry yokai seized the opportunity, snatched the wild fruit into its cage, and happily began to eat it.

Seeing this, the samurai immediately cursed, stood up, drew his sword, and looked around, trying to find the person who had thrown the stone. However, the entire dungeon was empty except for the distant guards.

Given the situation, he could only kick the cell door in frustration before sheathing his sword and grumbling as he walked out.

Miketsu stepped out from behind a stone pillar, watching the samurai’s retreating figure, and sighed softly. Just as she was about to leave the dungeon, a voice called out to her.

“An Onmyoji showing sympathy for yokai… what a strange tale…”

Miketsu turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw a giant, one-eyed, long-horned frog behind a cell door.