[You began to embark on the road of Onmyodo]
[After you were inducted into the Bureau of Onmyo, otherwise known as the Onmyoryo, you officially became Seimei’s personal disciple]
[Having grown up with classics like Karate Kid and Kung Fu Panda, you had expected some kind of unconventional training montage to be your introduction to the mystic arts]
[However, it turned out far simpler than expected as the first task your mentor gave upon having you properly settled in was for you to catch up on your academics!]
‘Academics?’ I wanted to snort at the narration.
What Heian era academic subjects were there that could possibly be insightful for 21st-century futurians like us?
The answer quickly revealed itself as I watched Seimei dump a whole stack of Shintoism scriptures, constellation charts, and historical texts on Michizane’s table.
“Alright,” the Onmyoji muttered as he glanced at the stack, which contained enough content to make even a college student nervous, before smiling.
“That should be enough for the whole night.
I’ll quiz you on it by lunchtime tomorrow.”
“You can’t be serious, Sensei…!” Michizane muttered, appearing stunned.
“One night?
That’s barely enough for me to memorize even a quarter of this, let alone the whole thing.
Aren’t you worried about my sleep?!
I’m still ten, you know…”
“Sleep?” Seimei grinned as though the four-armed boy had just told a hilarious joke.
“You’re severely underestimating us Onmyoji, little boy.”
His white hair swayed as he retrieved a tonic from a nearby shelf and tossed it in Michizane’s direction.
The boy caught it in mid-air without an issue as he glanced at the phial curiously.
“Drink that when you feel like you’re going to collapse from exhaustion.
It will not only rejuvenate the body, but ease the mind as well.
After consuming it, you’ll feel like you’ve slept for days!” Seimei explained with evident pride.
“It’s even citrus-flavoured, so a boy like you ought to enjoy it.”
“Though remember to avoid alcohol for the day after; your bowels will certainly revolt if you don’t.”
“I’m not planning on drinking anyway.” Michizane raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the tonic.
“But what about my growth?
Won’t I be stunted if I don’t sleep even if I take this tonic regularly?”
“Nah, you’re good.
I have measures against that as well.
In fact, judging by your father’s tall stature, I believe you won’t be lacking in that department in the future,” Seimei reassured him as the man laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Just focus on studying and don’t forget to drink water.
All will be well if you keep these words in mind.”
Michizane nodded as he then asked, “What sort of reward do I get if I pass the quiz?”
“Whatever you want, but don’t ask for anything ridiculous.
Have some common sense.” Seimei stated with a noncommittal shrug.
“Great, I want the recipe for this tonic.”
“Seems fitting.
I agree…
though I’d be impressed if you can actually concoct it on your own.”
Such a reward might appear rather benign to anyone else, but I couldn’t help but whistle in appreciation at Michizane’s financial acumen.
Seimei probably figured Michizane would only use the recipe for himself since the four-armed boy had consistently shown his independent nature, yet that couldn’t be further from the truth. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
When a person from the modern era like us thinks of a drink capable of negating sleep, two beverages come to mind; coffee and energy drinks!
Naturally, coffee would not be available here in the Heian era.
Japan would only start encountering such exotic wares like cocoa beans after traders from the West made their presence known, which would not be for another half a dozen centuries give or take.
Tea was the local alternative, but the caffeine it had was considerably lower than that of coffee.
As for energy drinks, they would have normally been completely out of consideration.
However, wasn’t this tonic exactly what every modern-day energy drink strived to be?
It even had none of the negative side effects of energy drinks.
If he could work on this recipe, introduce new flavours, and create a cheaper, less potent version to produce, it might end up selling very well in both the noble and peasant markets.
In fact, he could even mix it with tapioca and tea to create Heian era boba!
This was far from just a money-making venture either as it would also probably increase his Food Path Attainment, which was much more important in my eyes as Michizane’s financial situation mattered little to me.
Now that I thought about it, Blood Path and Food Path seemed to be the two Paths that Michizane would have the easiest time specializing in given his circumstances.
I initially wanted him to delve into Blade Path since he had Sukuna’s whole look, but perhaps there were similar methods to be found in the Food Path.
The scene began to speed up as I witnessed a time lapse of the two-faced boy studying.
The anti-sleep tonic proved its usefulness then as I saw Michizane chug it in one go.
He immediately stirred into wakefulness and seemed even more alert than usual as he studied the parchments left behind by the Onmyoji.
Eventually, dawn came as the sunlight pierced through the outer window.
Despite staying up all night, Michizane appeared invigorated as his mentor returned with a few plates of meat, fish, and rice.
“Haha, you really took a sip, didn’t you?” Seimei noted as he glanced at the empty phial.
“How was it, good?”
“Extraordinary,” Michizane replied with a refreshed grin.
“Like dew from a heavenly gate.”
“Damn, you’re starting to catch on to my way of speaking.
Very good!” Seimei grinned as he gave a thumbs up before he sat in the nearby chair.
“I know we arranged the quiz to be in the evening yesterday, but unfortunately, the Emperor calls for me today as he’s apparently been plagued with nightmares lately and assumes there’s some spiritual influence afoot.
I’ll have to get going by the time this city comes alive, so would you be against it if we just did it now?”
“Okay, sure,” Michizane nodded with a resolute expression.
“I’d actually prefer it be now rather than later.”
It was probably because he’d forget by then, which would contradict the photographic memory narrative if he were to say that aloud.
To Seimei’s astonishment, Michizane accomplished what any other child would have failed in as he recounted numerous pieces of information and presented it all with full clarity.
“Near-perfect score, how terrifying.
It looks like that perfect memory of yours is indeed quite a powerful ability.” Seimei gave a silent clap and handed Michizane a scroll with what appeared to be detailed instructions on how to concoct the anti-sleep tonic.
Apparently, it was properly known as the Sun Tonic, which was a much better name, I supposed.
Seimei glanced down as he asked, “Any questions, my disciple?”
“Oh, yes.
I’ve been meaning to ask, but…”
He suddenly stopped as the narration came to a halt, interrupted by those three choices.
[A.
“How come your name appears throughout our history even before your birth date?”]
[B.
“Have you ever met a Yakan before?
[C.
“Why are you single?
Aren’t you already in your late twenties?”]
There it was again, a wildcard option.
I was tempted to choose it like I had previously, before deciding against it.
It was just not worth the trouble now, not when the other two options were this interesting.
Option B seemed way too obvious though.
I was afraid that Seimei might catch on to the fact that I had technically lied back then.
So I chose option A, which was an equally interesting route.
“Oh, that?” Seimei hummed with a carefree expression.
“I’m not the first Abe no Seimei, nor will I be the last.”
“I was born Yasuchika, but was later renamed Abe no Seimei after coming of age.
It’s a tradition in my Clan to name the Clan Head and subsequent heirs after our founder.” He revealed, much to my shock.
‘So this guy’s actually not even the real Abe no Seimei…?’ I wrestled with the truth as my expression remained composed.
“I see,” Michizane nodded as the scene moved forward yet again.
[Year 11: Finally, you’ve broken through to the Rank 1 Peak Stage, rendering your Liquor Worm useless]
[Without hesitation, you immediately destroyed it!]
[It couldn’t be helped.
Your Rank 1 Aperture could only hold so many Gu and you could not afford to waste one slot on a useless, freeloading alcoholic]
[Given your rate of cultivation thus far, it would take years to break through to Rank 2.
During that time, it was better to have a Gu that actually assisted in your endeavors]
[Thus you focused your efforts on refining another Gu, one that could act in a similar role to the Liquor Worm.
In other words, a cultivation-assisting Gu Worm, one that could help you even in the Peak Stage]
Immediately, I became excited as I saw Michizane arrange what appeared to be an ornate tea set.
The only thing off about it was that the hot liquid inside that tea set was not tea, but rather steaming blood.
He closed his eyes and sat in a meditative position as faint green mist began to emanate from his body and suffuse into the bloodied tea set.
Clearly, he was in the process of refining whatever Gu it was that he planned on making.
Regardless, I knew this was my chance.
The opportunity I’ve been waiting for.
I frankly did not know where to start with refining a Dream Path Gu Worm, so I instead chose to bide my time and wait for a scene in which another Gu was refined.
By leveraging the Mystery of a Gu’s refinement process within my dream, I planned on triggering the refinement process of my own Dream Path Gu!
Reaching inward, I attempted to manipulate my Primeval Essence.
After all, the Simulation Gu did not affect my soul as I was ultimately just dreaming.
This meant that, while I could not feel it whilst asleep, my soul must still be inside my body.
The connection was there, however minor, as I thought about the countless stories of people sleepwalking.
If even those ordinary people could move whilst asleep, who’s to say I couldn’t as well?
At first, there was no response, but as my will remained strong, the surroundings started to warp and fold in on themselves.
The canvas that the Simulation Gu had painted itself over, that being my deeper consciousness, began to stir as I could feel my Primeval Sea sway from side to side.
With a grin, I sent forth a rush of my remaining Primeval Essence into the simulated dream, hoping for the best.
…But unfortunately, even hope could not guarantee success as the refinement failed immediately and exploded in my face!