"Emma, you come over too. Sake is only good when shared."
After taking out the sake, Xia Yu beckoned to Emma, who was standing to the side. She hesitated for a moment, about to decline, but Isshin Ashina also laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, Yu is right. Sake is only delicious when drunk together. Emma, you sit down as well."
Hearing Isshin Ashina say so, Emma had no reason to refuse. With a soft response, she knelt down beside the square table.
As the sake jar was unsealed, an indescribable fragrance wafted from the liquid, instantly filling the entire room.
Smelling the aroma, Isshin Ashina took a deep breath and said with some surprise, "What a mellow scent. What kind of sake is this? Just smelling it makes my body feel much lighter."
Xia Yu didn't answer, only smiled. This was pure Spiritual Sake; although it was only of the most common variety, it was not something sake brewed from ordinary grain could compare to.
He took out sake cups and filled three of them. The three began to drink just like that, without needing any side dishes.
"Phew... Truly good sake. My body feels much more comfortable." Isshin Ashina downed the cup in one go and set it down with praise.
"Indeed, Lord Xia Yu. Is this medicinal sake? I feel the fatigue in my body being dispelled." Emma took a small sip of half her cup, looking quite surprised.
"I just used some special spring water." Xia Yu explained casually, then turned to Isshin Ashina and asked seriously, "Old man, how is your body doing now?"
"No need to worry, this old man's body is still sturdy."
Even though Isshin Ashina said this, anyone who saw his withered, elderly form could tell that this old man was nearly at the end of his rope.
This was likely why the Interior Ministry dared to harass Ashina; as the pillar of Ashina, Isshin Ashina's body was failing.
"Old man, stop trying to act tough. I can already see it." Xia Yu sighed lightly. Under the perception of his Divine Sense, he had already thoroughly examined Isshin Ashina's aging body.
Though this aged body still held great power, the hidden injuries left from his youth had resulted in a body full of ailments in his old age.
It was already incredible that Isshin Ashina could continue living for three years with such a body.
"But don't worry, I still know a few healing methods!"
"Oh?" Hearing this, Isshin Ashina was momentarily stunned, then laughed straightforwardly, "Hahaha, it's enough that my good grandson has this thought. Everyone dies eventually, and I'm not one to fear death."
But Xia Yu acted as if he hadn't heard, silently extending his finger and tracing it through the air.
As he traced, an azure magic circle gradually formed. Under Isshin Ashina's astonished gaze, the circle suddenly flew into his body.
"What... is this?"
Isshin Ashina clenched his fists. He suddenly felt a continuous surge of power within him, power that even surpassed his peak years in his youth.
His originally withered body gradually became revitalized, and it seemed even the ailments that had been tormenting him had vanished.
"Emma, take another look at the old man's body now."
After etching the healing circle into Isshin Ashina's body, Xia Yu turned and spoke to Emma.
Startled by the sudden call, Emma snapped out of her shock. She first looked at the calm Xia Yu in amazement, then extended three fingers and gently placed them on Isshin Ashina's wrist.
But after sensing Isshin Ashina's pulse for a moment, Emma's eyes gradually filled with shock, and she looked up in utter disbelief.
"Lord Isshin's pulse is very stable, like a middle-aged man with abundant blood and energy. But how is this possible!"
"Oh?" Hearing this, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Isshin Ashina, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey. "No wonder my body is suddenly full of strength. I'm suddenly feeling a bit of an itch for a fight."
"Enough, enough, old man. Rein in your aura. Emma is still here," Xia Yu said suddenly.
"Hehe, I was just a bit impatient."
Isshin Ashina chuckled, and his aura vanished instantly, turning him back into the withered, harmless-looking old man from before.
Once that aura, which felt like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, disappeared, Emma finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although she also studied the Gentle Blade, facing Isshin Ashina's aura, she still felt like a small boat in a rainstorm, liable to be overturned at any moment.
After recovering, she looked curiously at Xia Yu. Although Isshin Ashina didn't express it, it was clear he was also curious.
Seeing the synchronized curious expressions of the two, Xia Yu crossed his fingers and rested them against his philtrum, saying in a low voice, "Have you heard of Onmyodo? I have researched Onmyodo."
"..."
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment, but adhering to the principle that as long as I'm not embarrassed, it's the others who are embarrassed, Xia Yu didn't speak.
A moment later, Emma was the first to break the awkwardness. She said, "Onmyodo? Lord Xia Yu, are you referring to the Onmyoji Abe no Seimei from the Heian period? So the method just now was Onmyodo?"
"Exactly!"
Seeing that someone finally responded, Xia Yu immediately broke free from the previous awkward atmosphere and explained.
"It is Onmyodo. I previously found records of this miraculous power in the library on the lower floors of the Main Tower, and then I tried to research it."
"As expected, under the research of someone as clever as me, no matter how miraculous Onmyodo is, I've still pulled back its veil. I have now mastered this miraculous power."
"I've not only developed Onmyodo for healing, but also for boosting strength, crushing enemies, and so on. In short, it's a versatile power. Old man, Ashina shall not perish."
"Is that so..." Isshin Ashina showed an expression of relief. "Ashina shall not perish."
He had always known that Ashina wouldn't last long, because he had liberated Ashina from the Interior Ministry by his own strength alone.
But the downside of doing so was that as soon as something happened to him, Ashina would inevitably decline or even be destroyed.
Now that he had only just begun to show signs of fatigue, the Interior Ministry had already torn into them like hyenas. This was both to test his current condition and to investigate whether another powerhouse like him had appeared.
The entire foundation of Ashina's existence rested on his shoulders. He had originally thought the next person to support Ashina would be his eldest grandson, Genichiro Ashina.
But the current situation told him that the one who could save Ashina was actually his younger grandson with little combat ability, Xia Yu.
"The world truly is unpredictable." Isshin Ashina sighed first, then laughed loudly.
"Hahaha, as expected of my grandson. Even I didn't expect this."
"Lord Isshin... that's wonderful." Emma, who was nearby, also showed a heartfelt smile.
"Emma, do you want to learn Onmyodo?" Xia Yu said suddenly, looking at the gently smiling Emma before him.
"This..." Emma seemed not to have expected Xia Yu to say this, and she was quite surprised. "Can I?"
"Why not? If there's anything you don't understand during your studies, feel free to come to me anytime."
Looking at the intellectual beauty before him, Xia Yu chuckled. If he wanted to have a woman on each arm, he naturally had to take it slow.