Inner Destroyer

　"Try to imagine a local company," Elaine replied, her tone unchanged. "For example, a long-established business suddenly loses its market share, orders cease, and its savings gradually run out. Initially, it can barely hang on, but as funds dry up and maintenance becomes unsustainable, even its exterior begins to fall apart..."

　The Guitou family is currently in such a state. It is really deserted and there are few visitors.

　The heavy wooden door slowly opened with a dull creaking sound. An elderly servant stood bent over behind the door. He was wearing a kimono with worn cuffs but still very neat. He folded his hands respectfully in front of his abdomen and bowed his head slightly.

　"Everyone from the International Exorcist Association, the Kito family has been waiting for you."

　Although the old servant's voice was steady and his manner meticulous, Qi Xing still keenly noticed the weariness that could not be concealed in the corners of his eyes. This outwardly respectful attitude could no longer conceal the family's plight.

　"Please come in, the owner is waiting in the hall."

　As he spoke, he slightly turned sideways to make way for the mansion.

　Under the eaves, wind chimes rang softly, brushing against the overgrown paths in the courtyard.

　The wind still blew the bells, and the sound seemed no different from before.

　However, "maintaining the status quo" did not keep it safe, but only allowed desolation to spread quietly.

　The world is impermanent.

　075: Headline Gossip

　First, they went to the Kito family, then the Juyaku family, the Inuzuka family, and the Saiga family. Within half a day, Qi Xing and his friends walked very fast, and in the name of recruiting talents as the president of the "association", they visited four famous demon-exorcising families in northeastern Japan.

　They are all families that were once skilled in exorcising demons and monsters, but their economic situation has declined severely in the past five years.

　"Since about five years ago, business has become increasingly difficult for all the surrounding demon-exorcist families. They used to be able to barely survive by exorcising small demons and evil spirits, but now..."

　The head of the Onitsuka family told "Master Leipu" this.

　"Now, Jingorin is also patrolling every night."

　The elder of the Inuzuka family sighed.

　This one sentence seemed to encompass all their difficulties.

　Of course, things are not that simple in reality.

　After visiting four families for half a day, Qi Xing also asked them out of curiosity: "Specifically, how bad is it?"

　"Although the family still has land and property, the income is far from enough to maintain our previous life."

　The head of the Juyaku family said helplessly.

　"In the past, our family's income from exorcism was enough to repair the main shrine once a year. Now, we can only barely survive on the income from renting the land left by our ancestors."

　The Saiga family complained bitterly.

　In fact, the situations of these families are not much different.

　To say they were truly so broke they couldn't even afford to eat was, of course, impossible; all they could say was that their income was not enough to cover their expenses. But as the saying goes, it's hard to go from extravagant to frugal, especially considering they were a wealthy family that had been around for centuries. Suddenly, they couldn't earn any income from exorcising demons for five whole years. This was a predicament that was unimaginable in the past.

　To put it another way, it wouldn't be a big deal if Kamigorin was the only one acting recklessly.

　The real headache for these demon-exorcising families is that she still has the official "Guardian of the North" sign hanging on her head - in other words, she is the highest person in charge of supernatural affairs in northern Japan.

　In ancient times, Japan's Onmyoji, despite being an official authority, often had to rely on the favors of these local families. This was due to a shortage of manpower, requiring the support of these aristocratic families to resolve issues. Furthermore, these families often had centuries of experience, and their knowledge of curses and spiritual powers was far greater than that of sorcerers who rose to prominence among the common people and were subsequently recruited by the central government.

　Although the Onmyoji Ryo has the descendants of Michizane Sugahara (Gojo clan) and Abe no Seimei (Tsuchimikado clan) as pillars of support, it is impossible to rely on the descendants of these two families to solve all the supernatural problems in Japan. The power of the aristocratic families is always indispensable, and over time, a dynamic balance has been formed.

　But the existence of Shingorin clearly broke this balance.

　Her power was so great that she only needed limited support from the central government to complete the task of eradicating various demons. The "extra responsibilities" that should have been shared by local families were also completed by her alone.

　This is the main reason why these families have become marginalized.

　So if we stop being exorcists and switch to fortune-telling, praying, feng shui, etc., wouldn't that be considered work in related fields?

　Yes—but to do these things, one cannot avoid Kamigorin, especially because of the "Guardian of the North" sign hanging above her head.

　Japan has a long tradition of feudal lords, which means that in the five northern prefectures of Japan, whether it is the official assessment results of exorcists or the issuance of qualifications for folk prayer masters and fortune tellers, they ultimately need to be approved by Kamigorin in his capacity as the "Guardian of the North."

　Not to mention official positions like priests and guardians, which are difficult to obtain due to the high number of people and the low number of jobs, in this world's Japan, even the qualifications of prayer masters, mediums, and fortune tellers need to be officially recognized before they can be issued. This is a world of difference from the world in Qi Xing's previous life.

　One reason is that this world is truly full of demons and monsters, and identities like exorcists cannot be given out casually like in Qi Xing's previous life.

　The second reason is human nature

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　It was because of this. Those who had worked hard to obtain their status naturally did not allow those who came after them to easily obtain the same treatment. As a result, after generations of accumulation, obtaining these industry qualifications was now extremely difficult for ordinary folk practitioners, and even the aristocratic families had to work hard.

　To put it bluntly, in Northeastern Japan today, even if you are a magician, you need to pass the test of Kamigorin to take the civil service exam.

　This should make it clear how terrifying Kamigorin is to the demon-exorcist family, right?

　This is the overall situation.

　Of course, these demon-exorcising families were not immediately so poor that they could not afford to eat. It was just that there were too many people and too little money.

　There are fewer and fewer monsters, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for evil forces to survive. Shouldn't people's lives be safer?

　From an ordinary person's perspective, this is true.

　But for these demon-exorcising families, they have become accustomed to "making a living from monsters" and think that it is natural for them to earn this money.

　That's why they are unhappy.

　That's why they dropped all sorts of hints in front of the guests from the "Association"—in recent years, many "urban legends" about Kamigorin have been circulating throughout Northeast China.

　After finishing the morning visit, Elaine finally sorted out all the information and returned to the hotel to read it.

　"A monster that prowls the streets at night, preying on innocent men," "refining human souls with evil fire to strengthen her own magical powers," "borrowing the power of an evil god from a foreign religion to seize power in the North Country"... The most outrageous thing is that some people say she captures men every night to use as cauldrons to absorb their yang energy."

　Qi Xing couldn't help but want to laugh: "Making up dirty rumors, right?"

　"They're just looking for an outlet to vent their emotions."

　The old wolf leaned against the corner of the room, crossed his arms, and spoke in a cold tone.

　"They were miserable, feeling like their money had been taken away, their jobs taken away. But they couldn't do anything about her, so they simply portrayed her as a monster to rationalize their own failures—a very common tactic."

　Although werewolves are not as long-lived as dragons and vampires, the old wolf can be considered an old-school master who has seen a lot.

　"After all, the Demon-Exorcist Family didn't fight solely to eliminate demons."

　Elaine added softly,

　"Let's not even talk about the first generation of exorcists. The families that have passed down the art from generation to generation are still in this business simply because they're good at it and to maintain their current economic and social status."

　this is the truth.

　Those who had been exorcists for generations, practically accustomed to it, had become accustomed to treating demon exorcism as a craft. These craftsmen, who had refined their spiritual powers, spells, and incantations generation after generation—it was certainly possible for them to change careers, but a change of direction meant even greater pressure, and would render all the efforts of previous generations in vain.

　In recent years, Jin Gorin has patrolled the streets every night, slaying demons and slashing evildoers whenever she sees them. Her very existence is a destructive force on the traditional exorcism market.

　"Besides this, there is another reason for them to be even more dissatisfied,"

　Elaine closed the report.

　"The rest of the Shingo family are indeed ordinary people."

　If a certain demon-exorcist family cultivates a super-powerful person like Abe Seimei in this generation, who becomes the guardian of the North Land and dominates the world, then everyone will probably recognize that they are all demon-exorcist families.

　However, the Kamigo family is not a family that fights demons.

　The God Guardians are truly pure Muggles.

　Elaine had checked, Old Wolf had checked, and even Qi Xing had secretly checked together. No one in the Jinhu family, except herself, her parents, grandparents, or relatives, could be found to have any supernatural abilities. There was no supernatural heritage in their bloodline.

　We have been accumulating unique research for hundreds of years, several generations, and dozens of generations. We have practiced dual cultivation and intermarried and bred, and we have finally become a powerful force. Why should we be suppressed by a little freak like you who suddenly jumped out of a Muggle family?

　What was even more unacceptable to them was that Kamigorin was completely uninterested in the job of "Guardian of the North" and simply left it to her family.

　The Kamigo family - originally in the eyes of these exorcist families, this group of Muggle rich people who had no idea what evil was, had actually become the masters who needed their flattery and fawning in just a few years!

　What was even more unacceptable to them was that even the head of the Kamigo family, Kamigo Rin's crazy father, had no interest in this job. The person in charge of researching, reviewing, and issuing these exorcist qualifications and positions... was actually their maid named Ayame?!

　Even if they can't defeat Kamigorin, they can still console themselves by saying, "You have a big fist, you are powerful."

　By fawning over the God of War, they could comfort themselves by saying, "Although they are Muggles, they are at least a local aristocratic family with a long history, and are respectable people just like us."

　But when they finally found out that the job was given to the maid of the Kamigo family, they really couldn't swallow it.

　It's true that he's a "seventh-rank official of the Prime Minister's family," but what does it mean for your Shenhu family to actually let their followers do the Prime Minister's work? Are we, the aristocratic families, supposed to beg your servants for favors?!

　Tolerable or unbearable!

　As a result, jealousy, anger, and fear have finally evolved into hostility from the local families towards Kamigorin.

　"To be honest, this is a bit exaggerated."

　Even Qi Xing couldn't help but be amused when he heard this.

　"In addition, even those magician families who are not specialized in exorcism, but do some divination and prayer work, have been frightened when facing Miss Jin Gorin recently.

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　. "

　Elaine sighed. She knew better than Qi Xing, who liked to work alone, how troublesome it was to run an organization.

　"After all, their business licenses have expiration dates. What if the license expires and Miss Jingo Rin refuses to renew it? Do you have to ask the maid of the Jingo family for mercy?"

　"So now there are only two options left for them, and both require them to abandon the respectability they have maintained for the past hundreds of years."

　The first rule, of course, was to pledge allegiance to the Kamigo family and the Japanese central government behind them. Regardless of whether it meant currying favor with servants or anything else, even if the Kamigo family found a dog to smack them, they would obey obediently. As long as they were given imperial food, they would ask for nothing more.

　Although Qi Xing didn't understand organizational operations, he knew what it was like to take the civil service exam in his previous life.

　"The other way is,"

　So Qi Xing grinned and continued the conversation.

　"Exorcists have their limits, JOJO, I don't want to be an exorcist anymore!" Then he abandoned his family's reputation that had lasted for hundreds of years to become a curse master, and in the end, because of his evil deeds, the entire family was destroyed by God Gorin? "

　Many people chose the former, and some chose the latter. But more people are still waiting and watching, and those families who have been waiting for years are now dying a slow death.

　That is why so many people today are actively responding to the call of the "Association", and they truly regard the Holy See, this foreign monk, as a life-saving straw.

　Unfortunately, Qi Xing had no intention of saving them.

　Because Qi Xing chooses for himself who he wants to save and who he doesn't want to save.

　"Qi Xing, what do you think of Miss Kamigorin now?"

　Looking at Qi Xing laughing over there, Elaine leaned on the armrest of the sofa and suddenly tilted her head slightly.

　Her tone sounded casual, but her fingertips were gently stroking her sleeves, as if she was hesitating about something.

　"Hmm? First impressions are certainly good."

　Qi Xing didn't think too much about it.

　"And she was able to forcibly slay demons throughout northern Japan until they were scarce, eliminating most of the evil ways. That's something even I haven't been able to do. I really admire her."

　"You want to change the whole world. This is completely different from maintaining peace in a few counties." Elaine frowned.

　"I know." Qi Xing smiled, "But what she's doing now is still amazing. I like it very much."

　These words made Elaine's fingertips pause, and an unnatural expression flashed across her face.

　——As expected, it’s like this again.

　The powerful, dazzling, and fearless heroine always attracted his attention.

　She actually didn't like Kamigorin, this weirdo with angelic powers who showed up out of nowhere. But since Qi Xing liked him... well, okay.

　"You really are causing trouble for others."

　She finally sighed, her tone sounding like helpless ridicule.

　But only Elaine knew what she was thinking.

　"Whether she's been blessed by an angel or a true descendant of Christ, since Miss Kamigorin has been attacked, it's only natural for us to visit and inquire about the situation."

　So Elaine continued,

　"It just so happens that Qi Xing also wants to investigate the criminal. Let's go visit the Jingo family this afternoon."

　However, when Qi Xing and the others went to visit in the afternoon, they found that Jin Gorin was not at home. Even her father was not at home.

　"The young lady has gone to school."