Inner Destroyer

　One - However, Qi Xing was not in a hurry to follow immediately.

　It’s only half a city away, and he can fly there in a few seconds.

　He put away the "illusion" silver coin, lifted the illusion, and appeared in front of Fujiwara Naga.

　Seeing Qi Xing appear out of nowhere, the man wasn't surprised at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Master Lei Pu, I didn't expect to meet you here. Today is truly my lucky day."

　Yo?

　"You look down on Kamigorin, but you're my fan?"

　Qi Xing grinned,

　"I thought she and I had something in common."

　He just said it casually, half jokingly.

　However, Fujiwara no Naga immediately responded, "She is very different from you. She is a completed hero, and she doesn't care what others say."

　"But you're different, aren't you?"

　His tone was even respectful.

　"You're playing a game called 'Save the World.' That's pretty classy."

　what?

　Now it was Qi Xing's turn to be stunned.

　At the same time, he heard Sasa laughing wildly above his head.

　"Hahahaha, this guy also said it very well!"

　He immediately reached out and patted Sasa on the head to shut him up, then asked, "What do you mean?"

　"It's just the feeling I got after watching your legendary experience."

　Although Qi Xing made a strange gesture, Fujiwara Naga's tone remained respectful.

　"Like Miss Jingo, you both embarked on the path of heroism out of your own interests, but in my opinion, your essences are very different."

　"Although you are doing seemingly the same thing, your actions, Miss Jingo, still do not deviate from the common sense of this world. And you..."

　He paused slightly, his gaze lingering on Qi Xing for a moment. His sharp eyes seemed to be looking through the surface and directly at something behind Qi Xing's behavior.

　"You're different, aren't you?"

　When he said this, he also grinned, a smile of admiration for Qi Xing.

　"It's really the world that's wrong in your eyes."

　"Buddhism compares human desires to falling leaves in autumn: they fall today, tomorrow, and every day, and they can never be swept away. Although Miss Jinhu is a hypocrite, she undoubtedly persists in sweeping up the fallen leaves every day."

　"You're different. You're stepping outside the metaphor itself and trying to uproot and chop down the entire tree—have you ever seen a world without that tree?"

　His smile faded a little, and there was a subtle curiosity in his eyes, as if he really wanted to know Qi Xing's answer.

　"Miss Jingo accepted the laws of this world and never questioned their rationality. And you seem to think that this world is wrong—this is not the arrogant chuunibyou in the comics, right?"

　"So I can only assume that, in your eyes, this entire world is nothing more than a large, carefully designed simulation game. And you are the only player."

　Alas.

　Qi Xing could ignore the devil's uncontrollable laughter above his head.

　He wasn't someone who could be easily read. Qi Xing's experience and personality determined that his "surprise" wouldn't be the wide-eyed, stuttering reaction of an average person.

　But this sentence did make him pause.

　What the other party said may not be completely correct, but it is quite accurate.

　Even Qi Xing himself likes to use the metaphor of "game" to describe this absurd world.

　He did often feel that the world Sasa had created was some kind of big butter.

　Perhaps Sasa saw through Qi Xing's thoughts, so she mocked Elaine as a "low star card".

　But anyway,

　"You guys, you suddenly talk so philosophically, as if you know me very well."

　Qi Xing raised his eyebrows.

　"What about you? Are you a grain of rice in a rice ball, or are you waiting for me to chop down the tree?"

　This question made the smile in Fujiwara Naga's eyes deepen.

　He paused slightly, as if thinking seriously, then slowly and calmly bowed, his tone steady yet with a hint of etherealness: "I am just a dead leaf about to fall to the ground."

　-

　On the other hand, in the center of Aomori City, where evil was about to erupt, before this incident happened.

　There was a young exorcist standing at the crossroads of life, half of his body trapped in the abyss, struggling to grasp even a glimmer of hope.

　Guitou Reima is nineteen years old and has just graduated from high school.

　Once upon a time, he thought that his life would be smooth after graduation.

　He was born into the Guitou family, one of the oldest demon-exorcising families in Aomori Prefecture. He learned the family's secret talismans and swordsmanship to slay demons at a young age, and killed evil spirits with his own hands when he was a teenager.

　According to the elders, although the exorcist business has been in recession in recent years, the family with hundreds of years of tradition will not let their generation fall into poverty and have nowhere to go.

　Besides, he did have some talent, and his family had high hopes for him since he was young.

　Even if you can't make money by exorcising demons, you can always find work in feng shui, praying, and exorcism, right?

　However, reality slapped him hard in the face.

　In the past six months, he has traveled almost all over Aomori City to the Daiji Shrine, psychic research institutions, feng shui consulting companies, and even some Onmyoji-related societies - but no matter where he went, the answers he got were equally ruthless.

　"Sorry, we already have someone chosen."

　"These days, you're not the only one who understands spiritual power.

210

　We are from the Demon-Exorcist Family."

　"Even if we do hire someone, we prefer those magicians who have obtained official qualifications."

　Guitou Liezhen is not a fool. He soon discovered that it was not that he was not good enough, but that there was no place for him in today's society.

　"Have you heard? The guy from the Guitou family is here looking for a job."

　"Haha, really? Didn't their family make a living by exorcising demons?"

　"What's so great about the Demon Exorcist Family? They used to think they were so high and mighty, but now they find themselves having to humble themselves even to get a job as a Palace Attendant, right?"

　Whenever he heard such words, Guitou Liezhen's face turned pale, but he couldn't say a word.

　He wanted to rush forward and tell them about the glory of being an exorcist, about the history of the Guitou family, about how he was no incompetent... but he knew that nothing he said would be of any use.

　What made him even more devastated was that Kamigorin's name often appeared in these people's mouths again and again.

　The rice bowl that originally belonged to their demon-fighting family has now been smashed to pieces by a freak who jumped out of a Muggle nest!

　He wanted to scold her, to resent her, to do something...but the reality was that he didn't even have the qualifications to see her.

　Oh, that's not right. If he pulled out his spirit sword and started causing trouble in the street, Jingorin would probably fly over and beat him down immediately.

　I'm afraid he doesn't even have the qualifications to truly draw his sword as the "Guardian of the North."

　This is an unprecedented feeling of powerlessness.

　There is no place for him to stand in the entire Aomori City, or even the entire Tohoku.

　The magic he thought he mastered, known as exorcism, seemed redundant and ridiculous in this day and age. His once-proud training now lacked the employment prospects of an average college student. Even he himself began to question whether the so-called "family honor" was merely a tradition or a joke.

　No... You can't think like that!

　Liezhen shook his head violently, clenched his teeth, and tried hard to suppress the anger and powerlessness in his heart.

　He couldn't accept that he was useless. He couldn't accept that he was no different from his elders who hid at home waiting to die.

　He wants to do something big so that everyone will recognize him!

　His brain was already racing.

　A lot of strange things have been happening in Aomori City lately—from unidentified evil spirits emerging from corners to whispers of bizarre events. There was even a love hotel that suddenly rose up and transformed into a giant monster, only to be quickly suppressed, leaving the outside world completely unaware of the truth.

　More importantly, the financial situation of some demon-hunting families is as bleak as that of the Guitou family, but they have recently received mysterious "capital injections". Where did they get the money from?

　As Liezhen thought about it, he recalled that he had heard relatives whispering at a family gathering that someone was willing to help them revive the family.

　"As long as you go somewhere... there's a chance... to meet someone important..."

　But, is this really a noble person?

　No. All of this must be the result of some forces secretly plotting against Kamigorin in Aomori City!

　This is his chance!

　I, Guitou Liezhen, don’t need to beg for that kind of charity!

　I want to find out the truth and find the mastermind behind this!

　If... if he could kill the culprit who created the evil monster, then more than just the family would recognize him.

　Other demon-fighting families will also take notice.

　Even - even Kamigorin had to acknowledge him!

　OK. That's it.

　Liezhen took a deep breath, adjusted the spirit sword hidden in the kendo bag on his back, and walked towards "that place" that his relatives were whispering about.

　After tonight, everything will change.

　The glory of the Demon-Exorcist Family will be remembered once again.

　And he - Retsujin Kito - will also be remembered in Aomori's history!

　He even felt a little excited when he stepped into "that place".

　He could feel that the air was filled with a subtle and strange spiritual energy, like a whisper, or like a dormant beast.

　now it's right.

　Heroes always have to step into the unknown, face danger, and clear the fog in the darkness to slash through evil.

　His heartbeat had accelerated, his palm was on the hilt of the knife, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle.

　If fate doesn't let me be the protagonist, then I will grab it myself!

　He pushed the door open and stepped deeper.

　However, some things were far more twisted, more unshakable, and more desperate than he had imagined.

　He would soon find out.

　078: Men can also

　Shimizu Sacred Heart Hospital.

　This is an extremely ordinary comprehensive private hospital in Aomori City. It accepts emergency cases, internal and external surgeries, and also has a rehabilitation ward. It has a low-key appearance and strict management.

　If it weren't for the clues he got from rumors among family relatives, Guitou Lizhen would never have associated this place with the supernatural.

　It is now ten o'clock in the morning - by the way, at the same time, Qi Xing and Elaine are visiting Guitou's house, and Jin Gorin has just gone to school.

　As for Guitou Liezhen, he was in the ventilation duct under the hospital. He held his breath and slowly crawled along the narrow ventilation duct.

　The metal walls were cold, and the small space was filled with the low hum of moving air and the smell of disinfectant.

　The ventilation duct was claustrophobic and depressing. Lie Zhen's palms were pressed against the cold metal surface, and sweat had already soaked his palms, but he did not dare to relax.

　He knew he was doing something dangerous.

　It can even be said to be a very stupid thing.

　But he had no choice.

　Because half an hour ago, Liezhen pretended to be a visiting family member and was on the first floor of the hospital.