Chapter 112

"Then, Rin…" Qi Xing looked back, only to find that Rin had actually already left the hospital room and chased after them.

She had gone to chase those Exorcists from the Onmyoryo.

Qi Xing raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more.

Because he knew—Jingo Rin would always do what she deemed necessary at her own pace. He wasn't worried.

Meanwhile, those officials and Exorcists, after leaving Qi Xing's hospital room and walking some distance away, predictably began to argue and debate again: "Although [Master Leipu] is full of confidence… but when it comes down to it, can he really fight against that kind of god-Buddha level existence all by himself?"

"What if he fails?"

"This isn't questioning him; we just need to have a [Backup Plan]."

The group of Exorcists and civil servants exchanged opinions in low voices; although their voices were hushed, they couldn't hide the urgency in their words.

"The Arashi and Tokoyomi families that were confiscated previously both had evil arts that used marriage and ██ to infuse divine energy. Although we can't force people to perform evil arts, since it's to save the nation from disaster, finding a hundred or so women with shrine maiden qualifications who are also willing to sacrifice themselves shouldn't be difficult."

"Makes sense. Quickly find a hundred or so women with shrine maiden qualifications to infuse [Master Leipu] with divine energy!"

"If they are offering themselves voluntarily, how can it even be called an [Evil Art]?"

They all felt there was nothing wrong with this. What could possibly be the problem?

Rin could only sigh. However, just as she was about to go over and beat them up, someone else did it first.

"What are you doing, you bastards!" A furious shout suddenly exploded like thunder!

The whispering civil servants jumped in fright. Turning around, they saw the Onmyoji in charge of scheduling this operation for the Onmyoryo—Gojo Masamichi—striding over aggressively, his face filled with uncontrollable rage, his eyes like torches.

Not noticing Rin watching from a distance, he only noticed what his colleagues and subordinates were discussing and immediately rushed over to berate them!

"When you say these things, is your brain still on your neck?!"

"Does [Master Leipu] need your lowly evil arts?!"

"Do you know how many innocent shrine maidens' lives and mental destruction were traded for those evil techniques? Do you know that I personally promised him in the ruins of the Jūyaku Clan that the Onmyoryo would never let these confiscated and sealed evil arts see the light of day again?!"

"Damn it! If even the Onmyoryo, upon seeing the enemy is too strong, immediately brings out confiscated and sealed evil arts, acting with a 'kill one to save ten' mindset, then what difference is there between us and those rebellious families that were just wiped out!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and his voice grew louder, causing everyone else in the outer corridor to fall silent.

"Remember this! Whoever dares to secretly bring up such things again will be immediately suspended for reflection and investigated thoroughly!"

The group of civil servants and Exorcists all lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound, and bowed timidly as they retreated.

All of this was seen by Rin, who was hiding nearby.

She had no intention of judging the scene just now, but there was one thing she understood completely.

In the eyes of those people, Qi Xing was no longer just a person.

—But he was clearly just a person, wasn't he?

He wasn't a god.

Rin was clearer about this than anyone else present. If she hadn't intervened in time back in the [Inner Realm], and if she hadn't used her black flames to block that third formatting halo, Qi Xing would have died then.

Died completely, like words erased by an eraser.

Even though Jingo Rin was the born child of a god—the result was that Qi Xing, this person, was arbitrarily endowed with divinity by others, had hope arbitrarily placed upon him, and was arbitrarily subjected to suspicion and anxiety when he was injured.

Even more ironically—Qi Xing actually just accepted this role so calmly.

Until this moment, Rin finally clearly realized where the vague displeasure in her heart originated.

—Even that [Fiancée] by Qi Xing's side, Elaine, although her calmness and efficiency were admirable, and her rationality was even reliable in the face of despair…

But precisely because of that, it made Rin feel an indescribable annoyance.

This woman—this woman who called herself his [Fiancée], was simply worshiping Qi Xing as a [God].

While supporting him as he marched toward the most dangerous battlefield, she also fanatically believed that he would definitely win.

As if he truly couldn't die.

But would Qi Xing really not die?

"Idiot."

She whispered a curse, not knowing who she was actually cursing, and Rin let out a long sigh, turned around, and walked back towards Qi Xing's hospital room.

"Yo, Rin."

—Then the next second, her dad suddenly slid out from the corridor corner like a loach, grinning with a sneaky look on his face.

"Dad, don't scare people like that… Sigh, forget it."

She originally wanted to complain, but in the end, she just sighed.

Anyway, Rin had never been able to do anything about her unreliable father.

"Sorry, sorry, I just felt the timing was just right,"

Dad Shinji grinned.

"Rin, do you still remember what I told you when you were little?"

He tilted his head, his tone light and airy.

But his eyes were not quite the same as his usual slacker demeanor—carrying a subtle sharpness and seriousness.

"The prerequisite to becoming a true powerhouse is to cut through the mist of desire and recognize one's own most true longing."

He spoke softly and slowly, as if telling an ancient story, and as if these words were never meant for the little Rin of the past, but were left for the one of the present.

"Getting lost in the mist of desire can also grant one power."

"But that kind of power means losing one's true self and will only result in missing out on being the true strongest."

Speaking up to here, he paused, his gaze falling on Rin's face, a rare softness flashing in his eyes.

"That's why I told you this when you were little."

"Because one day you would definitely reach this step."

That was the fatherly warmth that Jingo Shinji would only occasionally reveal in front of his daughter.

"Now it seems… the timing is about right."

"Rin, do you see it clearly?"

"What is your true longing?"

109: If Someone Strikes You on Your Right Cheek

There is a Japanese proverb that goes like this: [Before a child reaches the age of seven, they are a child of the gods].

In eras where medical care was underdeveloped, the mortality rate for infants was extremely high; living to seven was already a kind of luck and blessing. Therefore, children under seven were existences temporarily entrusted to the human world by the gods; only by living past that threshold could they truly become members of the human world.

Coincidentally, Jingo Rin awakened her divine power exactly in the year she turned seven.

Before seven, she was just a little girl with slightly unique thoughts, occasionally withdrawn, occasionally distracted, but not shocking or unconventional.

The true turning point of her life occurred on a late spring evening, exactly on the day she turned seven. Rin and the village children went to play on the mountain outside the village, and they encountered a yokai.

A famous great yokai, the Yama-uba, a fallen mountain god. Although not a big shot, it was still a thing that once sat on a divine throne, fond of devouring children.

Rin's power awakened on that day she turned seven, just as she was protecting the other children.

The black divine fire, ignited for the first time, completely incinerated that famous Yama-uba, the monster that had once sat on a divine throne.

From then on, Rin's name was destined to never be ordinary again. Her power rose continuously like a volcanic eruption, far leading among her peers, to the point where even many elders couldn't catch up; she was already one of the top powerhouses in all of Japan.

Although she hadn't personally experienced it, since she could go toe-to-toe with Qi Xing, she was definitely ranked among the best in the world.

Having obtained such divine power at seven, rather than saying she was a child of god who became human at seven, it would be better to say she had been a child of god until now.

Friends were too fragile; enemies were too unbearable. Even colleagues and subordinates who also possessed supernatural powers… she had to deliberately control her strength so as not to shatter them.

Her life had never been about [Interaction], but about [Protection].

This world was too light, too brittle; it would shatter with the slightest force. All things in the universe, there were too many things in this world that were too delicate.

Therefore, at this very moment, when her father once again talked to her about the [Limitations of Desire], true [Longing], and the connection between [Power]…

"In the past, I always thought my longing was [Wanting to use my full strength]—wanting an opponent who could make me use my full strength."

After a moment of contemplation, Rin replied.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear; these were words pulled from the depths of her soul after deep consideration.

"I once thought that as long as I could fight with full strength and burn completely, that would be my greatest pursuit."

"But now… facing an enemy like [Mahamayuri], I indeed have to use my full strength, and even that is not enough. Even though I achieved the form of my [Wish]… I didn't feel satisfied."

Rin paused for a moment, her gaze passing through the hospital window, looking at the edge of the vibrating sky,

"So, I probably got it wrong."

"What I truly want is not just a powerful opponent."

She recalled her first and second bouts with Qi Xing, recalled the initial misunderstandings about his [Lone Star of Heavenly Destruction Backstory], and the strange resonance that had bubbled up within her heart;

She remembered that moment in the [Inner Realm] when Qi Xing was almost crushed by the white halo, and more importantly—she remembered the voices of so-called [Respect] and [Praise] she had heard in the hospital room just now, those people who arbitrarily heaped expectations and worship upon Qi Xing.

Even if he had defeated a terrifying demon king, even if he had obtained power comparable to a god, who could guarantee that Qi Xing wouldn't die a mediocre death in the next battle?

"Dad, many people arbitrarily impose their ideals on me and then arbitrarily become disappointed in me… I hate that."

"I just save people because I want to save them; I protect because I want to protect. I have always just done whatever I wanted to do."

The mission of the [Guardian of the North], protecting her hometown and such, that was all just her doing what she wanted to do.

Speaking up to here, Rin let out a soft breath, feeling relieved.

Now she could assert with absolute confidence: "I want a friend who is my equal, and to fight side-by-side with him. I want to protect him."

"This is my longing."

That said, hearing her daughter's words, Jingo Shinji looked at her with a subtle gaze: "Just a friend?"

"Just a friend."

Rin replied calmly,

"Dad, do you have to think in that direction? Besides, he has a fiancée."

"I don't even know what [Love] feels like."

She paused and added another sentence, her tone devoid of even regret, only pure calmness: "I don't even have █ desire."

Jingo Shinji: "…"

Oh Rin, you say you're just friends, but just a moment ago, what was revealed in your eyes was not the emotion one should have for a [Friend], but a gaze like a wild beast, like a lion.

—Friendship shouldn't require [Hunting] to obtain, right? You really just discovered the prey you longed for after a long period of boredom, didn't you?

This child inherited a bit too much from me. This probably isn't very good.

But then again, Shinji didn't like to over-interfere with his children anyway.

If a person cannot recognize their true self, cannot recognize what they truly want, even if you give them everything for free, they will still have nothing.

So even if you tell her the answer in advance, it's meaningless. Anyway, if left alone, she will understand it sooner or later.

What to do after catching the prey? We'll see then.

Shinji had always had great confidence in his child.

Maybe not [that] confident, but he always tried to maintain confidence. Otherwise, everything would truly become meaningless.

"Good luck, silly girl."

"Thanks for your kind words, Dad."

After speaking, Rin didn't look back and walked straight towards Qi Xing's hospital room.

The further realization of her self made her chest feel warm, her heart surging. However, she didn't take her old father's teasing just now to heart.

She returned to the door of Qi Xing's hospital room and opened it.

Then she saw that Qi Xing and Elaine were kissing.

It wasn't that kind of particularly intense, or even inappropriate for children, kiss; it was just a simple, even slightly green, kiss. That shallow contact was like a signal confirming that they were still by each other's side. Elaine's fair cheeks were flushed to the roots of her neck.

This was definitely not something that couldn't be done in a hospital, and besides, this didn't count as a public place. It was just a scene, as natural as could be, between an engaged couple about to step onto the battlefield.