Chapter 74

Under the eaves, wind chimes tinkled softly, brushing past the overgrown path in the courtyard.

The wind was still blowing the bells, and the sound seemed no different from the past.

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

The world is impermanent.

075: Headline Gossip

First the Kito Family, then the Jūyaku Clan, the Inuzuka Family, and the Saiga Family. Within half a day, Qi Xing and his group moved quickly, visiting four famous Exorcist families in northeastern Japan under the guise of recruiting talent as the president of the [Association].

They were all families that had originally excelled at exorcism and demon slaying, but whose economic conditions had severely declined over the past five years.

"It probably started about five years ago. Business for all the surrounding Exorcist families has become increasingly difficult. We used to be able to scrape by just by exorcising minor spirits and demons, but now…" the head of the Kito Family told Master Leipu.

"Now, Jingo Rin is patrolling every single night," the elder of the Inuzuka Family sighed.

This single sentence seemed to encompass all their difficulties.

In reality, things were, of course, not that simple.

Having visited four families in half a day, Qi Xing, out of curiosity, also asked them: "Specifically, how bad is it?"

"Although we still have fields and properties, relying on that income is far from enough to maintain our previous lifestyle," the head of the Jūyaku Clan said helplessly.

"In the past, the remuneration from demon slaying alone was enough to renovate our main shrine once a year. Now, we can only barely manage by relying on the income from land rented out by our ancestors," the Saiga Family complained bitterly.

In fact, the situations of these families were all much the same.

To say they were truly so poor they couldn't afford to eat was, of course, impossible; one could only say they were in a state where their expenses exceeded their income. But as the saying goes, it is hard to go from luxury to frugality. Especially for families that had been wealthy for hundreds of years, suddenly going five full years without earning any income from exorcism was a predicament unimaginable in the past.

Taking a step back, in reality, Jingo Rin acting recklessly on her own wouldn't have been a big deal.

For these Exorcist families, the real headache was actually the official [Guardian of the North] title she held—in other words, she was the highest authority on paranormal affairs in Northern Japan.

In ancient times, Japan's Onmyoryo, despite being an official force, often had to defer to these local families. The reason was, on one hand, they lacked manpower and needed the support of these prominent clans to solve problems; on the other hand, these families often had centuries of accumulation. Their knowledge regarding curses and spiritual power was much richer than that of the sorcerers who emerged from the common people and were later co-opted by the central government.

Although the Onmyoryo had descendants of Sugawara no Michizane (the Gojo Family) and Abe no Seimei (the Tsuchimikado Family) as pillars of support, it was impossible to rely solely on the descendants of these two families to solve paranormal problems across Japan. The power of prominent clans was ultimately indispensable, and over time, a dynamic equilibrium had formed.

But Jingo Rin's existence clearly broke this balance.

Her power was so great that she only needed limited support from the central government to complete the cleansing work against various demons. The [extra duties] that should have been shared by local families were all completed by her alone.

This was the main reason these families had become marginalized.

"Then, if we stop being Exorcists and switch to doing things like divination, blessing, or Feng Shui, wouldn't that count as work in a related field?"

It was possible—however, doing these things also meant one couldn't bypass Jingo Rin, again because of the [Guardian of the North] title she held.

Japan had a long tradition of feudal systems, which meant that in the five northern prefectures of Japan, whether it was the examination results for official Exorcists or the issuance of licenses for folk prayer-masters and diviners, everything ultimately required approval from Jingo Rin in her capacity as the [Guardian of the North].

Not to mention official positions like shrine priests and guardians, which were already hard to obtain due to the scarcity of resources, in this world's Japan, even the qualifications for prayer-masters, mediums, and diviners required official recognition before a license was issued. This was a world of difference from the world Qi Xing lived in in his previous life.

First, because this world was truly filled with demons and monsters, identities like spirit Exorcists could not be handed out casually like in the world of Qi Xing's previous life.

Second, it was due to human nature. Those who had put in the effort to obtain their status naturally would not allow newcomers to easily obtain the same treatment. Thus, after generations of accumulation, wanting to obtain these industry qualifications nowadays was not only as difficult as ascending to heaven for ordinary folk sorcerers, but even prominent clans needed to go to great lengths.

To put it more bluntly, in the current northeastern Japan, even if you are a sorcerer trying to get a government job, you have to pass Jingo Rin's gate.

With that said, you should be able to understand how terrifying Jingo Rin is to the Exorcist families, right?

That was the situation in general.

These Exorcist families were, of course, not immediately so poor they couldn't afford to eat; it was just that there were too many monks and not enough gruel—there simply [wasn't enough money].

Demons were becoming fewer, evil forces were finding it harder to survive; shouldn't the lives of the public be safer?

From the perspective of an ordinary person, that was indeed the case.

But for these Exorcist families, they had already grown accustomed to [making a living off demons], believing that they were entitled to earn this money as a matter of course.

That was why they were unhappy.

That was why they dropped all sorts of hints in front of the guests from the [Association]—in recent years, many [urban legends] about Jingo Rin had been circulating all over the Northeast.

After finishing the morning visits, Elaine finally organized all the materials and read aloud back at the hotel.

" [A monster that wanders the streets at night, hunting innocent men], [refining human souls with evil fire to strengthen her own magic], [usurping power in the North by borrowing the strength of an evil foreign god]… The most absurd one is that some say she grabs men every night to use as cauldrons to absorb their Yang energy."

Qi Xing couldn't help but want to laugh: "Spreading lewd rumors, are they?"

"They are just looking for an outlet to vent their emotions," Old Wolf said, leaning in the corner of the room with his arms crossed, his tone cold.

"They are living in misery, feeling that the money that belonged to them has been stolen by someone else, and their rice bowls have been taken away by someone else. But since they can't do anything about her, they simply mold her into a monster to rationalize their own failure—a very common tactic."

Although werewolves were not as long-lived as dragons or vampires, Old Wolf was considered a knowledgeable, old-school expert.

"After all, Exorcist families didn't originally fight purely to eliminate demons," Elaine added softly. "Not to mention the first generation of Exorcists, the Exorcist families passed down through generations are only still in this business basically because they are [skilled at it], and to maintain their current economic level and social status."

This was reality.

Those people whose ancestors had been Exorcists for generations, and who had actually gotten used to it, had grown accustomed to treating demon suppression and exorcism as a trade. These craftsmen, who optimized their spiritual power, techniques, and cursed tools generation after generation—they, of course, weren't unable to switch professions, but switching tracks meant more competition, and it would also mean that all the efforts of their ancestors had been in vain.

In these past few years, Jingo Rin had been patrolling the streets every night, killing demons and slashing evil practitioners upon sight. Her very existence was a disruption to the traditional exorcism market.

"Besides that, there is another reason they are even more dissatisfied," Elaine closed the report. "The others in the Jingo Family are indeed ordinary people."

If some Exorcist family had cultivated a super-expert like Abe no Seimei in this generation to become the Guardian of the North, dominating the era, then since everyone was an Exorcist family, they might have just accepted it.

However, the Jingo Family was not an Exorcist family. The Jingo Family was truly pure Muggle.

Elaine had checked, Old Wolf had checked, and even Qi Xing had secretly checked at the time. Throughout the entire Jingo Family, apart from her, her parents, grandparents, and relatives could not be detected with any supernatural abilities; there was no supernatural heritage in their bloodline.

"We have spent hundreds of years, generations upon generations, accumulating unique research, dual cultivation █ █, intermarriage, and breeding, only managing to become a powerful force with great difficulty. Why should we be suppressed by you, a little freak who popped out of a Muggle family out of nowhere?"

What made them even more unable to accept it was that Jingo Rin was completely uninterested in the work of the [Guardian of the North] and had simply dumped it on her family to handle.

The Jingo Family—originally, in the eyes of these Exorcist families, this group of Muggle nouveau riche who didn't know the first thing about demons and evil, had actually become the big shots they had to desperately flatter and curry favor with in just a few short years!

What made them even more unable to accept it was that even the head of the Jingo Family, that crazy woman Jingo Rin's weird old dad, had no interest in this work. The person responsible for researching, reviewing, and issuing these Exorcist qualifications and positions… was actually a female servant in their house named Ayame?!

They could still comfort themselves when they couldn't beat Jingo Rin by saying, "Your fist is bigger, you are powerful."

When flattering the Jingo Family, they could also comfort themselves by saying, "Although they are Muggles, they are at least a local prominent family with history, and they are decent people just like us."

But in the end, when they discovered that this work had been dumped on a female servant of the Jingo Family, they really couldn't swallow this pill.

"Even if [the servant of a prime minister is a seventh-rank official], what is the meaning of your Jingo Family actually letting a servant do the prime minister's job? Are you expecting us prominent families to grovel and beg your servant?!"

This is intolerable!

Thus, jealousy, anger, and fear eventually evolved into a wave of hostility from the local prominent families directed at Jingo Rin.

"Honestly, this is indeed a bit exaggerated," even Qi Xing couldn't help but be amused when he heard this.

"Additionally, even those sorcerer families that don't specialize in exorcism, but do some divination and blessing work, are actually just as terrified when facing Miss Jingo Rin recently."

Elaine sighed. She knew better than Qi Xing, who liked to work alone, how troublesome organizing operations could be.

"After all, the industry licenses they hold also have expiration dates. What if the license expires and Miss Jingo Rin doesn't renew it for you? Are you supposed to beg the servant lady of the Jingo Family to show mercy?"

"So now, there are only two paths left before them, and both require them to abandon the dignity of the past hundred years."

The first, of course, is to pledge allegiance to the Jingo Family and the Japanese central government behind her. Regardless of whether it's flattering a servant or whatever, even if the Jingo Family gets a dog to sign off on approvals, they would obediently accept it. As long as they are given a government salary, they have no other demands.

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

"The other path is," so Qi Xing grinned, taking over the conversation,

" [Exorcists have their limits, JOJO, I'm done being an Exorcist!] Then abandon the family's hundreds of years of reputation to become a Cursed Practitioner, and in the end, have the entire family destroyed by Jingo Rin because of their heinous crimes?"

Many people chose the former, and some chose the latter. But more people were still watching, and those families that had been watching for several years were now dying a slow death.

That was why so many people responded actively to the [Association's] call today, truly treating the Holy See, this foreign monk, as a straw to clutch for survival.

Unfortunately, Qi Xing had no intention of saving them.

Because Qi Xing always chose for himself whom he wanted to save and whom he did not.

"Regarding Miss Jingo Rin, Qi Xing, what do you think of her now?"

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

Her tone sounded very casual, but her fingertips were gently rubbing her sleeve, as if she were hesitating about something.

"Hmm? My first impression was certainly quite good," Qi Xing didn't think much of it,

"And she was actually able to kill her way through Northern Japan until demons became scarce, eliminating the vast majority of evil paths; this is something even I haven't achieved. I truly admire her."

"What you want to change is the whole world; that kind of thing is completely different from maintaining the peace of a few prefectures," Elaine frowned.

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

This sentence caused Elaine's fingertips to pause, and an unnatural expression flashed across her face.

— — As expected, it was like this again.

Powerful, dazzling, fearless heroines always attracted his gaze.

She actually didn't really like Jingo Rin, this weirdo who had popped out of nowhere with the power of an angel. But since Qi Xing liked her… fine.

"You really know how to cause trouble for people."

She finally sighed, her tone sounding like helpless teasing.

But only Elaine knew in her heart what she was thinking about.

"Whether she has received the grace of an angel or is a true descendant of Christ, since Miss Jingo Rin has been attacked, we should, in terms of reason and sentiment, go to visit her and ask about the situation."

So Elaine continued, "Since you also want to investigate the culprit, Qi Xing, we will go visit the Jingo Family this afternoon."

However, when they arrived for their visit in the afternoon, they found that Jingo Rin was not at home. Even her father was not at home.

"The young miss has already gone to school."

They were received by a young woman wearing a dark blue kimono, her hair tied in a low bun, with a few strands of black hair falling beside her ears, looking very calm and capable.

She was Jingo Rin's foster sister, the adopted daughter taken in by her father, Ayame.

"If it is an urgent matter, do you need me to call the young miss back?"

Although she was called a servant of the family, her demeanor was very dignified. When receiving Qi Xing and his group, she maintained a calm and composed vigilance toward Qi Xing.

Qi Xing glanced at her slightly and immediately saw that, unlike the other Muggles in the Jingo Family, this adopted daughter actually had some magical power, probably only one level weaker than Elaine.

"She was ambushed halfway yesterday, and today she can still go to school like nothing happened," Old Wolf couldn't help but exclaim. "I don't know whether to say she is bold because of her high skills or just simple-minded."

"No need to call her back," Qi Xing was always too lazy to dilly-dally, so he waved his hand directly: "I'll just go to her school and find her."

Ayame was stunned: "You are going to find her there?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Xing gathered his energy and leaped, already flying out with a "whoosh." Lightning flashed, and he disappeared into the sky in an instant, leaving a clear flight trajectory behind.

Ah, wow, wow!