If even [Master Leipu] cannot defeat the Dark Emperor of Tokyo, then who else can protect this city?!

Having taken a lightning strike from [Greed Demon], [Qi Xing], whose lightning techniques were countered, instead showed an even more delighted smile in the face of his fans' panic and nervousness.

"Well, I already have an idea."

His expression looked as if he had been ignited with even more interest from taking a heavy blow from [Greed Demon], his eyes shining with an almost expectant light.

[Artemina] was stunned for a moment; she had seen [Qi Xing] wear that same smile on the cruise ship.

And as for [Elaine], she watched this man come up with some crazy scheme with that same smile almost every week.

So, while the [Magical Girl] was still stunned, [Elaine] had already sighed first: "…Whatever idea you have, you'd better tell me about it first."

[Qi Xing] chuckled, spent two minutes discussing and deliberating with his teammates, and explained his thoughts: "Since this [Greed Demon] is the boss of [Magic City Tokyo]'s dark world and is acting like everything is under his control, then…"

—He remembered the last time, on the cruise ship, he had had a similar discussion with them.

However, unlike last time, to [Qi Xing]'s surprise, after hearing his idea, [Elaine] and [Artemina] neither sighed nor made any snide remarks.

[Elaine] frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded instead: "…This is indeed a way."

[Artemina] even said happily: "It's better than last time, right? At least we can help."

Their reaction actually surprised [Qi Xing] a little.

"Then I won't hold back."

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the [Onmyoryo] Tokyo branch.

At this moment, the [Onmyoryo] was already in chaos, overwhelmed because an entire street in Nerima Ward had been razed by lightning.

[Master Leipu]'s sudden appearance with the hero who had died in battle eight years ago—[Magical Girl] [Miaoshan]—caused an uproar, leaving everyone stunned.

After [Miaoshan] was taken into the isolation ward and [Qi Xing] briefly recounted the battle with [Greed Demon], everyone in the [Onmyoryo] was shocked.

"Although… I did hear the [Head of Onmyo-ryo] mention that there might be a deeply entrenched underground boss hidden in [Magic City Tokyo]'s dark world…"

As a civil servant of the [Onmyoryo], [Gojo Masamichi] couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

"I didn't expect such a figure to actually exist?! Even [Master Leipu] couldn't defeat him… What, what are we supposed to do?"

"You can actually say that?" [Qi Xing] was almost amused, "Is this your [Magic City Tokyo], or my [Magic City Tokyo]? I'm here to help you, not to be your mother!"

"As for that [Greed Demon], I will go find him myself. But you have your own tasks—go call the [Head of Onmyo-ryo], and summon all the representatives of the righteous factions in [Magic City Tokyo]."

Speaking of which, a slight mocking smile tugged at the corners of [Qi Xing]'s mouth.

"I have something to announce."

Not daring to neglect [Master Leipu]'s request, the [Onmyoryo] obediently sent out emergency communications to all the righteous factions in [Magic City Tokyo].

Within an hour, whether it was the leaders of the [Onmyoryo], the Half-Demon Court of the Aokigahara Forest, the esoteric monks who subdue demons, the [Public Security Secret Bureau] of the Metropolitan Police Department, or the branch chief of the Tokyo [Exorcism Association]—even the civilian hero organizations—at least sent a representative to arrive at the [Onmyoryo] immediately.

Just to listen to [Master Leipu]'s declaration.

"Everyone—"

"I know what you are thinking."

"[Magic City Tokyo] is in such a mess, and you are all very busy and very tired."

"So, I came to [Magic City Tokyo] this time to help everyone do one thing."

Then [Master Leipu] said,

"Crack down on crime."

"A comprehensive, thorough crackdown on crime."

"So everyone must contribute their efforts."

"Don't think you can stay out of it."

"Whoever doesn't contribute—"

"—is on the side of the dark."

Volume 4: Evil Magic [Magic City Tokyo]: 131: Croak Croak Croak

[Master Leipu]'s request immediately caused an uproar.

The leaders of the various righteous factions in [Magic City Tokyo], or the representatives they sent, none of them were truly stupid. As soon as [Qi Xing] finished speaking, most of them were already groaning in their hearts:

—[Master Leipu], are you trying to tie all of us to your war chariot?!

They were unwilling, definitely unwilling. Even those who usually opposed the underground dark forces of [Magic City Tokyo] basically did not agree to be suddenly dragged by [Master Leipu] to deal with the Demon King.

However, this strongest person had come to their country, and he was more powerful than all their strongmen combined.

He was someone who could defeat gods and Buddhas; anyone else presumptuously talking about doing the same would only make people laugh. He was already so open and imposing that he didn't need to hide his intentions.

The great power of a king is his authority.

A man powerful enough to defeat them all clearly had the qualification to command them. If he wanted to, who could stop him?

This visitor is not here with good intentions.

The only thing they could do was pray that [Master Leipu] was not a tyrant.

…Of course, or perhaps, they could also choose to do some stupid things by acting clever.

"[Master Leipu], hello."

After a long silence, someone finally spoke first, breaking the deadlock.

"Excuse me."

A middle-aged man wearing a navy blue suit with a badge on his chest stood out, a professional smile on his face.

"I am Katakura Eiji from the [Public Security Secret Bureau]. Our department is mainly responsible for the intelligence and public opinion management and collection of supernatural cases, as well as international network coordination."

His gaze was cautious; he bowed first before continuing,

"First of all, thank you, [Master Leipu], for being willing to assist with the situation in [Magic City Tokyo]. This is a tremendous help to us."

Changing the subject, his smile subsided slightly, and his tone became more solemn: "However, the 'comprehensive crackdown on crime' you proposed likely involves a very wide scope and has significant implications."

"[Magic City Tokyo] is the capital, complex and sensitive. We need time to evaluate before we can formulate a sound cooperation framework—to avoid triggering public panic, diplomatic concerns, or even issues of overextended jurisdiction during the law enforcement process."

At the same time, on the other side, a woman wearing glasses and a gray suit also stood up, her voice soft but exceptionally capable: "I am Morishita Ayako from the Supernatural Environment Countermeasures Bureau."

[Master Leipu]'s intervention will undoubtedly greatly improve the difficult situation we have faced for a long time. But please forgive my frankness, our bureau must carefully evaluate the cooperation model and distribution of authority… [Magic City Tokyo] as an international metropolis, the scale and degree of public exposure of supernatural actions, need to be incorporated into higher-level coordination. Otherwise, if the situation gets out of control, the losses might outweigh the gains…

Blah blah blah blah.

"Of course, we sincerely look forward to working with [Master Leipu]. However, I hope you can understand the limitations of our capabilities."

Blah blah blah blah,

"Please allow us to have some room for negotiation on the specific plan."

Croak croak croak.

[Qi Xing] hadn't even said a few words, and these opinions, proposals, situation analyses, and buck-passing from various departments had already come crashing down like a mountain.

One-sidedly, they kept emphasizing over and over again that they certainly supported [Master Leipu]'s thorough crackdown on crime, but there might be many problems to solve in terms of specific operations.

On the surface, they seemed to be making enthusiastic contributions to society and the country, but inside… actually, in all honesty, [Qi Xing] didn't think they were all "bad people."

There aren't that many bad people.

It's just that many mediocre people who aren't bad will calculate in their hearts—it's fine for you, the invincible [Master Leipu], to deal with the boss; it's fine for us to help a little and cheer from the sidelines; but don't drag us in too much!

Faced with this kind of problem, the strongest person has two ways to solve it.

First, imitate the approach of the superhero Batman, skin everyone, pull out their spines, and hang them on street lamps. Kill until no one dares to challenge the strongest person's judgment—however, [Qi Xing] was not vicious to that extent. He had a very clear distinction between black and white.

And this would inevitably affect the work efficiency that follows.

Second, just hypnotize and brainwash them all!

Turn these guys all into [Master Leipu]'s fanatical slaves, into things that would even expose their own wives—no, their own backsides—if asked! —Unfortunately, [Qi Xing] didn't like doing such things.

Fortunately, a person who is not only strong but also has wisdom can have a third, or even more options.

[Qi Xing] didn't pay attention to the officials from this or that department; he just gave a wink.

Thus, before the speeches of the officials in the room could spread into a cacophony, "Very good."

An enchanting chuckle, like a breeze passing through a gap, cut in at this moment.

A woman with a faint smile then walked slowly out of the crowd.

Her fox ears trembled slightly under the light, silver-blue hair flowed over her shoulders, and the blue and white [Onmyoji] attire outlined her slender, enchanting body curves, her cat-like gait so elegant it was almost provocative.

All the officials from the "other departments" present showed expressions of fear or annoyance upon seeing her.

Seeing her, [Qi Xing] felt more awkward than anything else.

She is [Tsuchimikado Hyougen].

The current [Head of Onmyo-ryo].

A descendant of the Abe no Seimei lineage, inheriting the blood of the celestial fox Kuzunoha. In fact, ninety-nine percent of her lineage is human, but because of her superb spiritual cultivation, she has developed atavism.

Undoubtedly, she is the strongest modern [Onmyoji], known as the Exorcist Beauty Demon Fox.

Exorcist Demon Fox.jpg

[Qi Xing] hadn't asked carefully, but she should be at least over a hundred years old. In officialdom, seniority is one of the most useful things to pressure people with.

"What a delightful scene."

Only hearing this old fox woman pretending to be young curl her lips, her voice low and soft, yet carrying a smile and sharpness,

"The heroes of [Magic City Tokyo], having finally gathered together, are all so eloquent when it comes to shirking, delaying, and making excuses."

Speaking of this, [Tsuchimikado Hyougen] turned her gaze to [Qi Xing], her fox ears tilting slightly,

"[Master Leipu], if you want to comprehensively crack down on crime and eliminate the dark source that has long been entrenched in [Magic City Tokyo]'s underground, the [Onmyoryo] will cooperate fully, with absolutely no shirking."

With one sentence, she announced to the whole room, setting the attitude of the [Onmyoryo] in public.

As mentioned before, the [Onmyoryo] is the most important supernatural department of the modern Japanese government. The officials of other supernatural departments were suddenly embarrassed, unable to even respond.

Of course, the reason why [Tsuchimikado Hyougen] dared to speak so confidently and openly support [Qi Xing], an outsider, was actually very simple—she and [Qi Xing] were old acquaintances who knew each other quite well.

She treated [Qi Xing] as a friend. [Qi Xing], on the other hand, always felt a bit awkward dealing with her.

Because, [Tsuchimikado Hyougen] is very █. Simply a walking █ █ symbol.

Not only is her body very █, not only does she not wear underwear, but even her behavior is very █. Even drinking water or licking her tongue feels very █.

Naturally, [Tsuchimikado Hyougen] is also quite open in terms of █. During battles, she would occasionally be ambushed and defeated by enemies, captured for █ █, but she could always escape by herself or be rescued by teammates, looking completely nonchalant;

In daily life, she doesn't mind flirting around with █ █, finding people to be █ friends, and even quite likes being a living Bodhisattva.

Simply put, she lives like the heroine of a █ █ RPG game—although she has walked the █ █ route, she hasn't reached the point of a █ corruption ending. Still righteous, and at odds with evil.

Over the past few years, [Tsuchimikado Hyougen] has shown great █ interest in [Qi Xing].

But [Qi Xing], who had been that way, was quite a germaphobe regarding █ and had no interest in [Tsuchimikado Hyougen].

Now [Qi Xing] is married and is not that way anymore. …However, for some reason, he had the intuition that [Tsuchimikado Hyougen]'s gaze toward him had become even more enthusiastic. Damn it.

"I am Yanzang from the [Tokyo Shingon Dharma Protection Association]."

Fortunately, at this moment, a giant broke the awkward atmosphere of the scene and also spoke.

He was very tall, strong, and big, so big it was almost surreal, a full two circles wider than an ordinary person. His face, which seemed to be roughly chiseled from rock, was covered with lines carved by wind and frost; he was a true, imposing giant monk.

However, his attitude was quite amiable. Rubbing his bald head, he grinned and said: "Great Acharya Cilian has instructed that if [Master Leipu] wants to deal with the darkness in [Magic City Tokyo]'s underground, we should cooperate with him to the best of our ability."