Miko Becoming a Devilish Cultivator

Drinking alcohol, the listless young man sighed, then turned his gaze back to Yotsuya Miko beside him.

His memory was hazy. He only knew that it seemed the latter had used a ritual of immense power, causing him and Takeda Mie to fall unconscious. When he woke up, he was already inside the fortune-telling shop. He had originally planned to find a way to contact Miss Yotsuya, but unexpectedly, a few days later, this formidable exorcist invited him and Takeda Mie again.

"How did you get my contact information, Miss Yotsuya?"

Yotsuya Miko glanced at him and pulled up a YouTube subscription on her phone—Rom's channel. It wasn't wildly popular, but it had a decent following.

"Like this."

As she spoke, she put down her phone and looked at Takeda Mie beside her again, awaiting the reply of the former Downtown Godmother.

The old woman simply glanced silently at the blonde girl with twin tails sitting opposite her, confirming the facts.

"Due to your lineage, Miss Miko, are you unable to pass on your skills to Miss Yuria?"

"Yes."

It wasn't that she couldn't teach, but the cultivation of the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record was difficult for ordinary people to accept. Both the intense Soul Devouring Tribulation in the early stages of cultivation and the hallucinations from devouring Ghosts tested one's perseverance and endurance. Furthermore, even Yotsuya Miko herself only had a partial understanding of these techniques, relying entirely on the knowledge within the scriptures to learn and use them. Even if she wanted to impart the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record to Yuria, she truly couldn't provide the entire content. After all, aside from the cultivation parts, the other miscellaneous content combined amounted to several million, or even tens of millions, of characters.

Zhang Qiudao had meticulously recorded everything about the Xuanhui Realm into the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record and other cultivation methods. Essentially, setting aside the core principles, it was a comprehensive record of the Xuanhui Realm's geography, history, people, flora, fauna, and beasts. Even if Yotsuya Miko had never been to the Xuanhui Realm, this information would be enough for her to converse flawlessly with any cultivator from the Xuanhui Realm.

And now, these few thick "books" had been forcefully crammed into her mind. However, she couldn't transfer this content into someone else's mind. To achieve that, she would need to reach the realm of Yin God transforming into Yang God. Of course, if she didn't consider whether the recipient would become an idiot, she could attempt it once she reached the next realm.

"So, you want to ask an old woman like me to teach her about spiritual power cultivation?"

"That's right."

Miko nodded. Having Yuria train with the cultivators of this world was an idea she had from the beginning because she knew firsthand the pain of being able to see but being powerless. Even for a Psychic like Yuria, who had been able to see since childhood, life wasn't necessarily easy. Now, with a Devilish Cultivator like herself by her side, Ghosts wouldn't cause her trouble for the time being. But what if she wasn't around anymore?

No matter how close any relationship was, there would come a time for separation, and that was what Yotsuya Miko worried about. She wanted Yuria to gain the power to protect herself, so that Yuria's danger would be greatly reduced.

"Yuria can see some weak spirits. While it's not to the point of danger, even being entangled by these weak spirits might not be a good thing. What do you think, Yuria?"

Yuria, who had been lost in thought, stared blankly at the two of them. She was startled awake by Yotsuya Miko's question and subconsciously glanced at Takeda Mie's expression before softly giving her answer.

"I... want to learn."

This was something Yuria had always wanted to achieve: to become an excellent exorcist and maintain the stability of human society. Even after witnessing their reflections on the journey to the Mountain God and suddenly realizing that Ghosts could also kill exorcists, she only paused for a moment before quickly casting aside her worries.

She, Futamido Yuria, would not die so easily. Instead, she would become a truly powerful exorcist.

"I want to learn, please take me in, Master Takeda!"

The heroic spirit in her heart finally suppressed the confusion and worry about becoming an exorcist, transforming into hope for her future as an exorcist. Seeing her respond so loudly, Rom paused and murmured, "Youth is wonderful," before saying nothing more. He had also been young once and tried to help others with his own strength, which was precisely why he had encountered the calamity of the Mountain God. However, he wouldn't say such discouraging words in front of Yuria.

"Hey, Granny Saegusa, this girl can see things, you know?"

"...Even if you say so... I really can't do anything about it."

Takeda Mie sighed, looking at the young girl before her, and reluctantly nodded.

"Then, you are my second disciple as the Downtown Godmother. Although I can't teach you too much, there are indeed some things you need to learn."

"Okay, Master!"

A happy smile spread across Yuria's face. She agreed to whatever Takeda Mie said before finally processing the information in her words.

"Do I have a senior disciple?"

"There, the Prodigy Rom."

Yotsuya Miko pointed at Rom, who had no intention of participating in the conversation. She had figured this out easily; a little thought was all it took to guess.

"That's right, your senior brother. However, he has embarked on a completely different path."

She had watched his videos on YouTube and couldn't help but admire his art of combining tradition and modernity. He actually loaded extermination potions into drones and sprayed them, doing something that was aesthetically unappealing but highly efficient.

"It's you?"

Yuria looked at Rom beside her, somewhat incredulously. After all, she had seen his videos.

"So... this is how exorcism is done?"

"Only he does it like this."

Miko patted her shoulder. She didn't have many thoughts about this modern method of exorcism. After all, if one were to speak of it, her own Devilish Cultivator methods were the true heresy. Not only did she exterminate Ghosts, but she also collected their residual souls as sustenance or materials, essentially treating Ghosts like leeks to be harvested.

"But, isn't that quite efficient?"

"...I can't accept that."

Yuria replied, and the thought of her future self holding several remote controls, with drones in the sky spraying extermination potions in all directions, while she herself wore an exorcist's trench coat, carried an exorcist's magic mirror, wore an exorcist's ring, and even used artificial rain to exterminate Ghosts, brought about an indescribable and peculiar feeling.

Isn't a true exorcist someone who ties several puppets to their waist, wears a cool outfit like a hunting robe, wears a traditional ceremonial hat, maintains a serious expression, and perhaps has a few shikigami?

However, she had never truly witnessed how Yotsuya Miko exterminated Ghosts. If it were the Yotsuya Miko of the past, she might have given this standard answer:

Take out the iron box, open the iron box, grab a handful of Talisman Iron Pellets (flicked with the hand), and then scatter them everywhere, performing a carpet-style bombardment.

Very efficient.

Chapter 84: "Unremarkable" Yotsuya Miko

After officially becoming a disciple, Yuria received her own title. Just like Takeda Mie's Downtown Godmother and Rom's Prodigy Rom, Yuria's title was—Blood-Eyed Yuria.

"...It sounds like a weakling."

Walking down the street, Yuria put on a deathly expression. She began to feel that her decision to become a disciple was too hasty. Although her master, Takeda Mie, seemed normal and orthodox, upon learning that her first disciple was Rom and that her own title was "Blood-Eyed," she had already begun to waver in her resolve.

"Master Takeda... is he really reliable?"

"Don't worry, don't worry."

Yotsuya Miko tried to comfort her, but the thought of the blonde girl who had been expecting a title only to be given "Blood Eye" and fall into a daze made her chuckle.

"Pfft."

"...Laugh if you want to."

Yuria glanced at her. Thinking about this powerful psychic from the same school, any thought of getting angry vanished, leaving only frustration.

"Why not 'Break Delusion,' 'Ghost Killer,' or 'Spirit Shatterer'?"

"Those are possible, but you probably don't have the strength to earn those titles, do you?"

"Then, Miko, do you have one? A title among psychics?"

Thinking this, Yuria looked at her. She didn't know much about this psychic, and she couldn't participate in events like the Mountain God incident. In her eyes, Yotsuya Miko still seemed somewhat unfathomable.

"Me?"

Miko pointed to herself, then shook her head. She wasn't part of this world's cultivation system, naturally hadn't entered this circle, and didn't need to.

"No, and I don't need to."

"Then how did you get to know and communicate with those psychics?"

"I don't need to, and I don't want to."

She replied, smiling at the confused Yuria before her.

"Whether it's the Silver Balls or the Mountain God, I'm just an ordinary high school girl, completely unrelated to these matters."

This is...

Yuria, in her chuunibyou phase, quickly grasped the main point and showed a surprised expression.

A chuunibyou protagonist who, tired of their own life, chooses to live as an ordinary person under a hidden identity. Possessing an exceptionally high status and immense power but concealing it from others. Only acting decisively when companions around them are in danger. Yet, they are troubled by their identity being recognized, begging their companions to keep it a secret, but are often betrayed by them, questioned about their concealment. What kind of strange lighthearted development is this?!

So, am I... that companion now?

"So, I'm just a normal person."

Miko said this, now quite afraid of being investigated. What would happen if it was known that she created the Silver Balls, or that she—or rather, that she dealt with the people related to the Mountain God? Just imagining such a scenario made her realize she might never live a normal life. If they found out about the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record, a cultivation technique that devours ghosts, it would be even worse. This was also one of the reasons she didn't want to teach Yuria the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record.

"Can you understand, Yuria?"

Yuria, considered an anomaly by her peers for being able to see ghosts, Miko believed she would understand her well-intentioned concealment.

And the latter indeed did.

"Um... I don't know anything."

Yuria said this, her gaze towards Yotsuya Miko becoming even more fervent. Although she found the companions who leaked the protagonist's information so carelessly in those stories annoying, only when she truly stepped into that role did she finally understand why those people would risk everything to leak it.

Wow, is it really this enjoyable to have a big shot hiding beside you?

She wished she could tell everyone her deductions and gradually uncover the protagonist's true identity. It was a wonderful process, like deciphering a mystery. Watching the big shot beside her gradually reveal their strength and status, culminating in a grand reveal, was undoubtedly exciting and joyful. Moreover, she was certain that the big shot beside her was a reincarnated deity; the Silver Balls were the best proof.

This is a deity.

Quickly fabricating the "truth" behind Miko's concealment, Yuria restrained her excitement and chose not to be one of those idiotic companions.

"Weren't we discussing what to eat today?"

While being exposed might feel good for a moment, afterwards... she would have to accept the consequences, right? Such a leak would be a complete betrayal of friendship. Even though she, Yuria, desperately wanted to know Yotsuya Miko's true identity, she would only find out through her own efforts, not by basely leaking secrets.

"Uh... yes."

Although her Spiritual Sense detected the strange shift in Yuria's emotions, as usual, Yotsuya Miko didn't intend to dwell on it. After all, she couldn't always figure out Yuria's chuunibyou antics. She just assumed Yuria had thought up some strange hidden circumstances for herself, like having enemies she didn't want them to know about. In any case, Yuria was indeed capable of imagining many things.

"So, what should we eat?"

Miko pondered, then suddenly realized she had just eaten.

"..."

She covered her forehead and gave Yuria beside her an awkward smile.

"Um... how about we go wander those streets again?"

"Go shopping?"

Yuria didn't mind. As long as she could spend more time with Miko, it was a good thing for her. She had promised Miko she would keep it a secret, but she hadn't promised not to ask about her identity.

For now, she could try to pry information out of her to her heart's content, until Miko was no longer willing to talk.

"Speaking of which, the legend of the Guardian of Silver Pellets was really popular before, Miko, have you heard of it?"

"Silver Balls?"

"Yeah, it's said that those Silver Balls somehow appeared beside people who desperately needed help and solved their problems. I really wonder how they did it. Do you think it was really done by a deity?"

"Perhaps... it was?"

"If that's the case, then this deity must be very powerful. It's said that many patients in a hospital were cured because of the Silver Balls. That truly is a powerful and kind deity."

"Uh... is that so?"

Miko felt embarrassed by such talk. She responded clumsily, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere, but Yuria had no intention of giving her the chance. Instead, she began to praise the "Deity of the Silver Ball" with a slight upturn of her lips.

Looking at the streets around her, Miko felt the gloom from her awkward apprenticeship disappear. However, there were quite a few ghosts here too.

Yuria glanced briefly at a ghost passing by her, paying it no mind. The accessory Yotsuya Miko had given her had already worked, killing those few ghosts. Yotsuya Miko, on the other hand, hadn't even looked at the ghosts, preoccupied with how to change the subject. She felt Yuria seemed to be teasing her in this way.

"Recently... there seems to be a nice clothing store. Want to check it out together?"

However, Yuria just gave her a knowing look, "Don't you think this Deity..."

"No matter what, that has nothing to do with me, right?"

"Did I say it had something to do with Miko?"

"..."

Yotsuya Miko chose to surrender.

"Please let me off the hook. I'll treat you to cake."

Chapter 85: The Shepherd

Kawamori is not a famous place, but it is worth mentioning that a renowned calligraphy master once appeared in this land. His family built their foundation here, relying on their ancestor's legacy.

Yamanaka Saigawa narrowed his eyes, picked up his teacup, and silently looked at the old man before him. He carefully chose his words, continuing to persuade the elder.

"This competition is spearheaded by the Kawamori Calligraphy Association and jointly organized by the Kawamori local government. Naturally, we dare not slack off in the slightest. However, for such an important event... it's inevitable that we'll feel regret without the participation of Mr. Tengo's family. After all, Mr. Tengo should be Kawamori's most renowned calligraphy master."

Elder Tengo simply held his teacup, remaining silent. He pondered the significance of this event for his family before slowly nodding.

"Since President Saigawa has put it this way, the Amamiya Family will have no choice but to take on the responsibility for this event."

Just as Yamanaka Saigawa wanted to use his prestige for the event, Amamiya Tengo needed the event to promote the Amamiya Family. The Amamiya Family had already lost much and could no longer remain obscure. This calligraphy family, which had gradually faded from public view, had to seize new development opportunities from it... even if it meant becoming increasingly commercialized and utilitarian.

Thinking of this, Amamiya Tengo couldn't help but sigh. His family had no famous calligraphy masters appearing anymore. Only he, an old man, still had some reputation, but he couldn't be considered highly esteemed. The family could still rely on his reputation for now, but what about after he was gone?

"Then, I ask for Mr. Tengo's guidance."