I'll Come Clean / Negotiations Have Nothing to Do with Honor

The talisman, imbued with Spiritual Power, quickly landed on the dark figure, shattering it. The two old men glanced at it but said nothing more; their impression of the newcomer only worsened.

"It's about time we went."

After tidying up the papers, the three headed down the mountain. Following the midday notes, it was time for the evening notes.

The number of Ghosts increases significantly at night, making it the most troublesome time. In this season, by the time they finish dinner and arrive at Kamikakushi Mountain, it is already dark, and they will need to use flashlights to explore the path up the mountain.

Even so, the Ghosts were only slightly troublesome. The three of them had been recording for several days, so they weren't too nervous about recording at night.

Chapter 162 I'm coming clean.

"Sister, you're back?!"

The first person to discover that Yotsuya Miko had returned home was not Yotsuya Touko, but Yotsuya Kyosuke.

When he saw his older sister walking in through the door, the boy's face lit up with surprise and joy. He hurriedly stepped over the Yotsuya Miko before slowing down, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

His instinct was to rush over and hug his sister, but he should act maturely now.

However, Yotsuya Miko didn't share his conflicted feelings. After leaning her suitcase against the wall, Miko walked up to Kyosuke and hugged his soft little brother tightly.

"I'm back! Did you miss me, Kyosuke?"

Yotsuya Miko quite liked her younger brother. Although the brat looked fierce, he was actually a kind-hearted person despite his cold exterior.

"You... you were trying to hug me just now, weren't you?"

She smiled and released her grip as Kyosuke tried to struggle free from her embrace, saying something utterly disingenuous.

"No way!"

As expected, these words made Kyosuke blush and deny it repeatedly.

"No, I didn't. I just... just..."

I wanted to deny it, but I was still thinking like a primary school student and couldn't hide my emotions.

Yotsuya Kyosuke lowered his head and uttered a single sentence.

"I'm just happy to see that you weren't hurt, sister."

After saying that, he couldn't say anything more.

"Miko... you're back?"

Just as the siblings were reunited, Yotsuya Touko, who was cooking in the kitchen, finally came out, looked at the fully recovered Yotsuya Miko, and smiled.

"How are you feeling? Do you need more rest? I've already told the school that they can give you a few more days off. You must be feeling terrible after what happened to you, right?"

She tried to remain composed, but her slightly trembling body betrayed her excitement at seeing her daughter safe and sound.

"Dinner... I should have made an extra portion. I think I forgot. Honestly, you said you were coming back today, but I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, Miko."

"That's not true at all."

Miko shook his head, he slowly walked towards his mother.

"It was my fault for being so willful and making you worry."

In that long string of unanswered calls, most of them were from Yurikawa Hana, and the rest were from the woman in front of her, her mother. Every day in Kawamaori, Touko would call her daughter to check on her.

She was very worried; it was the kind of worry a parent has for their child.

I'm so sorry to have worried you.

He embraced another loved one with both arms; it was just a simple hug, but the excitement gradually subsided and turned into peace.

Yotsuya Touko didn't speak, but silently stroked her daughter's soft hair, inwardly sighing at how mature Yotsuya Miko had become without her noticing, with a touch of sadness in her heart.

After her husband's death, everything changed, including her, Miko, and Kyosuke. She emerged from the pain of losing her husband and bravely raised her two children on her own, and the two children gradually became more sensible.

Miko had changed so much, she couldn't even tell.

She was the one who was worried about Miko's safety, worried that Miko would encounter difficulties and setbacks, but in the end it was Miko who comforted her, sweeping away the worries and anxieties in her heart.

She felt both gratified and distressed by Miko. This mature Miko must have experienced far too many things that she didn't know about, yet the child had never told her even a tiny bit.

Are you worried that your loved ones are being disturbed?

Yotsuya Touko understood perfectly; this was indeed her daughter's nature. That unwillingness to trouble others, to involve others in her own affairs— Yotsuya Miko was such a gentle person, willing to bear all the pain herself.

"Miko..."

The mother hugged her child tightly. She didn't intend to force her Miko things she didn't know. All she could do was not let her daughter be troubled by her.

"I'm so glad you're alright."

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine."

Yotsuya Miko smiled, however,

Her heart felt like it was being scratched by something, causing her immense pain, so much so that she wanted to cut open her chest to see what was wrong with her beating heart.

Why, why do I feel so uncomfortable?

Go to Sichuan to guard the capital, participate in the calligraphy competition, resolve the Gate of the Underworld, and defeat the Xuanming Python.

These things were all done of her own volition. Even when facing the Xuanming Python, she thought she might die, but she still faced the ferocious beast without fear.

She never regretted any of these things, only regretting why she hadn't discovered the Blood Sacrifice array sooner.

When Yurikawa Hana and her mother, Yotsuya Touko. Aside from the trouble, she only felt the warmth of being cared for, and nothing more.

However, when she saw her mother again and heard her mother's incoherent words due to excitement, she realized what she had done wrong.

She is Yotsuya Miko. She is indeed a superhuman with immense power, and her demonic cultivation power is enough for her to face any difficulties and challenges she encounters.

But aside from being a demon cultivator, she is Yurikawa Hana's friend, Yotsuya Touko's daughter, and Kyosuke's older sister.

She died, and she wasn't the only one who died.

"Besides, I'll be fine."

A man, a man whose tragedy was caused by his own concealment, resurfaced in her mind.

While helping Ten'gu Sanae ease the tension between Amamiya Xingqiu and Amamiya Tengo, Yotsuya Miko pondered this question: Should she really continue to hide it?

Besides, does she even need to hide it?

"Because I am powerful."

Yotsuya Miko loosened her embrace and looked at her two loved ones. She was glad that she had taken this into account during her negotiations with Okita Qishen.

"This world is full of incredible things, which bring dangers and hidden dangers. Therefore, someone is needed to deal with these unavoidable disasters. Divine Gate is such an official agency, responsible for dealing with those 'spirits' that bring harm. Behind the terrorist attack in Kawamori, there is also such a disaster happening."

As she spoke, she took out an ID card from her shoulder bag.

"And that's why I went to Kawamori. I'm sorry, but there's no point in hiding it now."

As Okita Qishen prepared his credentials, Yotsuya Miko paused, manipulated her spiritual energy to conjure several pieces of ice the size of cell phones in mid-air, and read out her position.

Actually, I am...

Chapter 163 Negotiations Without Morality

Should we cooperate with the official channels?

Zhang Qiudao's knowledge provides many examples regarding this issue.

There are no true countries in the Xuanhui Realm, but rather numerous sects. Mortals gather within the territories of these sects, and the large number of people form corresponding organizations.

Powerful sects rule over human kingdoms with populations exceeding one million or even ten million, thus forming a unique system of governance distinct from the real world. However, if applied to reality, it could probably be understood as a conglomerate, or a religion, only a conglomerate or religion possessing military power.

Sects recruit exceptionally talented individuals as the foundation of their rule, binding these individuals to the sect's interests. These talents originate from the human empires they govern. Sects provide protection to nations, acting as the de facto governing bodies, while the entire nation relies heavily on sects for its survival, serving as the sect's source of profit and providing for its needs. The two are interdependent, one primary and one secondary; however, a nation cannot afford to lose a sect, while a sect can abandon a nation and create its own.

Under such circumstances, the human race in the Xuanhui Realm has always been "with sects but no national boundaries" and "knows only sects but not countries." Their understanding of countries and sects is like that of modern people regarding provinces and nationalities.

These sects can be compared to countries in this world, but they are also different in many ways.

At least within sects, political struggles and conflicts of interest are more intense and less blatant. Righteous sects might be a little better; they still care about their reputation and don't go to extremes, occasionally using some embellishment to maintain a positive image. Some are genuinely upright and don't care about such competition. But Demonic Path sects are different. Because they've been severely suppressed by the righteous sects, they dare not be shameless in their struggles for interests; to maintain their reputation would mean sacrificing some flesh.

The internal workings of Demonic Path sects are like a giant breeding ground for venomous insects. Sect leaders and elders are often at odds, constantly arguing for their own interests and wishing each other dead. The disciples, too, suffer a tragic fate. Death is forbidden within the sect; outside, life and death are left to chance. They form groups and organizations for their own cultivation, and further, due to their affiliation with certain elders, they create conflicting factions. It's common to find a sect with over a dozen factions, and a faction with over a dozen subgroups.

The elders don't accept true disciples, but they have hundreds of students, either as investors or because they're after the benefits the disciples offer. Below the elders are the managers, who are the elders' subordinates. Below the managers are the disciples who are assigned specific tasks. This large sect is essentially fragmented, with each member acting independently and managing their own interests. As for how it develops, that depends entirely on their own efforts.

As for the specifics of how it operates, that would be a long story, so I'll leave it at that. It can only be said that Demonic Path sects have low entry barriers and weak management of their disciples. They don't care much about whether their disciples betray the sect. A single sect can recruit far more disciples than the righteous sects, which is how a sect can maintain its operation.

Zhang Qiudao himself had served in several Demonic Path sects, killing many members of righteous sects. He had also served as a sect elder or sect leader, so he was extremely familiar with the underhanded dealings involved. Therefore, Yotsuya Miko, who had gained a clear understanding from his knowledge, did not think highly of the Divine Gate.

From the actions of both the local and Divine Gate, she realized that the internal power struggles within Divine Gate were extremely complicated, and that inaction was a serious problem. Accepting Divine Gate's offer of recruitment was impossible, but cooperation was still worth discussing.

Moreover, there are many areas that can be discussed, not just what can be discussed.

From a cooperative standpoint, a Divine Gate with differing internal voices can actually better satisfy her demands. The more differing the voices, the more she can seek her own interests. Even if she doesn't seek them, Divine Gate will still offer her benefits over trivial matters.

"I know what's going on with the changes happening at Kamikakushi Mountain."

Yotsuya Miko looked at Okita Qishen in front of her; that matter really was related to her.

To be precise, it's related to the monster she created. To fight the Mountain God, she used the Nightmare Refining Art to fabricate a powerful creation from her memories. After defeating the Mountain God, this creation entered the world inside the Gate of the Underworld and has never appeared since. The Gate of the Underworld on Kamikakushi Mountain has also completely lost its original function and seems to have been completely sealed off.

Okita Qishen brought her terrible news: a spirit medium from the Divine Gate had died on Kamikakushi Mountain, and the only one who escaped was in a state of panic, incoherently recounting the tragedy that had occurred on Kamikakushi Mountain, and revealing information that made Okita Qishen uneasy.

Those spirits that should have been attacked by Spiritual Power have developed an extremely strong resistance to it.

Resistance...

Yotsuya Miko quickly realized one possibility: spiritual energy.

Spiritual Power is a very crude form of energy extraction, and this is indeed the case for the Xuanhui Realm. The only redeeming quality of this Spiritual Power is that it possesses a certain purifying property.

In an environment imbued with spiritual energy, the use of this Spiritual Power is severely diminished. This is because when Spiritual Power flows from a person or object and comes into contact with external spiritual energy, this weak energy is quickly assimilated by the spiritual energy. However, people in this world are unaware of this assimilation, and it is inevitable that it will be mistaken for resistance.

Besides spiritual energy, there are many other things, but there are too many to list them all. For example, even now, with Yotsuya Miko's ability to completely suppress Spiritual Power, exorcists are no different from ordinary people in her presence.

"But that's not my business."

This statement is a lie.

Yotsuya Miko calmly gazed at Okita Qishen in front of her, showing no remorse or other emotions on the surface.

Okita Qishen traveled a long way to be with her on the same train and presented her with this document. Anyone would know how to respond.

"I regret what happened on Kamikakushi Mountain, but at the moment there doesn't seem to be much of a threat."

He paused for a moment after speaking.

"If you're having trouble, I wouldn't mind lending a hand and helping you out of this danger."

Zhang Qiudao, the cheap master, once said something that Yotsuya Miko greatly agreed with, "Don't have any morals when negotiating, because your opponent will only take advantage of your morality." Therefore, he never negotiates; he only tries to get people to agree to his terms.

"But only this once. As you can see, I'm not a particularly kind person."

She was the one who caused the trouble at Kamikakushi Mountain, so she was obligated to get involved. However, she couldn't let others order her around to do so.

So don't expect the author to subject Miko -chan to any torment in the story. By the way, Miko- chan is kind, but that doesn't mean she has to act in the wrong. The author wrote about demonic cultivators precisely to avoid hypocritical storylines.

Chapter 164 Other Thoughts

Despite Yotsuya Touko and Yotsuya Kyosuke's initial indifference, they were ultimately convinced by Yotsuya Miko's comprehensive documentation and reporting procedures.

After all, there's really no way to not believe it.

"I'm sorry for keeping this from you all this time, but my work has come to an end, and I've applied for a transfer with Divine Gate, so I don't need to face that situation anymore."

Yotsuya Miko took out a large stack of documents and registration forms and stuffed them back into her shoulder bag, wondering how to get rid of these worthless pieces of paper.

She did confess, but only part of it, and it was a fabricated confession.

Her current identity is a special investigator for the Divine Gate, with her badge clearly stating "Special Missions." In other words, she is a privileged member of the Divine Gate. As for matters like demonic cultivators, the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record, and Zhang Qiudao, she plans to keep them buried in her heart for the rest of her life, or perhaps only speak of them when she has cultivated to a level similar to Zhang Qiudao's.

She remained open about what she could and couldn't say.

Asking Divine Gate for such an identity was something she had already considered. After all, for ordinary people, the government has more authority than independent individuals. Especially since the government pays her a salary.

Yes, there's no more convincing reason than money.

The moment they saw Divine Gate transferring money to her phone in the name of the government, the two of them were completely convinced.

"Sister, you mean you went to Kawase to carry out a mission?"

Yotsuya Kyosuke stammered, suddenly realizing the vast difference in the world.

"Go fight monsters?"