Chapter-351
The previously quiet room was suddenly filled with the astonished voices of Gojo Satoru.
"Huh?! So the current situation is that Xiaoqing might disappear the moment she sees us?"
As he spoke, he kept spitting out food. Shoko and Riko both gave Gojo Satoru a disgusted look, and then moved away from him in unison.
Gojo Satoru realized this as well. He coughed twice, then quickly chewed twice, swallowed the food in his mouth, and immediately changed the subject:
"But if it's as you say, even I don't have any good ideas. You haven't explained what exactly is causing Xiaoqing's rejection, so even if I were to think of a solution, I wouldn't have any good suggestions."
Shoko was about to light a cigarette, but seeing Riko beside her, she put the cigarette back down. She sighed and said slowly:
"So this is the current situation. If we can't think of a solution, it's best not to meet with Xiaoqing for the time being."
Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru rested his chin on his hand, his face puffed up, slightly marring his otherwise handsome features. He clicked his tongue, his voice muffled:
"There must be a way, but I have a question, Riko. You said that Xiaoqing has been with you for a while, so why can he meet with you but not with us?"
Hearing this, Riko was slightly taken aback, but before they arrived, Zenin Kiyoshi had already anticipated that the two would ask this question, so he had already told Riko how to answer it.
It's definitely not okay to tell the truth directly. This world is fake; only Xia Youjie and Li Zi are real. If we tell the others this reality, the balance mechanism will collapse instantly.
Either the illusion collapses and resets again, or Riko and Natsuyuki suffer mental setbacks; neither of these is acceptable to Zenji Sei.
Therefore, Riko looked at Gojo Satoru and replied with the words that Zenin Kiyoshi had said:
"Xiaoqing told me about this. His physical body disappeared during the fusion and explosion of the Star Essence. The reason he was able to see me and materialize next to me may be related to my identity as the Star Essence."
But Xiaoqing herself didn't quite understand the specific reasons behind this, so I'm also at a loss for the time being.
Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru seemed to have received some kind of inspiration. He suddenly slapped his thigh and then said to Riko:
"In that case, why don't we go down to Lord Tianyuan's place underground? Although Lord Tianyuan's current state is strange, he's probably just looking at some documents there, so there's probably nothing wrong with him. Besides..."
At this point, Gojo Satoru paused, a smile of absolute confidence on his face:
"Even if something goes wrong, I can guarantee that no one will get hurt. After all, Xiao Qing entrusted you all to me, and I can't let him down!"
Shoko smiled and shook her head upon hearing this. She pinched Gojo Satoru's arm, and amidst his grimacing expression, she said with a sarcastic tone:
"What do you mean by entrusting us to you? You're really rude, talking like we're some kind of object. But just like what Gojo said, Riko, we need to go to Lord Tengen's warehouse."
Riko breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; indeed, everything was pretty much as Zenji Sei had predicted.
TANTRA MAXपुरुष शक्ति दिन में 10 घंटे तक | इस ट्रिक को कम ही लोग जानते हैं
However, Riko herself was also a little curious as to why Zenin Kiyoshi was unwilling to tell Gojo Satoru about the plans of the "Prison Gate Frontier".
Zenji Sei never gave a direct answer to this question; he only said it was for the sake of being safe.
Riko didn't ask any further questions. After all, Zenin Kiyoshi had experienced Gojo Satoru's illusion once, and perhaps in that world, Zenin Kiyoshi knew some other secrets.
However, since things are developing in the direction that Zenji Sei predicted, it's best to let things take their natural course. Riko doesn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Led by Gojo Satoru, the team entered Tengen's location with almost no hindrance.
After all, ever since Tianyuan fell into that state of neither life nor death, apart from the daily maintenance of the barrier, hardly anyone has come here.
Although some high-ranking officials wanted to consolidate their positions by controlling Tengen, they abandoned that idea under the direct threat of Gojo Satoru.
The reason why Gojo Satoru did that was very simple: he could not tolerate anyone touching the person that Zenji Seisei had tried so hard to protect!
Seeing that Gojo Satoru's attitude was so firm, the other high-ranking officials did not persist and turned Tengen into a lawless gray area.
Upon entering, before anyone could react, a somewhat haggard and hoarse voice rang out, accompanied by a fierce attack that nearly tore through space.
[Hypothetical Mass: 20,000 tons!]
The Phoenix Wheel traced a blinding arc in the air before crashing down on Gojo Satoru and the others.
However, the attack, which carried immense power, stopped at a standstill less than half a meter from Gojo Satoru, as if time and movement had been erased. It could not advance even an inch further.
Gojo Satoru's eyes gleamed with a faint azure light as he lazily called out to the figure not far away:
"Hey! Sister Jiujiu! Even if you know we won't get hurt, it's really going too far to unleash an attack like this right off the bat."
The figure opposite simply replied:
"Because I observed your magical power, but I couldn't be sure it was you, so I tested you a little. If it were someone impersonating you, they would die instantly, but if it's the real you, this attack wouldn't hurt you."
Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru sighed, somewhat helplessly saying:
Even so, what is the point of doing this?
"It doesn't mean anything, I just don't want anyone to disturb Xiaoqing and Tianyuan's sleep."
When Tsukumo Yuki said these words, her voice was extremely hoarse, and even her beautiful hair looked somewhat disheveled.
She slowly walked out of the shadows, the once flamboyant smile on her face fading, leaving only a pair of slightly numb and sorrowful eyes.
When she saw Riko, Yuki Tsukumo showed a hint of surprise, but it only lasted for a moment before she returned to her usual calm demeanor.
The death of Zenji Seiji dealt her a blow far greater than anyone could have imagined.
"Riko, why are you here?"
Ninety-nine asked her question, but the one who responded was Zen-in Kiyoshi's familiar voice.
Chapter-352
"Sister Yuki, it's been a long time. You look much gentler than before. Are you developing into a more gentle and refined woman?"
The moment Shijyuki heard Zenji's voice, her previously numb eyes suddenly exploded as if thrown into boiling water, bursting forth with a light that could almost scald a person.
She activated the technique almost instinctively, imagining mass, making her body as light as a feather. In the next instant, her figure left a trail of afterimages in the air, appearing in front of Riko with a terrifying speed that seemed to tear through space.
The wind pressure from the high-speed movement suddenly blew Riko's long hair backward, even causing her to stagger backward.
But at this moment, the overly excited Tsukumo Yuki completely ignored all of this. Her hands gripped Riko's shoulders like iron clamps, with such force that Riko instinctively cried out in pain.
But Tsukumo Yuki's bloodshot eyes were now fixed on Riko, as if she wanted to devour her alive. Her originally hoarse voice became sharp and distorted due to extreme excitement:
"Was that Kiyoshi who just spoke?! I didn't hear wrong, did I?! It was him speaking, wasn't it?! Where is he?! Answer me, Riko!"
Her breathing was heavy, her chest heaving violently, and she was in a state of extreme excitement and instability. The magical power emanating from her body became disordered and extremely oppressive due to the intense fluctuations in her emotions.
The death of Zenji Seiji back then was a far greater blow to her than anyone expected. In fact, after that, Tsukumo Yuki disappeared, and no one knew where she went.
Some people saw her abroad and said that she was looking for spells and artifacts that could bring people back to life. However, such sightings gradually decreased over time, and by the third year after Zenji Sei's death, there were no more such sightings.
Only a very few insiders understood that after realizing there was absolutely no hope of reviving Zenjiu Kiyoshi and the others, Tsukumo Yuki almost fell into a state of frenzied obsession and self-isolation.
She chose to plunge into Tianyuan's collection room, hoping to gain some small glimmer of hope from Tianyuan's millennia-old accumulated data while guarding the slumbering grounds of Tianyuan and the Zen Temple.
But this long-standing hope and despair made Tsukumo Yuki's caution begin to become abnormal, just like her previous direct attack on Gojo Satoru.
Watching this scene, Gojo Satoru felt a pang of emotion. In this world, the more sunny and cheerful a person appears on the surface, the more powerful the shadows they will cast after encountering some drastic changes.
Just as Xiaoqing said, even under the bright sunlight, there are shadows just as thick.
Hmm... to use Xiaoqing's words, they're the Uchiha clan?
As Gojo Satoru thought this, he took a few steps forward, gently pulled away Tsukumo Yuki's hand, and softly advised:
"Sister Ninety-Nine, you're being a bit too forceful. Xiao Qing is indeed here, and it was definitely him speaking just now, but for some reason, he can't meet with us right now. If he does meet, it could lead to..."
However, before Gojo Satoru could finish speaking, Zenin Kiyoshi's figure slowly emerged from Riko's shadow.
"Yuki-nee, Satoru, and Shoko."
Zenji Sei's voice rang out again, clearer than before, carrying a soothing tone, and interrupting Gojo Satoru's words.
Just as Zenji Qing's voice faded, his figure slowly emerged from the shadows under Riko's tense gaze.
The next moment, Zen-in-origin Qing's figure slowly diffused and coalesced like an ink painting, finally appearing steadily.
His complexion was even rosier than Riko had seen before, and he looked to be in quite good condition. Moreover, even after he materialized, there was no repulsive force around him.
Zenjiro gazed at the dissipating power around him, a faint smile appearing on his face.
As expected, since the balancing mechanism always attributes its own death to Lord Tianyuan's incident, the impact and narrative of this incident cannot be too detailed. Otherwise, if any small node goes wrong, the world cannot continue to unfold.
This means that there is a lot of room for manipulation regarding the point at which one dies in the Tianyuan incident.
After just a brief attempt, Zenji Qing discovered that the celestial energy emanating from all around could almost perfectly exclude the balancing mechanism, and here, he also had the greatest freedom!
However, these things could not make Zenjiro Shigen laugh at this moment. He looked at the almost frenzied Kujukyuu, his eyes filled with complex emotions, including guilt, heartache, and an indescribable entanglement.
"I am here, and thanks to the power of Lord Tengen, I am able to meet you formally. The reason I couldn't do this before was probably because my own materialization was too low. Now, with Riko's help, I can control more of the magical power."
He offered a soft explanation, but the people in front of him did not heed his words. The moment they saw the familiar figure before them, the three of them almost simultaneously teared up.
Even though he had known for many years that Zenji Kiyoshi had not died, the emotion he felt at the moment when he actually saw Kiyoshi in front of him was indescribable.
Because Gojo Satoru and Shoko knew the news in advance, they were able to restrain themselves at this moment.
But Yuki Kuju was different; she saw Zen-in Kiyoshi without any prior warning!
The moment Tsukumo Yuki saw Zenji's figure, she abruptly released her grip on Riko's shoulder.
Looking at Zenjiro before her, she felt as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant. She staggered back half a step, laughing and crying at the same time. Her pupils trembled violently, her lips were slightly parted, and Zenjiro's image was reflected in her eyes, as if she wanted to etch his appearance into the depths of her soul.
"Xiao Qing?... Is it really... you?"
Her voice suddenly dropped, filled with a broken, incredulous sob.
Tears welled up unexpectedly, not like the kind of crying where one suppresses their emotions, nor like the kind of excited ecstasy that Gojo Satoru experienced, but rather a kind of... a cry of near despair, of something lost and then regained.
She didn't rush over, nor did she make another sound. She just stood there, letting her tears flow freely, her shoulders trembling violently, like a child who had been lost for too long and had finally found her way home but was now utterly exhausted.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
She stepped forward, embraced Zenjiro, and apologized repeatedly.
Chapter-353
Unlike the reactions of Mingming and Riko, for someone like Tsukumo Yuki, the more radiant their appearance, the stronger the shadows hidden deep within their heart.
Just like Xia Youjie, before he turned to the dark side, he was the most cheerful and gentle person in the entire college. But after experiencing those things, he became an extremist who wanted to kill all ordinary people.
For Yuki Tsukumo, she is not actually the kind of person with particularly strong self-energy.
The reason she appears so calm and composed in dealing with everything is actually for a very simple reason.
Not familiar with it.
The best way to avoid acting on emotions is to not get emotionally involved.
This is the path that Tsukumo Yuki chose after she understood the underlying logic of the world of magic.
She had classmates and good relationships with them, but one by one, they all died in the process of fighting the cursed spirits.
After the deaths of her companions, Yuki Tsukumo, while not becoming as extreme and paranoid as Shinobu, chose her own way to prevent this from continuing.
Since strong bonds can bring intense pain, it would be better not to build them in the first place.
Therefore, after graduating, Yuki Tsukumo immediately chose to go abroad alone and carried out solo missions for a long time. All of these things combined were the means she used to close herself off from the world.
She was actually prepared to continue in this situation, but after meeting Zenji Kiyoshi, she was drawn into his life in various inexplicable ways and could no longer be as carefree as before.
Sometimes even Tsukumo Yuki herself didn't know why she was attracted to Zenin Kiyoshi. Apart from being stronger, more insightful, and able to perceive her true inner thoughts to some extent, the other party had almost no other advantages.
She had always thought of herself as not being the kind of person who would act impulsively or emotionally, but after hearing the news of Zen-in-Chih's death and seeing his grave with her own eyes, she realized that she was not strong or resilient at all.
She was too weak, so weak that she couldn't protect the people around her, nor could she protect the life she wanted.
She was too weak. After Zenjiro's death, she couldn't even convince herself to accept the news. She was obsessed with the fantasy of resurrecting him and presumptuously wanted to improve the spirit summoning technique so that he could be completely resurrected.
The spirit summoning technique requires at least the other party's bones, but I can't even find a single hair of Zen-in-the-Palace.
My reason kept telling me that resurrecting the other person was impossible, but my emotions kept controlling me, making me do things that seemed incredibly foolish.
But repeated failures and fruitless attempts made Yuki Tsukumo realize that those things were impossible, and she would never, ever see Seiji Zenin again.
Once she figured this out, she completely lost all hope and motivation; or rather, from that moment on, she was practically a dead person.
Without her own consciousness or thoughts, the only reason she was still alive was to protect what Zen-in-Tsui had left behind.
Because he was older than Gojo Satoru and the others, Tsukumo Yuki was better able to understand how complicated things were after Zenjiin Kiyoshi's sudden departure. Just the aftermath of Zenjiin Kiyoshi's power struggles with the higher-ups back then was something that Gojo Satoru and the others couldn't possibly understand.
Now that Zenjiro Kiyoshi is dead, she absolutely cannot let his hard work go to waste. At the very least, she must wait until Gojo Satoru and the others are mature and capable of taking over everything before she can truly leave this place and go to find the world where Kiyoshi is.
So, Tsukumo Yuki came here. She chose to stay here to protect what the Zen temple Seiwa Tengen left behind, and to spend the rest of her life here.
As for her previous idea of how to eliminate the cursed spirits from their source, she has almost completely given up on it.
How should I put it? After learning about the origin of the astral body and the real existence of the balancing mechanism, Yuki Tsukumo had already understood one thing in her heart.
That is, cursed spirits can never be truly destroyed.
Even if I were to teach all ordinary people how to control their magical power, another way of incubating magical spirits would still emerge in this world.
Black and white, cursed spirits and humans, are the eternal truths of this world.
From a human perspective, one might naturally perceive cursed spirits as evil. However, from a higher-level worldview, humans and cursed spirits are simply two different elements that constitute the world, and the relative balance between these two elements is what the world needs.
As for the debris consumed when the two elements rub against each other, the world doesn't care whether that debris is life or something else.
As long as the world remains stable, that's enough.
Since it is impossible for me to destroy the cursed spirit, why should I continue to waste my efforts on something that I know is impossible?
She remained in this dim underground space for two or three years, living in a daze.
But during those days, she never had a single day of true peace of mind. Every time she thought of the scene at that time, Yuki Kujukyu felt pain and regret.
If I had been stronger, smarter, or more careful, would things have turned out differently? Would Zenjiro Kiyoshi have survived?
You should know that Zenji Qingben could have completely stayed out of the Star Essence Incident! He was an outsider to begin with!
He is not the Six-Eyed One, nor is he the Heavenly Curse Binding One, nor is he the Star Essence Body One!
He's just an ordinary person!
He resolutely stepped into this storm for the sake of himself and others.
But now? They and the others survived, but the most innocent one, Zenji Kiyoshi, died in this incident.
It's all her fault, it's all her fault!
How despicable! How despicable!
Overwhelmed by all her emotions, Tsukumo Yuki was on the verge of collapse. Upon seeing Zenjiro Kiyoshi appear, she didn't even have time to think before bursting into tears.
Even if it's a dream or an illusion, as long as I can see you again, as long as I can say sorry to you in person, then nothing else matters!
Whichever god you are, please, let me see him again!
The sudden, heart-wrenching sobs of Tsukumo Yuki left Zenji Seito somewhat stunned. He stared at Tsukumo Yuki, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions.
Chapter-354
The crying of Tsukumo Yuki came far too suddenly.
No one would have thought that a woman like her would shed tears until she actually did.
She herself is as bright as the sun, and no one would associate her with a woman's gentleness, just like being caught in a sudden downpour under a clear blue sky.
Her crying was neither the quiet release of suppressed emotions after being suppressed to the extreme, nor the catharsis of Riko, which was a mixture of joy and grievance. Rather, it was a kind of... a near-collapse, sobbing with intense guilt and a tendency toward self-destruction.
She cried intermittently, each sob feeling as if she were about to vomit her insides. Her body curled up from the extreme sorrow and pain brought on by the crying, and her body began to convulse—a physical torment caused by emotions reaching a certain point.
The body's emotions no longer wanted to continue, and she even began to spontaneously destroy her body.
At this moment, Tsukumo Yuki was gripping her somewhat brittle hair tightly with both hands, her knuckles so white that they were devoid of any color.
The cries echoed in the now somewhat claustrophobic space of the Hongxing Palace, sounding particularly jarring and mournful.
Gojo Satoru put away his slightly smiling and teasing expression. He could feel the intense sorrow in the crying, a sorrow that almost overwhelmed him.
Shoko's eyes were serious, and Riko was even more shocked by this sudden and unexpectedly intense reaction. However, this shock only lasted for a moment before it disappeared. Having experienced the feeling of losing and regaining something, she could understand Tsukumo Yuki's emotions better than anyone else.
Zenji stood there, watching the once flamboyant and confident, seemingly carefree, top-level sorcerer now curl up and weep like an abandoned child, recounting the self-blame and pain that he had never known, buried deep in her heart for five years.
Those cries, so shrill and heart-wrenching, were like the sharpest blades, piercing Zen Monastery Qing's heart one by one.
Damn illusions, why does it always present itself like this?
Even the hardest heart cannot bear such cries time and time again.
Zen Monk took a deep breath and then walked forward.
Even at this moment, Tsukumo Yuki continued to mutter to herself, expressing the pain in her heart:
"It's all my fault... If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been involved in this so-called Star Magma Destiny!"
If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have died at all... You were just an ordinary person. What does the destiny of the Heavenly Origin and the Star Essence have to do with you? Why did I drag you into this too?
Xiaoqing...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."
Jiujiu Yuki kept repeating this, his voice broken and filled with an overwhelming sense of regret.
Looking at the other person's current state, Zenji Sei felt a suffocating pain spreading through his heart.
He never imagined that Ninety-Nine Yuki would bear the weight of his "death" so heavily on his shoulders, even to the point of negating everything about himself and exiling himself to this dark place to spend the rest of his life like a walking corpse.
As he walked closer, Yuki even subconsciously retreated, trying to escape herself and this so-called reality.
Without hesitation, Zenji Qing quickened his pace and rushed forward to hug Jiujiu Yuki.
Feeling the figure in his arms, who was clearly much thinner than before, Zenji Kiyoshi suddenly felt the bitterness in his heart deepen once again.
He held Jiujiu Yuki tightly in his arms, embracing her with great force, as if trying to merge her into his own body.
Trembling, vulnerability, and pain emanated from that body, so intense that even Zenji Qingdu found it hard to bear.
He forced back the bitterness in his heart and said as gently as possible:
"Sister Yuki..."
Zen-in Kiyoshi's voice was soft, yet it carried a strange power that could soothe the soul.
"Look up at me, I want to tell you something."
Yuki's sobs paused slightly, but she didn't look up. Her shoulders were still trembling violently. She didn't dare to look at the other person. She was afraid to read even the slightest bit of tenderness in those eyes. For her, the more tenderness there was, the more her heart would ache.
"Look at me, Yuki-nee, or I'm leaving."
Zenjiro repeated himself, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable force, with a hint of teasing amusement.
Upon hearing that the other party was leaving, Tsukumo Yuki finally slowly and with great difficulty raised her head.
Her face was covered in tears and snot, and her long golden hair was stuck to her cheeks, matted together by the tears, making her look somewhat disheveled.
Ninety-nine's gaze was extremely unfocused at this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, and there was bottomless pain and self-loathing in them.
Zenji Seiji looked directly into her eyes without flinching.
He didn't offer the gentle smile he showed when comforting Mingming or Riko, nor did he deliver the helpless banter he did when dealing with Gojo Satoru.
At this moment, Zenji Sei's expression was more serious than ever before, even carrying a hint of sternness.
"Listen up, Yuki-nee."
Zen Monk Qing spoke clearly, word by word, to the ninety-nine Yuki:
"No matter what kind of life I choose, no matter what things I get involved in, it is my own choice. It has nothing to do with anyone else, and it is not your responsibility."
I have never regretted the path I chose. Even if I were to die, I would never have felt the slightest regret. I chose to get involved in this matter because of you, because of Shoko, because of Lord Tengen, because you are all worth doing.
It's because you deserve it, it's always been you who deserve it, that's the premise, and the only reason.
"No! If I hadn't involved you back then, if I hadn't let you get involved in those balancing mechanisms, you wouldn't have been so..."
Yuki Tsukumo was eager to refute, but the long-standing debt she had owed had already emptied her mind and left her in a state of despair.
"There are no 'ifs'!"
Zen-in-shiki interrupted her, his voice rising slightly, carrying a resolute determination:
"Stepping onto that battlefield was my own will! Protecting you was my own decision! Bearing the consequences is also my own responsibility! But there is only one thing I need to ask of you."
At this point, Zenji Sei's eyes reddened slightly. He grasped Tsukumo Yuki's hand and said, word by word:
"Don't blame my death on your mistakes. From the beginning, all I wanted was for you to live better lives. If my death makes your lives full of pain, that's the only thing that will make me feel sad and guilty."
So, with a smile, just like before, I beg you, Yuki.
Chapter-355
Every word Zen-in-Chih said was like a heavy hammer, striking the walls of her heart that had been frozen for five years.
The hard shell, built from self-blame and despair, began to show continuous cracks like a spider web under this series of violent blows.
At this moment, Kujuku Yuki stared blankly at Zenjiro Sei, at those eyes that were so close to him, so serious yet filled with unspeakable sorrow.
Tears continued to stream uncontrollably down her face, but these warm tears were different from before.
If her previous tears were a sorrowful sob that almost tore her soul apart, then now, the sorrow and pain have miraculously stopped.
The tears at this moment are warm and full of hope for survival.
However, after being subjected to such a violent and contradictory clash of thoughts in such a short period of time, her mind was now blank, with only Zenji Sei's clear and firm words echoing repeatedly.
Everything was his choice...
He has never regretted any of the choices he has made...
Whether it's Riko, Tengen-sama, or Yuki-nee, you all deserve what I did...
These words, spoken by the Zen monk, clashed fiercely with her deeply ingrained belief over the past five years that "it's all my fault," sparking a chaotic and disorienting reaction within her.
Yuki, her mind in utter chaos, was at a loss for what to do. She instinctively looked towards Seiji Zenin:
"Xiao Qing..."
Yuki opened her mouth, her voice hoarse and almost unlike her own, carrying a sense of bewilderment and vulnerability. Her lips were covered with bloody marks from being bitten by her teeth. Her once full and round red lips were now covered with torn skin, and beneath the skin, faint traces of blood were still oozing out.
Zenjiro saw that the intense self-loathing in Kujuku's eyes seemed to have softened slightly, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He loosened his grip on her shoulders, but his gaze remained fixed on her, worried that she might think of something inappropriate again.
Most people in the world of sorcery are, frankly speaking, a group of mentally paranoid individuals. It can be asserted that virtually none of them can pass a mental assessment.
The more normal a person seems in normal times, the darker their inner side is often. Xia Youjie is a good example. If he were to truly match the sunny disposition he usually projects, he would never have considered destroying all ordinary people.
His extremism and darkness were buried deep within his heart from the very beginning.
Zenji felt an indescribable sadness. The ninety-nine Yuki in front of him was stunned and just kept hugging him and crying.
However, this time, Zenji Qing did not stop anything. Crying is a good way to release emotions. If you keep your emotions bottled up for a long time, that is what makes people feel worse.
Accumulated emotions can destroy a person, just like the bitter summer when Xia Youjie left.
He held Tsukumo Yuki quietly, letting her cry in his arms, but others might not have that much patience.
The sudden appearance of the physical Zen-in Kiyoshi before them made Gojo Satoru, who was already somewhat impatient, unable to contain himself any longer.
He wanted to learn the whole truth from Zenjiro Seiko right now, but he knew that Tsukumo Yuki was crying so sadly. Even though Gojo Satoru usually acted a bit carefree, he knew that Tsukumo Yuki should not be disturbed at this moment.
After pondering for a moment, he hesitated before walking over, and then said somewhat tentatively:
"Um, although I know it's not the right time, but Senior Ninety-Nine, could you please stop crying? I have a lot of questions I want to ask. Actually, if it weren't for the fact that I'm also a guy, and if people didn't misunderstand me for crying in Qing's arms, I would want to do what you did."
Hearing Gojo Satoru's words, everyone, whether it was Riko and Shoko standing not far away, or Tsukumo Yuki who was crying, was stunned. They looked at Gojo Satoru, then at Zenin Kiyoshi, and for a moment they felt a strange feeling spread throughout their bodies.
Zenjiro Kiyoshi naturally sensed that gaze, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He then looked at Gojo Satoru with disgust and laughed as he cursed:
"You bastard, you'd better finish your sentence next time, or you'll embarrass me in front of everyone!"
Hearing Zenjiro's words, Gojo Satoru realized that what he had just said was somewhat ambiguous. He quickly coughed twice, looked at Tsukumo Yuki, who was already blushing as she left Zenjiro's embrace, and said seriously:
"Never mind those minor issues for now, Qing. Didn't Riko say earlier that you couldn't see us directly? Why did you come out of Riko's shadow now? And even have a physical form?"
Hearing Gojo Satoru's question, Riko also looked at Zenin Kiyoshi with curiosity. Zenin Kiyoshi's behavior at this moment did indeed seem somewhat inconsistent with what he had said earlier.
However, Riko had no other thoughts about whether Zenin Kiyoshi had deceived her. Even if Zenin Kiyoshi had lied to her, it must have been for her own good. Her trust in Zenin Kiyoshi was that simple and pure.
Zenji Qing didn't keep them in suspense and told them the truth directly.
"The answer is simple. The space here of Lady Tianyuan is filled with various auras belonging to her, or rather, auras that can shield the balance mechanism. The reason why I couldn't meet you before was actually because the balance mechanism was suppressing me."
Now that those things are gone, I'm actually not so constrained anymore, so I'm naturally able to emerge from Riko's shadow.
However, this does not mean that there will be no problems afterward. I can still sense that the power of balance seems to have noticed the problem here. It should be cleared up soon, but it will take at least a week.
So we don't have much time. I want to ask you for a favor: to pull Xia Youjie back from the wrong path. The way to do this is to make him realize that the path he's chosen is wrong!
Zenji Sei's words contained a lot of information, but Gojo Satoru was still very perceptive and extracted the key words from them.
"First, Zen-in Kiyoshi can't stay a normal person for long."
"Secondly, Xia Youjie has gone astray and needs to be brought back."
"Third, his close friends are all coming back!"
Although there are some misunderstandings, the overall understanding is roughly correct.
Chapter-356
After figuring out the key words in his mind, Gojo Satoru's face lit up with excitement. He looked at Zenin Kiyoshi and asked somewhat anxiously:
"Although you said a lot, I didn't understand much of it, but I know what you said, Xiaoqing, is definitely reliable. So, what do we need to do?! I've wanted to drag that bastard Jie back and beat him up for a long time!"
Upon hearing this, Shoko frowned, glancing at Zenji Sei, her voice hesitant:
"Xiaoqing, I know what you're thinking, but you haven't seen that guy Jie for a long time. You may not know exactly what he's become, but based on my judgment, given his current situation, it's impossible for him to realize that he's on the wrong path."
Or to put it another way, even if he realizes his path is wrong, he won't change much. He's now fallen into a state of near-obsessive arrogance; you've probably noticed that by now, haven't you?
Shoko's words made Gojo Satoru feel slightly uncomfortable, but he also knew that what Shoko said was true.
At this point, Yuki Tsukumo also chimed in:
"Xiao Qing, although I understand that you and Xia You have a good relationship, and I am very sorry for saying inappropriate things that caused Xia You to take an extreme path, some mistakes, once made, can never be changed or made up for."
He did indeed kill all those villagers. And over the years, because I've been involved in a lot of things, I've learned more or less about what Xia You has done. He killed a lot of people, most of whom were evil people, but there were also ordinary people among them.
Even if Xia Youjie wanted to start over, no one would give him that chance. In other words, no one could give a second chance to those innocently killed by Xia Youjie.
Hearing this, Zenjiro Kiyoshi glanced at Tsukumo Yuki, whose face still bore traces of tears. The fact that she could speak so rationally meant that her emotions had stabilized, so Zenjiro Kiyoshi breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But Zenjiro Kiyoshi couldn't help but feel a little gloomy as he listened to what Kujuku Yuki said. Even though he had warned Xia Youjie, the other party still killed some innocent ordinary people.
It seems that even when you've tried your best to change things, you're still pulled back by the balancing mechanism.
Even so, Zenji Qing didn't have much of a psychological impact. This place was still just an illusion, and there was always the possibility of starting all over again.
He took a deep breath and explained to the crowd before him:
"I know what everyone is worried about, and I would never do anything to protect Xia Youjie, but please believe me, even if we catch him a day earlier, there is a chance to save more lives."
And it's not too late yet, there's still time!
After Zenjiro finished speaking, everyone could clearly hear that he still had some things to say, but they did not force him to reveal them. To them, Zenjiro's arrangements were always the most appropriate.
If it weren't for the fact that the civilians on the entire island hadn't been unable to evacuate in time, Zenji Kiyoshi wouldn't have died in that place.
With this in mind, everyone calmed down and listened to Zenju Qing's detailed plan.
The time came to the third day after Zen Monastery Qing went to the Higher Vocational College.
It was a fine day, with a temperature of around 19 degrees Celsius, a level 3 wind, and just the right amount of clouds to slightly block out the sun without making the sky too dark.
In a secluded alley about 2.7 kilometers from the center of Shinjuku, Xia Youjie emerged from a rather cramped room.
Behind Xia Youjie was an obese man whose upper body had been largely devoured by the cursed spirit.
The man was still alive, but his body was tightly bound by the cursed spirit, making him completely unable to move. Even his mouth was stuffed with wriggling chunks of flesh, preventing him from making a sound.
The pain of being devoured alive made the man wish he could die immediately.
But a cowardly and incompetent person like him would never have the courage to seek death. He just kept looking in the direction Xia Youjie left, tears streaming down his face, and making muffled noises, trying to get the other party to let him go.
However, all the fat man's efforts were in vain. Xia Youjie just stared at him coldly from beginning to end, without the slightest intention to let him go. The cold killing intent in his eyes almost froze the entire small room.
This man was no good. Five or six cursed spirits were wrapped around him. Although those cursed spirits were not very intelligent, Xia Youjie was still able to vaguely read the incomplete memories in their minds through his cursed spirit manipulation skills.
The man is a scumbag. Among those cursed spirits who died, one was an amalgamation of small animals he had tortured and killed, including cats, dogs, birds, turtles, and gray rabbits...
These animals died tragically, almost all of them tormented until their last breath, thus harboring deep resentment.
Besides those animals, the man also possessed several human cursed spirits.
Among the human spirits, there was an elderly couple who looked somewhat like men. However, in Xia Youjie's memory, the two old people were often abused by men, especially in their later years. They were even starved to death by their son in their sickbeds while they were seriously ill.
To get his parents' pension, this damned bastard even concealed their deaths, keeping their bodies in bedding until they rotted and became infested with maggots...
If you take any one of these things out of the blue, Xia Youjie won't let this bastard off the hook, let alone all of them combined.
Xia Youjie watched expressionlessly as the cursed spirit devoured the man's last bit of life, feeling the newly subdued cursed spirit, filled with resentment and filth, merge into his own body.
His heart was completely unmoved; he even felt somewhat...bored.
Dealing with scum like this is nothing new to him.
The world's filth is like a never-ending spring, and Xia Youjie himself is the fool and idiot who futilely tries to scoop it dry.
Just as Xia Youjie left the cramped room, Mimiko and Nanako's voices rang out.
"Lord Xiayou! You're finally out! Hurry up! The movie theater over there is about to close! Didn't you promise us you'd go see it today?"
Looking at Nanako clinging to his arm, Xia Youjie smiled indulgently. He scratched his head helplessly, and before he could say anything, Mimiko added:
"Yes, yes, yes! Lord Xiayou, if we're going to watch a movie, we'll need popcorn and cakes, right? The dessert shop over there sells limited editions! Let's hurry over! Otherwise, if they sell out soon, who knows when we'll be able to come back again!"
Chapter-357
Nanako and Mimiko's words slightly improved Xia Youjie's previously gloomy mood.
Although the world is so terrible, there are still some things that can make him happy.
Mimi and Nanako are still too young and are very interested in everything in the outside world, especially the new technological products created by ordinary monkeys.
However, even Xia Youjie himself knew how demanding his requirement of not being tainted by ordinary people was. After all, strictly speaking, language, clothing, communication... everything is inseparable from ordinary humans.
Therefore, he generally doesn't object to Mimiko and Nanako's behavior. He often turns a blind eye, and when he's in a good mood, he'll even go with the two sisters to check on them.
After all... no matter what, the memories of Zenin Kiyoshi, Gojo Satoru, Shoko, and himself were real, and he didn't want to deny them.
However, the best news for him over the years was actually the figure of Zenji Kiyoshi from a few years ago, but that was a long time ago. Sometimes, if Nanako and Mimiko hadn't had the same experience, he would even doubt that he was dreaming.
Just as he was lost in thought, Mimiko and Nanako's urging voices came again:
"Lord Xiayou~ Hurry up! We're running out of time!"
"Yes, yes!"
The two men kept urging him on, which made Xia Youjie chuckle to himself, and he couldn't help but start moving.
But at that very moment, a voice suddenly came from not far away that made Xia Youjie pause in surprise.
"Finding someone in these alleys is no easy task. By the way, could I have a bottle of water? It's quite hot, and I've been sweating a lot."
The voice contained a hint of laziness and laughter, and if you listened carefully, you could also hear a slight panting.
The moment Xia Youjie heard that voice, his pupils dilated slightly. Then, he subconsciously looked up and saw Xiaozi's face with thick dark circles under her eyes.
The other person's voice carried a hint of laughter, just like when he had just left years ago, no... to be precise, it should be even more cheerful, as if they were suppressing some kind of joy.
Looking at the glass in front of him, Xia Youjie did not hesitate at all. He smiled and raised his hand to greet her while directing the cursed spirits around him to search for any other people who might be in the surrounding area.
"Hey! Shoko, long time no see. You still look as lifeless as ever."
"Tsk, you bastard, you're still as infuriating as ever. But you don't need to release those cursed spirits to scout around anymore. There's no one around. I came here by myself. Come with me somewhere. Someone wants to see you."
Hearing Shoko's words, Xia Youjie subconsciously showed a confused expression. He then pulled Nanako and Mimiko's arms and softly refused Shoko:
"I'm sorry, Shoko. Although I'm also curious about who wants to see me, I have more important things to do right now. I haven't fulfilled my promise to the two children yet, so if you have time, let's meet again next time."
Watching Xia Youjie about to leave, Shoko let out a slight sigh, then slowly said:
"Although it's regrettable to refuse a child's request, the person who wants to see you is Xiao Qing. If you miss this opportunity, you might never have another chance. Are you sure?"
Upon hearing the name spoken by Shoko, Xia Youjie froze on the spot. His expression was completely different from before. If he had been teasing with a slight smile before, it was now obvious that Xia Youjie's mind was completely in turmoil.
As Xia Youjie's emotions shifted, Xiaozi naturally realized this as well. She looked at Xia Youjie and, seeing that he hadn't spoken yet, knew that he was currently in a state of shock and bewilderment.
As for Xia Youjie in this state, all it takes is a slight nudge, and the other person will naturally follow her.
"I don't want to stay here any longer. It's so hot and I'm so thirsty. If you still want to see Xiaoqing, come with me now. I don't want to wait for you for so long."
As Shoko's somewhat helpless voice faded, Natsumi's figure vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing in front of Shoko. To Shoko's slightly surprised gaze, Natsumi suddenly grabbed Shoko's sleeve and said:
"Are you sure it's really Xiaoqing who wants to see me?!"
When Xia Youjie said these words, almost every word was forced out of his throat. He stared intently at Xiaozi, constantly watching for any changes in her expression.
When confronted with Xia Youjie's questioning, Xiaozi simply replied calmly:
"Just come with me. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have come to see you. He's the one who told me your location. Besides... I'm not so heartless as to trick you into being executed at the college, but if you want to think that way, then the decision is entirely yours."
After saying that, Shoko gently pulled away Xia Youjie's hand that was grabbing her sleeve, and walked straight out of the alley.
Xia Youjie stood there, watching Xiaozi's departing figure, as if he had returned to the time when he broke with Xiaozi and the others. But this time, for some reason, Xia Youjie had an indescribable and strong premonition in his heart.
If he really chooses to leave alone again this time, then he will never be able to stand with these people again for the rest of his life.
Thinking of this, an immense sense of fear instantly swept over him like a tidal wave. Even though he had made up his mind to take another path, when it came to the real need for a complete separation, he still couldn't be so carefree.
Taking a deep breath, Xia Youjie did not hesitate at all. He turned his head to look at Nanako and Mimiko not far away.
Both women looked worried as they gazed at Xia Youjie. Meimeizi whispered a word of advice:
"Lord Xiayou, are you really going? Could this be...?"
Xia Youjie knew what Meimeizi wanted to say, so he interrupted her and said softly:
"Anyone in this world could lie to me, but you and they are the only ones who wouldn't. Come with me to see them, Nanako, Mimiko. I know that even if I told you to stay here, you wouldn't listen, right?"
Nanako walked up with a smile and took Xia Youjie's arm:
"Hehe, Lord Xiayou, you really understand us!"
Chapter-358
Xia Youjie, holding the hands of Nanako and Mimiko, followed behind Shoko, his steps unconsciously becoming a little hurried.
To be honest, his thoughts were in complete chaos, with countless ideas swirling and sticking together, leaving him utterly confused.
The image of Zenjiro always keeps popping into my mind, along with vague memories from a few years ago.
Could it be that Xiao Qing really didn't die? Was what happened a few years ago really not an illusion?!
right!
It's definitely not a hallucination!
Glass cannot deceive itself!
Just as Shoko said, if this meeting were truly a trap set for Xia Youjie, then Shoko would not have come to deceive him in person.
Xia Youjie had no doubt whatsoever about this, or about their past friendship.
Moreover, besides this extremely firm emotion, Xia Youjie also felt a strange, almost instinctive premonition, a feeling that was urging him frantically to witness for himself whether it was a trap or a lie.
Shoko's pace wasn't particularly fast. They walked through several winding streets, and Xia Youjie naturally noticed the unusual points along the way.
The arrangement of these streets is not simply a matter of urban planning. Some parts of the streets have been set up with special barriers, and if you do not follow a certain special route, you will be back to the starting point at some point.
However, these things were basically child's play to him. After glancing at them briefly, he stopped paying attention to them.
The group walked around, stopping frequently, and finally stood in front of a rather elegant-looking tea room.
The location is secluded, and simple "tents" have been set up around it to isolate it from the sight and disturbance of ordinary people.
Shoko stood in front of the door, let out a slight breath, then pushed the door open, smiled and nodded to Xia Youjie, gesturing for him to come in.
Xia Youjie didn't hesitate much when he saw this. He slowly walked to the door. Here, he could already feel the familiar curse power of Gojo Satoru. He took a deep breath. He was about to see his best friend, but... a best friend with whom he had a ten-year falling out.
Xia Youjie wasn't worried about whether Gojo Satoru would suddenly attack him; he just didn't know how to face Gojo Satoru for the time being.
He pushed open the door to the room. The light in the tea room was soft, and a faint aroma of tea filled the air.
In the center of this room, three people were sitting at that moment.
Xia Youjie knew all three of them; they were all people who had left a significant mark on his life.
Yuki Tsukumo, a guide responsible for drawing out his true inner thoughts.
Riko Tenten was the one who made him begin to feel disgust towards ordinary humans. If it weren't for those ordinary people getting in the way, Kiyoshi wouldn't have been swallowed up by the flood while trying to protect them.
The last person was the one with silver hair and his signature small round sunglasses, who was staring at him with a smile, though there was a hint of other emotions in that smile.
"Hey, now that you've seen me, don't you know you should say hello?"
Gojo Satoru's voice remained as impolite as ever, as if there had never been any barriers or arguments between them.
All of Xia Youjie's worries and anxieties vanished with Gojo Satoru's somewhat impolite greeting.
He took the hands of Nanako and Mimiko behind him, looked at Gojo Satoru, and said with a slow smile:
"Sometimes it's better to use honorifics, understand."
Hearing Xia Youjie's words, Wu Tiao Wu grinned, turned his head slightly, and muttered:
"Who cares about you, you're a real bastard."
But everyone present could hear the bitterness in Gojo Satoru's voice when he said those words.
Seemingly to divert attention from the awkward atmosphere, Tsukumo Yuki sighed, looked at Xia Youjie in front of her, and slowly said:
"Xia You, what I said to you back then wasn't meant to make you..."
However, before Tsukumo Yuki could finish speaking, Xia Youjie interrupted her, then said calmly but firmly:
"Senior Ninety-Nine, I know that's not what you meant, but please believe me, I also have my own choices and considerations. I didn't come here to argue with you about these things."
Hearing Xia Youjie's words, Jiujiu Yuki could only swallow the words that were stuck in her throat. She naturally knew who Xia Youjie wanted to see this time.
She sighed slightly. As for Xia Youjie at the moment, it was probably impossible to change his mind except for the method mentioned by Chan Yuanqing.
So Jiujiu Yuki didn't intend to waste any more breath on Xia Youjie; she just shook her head and said nothing.
Only then did Riko's voice come through:
"Xia You, we came here mainly because of Xiao Qing's idea. He's currently in Lord Tian Yuan's room below the college. If you'd like, you can go back with Wu from here."
Beneath this room, there's a specially formed tent that allows the five of them to teleport long distances. If you nod, Xiaoqing will be waiting for you on the other side.
Hearing this, Xia Youjie didn't hesitate at all. He looked at Nanako and Mimiko behind him and whispered his instructions:
"You two stay here for a while. I'll be back soon. I'm leaving Shoko, Riko, and Nanako in your care."
Although Nanako and Mimiko felt somewhat unwilling to accept Xia Youjie's order, they also knew that once Xia Youjie made a decision, no one could change it, not even the two of them.
Gojo Satoru looked at Natsumi Yuuki, who was still saying goodbye to the child, and didn't tolerate him. He walked up to him, grabbed Natsumi Yuuki's arm, and said:
"Stop dawdling, Mimiko and Nanako. Your next meeting will be at dinner time. It won't take long. Just rest here for a bit."
After saying that, Gojo Satoru didn't wait for Natsumi Yuuki's response and directly pulled him into the barrier.
As the brief dizziness from the teleportation subsided, what appeared before Xia Youjie was a face that felt both strange and extremely familiar to her.
The moment Xia Youjie saw the person's profile, he felt his breath stop and his blood freeze instantly.
Without a doubt, that person was Zen-in Kiyoshi!
Whether it's incantation power, soul, or feeling, the emotions and personality he senses at this moment, the person before him is undoubtedly Zen-in Kiyoshi!
Chapter-359
The moment he saw that familiar face, an overwhelming emotion, a mixture of ecstasy, guilt, bewilderment, and sharp pain, swept away Xia Youjie's psychological defenses like a tsunami.
Over the years, Xia Youjie had imagined countless scenarios of breaking with the past, but he never thought that the past, which had long been defined as "lost," would so forcefully re-enter his present in such a way.
However, Xia Youjie has never been able to mix Zen Temple Qing into these memories of parting from the past.
He could never put himself in opposition to Zenin Kiyoshi, which does not mean that he placed Zenin Kiyoshi in a position superior to Gojo Satoru or anyone else.
Rather, it was because Zen Temple Qing held a special place in Xia Youjie's heart.
Zen-in Kiyoshi was his first close friend, his guide into the life of a sorcerer, his support before he matured, and his mentor during his period of confusion...
In short, on many occasions, Zen-in-Chih's actions toward Xia Youjie actually went beyond the concept of a companion, approaching the level of an elder brother, mentor, or even a father.
Therefore, in terms of friendship, Xia Youjie placed Gojo Satoru and others on the same level as Zenin Kiyoshi, but in other emotional positions, Zenin Kiyoshi was irreplaceable by anyone else.
Xia Youjie had the courage to make his own choices in front of his friends, and the courage to kill his own parents to express his determination, but he could never do the same thing in front of Chan Yuanqing, a person who embodied all his emotions.
Let alone saying goodbye to Zenji Qing, even just meeting Zenji Qing's disappointed eyes would be enough to shatter Xia Youjie's heart instantly.
At this moment, Xia Youjie looked at the man in front of him, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
But at this moment, even Xia Youjie himself was unsure what he wanted to say. Was it a question? An apology? Or simply calling out Zen-in-Kei's name?
Xia Youjie didn't know what to say. He tried hard to think of something to say, even if it was just a few meaningless onomatopoeic words.
But at this moment, it felt as if something was blocking his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word or even a syllable. He wanted to raise his head to look at Zenjiro, but he couldn't muster the courage.
Xia Youjie's eyes, which were always filled with obsession and coldness, were now turbulent upon seeing Zenji Qing, unable to remain calm. His trembling arms revealed a vulnerability he had never shown to anyone before.
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The Zen temple quietly watched him, watching the pain and struggle churning in Xia Youjie's eyes, watching the lingering, almost self-destructive sense of loneliness emanating from him.
Zenji Qing was well aware of Xia Youjie's obsession and what he was thinking.
Those who know full well that they can never succeed on this path, but still continue down it, ultimately have only one goal.
Self-destruction—destroying himself on the path to the world he longed for—was the best ending Xia Youjie, who was suffering from a mental breakdown, could imagine.
Do you want Zen Temple Qing to criticize Xia Youjie, saying he's naive, immature, and has poor resilience?
Even when watching anime from a god-like perspective, he is still able to do these things.
However, after truly becoming friends with Xia Youjie, Zenyuan Qing found that he simply couldn't bring himself to blame Xia Youjie.
As a sorcerer, one inevitably encounters far too many sordid things. This has little to do with personal strength, but only with one's psychological resilience.
These young children are already on the front lines, facing ugly and ferocious monsters, facing a future where they could die at any moment, and facing the corpses of their comrades.
How many people can remain expressionless, and how many can truly achieve inner peace?
It should be noted that when Xia Youjie, Wutiao Wu, and others faced these things, they were only teenagers. In the country where Zenji Qing lived in his previous life, these sorcerers should still be in school facing exams.
The bloody future has tainted their perception of the future world, so... the abnormal is the normal.
Thinking of this, Zenji Qing sighed softly, stood up, and walked towards Xia Youjie.
The footsteps were exceptionally clear in the quiet tea room. Xia Youjie stared at Chan Yuanqing's approaching movements, his entire body stiffening on the spot, as if his very soul had been shaken.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Finally, Zen-in-Chief stopped just a step away from Xia Youjie.
He raised his hand, seemingly intending to pat Xia Youjie's shoulder as he used to, but looking at Xia Youjie's bitter expression, Chanyuan Qing's hand paused in mid-air before finally landing gently on his arm.
"Jay, it's been a long time."
"Xiao...Xiaoqing."
When Xia Youjie spoke, his voice was extremely hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for many years, or like an old, rusty, broken machine.
Zen Monk looked at Xia Youjie, and without much hesitation, just as he always did, he smiled and continued:
"It's been so long since we last met, don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
Hearing Zenji's slightly teasing tone, Xia Youjie wanted to laugh, but he couldn't manage a sound. He just opened his mouth bitterly, then whispered:
"No, Xiaoqing, on the contrary, I have so many things I want to tell you, so many questions I want to ask you, but now even I don't know why, after seeing you, all those questions I wanted to ask are stuck in my throat, and I can't say a single word."
After saying this, Xia Youjie remained silent for a moment, and then spoke to Chan Yuanqing.
"In short, welcome back, Qing."
All those words can be summed up in this one sentence.
All the stubbornness, all the "righteousness," and all the personal emotions were buried deep within Xia Youjie's heart at this moment.
At this moment, Nanako and Mimiko looked up at their Natsuyu-sama.
At this moment, Xia Youjie displayed a demeanor that the two sisters had never seen before.
Xia Youjie's expression, which was almost collapsing yet also showed a hint of relief, made the two sisters seem to vaguely understand what this person named "Chanyuan Qing" meant to Xia Youjie.
Gojo Satoru also put away the smile on his face. Shoko and Riko also came over and stood silently at the door. Shoko couldn't help but light a cigarette.
Inside the tea room, only the faint sound of the wind outside the window and Xia Youjie's suppressed yet still clear and disordered breathing could be heard for a moment.
At Xia Youjie's feet lay a rather ugly mass of bloody flesh.
The prison gates have opened!
Chapter-360
After Xia Youjie said those words, it felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
Because that "Welcome back" was said in the name of Zenji Sei's close friend.
When he said those words, Xia Youjie was merely a close friend of Chanyuan Qing, not the leader of the Panxing Sect, nor a demon king who wanted to destroy the world, nor a traitor of Gaozhuan. He no longer needed to be bound by the heavy reality.
Xia Youjie in that identity does not need to be suppressed by stubbornness, righteousness, or the fortress he built for himself.
All he had to do was smile and say "Welcome back" to the Zen temple.
Looking at Chan Yuanqing and into his eyes, Xia Youjie felt a great sense of comfort.
Xia Youjie naturally knew what the bloody lump of flesh at his feet was.
[Prison Gate]
It can seal away any terrifying cursed object that exists in this world.
When Xia Youjie was studying at the vocational college, he was the student with the best theoretical grades in the entire college. He knew more about these cursed objects than anyone else. And the moment he entered, Xia Youjie discovered the thing under his feet.
But Xia Youjie didn't say anything. He didn't even try to avoid her; he just walked straight in.
Xia Youjie could accept whatever Zen Yuanqing wanted to do.
Whether you truly want to seal yourself away or are just testing yourself, it doesn't matter.
Death would be the end of it all; he was truly weary and tired of these past years.
If it was a test, then he wouldn't have any objections. The more Zen-in-Chiyo hurt him, the more comfortable Xia Youjie felt.
It wasn't that Xia Youjie had any special hobby, but rather that for Xia Youjie, every time Chan Yuanqing hurt him, it reduced some of his inner guilt.
But if Zenji Kiyoshi really intends to seal him away completely, then it would still be somewhat regrettable...
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After all, he still had many questions for Xiaoqing: about death, about resurrection, about the past five years, and about whether the path he had chosen was the right one...
But at this moment, perhaps there's no chance to ask those questions anymore. After all, the moment he saw Zenjiro, the questions he originally wanted to ask Zenjiro were replaced by a more surging emotion...
It was a kind of shame that made him feel utterly ashamed and a deep, bone-deep exhaustion.
Zenji Qing naturally noticed Xia Youjie's lack of resistance; in other words, all of this was within Zenji Qing's expectations.
He didn't even bother to hide the prison gates; he simply and openly displayed them to Xia Youjie.
Because Zen Temple Qing knew that Xia Youjie would absolutely never run away.
At that very moment, in the shadow beneath Xia Youjie's feet, an ugly, blood-red object, seemingly twisted and stitched together from countless blood vessels and chunks of flesh, suddenly appeared!
The writhing mass of flesh expanded rapidly at that moment, and in the blink of an eye, it had already enveloped Xia Youjie.
Gazing at the bright red chunks of flesh, feeling the ominous and ancient magical energy emanating from them, and seeing those repulsive eyes, Nanako and Mimiko screamed involuntarily.
From the sisters' perspective, just moments ago Zen-in-Chih was chatting and laughing with Xia Youjie, but in the blink of an eye, Xia Youjie had already fallen into such a dangerous situation!
Everything happened so fast that it was completely beyond the two sisters' expectations.
"Master Xiayou!!"
The two sisters' terrified and anxious voices rang out at that moment, carrying a slightly shrill and grating tone.
However, even at this time, the Prison Gate Frontier has not yet been activated. If Xia Youjie is willing, he can still easily leave this place.
But Xia Youjie did not choose to leave. Instead, he released the two sisters' hands and gently pushed them out.
"Mimiko, Nanako, don't come near me. This is a favor I'm asking of you. If I don't get out this time, you'll have to stay with Kiyoshi from now on. Trust me, he'll take better care of you two than I can."
I know this is a bit selfish, but please forgive me, I'm just so tired. Please, let me rest for a little while, okay?
Hearing Xia Youjie's words, Nanako and Mimiko were both stunned for a moment. Then, this time, they did not listen to Xia Youjie. Instead, they rushed over regardless of the consequences, wanting to take Xia Youjie away from here.
However, even faster than the two girls was the spell activated by Zenin Seina.
"Spell Sequence · [Azure]!"
As Zenjiro's voice fell, a not particularly strong gravitational force suddenly appeared, almost instantly suppressing the two women to the spot, rendering them unable to move. It was a technique even more precise than Gojo Satoru's.
It was able to bind the two sisters to their positions, rendering them completely immobile, without harming them at all.
Seeing the spell cast by Zen Temple Qing, Xia Youjie became even more certain that the person in front of him was the one he had been looking for for many years.
"Jay, I want to persuade you to come back, I want you to see some things clearly, I want you to know that your path is blocked, but I also know that I can't sway you with words right now, so… by using the words of Prison Gate, I can let you see those things."
Hearing this, Xia Youjie smiled. He made no resistance to the flesh and blood that kept enveloping him, and instead said wearily:
"No, it's nothing, Xiaoqing. Actually, even I want to see if the things I've thought of can actually come true in the future."
The next moment, the Zen monk nodded, accompanied by an aura that seemed to permeate one's soul.
Under the influence of the prison gate, physical time on Xia Youjie's body almost stopped at this moment. Instead, the soul space, which was in a state of ethereal emptiness, opened up.
Zenji Seijin's state was indescribable, but he could sense that now was the perfect time.
Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and activated the Prison Gate.
At this moment, Xia Youjie also completely chose to give up resisting. He even took the initiative to relax his body, letting the cold, sticky flesh and blood touch envelop him.
The dark red, fleshy mass of the prison gate writhed and extended countless ribbon-like clumps of flesh, which, like octopuses, embraced and coiled around Xia Youjie's limbs and torso, slowly pulling him into the deepest darkness.
The two sisters, Mimi and Miko, who were not far away, watched this scene and cried:
"Lord Xiayou! No!!!"
But they are now firmly suppressed by the gravity of [Azure], and can only watch helplessly as all of this happens.