Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Natural Disaster
Geto Suguru and Chiri Miya exchanged the information they had obtained from Gojo Satoru.
Gong Zhili once again confirmed his previous thoughts: Gojo Satoru cannot be relied upon to be the messenger!
She sighed, "Gojo-kun...his cursed energy was clearly absorbed by the earth, but after a day, he could still use it. Perhaps at that time, he felt that this place would be of some benefit to you sorcerers. He made a deal with me and wanted to send someone to train here. Coincidentally, I have a lot of people here."
She spread her hands and gestured to Geto Suguru to look at the empty living room.
"As for the other things, he probably said someone would come to teach my two children—they're probably also sorcerers. This person should be you, right, Takeru-kun?"
Geto Xia Yu and the two children in front of him stared at each other: "It should be... me."
Among the three of them, he is the best in theoretical class!
Nanako: "Big Brother Getsu, what will you teach us?"
Mimiko: "I want to learn how to catch monsters."
Nanako looked at her sisters and asked, "Are you really going to catch them?"
Mimiko nodded: "And kill them!"
Gong Zhili was not surprised by the words coming out of the child's mouth. She had the same attitude towards cursed spirits. She just patted the child on the back and said, "You have to understand it first. Don't be reckless."
Mimiko nodded immediately and looked at Geto Suguru with a look that said "I want to learn."
Xia Yujie sat cross-legged in the living room, scratched his hair, and said, "But I didn't bring my textbook..."
Gong Zhili said calmly: "We know nothing about the world of spells, so we just need to start from the basics."
"We?" Xia Youjie curled his lips. "Miss Gong, so you don't understand either?"
Where on earth did she come from?
Gong Zhili said frankly: "I said at the beginning that I only have a vague understanding of many things."
She stood up and said, "Since we both still have a lot to learn about each other, we can talk after dinner. How long will you stay here, Xia Yu-kun?"
Geto Suguru: "About three to four days." Actually, it was very unusual to be away for such a long time. He usually had a lot of tasks to do, and studying at school also took up time, but Wu didn't know how he could find a few days free.
Many things on Gong Zhili's mind began to pile up and intersect. With the addition of new labor, many things can be moved forward in a big way. In this regard, Gojo-kun, thank you!
Gong Zhili took the half-cooked noodles he brought to the kitchen. Just as Xia Yujie was about to communicate with his two future "students", he found that two little girls also quickly got up and ran after him. The one named Mimiko even pulled him and motioned for him to join in.
Geto Xia Yu followed him without knowing why.
Miya Chiri: "Are you going to help too, Takeru? Then please peel the garlic." Before the garlic she planted was harvested, she could only use the garlic sent by the villagers - fortunately, a lot of garlic was sent.
Geto Suguru held the garlic in his hand, not knowing what to say, but the whole kitchen had already started its own rhythm: the aroma of hot oil wafted through the kitchen, Miya Chiri took out the noodles, Mimiko gently tore the pine mushrooms with her hands, Nanako stood on a low stool by the sink, tore open the Myoga mushrooms and rinsed them quickly. It seemed that in an instant, the whole process was just waiting for his garlic.
Geto Suguru was pushed by the rhythm of the kitchen to the chopping board, peeled the garlic, and cut it into slices with some clumsiness. When Miya Chiri put the garlic slices into the pot, Geto Suguru felt the cursed power recovering very slowly again.
Can peeling garlic be considered a form of spiritual practice? What is this, an elementary school student's agricultural activity?
Geto Suguru felt like laughing.
The garlic slices curled into golden brown flakes in the hot oil. Gong Zhili raised his wrist and shook in the mushroom slices, and the aroma exploded. The moment the half-cooked noodles fell into the pot, oil splashed, and the two children had already hidden away. After a while, under Gong Zhili's command, Nanako stood on tiptoe and sprinkled the green myoga shreds into the curled noodles. Gong Zhili picked up the soy sauce and poured it along the edge of the pot. The girl grabbed the spatula and lifted the dough up and threw it down. The golden brown noodles were gradually coated with the glossy sauce. The burnt aroma of the noodles mixed with the unique bitterness of the myoga rushed around the kitchen. The children couldn't help swallowing. Gong Zhili divided the noodles into three portions and sprinkled chopped green onions on them with a smile: "Okay, serve it out. I'll fry some tempura. It will be ready soon."
Gong Zhili scrubbed the butterbur stems in salt water, then, running her fingertips along the raised lines of the stems, peeled back the deep purple skin, revealing the tender, light green core. A pinch of baking soda was added to the blanching process, and as the stems simmered, they gradually took on an emerald luster. After removing them from the water, they were immediately dipped in ice water to maintain their crispness. Tempura batter was stirred until it reached a viscous consistency with fine particles. She placed chopsticks in the oil pan, and tiny bubbles immediately bubbled from them. She pinched the stems by the end and quickly rolled them in the batter, wrapping them in a thin layer of batter before immediately adding them to the pan. Fine bubbles of oil climbed along the internodes, gradually giving the stems a translucent golden edge. Deep-fried for the full fifty seconds, the stems remained straight as they drained. Biting through the crispy shell revealed the translucent fibers within, exuding a slightly bitter, yet sweet, mountain aroma.
Geto Suguru couldn't help but applaud. This frying technique couldn't be done so smoothly without ten years of repetition.
That's what he thought and that's what he praised.
Gong Zhili shook his head: "This is my first time making tempura."
Geto: "Is this your unique humble joke?"
Miyajima kept frying the butterbur flower stems one by one in the pan, saying, "Just think of me as a quick learner. Besides, tempura isn't that difficult to make if you just master the oil temperature and timing."
The cooking steps were much simpler than what she had seen her mother do before.
She was very busy. Even after becoming a lord, she still ate her mother's cooking at home. Appreciating her mother's cooking was one of the few ways for her to relax. After her memory recovered, all the details of her mother's cooking naturally emerged in her mind.
It’s hard to say whether having a very good memory is a good thing or a bad thing.
During this moment of distraction, the flower stem in his hand took a little longer to fry. Gong Zhili didn't care much and put it on the plate, then shouted: "Come here and prepare to eat!"
The two little kids jumped in happily again, and Geto Xia moved to the door to make room for them.
He took the chopsticks, served the rice, and carried the bowl out. Meimiko also stuffed a bowl of rice into Xia Yujie's mouth. She looked up and taught him: "Next time, you have to serve your own rice, okay? Gojo brother always carried the bowl himself before."
Geto Suguru: He wanted to laugh even more when he thought about how Satoru had done the same thing.
The fried noodles were very popular. Seeing that the children looked unsatisfied, Geto decided to buy more noodles next time.
After dinner, Gong Zhili wanted to go for a walk. She always felt that she had not done any work today and her body had not been stretched. Since she wanted to take a walk, she might as well go to the villagers' meeting.
"Go to bed nicely." She said this as the head of the family, and the two children immediately ran back to the bedroom to get their pajamas and prepare to take a bath.
"Satoshi Takeru, would you like to go for a walk together?" she invited.
Geto Suguru: "Leaving only two children at home? It's not safe."
He was worried that there might be danger near the forest.
Gong Zhili curled the corners of his lips, raised his right hand, and clasped his fingers together.
The hairs behind Kagome's ears suddenly stood up. The autumn wind that had been lingering under the eaves changed direction. The rhythm of the gardenias swaying outside the courtyard changed from a patchwork rustle to a taut, chordal melody. The maple forest on the mountain surged with waves—thousands of crimson leaves rose from the ground, suspended in the air, forming a solidified crimson wave. Kagome couldn't see the metallic edges of the leaves, nor did he catch a glimpse of the wave's fleeting retreat back into the forest.
The muffled sound of roots tearing came from deep in the soil, and Xia Yujie felt the trembling of the roots of some plant moving horizontally underground under his feet. The whistling sound of a flock of wild birds flying over the roof was crushed into fine dust by some force, and finally disappeared silently into the air.
The raised corner of Gong Zhili's clothes moved the air flow of the entire mountain forest. The cool mountain breeze was suddenly filled with the humidity of hot spring steam. The moss on the stone path expanded and shone at a speed visible to the naked eye. The leaves of the persimmon trees in the orchard began to sway wildly. The sound of the claws of the squirrels fleeing among the treetops scratching the bark suddenly turned into a uniform dull sound at a certain critical point, as if the footsteps of all living things were stepping on the same beat.
Gong Zhili snapped his fingers.
These anomalies disappeared.
Geto Xia Yu lowered his eyes: "What an amazing ability."
Gong Zhili smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment."
After taking a bath, the two children climbed into bed and continued reading picture books, while Miya Chiri and Geto Suguru wandered to the edge of the village meeting venue.
"Holding a village meeting in an elementary school?" asked Geto. "Don't you think it's a bit..."
It doesn't feel too serious.
Gong Zhili sat on the steps of the playground, watching the villagers standing or sitting around the rostrum chatting. He said, "What does it matter? Most of the places where we can discuss things properly in the village are in the primary school. They are used by the children during the day and by the villagers at night."
She patted the steps and said, "Sit down. It looks like they're going to talk for a long time."
Geto Suguru sat down, his posture somewhat similar to Gojo Satoru's: they both stretched out their long legs first. Miya Chiri gritted his teeth and simply bent his legs, not wanting to compare himself with them.
Xia Yujie certainly didn't know what she was thinking. He tilted his head and listened for a while before asking, "What are they discussing?"
Gong Zhili: "Because of me, the plants and animals in the mountains have become more active than before. They are discussing whether to go into the mountains to hunt or gather food in the future, right?"
Xia Yujie was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously said: "Isn't this a problem you should solve?"
Gong Zhili: "Hmm? Why? Although my arrival caused these problems, they also gained more benefits - for example, there are no cursed spirits here, and the crops will have higher yields and better taste. It's an equal exchange."
Geto Xia Yu's brows knitted together. "But you're a strong one, and they're just... ordinary weaklings. As a strong one, it's easy to solve these problems, right?"
Gong Zhili turned to look at him and said, "Is this your philosophy? As a sorcerer, you've always thought this way."
The heated discussions of the villagers drifted away in the night wind, and the dim lights on the playground enveloped them. Although some people noticed Gong Zhili's arrival, no one came to disturb her.
——Even if the source of the problem lies with her.
Gong Zhili chuckled softly: "Look, they have absolutely no inclination to come to me for help. Do you know why?"
Geto Xia Yu didn't say anything and just looked at her quietly.
Gong Zhili: "Because I don't allow it."
Geto Suguru: "A powerful and domineering man." He seemed not to want to continue this topic.
Gong Zhili leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands supporting his chin, and said, "I actually have many reasons, such as it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish, I can protect them temporarily but not forever, flowers in a greenhouse can't withstand wind and rain, a little kindness can turn into a great resentment, and so on and so forth. Doesn't that sound reasonable?"
Geto Suguru was silent.
Gong Zhili found it very interesting: "But it's just that - I don't want to."
"Because it's so troublesome. Today I helped them deal with the animals in the mountains and forests. Tomorrow I will help them improve the soil to further increase crop yields. The day after tomorrow I will use my own energy to help them overdraw the land—"
"Humans are insatiable creatures," Gong Zhili said with clear eyes, "I am human, and you are human too. Even if you are a powerful sorcerer, destroying cursed spirits that ordinary humans cannot see, these are things that only you sorcerers can do, but it doesn't matter."
"They're just humans," she said, laughing. "Actually, the existence of cursed spirits is quite interesting. They're the embodiment of humanity. As ugly as the cursed spirits are, so are humans. But I also wonder what the beautiful side of humanity will condense into."
She put down her hands, stretched her limbs, and stretched herself: "'There is nothing new under the sun'. What is happening now and what will happen in the future are all things that have already happened."
She looked directly into Geto's eyes. "You must be wary of humans, get along with them, and learn to guide and utilize them. If you don't consider yourself a member of ordinary society, you must learn these things."
Finally, Geto couldn't help but speak: "Humans are not the same as each other."
Gong Zhili nodded: "Of course."
Xia Youjie sorted out his words: "This is not a reason to watch people die without helping. These people, the people in front of you, lost their lives because of entering the forest. Don't you think, 'If only I had done something before,'"
Gong Zhili laughed even louder this time, and some of the villagers over there turned their eyes over.
Gong Zhili finished laughing, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he said, "Don't they usually go into the mountains to hunt without casualties? Don't they usually work in the lake without people drowning? Don't they usually lose their lives while farming under the scorching sun?"
"Gatsuyu-kun, this is about the relationship between investment and risk." Gong Zhili used his thumb and index finger to indicate a distance. "As ordinary people, they consider whether the harvest from hunting in the mountains is worth the risk of their lives and safety."
"All investments carry risks. People die every moment in this world," Gong Zhili said calmly. "Including me, including you, including this world. The probability of the world suddenly being destroyed isn't 100%, but it's not zero either."
"Don't think of yourself as a savior, Geto-kun," Miya Chiri smiled at him, "That's too arrogant."
After becoming a lord, she realized that people will be happy if they can do what they want. They can only reconcile with the parts they can't control, otherwise they will either destroy themselves or others, or both.
She spoke frankly, not caring about Geto Suguru's life or death, and not planning to communicate with him about ideological issues. If he could figure it out, he could figure it out. If he couldn't, then they would go their separate ways.
As expected, Geto Suguru was not going to continue arguing with her and fell silent.
Feeling like he was slapping the child in the face with his overbearing thoughts, Gong Zhili pulled out the small blue ball he had packed when he went out and handed it to Xia Yujie: "Is this yours? It feels very similar to the ones in your body. Here, I'll give it back to you."
This time, Geto Xia Yu was really surprised: "Can you turn the cursed spirit into a cursed spirit ball?"
However, the cursed jade he generated was a small black ball, completely different from this blue ball of light. Although this idea was a bit self-deprecating, he felt that this one might taste better.
Gong Zhili twisted the ball between his fingers, looking thoughtful. "So it really is a living thing, right? It feels like it's always moving."
Geto Suguru reached out to take it, not sure if this was the third-level cursed spirit he had released before.
It’s also very simple to verify, just swallow it.
But that taste—he didn't want to show off his swallowing of the Curse Spirit Ball in front of someone he just met.
Perhaps because his gaze was too focused, Gong Zhili suddenly had an idea: "Are all those auras in your body the result of what you ate?"
Xia Yujie looked up in horror: "Do you know this kind of spell?"
Gong Zhili spread his hands: "I guessed."
How could I guess so accurately right away...
Perhaps the suspicion in his eyes was too obvious, so Gong Zhili said with a smile: "That expression on your face is exactly like when you encounter something unpalatable but must be eaten."
She was very familiar with this expression. In the past, going outside the base to find food was extremely risky and the taste would not be good. People who tried the food all had this expression.
She said, getting curious: "Is it unpalatable? Although I also think it sounds unpalatable, what does it taste like exactly?"
Geto Suguru remained silent.
Gong Zhili took back the Curse Spirit Jade and said, "I think I can eat this."
After all, there is no difference between her eating it and the land absorbing it. Whether it is a cursed spirit or a cursed object, it will turn into pure power.
Let her try the taste.
Xia Youjie was caught off guard and her snatched his things away - his reaction time was too slow to catch up, it must be the fault of this damn land - he stretched out his hand to stop her: "Wait, don't try that taste!"
Gong Zhili didn't listen at all, and the next moment she was about to put it in her mouth: no matter how strange the taste was, it was still sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, and her tolerance was still——
"It's a rag that was used to wipe vomit!" Xia Yujie roared in a low voice.
The blue ball of light stopped at Gong Zhili's lips.
Gong Zhili stiffly took the ball away, sniffed it stubbornly, and murmured, "Why do I think it smells quite good... It smells like grass."
Geto Suguru took back the blue curse ball and looked at the girl in front of him who was younger than him. Although she had said so much just now, he had already embarked on this path. The taste of this curse ball was the price he paid for practicing his own ideas.
He had accepted more human evil than she had seen.
Geto Suguru lowered his eyes, opened his mouth, and for the first time, in front of others, in the night wind, under the stars, in this quiet and harmonious night, he swallowed the curse ball.
......
It smells like grass.
The author has something to say:
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Zhili: Talk therapy has another price.
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