Chapter 141 Prophecy, Sanctuary or Confinement

The moonlight is like water, flowing through the long years and pouring on the ancient buildings of the Zen temple, just like it was a thousand years ago, or just like it was a dozen years ago.

After fully discussing with Kurosawa Akira during the day, Jiang Lai, who had decided on a plan, switched back to his original form at night, changed his body shape, and leaped silently on the roof of the Zenin family as before.

Just in case, Jiang Lai finally did not choose to use the cursed spirit form wearing a black windbreaker, but used a feather necklace to adjust himself into the vague and mixed form of a human cursed spirit.

——It’s a bit similar to when I came to Zenin’s house disguised as a monster.

He was wearing a crow-feather kimono with a wide dark red belt and a black and gold fox mask on his face. He moved among the buildings of the Zenin family like a shadow.

The location of the master's room was not difficult to find. Jiang Lai had already memorized the route during the day.

Therefore, it didn't take him long to find the main room, avoid the guards and settle in front of the window.

However, Jiang Lai did not land near the lounge, but in the study.

Jiang Lai, who had released the space spell silently in advance, had already sensed that there was someone in the study, so he decided to stay there.

It was midnight, the study window was half-closed, and the evening breeze and moonlight squeezed in through the gap.

Jiang Lai was not in a hurry to go in. He stood in front of the window, letting the breeze blow through the hair beside his ears. He only used space magic to pick up a leaf of grass, and wrapped it with subtle magic power and sent it into the study through the gap in the window.

After two or three seconds, the half-covered window opened - the slender hands pushed the window open naturally.

From a distance, Jiang Lai saw the face of the lady from the Zen temple.

Lady Zen was sitting in the study, dressed in elaborate and formal attire. There were no lights on in the room, but the bright moonlight plus the sorcerer's vision were enough to see the scene inside the room clearly.

Jiang Lai flipped over the window and landed silently in the house. The edge of his crow-feather kimono drew an elegant arc in the air.

The noble lady stood up from the futon, bowed lightly, and had a polite smile on her lips.

"You are here." The lady of the Zen temple nodded slightly, her gesture soft and elegant, "I have been waiting for you for a long time."

"I think you can sense that I have no ill intentions, so I came to the appointment." The lady of the Zen temple said, "How should I address you?"

The black and gold demon fox mask on Jiang Lai's face concealed his expression. He did not answer the question from the Zen Monk's wife. Only a calm voice came out from behind the mask:

"What's the matter with you?"

——Very direct words, without any politeness or trickery.

The lady of the Zen temple still had the same dignified smile on her face. She tied up her hair and said softly:

"Please forgive me for this sudden invitation. I predicted that one of the young people who visited the Zen temple had a connection with you, so I thought I might be able to meet you."

The lady of the Zen temple did not directly state the content of the prophecy this time, but explained it in a self-explanatory way. Jiang Lai understood this point in his heart, but did not ask more questions at this moment.

"My technique is [Uncertain Prophecy], which allows me to perform a certain degree of foresight based on some people and things."

The lady of the Zen temple seemed to be able to guess what Jiang Lai was thinking, so she said a few more words, "Many times, the predictions are just some vague words, so I am used to expressing my understanding instead of making a direct prediction."

Jiang Lai did not take the stage here, or ask more about the content of the technique. He seemed to suddenly change the topic and said bluntly:

"What is the prophecy you handed over to the other side?"

He did not directly mention the regulatory agency or any other term, but described it as "the other side."

Jiang Lai believed that if the lady of the Zen temple really had connections with the Regulatory Commission, she would be able to figure out what he was talking about.

And if there is no contact, or if they have no intention of bringing this up, then they can drop the topic as soon as possible and stop this temporary conversation which is meant to test each other.

The lady of the Zen temple did not show any sign of change. She just raised her eyelids slightly and replied in a soft voice:

"I think you are asking about the Iris Organization, right? - I did give them the prophecy, but what I gave them was not the original manuscript, but a tampered version."

Sure enough, Jiang Lai thought. It was just as he guessed.

"The premise of a deal is honesty. So let me be honest first - we are not sincerely connected with the Iris Organization."

Mrs. Zen Temple half-covered her lips and coughed twice, looking a little weak. "So, when I got the prophecy back then, I changed it temporarily."

"I glimpsed the possibility of change in that prophecy."

Jiang Lai did not respond. His eyes behind the mask continued to stare at the lady from the Zen temple. While listening, he used his sharp eyes to examine the person in front of him, judging whether the words were true or not.

Jiang Lai would not let his guard down because of his previous inference with Kurosawa Akira and the weak image of the woman in front of him. He should remain more cautious before more intelligence information is revealed.

The lady of the Zen temple said: "The first prophecy I received was [God's Six Eyes Destiny Clock, the galaxy will turn around and its brilliance will be restarted] - I replaced the word "destiny" with the word "dial"."

These words sound like they could be put into any time period, from the Heian-kyō castle a thousand years ago to the modern-day Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, all of which fit this so-called prophecy.

Jiang Lai lowered his eyelids slightly. He wondered if this prophecy would come true in the distant future.

In the prophecy, the word "bond" sounds like getting to know a conscious being, while "twist" sounds more like facing an unconscious object - so just changing one of the words will confuse the attention of the regulatory board.

Jiang Lai recognized the wisdom of this noble lady, but at the same time raised his own doubts:

"In that case, why not just replace more words in the prophecy? Or make up a random irrelevant prophecy."

If the Six Eyes were replaced with another vague term, it would be even more difficult for the regulatory agency to identify the target.

However, Jiang Lai raised this question at this moment not to question the decision of the lady of the Zen temple, but to find out from the other party's answer why Brain would trust the lady of the Zen temple's prophecy.

With the mind of a beehive and the nature of a big trickster, Naohua shouldn't easily believe the prophecies spoken by others.

However, the lady of the Zen temple shook her head slightly when she heard this. She said, "The way I present my prophecy is very special. It is to condense words in the air. Those words are basically unchangeable. Changing one of the words has almost exhausted all my strength..."

The lady of the Zen temple smiled softly: "...In addition, there is a part of life."

Jiang Lai was stunned, but the mask effectively blocked his changing expression.

He stared deeply at the noble lady with his brown eyes, but he only saw her truthfulness and the toughness beneath her gentle appearance.

Jiang Lai concluded that what the other party said was true.

Not only does the prophecy itself have a price, but changing it also requires a life. That's why the brain flower believed the lady's prophecy.

But he was a little surprised that the lady from the monastery could make such a determination in such a short time when she first received the prophecy.

It seems that the lady of the Zen temple has seen through the true nature of the regulatory commission. Among its hypocrisy and deception are lurking the seeds of resistance, waiting and nurturing every possibility.

Beneath its delicate and flower-like shell lies the patience and resilience of the strong grass.

The air was quiet for a few seconds, and the clouds in the sky covered the bright moon and then drifted away. After the light was bright and dark, Jiang Lai said, "So you want to see me, what kind of deal do you want to make with me?"

After the initial frankness, Jiang Lai finally let down his defensive barrier a little and listened to more of what the lady from the Zen temple had to say.

He did not comment on the prophecy, and out of habitual caution, he did not mention anything about the Six Eyes in his own words.

"The group of children in the daytime came to the Zenin family's study to take away some kind of magic tool, right?"

Mrs. Zen said it very bluntly. Jiang Lai was neither sure nor denied it. He guessed that the noble lady in front of him had predicted more details.

"You can take it. Before you leave, I will give it to one of you. The information obtained by the Zenin family will also be reported to you or the people at the Rokugan when the time is right."

The lady from the Zen temple narrated slowly.

"And in exchange - if that day comes, I hope you can do your best to preserve the Zenin family."

This sentence sounded a bit strange. Jiang Lai paused for a moment and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Our Zen temple has always been pursuing a closed policy, which is related to the Iris organization."

Mrs. Zen placed her hands on the desk. "This is nominally a safe haven, but - in a sense, I know that this is just another kind of enclosure."

"..." Jiang Lai frowned slightly behind his mask as he considered the meaning behind these words.

"Due to certain constraints, I cannot go into further details by any means. Sorry."

Mrs. Chanyuan nodded slightly and said, "I hope you will win a great victory, but no matter what the result is, please do your best to protect the Chanyuan family."

This scope was too broad, Jiang Lai was cautious and did not fully agree to it. He just replied:

"…I don't know what's behind it. Empty promises are meaningless, so the answer is to try your best."

Even so, the monastery lady stood up and bowed. She looked like a gambler who had put down her chips, but she was not hysterical.

The lady's sleeves fluttered, and she sat down again. Her demeanor changed, and her tone also changed, incorporating more emotional colors:

"I have made the previous statement as the wife of the Zen temple from the perspective of my family. Now, I have a somewhat presumptuous, personal request for a deal."

Personal request?

Jiang Lai was a little surprised, but still nodded slightly, signaling the other party to continue.

—All in all, there’s nothing to lose by listening first.

"If you need, I can predict anything you want at any time."

The lady of the Zen temple folded her hands together, her eyes, no longer young but still beautiful, shining with brilliance, and she spoke softly.

"And in exchange, I hope you can... take Naoya away from here."