Chapter 166 T5 and the Fork in the Road
After deciding on their next direction, Jiang Lai and Otkotsu Yuta did not hesitate and quickly bought tickets to Kyoto.
After discussion, this time when they went to the Zen temple, it was still Jiang Lai himself who went first to explore.
——After all, there are many people in the Zen temple and they are not very conspicuous. If Yukotsu Yuta brings the little sheep Jiang Lai to visit directly, it might attract unnecessary attention.
It would be better to let Jiang Lai's real body, who is able to sneak into the barrier silently, step into the Zen temple's house and directly find the person in charge to collect information and confirm the location.
Because the action required secrecy, Jiang Lai went to Zenyuan's house at night.
Jiang Lai: I feel like I’m about to become a Night Walker!
The weather today was not good. It started to rain at dusk. The rain was not too heavy, but it kept falling and the air was full of humidity.
After Yuta Otsutsukoshi tidied up the room, he looked at Jiang Lai who had switched back to his original form and opened the window to go out, and said with concern:
"Senior, do you want to wait until the rain subsides before going? Or tomorrow is fine. After all, there is no rush."
"It's okay. It won't affect you." Jiang Lai paused, then smiled and said, "My technique is a bit like Wu's unlimited technique in a sense. It can block the rain and snow from the outside world. Don't worry."
This explanation made Okkotsu Yuta's initial hesitation disappear. The black-haired boy smiled and said loudly, "That's good. Senior is just like Gojo-sensei, both are strong people who can make people feel at ease."
Gojo Satoru is a symbol of strength. Just by standing there, he is the patron saint of the world of curses, driving away thousands of cursed spirits - but the strongest is also a human.
Jiang Lai couldn't help but think of Gojo Satoru who went to deal with the "Fork in the Road" tower alone. There was still no new email from him in his mailbox.
It seems that I will have to use Lady Zenin's technique to confirm the other party's situation.
"Then I'll set off." Jiang Lai gathered his scattered mind, waved at Otsutsuki Yuta, then turned around and jumped out of the window.
——
The sky was hazy with mist and rain, and the air was filled with the scent of grass and earth.
Jiang Lai performed a space spell, which covered his body lightly, isolating the damp and dense rain.
The moment he stepped into the Zen temple's house, he suddenly remembered something important - he had gone there without notifying anyone in advance and wanted to meet the master or his wife, so wasn't the dormitory his destination?
But when I go to the dormitory at night, I always feel a little awkward... and it's not convenient to talk.
How about leaving some cryptic hints and then resuming the appointment the next night?
But if something happens to Wu, the sooner I know about it, the sooner I can help him.
Jiang Lai got into a rare little tangle.
What made him no longer entangled was the current situation after getting closer.
Jiang Lai jumped onto the roof silently. From a distance, he saw that the light was on in the study of the master of the Zen temple.
It was late at night, but Zenin Naohito was still working on documents at his desk. The wooden desk was next to the window, and through the window one could see the pile of documents.
Being the head of a family is not easy... It seems that I came at a good time and the other party hasn't rested yet.
Jiang Lai landed in the distance, her crow-feather-colored kimono blending into the night.
The strength of the Zen temple master does not require additional guards in the courtyard, so there are no outsiders in this courtyard.
Jiang Lai walked along the wall to the window. He gently released some magical power, which carried a few pieces of sand and gravel and hit the window!
The "ding-dong" sound of gravel hitting the window was not obvious amid the sound of rain, but Zenin Naohito was sensitive enough to sense a hint of mantra power. He raised his head quickly, his raised eyebrows carrying a soaring momentum!
Outside the window, Jiang Lai, wearing a fox mask on his face, stood silently in the drizzle.
“…?!” A look of surprise was clearly visible on Zenin Naohito’s face, but he adjusted his expression in the blink of an eye.
He slightly restrained his momentum, stood up and opened the small door from the study to the yard.
When opening the door, Zenin Naohito bowed slightly. Jiang Lai nodded slightly in response.
The black-haired young man wearing a fox mask walked into the study as lightly as a wisp of mist.
Zenin Naohito closed the small door and then lowered the blinds on the study window. He sat down again and lowered his deep voice: "Sir, you come again, what's the matter?"
Because I don't know his name, but it is not appropriate to call him "Sir", so I use "Sir" to show respect.
From Zenin Naohito's actions and words, it is obvious that he still remembers the image of Jiang Lai who came to Zenin's house that year, and he has also heard about the recent cooperative transaction from Zenin's wife.
Jiang Lai lowered his eyes behind the mask and spoke calmly, "Which one of the four guard towers of the Zenin family is it?"
There is a clever bit of rhetoric here - Jiang Lai did not ask "Do you know about the Four-sided Guard Tower?" or "Do you have a Four-sided Guard Tower here?", but jumped directly to "Which one".
This method will reduce the chances of the other party hiding something… although Jiang Lai doesn’t think the other party will hide it. After all, the content of the transaction may involve this convenience.
Zenin Naohito's expression froze for a moment. He placed one hand on the knees of his crossed legs and exhaled:
"It seems that you have already touched upon something very important... This is a very troublesome thing. There is indeed one in the Zenin family, but I don't know the name."
It seems that the head of the Zen Temple knew that such a thing existed, and this was exactly the purpose of Jiang Lai's inquiry. As for the name, he already knew it.
Jiang Lai held a piece of white paper from the belt around his waist. It was the map that Yukotsu Yuta had given him before he set out, and it had been activated with a spell.
As early as when he stepped into the territory of the Zenin family, Jiang Lai took out the map and took a look at it - the strange symbol next to the "Noble" Tower in Kyoto had already lit up.
In other words, the Tower of Noble is indeed in the Zen temple's house.
At this moment, Jiang Lai said: "Now that you know, it will be convenient for you to proceed."
"I can roughly guess the name of your tower - it's [Noble]."
"The people here can handle the four towers in other places. As for the matter of breaking the Zen Temple, it is inconvenient for outsiders to get involved. It is better to try it yourself."
However, Zenin Naohito's expression did not relax after hearing this. His face with raised eyebrows and beard could only squeeze out a rare bitter smile:
"If it were that easy, we wouldn't have to ask for help from outsiders. Now that you've told us the name of the tower, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult."
Jiang Lai raised his brows slightly behind the fox mask. He stood quietly in place, waiting for Zenin Naohito to explain.
"This tower was built by the Zenin clan, who were rooted in the Zenin area and radiated this land. I originally thought that this tower was limited to the land, and I also considered whether it could be relocated without alerting the enemy... Now, since it is called the Tower of Noble, I am afraid it is related to something else."
Zenin Naohito took a deep breath and said, "This is rooted in the Zenin family system."
As the head of the family, Zenin Naohito is not stupid. He knows that the Zenin family has always had a distinction between high and low status based on curse power and gender.
And this tower is probably built on this emotion, or this order.
Although Zenin Naohito did not say it, Jiang Lai also guessed it a little.
He raised his eyebrows slightly behind the mask, and then said calmly: "Since you understand, then just abolish the original system, dissolve the feudal family system, and re-plan and educate."
"Anyway, this order of yours can't be maintained for long. It's not a bad idea to overthrow it as soon as possible."
"The struggle before the succession is the most difficult. This kind of thing cannot be done just by talking about it." Zenin Naohito stroked his beard with one hand, shook his head and sighed.
The counterattack before dawn is the most powerful. Jiang Lai is clear. I have to say that Brain Flower is really a good designer, putting the [Noble] tower in such a place.
The matter of the Zenin family is really difficult to deal with, and I am afraid it cannot be resolved in a short time.
But Jiang Lai didn't want to waste any more time on this - their family affairs should be resolved by themselves.
The master and his wife of the Zen temple are not idle people either. Once they have decided on a direction, they will take action.
In short, I have already informed them of the information, and the specific implementation will be left to those responsible.
Jiang Lai raised his head slightly, and his next sentence changed the topic: "Last time, Madam and I also agreed on another deal - I sent Zenin Naoya out of the Zenin family, and Madam provided me with a chance to predict the future. I want to redeem it now."
Zenin Naobi was still absorbed in the four-sided guard tower. After hearing Jiang Lai's words, he took a few seconds to react and came back to his senses: "I understand. Please wait a moment, sir."
The wife of the monastery also participates in some family politics on a daily basis (although the elders have some complaints about this).
Therefore, calling Mrs. Zen when processing documents was not something that would attract attention.
The servant outside the door obeyed the order, led Mrs. Zenyuan to the study, and then consciously retreated away.
Mrs. Zen was originally wondering what documents she had processed tonight and wanted to discuss with him, but after pushing the door open and seeing the swaying figure under the light in the room, she understood it in an instant.
——It turned out that person had come.
Jiang Lai didn't say much, as Zen Temple Naobi had already conveyed Jiang Lai's words.
The lady of the Zen temple sat down gracefully. She did not refuse and nodded, saying, "I will fulfill the promise. What do you want to predict? I need some key words."
Jiang Lai was silent for half a second, then he replied: "Gojo Satoru, Four Sides Guard Tower, Fork in the Road."
The lady of the Zen temple was slightly startled and somewhat surprised at what Jiang Lai had given.
But she did not ask any more questions, but dutifully prepared for the prophecy and placed her hands on the table.
The cursed power slowly overflowed from Mrs. Zenin's body, and the retro kerosene lamp in the study flickered with light and shadow.
The rain outside the window gradually became heavier, accompanied by the sound of howling wind and dazzling flashes in the sky.
Jiang Lai's brown eyes behind the mask stared straight ahead, and some tiny horizontal, vertical and arc lines appeared in the air in front of the lady of the Zen temple.
Those tiny horizontal, vertical and arc lines are interlaced and combined under a special force, being pulled and gradually arranged into recognizable words.
[Zhuang was in a dream, and the fork in the road was hazy.]
Don't lose or forget, friends are looking at each other. 】
Jiang Lai stared at the text and fell into a brief daze.
These words were a little vague, and Jiang Lai couldn't pinpoint anything at the first moment. He had some guesses, but his thoughts were too complicated.
So he set his eyes on Lady Zenin, waiting for the first explanation given by the caster.
After performing the ritual, Lady Zen's face looked a little pale, but she still kept her back straight, her posture graceful, and she didn't show any signs of weakness at all.
She lowered her eyes and carefully felt the prophecy. After a while, she raised her eyes again and said slowly:
"I'm not sure... but this prophecy seems to be saying that the person you are looking for is at a fork in the road - it's just not a real fork in the road. So a friend is needed to find him and lead him out of Zhuang Sheng Xiaomeng's fork in the road.
There are millions of choices and millions of possibilities in life. Every time you make a choice, there are two corresponding roads.
The road not chosen is a fork in the road.
Jiang Lai's heart paused slightly. He glanced at the prophecy, pondered for a moment, combined the line of text with the words of the lady in the Zen temple, and then transformed it into some words that were easier to understand.
Apart from those special spells that are one in a million, the only one who can trap the strongest is the strongest himself.
...What this means is that Gojo Satoru might have fallen into some illusory fork in the road if line, and I have to pull him back from Zhuang Shengxiaomeng's if line?