Chapter 21 True and False Summer Oil
At the moment the accident happened just now, Jiang Lai actually didn't have time to take action. It was Fushiguro Shigeu who arrived at the scene the fastest and forcibly stopped the arrow shot by the cursed spirit.
Immediately afterwards, Jiang Lai followed suit and visually entered his own code world again. He edited and manipulated the code with incredible brain and hand speed to reverse the arrow claw, and entangled the guy and threw him down heavily!
After a series of operations were completed, Jiang Lai's brain had time to think about the scene just now.
——Fushiguro Shiori, who had just made his move, was able to forcibly stop the cursed spirit's attack!!
Could it be that the spirit body could also interfere with the cursed spirit? Although the cursed spirit is indeed a non-living being in a sense, this is too...
Jiang Lai couldn't help but glance at Fushiguro Shier who was floating on the side, but found that he had his eyes half closed and was floating backwards to the edge of the wall.
——He looked very tired and didn't seem to be in good condition.
Mr. Gui relaxed, then turned his head and looked up at Jiang Lai at the entrance of the alley. He said in a low voice: "...Don't relax, this is not the end, there are bigger troubles at the alley wall."
A bigger trouble? Jiang Lai was stunned. In this case, what is called a bigger trouble... could it be a special grade cursed spirit!?
But Jiang Lai didn't sense anything, and apparently neither did Fushiguro Megumi. Perhaps it was because the cursed power of the one-eyed six-armed cursed spirit that had just been knocked down was too thick, interfering with their judgment, or perhaps it was because the cursed spirits on the alley walls would hide their existence.
Obviously, the latter who actively hide their existence are more difficult to deal with.
Generally speaking, if a passing cursed spirit senses a cursed magician stronger than itself, it will quietly flee. It will not lurk in the alleys and walls like it is now, watching the whole process with interest... or perhaps it is waiting for the cursed magician to consume its power before attacking.
Currently, Jiang Lai has just mastered the ability and is not yet fully proficient, so he certainly cannot battle directly with the special-level.
Given Fushiguro Megumi's current condition and the fact that there is an unconscious child, it may be difficult to deal with.
Jiang Lai's thoughts flashed through his mind in just a moment as he quickly made a decision - outside the alley, he adjusted his coat with one hand, and at the same time very naturally brushed the necklace in front of him, adjusting his state to that of a human and a cursed spirit with imperceptible movements.
The fuzzy chaotic state is most suitable for performances.
Watching Fushiguro Megumi exorcising the one-eyed six-armed cursed spirit with his shikigami, Jiang Lai slowly stepped into the alley. He had already used code to build a barrier around him, so the rain and snow could not fall on him.
Although he really wanted to hand his unwanted umbrella to Megumi Fushiguro who was caught in the rain and the unconscious child, the situation before him was obviously not suitable for some friendly and caring actions.
Jiang Lai stood firmly in place, adjusting his expression and posture.
According to the floating ghost's hint, the being on the alley wall showed no intention of leaving and seemed to still be watching them like a hunter staring at its prey.
In this case, taking the initiative in this situation and pointing out the existence of the other party can put you in a more advantageous position.
——Show that you have already seen through the other party's hidden thoughts. This will make the other party more or less jealous.
So, he remained alert and prepared, raised the tip of his umbrella, pointed it at the place Fushiguro Shiori had mentioned before, and said with a smile:
"Friends over there...won't you come out for a while?"
The word "friend" has a deliberately changed tone, and behind it lies a hint of teasing towards the hider.
After the words came out, Fushiguro Megumi next to him widened his eyes in shock, then suddenly looked in the direction Jiang Lai pointed, and prepared his hands for fighting again!
...He didn't even notice there was something there! !
Fushiguro Megumi's body was as taut as a string.
However, after being reminded and the residual power of the one-eyed six-armed curse spirit gradually dissipated, he could sense what was there by concentrating his attention.
Rain and snow were falling continuously, and the air was filled with the smell of dampness. The world was covered with dark clouds, and the only sound on the quiet street was the occasional sound of cars speeding by.
At this time, no one in the alley spoke.
The wound on Fushiguro Megumi's forehead was still bleeding, and the blood was sliding down his cheek. He didn't bother to wipe it off, but just kept his hands moving, while his eyes were fixed on the position where Jiang Lai's umbrella tip was pointing.
...something dark and deep was lurking there.
After a brief silence, a wet sound of splashing water came from the alley wall.
At the same time, a white mist suddenly rose in the alley, slowly occupying the entire space and blocking people's vision.
Jiang Lai was tense, but kept a calm smile on his face. He just folded up the long-handled umbrella slightly and supported himself on the ground with one hand.
Normally, Fushiguro Megumi should have summoned the shikigami by now. However, nothing happened nearby, and it was even too quiet.
"..." Jiang Lai's heart sank. Did something happen?
Fushiguro Shiori emerged from the white mist. He was still as tired as before, but his voice was still clear: "He passed out, but he's fine for now... I think."
The cursed spirit attacked!? Was it a subtle mental attack? Jiang Lai was slightly surprised and quickly made a judgment in his mind.
Fushiguro was moving, his voice hoarse. He approached Jiang Lai and half lowered his head: "...I'm a little tired, I'll rest first."
After he finished speaking, he did not linger any longer and quickly returned to the locust wood tablet in Jiang Lai's shirt pocket.
Although Jiang Lai really wanted to care about his ghost roommate, the current situation obviously did not allow him to have the time and energy to be distracted.
He remained alert, manipulating the codes floating around him to orderly surround him, forming a flexible layer of defense with no limit.
I don't know if I can defend against that kind of attack...
In the white mist, the sound of clattering gradually approached, and Jiang Lai's eyes were as sharp as torches, fixed steadily in front.
Through the mist, in the humid air, a pool of black unknown liquid with strong curse power appeared swaying.
The black unknown liquid gathered and deformed, and finally turned into a thing with pointed ears and fox-like appearance. Its body was undulating like a stream. The deep red eyes on its face were filled with circles of mosquito coil-like patterns, which brought a certain sense of dizziness when staring at it.
It opened its mouth, and the edge of its sharp mouth extended all the way to the base of its ears, looking as terrifying as a huge crack.
——Compared to the general appearance of cursed spirits, this one looks pretty good (meaning you can tell what it is).
"..." Jiang Lai did not speak first. He just smiled and stared at the unknown cursed spirit that appeared in front of him.
"Hungry—" The liquid fox curse spirit gurgled and bubbled when it opened its mouth, but the sound was like that of a child, forming a weird feeling at this moment, "You look delicious—"
Delicious? Jiang Lai was alert, and at the same time, he thought for a second: this pool of liquid animals in front of him must have something in common with the man-eating Lord Sukuna.
But on his face, he just tilted his head slightly and said softly: "Oh?"
The black liquid fox walked around Jiang Lai for two steps, mumbling, "It is not affected by my ability. It is not a human, not a cursed spirit, and not in a flesh state."
What this means is... Is the ability of this cursed spirit in front of me targeted at a certain type? After clarifying whether it is a cursed spirit or a human?
Jiang Lai narrowed his eyes and thought in his mind.
It seems to be ineffective for me. It seems that choosing a state between human and cursed spirit is very effective.
"You can think of me as your peer." Jiang Lai frowned and put one hand on his chin. "Don't you think it's fun to blend in with humans?"
Liquid Fox tilted its head and repeated, "Fun?"
"Very interesting." Jiang Lai continued to say with a smile. He raised the tip of the umbrella again, aimed it at the place beside him, and said lightly, "I haven't played enough with this human yet. Don't break my toy."
"Toys," Liquid Fox repeated, tilting his head a little more, twisting his head into an impossible angle, "I didn't play with your toys."
Jiang Laiduo asked, "They will wake up soon, right?"
"Yes." It was quiet for two seconds, then opened its mouth to its ears and said, "Hungry—"
Jiang Lai narrowed his eyes and stared at it.
This pool of liquid in front of me looks like a powerful cursed spirit with intelligence, but its personality and mind are more like that of a young child?
The white mist around us grew thicker, and the sounds from the street outside seemed to be blocked by a thin film.
The cursed spirit in front of him didn't seem to have any intention of attacking, but it also had no intention of leaving. Its mosquito-coil-like red eyes stared at Jiang Lai in front of it.
"Hungry——" The Liquid Fox squatted on the ground with a gurgling sound.
Jiang Lai: "..." It seems that they won't let me go until this problem is solved. Now it looks a bit like the quiz game of the slit-mouthed woman.
Jiang Lai didn't know what the success rate was of a head-on confrontation, but under the current circumstances, using force against the enemy was the worst option.
He still maintained his indifferent smile, not rushing to say anything, thinking and analyzing in his mind.
This guy keeps complaining about being hungry... It's reasonable to say that cursed spirits don't need to eat. Is this a habit of repeating negative emotions, or does he really want to eat something?
Also, why did it just say to itself 'You look delicious'?
If the need to eat was truly a purely human one, then they would have already attacked the unconscious Megumi Fushiguro and the child against the wall.
Jiang Lai thought about it and didn't rush to reply. He planned to test the water first. He turned the handle of the umbrella and threw the long-handled umbrella forward.
The liquid fox that was squatting on the spot suddenly stretched and twisted its body, tremendous magical power surged up, its pointed mouth grew to an incredible size, and it swallowed the long-handled umbrella in one gulp!
Witnessing this horrifying scene of deformation, Jiang Lai was able to think divergently for a second: the umbrella was gone, it looked like he would have to pay the store when he got back.
The twisted figure that swallowed the black liquid of the long-handled umbrella gradually calmed down and returned to its previous appearance. It smacked its lips and said, "Not enough, not enough, hungry——"
Jiang Lai blinked his brown eyes slowly, analyzing calmly in his mind. It ate the umbrella, so it seems the target is not a human. Does this thing eat everything?
He waved his hands, shaking off the rain and snow that were blocked by the code around him, and said calmly: "You can find food for yourself."
Jiang Lai wanted to say directly, "You can go look for food in the trash cans," but this didn't seem to fit his character. And he thought about it, there are almost no trash cans on the streets of Japan...
The Liquid Fox Curse Spirit grumbled, "You are delicious. Hungry."
Why is it still obsessed with me? Jiang Lai paused for a moment, and moved his lowered fingers. Although the cursed spirit in front of him did not show any intention to attack him, he did not let down his guard.
As if seeing that Jiang Lai was slow to move, the liquid fox curse spirit stretched and deformed on the spot, pulled into a black unidentified object, and appeared in front of Jiang Lai in the white mist!
Jiang Lai: “!”
The code wall automatically triggers within the range, quickly blocking the unknown black liquid that is flying over!
However, the black liquid itself did not intend to attack. It just came very close, then gathered its fox head and grumbled, "I'm hungry. I want to eat. Please give me some."
"You want to eat me?" Jiang Lai raised his eyebrows slightly and directly brought up the topic tentatively.
Upon hearing this, the beach-black liquid fox tilted its head 180 degrees again, and its red eyes slowly spun a few times, like a detector that could see through everything. It twitched its nose and then slowly replied, "Not edible. Clock."
Clock! Jiang Lai has captured a very strange word. What does it mean?
Jiang Lai was puzzled, but he did not speak. The cursed spirit in front of him was not a suitable person to communicate with.
——Besides, this thing doesn't look very smart, so we probably won't be able to get anything out of it.
"So what do you want to eat?" Jiang Lai remained patient and continued to ask.
"Your stuff." The Liquid Fox Curse Spirit finally spoke more. "Your stuff, delicious."
Jiang Lai: What you snatch from others is the fragrance, right?
Jiang Lai subconsciously popped up an emoticon in his mind, and decided to give it another try to see what the intention of this cursed spirit was.
So he fished out the brochure he had taken when he left the store from his pocket and threw it to it.
The liquid fox twisted and deformed, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed it in one gulp without hesitation! After eating, it smacked its lips, looking quite satisfied.
...Very good. Jiang Lai analyzed calmly. It seemed that the cursed spirit in front of him was interested in something that he had briefly touched.
Why?
At this moment, Jiang Lai's mind was working very fast, connecting the scene in front of him with the situation of the cursed spirit he had encountered before.
Although he kept joking in his heart that the "abnormal attraction aura" had evolved into the "curse attraction aura", Jiang Lai actually knew that there must be a rationalization reason behind these events in this world.
The approach of the gecko swallowing lunch in the sukiyaki restaurant, the strange and bizarre cursed spirits that I often encounter when I go out -
In general, they cannot gather together without reason, there must be something that attracts them, just like some special cursed objects (such as the finger of the curse king) will attract cursed spirits.
However, the reason why cursed spirits are attracted to cursed objects is that they want to devour them to gain power. And judging from the performance of this cursed spirit in front of me, I seem to be inedible (although it is a bit strange to describe it this way).
So, did the cursed spirit approach me because it instinctively searched for food and found it inedible (?), so it stayed there? And was the reason why I attracted them because of the word "clock" it just said?
Regardless, the liquid fox curse spirit in front of him seemed to be quite interested in something he had briefly touched. This was a point that could be exploited.
After swallowing the booklet, the liquid fox was quiet for less than a few seconds, and then began to cry out for hunger again.
Jiang Lai had already analyzed the information in his mind. He smiled faintly and looked at the black liquid beside him: "I gave you food - if so, what are you going to give me in return?"
The liquid deformed and reorganized in the air, forming a fox head and tilting to the other side: "Report?"
"That is to say, if you want to take food from me, you have to give me something I want." Jiang Lai said with a smile, "I don't want to give it to you now, unless you can have something in exchange."
It was actually risky to say this. Jiang Lai was not sure whether the words of refusal would anger the unknown curse spirit in front of him, thus triggering a battle between the two.
However, it is smart to fight for your own interests at this time.
Jiang Lai remained calm and alert, and the floating codes around him were arranged and edited into a form that was only one step away from being triggered.
"Nightmare Fox, where have you gone again?"
A new voice suddenly came from the other end, which gave Jiang Lai a sudden startle!
Hearing the call, the pitch-black liquid fox on one side moved away from Jiang Lai, dispersed and gathered, and wandered back to the ground.
The black liquid cursed spirit called the Nightmare Fox shook its body and replied in a childish voice, "Looking for food. I'm hungry."
Jiang Lai stared straight ahead. In the damp white mist, another figure slowly stepped out.
A man wearing a black and gold cassock and with semi-long hair under a bun, holding an umbrella in one hand, slowly walked out of the mist.
...Kayuki Suguru! ?
The moment Jiang Lai saw the face of the person in front of him, his pupils suddenly shrank for a moment, but he quickly adjusted his state and just consciously stared at his forehead -!
The visitor had a white bandage wrapped around his forehead, completely covering it, making it impossible to tell whether there was a seam line there.
Therefore, Jiang Lai could not judge whether the person in front of him was Manatsuyu or the brain occupying Geto's body.
“…”
The visitor smiled with narrowed eyes, his wide black sleeves hanging down naturally. When the liquid fox passed by, he raised his free other hand and patted its head: "Don't run around."
The liquid cursed spirit rubbed the other's palm, twisted its body, and moved up along the sleeve, turning into a black fox of appropriate size, and lying on the shoulder of the visitor.
It was not until this moment that the visitor raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Lai.
——Across the half-blurred mist, across the alley at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, their eyes met at one point.
"..." Jiang Lai maintained a perfect smile, revealing nothing.
His heart was stretched to its limit.
Whether it was the real Xia You or the fake Xia You, he was definitely a dangerous person! Jiang Lai had never expected to meet him here.
It can't be because of that key, like some RPG game, where possessing a special object triggers a key character plot or something...
The divergent thoughts and complaints only lasted for a moment. Jiang Lai moved his fingers slightly, keeping the code chain around him ready to go, in case the opponent suddenly attacked.
Although according to the original work, no matter whether the opponent is the real or fake Natsuyu, there is no reason to attack casually, but who knows what the specific situation is in this new series? Anyway, be prepared.
His eyes were focused and dark brown.
However, the person in front of him really didn't seem to have any other intentions. He touched the fox head on his shoulder, held up the umbrella with one hand, chuckled, and after making eye contact, he looked away nonchalantly.
——They didn't communicate at all.
The newcomer just stood there, the white mist around him became thicker and thicker, gradually covering the figure of the man in the black and gold cassock in front of him. Everything was like a dream, disappearing silently into the distance.
Jiang Lai blinked lightly, and in the space of a breath, the white mist in the alley receded like a tide, just as it had come, leaving only the touch of the cool and moist air.
The sound of cars speeding past on the street and splashing water came back to my ears after a few seconds.
——It was as if I had returned from fantasy to the human world.
There was no one else standing in the alley except him. Jiang Lai was silent for two seconds, and scanned the surroundings sharply. After determining that there was indeed no one else, he slowly relaxed his straight back.
The boy with the sea urchin head leaning against the wall was still in a coma, and the child next to him was in the same state. The previous rain and snow soaked their hair and clothes, sticking to their bodies.
Fortunately, the rain and snow had subsided by then, leaving only scattered snowflakes falling, and it looked like it would stop soon.
Jiang Lai walked over a few steps, and influenced by his learning habits, he subconsciously put on the gloves he carried with him before bending down and taking out his mobile phone from Fushiguro Megumi's pocket.
In this case, an ambulance is not convenient, so let's contact the people from the college. He thought to himself. Although the fox didn't seem to have done anything, if there were some curses left, they could be removed in time.
Fortunately, Fushiguro Megumi did not set a lock screen password, otherwise Jiang Lai would have to spend some time to crack it.
At this moment, he opened the other person's mobile phone and went directly to the address book page - sending text messages or emails may not be seen by the other party at the first time. For the safety of Fushiguro Megumi and the child, Jiang Lai planned to call directly.
There weren't many names in the address book, and he recognized the names of a few familiar faces at a glance.
After hesitating for only a second, Jiang Lai selected the column for Yuji Itadori and pressed the dial button.
“Beep—beep—”
"Hmm, Fushiguro?" After a short wait, the young man's energetic voice came from the other end of the line, "Have you put your things away at home? We are still where we were just now."
Jiang Lai glanced at the sign outside the alley, confirmed the exact location, and said calmly: "Sancun Town, the alley opposite the Haruta Bookstore."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds, and then the tone suddenly changed: "It's you?! Why do you have Fushiguro's phone——"
Jiang Lai was a little surprised that Yuji Itadori still remembered his voice and could recognize it in a second. However, he remained calm and planned to say one more word to ask them to come over as soon as possible.
However, before he could open his mouth, someone else spoke on the other end of the line.
Another frivolous voice said "Give it to me", and then the person being called changed.
Jiang Lai's body froze when he heard the voice on the phone. He immediately realized who was on the phone—Gojo Satoru! !
“…”
“…”
The person who answered the phone did not speak first, and Jiang Lai subconsciously remained silent.
Then, for a moment, there was only silence, and the only sound transmitted in the communication was the clear and steady breathing of the two.
The silence was broken by the sound from the background opposite. Yuji Itadori and Norose Kugizaki didn't know that although Jiang Lai didn't speak, they were anxiously asking what happened and whether Fushiguro was okay.
Maybe there is no need to say more, Jiang Lai thought. They will definitely come soon.
When no one spoke, he hung up the phone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
