Chapter 238 Jiang Lai and Tiger Stick - Recognition

The living area was very quiet for a while, with only a slight ticking sound coming from time to time.

The cold blood surrounded the bones that had been soaked for thousands of years, and the unchanging scene was endless.

The two Sukuna standing on the top of Niugu Mountain were silent. Their scarlet eyes rarely contained the mockery, contempt and malice, and were filled with real thoughts.

As the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna is never a foolish or reckless character. He not only has strength, but also wisdom.

That was why he did not immediately refute Jiang Lai's attitude in a condescending manner, or reveal any expression in his face, but instead lowered his face and thought in his heart.

Jiang Lai was not in a hurry, because he knew in his heart that Ryoumen Sukuna would eventually choose to leave.

After all, the opponent is not the type to sit and wait for death. Instead, he is a ruthless character who always seizes his opportunities, creates flaws for the enemy, and strides forward no matter what the road ahead holds.

Jiang Lai remained calm and waited patiently for Ryoumen Sukuna's reply.

Gojo Satoru played the role of another urging person. He snapped his fingers to break the silence and said, "The strongest time is extremely valuable - so have you considered it? Just give it a flat price and get it done."

The purpose of this urging was to prevent Sukuna from thinking too much. Jiang Lai had already discussed this with Gojo Satoru beforehand, so Gojo Satoru knew that Ryomen Sukuna was not a brainless character.

The more time we give Sukuna, the more likely this gang will find loopholes to profit from, so it's better to shorten the consideration time and finalize the deal as soon as possible.

Ryomen Sukuna's contemplation was interrupted by Gojo Satoru. He raised his eyelids, glanced at the two people below, and his face once again had that evil smile that he usually couldn't see through.

His voice was hoarse and magnetic, and he said slowly: "Cooperation is fine. But this prerequisite needs to be changed. It is not possible now - because I can't hand over the fragments to you."

Jiang Lai raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Why?"

Could it be that Ryoumen Sukuna is trying to make a fuss here? Is he planning to use this fragment to gain more benefits?

Jiang Lai would not agree to any more additional conditions because what he just said was a reasonable deal after careful consideration.

Or, did Ryoumen Sukuna leave that fragment in order to repair his own godhood?

Because a thousand years ago, at the end of the Heian-kyo Incident, Ryomen Sukuna dug out half of the divine power in his chest and forcefully stuffed it into Jiang Lai.

But this doesn't seem right. Because Ryoumen Sukuna doesn't care about his identity at all. He enjoys his chaotic and evil cursed spirit status. Immortal and eternal.

Under Jiang Lai's slightly scrutinizing gaze, Ryoumen Sukuna sneered and leisurely said the second half of the sentence: "Just as the words mean, the fragments [cannot] be handed over to you."

Jiang Lai paused for a moment. He noticed that both Sukuna emphasized the syllables, and the other party seemed to have deliberately emphasized the word "can't".

The so-called "cannot" not only means "unwillingness" in a subjective sense, but also "no way" in an objective sense.

...Did something happen to the fragment? That's why Ryoumen Sukuna couldn't hand it over?

Jiang Lai mentioned it in his heart. He still remembered the exploration he had done during his previous visits here.

At that time, he wanted to find the fragments hidden by Ryomen Sukuna in the realm of life, so he wandered around here casually under the title of walking 10,000 steps healthily, but he found nothing.

As a [existence], he should be extremely sensitive to the fragments. Jiang Lai once thought that Ryoumen Sukuna had used a special method to hide the fragments, making it impossible for him to find them. Now it seems that this may not be the reason...

Ryoumen Sukuna noticed Jiang Lai's expression. He raised the corners of his lips, revealing his sharp canine teeth, and said with a smile: "Of course, if you really want that fragment, you might as well find the person involved and see if you can dig it out - the fragment was absorbed by this body."

Being absorbed by this body? Jiang Lai was stunned for a moment, and then realized what these words meant.

In other words, the fragment of the divinity that was taken away by Ryomen Sukuna Yokuso at that time was unconsciously absorbed by Itadori Yuji!

But this is understandable, because the fragment belongs to the head of the family [Yuan]. The head of the family [Yuan] has always treated them kindly and has always entrusted them with power without hesitation.

Because Ryoumen Sukuna and Yuji Itadori are now two souls, objectively this body belongs to Yuji Itadori.

Maybe the head patriarch [Yuan] also has his own preferences, and prefers the [Good Death] that is friendly to Jiang Lai.

In any case, it seems that after the fragment of the patriarch [Source] sensed it, it gently merged its power into [Good Death] as usual... This is a good thing for Yuji Itadori. I wonder if Yuji felt some special power?

Jiang Lai's thoughts were flowing.

In front of him, Ryomen Sukuna, who was standing in a white kimono, waved his hand without hesitation and pulled something out from the vast space.

The next second, a new figure appeared in the realm of life.

"Wow!" The cherry-pink-haired boy fell from mid-air, and landed in the blood at his feet. But he reacted very quickly, and jumped up in an instant. Before he raised his head, he spoke, "Hey! Sukuna!! What the hell did you drag me into this again--"

Yuji Itadori raised his eyes angrily, and the second half of the sentence disappeared abruptly as if a mute button was pressed the moment he raised his eyes.

The young boy's golden-orange eyes widened. He stood there in a daze, looking at the white-haired man and the black-haired young man in front of him.

“Teacher Gojo…? There’s more, there’s more…?” he murmured in disbelief.

"Hey, Hisahito." Gojo Satoru was the calmest and was the first to greet him. "Have a good dream."

Jiang Lai looked at Yuji Itadori with a warm gaze and raised his eyelids slightly: "We meet again."

Facing Jiang Lai like this, facing his brother whom he has always missed, Itadori Yuji seemed a little at a loss. He waved his hands awkwardly, and it seemed that he had not yet fully reacted.

"Ah, we meet again... Why are you here? I mean, are you okay?" Yuji Itadori's words were a little confused, but in the end he still expressed his most sincere concern.

"I'm fine." Jiang Lai nodded and replied, "We are sorry to have disturbed you by meeting each other."

Yuji Itadori still looked a little dazed, his mind still stuck on their previous separation.

He remembered Gojo teacher's cold smile and his sight of the black-haired young man walking away. There was a familiar strangeness between them.

However, now, Gojo-sensei was standing next to the black-haired young man. They looked extremely familiar. There was no such thing as friends becoming enemies. Instead, they looked like old friends.

This vague memory made Yuji Itadori confused for a moment, thinking that this was a new trick that Ryoumen Sukuna had developed to play a trick on him. So he said angrily, "Is it fun? It's boring."

Hearing this, the two Sukuna on Niugu Mountain seemed to be in a good mood.

He snorted and spoke, looking down at Yuji Itadori who was lying on the ground, his voice deliberately drawn out: "What's wrong, kid? Are you stunned? As stupid as you are, can't you see that those two guys were deliberately playing tricks on you? There is no such thing as amnesia."

Ryoumen Sukuna's tone was mixed with some malice, and he mocked: "The people you care about don't care about your mentality at all, so they don't care about your struggle and hide the truth. I guess they are happy to see you worrying about gains and losses."

Psychological provocation! Jiang Lai understood it instantly. This method seemed extremely obvious, an open attempt to sow discord, but it could indeed plant a small thorn in the dark.

No one wants to be excluded from the truth, and the emotions invested are just superfluous products.

Jiang Lai opened his mouth, trying to comfort and explain.

However, before he could open his mouth, the young voice of Itadori Yuji sounded first: "This is not your illusion, Sukuna, it's real?"

The next second, he continued, "No amnesia? That's great!" The cherry-pink-haired boy's eyes sparkled and he smiled brightly, "It's great that Gojo-sensei and...that person are both fine."

Such sincerity and joy made everyone present silent for a moment.

It seems that Yuji Itadori really doesn't care about the secrets and deceptions, and he sincerely believes that what he heard is good news.

The young man's enthusiastic heart was revealed. He cared passionately for the people he cared about and did not care about his own gains and losses.

After the initial pause, Gojo Satoru quickly smiled and whispered to Jiang Lai: "What do you think? Students taught by the strongest and hot-tempered teacher are good, right? Hey, who made me the strongest~"

"..." Ryoumen Sukuna's original plan to watch the excitement was obviously dashed. His scarlet eyes narrowed, and his expression was visibly surprised.

Faced with the good brother's honesty and the bad brother's holding back, Jiang Lai couldn't help but smile.

He smiled and responded to Itadori Yuji: "Do you still want to call me 'that person'? You can just call me by my name [Rai] or call me [brother]. It's up to you."

Hearing this, the originally cheerful sakura-pink-haired boy once again showed a rare shyness. He held the back of his head with one hand, his eyes flickering like a little animal.

Yuji Itadori opened his lips slightly and looked over with his golden-orange eyes.

“…”

He wanted to say: I remembered the events of a thousand years ago. I wrote you many letters filled with trivial daily matters. I once thought that we would never meet again in this life. I never thought that I really still had relatives, even if they were family in a conceptual sense.

He wanted to say: Grandpa let me die surrounded by people, and this has always been my goal. Although I originally just wanted to be a firefighter, I have taken on another responsibility since I became a container.

I am willing to sacrifice myself for the benefit of the public. I am not afraid of death, but I am a little afraid of loneliness. I really can't bear to say goodbye to everyone.

He also wanted to say: I actually feel a little aggrieved, but don’t worry, I haven’t suffered too much, but I still can’t help but want to find someone to rely on and confide in.

I used to be a bit bad, but now that I know you are good, I can't be any better.

Because there were so many words in his mind that he couldn't say anything for a while. There were so many words that he wanted to say that accumulated in his throat, and he felt a kind of sore throat.

After all, he is still a teenage high school student.

Jiang Lai did not urge him, his eyes were gentle and frank. He waited quietly for Yuji Itadori to sort out his emotions.

Noticing that the cherry-pink-haired boy's eyes were gradually turning red, Jiang Lai paused for a moment, then took the initiative to take a few steps forward.

He walked to the side of Yuji Itadori, without saying much, but with natural and firm movements, he gently held him in his arms.

Just like [Gen] hugged him back then, Jiang Lai also hugged Yuji Itadori, giving this young boy who was stumbling forward on the thorny road the companionship of a family.