Chapter Twenty-Eight
-Yu Shaohan-
There are three first-year students this year: Fushiguro Megumi, Kugizaki Nobara, and Itadori Yuuhito.
Now one is dead, so there are two left.
It's a very simple arithmetic problem.
"Bullshit!" This was the first time I realized the cruelty unique to sorcerers. "One died so quickly? It's only been a short time since the new students enrolled. When did this happen?"
"I heard they encountered a top-tier cursed spirit." Panda sighed, lying on the table. "It happened in the last few days, and it was pretty bad. Fushiguro and Kugizaki have been upset for days."
A top-tier cursed spirit? Neither Xiao Lan nor I have ever encountered a top-tier cursed spirit!
Neither Xiao Lan nor I had any contact with the deceased Itadori Yujin, but Panda and Thorn told us that he was a very good young man who always faced everything with a sunny and optimistic attitude, and had the most optimistic and positive attitude towards everything in life.
"From your description... he seems like a pretty good person." Xiao Lan shrugged. "But as for top-tier curse spirits, shouldn't Wu have let the three of them go on their own?"
“Because Wu was sent away,” Panda said. “By those high-ranking figures in the sorcery world.”
"This matter is a bit complicated, but in short, they've disliked Haddock for a long time."
I've known for a while that the higher-ups in the sorcery world are insane; frankly, it would be abnormal if they didn't go crazy one day. So I nodded, indicating my understanding.
"Okay, so where are the two surviving first-year students?" I patted my chest loudly. "When juniors encounter something like this, it can become a lifelong psychological trauma! As a senior, I have to give them a good talking-to!"
“Train with Maki on the playground.” Panda gestured toward the playground. “Besides, I don’t think they need you two to comfort them.”
I've never met Fushiguro Megumi or Kugizaki Nobara, but I've heard of them in our second-year group (without Gojo Satoru's version). One is a cool, aloof guy with urchin-like hair, and the other is a cute, mature woman with orange-brown hair who wields a hammer.
"I'm going to check on them!" I grabbed Xiao Lan, who looked helpless, and headed straight for the playground with great enthusiasm.
The wind on the playground carried the heat of summer, swirling up dust from training. Maki's figure stood out in the center of the field, her wooden sword drawing clean, crisp arcs. On the other side, Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugizaki, though their breathing was somewhat unsteady, showed no sign of backing down.
Dog Roll was sitting nearby, a million miles away from Maki and the first-year students. When he saw us rushing over, he immediately waved his hands at us and said, "Sheng Jinzi!"
“Long time no see, Ji.” Xiao Lan broke free from my grasp and casually sat down on the ground. “I came back yesterday. As for why you didn’t see me, it’s because I was dragged away by Teacher Wu to do hard labor as soon as I got back… Ah, I can’t say that.”
My temples throbbed twice: "I guessed it even if you didn't say it. It's most likely that Gojo Satoru accidentally killed Hana, so he asked you to go shopping with him, right?"
Xiao Lan was shocked: "Holy crap, how did you know?"
"Heh." I let out two cold laughs. This whole thing was so absurd that I didn't even want to complain. "Dog Roll, do you know?" I turned to look for outside help, "I used to have a little spider that was about the size of a thumbnail, named Flower. When we went on a business trip at the end of April, I was worried that Flower would be unhappy living a nomadic life with me, so before I left, I specifically entrusted Flower to Gojo Satoru."
Dog-Turtle's expression was somewhat indescribable: "Big Mustard..."
"Before we left, it was because only Gojo Satoru was at the high school." After Dog Scroll's reminder, I also felt that entrusting Hana to Gojo Satoru was a bit too unreliable. "Anyway, I've already reflected on it, and next time I'll entrust Hana No. 2 to someone else."
"Salmon roe?"
"Oh, what's going on with Little Flower No. 2? I guess Gojo Satoru accidentally killed Little Flower. He didn't show up all day yesterday. It wasn't until evening that he finally arrived late with Xiao Lan, carrying a plastic box containing a spider the size of a palm. He lied to me, saying he took Little Flower for a walk. As for why Little Flower suddenly grew so big, spiders change shape as they grow."
Xiao Lan: "..."
Dog Roll: "..."
"Isn't this ridiculous? If I couldn't tell that my little flower had already kicked the bucket, and Gojo Satoru just bought me a new one, then I might as well not live! This kind of excuse is only good for fooling a stool."
"Oh, Xiao Lan, Yu Shaohan." I was filled with righteous indignation when Maki suddenly came over for a drink of water. She casually tossed the bamboo sword aside. "What are you talking about? When did you get back?"
“Yesterday,” Xiao Lan said, “let’s talk about the good deeds that Teacher Wu did.”
"Oh." Maki was already used to Gojo Satoru's various tricks. "Long time no see, wanna practice? Xiao Lan."
"It's so hot today... I don't want to move..." Xiao Lan shook her head vigorously. "What about the two first-year students?"
"Over there, lying on the ground." Maki was still a little unwilling to give up. "Aren't you really going to practice—doesn't your Long-Lifting Technique stop the heat as soon as you use it?"
"Go ahead," I said, patting Xiao Lan's shoulder forcefully. "Show them what you've got. Didn't you just give your Instant Sword a sword spirit a while back?"
"Salmon roe?"
"Sword Spirit?"
"Hey!" I urged Xiao Lan, "Why don't you show us your skills! Are you the number one genius in our cultivation world?"
Xiao Lan: "..."
Xiao Lan: "Alright, let's have a competition then. Maki, don't go easy on me!"
Hehe, I knew Xiao Lan was powerless against being called the "number one genius".
Maki raised an eyebrow, picked up a spear from beside Inu-maki, and tapped the blade lightly with her fingertips: "You're the one who's like that, aren't you? Show me all your tricks."
Xiao Lan slowly rose, her hand resting on her waist, and a silver-white longsword materialized out of thin air with a "whoosh." The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and if you looked closely, you could see a very faint halo flowing across it. She flexed her wrist, the tassel of the sword swaying slightly: "Don't worry, it will definitely surprise you."
The commotion on our side naturally attracted the attention of the first-year students who were taking a break.
"Who's that staring at Maki-nee? And the one with short hair next to her?" Kugizaki Nobara (with orange-brown hair, that must be Kugizaki Nobara) asked in a deliberately low voice.
However, as recorded in the diary of a cultivator, although she lowered her voice, Xiao Lan and I naturally heard her clearly.
“They should be a second-year cultivation team,” said Fuhei Hui (the one with the sea urchin hair). “But I’ve never seen them. I’ve heard they’re quite strong, so they’re always on missions.”
"They're really strong..." Kugizaki Nobara pondered. "Then why are they called the Cultivation Duo?"
"Because we came from the cultivation world."
"Wow!" Kugizaki Nobara was startled. "How did you suddenly appear?"
"Sorry, sorry, did I scare you?" Xiao Lan scratched his head. "I accidentally overheard your conversation. Now, may I ask you and this... um..."
"Fu Hei Hui".
"Hmm, Hui. Could you and Hui go to Shaohan and Ji's place? Maki and I want to come and practice. If you two stay here, you'll get hurt."
Kugizaki Nobara blinked and pulled Fushiguro Megumi back two steps. I smiled and waved to them, deciding to maintain my "caring upperclassman" persona: "Come here, come here! This is the best viewing area!"
Maki's spear cleaved through the heatwave first, its tip carrying a sharp, magical power as it hurtled towards Xiao Lan's face. Xiao Lan lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his silver-white longsword drew a graceful arc in the sunlight before colliding with the spear shaft with a "whoosh."
Xiao Lan: "Chang Ning decides one thing, and treads through the wind and snow!"
Almost the instant Xiao Lan uttered the words "treading through the snow," fine snowflakes instantly swirled around her.
Wow.
We second-year students had seen this scene many times before, but this was the first time the first-year students had witnessed such a heavy snowfall. Kugizaki Nobara shivered, "It feels... a little cold?"
Maki flicked the ice shards off the gun barrel: "Has the temperature dropped in the snow?"
"Ah..." Xiao Lan thought for a long time, "More or less."
Maki fell silent. She suddenly lowered her center of gravity, her spear gliding close to the ice. Xiao Lan pointed the tip of his Instantaneous Sword at the ground, and the ice net suddenly rose up, transforming into an ice wall half a person's height. With a loud "bang," the spear crashed into the ice wall, and spiderweb-like cracks spread out.
The unexpected happened at that moment. The Instant Sword in Xiao Lan's hand suddenly hummed, and the aura on its blade brightened abruptly, becoming almost blindingly bright. In mid-air, a slender, ethereal figure suddenly appeared—the sword spirit of the Instant Sword. Xiao Lan was clearly caught off guard; his hand gripping the hilt faltered slightly, and the spiritual energy he should have been holding back instantly spiraled out of control.
"Holy crap!"
In the blink of an eye, she cried out in alarm, and the out-of-control spiritual energy exploded along the blade, sending several sharp ice crystals hurtling towards the edge of the playground—the perfect "viewing spot" where I had just called Kugizaki and Fushiguro to stand. The tips of those ice crystals gleamed coldly, whistling through the air, and were about to pierce Kugizaki, who hadn't even reacted yet.
Fushiguro Megumi's pupils contracted sharply. He wanted to summon his shikigami, but it was clearly too late.
Instinctively, I raised my hand, and the white-blue gradient calligraphy brush in my mind instantly materialized. The tip of the brush, dipped in spiritual energy, swiftly swept through the air, and a powerful character "止" (stop) was formed.
"The rest, come out!"
Yes! Although the yellow paper is gone, through my unremitting efforts, I have mastered the important skill of drawing talismans in the void! I watched the ice crystals slowly disappear in the air, and couldn't help but cross my arms and raise my eyebrows at Xiao Lan with satisfaction.
Hehe, how about that? I'm asking you, aren't you awesome!
Xiao Lan: "..."
Tch. She rolled her eyes at me. It was just that she made the ice crystals I accidentally created disappear. What's so amazing about that?
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