Chapter 153
Before heading to Jiuqing Village, Xia Youjie received a mission summary from the assistant supervisor, Zhengjinji Misato.
It is said that the legend of the village's "disappearance" has been circulating since the Edo period. While the content may have changed slightly over time, there have been no significant differences in general.
In the past, technology was underdeveloped, and the location of Jiuqing Village was too remote. Not only did it never have a way to contact the outside world, but the only road into the village was a narrow path that could not be passed by cars.
Xia Youjie received the mission assignment and overview a week in advance, but since he was also carrying out other missions at the same time, he had to finish this one first before returning to school to rest and meet up with the assistant supervisor to go to Jiuqing Village together.
On the way, he also obtained a detailed investigation report from Misato Seigami about the rumors of her "disappearance".
"In the past decade, there have been a total of five disappearances and unnatural deaths. All of them occurred within 50 meters of a stalactite cave near the village, which is said to be a sacred place. It is generally believed that they were caused by a cursed spirit."
"One of the missing persons was a young woman and a child, while the bodies of the other four, who were either middle-aged or older men, were all headless. The latter group had consistent characteristics of death."
While Xia Youjie was reviewing the report, Zhengjinsi Miri quickly explained to him.
The road into the village was impassable for cars, so she had to drop the person off at an intersection about one kilometer from Jiuqing Village and wait outside for further contact.
"The villagers are also aware of this commission. We don't need to abide by confidentiality regulations. We can directly visit the villagers to confirm the contents of the legend and exorcise any possible cursed spirits."
Misato Seijinji glanced at the rearview mirror out of the corner of her eye, her words quite solemn.
“I conducted an investigation before, but at that time I did not find any trace of the cursed spirit near the stalactite cave. Therefore, we speculate that the cursed spirit is at around level one and is likely capable of using spells. Please be careful when performing the exorcism.”
"Hmm, it doesn't sound like too much trouble."
Xia Youjie flipped through the report, and after confirming that there was no further detailed information, he put it away.
Depending on the legend, some cursed spirits require specific actions or methods to be triggered.
Once these cursed spirits, which are extremely prone to causing widespread fear, are generated, they are almost always at least at the Quasi-Level 1—some even possess a unique curse triggering logic and will not indiscriminately attack ordinary people.
Situations like that of Jiuqing Village are not uncommon.
Furthermore, since it didn't require a clandestine operation, this mission was much easier for him.
Xia Youjie got off the bus and said goodbye to Zhengjinji Miri, then walked alone to Jiuqing Village.
Misato Seikinji was unsure how long the mission would take, so she booked a room with the client for up to three days in advance.
Hearing that he had come to help resolve the "disappearance" incident, Xia Youjie received an exceptionally warm welcome from the villagers.
No matter what Xia Youjie asked, they would answer without reservation.
Therefore, the cursed spirit born near the stalactite cave was dealt with by Xia Youjie the next day—the residual cursed power that ordinary people or weak sorcerers could not see was not difficult for him to identify.
However, in the villagers' minds, this "divine realm" was not to be entered lightly, so much so that when Xia Youjie returned from his solitary trip to the stalactite cave, they still mistakenly believed that the matter had not been resolved.
In other words, the "culprit" they believe to be responsible for the incident has not yet been identified.
It seemed that Xia Youjie had left a good impression on them during their conversation the day before, because when he returned from the stalactite cave, two older villagers took the initiative to come and chat with him.
"I know who the murderer in these cases is."
One of the older men spoke mysteriously to Xia Youjie, which elicited a puzzled look from the latter.
“I have already dealt with the source of the ‘disappearance’.”
Xia Youjie wanted to tell him about his experience in the stalactite cave, but the two men insisted that they had caught the real culprit and took him to a dilapidated warehouse.
Perhaps under normal circumstances, this warehouse is only used to store rice or crops.
But what Xia Youjie saw before him was a pair of young twin girls—their skin, not covered by clothes, was covered with bruises and swelling caused by severe beatings.
The arrival of Xia Youjie and his group caused them to show obvious fear and timidity, but they could not escape the narrow and sturdy wooden cell. They could only huddle together for warmth, filled with extreme unease and vigilance.
Xia Youjie was stunned by this scene for a moment before he spoke: "What's going on?"
"These two are the ones who caused this whole series of incidents," the middle-aged man who brought him there said, disgruntled. "They attacked us several times with strange powers!"
Strange power... So these two little girls are sorcerers?
"As I just said, I have already dealt with the root cause of the problem."
Xia Youjie softened his tone and emphasized it to them again.
But the villagers wouldn't listen. They stubbornly believed that the twins had caused a series of disasters, and even another old woman started shouting.
"Yes, my grandson was almost killed by those two!"
That was him—
One of the twin girls tried to speak, but was silenced by an even more rude reprimand.
"Shut up, monster!"
"Your parents, too, possess strange powers!"
"I should have killed you when you were still babies!"
“…”
These words, aimed at the sorcerer and at Xia Youjie, were so sharp that he realized almost instantly—
In a state of extreme ignorance and folly, the malice that ordinary people feel towards sorcerers is often no less than that of the cursed spirits born from negative emotions.
Just because they possess powers different from ordinary people, are they forced to endure abuse and imprisonment, and blamed for all misfortune and suffering?
Even if sorcerers struggle to protect non-sorcerers and lose their lives prematurely, they cannot earn even a fraction of their gratitude.
Even if someone is a powerful figure who has protected many people, death can only bring silence. They simply fall quietly and forever in another cruel world.
Although Xia Youjie had been mentally prepared, he still found it difficult to let go of the matter even now.
He felt a sudden surge of frustration and anxiety within him, churning within his chest, as if he wanted to release it all.
—Yes, that's right. All he has to do is turn around and kill all these stupid villagers.
This thought suddenly popped into Xia Youjie's mind.
—Like killing a few noisy monkeys.
These were words he had uttered during a previous performance of "extremism," and now they echoed in his ears with crystal clarity.
His blood vessels were throbbing, as if urging him to make a decision as soon as possible.
"you……"
Xia Youjie raised his hand, and ink-like ripples spread in the air. The large, eye-covered insect spirit that had been driven was about to crawl out—but suddenly stopped.
What distinguishes us from ordinary people? Aside from possessing magical powers.
These are the words that Kazuma Hatori once said to him.
[I want to become a teacher and reform the world of sorcery—to reduce unnecessary casualties. Whether sorcerer or not.]
Gojo Satoru also found his ideal and decided to fight for it.
—And him.
He should also have a plan for the future.
But if he commits the crime of killing ordinary people here, he will lose the right to stand with them.
Xia Youjie's mind, which was almost overwhelmed by negative emotions and pressure, suddenly cleared up.
Could this actually be a scheme by the enemy?
It's unclear, but one thing is certain—both Wu and Yizhen have pinned their hopes on him, and he absolutely cannot falter at this crucial moment.
Xia Youjie raised his hand and waved it in front of him, his fingertips seemingly cutting through the air.
The arthropod-type cursed spirit, which was almost peeking out, was retracted, and in its place crawled out a giant caterpillar-type cursed spirit.
It turned its head toward the two villagers and opened its equally astonishing mouth—filled with rings of sharp teeth—as if to attack them.
Even ordinary people can see cursed spirits when they are on the verge of death.
The two villagers, who had just been speaking sternly, suddenly collapsed to the ground, their legs giving way, trembling with fear.
"This, this is..."
"This is the real culprit behind the 'disappearance' incident."
Xia Youjie's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Of course, if you don't believe me, I can demonstrate for you two right here and now, letting it bite off one of your heads... Ah, don't worry, it should only hurt for a short while, and you'll feel very relaxed soon."
The more they heard this, the more terrifying it became, causing the elderly woman and man to instinctively huddle together, trembling with fear.
This posture is very similar to that of the twin sisters in the wooden cell, except that they are now stunned and have forgotten their fear.
"You...you didn't come here to help us...?"
The uncle mustered his courage and asked, which earned him a kind smile from Xia Youjie—the caterpillar spirit also moved its spiky body, bringing its wide-open mouthparts closer to him.
The man was so frightened that he almost rolled his eyes on the spot.
"yes,"
Xia Youjie's face instantly turned cold. "Since I'm here to help you, then remember this."
"Without the existence of people like us who possess [strange powers], you who cannot even see real monsters would only believe until death that it is the wrath of the gods—like uncivilized, foolish monkeys."
The two villagers nodded haphazardly, it was unclear whether they had actually listened.
"If you understand, then get lost, before I can still restrain myself from killing you."
Turning away from them, Xia Youjie raised his hand and, before recalling the caterpillar spirit, had it smash the wooden cage in front of him.
Where are your parents?
He asked the two sisters, who looked only four or five years old, and they both shook their heads in silence—one of the girls, with dark hair, clenched her fist holding the doll, and looked sad.
Is he no longer alive...? This is going to be difficult.
He planned to defect from the sorcery world during this mission, but becoming a sorcerer meant that his future life would be very dangerous, and he couldn't think of a way to take care of the two little girls for a while.
"Don't worry, it's all over now. I won't let them bully you again."
Xia Youjie sighed silently, then asked.
Do you still want to stay here?
This time, she shook her head with exceptional determination. Another girl with light-colored hair was bolder, reaching out and pulling back several times before finally grabbing the corner of Xia Youjie's shirt.
The meaning is clear—they want to leave with Xia Youjie, anywhere is fine with them.
Xia Youjie was now genuinely troubled... but he couldn't possibly leave them here.
Even setting aside the distinction between sorcerers and non-sorcerers, the act of violently beating these four- or five-year-old sisters and imprisoning them in a wooden cell is still an extremely heinous and inhumane crime.
"After we get out, I'll take you to the police station. The government will come and punish them severely."
Sending them to jail is a fitting punishment for their crimes.
Not to mention, he had been taught by Ichijin when they went on a mission together that police officers in ordinary society can sometimes be very useful.
After thinking for a moment, Xia Youjie leaned down and spoke to them in a very gentle tone.
"As for you, you can consider going to an orphanage or finding better adoptive families later, or you can stay with me... okay?"
He looked at the two sisters and nodded slightly, and breathed a sigh of relief—someone like him, who was clearly just a high school student and a minor, could not possibly be the kind of person a child would choose.
Soon, Xia Youjie realized that he had breathed a sigh of relief a little too soon.
………
When Kazuma Hatake received the call, the sky outside was still dimly lit, with only a narrow strip of the sun visible on the horizon.
"Cough, Ichijin."
It was Xia Youjie's voice. He seemed to be troubled by something and had to call him for help, sounding quite embarrassed.
Would you mind if I brought two more children with me to come stay with you?
Kazuma Hatake: "...Hmm?"
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