Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

"Yes, yes, then get some rest."

After finishing his notes, Xia Youjie also left.

Gojo Satoru was the last to leave. He reached out and patted her on the head, then tilted his head back and yawned before heading to his room.

"Everything will be alright tomorrow, trust us, goodnight."

Riko was still standing in the courtyard. She raised her face, and the moonlight shone on her tear-streaked face.

She sniffed and then suddenly chuckled.

"His face is so ugly."

Kuroi couldn't help but laugh and wiped her face with his sleeve.

"There's a lot to do tomorrow, Miss, you should get some rest early tonight."

"it is good!"

……

On the third day, on the plane.

The engine hummed softly, and outside the window, the clouds stretched out, dazzlingly white.

Xia Youjie stared at his phone screen as the countdown ticked down.

"00:03"

"00:02"

"00:01"

"00:00"

drip-

He turned off the alarm, and the numbers reset to zero.

"The deadline for the bounty has passed." He placed his phone face down on his lap.

Duanmu Yan leaned against the porthole, his gaze returning from the clouds: "We need to give an explanation for canceling the assimilation process when we get back."

A head popped out between two seats.

“Those old guys are probably going to be furious.” Gojo Satoru’s sunglasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, his elbows resting on the backs of the chairs on either side. “Haha… Just thinking about their faces during the meeting makes me want to laugh.”

Xia Youjie pushed his face to the side: "Keep your voice down."

"What are you afraid of? Kuroi and Riko are asleep up ahead."

Indeed, Riko fell into a deep sleep after crying last night, and continued sleeping on the plane. Kuroi, who was sitting next to her, also closed his eyes.

Gojo Satoru walked back to his seat, propped his legs up on the back of the chair in front of him, and asked, "So, how do you explain this?"

“Just say that assimilation has been cancelled,” Xia Youjie said.

"They're definitely going to ask why."

"Then say that the asteroid itself refused."

Gojo Satoru scoffed: "They'll say that the personal will of a mere asteroid is nothing."

“Then just put all the blame on us,” Duanmu Yan said, tapping his finger on the armrest. “Just say that the three of us judged that the astral body’s state was not suitable for assimilation and forcibly stopped it.”

Xia Youjie turned to look at him: "This is tantamount to openly turning against the higher-ups."

"What else?" Gojo Satoru took off his sunglasses. "If we cancel it secretly, they won't know? It's going to be revealed sooner or later anyway, so we might as well make a big fuss about it."

Duanmu Yan nodded: "The wording doesn't matter. The core point is that assimilation has been cancelled. If they're not happy, let them come find us."

Xia Youjie was silent for a few seconds, then leaned back in his seat and looked at the cabin ceiling.

“Once it’s out there, there’s no turning back. The higher-ups in the sorcery world, conservative families, Tianyuan’s direct guards… they will all stand against us.”

“We’ve been on the opposite side for a long time,” Duanmu Yan said. “We just haven’t broken it off yet.”

Gojo Satoru put his cleaned sunglasses back on, grinned, and said, "Jay, you're not scared, are you?"

“I’m counting the numbers,” Xia Youjie said dismissively. “I need to know roughly how many people the conservatives can use, which families will be the most vocal, and what procedures the higher-ups will use to exert pressure.”

"Finished calculating?"

"almost."

"The results of it?"

Xia Youjie turned his head, looked at Wutiao Wu, and grinned, "You can fight."

Gojo Satoru slapped the armrest: "That's settled then. Those old fogies are probably going to be furious."

"Let's jump then." Duanmu Yan took a sip of cola. "At worst, the three of us will go to meetings in the future, sit in a row, and whoever jumps gets slapped."

Gojo Satoru held up a Coke can and gestured at him: "I like what you said."

Xia Youjie shook his head, but couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

If we're going to make a scene, let's make a huge one.

Chapter 74 Your weapon seems pretty good.

Tokyo Higher Vocational School, at the foot of Mount Enzan.

The stone steps wind their way up from the foot of the mountain. The vermilion pillars of the torii gate are darkened by the shade of the trees, and the chirping of cicadas presses down from above, making one's scalp tingle.

"Everyone, you've all worked hard." Xia Youjie stopped and pointed ahead. "The barrier is just ahead."

But Riko Tenn, who was walking behind him, was still a little worried. She bit her lip and said, "But... is this really okay?"

Duanmu Yan stood beside her and replied, "There's no need to feel burdened, because we're here."

He reached into the inside pocket of his coat, felt around, and when he took his hand out, there was a bean in his palm.

He took Riko's hand and placed the beans in her palm.

"Here, keep this in your mouth, but don't swallow it."

Riko looked down at the bean, her eyebrows furrowing: "What is this?"

"Something to save your life." Duanmu Yan withdrew his hand. "Remember, just keep it in your mouth."

After he finished speaking, he raised his head, his gaze passing over Riko and drifting towards the entrance of the mountain path.

Sure enough, it's there.

There was a shadow under the old camphor tree at the entrance to the mountain path. The person wasn't deliberately hiding; they were just leaning against the trunk.

But even from such a distance, none of the three of them had noticed that the person had nothing detectable about him, and almost no magical power.

Thousand and the Tyrant - Fukushige.

They squatted right at the entrance of the high-rise building; they're really brave.

Duanmu Yan withdrew his gaze and began tapping his fingers incessantly.

With their current strength, if the three of them face Fuheishen head-on and are not ambushed, their chances of winning are not small.

But the idea that you can win by confronting them head-on is a useless idea!!

He still has four Senzu Beans, five lives, and five chances to try and fail. That's enough.

For most people, this configuration is for survival.

But he wanted to learn something from it. The armor's attributes were already fixed, so he had no chance to reverse the spell. But could he learn the reversal spell itself?

When a person is about to die, their potential is most easily unleashed... An opponent of Fuheshchen's caliber is the perfect teacher.

"Duanmu." Gojo Satoru's voice suddenly broke in.

He followed Duanmu Yan's gaze toward the mountain path, his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.

He found nothing—no magical fluctuations, no remnants—but he chose to believe Duanmu Yan.

"Should I use a full-power Cang?"

Duanmu Yan shook his head: "No need. I'll go."

He walked toward the entrance to the mountain path, leaving deep and shallow marks on the moss-covered stone steps where he had been trampled.

Under the old camphor tree, Fu Heishen straightened up from the trunk and smiled.

Interesting, that kid, he recognized him from so far away.

He was born without any magical power, so sorcerers saw him as no different from seeing a stone. Conversely, those who could lock onto him did not rely on magical perception.

"This is so interesting."

Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind slashed down from behind him.

Fuheshen'er turned his shoulder slightly to the side and saw a green afterimage land behind him, sending up pebbles that crackled and popped against the tree trunk.

Fuheshen turned around, and the blade of the Soul-Releasing Blade on his shoulder flashed a light in the dappled shadows of the trees. There was no curse power wrapped around it, and nothing fancy about it.

There was only a knife held to his body, but the moment he stood there, the air changed.

Just by looking at his posture, you can tell... this person is very strong, ridiculously strong!

"You've arrived, you kid from the vocational college."

Duanmu Yan leaned against the old camphor tree, arms crossed, "Are you muttering to yourself, talking to me?"

Fu Heishen tilted his head. The old scar at the corner of his mouth was distorted from being pulled.

This kid must be an idiot. Who else is around here?

Duanmu Yan continued, "That knife you have is pretty good. You bastard, you think you're worthy of using it? Hand it over yourself, or should I beat you until you do?"

Fuheishen was stunned for a moment. Then he burst out laughing.

He had lived for almost thirty years, and this was the first time he had ever encountered someone who dared to talk to him like that, and it was a kid who was only in high school.

"Everyone says the Six-Eyed Clan's son is the most arrogant..."

He swung the Soul-Releasing Blade off his shoulder, the blade flashing a cold light in the dappled shadows of the trees. "I think this title should be given to you."

"Thank you for the compliment." Duanmu Yan nodded, his expression serious.