Chapter 137 : Friend or Foe & Charm Technique (Not Really)
After finishing his previous words, Fushiguro Toji curled his lips and added with a thoughtful expression:
"Of course, you're currently in cursed spirit form... Hmm, I wonder if you still have money to pay for services in this state. That's a question."
Jiang Lai: "I can burn incense for you. What scent do you prefer? Thick incense or thin incense?"
"That's for gods and buddhas. I'm not one of those." Fushiguro Toji crossed his muscular arms, snorting with laughter, "I have no interest in memorial tablets and incense offerings. Dead is dead. All that follow-up stuff is just wasting money."
Jiang Lai had originally thought Fushiguro Toji's complaint was about finding it troublesome, but it turned out he thought it was a waste of money! Well, that was very bounty hunter-like.
With this tangent, the previously tense atmosphere relaxed considerably. Jiang Lai exhaled and asked: "That [Uncertain Prophecy], what exactly is it?"
"It's just a technique that can perform those mystical, vague prophecies." Fushiguro Toji said, "But this kind of prying has a price, so the family head's wife has always been in poor health. When I was still at the Zenin family, the area near the family head's room was always filled with medicinal scents."
A price...
Indeed, everything had a price. Jiang Lai understood this in his heart. Equivalent exchange was the basic law governing the jujutsu world.
Honestly, when the wife was first mentioned, his first reaction was actually the good mother Kenjaku! But immediately after, he dismissed this idea.
In the previous manga depictions, Kenjaku's body was a woman who could weave special items, and there were no medicine brewing activities around him. Plus, he wasn't confined to the Zenin family but moved freely.
So Kenjaku's shell probably wasn't the Zenin family head's wife.
"When I asked if you had inquired about the Zenin family head's wife's information in advance, I meant to remind you to pay attention to her condition." The semi-transparent ghost floated closer, his voice lazy and casual, "This way you can roughly judge whether the other party has recently used [Uncertain Prophecy]."
Jiang Lai placed one hand on his chin, thinking: "But the Zenin family was originally closed off, and the family head's wife's information is internal. It would be impossible to inquire about it from outside in advance, right?"
Fushiguro Toji's mouth curved up, pulling at that scar as he half-closed his eyes:
"Oh... of course not. Information that people know isn't one hundred percent absolutely secure. When I was a bounty hunter, there was plenty of information that was supposedly impossible to investigate... but with some effort, intelligence could still be obtained."
He had a carefree appearance, and when mentioning the past, his eyes still carried that wild freedom from back then.
Bounty hunter information channels... Jiang Lai thought about it.
Perhaps Fushiguro Toji had pointed out an intelligence route for him. His hacking skills could penetrate the bounty hunter networks, obtaining desired information from these people who moved between various groups.
Then he refocused, placing the emphasis back on the Zenin family head's wife.
In other words, this wife's technique [Uncertain Prophecy] required paying the price of physical health, and probably lifespan too.
Given that, she probably wouldn't use this ability casually.
Jiang Lai analyzed calmly.
The closed Zenin family had no need to use this technique in daily life. If it was just day-to-day living, then prophecy would have no value.
So what made her use this technique must have been external factors.
The Supervisory Committee.
This term leaped into his mind instantly. Jiang Lai remembered the prophecy information the Supervisory Committee had obtained that he'd heard from Geto Suguru during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, which included keywords like "Divine Six Eyes," "Moving the Clock," and "Radiance Restart."
At the time, he had wondered where the prophecy came from. Now it seemed it might have come from the Zenin family head's wife.
So the key now was the Zenin family's stance.
Because the family head's wife's position should align with the Zenin family, since her prophecies required very obvious prices and couldn't be done secretly without others knowing.
Jiang Lai's thoughts flowed in his mind.
He didn't know many people from the Zenin family. When he had come here with high school-era Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, his biggest impression was how feudal and closed it was.
However, he had a decent impression of the Zenin family head, Zenin Naobito.
Jiang Lai knew that Zenin Maki and Mai's ability to leave the Zenin family and gain freedom back then couldn't have happened without Naobito's behind-the-scenes support.
And it was Gojo Satoru who had gone to find Naobito then. Gojo Satoru's evaluation of the Zenin family head was "a rare normal person."
Jiang Lai quite trusted Gojo Satoru's intuitive accuracy. After all, a cat's intuition was always accurate, even if it was a white-haired cat (not really).
Well, to be serious, it was related to Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes. Besides seeing through techniques, the Six Eyes also had some ability to see through lies, which was why his sixth sense about people was particularly accurate.
Moreover, according to intelligence from the original jujutsu story, Zenin Naobito could be considered a person who kept his word and took responsibility, without extreme thoughts.
So logically, he wouldn't get involved with the Supervisory Committee.
Working for people like those behind the Supervisory Committee would only happen if he was deceived or threatened.
Jiang Lai pondered deeply.
If that was the case, then the Zenin family might cooperate with the Supervisory Committee, but definitely wasn't truly loyal.
Come to think of it, one reason the Supervisory Committee hadn't found him was because they thought [Clock] was an object.
Among those, that prophecy about [Moving the Clock] was highly misleading. After all, such a prophecy sounded like Gojo Satoru had found some object and was using his hands to fiddle with it.
...So was what the Supervisory Committee obtained a real prophecy? Or had the Zenin family head's wife deliberately changed a word or two when delivering the prophecy to mislead them?
Jiang Lai's mind raced as he came up with speculation after speculation.
Fushiguro Toji could see Jiang Lai was thinking. He floated casually nearby without interrupting.
Moonlight hung in the sky. Neither person in the room cast shadows on the ground, and the evening mist drifted faintly.
After a brief moment, Jiang Lai emerged from his mental world and looked up: "What do you think of the Zenin family head?"
"Hmm?" Perhaps not expecting this to be Jiang Lai's first question, Fushiguro Toji raised his eyebrows. But he still answered, "Not bad, one of the non-garbage pieces in the trash can."
Jiang Lai: "..." What a direct description. Honestly, the targeting of the Zenin family was overflowing!
So Toji's attitude toward the Zenin family head was also favorable. Then as the family head, Naobito and his wife should be trustworthy people, they were just currently mixed up with the opposing side.
Seemingly able to guess what Jiang Lai was thinking, Fushiguro Toji narrowed his eyes, his hands-in-pockets gesture looking very casual as he said:
"You're considering human nature? I don't think a person's character can determine your next course of action."
"Indeed, I'm usually accustomed to evidence-based reasoning and clue gathering. But a person's character is also part of the evidence and clues. Many times we trust someone precisely because we believe in their character."
Jiang Lai blinked, "Of course, I know you want to remind me that people are changeable. Don't worry, I'm not that rash. I'm still considering."
"Regardless of what kind of prophecy it is, it's only one possible direction for the future. It can't encompass everything. Whether that wife will prophesy about current events or not, I won't go out tonight for now."
He raised his hand, closing the small door that opened to the courtyard.
"Tomorrow during the day, I'll first collect some clues, then make decisions."
Jiang Lai planned calmly. After talking with Fushiguro Toji, he decided to prioritize stability.
In this place that might have close ties with the Supervisory Committee, he couldn't act rashly.
Jiang Lai wanted to determine the Zenin family head and his wife's position before considering whether to cooperate.
These two were somewhat similar to Choso, all characters who could form a united front against the same enemy. They all had soft spots: one was family, the other was his younger brother.
"Can you stay at the Zenin family for long?" Fushiguro Toji glanced over, his expression mixed with some raised suspicion, "Speaking of which, how did you infiltrate with your cursed spirit identity? This room looks like a guest room."
"I didn't expect you to still be so familiar with the Zenin family's structure after all these years." Jiang Lai smiled and nodded in response, "Indeed, this is a guest room, and of course I didn't enter as a cursed spirit."
"Oh, I remembered, your real identity is special." Fushiguro Toji recalled what Jiang Lai had said earlier, placing one hand on his chin, "But I didn't expect you could also change forms... How mystical."
Jiang Lai curved his eyebrows with amusement, then his brown eyes gazed at the semi-transparent soul form as his topic suddenly jumped:
"You mentioned before asking me to relay a message to Satoru, right? Maybe you can tell me now. I've already made contact with him."
Fushiguro Toji's expression paused slightly, then said: "Although I trust you more now than before, this matter should still wait until you can tell him face to face."
"Satoru won't be back for a while. He's abroad." Jiang Lai said, "Didn't you tell me your current condition isn't good? I'm worried that if the world further rejects you and you can't respond to my calls while conscious, then wouldn't your secret be unable to be revealed?"
"..." Fushiguro Toji fell silent, not immediately responding. His expression showed slight fluctuation as his gaze focused on Jiang Lai.
After a moment, he said: "Alright." Fushiguro Toji floated closer to Jiang Lai's side, "After you finish dealing with the Zenin family matters, I'll tell you."
Fushiguro Toji's expression rarely shed its usual laziness, gathering some seriousness: "Don't forget our transaction. No matter what, you have to help me escape from there."
"Don't worry." Jiang Lai looked back with equally firm expression, smiling slightly, "Actually, we have the same enemy."
Seeing that Jiang Lai's expression didn't seem fake, Fushiguro Toji finally relaxed his shoulders. He floated farther away, his topic jumping back to the previous one as he shrugged:
"Back to the Zenin family topic from before. Let me remind you again, usually the Zenin family doesn't keep outsiders either. You need to ensure your mission time is sufficient for you to stay several more days for observation."
"Logically, I can't stay very long." Jiang Lai indicated, "But I can attract the Zenin family Young Master using my other identity's mystical technique."
Hearing this, the semi-transparent soul form turned his face, his expression changing colors for a moment before finally focusing on something indescribable, then curling his scarred lips.
Fushiguro Toji pondered: "Hmm... mystical technique for attraction? Charm technique?"
Jiang Lai: "???"
This time it was Jiang Lai's turn for his expression to change colors as he leaned back tactically.
Jiang Lai: "Wait, how could there be such a strange technique as charm technique?! It's game realization targeted at internet-addicted youth!"