Chapter 200 : Jiang Lai - bt Is Late But Arrives & How Did The Fox
It's actually this person?!
While Jiang Lai's heart surged with surprise, he was accompanied by a certain strange calm and joy. The latter was probably because he had finally waited for a close encounter with this guy: bt is late but arrives.
Based on previous intelligence, Gojo Kyufuin, who enjoyed listening to genuine dying words and possessed the [Conversion] technique, was most likely a bt who appeared gentle on the surface but was dark and twisted inside.
Additionally, an important point was that he had known [Birth] a thousand years ago, and might be the one who helped the Supervisory Committee deceive [Birth].
Recalling his conceptual elder sister (elder brother), Jiang Lai's pinky finger curled almost imperceptibly.
But he showed nothing on his face, blinking slowly as usual and nodding slightly in response: "The side is empty, as you wish."
"Good, then I'll sit here." Gojo Kyufuin lifted his robe and sat down gracefully beside him. "Sorry for the disturbance."
"......" Jiang Lai didn't reply, only nodding slightly, his expression between a certain calm and indifference.
Though Jiang Lai wanted to further contact this Gojo Kyufuin to obtain more information, he wasn't overly enthusiastic or hasty, but laid the groundwork step by step, steadily and carefully.
Jiang Lai understood that in this kind of probing game, whoever was anxious lost first.
Temporarily placing himself in a relatively passive position didn't mean he couldn't achieve final victory. To obtain intelligence, he could also adopt a play-hard-to-get attitude.
Too rapid progress would instead make the other party, this thousand-year-old fox, suspicious.
Gojo Kyufuin seemed to understand this principle too. After sitting down, he didn't communicate much with Jiang Lai, but took out a book scroll from his sleeve and read it seriously in his palms.
Jiang Lai's gaze continued to fall on the center of the banquet, but his peripheral vision constantly watched Gojo Kyufuin beside him.
Gojo Kyufuin in his moon-white hood sat quietly beside him, his black long hair showing a strand or two as he slightly lowered his head, then quickly tucked it behind his ear.
His hands holding the book were slender with cold-white skin. When turning pages, you could see his neatly trimmed, rounded transparent nails.
Gojo Kyufuin's hands were beautiful, looking like a painting just casually placed on the scroll. However, the dark scar on the side of his right hand's back added a flaw to this painting.
Noticing that scar in a peripheral glance, Jiang Lai paused slightly in his heart.
These were all very small and mundane details he observed, but details also contained much important information.
Jiang Lai habitually incorporated all visible information into his mind when he glimpsed it, then analyzed it later.
Gojo Kyufuin seemed to pay great attention to his personal image.
Whether it was when Jiang Lai had seen him in his Little Sheep disguise with his narrow-sleeved, jade-pinned attire, or now in his moon-white hooded robe, you could see the other paid attention to adorning himself and changed according to different occasions.
Additionally, his well-maintained skin, the motion of immediately tucking away excess loose hair, and his clean, neat, regularly trimmed nails all indicated Gojo Kyufuin's attention to his appearance.
But precisely because of this, the scar on his right hand became even more prominent.
Logically, based on previous deductions, Gojo Kyufuin, who paid attention to his personal image, couldn't possibly allow himself to keep such a conspicuous scar.
If it were caused by techniques, it could be easily healed with reverse cursed technique.
Could this scar be similar to what Shoko experienced in the [Crossroads] Tower: left by a special cursed spirit attack that couldn't be simply eliminated through reverse cursed technique?
Or perhaps this wasn't a scar caused by cursed energy, but a permanent mark left by physical damage.
Whether the former or latter, both represented a hidden story behind it.
But currently, he couldn't dig into these matters yet.
"......" Jiang Lai's thoughts surged as he gathered this information in his mind, temporarily filing it in his memory's memo section, planning to continue deducing after obtaining more clues.
Now, Gojo Kyufuin appeared immersed in reading, paired with his warm, bright moon-white gold-trimmed hooded robe, every gesture carrying the elegant aura of a noble family's young master.
Jiang Lai wore a black windcoat, half-leisurely, half-seriously with crossed hands, somewhat like a night detective, gazing distantly ahead.
Their styles completely didn't match, yet sitting together they had a particularly harmonious aura. Perhaps because both were thinking of probing each other, so invisibly their atmosphere blended considerably.
As time passed, more and more cursed spirits arrived at this banquet.
Cursed spirits with bodies large or small, strange or human-like gathered in the magnificently decorated hall, communicating with each other, but none with particularly large movements.
Jiang Lai rested one hand on the glass wine cup on the table, his brow slightly furrowed, somewhat surprised by this scene.
According to what Choso said, the scene should be very lively. Why did all the cursed spirits here look so calm......
Could it be that cursed spirits' banquets and human society banquets pursued different styles?
Just as he was guessing this, the clock hanging in the center made a loud chime of unclear meaning.
At this moment, the entire banquet's lights suddenly brightened. The purple crystal chandelier's brilliance increased by one level, and the previously somewhat dim underground venue instantly became incredibly bright.
The cursed spirits finally moved. Some raised wine glasses filled with unknown liquid from the tables, some used slime from their bodies to lift dried flower vases, and others simply made toasting gestures. They spoke in different voices, their sounds interweaving and echoing throughout this underground space.
"------!"
The cursed spirits each made their own sounds, mostly meaningless exclamations.
After this action ended, the entire banquet venue seemed to completely let loose, with noisy sounds suddenly expanding by a degree.
Cursed spirits who had previously stayed in small areas also began moving through the venue, dancing together or engaging in uniquely cursed spirit activities.
From this, Jiang Lai understood: the earlier quiet was only because the banquet hadn't started yet. Only after the appointed time did this banquet truly begin.
Facing the suddenly lively banquet, Gojo Kyufuin beside him finally withdrew his gaze from his book scroll.
He tilted his head slightly, looking at Jiang Lai beside him who remained calm, his narrow light blue eyes containing a gentle smile: "It seems you also prefer quietness."
"......" Jiang Lai turned his face and responded: "Not really. If I truly preferred quietness, I wouldn't have come here."
This sentence was natural in tone but secretly refuted the somewhat contradictory common topic Gojo Kyufuin had just raised. After all, if one truly preferred quietness, why come to a banquet?
Gojo Kyufuin's gentle lip curve didn't change. He sighed lightly and said: "No choice, I'm a guardian. So I had to come at this time."
Guardian......? Jiang Lai caught this somewhat peculiar term.
"Simply put, I'm responsible for the banquet venue's safety." Gojo Kyufuin said. "I'm sure when you received your invitation, you also learned that this place has special formations and cursed tools to assist in shielding cursed energy. I'm responsible for setting up and controlling these."
"......" Jiang Lai didn't respond to this, since he hadn't personally received an invitation. His invitation was "borrowed."
Following the principle of "the more you say, the more mistakes; the less you say, the fewer mistakes," he responded with an ambiguous crossing of his hands.
Speaking of which......Jiang Lai thought. Gojo Kyufuin was so directly stating his responsibility for the venue? Wasn't this clearly indicating that the Big Three Families (or the Supervisory Committee) cooperated with cursed spirits?
While he was pondering, Gojo Kyufuin raised a finger to his lips and smiled lightly: "Please keep this secret for me, sir."
"I make no such guarantee." Jiang Lai answered this way, seeming somewhat cold.
However, Gojo Kyufuin showed no panic whatsoever. He maintained his composed, elegant posture, slender fingers resting on the table surface, face wearing a light smile: "Alright, sir. If you're willing, it doesn't matter if you speak of it."
This guy......Jiang Lai's brows raised slightly in his heart. He seemed very confident he wouldn't be exposed.
So either what he had just told Jiang Lai was false, or this guy had already prepared escape routes and explanations, completely immune to being caught by outsiders.
But thinking about it, even if this news were revealed, outsiders wouldn't believe it was true.
Because compared to a Special Grade cursed spirit like Jiang Lai, obviously the words of the Gojo family's Third Elder were more credible.
Moreover, Gojo Kyufuin's external image and reputation had always been very good.
As thoughts flowed, Jiang Lai noticed from his peripheral vision that Gojo Kyufuin beside him had closed his book scroll and stood up.
He half-turned, his narrow light blue eyes slightly upturned at the corners, and bowed elegantly.
"It seems this is your first time here, sir. Would you like me to show you around?"
"Didn't you say you prefer quietness?" Jiang Lai's brow peaked slightly.
"That's correct." Gojo Kyufuin nodded. "However, I usually care more about others than myself. I noticed earlier that you kept glancing at the venue, so I presumptuously guessed you wanted to participate. Let me familiarize you with things."
Indeed, this guy wasn't simply reading! Jiang Lai immediately understood. While he was secretly observing the other, the other was also quietly observing him.
Gojo Kyufuin had noticed Jiang Lai's posture of observing the surroundings. If Jiang Lai refused now, it would seem somewhat suspicious.
But Jiang Lai hadn't planned to refuse anyway. He felt that having reached this point, it was time to start further contact with the other.
So he only paused briefly, then nodded as well: "Alright." Here his words paused slightly, then he added: "Thank you."
Thus, the initial ice layer was broken. Jiang Lai didn't plan to keep a cold face the entire time. Responding appropriately at the right time was how to catch more fish.
The two rose from the corner together. Gojo Kyufuin made a "please" gesture, leading Jiang Lai through the crowd.
In the brilliant banquet lights, a black shadow suddenly darted out from somewhere.
Jiang Lai instinctively erected a spatial barrier to block it. There was a dull "thud" as the black shadow crashed to the ground and shattered into a puddle of liquid.
Jiang Lai: "......" A bit familiar, not sure, let me look again.
After a while, it gathered and reformed into the shape of a small black fox. It shook its body with a pitiful appearance.
But the liquid fox quickly noticed Gojo Kyufuin beside them, so it made no excessive movements or words, just tilted its head with spiraling dizzy eyes, looking at Gojo Kyufuin, then at Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai: ......Wait, how is the Nightmare Fox here?!