Chapter 233 : Gojo Kyufuin and [Correct and Reverse]
Gojo Kyufuin also noticed where Jiang Lai's gaze fell, and actually, he had no intention of hiding it.
Kyufuin, with his long hair bound by a jade hairpin, smiled and said: "This is incense for worship."
Jiang Lai paused, then still asked: "Coming to worship at this time?"
"I always come at this time. Every year on this day, at this time point." Gojo Kyufuin said. "Unfortunately, this family meeting's lottery time actually coincided with this day."
"So I could only use other excuses to temporarily leave the meeting venue. Though I think they don't mind my absence, since I don't speak at meetings anyway."
Jiang Lai raised his eyebrow slightly: "You're so directly telling me the fact that you skipped the meeting?"
"Is there any problem with that? You wouldn't go tell them anyway." Gojo Kyufuin's lips held a smile. "In fact, your appearance here now is also illegal entry without submitting an invitation in advance. We're even."
Jiang Lai's expression remained calm, making no response to this.
He had originally thought Gojo Kyufuin would ask him "why would you appear here at this time."
However, Gojo Kyufuin didn't say much more. He just smiled and nodded in response, then walked forward with steady steps, passing Jiang Lai's position and heading toward the shrine's inner hall.
"..." Jiang Lai stood in place thinking for a few seconds, then ultimately followed.
This encounter outside the shrine was an unexpected meeting for both Jiang Lai and Gojo Kyufuin. So Jiang Lai determined that what was happening wasn't a trap set by Kyufuin.
Moreover, the brief observation just now had already let Jiang Lai sense that this shrine held no lurking dangers. So he decided to go in and personally witness what tablet Gojo Kyufuin was going to worship.
Gojo Kyufuin noticed Jiang Lai's figure. He had no intention of hiding anything, instead actively stopping and turning back with dignified grace, smiling: "Want to come together?"
Jiang Lai naturally continued the conversation, asking: "Who are you here to worship? Your ancestor Sugawara no Michizane, or other past family heads?"
Actually, Jiang Lai was clear in his heart that neither of these was likely the truth. But he still asked this way, throwing out the topic.
Sure enough, Gojo Kyufuin gave a negative answer: "I don't have much interest in the Gojo family's history." He replied very directly.
Such words were something the diplomatically smooth Gojo Kyufuin could never say within the family. But facing Jiang Lai, who was outside the family, he was much more natural.
Jiang Lai could see that tonight's encounter with Gojo Kyufuin seemed to involve no roundabout responses, his words were all very simple and direct.
Gojo Kyufuin walked skillfully to the shrine's inner hall. At the worship tablets, wooden plaques of past family heads and some elders were arranged from high to low, with the wood material and patterns differing according to status and position.
He didn't stop at any of the wooden plaques, instead continuing inward, walking to a position beside the main altar.
Beside the main altar were some other wooden plaques, but these were very simple. Compared to those exquisitely crafted plaques in the center, these looked more like accompaniments.
Jiang Lai's gaze followed to this spot, feeling somewhat surprised.
As if able to guess Jiang Lai's inner thoughts, Gojo Kyufuin naturally explained: "The main altar can only hold past family heads and great elders. These beside it are for placing other family members."
"People who made major contributions to the Gojo family also have the opportunity to enjoy shrine worship. But because of their birth circumstances, at most they can only have a simple tablet here."
This was very feudal great family. Jiang Lai thought. According to birth and techniques, people were divided into different classes.
However, he still didn't quite understand Gojo Kyufuin's purpose in bringing incense here.
Could this also be part of his persona within the family? Offering incense to these contributors of poor birth to show his magnanimity and gentleness, thereby gaining more trust and support.
Speculating thus, Jiang Lai watched Gojo Kyufuin's actions.
The man with jade hairpin-bound hair gracefully lit the incense in his hands, holding it with both hands, bowing slightly. But he didn't insert the incense into the large communal incense burner in front, instead offering the incense at the holder in front of one particular wooden plaque.
Jiang Lai was slightly stunned, his gaze moving to that wooden plaque, seeing the name inscribed on it: [Gojo Kyufuin]
This name was very similar to Gojo Kyufuin, just missing one character... Was this coincidence, or what? It seemed too strange.
After offering the incense, Gojo Kyufuin didn't rush to leave. His narrow, light blue-green eyes calmly gazed at the wooden plaque, his lips still holding a smile.
He slowly said: "As the third elder, I'm responsible for ancient texts, the archives, and shrine-related work within the family. This is also part of my jurisdiction."
These words sounded somewhat inexplicable at first. But Jiang Lai reacted after a second, understanding the implied meaning: "So, you placed this wooden plaque yourself?"
"Yes, that's right." Gojo Kyufuin had no intention of hiding, freely admitting this point.
Jiang Lai's gaze fell on the wooden plaque again. Looking at the name on it, he paused and said: "This is a tablet you set up for yourself?"
"In a sense, it is me, and also isn't." Gojo Kyufuin answered.
This statement sounded somewhat contradictory. Jiang Lai turned his face, waiting for the other's continuing words.
"You came to the Gojo family to find me, didn't you?" Gojo Kyufuin smiled, his speculation very accurate. "I guess it's about Itadori Yuji."
The higher-ups' decision to execute Itadori Yuji was most likely issued by the Supervisory Committee. As an important member of the Supervisory Committee, Gojo Kyufuin naturally knew this.
Jiang Lai didn't answer [yes or no] to Kyufuin's words, he just said: "So?"
It was nighttime now, and the shrine flickered with glowing candlelight. These candles were small practical cursed tools that automatically lit each night.
The candlelight's shadows swayed in Gojo Kyufuin's light blue-green eyes as he said: "I think you might know about the Four Guardian Towers. But it doesn't matter if you don't know, you can consider this a special setting."
Jiang Lai naturally knew about the Four Guardian Towers. Actually, he not only knew about them, but had already dismantled three of them. But he certainly wouldn't reveal this point.
So he raised his warm brown eyes, gazing at Kyufuin without showing any emotion, as if listening to his explanation.
"I was once the carrier of the [Correct and Reverse] Tower, one of the Four Guardian Towers."
Gojo Kyufuin's next sentence cleanly confirmed Jiang Lai's earlier speculation.
...As expected! Jiang Lai thought. His previous speculation was correct! This guy really was the previous carrier.
"The [Correct and Reverse] Tower, as the name suggests, to meet the construction conditions, there must be both a 'correct' and 'reverse'." Gojo Kyufuin said. "Itadori Yuji is the modern [Correct and Reverse] Tower carrier. He is the [Correct], and Sukuna in his body is the [Reverse], thus meeting the conditions."
Hearing this, Jiang Lai had some vague speculation in his heart.
Since Gojo Kyufuin could meet the [Correct and Reverse] Tower's rules, then... could it be that Gojo Kyufuin had once served as some cursed spirit's vessel?
"I've never served as a vessel." Gojo Kyufuin's voice was calm. "It's just that I'm rather special personally, my body's soul split into two."
Two souls? Jiang Lai was slightly stunned.
"Or to put it another way, you can understand it as similar to a dual personality situation." Gojo Kyufuin curved his lips. "Inside my body, there was a [good child] and also a [bad child]. Of course, now only one remains."
Jiang Lai didn't ask which one remained.
"Soul splitting is an extremely rare situation." Gojo Kyufuin lightly raised his hand, his left hand unconsciously resting on his right hand, gently stroking over that scar. "I once came into contact with a [Separation] cursed tool."
Jiang Lai's gaze moved to that scar. The previously unsolved scar mystery now seemed to have an answer.
"Two souls sharing one body, though both were parts of me, having [good child] and [bad child] such opposing thought differences existing simultaneously was always very troublesome." Gojo Kyufuin's narrow light blue-green eyes curved slightly. "Do you know how to solve this problem?"
Jiang Lai didn't answer, because he could see Gojo Kyufuin was asking and answering himself.
"Logically speaking, since this phenomenon was caused by the [Separation] cursed tool, using the opposing [Merge] cursed tool once more should solve it." Gojo Kyufuin's voice was warm as jade. "But why [Merge]? If I could remove the other part, I think that wouldn't be a bad thing."
But would someone who removed part of their own soul still count as their complete self? Humans should be complex individuals.
Jiang Lai's thoughts flowed, but he said nothing.
However, Gojo Kyufuin's decision did fit his personality quite well. An extreme egoist would naturally want to eliminate the part of his mind that wasn't self-serving.
"Two souls in one body are very difficult to distinguish, but the [Correct and Reverse] Tower's effect lies precisely in this." Gojo Kyufuin slowly narrated. "It can distinguish and substitute, though it can only be applied once."
"When suffering fatal damage, the [Correct and Reverse] Tower will protect whichever one hasn't appeared in the body. If the front side dies, the reverse side will control the body. The reverse is also true."
"Thus, one of them can be eliminated."
Hearing this, Jiang Lai finally completely understood why the higher-ups wanted to execute Itadori Yuji!
According to the original vessel concept, when the vessel died, the parasitic entity would also die. This was also the original reason the higher-ups sentenced Itadori Yuji to death: to eliminate Ryomen Sukuna.
However, because of the [Correct and Reverse] Tower, this vessel rule was broken.
This was precisely part of Brain-kun's layout from the Supervisory Committee. He wanted to use the [Correct and Reverse] Tower's effect to kill Itadori Yuji's soul, letting Ryomen Sukuna completely gain control of the body.
Even if this would damage one of the Four Guardian Towers, Brain-kun obviously didn't care about this loss. After weighing pros and cons, he pursued maximum benefit.
At the decisive battle moment, releasing Ryomen Sukuna to create chaos and interference was the most suitable choice.