Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 91 Zen Temple Family

But a few seconds later, Hiromi Nichisha noticed the difference.

Something else appeared on the boy that hadn't been seen before: a frog-like creature, but much larger than a normal frog, about half the size of the boy's body, which was now perched on his shoulder.

"Looks like it's working well; you can see the toads now, right?"

Noticing his gaze, Yue Ren nodded in satisfaction.

"What is that?"

"You've probably heard of the term 'shikigami' before."

So now I am...

Looking at his own hands, Nichisha felt he could sense something different.

"I have just transformed your brain to resemble that of a sorcerer like myself. You can now control the magical power within your body and use spells. So congratulations on joining us, Attorney Riche. You are now a sorcerer."

"I should have already given you the relevant basic information as well."

Pointing to his own brain, Yue Ren, like a doctor who has just completed surgery, gave his patient some necessary instructions.

"Yes, I can sense it, but I'm a little surprised by such an unbelievable method."

"And then there are cursed spirits, sorcerers, curses... So this is another side of the world..."

The knowledge and information received by the brain did not pose a burden to Nichisha, who was a genius. He only spent a few seconds to figure out all the relationships and sequences.

To be honest, he felt a bit conflicted, as everything was challenging his understanding of life as an ordinary person.

"Welcome to a more realistic and crueler world. What I can tell you is that the rules of the human world are basically invalid here. Strive to become stronger, or you will die. After all, sorcerers are attracted to cursed spirits."

"I have achieved my goal, so I will take my leave now. Here is my contact information. If you need anything or want to tell me anything, you can contact me directly."

After saying this, Yue Ren handed the other party a business card and prepared to leave.

"You came here just to make me a sorcerer?"

"Yes, think whatever you want about me, do as you please, but be careful of curse masters and curse spirits, things are not going to be peaceful these days."

Without waiting for a reply, Yue Ren went downstairs.

There's no need to rush into trying to win him over. Let him adapt for a few days first. Once he's truly aligned his understanding with this new world, inviting him then will likely be more successful.

Ultimately, it was he who brought the other person into this world, and for the first time, he was still a little apprehensive.

A few days later again.

Having subdued all the shikigami, Fukuro visited Yue Ren's workshop again. Learning from his previous experience, he chose a time when the other two wouldn't be paying attention to him.

It just so happens that Itadori and his companion went shopping in the city today. After a few days of training and adaptation, he came here again.

The familiar figure of the senior remained unchanged, which Fuhei greatly admired. This senior was truly dedicated to forging, doing it almost every day without fail, as it had become a habit.

"You've arrived? That means you've already become familiar with your power?"

Upon seeing that the visitor was Fu Hei, Yue Ren stopped what he was doing and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Yes, senior. I just happened to have some time today, so I came over. What kind of task are you going to give me this time?"

Seeing Fu Hei's expression of certainty in completing the mission, Yue Ren was amused. He gestured for Fu Hei to sit down and then immediately started talking.

"Wait a moment, I'll call Maki."

He picked up his phone and texted Maki to come over now. Although she was puzzled, she agreed.

"Is it related to Maki-senpai?"

"More or less, it should be said that it concerns the two of you."

"???"

Fushiguro was a little confused; what could possibly be related to him and Maki-senpai?

"I want you to go to the Zen-in family and ask the head of the family, Zen-in Jiro, to relinquish the position to you."

"Senior, what are you saying?"

Just as Fu Hei was about to cry out in surprise, footsteps sounded outside the door.

When Maki pushed the door open, she brought a gust of wind with her, lifting the curtain and then letting it fall again.

She was wearing training clothes today, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and there was still sweat on her face, so she must have just been training.

She glanced at Fu Hei, then at Yue Ren, walked to another chair, sat down, and crossed her legs.

"Fu Hei is here too. So, why did you suddenly call me here?"

The people of Yue are straightforward.

"I want Fushiguro to succeed Naobi as the next head of the Zenin family. Didn't you want to see those guys' miserable expressions? Go help them out and keep things in order. Take out any fools you encounter. Interested?"

Fushiguro looked troubled, while Maki was stunned.

"...It's not that it's impossible for Hui to be the head of the family, to keep things in order, right...? I'm quite interested, but is it really feasible?"

Maki had been saying she wanted to become the head of the Zenin family, but her real goal was just to disgust those guys who looked down on her. If she could achieve that goal, she really wouldn't care who the head of the family was.

When Yue Ren suggested that Hui, this lovely junior, be the head of the family, she couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

The man from Yue nodded.

"Megumi now possesses strength and trump cards that are no less than yours. I hope that after you go there, you will first spar with Naobi, like a challenge, so that everyone can see Fushiguro's strength. After defeating Naobi, you can take over the position of head of the family from him, which will be more legitimate."

"Senior, I will not become the head of any Zen temple."

"No, you must become the head of this family!"

Seeing the silent Fu Hei, Yue Ren sighed helplessly and began to explain the facts again.

"Fukuhiro, do you know how many sorcerers the Zen Temple family has right now?"

Fukuro was taken aback, wondering why his senior had asked such a question.

...About a few dozen?

"There are twenty-three formal sorcerers, including three level one, seven level two, and the rest are level three and four."

Adding the non-magician "Bing" and "Kujuru" units, their combined combat strength ranks third in the world of sorcery, making them a formidable force.

The man from Yue paused.

"But among these twenty-three sorcerers, none of them have awakened ten types of shadow magic. The last person to possess this technique was the tenth head of the Zenin family three hundred years ago. That person led the Zenin family to the position of one of the top three families."

He looked at Fu Hei.

"Now, you are the first person in the Zen-in family in three hundred years to possess ten types of shadow magic, and you also have the blood of the Zen-in family flowing in your veins."

"And some things aren't a matter of whether you want them or not."

The man leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head as he lay back.

"The tragedy of your father, or rather your family, and the tragedy of Maki and the others not being recognized, is all because you did not stand in a position that matched your strength, allowing those scheming and despicable people to shit on your heads."

"I'm sending you not to enjoy yourself, but to threaten you with force. Even if you can't cleanse the filth within the Zen family in an instant, you must at least make those dirty bastards suffer, so they'll only dare to tuck their tails between their legs and be careful, and never dare to extend their claws to the innocent again."

Fu Hei's expression froze; he really hadn't expected this reason.

"Fukuguro, this is the duty you must fulfill to become a strong person. I need you to control the Zenin family like Gojo Satoru did."

"Gojo Satoru doesn't hold meetings, sign documents, or socialize. He only does one thing: let everyone know that the Gojo family has the strongest sorcerer, and anyone who dares to touch anything belonging to the Gojo family will have to face him. The Zenin family needs this too. You must become Gojo Satoru of the Zenin family, the person in charge of the Zenin family."

Fu Hei listened in silence, because Mo Xuluo's situation was somewhat special; he was not yet aware that he had become one of the strongest.

"Moreover, Zenji Naokijin is a clever man."

The Yue people's voices continued.

"He knows what the Zen family is like now. He's the only one among those insects who's still somewhat normal. It's precisely because he's keeping them in check that those guys don't dare to be too presumptuous."

"Do you believe that if the Jikki dies, those disgusting bastards from the Zenin family will do unbelievably horrible things for that little bit of power?"

"To put it simply, I would assassinate obstacles like you and Maki, so that you would never have a peaceful day again."

"!!??"

"Do you know why Naoki bought you in the first place? Because he needed someone like Gojo Satoru who could keep the household in check. Not himself—he's too old. To ensure the continuation of the Zenin family, he needed the chosen one of the Zenin family," someone who could silence everyone with sheer strength.

"Only in this way can the Zen family be prevented from being ruined by those swarms of insects after his death."

"So, as long as you demonstrate sufficient strength in front of him, he will be more than willing to give you the position of family head. At that time, if you don't want to deal with those trivial matters, you can arrange for him to handle the family affairs."

He placed his hand on Fu Hei's shoulder. The hand was steady and heavy.

"Fukuguro, you already have this power; you just haven't gotten used to having it yet."

Fu Hei lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting long shadows on Fu Hei's dark profile.

"Senior." His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper.

"Um."

"If I become the head of the family... what will I be required to do?"

The man from Yue withdrew his hand and leaned back against the edge of the table.

"Whatever you want."

Fu Hei looked up. "What?"

"You can do nothing."

The people of Yue said.

"You've entrusted Zhikun to continue handling the daily affairs. He'll attend the meetings, sign the documents, and entertain the people. You only need to do one thing to let everyone know that you are now the master of the Zen family, and that you are the one who must make them fear and obey you."

"Of course, Maki will become the captain of both the 'Bing' and 'Kujuru' units, taking over the family's armed forces."

"There might be some bleeding during the process, but I don't think Maki will mind, right?"

"Ah, if anyone dares to show their face, I'll kill them myself."

The girl beside her spoke calmly; she had the confidence to back it up now.

Seeing that Maki didn't seem to object, and considering his own situation, Fushiguro finally nodded.

"I understand, I'll go and give it a try, just for my sister's sake."

Yue Ren stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

"That's right. You need to think more. Many threats don't cease to exist just because you can't see them. Prevention is better than cure. It's a good way to make things go the way you want them to."

"Alright, enough lecturing."

"Since you've already agreed, go ahead. Remember to be well-prepared. Although you're only level one mages at most, working together can easily lead to disaster if you're not careful. Be careful."

With a casual grab, a file folder appeared in his hand, which he handed to Fu Hei.

Before the other party could question it, the Yue person provided an explanation.

"The above are some intelligence and dialogue tips that may be needed. You can refer to them, especially the latter half, which should be more effective in actual combat."

Fukuro took the document with a puzzled look and started flipping through it. Maki, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but join in out of curiosity. A few minutes later, the two of them looked away with black lines on their faces, and even looked at Yue Ren with disbelief.

"Senior, this...."

"If you don't want to use it, then don't. But I have a feeling that once you actually meet those guys, you'll use it."

(Absolutely not!)

Fu An made up his mind that he would never utter the words he had just seen that were so offensive to his eyes. They were practically a direct curse, the kind that strikes straight at the soul. How could he possibly say such vulgar things?

That's right, the document contained vulgar and offensive language intended for provocation and verbal attacks, leaving the two well-behaved young people completely dumbfounded. They had never imagined that such a humiliating method existed.

If these words were spoken aloud, even the most good-tempered person would become an enemy.

The two of them left the Yue people's workshop almost as if they were fleeing, exchanging a glance.

"Let's go. Since we've come this far, let's settle our score. Follow me."

Although Fushiguro Megumi had never been to the Zenin family before, Maki, as a member of the Zenin family, naturally knew the way. After casually retrieving some magical artifacts from the storeroom, the two set off for the Zenin family.

The Zen-in family's main residence is located atop a hill on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Looking up from the foot of the mountain, layers of black tiles and white walls unfold, exuding an aura of history. The walls are very high, and two old pine trees stand at the entrance, their crowns neatly trimmed, even their shadows perfectly orderly.

Maki walked ahead at a leisurely pace, while Fushiguro followed behind, looking around at the surroundings and marveling at the ostentatious atmosphere everywhere.

Soon, the two arrived at the door.

The guard paused for a moment when he saw Maki and Fushiguro behind her.

Maki ignored them and planned to walk straight inside.

But they were stopped.

"Wait a minute, Maki, who is this guy?"

"He's Fushiguro Megumi, the future head of the Zenin family! Didn't the head of the family tell you?"

Maki's voice was casual, but also somewhat impatient.

The guard's expression froze on his face, and Maki and the other girl took the opportunity to walk past.

This time, the guards hesitated for a moment but did not stop him, because they had heard of the name Fushiguro Megumi and assumed that Maki brought him here at the behest of the family head.

The house was larger than Fukuro had imagined. Passing through door after door, each door led to a courtyard. He didn't see many people along the way, and occasionally someone would be in a hurry. Although the place was spacious, it gave people a dry and oppressive feeling.

Follow Maki to a place that resembles the main house.

Then he heard a voice.

"Oh dear."

The sound came from the end of the corridor, lazy and like a cat yawning.

A person emerged from around the corner, leaning against a pillar. He wore a kimono, his hair was combed back, his eyebrows were finely trimmed, and a smile played on his lips—a smile that Fukuro disliked.

It's the kind of smile that some people have when they look at trash.

"Isn't that Maki?" Zenin Naoya's voice was like an oiled blade. "She's shamelessly come back, and when did she learn to use the front door?"

Maki stopped walking.

Naoya straightened up from the pillar and slowly walked over.

His steps were casual, and his wooden clogs made a crisp sound on the bluestone slabs.

Tap, tap, tap... each tap is perfectly timed.

"Who's that in the back?"

Naoya stopped three steps away, his gaze sliding from Maki to Fushiguro's face. "Oh, how strange. You must be Fushiguro Megumi. What, bringing this back with you? Are you trying to gain the head of the family's forgiveness? Like a stray dog? Hahahaha..."