Lu Ping didn't give that thing a second chance to look at it.
With a slight thought, a crimson phantom quietly emerged from his body.
The Blood Corpse, lurking deep within the meridians, opened its blood-red maw once more and swallowed the bizarre eyeball, forcibly formed from its own flesh and blood and Cursed Energy, whole.
Looking at his palms again, the skin was as smooth as ever, as if the strange change just now was just an illusion.
But the slight dizziness emanating from deep within his mind made Lu Ping realize that his decision was absolutely correct.
If I had let those piercing eyes stare at me for just two more seconds, I probably would have already been caught in their trap.
It's not impossible that someone might be hallucinating and pull out Cursed Tool to attack their teammates.
These bizarre symptoms are exactly the same as those experienced by international exchange students at Kyoto Jujutsu High, as Ieiri Shoko.
He extended his right thumb and pressed down hard on the blood droplet about to fall from the pad of his index finger, forcibly sealing the faint smell of blood in his palm.
My mind raced.
According to the intelligence sent back from Kyoto, Suguru Geto has indeed subdued the Special Grade Cursed Spirit that is the source of the [Blood-Eyed Curse].
That guy had no reason to fabricate something on such a fundamental issue, and there were plenty of people there who witnessed it firsthand.
Logically, once the target is devoured by [Cursed Spirit Manipulation], the Cursed Technique it spreads should be unable to continue spreading and gradually disintegrate after losing the supply of Cursed Energy.
The only explanation is that this is an extremely rare, renewable curse.
As soon as the curse lurking in the host's body revives, it will be immediately detected and eradicated by the Three Corpses within him.
But if the deepest root cause isn't dug out and completely eradicated, this thing will flare up from time to time, just like psoriasis.
If a sudden lapse in concentration causes a moment of distraction during a high-level, life-or-death battle, it could be a fatal mistake.
The immense malice that just came from a great distance was clearly not from the remaining curse in my palm; there must be some hidden connection between the two.
Even with their senses pushed to the limit in their previous state of stress, the Three Corpses were still unable to pinpoint the exact location of that strange fluctuation.
This indicates that the target's physical location is "extremely far away, far exceeding the normal target acquisition range."
Giving up on this lead would be easy, but...
This is a useless mindset.
We no longer live in Heian Era of information isolation, but in a modern society with highly developed communication.
If this highly contagious meme-like curse were allowed to spread globally via the electromagnetic signals of modern telecommunications networks, its scale of harm would far exceed what can be measured by a mere "Special Grade" level.
Once things get out of control, those old foxes in the Jujutsu Headquarters will only frantically try to cover up the truth, completely powerless to reverse the situation.
Thinking of this, Lu Ping raised his right hand high, palm facing the Sky Manipulation.
He moved his fingers following the pull of gravity, letting the blood from his fingertips meander down between his fingers, eventually gathering precisely on the [Shadow Wolf Curse Mark] on the back of his hand.
The intricate pattern, like a wild beast that has smelled blood, instantly engulfed the liquid, its surface shimmering with a ghostly glow of interwoven red and black.
The tranquil shadow beneath Lu Ping's feet seemed to have caught the scent of prey, and gradually began to stir.
His right hand slowly formed an "eight" hand seal in mid-air.
"Shadow Wolf."
A deep, chanting incantation echoed through the narrow alleyway.
A three-meter-long black wolf slowly emerged from the shadows of the wall.
Its left eye emitted an eerie green light, while its right eye was a deep crimson.
This ferocious Shikigami, however, lowered its proud head and obediently prostrated itself at its master's feet.
Combining the Shikigami's inherent [Scent Tracking] with the Three Corpses' extremely keen ability to identify fluctuations in Cursed Energy, using it as a bloodhound is undoubtedly the best solution at present.
Looking at the increasingly ferocious creation before him, Lu Ping knew very well that an ordinary Grade 1 Cursed Spirit was no match for it.
However, to track and lock onto targets over extremely long distances, an additional layer of protection is needed for greater assurance.
He smeared the remaining blood from his thumb directly onto the giant wolf's broad forehead, drawing a curse mark identical to the one on the back of his hand.
The surging Cursed Energy of the Three Corpses Curse flowed like water bursting its banks, pouring wildly into this bloodline connection.
Instead of expanding, the giant wolf's enormous body was forcibly compressed to about 1.5 meters by the high pressure.
His original ferocity vanished completely, his Cursed Energy was fully contained, and his eyes turned a chilling blood red.
This is the ultimate form of stealth tracking. Although the human and the beast cannot share a field of vision, at this moment they have achieved a level of shared Cursed Energy senses.
Although he was unable to capture the fleeting source of malice just now, the Three Corpses within his body had firmly recorded its Cursed Energy fluctuations.
As long as the source of this Cursed Energy enters the range of one's Cursed Energy perception, the Three Corpses can immediately issue a warning.
Lu Ping waved his hand casually.
With a leap of its limbs, the Shadow Wolf nimbly disappeared into the shadows of the distant skyscraper rooftops.
With a few leaps, it disappeared into the distance, rushing away following the lingering malice in the wind.
If any fluctuation of Cursed Energy has ever occurred, it will inevitably leave behind Cursed Residue Cursed Energy in the same spot.
Because of the large amount of Three Corpses Cursed Energy within his body and the bloodstain on his forehead, Lu Ping was able to clearly sense the Cursed Energy fluctuations emanating from around the Shadow Wolf, and judge whether it had found the correct target.
After all this was done, only a few seconds of real time had passed.
Outside the alley, several housewives pushing strollers were standing by the automatic door discussing the discounted vegetables for the evening, completely unaware of the deadly confrontation taking place just a wall away.
The joys and sorrows of ordinary people and Jujutsu Sorcerer are not the same; a narrow alley separates two completely different worlds.
Lu Ping withdrew his gaze, stepped forward, returned to his original seat, and sat down comfortably.
With the aid of the Three Corpses' Cursed Energy, his series of actions just now were all incredibly meticulous.
Even the summoning of Cursed Energy, which normally evokes very obvious Shikigami power, did not cause any large-scale fluctuations in Cursed Energy due to the combination of incantations, hand seals, and the Cursed Energy of the Three Corpses, and hardly attracted the attention of the sorcerer.
However, that fleeting whiff of blood could not escape the notice of the expert who had been manipulating blood for years.
Kamo Chitsubaki keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere in the air.
With a sudden flick of her high black ponytail, she sprang up from the wooden tray like a taut spring.
His sharp gaze swept across the surroundings in an instant, and after confirming that no enemy presence was approaching, he grabbed his companion who had just sat down.
She stared at the tiny, still-dry drop of blood on the pad of Lu Ping's right index finger, and leaned down without any hesitation.
The distance between the two instantly closed.
The hot breath sprayed onto the cool skin on the back of my hand, arousing a slight itch.
Qian Chun slightly parted her cherry lips, her delicate, slender tongue darting out to deftly roll the drop of blood into her mouth.
I savored it for two seconds.
The heir of the Kamo Clan straightened up, his relaxed demeanor from the earlier chatter replaced by an unprecedentedly serious expression.
She looked Lu Ping in the eye and said it directly.
"This is... the smell of a curse."