Still crawling with freaks

By now, Jianxia had taken on a clear image in Megumi Zenin's eyes.

A powerful senior with somewhat peculiar tastes.

Of course, liking cursed spirits was actually pretty tame by jujutsu sorcerer standards.

She had heard that the mighty Ryomen Sukuna had a habit of eating women and children.

A chill ran down Megumi Zenin's spine.

Even though she had exorcised plenty of curses, just imagining that scene made her shudder.

Anyway, a nobody like her could never possibly run into the legendary King of Curses.

Right?

"Speaking of which, Megumi."

Jianxia addressed Megumi Zenin by her first name with easy familiarity. "Where exactly are we? How far is it from Heian-kyo?"

Although he knew little about Japan's history, Jianxia still recognized the famous name Heian-kyo.

"Oh, are you heading to Heian-kyo, sir? We're near Hiraizumi Village in Iwate District, Mutsu Province."

Megumi Zenin explained earnestly while Jianxia listened with a smile.

Fantastic. I have absolutely no idea where that is!

Jianxia's knowledge of Japan extended only to a handful of modern international cities, never mind what places had been called in the Heian era a thousand years ago.

Even with Japan just two hundred years ago, he would have been completely lost when it came to changes in place names.

Jianxia coughed twice. "Then roughly how long would it take to get to Heian-kyo?"

Megumi Zenin thought for a moment. "For an ordinary person, probably about two weeks. But for someone like you, sir, you could get there in about a week heading southwest."

At this point, the admiration in Megumi Zenin's eyes grew even stronger.

"You're amazing, sir! Even the elders of our clan rarely go to Heian-kyo!"

Jianxia looked up at the sky, then turned a gaze of kindly concern for an idiot on Megumi Zenin.

What on earth is this girl babbling about?

Of course he wasn't going to Heian-kyo. With his current strength, entering a densely populated big city and running into a stronger cursed spirit or some lunatic jujutsu sorcerer would spell disaster.

He had a very clear understanding of his own strength. Even if he borrowed his way into the stratosphere, he probably couldn't scrape the dead skin off a Special Grade's feet.

And because of Sukuna's existence, the Heian era was known as the golden age of jujutsu. Uro and Uraume alone were two Special Grades who appeared a thousand years later through incarnation.

Not to mention the Fujiwara Clan's forces in the backstory, such as the Five Void Generals and the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad.

Here's your Charmander. All right, now go challenge the League Champion!

So before that, the right move was to stay somewhere out of the way and build up his strength in peace.

He had only asked Megumi Zenin about the route to Heian-kyo to confirm how far they were from a major city.

After all, the farther he was from Heian-kyo, the more time he would have to develop.

"No, I was just asking. Strictly speaking, I don't have anywhere to go right now."

That was the truth. If the system hadn't told him there was a normal member of the Zenin Clan here, he would already have hung himself from a crooked tree and started over.

But judging from their brief time together, this supposedly normal Zenin Clan member didn't seem all that normal either.

"In that case, sir, if you don't mind, why not come visit the Zenin Clan?"

Megumi Zenin's thinking was simple.

He was an outstanding jujutsu sorcerer who could use Reverse Cursed Technique.

And he also possessed a powerful cursed technique that could subdue cursed spirits.

If she could take this opportunity to leave an impression of the Zenin Clan on him, perhaps they could get his help in the future!

Ultimately, the Zenin Clan was only a small clan with a legacy spanning a few generations. It couldn't compare with the great clans of the Jujutsu Society.

The clan had only a handful of Grade 1 Sorcerers at most, and Megumi Zenin was its sole Grade 2 Sorcerer. Everyone else was a Grade 3 or Grade 4 Sorcerer.

Showing goodwill now was a deal with guaranteed returns and no downside!

The Zenin Clan is latching onto this powerful backer, no matter what!

Heh-heh, just what you'd expect from me, a jujutsu sorcerer who inherited the Ten Shadows Technique!

I'm definitely going to be the next clan head!

Hehehehehe...

Watching Megumi Zenin suddenly invite him over, then inexplicably start giggling like an idiot, Jianxia grew even more certain of his suspicions.

Sure enough, even in the Heian era a thousand years ago.

The Zenin Clan was still a place crawling with freaks!

Still, Megumi Zenin's invitation really did solve his most pressing problem.

Otherwise, he would have had to find a cave to spend the night in.

Maybe digging down three blocks and sealing the top with one would work too... No, no, that's not jujutsu anymore!

"In that case, thank you, Megumi-and you don't need to call me sir. I'm not much older than you. Just call me Jianxia."

Although the Zenin Clan wasn't yet one of the future Three Great Families, it was still a jujutsu sorcerer clan with an established legacy, putting it well above unaffiliated sorcerers.

I'm latching onto this powerful backer, no matter what!

And so, each believing they had secured a powerful backer, the two set off for the Zenin Clan grounds in lighthearted spirits.

A joyous occasion indeed.

If Jianxia's phone could currently access deepsleep or Doubao, he would have learned that in the Heian era a thousand years ago, there were basically no proper cities outside Heian-kyo.

And Hiraizumi, where the Zenin Clan currently resided, wouldn't become a city for almost another hundred years.

Calling the present-day Hiraizumi a village was already giving it too much credit.

"So this is Hiraizumi?"

Jianxia looked around, somewhat bewildered.

There were only a few houses made of rammed earth, with some wooden fences stuck crookedly into the ground as though they resented being there.

Even the entrance Boss Xu had built to put up a bluff looked a hundred times more prosperous than this place.

"Yes, this is Hiraizumi. Although it still falls a little short of Heian-kyo, it's already quite good for somewhere so remote."

Apparently missing the implication behind Jianxia's words, Megumi Zenin answered his question candidly.

Then she led Jianxia to a massive boulder. Megumi Zenin pulled aside the vines wrapped around it, placed one hand against its surface, and began forming hand signs with the other.

As Megumi Zenin poured cursed energy into it, the boulder gradually became insubstantial.

Eventually, Megumi Zenin's hand could pass right through it.

Barrier Technique. According to the lore, a thousand years later, the grounds of the Three Great Families were all enclosed by intricate barriers that ordinary people could neither see nor pass through.

Jianxia simply hadn't expected the Zenin Clan, not yet one of the Three Great Families, to already have such an advanced barrier protecting its grounds.

He had only read about it in the lore before. Seeing it with his own eyes stirred a peculiar feeling within him.

A barrier, huh...

"Please follow me."

Megumi Zenin's voice roused Jianxia from his thoughts. He followed her through the boulder, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

The dirt road was gone, replaced by an old-fashioned stone-paved path lined on both sides with towering trees of every kind.

Although it looked completely natural at first glance, a closer inspection revealed that the trees weren't growing at random. Someone had carefully tended them.

At the end of the path, a moss-covered red bridge spanned a stream, with a small gate on the other side.

Jianxia looked around. This appeared to be the Zenin Clan grounds.

The scenery was exactly like it had been in the anime before that testosterone-fueled woman wiped out the clan.

"Here we are. My father is the Zenin Clan's third clan head. He's resting in his room at the moment."

As Megumi Zenin explained things to Jianxia, she led him into the entryway.

It was then that they heard a familiar incantation coming from the room next door.

"Furube, yurayura..."

Megumi Zenin: "?"

Jianxia: "?"

The two stared at each other, both looking as though they had just seen Sukuna.

Again?

The lads of the Zenin Clan sure packed a punch!