Questions? A Probe!

"Mom!" Kamo Xu swooped down from the sky, unable to suppress the grin on his face.

He rushed to the entrance and gently pushed the door open, his face brimming with excitement.

"Mom, guess how much cash the old geezer gave me today! Tonight, I'll buy you something nourishing to snack on."

Kamo Kimie sat quietly at her desk, a thick wrap draped loosely over her shoulders, reading a book held in her hands.

The shout was followed immediately by the creak of the opening door. She knew her son was home without even looking up.

She slowly closed the book and watched the little rascal hurry toward her. With a gentle smile, she reached out to smooth his wind-tousled hair.

"Asahi, you're back. How did the match go today? Were you hurt?"

"Nope~ I tied with that genius from the Gojo Clan. Neither of us really fought."

Kamo Xu twisted away from his mother's touch and plopped down beside her.

"All those rumors about Satoru Gojo make him sound more impressive than he is. You know what your son's like. If he could only tie with me, he can't be that great."

In Kamo Kimie's eyes, her son wasn't strong. All she knew was that Kamo Xu had a Heavenly Restriction, and that was precisely why that man kept trying to use her son as his weapon.

Unfortunately, she was merely a woman in poor health.

Against such a powerful clan, she couldn't resist. She could only watch helplessly as her child dealt with that man for her sake.

This time, it had been a contest between the younger members of the three great clans. What about next time? And the time after that?

One restriction meant her child had to face all that scheming and deceit. How... tragic.

She sighed deeply, closed her book, and set it at the edge of the desk.

She beckoned to Kamo Xu, signaling him to come closer.

Unsure what his mother wanted, Kamo Xu braced himself with his hands and scooted over.

Warmth suddenly enveloped his entire body.

Kimie held her own flesh and blood in her arms. Her hands were icy, and her body temperature was low as well.

Yet her embrace was warm.

"You've had such a hard time all these years, my child."

"You don't need to push yourself so hard. I can tell you're exhausted, but this isn't something a child should have to bear..."

Somehow, Yang Xu, who had lived two lives and was nearly thirty in total, couldn't explain it.

At that very moment, his nose stung, and he nearly lost control of his tears.

He struggled again, escaping that warmth as though desperately resisting it.

Kimie looked a little surprised. Kamo Xu scratched his cheek awkwardly and stumbled over his words. "Come on, Mom, I'm practically a big kid now. All this hugging will keep me from growing up."

"I still have to get my money from the old geezer. A whole million, and in US dollars!"

With that, Kamo Xu prepared to make his escape.

She watched the little fellow excitedly tell her about his accomplishment while trying to sneak away.

Kimie smiled knowingly. Guessing that he would probably spend his newfound money on pachinko or something else, she merely put on a stern face and warned him not to waste it.

"Got it!" Kamo Xu called back from afar, then disappeared.

The woman remained seated, gazing absently at the view beyond the door.

But footsteps soon sounded outside again. In his rush to leave, Kamo Xu had forgotten to shut the door. Worried his frail mother might catch a chill, he hurried back to close it.

With a thud, the house separated the two of them.

After leaving home, Kamo Xu still couldn't stop smiling. Humming a little tune, he leisurely ambled toward the old geezer's residence.

"I have a dream: earn a million first~

Once I've earned it, give it to Mom~

Smiles will light up both our faces~

Sell some gold, repay her kindness, one whole family reunited~"

His voice wasn't loud, but in a place as stern as the Kamo Clan, it was undoubtedly grating.

Along the way, quite a few people turned to look at the fellow who had "distinguished himself" at the Goodwill Event.

"Hey, is that the guy who tied with the Gojo Clan's genius?"

"Yeah. His name's Kamo Xu. He's the one who's absent every morning."

"Oh, him... that worthless brat who ignores training and treats the rules like they don't exist."

[He's just someone cursed from birth...]

Kamo Xu had long since grown used to it. They were merely cowards huddling together for comfort, congratulating themselves on following the rules.

What could all that noisy abuse accomplish besides making those arrogant incompetents feel righteous?

They were nothing more than harmless [curses].

They couldn't hurt him anyway...

Soon, Kamo Xu cheerfully arrived at the clan head's courtyard. He casually glanced at the spot where he had thrown away the peach earlier. Sure enough, it was empty.

The servants' cleaning speed was truly enviable, while his mother's residence was so deserted it felt lonely.

"Heh. Whatever, I'm here for the money."

He strode through the doorway and crossed the courtyard he had visited not long ago, though this time he didn't follow those winding stone paths.

Instead, he trampled straight through the carefully tended plants that looked like weeds, heading directly for his destination.

As usual, the old geezer stood in that empty room, still poring endlessly over a stack of papers.

As though he had an inexhaustible supply of intelligence reports. What a poser.

"Hey, old man. The job's done. Where's my money?"

Kamo Xu wasted no words. He couldn't even be bothered with unnecessary pleasantries when dealing with this man.

His time was precious. Once he got the money, pachinko was waiting for him.

Watching Kamo Xu barge into his spotless room with mud still on his feet, the Kamo Clan head gave a rare frown.

"Such disgraceful conduct... never mind. You did well this time. However, those old men from the Zenin Clan seem quite interested in you. After all, the entire Jujutsu Society knows how highly they regard Heavenly Restriction."

"You're rambling, and it's annoying as hell. Get to the point. What do you want?"

"..." Interrupted, the Kamo Clan head's frown deepened, but in the end, he merely exhaled heavily through his nose. "It's the Heavenly Tyrant. He's taken notice of you."

Heavenly Ty... wait, who?

Fushi... no, Toji Zenin!?

"He's very interested in your restriction and asked me about it privately. However, I don't know exactly what your restriction is either."

"So my request is simple. I need to know what your restriction is, and whether what it brings you is a benefit or a curse."

Kamo Xu understood. Toji Zenin's inquiry might not be real, but the calculations of the man before him certainly were.

He thought Kamo Xu was a child who couldn't see through such twists and turns. He hoped to coax the truth out of him by claiming someone else had asked.

Rather than wanting to understand his Heavenly Restriction, he wanted to know how much room he had to grow.

It seemed the old bastard had guessed that his restriction involved more than blood affinity, but he certainly hadn't figured out his ability's side effects.

This was a probe-a test of whether he was worth further investment...

"I see. You should've just said you wanted to know. Sorry for the trouble, [Father], but please tell that Heavenly Tyrant that my Heavenly Restriction grants me power at the cost of my breathing."

"Once I activate my ability, my breathing becomes rapid, and my head gets foggy."

"All I get in return is blood affinity that lets me control my blood however I like. It's hardly worth his attention."

He lied. Rather than exaggerating his ability, he merely described its outward signs.

His breathing did indeed become rapid when he activated his ability, and he could freely control his blood as well.

But that differed greatly from what Kamo Xu's Flowing Red Scale had displayed. How could anyone believe him?

The Kamo Clan head knew Kamo Xu was lying, but he could hardly say anything. Disgruntled, he walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a jet-black card.

With a casual flick, he threw it against Kamo Xu's body, and it clattered to the floor.

"Take it. Your money. I'll pass what you've told me on to Toji Zenin."

Kamo Xu bent down to pick up the black card. Where the man couldn't see, a venomous flame of hatred flickered in the child's eyes...

[Thank you, Father.]

Outside, the fresh air was always far more pleasant than that oppressive room. Kamo Xu stretched his body and let out a long sigh.

"It's good to be alive..."

He patted the black card against his chest. It held nine hundred thousand, enough to improve life for him and Kamo Kimie.

As for the hundred thousand he had received earlier...

"Mom hasn't had wagyu in ages. I wonder if her body can handle it now."

"Whatever. I'll buy it first."

With his decision made, he immediately set off.

Blood gathered at his fingertips and formed a disc. He leaped onto it, becoming a streak of crimson light that sped into the distance.