As the curse energy continuously surged, the red sake quickly flowed into the small gourd, and a powerful aura began to spread, bringing immense joy to Zen'nan and Zen'nyo.
When all of the red sake had entered the small gourd, an extremely violent force erupted, sending Zen'nan and Zen'nyo flying out of the pavilion, crashing onto the grassy field outside.
"Yes! This is the aura of our master. He's back!" Zen'nyo wasn't hurt and quickly got up, her eyes burning with excitement as she stared at the pavilion.
A red light illuminated the entire pavilion, then shot straight into the sky, piercing the clouds before quickly dissipating.
In Hayashi's perception, a beautiful man with long black hair, bare-chested, appeared inside the pavilion, sitting cross-legged in the groove.
This figure's face was undeniably human, and more beautiful than most men—so much so that his beauty could only be described using terms reserved for women. He didn't seem connected to curse spirits at first glance, but Hayashi knew better. This man was a curse spirit.
The immense curse energy that had initially filled the air gradually became calm and restrained. A red gourd-shaped mark appeared on the man's forehead as he slowly opened his eyes.
With a gesture, the gourd—previously the size of a thumb—grew to the size of a backpack. A golden rope bound the gourd, wrapping around his shoulder and hanging on his back.
Zen'nan and Zen'nyo rushed back into the pavilion, kneeling on one knee with deep respect. "Congratulations, Master, on your successful revival!"
Hayashi's face shifted slightly. He recognized this figure.
It was Shuten-dōji!
In Japanese legend, Shuten-dōji was a famous demon leader from the Heian period, known as one of the most infamous yokai from the "Hyakki Yagyō" (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons).
Shuten-dōji was said to have the appearance of a handsome youth and was known for seducing women. Once seduced, he would cut off their heads and eat them. In some tales, it is said that he could change his form and was a true "female killer."
Due to his love for sake, he was called Shuten-dōji. He lived during the Heian period around 990 and was a notorious demon that terrorized Kyoto.
According to legend, Shuten-dōji gathered a gang of evil demons and resided in the mountains of Tanba. They would rob the wealthy and kidnap women and children to eat. He was eventually slain by the famous Heian general Minamoto no Yorimitsu using the legendary blade "Dōjigiri Yasutsuna."
"Shit!" Hayashi muttered.
He suddenly had a bad feeling. If this Shuten-dōji was as evil as the legends described, had he just released a terrible monster?
According to the current jujutsu world, Shuten-dōji was considered a hypothetical special-grade curse spirit, a legend among curses.
Shuten-dōji's gaze swept across the surroundings before settling on the two kneeling figures in front of him, as if pondering something.
Zen'nan and Zen'nyo were excited but also incredibly nervous. Their master was a being of unparalleled power. They had only attempted to revive him with a faint hope, but now, it had actually succeeded.
Even though the chances were slim, they had never given up, and now, their persistence had paid off.
"Was it you who revived me?" Shuten-dōji finally spoke. His voice was soft and melodic, like that of an unusually gentle man.
However, there was a trace of confusion in his eyes, as if he had been sealed away for too long, causing him to feel detached from the present world. A strange emotion welled up within him.
"Yes, Master. We have waited for a very long time. It wasn't until recently that we discovered the whereabouts of your gourd. At first, it had drifted with the glaciers, seemingly affected by a small-scale human curse related to their fear of ice. This led to the formation of a curse womb. We were not strong enough to defeat it. Just when we thought all hope was lost, a group of jujutsu sorcerers arrived. Among them was one particularly strong sorcerer—young, yet already capable of Domain Expansion. It was he who defeated the curse spirit and obtained the gourd."
"I traded a low-tier special-grade cursed object with him and promised that we wouldn't be enemies in the future, and that we might even cooperate. Only then did he agree to the exchange," Zen'nan recounted everything that had transpired but found himself unable to recall Hayashi's face.
This was normal. In the mirror world, Hayashi didn't exist in a conventional sense, though the events still occurred. As a result, Zen'nan could remember that Hayashi was involved, but he couldn't visualize Hayashi's appearance.
"Thank you," Shuten-dōji said. "However, the sorcerer withheld something important. Without it, my power is only at half-strength." Shuten-dōji's gaze fixed on Zen'nan, who felt as if his blood was about to burst out of his body. However, Zen'nan knew it was just an illusion caused by the overwhelming pressure.
"Master, what did he withhold?" Zen'nan asked in confusion. He had brought back the gourd, and only the gourd was necessary to revive their master. What else could be missing?
"The stopper of the gourd. It's still with him." Shuten-dōji stepped out of the groove and walked toward the pavilion's exit.
Zen'nan and Zen'nyo glanced at their master's back and noticed that the red gourd indeed had no stopper.
"I'll retrieve it immediately!" Zen'nan exclaimed, furious that Hayashi had played such a trick.
"There's no need. Even if you get it back, I still need time to recover. There's no rush," Shuten-dōji said, his gaze suddenly shifting to a nearby mountain ridge. "How long do you plan to keep hiding?"
Hayashi was certain that Shuten-dōji's gaze had landed precisely where he was. Since he'd been discovered, there was no point in hiding anymore. He leaped down from the ridge, approaching the group. He had questions for this figure—was he truly the infamous demon from legend?
Zen'nyo immediately turned to Zen'nan. "You were being followed, and you didn't even notice? You're a special-grade curse spirit, yet you failed to detect a tail?"
Zen'nan looked at Hayashi with confusion. He genuinely hadn't sensed anyone following him, and with his speed, how could someone have kept up?
"So, you're the legendary Shuten-dōji?" Hayashi asked as he approached, gaining a clearer sense of Shuten-dōji's remarkable presence.
A faint aura of curse energy swirled around Shuten-dōji's body, sometimes strong, sometimes weak. Perhaps this fluctuation was due to the missing gourd stopper.
From his appearance, Shuten-dōji looked like a stunningly handsome young man, exuding an unexpected warmth and kindness. His words were soft and gentle.
Since his revival, Shuten-dōji had remained calm and composed, as if nothing could disturb him.
It was precisely this unshakable calmness that made him terrifying.
"You are strong, but you are no match for me," Shuten-dōji said, easily gauging Hayashi's strength.
Hayashi was startled. This figure had mentioned earlier that he was missing the gourd stopper. Indeed, Hayashi had taken it, as a precaution—he couldn't trust a curse spirit so easily and needed some leverage.
But Shuten-dōji was only at half strength due to the missing stopper. If Hayashi couldn't defeat him now, what would happen when Shuten-dōji was at full power? Could he kill Hayashi in an instant?