Suka felt like he was about to die. His entire being was engulfed in darkness, with no light in sight. His remaining consciousness began to slowly dissipate, as if he were about to disappear entirely.
Before his death, he experienced extreme fear, seemingly unable to comprehend what had happened. He held himself responsible for his impulsiveness, but deep inside, there was a trace of regret and unwillingness, as if he felt he shouldn't die like this.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness and die completely, he suddenly felt something peculiar, like a person waking up from a nightmare. A moment ago, he was on the brink of death, but the next moment, he was back in reality.
At that very moment, Suka opened his eyes, and the first person he saw was Hayashi. He was so frightened that he instinctively scooted backward on the ground, as if he were terrified of Hayashi.
How could he not be afraid?
This guy seemed to have just killed him.
But now, why was he unharmed?
It was completely incomprehensible, but at this moment, he had no words, his eyes filled with fear of the unknown.
"Suka... what happened to you?" The one-eyed Dong rushed over. When he saw that Suka was not only alive but completely uninjured, he froze in place.
"Alright, enough talk. That was just a little joke earlier. You're not in any danger, and I have no intention of being your enemy. Can we talk?" Hayashi said these words after unleashing his thunderous technique, leaving the two of them speechless for a moment.
Hayashi hadn't planned to be hostile toward Longyuan, especially in this mirrored world. Initially, his interest in Longyuan was purely out of curiosity about jujutsu, but now things were different.
He had developed a deep interest in Longyuan, an ancient Chinese organization. He wanted to learn about the secrets of China, as his memories of China were almost nonexistent.
Given the future landscape and the unique nature of Chinese cursed spirits, Hayashi felt that he needed to understand more. Who knows when he might encounter a particularly terrifying entity? It's better to be prepared.
"Alright..." After recovering from his shock, the one-eyed Dong didn't challenge Hayashi. He didn't dare to, either. Leaving aside the possibility that Hayashi might be closely connected to Longyuan, just based on his strength alone, did they have any reason to refuse?
There was no need for a fight to the death, especially when the other party had used a strange technique to restore Suka. This alone proved it couldn't be an ordinary reverse cursed technique!
Now, it all depended on what Hayashi wanted to talk about—that was the key.
"No more noise?"
Three people were sitting in the hall. Suka and the one-eyed Dong had gone after Hayashi, and earlier, they heard a loud noise, indicating a battle.
But it seemed to have come and gone quickly, with no sound afterward. They had no idea what had happened.
As the three speculated, the one-eyed Dong and Suka walked in, followed by a young man. In fact, the three of them entered almost side by side, with Hayashi slightly behind and the other two giving him some space.
"What happened?" The first to ask was the beautiful woman. The three of them entered without a scratch, looking completely unharmed, yet there had clearly been the sounds of battle outside, leaving her thoroughly puzzled.
The elderly head of the institute didn't recognize Hayashi. Even though Dream Granny had mentioned finding someone named Hayashi, it was just a name, with no photo as a reference.
Hayashi's information was difficult to access for outsiders, requiring significant effort.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm Hayashi from the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical College. Earlier, I heard you were looking for me, so I decided to show up." Hayashi introduced himself directly, not wanting to waste time in this fake world. He intended to ask some questions and then leave.
"What?"
"You're Hayashi?!"
The three of them were shocked, staring at Hayashi. Just moments ago, they were discussing how to find him, and now he had appeared. How could it be so coincidental?
Hayashi knew he needed to explain, so he sat in the spot where the one-eyed Dong had been sitting, with Dong standing quietly by.
As for Suka, he remained silent, having realized the vast gap between himself and this young man after the earlier encounter.
As a quasi-first-grade jujutsu sorcerer, Suka had defensive measures in place when Hayashi used Thunderclap Eight Trigrams. Even though he was paralyzed by the lightning, he could have defended himself.
But that's what shocked him—the power of Thunderclap Eight Trigrams was overwhelming. This jujutsu, which had almost disappeared from the world, how was it still around, and why did it appear with Hayashi?
Ten minutes later...
"I've told you everything I can. If you still doubt my identity, I'll leave now." Hayashi spent these ten minutes explaining that he was indeed Hayashi, showing some items to prove he was a student of the Tokyo Jujutsu High. However, he didn't disclose his purpose for being there, as it was an illegal, covert mission.
But he couldn't waste time with these people. His goal was to learn about China's jujutsu matters, the nature of fictional cursed spirits, and finally, to ask why Dream Granny was looking for him.
"I believe you, but why do you know Thunder Bagua?" The elderly head stared at Hayashi. Although Thunder Bagua wasn't originally from Longyuan, it shouldn't exist in the world anymore. It was nearly extinct as a technique.
"Because I'm connected to your Thunder Bagua. I looked at your stored jujutsu text and learned it instantly," Hayashi said softly, but his words caused a storm in the minds of those present.
"That's absolutely impossible. Do you think jujutsu is a game, where you can master it just by wanting to? Such talents are engraved in one's bloodline and cannot be acquired later." Xue Meng, the masked woman, immediately dismissed Hayashi's words, thinking he was speaking without consideration.
Hayashi looked at the masked woman: "I'm telling the truth. Think about it. Thunder Bagua is probably already extinct, right? So how could I know it? I have no connection with you, and yet Dream Granny sought me out. If I'm so special, it's likely because of this. Otherwise, how could I have mastered Thunderclap Eight Trigrams? That's my unique trait."
"Head, the Thunder Bagua Hayashi used is indeed extremely powerful. Suka almost died in a single strike. If it weren't for Hayashi's reverse cursed technique, Suka would be dead by now." The one-eyed Dong spoke up at this point.
Suka's expression turned a bit unnatural. Was Dong not concerned about his dignity? He usually appeared aloof and stern, but after being beaten so badly today, Dong didn't even consider his pride before revealing everything.