Upon hearing Hayashi's words and the one-eyed Dong's explanation, Xue Meng and the others fell into deep thought.
Various signs indicated that what Hayashi said might actually be true, but it was just too unbelievable.
"The fact that everyone finds it so unbelievable might be the very reason it's true. Otherwise, Meng Po wouldn't have mentioned Hayashi's name. The significance of this is deeply connected to the future and might even influence the entire world's situation," the head of the institute believed Hayashi's words.
Although the others didn't speak, they started having their own thoughts. Meng Po rarely made mistakes, so it could very well be true.
In truth, Hayashi didn't want to get too entangled with these people, but if he didn't say these things, how would they share other information with him? It was simply a necessary step.
"So, I believe all of this is fate. What do you all think?" Hayashi looked around at everyone.
"Dong, introduce Hayashi," the head of the institute said as he picked up a cup of tea from the table and took a sip.
Although his actions seemed calm, his heart was racing with excitement. Meng Po had risked much to get a glimpse of the future, and Hayashi was a key part of that vision. Now that this key figure was standing before them, how could he not be excited?
But at his age, he needed to manage his emotions carefully—too much excitement could be dangerous.
The one-eyed Dong nodded in acknowledgment and began the introductions: "The person sitting next to you, wearing the mask, is Xue Meng, the future heir of the Xue family. The one across from you is Xiahou Zhiwen, the leader of the Xiahou family. The person beside you is the head of Longyuan, Long Qianian, who oversees the institute. And the one you fought earlier is Suka, also from Longyuan. As for me, you can call me the one-eyed Dong, or just Dong."
"Nice to meet you all." Hayashi stood up and made a polite gesture. Although things might have started off on the wrong foot earlier, it seemed like nothing that couldn't be resolved. After all, everyone present was unscathed. "So, I won't waste words with formalities. I want to learn about the curses in China and some of the secrets. Would you all be willing to discuss?"
"This isn't something we can't talk about. What do you want to know?" Xiahou Zhiwen looked at Hayashi with a gentle expression. Her sensual red lips might drive many men crazy, but Hayashi remained unmoved.
"I want to know about imaginary cursed spirits. I've always thought such high-level cursed spirits couldn't exist in this world, but now I realize I was wrong."
Hayashi was indeed mistaken. He had been too naive. This world was far from simple. Curses had existed for thousands of years, and the dangers that had evolved over time were unimaginable. Imaginary cursed spirits existed within humanity's deepest fears. So, when people pierced through that veil, they could see the terrifying truth.
"Imaginary cursed spirits do exist, but they haven't appeared in the modern world yet. They might start to revive in the future, and that's what worries me the most," Long Qianian's tone revealed deep apprehension, which was telling, given his position as the leader of Longyuan.
"Those damned curse users are already stirring, searching for traces of imaginary cursed spirits, trying to revive them to wreak havoc on the world. If they succeed, even fifty first-grade jujutsu sorcerers wouldn't be enough to stop a imaginary cursed spirit," the one-eyed Dong expressed his concerns.
"So where are these known imaginary cursed spirits?" Hayashi wanted to know how many imaginary cursed spirits were currently sealed or controlled, so he could use his unique abilities to locate and decompose them.
That way, the imaginary cursed spirits would disappear from the world forever, never to return.
But if a imaginary cursed spirit were revived, it would be a nightmare, and Hayashi wasn't confident in his ability to exorcise it.
Currently, Shuten-Doji was a known imaginary cursed spirit. Hayashi had kept the stopper of its sake gourd, effectively limiting Shuten-Doji's power. If Shuten-Doji regained full strength, Hayashi wouldn't dare take that risk.
Even if Shuten-Doji had good intentions, Hayashi couldn't afford to take that chance.
The one-eyed Dong seemed uncertain about whether to share this information with Hayashi and looked to the elderly Long Qianian for guidance.
Long Qianian nodded, indicating that it was fine.
"Currently, the three major powers in Beijing—Longyuan, Daxia Longque, and Panlong—jointly guard a imaginary cursed object, the Nine Tails. The Nine Tails is currently sealed within the Dragon Institute. However, most imaginary cursed spirits don't exist, or no one knows where they are sealed. Japan, on the other hand, has more imaginary cursed spirits, likely due to the barrier maintained by Tengen, making it the most dangerous place."
Hayashi frowned slightly upon hearing this. According to the one-eyed Dong, aside from Longyuan, there were two other top jujutsu powers—Daxia Longque and Panlong. These three top forces working together to guard a curse indicated the extreme danger involved.
However, no one knew who had sealed the Nine Tails, only that it had been sealed since ancient times. Even Long Qianian didn't know the details, only that it had to be watched over by successive generations.
The deeper Hayashi delved, the more dangerous it seemed. He was beginning to understand that being special grade was merely an entry point into the true world. Perhaps Satoru Gojo knew this, and Hayashi would have to find time to ask him.
Through further conversation with the one-eyed Dong, Hayashi learned a lot.
For example, the distribution of powers in China and the current trends in Chinese curses were actually quite concerning.
Chinese curses were indeed different, often with a more eerie nature. While there weren't many curses, each one was extremely troublesome.
These curses could be placed on people, and one day, this seemingly normal person could suddenly encounter a problem without ever knowing they were cursed.
For example, a cursed spirit might place a curse on an ordinary person. This person would live normally until one day, a specific action triggered the curse, causing it to manifest.
For instance, a normal person cursed by a spirit might rarely look in the mirror. But one day, if they suddenly looked in the mirror to examine themselves, the curse could activate through the mirror as a medium.
Looking in the mirror would be the trigger.
That person would then die, but such curses wouldn't be as severe for jujutsu sorcerers, who could remove curses placed on themselves.
However, if the cursed spirit was stronger than the jujutsu sorcerer, they wouldn't be able to remove it and would have to seek help.
So in China, people often die without even knowing they were cursed.
But fortunately, there aren't many curses in China, or it would be complete chaos.
Curses and ghosts actually share some similarities. In China, some people believe curses are born from ghosts, and fear and dread only serve to make these curses grow stronger.
Chinese jujutsu sorcerers are actually in decline, falling into obscurity. Many unique bloodline inheritances have been lost, which reflects the current state of China.