This might seem strange, but it is the norm in the jujutsu world. Even for Jujutsu Sorcerers, it is rare to possess such a mature worldview.
Jujutsu Sorcerers extract Cursed Energy from negative emotions, which dictates that they are bound to be more prone to extremes than ordinary people. Sometimes, a single sentence or a brief moment of harsh reality is all it takes for a guardian of the world to fall into a madman bent on its destruction; this is a truly common occurrence in the jujutsu world.
If this is true for Jujutsu Sorcerers, then the extreme emotions of Cursed Spirits are even more severe, and they should naturally descend into bottomless depravity. This is only logical. But… Mahito's appearance has broken that logic.
Zen'in Naobito suddenly thought of Gojo Satoru, who was also a man who defied common logic.
Jujutsu Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits always coexist; the two are intertwined like a spiral. Since Gojo Satoru's birth, the Cursed Spirits of the entire world have been on the rise, and now, at this very moment, a Cursed Spirit that defies common logic has finally been born.
The curse of humans toward humans, the natural-born King of Curses, Mahito.
How could Zen'in Naobito not believe him? How could he not believe in this King of Curses who transcended common logic?
Zen'in Naobito felt at ease. He poured the sake from his flask into another flat-bottomed bowl and held it up solemnly. He asked, "So, are you interested in hearing the opinion of this old drunkard?"
"I am all ears," Mahito replied, also lifting a flat-bottomed bowl.
"You should walk alone and trust no one. You should make friends everywhere and listen to their thoughts.
"You should work in human society and experience the hardest and most exhausting labor.
"You should use the privileges gained from being able to sell eternal life to enjoy yourself to the fullest and experience the most depraved life in human society. You should be decisive in your killings; do not try to persuade those with different opinions, but use the most extreme death to intimidate them.
"You should distinguish right from wrong. Do not be quick to judge different philosophies and paths; listen more and see more. Do not believe in the words of others, but believe in their actions.
"Do not try to be a saintly ruler; no founding monarch was ever a saint. Be a tyrant!
"Pave the ground beneath your feet with corpses, and let your fear reign supreme over death!"
Zen'in Naobito's voice was deep and resonant, like muffled thunder. By the end, he seemed like a god or demon, as fierce as a Tai Sui. But his next words were as melancholy as a lover's, spoken as lightly as a spring breeze brushing against willow leaves:
"What is right and what is wrong is a question that has spanned the entirety of human history. There is no need to distinguish them clearly.
"Just as I despise the Zen'in Family's constraints on women, I can see through the history recorded by the Zen'in Family that these rules actually provided women with survival security in ancient times.
"Would you dare to say in ancient times that women should be equal to men? The entire world would pierce your heart with sharp blades.
"Mahito, you are the most unique Cursed Spirit since Cursed Spirits were first born. You possessed a mature set of concepts shortly after birth, and you even completed a self-consistent worldview in such a short time. This is a blessing from heaven, but this blessing will also become a curse. Precisely because you are a natural-born king, it is difficult for you to understand the hearts of mortals.
"You must fully experience the turmoil and the rights and wrongs of this world. Only by experiencing everything in this world can you continue to walk and run.
"In the end, you will reach your own conclusion."
These words hardly seemed like something Zen'in Naobito would say. In the original work, he always gave the impression of an unreliable drunkard; even with his great strength, he wasn't someone who commanded respect.
He was an experienced Jujutsu Sorcerer, but not a qualified head of the family; that was the impression he gave in the original work, and also the impression Mahito had when fighting him. After all, he was cruel enough to let his clansmen, including his own flesh and blood, use their lives to test Mahito's intelligence. How could such a person be a qualified head of the family?
But now, as he spoke these words eloquently, his voice was calm and filled with the vicissitudes of life, as if an ancient path were unfolding before Mahito.
In the past, he must have walked alone, for no one could understand his thoughts. He must have also tried to share his ideas with others to gain companions.
But he looked around and found no response. When he finally managed to climb to the position of family head, he discovered in despair that he could change nothing.
Despite holding the supreme power of the Zen'in Family, he lived like a bound clay doll, eventually degenerating into a drunkard.
Mahito suddenly thought of what he had once said to Zen'in Maki.
Zen'in Maki was a woman of the Zen'in Family. According to the rules, her fate was already fixed, but Zen'in Maki refused to accept it. She hoped to change the family, and to that end, she declared loudly to Zen'in Naobito, "I want to be the head of the Zen'in Family!"
How did Zen'in Naobito respond?
The drunkard laughed heartily and said, "Fine! Then I will prepare a trial for you. If you pass, then you shall be the head of the Zen'in Family!"
And so, Zen'in Maki walked out of the Zen'in Family gates. To gain the strength to become the head of the Zen'in Family, she became Gojo Satoru's student.
As she walked out of the Zen'in Family, Zen'in Naobito was still laughing behind her. His laughter echoed through heaven and earth, as if he were watching a praying mantis raising its scythes in the middle of the road to face an oncoming carriage.
When reading the original work, Mahito thought this was the old drunkard's loud mockery. But what if it was sincere?
Mahito couldn't help but smile and said loudly, "Thank you for the guidance! I shall keep it in my heart!"
Zen'in Naobito and Mahito's sake bowls clinked softly, and the cherry blossoms that had fallen into the wine drifted aimlessly.
In an instant, all the blossoms on the cherry tree were scattered by a gale. Countless cherry blossoms swept across the world. Zen'in Naobito and Mahito both drained the wine in their flat-bottomed bowls in one gulp. By the time they set their bowls down, the curtain formed by the excessive cherry blossoms had already made it impossible for them to see each other.
Zen'in Naobito sat there, laughing heartily as he spoke his final farewell.
He said, "Hey, Mahito. Go change the world!
"Take with you your supreme kindness and benevolence, take with you your supreme evil and malice, and take with you your innate arrogance!
"Bring a world-shaking storm to this decaying and stagnant jujutsu world!"
A massive gale blew Mahito's long hair into the air, and countless cherry blossoms obscured his vision. Zen'in Naobito vanished amidst his laughter and the scattering blossoms. Mahito looked up at the cherry tree, which had disappeared at some point. Finally, the entire space was blown into the endless River of Souls.
Mahito smiled. "How elegant, old man."
Zen'in Naobito: deceased.
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