Chapter 1984: Chapter 1122: Silent Warrior
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Xiao woke up in a daze, his eyes met with light, slightly dazzling, and within the halo, the outline of a blurry face appeared.
Though he couldn’t see clearly for a moment, it gave him a familiar and reassuring feeling.
"You’re awake." The other person held his left arm slightly tighter, with a trace of uncontrollable joy in their tone.
Yang Xiao opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound; at the moment, his throat was dry and harsh, as if he had swallowed several large mouthfuls of sand.
"Don’t rush to speak, just listen to me," they said.
The person beside him was, of course, Tong Han, who softly lowered her voice, "The Ju Mountain Family already knows about your situation. You brought back an old radio, but I haven’t seen it myself; I only heard them talk about it."
Yang Xiao gradually regained some consciousness, and memories of the experiences in the Nightmare World slowly resurfaced.
He turned his head, his blurry vision swept over the room; it was still his residence in the Ju Mountain Family, yet he couldn’t find that old radio.
"That radio was taken away by the Ju Mountain Family. I’m not sure why," Tong Han whispered.
"Help... help me find Jiushan Cangxuan, I have something to tell him." Yang Xiao spoke while battling his throat’s discomfort.
Yang Xiao was not a person easily offended, especially by friends. He didn’t mind the radio; Jiushan Cangxuan had helped him a lot, so if he wanted it, Yang Xiao would give it to him.
What concerned him was that during this task he encountered people from the Ghost Sect; he believed it was necessary to let Jiushan Cangxuan know about this.
Tong Han informed him that there was a physician assigned by the Ju Mountain Family who stayed by his side. Not long ago, noticing signs of him waking, the physician left.
Presumably, the physician went to report, and now Jiushan Cangxuan should already know that he had awoken.
Just as she finished speaking, footsteps sounded from outside the door. It was the Ju Mountain Family Head, Jiushan Cangxuan.
Seeing that Jiushan Cangxuan wanted to speak with Yang Xiao, Tong Han greeted Jiushan Cangxuan and naturally retreated.
Yang Xiao attempted to sit up and greet him, but Jiushan Cangxuan gestured for him not to bother and encouraged him to speak while lying down, taking a seat where Tong Han had been sitting.
"How are you feeling?" Jiushan Cangxuan asked with concern.
"I... I’m fine, just... just a bit dizzy and light-headed," Yang Xiao replied honestly.
Before, after returning from the Nightmare World, he felt similarly, but this time it was particularly severe, as if he had lost a lot of blood.
Jiushan Cangxuan assured him not to worry; it was normal, given he had recently been affected by two high-level curse techniques from Half Compassion Purple Body Buddha, and his body had yet to recover. Arrangements had been made for medication to help him recuperate.
Upon learning he wasn’t seriously in danger, Yang Xiao mustered the strength to sit up, bowing to Jiushan Cangxuan to express his gratitude.
To Jiushan Cangxuan, the foremost of Japan’s Spiritual Apostles, it was clear Yang Xiao’s gratitude was genuinely heartfelt, further solidifying the older man’s favorable impression of the young man.
Yet he also felt a sense of pity; the young man’s luck was poor. Just one night short of returning to Hua Country, he was unexpectedly drawn into the Nightmare World.
Fortunately, he returned alive, not only clearing the Dungeon World but also retrieving the Resentful Eye, truly embodying the saying, ’Great misfortune heralds future fortune’.
With only the two of them left in the room, Jiushan Cangxuan chose to be direct: "Yang Xiao, what is the deal with that radio?"
"Senior, I... I was just about to report to you. This time I ran into people from the Ghost Sect." Yang Xiao, somewhat agitated, began coughing uncontrollably, "He... Hai Hai... said he’s called Takeda Shinjiro, sent by the Ghost Sect... Ghost Sect to infiltrate this mission."
"Someone from the Takeda Family, Takeda Nobuaki?" Jiushan Cangxuan couldn’t help but frown.
"Yes, yes, yes, he seemed to mention it. His... his father seems to be called... by that name." Hearing the name, Yang Xiao’s memory was gradually awakening.
"Why would he tell you these things?" Jiushan Cangxuan suddenly asked, changing his tone.
Yang Xiao explained the sequence of events to Jiushan Cangxuan in detail, leaving nothing out, indeed... there was no need to conceal anything.
Noticing Jiushan Cangxuan’s silent contemplation, Yang Xiao curiously inquired, "Senior Jiu Shan, is the Takeda Family a very influential force?"
"Not extremely powerful, but somewhat unique; they have some influence in the Kantou Region."
"Their combat strength is average; the current Family Head Takeda Nobuaki has the skills of a typical Netherworld Envoy. Their true prowess lies in Yin Yang Techniques."
"They’re a lineage of Yin Yang Family spanning centuries, possessing a few peculiar Resentful Eyes with strange abilities. Even those more powerful than them aren’t keen on provoking them easily."
"Years ago, a Netherworld Envoy stronger than Takeda Nobuaki developed a grudge against the Takeda Clan and died under mysterious circumstances," Jiushan Cangxuan explained.
"Is it... curse techniques?" Yang Xiao, recalling his own entanglement with curse techniques, asked curiously.
"Not just curse techniques; they also practice fate calculations. I believe that is what gave the young man the courage to infiltrate the Nightmare World," Jiushan Cangxuan stated.
This statement served as a reminder to Yang Xiao; he remembered Takeda Shinjiro mentioning that before coming, a master had calculated that Sakai Misaki would be his amulet.
Yet the results evidently disproved that prediction.
However, Jiushan Cangxuan offered his perspective, suggesting that it wasn’t necessarily the prophecy that failed but rather Takeda Shinjiro’s own misunderstanding.
