After knocking out several guards, Mo Fan said, "You go check on your brother. I'll stand guard here."
Chiyou gave Mo Fan a grateful look and quickly went to the thick door, speaking to the person inside.
She was speaking Japanese, which Mo Fan couldn't understand at all.
After all, when he watched foreign movies, he always preferred subtitles. Without them, he wouldn't even bother watching—he found it too confusing.
After a while, Chiyou turned to glance at Mo Fan. From the emotional look in her eyes, it was clear she had confirmed something.
Her emotions were clearly stirred, and her eyes were red with tears. Her brother, Hida, had been missing for so long that she had nearly given up hope, believing he had vanished from the world. Who could have guessed he had been imprisoned just across a suspension bridge from her? As someone who worked at Xi Shou Pavilion, Chiyou knew very well how terrifying this prison was!
The two siblings spoke for a long time, and during this time, Mo Fan didn't interrupt. After all, he was here for the jewel.
"How's your brother?" Mo Fan asked casually.
"He's holding on," Chiyou replied, then continued, "Aside from the dark formation, the East Guard Pavilion also has a massive curse. This curse gradually extracts the soul energy from the prisoners. I used to think that was all it did, but it turns out it not only drains their soul energy but also condenses it into a jewel…"
"Oh, I see," Mo Fan pretended to be uninterested.
"We need to take the Condensed Jewel with us. If General Takagi finds it, he will definitely kill my brother to silence him," Chiyou explained.
"Fine, but don't forget what I asked for before," Mo Fan said, taking the opportunity to remind her.
"You…" Chiyou had initially felt grateful for Mo Fan's help in sneaking in here, but with those words, her gratitude vanished.
She couldn't help but feel that he was taking advantage of the situation!
"I'm just joking," Mo Fan said quickly, noticing her anger.
Of course, he wasn't serious. After all, nothing was more important than the Condensed Evil Jewel right now!
As for the "other matter," he could handle that later. Heh heh heh!
Seeing that Mo Fan seemed sincere, Chiyou reluctantly believed him. "Don't make those kinds of jokes. I don't like them," she said.
"You'll grow to like them," Mo Fan quipped.
With Hida's guidance, it didn't take long for Mo Fan and Chiyou to locate the jewel. After obtaining it, they left the East Guard Pavilion.
Leaving wasn't too difficult; the place wasn't heavily guarded. Outsiders weren't supposed to be able to enter in the first place.
Once they were out, Chiyou hurried toward Osaka, clutching the jewel tightly, with Mo Fan following behind her.
At some point, the bright moon became obscured by thick clouds, and the night sky turned pitch black. Even the stars seemed to vanish.
Despite the darkness above, Osaka's city lights still glowed brightly, the city as lively as ever. However, instead of the usual orange-red glow illuminating the night sky, the city's neon lights seemed swallowed by the overwhelming darkness.
Skyscrapers stood tall, and the streets were still full of cars. A group of drunken young men, their hair dyed in various colors, were shouting loudly as they stumbled out of a nightclub. Pedestrians hurriedly avoided them.
Just then, one of the drunkards blocked Chiyou's path.
Influenced by the evil energy of the Condensed Jewel, Chiyou nearly attacked them on the spot.
However, before things got violent, Mo Fan stepped in to stop her.
Seeing her own reflection and realizing what she was about to do, Chiyou was horrified. Mo Fan quickly led her away.
As for the Condensed Evil Jewel that had attempted to escape, Mo Fan quickly contained it.
To be honest, the jewel's corrupting influence was quite potent. Mo Fan wondered how Old Bao back home was going to handle it. It seemed like Mo Fan would need to take a trip back to China to have Old Bao cleanse the jewel of its impurities. If he didn't, he'd risk being followed by its corrupting influence wherever he went.
While weaker individuals might not notice the corruption, anyone with strong magical abilities would sense it immediately.
The last thing Mo Fan wanted was unnecessary trouble because of this jewel.
Later, the two made their way to Elder Mochizuki's place. The Elder explained just how dangerous the jewel was, pleading with Mo Fan to help escort it because he seemed unaffected by its influence.
Elder Mochizuki wasn't a good person either. He even mentioned that the energy within the jewel could help summoned beasts evolve.
Mo Fan found this laughable but didn't reject the offer. He agreed to help.
Wang Yue Mingjian was worried about potential dangers during the escort, so he suggested that Chiyou accompany Mo Fan.
But when they reached Chiyou's residence, Mo Fan didn't head back to his own place. Instead, he followed her into her room.
Startled, Chiyou asked, "You—?"
"Shh!" Mo Fan smirked, pinning her against the wall.
The jewel was already secured. Now it was time to "tame the beast."
"You… don't go too far!" Chiyou tried to dodge, clearly uncomfortable.
But Mo Fan cut her off with a chilling threat: "You don't want me to just leave this jewel in your pavilion, do you?"
Chiyou froze in fear. She had seen firsthand just how dangerous the Condensed Evil Jewel was. Even Elder Mochizuki had said that if its corrupting influence spread, it could infect everyone in the pavilion…
"You're despicable," she muttered.
"Think what you want," Mo Fan replied indifferently.
He was doing this for his country, after all.
If he had been more powerful, he would have gladly sunk this little island into the ocean.
Mo Fan's hatred toward this place ran deep. Even though the people here hadn't committed those monstrous atrocities from history, it didn't matter. Being able to satisfy his desires while also exacting revenge—how could he pass up such an opportunity?
That night, many things happened, but the city slept on, oblivious. Mo Fan returned to his own place early in the morning.
Though he had spent a long night, he still looked energetic when Zhao Manyan knocked on his door, calling, "Mo Fan, Mo Fan, get up!"
Mo Fan opened the door, still feeling refreshed despite his exertions. After all, a mage's mental strength far surpassed that of ordinary people, and going a few days without sleep wasn't a big deal.
"What's up?" Mo Fan asked curiously.
"That woman—Chiyou, the one you dueled with? The one with the big, uh, assets and a bad temper? She's coming with us to Tokyo!" Zhao Manyan said excitedly.
Regardless of her temperament, Zhao Manyan was clearly captivated by her looks and status as a noblewoman from Sakura Country.
"Oh, I know," Mo Fan replied calmly.
"What? That's all? Aren't you excited? I mean, she's got the looks, the figure, and she's high society! Take your time on the trip to Tokyo—you could totally get with her!" Zhao Manyan's sleazy nature was showing.
"Heh, I already tamed her last night," Mo Fan said with a smirk, his excitement bubbling up at the memory.
It only took the second half of the night to tame Chiyou.
(End of Chapter)