Chapter 17: Alex Moyan
"Yes, I came back to visit you, old man."
Satoru walked up to the old man with a grin. The scene was indescribably warm and peaceful.
Upon hearing this, the old man smiled.
Time had carved deep wrinkles across the old man's face.
But with Satoru's arrival, his face blossomed like a radiant chrysanthemum.
"Great-grandson, do you know of Alex Moyan?"
The old man asked, his withered lips moving faintly.
"You mean my classmate, Alex Moyan? Of course I know him."
"Not only do I know him, we're classmates and very good friends."
"That guy is seriously strong! It's just that his methods are a bit... dirty. Honestly, I've already put him on my list of people I least want to fight."
"The only one!"
As Satoru spoke of Alex Moyan, he couldn't help but recall the humiliating battle not long ago.
Satoru was certain that if the fight had continued, he would have been the victor.
But that weird Cursed Speech Technique was truly disgusting!
Not only was it bizarre and dirty, but the worst part was it seemed impossible to defend against.
Normally, for a Cursed Speech Technique to achieve something like causing incontinence, it would have to control the target's brain to accomplish that goal.
But controlling the brain is only possible if the target lets their guard down, or if there's a massive gap in power.
Yet back then, I not only had the protection of Infinity, but my mind was also fully alert.
So how did I get hit?
And looking at how relaxed and carefree he was, chatting and laughing...
You couldn't tell at all that using that bizarre Cursed Speech Technique placed any burden on him.
It completely overturned the conventional logic of jujutsu. It was simply heaven-defying!
At that moment, Satoru could feel that if the fight had gone on...
That bastard Alex Moyan would definitely have made me suffer a social death.
After listening to Satoru's evaluation of Alex Moyan,
the old man revealed a look of joyful satisfaction, as if it was exactly what he had expected, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Two years ago, the new head of the Inumaki Clan had sought out the old man.
He praised a certain genius to the heavens, to the point of complete fanaticism and madness.
He called him a once-in-a-millennium prodigy of the Cursed Speech Technique, the hope of all Cursed Speech Users.
And that genius was Alex Moyan, who, at the age of fourteen, had defeated the former head of the Inumaki Clan.
At that time, the Inumaki Clan was just a few steps away from having its lineage severed.
The reason was the former clan head's laissez-faire policy, his unwillingness to continue passing down the Cursed Speech legacy.
Back then, not only were fewer and fewer children in the Inumaki Clan awakening to the qualifications of a Jujutsu Sorcerer and inheriting the tradition,
but even many clan members held a very ambiguous attitude towards it.
It was as if everyone despised the existence of Cursed Speech Users.
Compared to other Jujutsu Sorcerers, most of whom died or were injured in battle,
the loss jujutsu brought them wasn't as severe.
But Cursed Speech was the exact opposite.
Not only did using the technique cause damage to the throat, but overuse could even lead to irreversible, massive harm.
In their later years, Cursed Speech Users not only suffered from overusing their throats in past battles,
some found swallowing food as painful as being scraped by a knife.
The more severe cases even became mute, unable to speak at all.
Moreover, because of the Cursed Speech Technique, they even lost the right to communicate normally.
This suffering unique to Cursed Speech Users led the former clan head to stop actively nurturing the next generation.
Some clan members, due to the accumulated side effects of the Cursed Speech Technique over the years, tacitly accepted this course of action.
Where there is darkness, there will be light.
Just as there were Inumaki Clan members who didn't wish for the legacy to continue, naturally there would also be those who wanted to elevate the Cursed Speech Technique to new heights.
Clearly, this person was the current head of the Inumaki Clan, also Inumaki Toge dad's father, Inumaki Toge dad.
Alex Moyan's appearance rekindled the Inumaki Clan's hope for the Cursed Speech Technique.
It wasn't just because of Alex Moyan's strength and exceptional talent.
More importantly, Alex Moyan, with his Heaven-Defying Comprehension, had improved the Cursed Speech Technique.
He reduced the throat damage caused by the technique and mitigated the drawback of being unable to communicate normally with others for fear of hurting them.
Not only that, Alex Moyan also developed a specially formulated curse medicine.
A throat medicine made using Reverse Cursed Technique combined with specific ingredients.
Alex Moyan named it 'Golden Throat'.
Initially, Alex Moyan just wanted to make some pocket money, but he never expected Golden Throat's effects to be astonishingly good.
It could not only treat Cursed Speech Users who had overused their technique while exorcising Cursed Spirits,
but also alleviate the suffering of retired frontline clan members who had been injured while contributing to the Jujutsu World.
Even several Inumaki Clan members who had lost their voices regained the ability to speak after taking Alex Moyan's Golden Throat.
This allowed Alex Moyan to make a fortune over those two years.
But a tall tree catches the wind. It soon attracted deliberate suppression from the former clan head.
Alex Moyan wasn't about to indulge him and directly knocked him senseless.
This also allowed Inumaki Toge dad to successfully rise to power. After all, Alex Moyan had zero interest in becoming clan head himself.
Too much work, not enough profit. What's the point?
Soon, Alex Moyan was introduced by Inumaki Toge dad to one of the Jujutsu Higher-ups, who was also Satoru's great-grandfather.
At the cost of the Inumaki Clan becoming a subordinate family to Satoru, they successfully made Alex Moyan another Quasi-Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer in the Jujutsu World.
—————
Under the ancient tree, the old man's gaze had grown somewhat dim.
He looked at the white-haired youth before him, as if seeing his own youthful, spirited self.
The old man spoke: "Satoru, do you know why your great-grandfather sent you to Jujutsu High?"
Satoru: "To go to school, obviously. What else would it be for?"
Satoru's answer amused the old man somewhat.
Thinking about it, it was true. What else would going to Jujutsu High be for if not to study?
"Then do you know *why* I sent you to Jujutsu High to study?" the old man said calmly, so calmly that nothing seemed capable of stopping him.
Satoru shook his head. As a natural-born prodigy, the possessor of the Six Eyes, his mentality remained that of a five-year-old child.
He never considered things too deeply.
One could also understand this as a pure heart, or perhaps the heart of the invincible.
No one is my match. I am the strongest.
Then I don't need to overthink. I can just crush everything with overwhelming power.
The weak exhaust themselves with schemes, advancing step by step with caution.
The strong just come up and deliver a big slap. What? You want to help him? I'll slap you too!
"Because in school, there is teaching without discrimination."
The old man's voice was drawn out, filled with complex emotions.
"Compared to the clan system that has been passed down for a thousand years,"
"the 'teaching without discrimination' of a school is more suitable for this age of declining dharma."
"That is why I sent you to study at Jujutsu High, rather than keeping you at the Gojo Family to teach you."
"Actually, you don't even need teaching. We've taught you all we can. The rest, you just need to comprehend gradually on your own."
At this point, the old man's gaze suddenly turned grave, flashing with an incredibly sharp gleam.
The old man exerted himself, squeezing out the last of the Cursed Energy within his body.
He released a black Barrier, enveloping the two of them completely.
As if guarding against something!
The old man's actions puzzled Satoru. After all, this was the headquarters of the Gojo Family.
Heavily guarded, with Barriers erected everywhere.
It should be impossible for any outsider to infiltrate this place.
"Satoru, my youngest descendant, the pride of our Gojo Family!"
"What I am about to tell you is merely my speculation."
"But you must remember every single word!"
"For this concerns the future of the Jujutsu World, and even the entire world!"