Dragon Clan: Force me to be reborn and slay dragons

Chapter 257 Cats, Hot Springs, and Black Thorns

Lu Mingfei spent a whole day with Erii in Meijinji Town, experiencing many things that are commonplace for ordinary people but precious to her.

As evening fell and the sun set, Lu Mingfei and she sat on the Ferris wheel, enjoying the sunset over the sea.

The Ferris wheel in the town is not big, only about twenty meters high at its highest point, and the scenery you can see from there is definitely not as good as that of the high mountains and cliffs.

Erii was still very happy, as it was her first time riding a Ferris wheel.

It's small, but also very interesting.

Lu Mingfei also captured a photo of her as she pressed her hand against the glass and gazed out at the sunset over the sea when the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, and set it as his screensaver.

As for the group photo at sunrise, that's wallpaper material.

That evening, Lu Mingfei drove Erii to Atami to soak in the hot springs.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; rather, after finishing breakfast and going to refuel his Lamborghini, he found a note on the driver's seat with an address and this sentence:

"There are two adorable little ones over there. Could you please look after them for me, brother? In return, I'll have someone prepare a delicious seafood feast and a hot spring!"

The signature reads: "My dearest younger brother."

So Lu Mingfei changed his itinerary and drove to Rehai before the sun completely sank into the sea.

We sped along for nearly four hours, passing through Osaka, and nothing happened.

Lu Mingfei did not conceal his whereabouts when he set off, believing that Herzog would definitely have a way to locate him and Erii.

But even though I passed through Osaka twice in a row, and even stopped to refuel the second time, had some dessert with Erii, and dawdled for half an hour, there was nothing unusual.

He thought that old turtle was so patient, but he didn't expect to receive a call from Chu Zihang as soon as he arrived in Atami. Herzog's sentries near Takamagahara jumped out and were all killed by his good brother with one knife each.

The only survivor was a die-hard Herzog fan. After being given a powerful truth serum, he bit off his tongue and swallowed it without saying a word, intending to choke to death.

Even Lu Mingfei would have to admit he's a ruthless person.

But the worst is Kassel College. They do nothing but cause trouble all day long.

Even with the principal personally leading the team, a time bomb still managed to sneak in. Before the big fish could even follow the scent of the bait they had just prepared, the time bomb scared them away and splashed Chu Zihang and Caesar, who were on the shore with their landing nets, all over with water.

It's fair to say that Kassel College has never disappointed when it comes to being disappointing.

Fortunately, the devil is one foot tall, but the Tao is ten feet tall. That time bomb may be powerful, but Old Tang did not disappoint him and taught the other party a lesson with one punch.

It seems that things are progressing quite quickly in Yamanashi Prefecture, and Herzog is becoming increasingly impatient.

But it doesn't matter, the more anxious he is, the more likely he is to slip up.

The now-revived White King is hiding in the Well of Bones, drawing nourishment from the dead. Without sufficiently delicious bait, it will be very difficult to lure him out.

In the days to come, Herzog will only get more and more anxious. With Su Enxi and Jiu Demai keeping an eye on things, if that old bastard dares to show his face, he'll chop him off with one stroke!

Lights shone on the towering cliffs in the distance, and an ancient building surrounded by high black walls could be vaguely seen.

That would be their lodging for the night, Blackstone Mansion.

During lunch, Lu Mingfei looked up some information and found that it was an antique built during the mid-Edo period.

Although it is privately owned, it is a protected cultural relic under government protection, and the annual maintenance costs are staggering. According to experts, its maintenance costs every ten years are equivalent to the price of a house.

The previous owner of Blackstone Mansion was forced to put it up for sale due to the exorbitant maintenance costs.

Thus, this "king" of all the hot spring villas in Atami, though not dethroned, could only sit there alone and beautifully priced, waiting for a sucker to take it over.

The last person to buy it was named "ENXI," who purchased the hot spring villa on eBay.

She never came back after the photo was taken; the only people living there were the butler, the servants, and two cats.

What? You're asking how Lu Mingfei knew? Because when he saw the name of that sucker, he immediately called Su Enxi to ask if she'd lost her mind, spending so much money to buy a dilapidated house and leave it there as decoration.

Su Enxi's reply was very concise, saying that she was just a bookkeeping maid who simply followed orders.

Now Lu Mingfei knew who that rich fool was.

One hundred million US dollars!

This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!
The next time I see Aze, I must kick his ass hard with my size 40 feet!

On the cliff, an elderly man dressed in a black kimono stood at the entrance of the Black Stone Mansion, with a line of servants waiting to greet him.

Kimura Hiroshi stood meticulously at the front, his gaze fixed on the approaching headlights in the distance, where the roar of engines could be faintly heard.

A few days ago, the master arrived at the Black Stone Mansion with her friends. Although they did not stay overnight and hurriedly returned to Tokyo, after waiting for eight years, he finally saw the master he had been longing for, and the unease in his heart was finally soothed.

Early this morning, the host sent a message saying that a distinguished guest would be visiting in the evening, and asked them to provide the best possible service.

The hostess's first appearance caught them off guard, and they were unable to provide her and her friends with the best service. So today, Kimura Hiroshi and the people from the Black Stone Mansion have been busy all day, just waiting for the two distinguished guests to arrive.

Soon, the roar of engines from the foot of the mountain grew closer, and at the end of the mountain road, a sapphire blue luxury supercar came into view.

Enxi's master is very young, and her friends are also very young.

Hiroshi Kimura watched the young man and woman step out of the Lamborghini; both were very good-looking and had outstanding charisma.

The boy's eyes scrutinized, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the Blackstone mansion and the welcoming staff.

The girl had a blank expression, exuding an aloofness that seemed untouched by worldly affairs, but her crimson eyes never left the handsome boy.

The two stepped forward hand in hand, and Kimura Hiroshi led the servants in bowing to express their highest respect to the two distinguished guests.

Lu Mingfei disliked this kind of pomp and circumstance, while Erii was used to being treated with awe and didn't seem nervous.

He casually handed the Lamborghini keys to Hiroshi Kimura, saying, "It's late at night, you must be tired."

Since it was that brat Aze who bought the house, Lu Mingfei didn't stand on ceremony and treated it like his own home, feeling completely at ease.

Kimura Hiroshi served as the butler for thirty years, and this alone shows that Lu Mingfei and the master had a very close relationship.

Of course, romantic relationships are excluded first.

After getting off the train, the two held hands and never let go. They looked like a perfect couple. If they weren't a couple, Kimura Hiroshi would have jumped off the train and swam all the way to Tokyo Bay to find a cement bucket and sink to the bottom.

"Mr. Lu, Ms. Uesugi, please follow me." Kimura Hiroshi did not rush to park the car, but put away the keys and led the way.

While introducing the two distinguished guests to the historic mansion, I led them toward the dining area.

Lu Mingfei wasn't particularly interested in ancient architecture, and Erii was even less so. Perhaps because she had seen too much of it, she was somewhat unimpressed by the grand and imposing palace-style buildings. She didn't pay any attention to Kimura Hiroshi, who was speaking in a gentle and orderly manner.

She heard a soft meow when she came in.

Although not very noticeable amidst the waves and howling wind, the super hybrid's hearing allowed her to detect all the sounds, big and small, within the Blackrock Mansion.

Lu Mingfei noticed this and peered into the distance. He saw two chubby, fluffy balls of fur sitting in the shadows of the corridor ahead, their big, round eyes looking over as if wondering where this wild human had come from, daring to trespass on the cat's territory.

Those were two cats. Their fur color looked like Siamese cats, but their chubby and plump bodies resembled Garfield cats, so they should also be "mixed breeds".

Two foreign mixed-race individuals and two local mixed-race individuals faced off in the corridor, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense and menacing.

Kimura Hiroshi was somewhat surprised to see his two feline overlords suddenly appear and block his path. After all, when Eun-hee's owner came before, the two cats hadn't come out to greet her; they'd only glanced at her from afar before going back to playing on their own, preventing Eun-hee's owner and her friend from getting close enough to pet them. He pursed his lips, smiling as he tried to introduce these two "natives" of the Black Stone Mansion to the two of them, but before he could even speak, Lu Mingfei had already stepped forward with a look of delight.

"Protruding defense? Takanashi?" Lu Mingfei looked at the two chubby, silly cats, a smile spreading across his face:

"Why are you here?!"

These words shocked Kimura Hiroshi, who had taken care of the two cat siblings for eight years but had never known their names.

Even Miss Enxi didn't know what they were called. She just wanted to get closer but was rejected, and then muttered "stupid cat" under her breath.

However, judging from this, Mr. Lu is probably not the owner of the two cats, but just an acquaintance of them.

Just as he expected, the cat siblings who were crouching on the ground and watching intently heard Lu Mingfei call out their names. Their wariness and vigilance disappeared, replaced by intense curiosity.

The elegant older cat sister stepped forward first, and her younger brother, acting as her knight, hurried to investigate, only to be slapped away by his sister.

The cat sister strode forward with queen-like steps, her big, round eyes fixed on Lu Mingfei's face, revealing a hint of doubt.

As it approached, it leaped lightly, its chubby body displaying an agility beyond its size, and jumped directly onto Lu Mingfei's shoulder. It poked its little head in and gently sniffed Lu Mingfei's scent.

The slower-moving younger cat didn't dare jump up like his sister, fearing he'd be slapped down halfway through takeoff. Instead, he circled around Lu Mingfei's feet, as if checking something.

He hadn't even gone around a few times when he was arrested.

"You two are still so fat."

Lu Mingfei rubbed his face against the little bird that was sniffing around on his shoulder, then squatted down, picked up the silly, circling Dekomori, and weighed it in his hand, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

In his past life, he returned to his homeland with Aze and Renata. When they passed through Moscow, they encountered a pair of stray kittens. Aze felt sorry for them and took them in, naming them Dekomori and Takanashi.

At first, Dekomori and Takanashi were very thin and wary, but after Renata's careful feeding, they became plump and strong like balls in just six months.

Aze, who only takes in pigs but doesn't raise them, even mocks her for being a professional pig farmer, completely unaware that he's making fun of himself too.

In their past life, Lu Mingfei and Erii's daughter loved playing with them. These two little guys were also very intelligent. The younger cat brother was clumsy and wouldn't fight back when bullied. The older cat sister was aloof, but she wouldn't scratch when her tail was grabbed or her ears were bitten. She would just lift her paws to push away her daughter's mischievous hands. If she couldn't push them away, she would just let her be.

I thought that these two fat cats wouldn't exist because of the different times and spaces, but I didn't expect that Aze would still find them and even buy them a sea-view villa and equip them with such a luxurious service team.

It's truly infuriating that a human is more like a cat than a human.

As the fleeting memories faded, Lu Mingfei held Tu Shou in his arms, looking at the bewilderment and stupidity in its eyes, knowing that the two of them did not actually recognize him.

Perhaps it was only because they carried Aze's scent that they did not resist his approach and affectionate gestures.

But it doesn't matter, Aze's cat is his cat, they're all the same.

He had helped raise these two children when they were young in his previous life, so he felt at ease letting them help raise the children when they grew up.

Hiroshi Kimura's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he watched. He had been feeding the cat siblings for eight years, and they had never shown such affection before. They would turn on him after finishing their cat food, but they behaved so well under Lu Mingfei's care.

Erii watched longingly from the side. The two chubby cats looked plump and cute, ugly-cute, and fit the pet aesthetic of almost all girls.

Lu Mingfei was about to hand her the convex guard to play with, but then remembered that this little idiot liked to step on things, so he tucked it under his arm.

"Meow?"

He took the aloof cat takanashi off his shoulder and placed it in Erii's hands, letting her hold it in her arms and pet it.

Caught off guard and suddenly thrust into the girl's warm embrace, the cat queen tried to resist, but before it could display its queenly aura, Lu Mingfei had already reached out and gently rubbed its forehead, his voice soft and smiling:

"Sweetie, Takanashi, let your big sister hug you."

It immediately quieted down, letting Erii hold it without struggling, and didn't resist even when she pinched its little paw pads.

Erii hugged the fluffy kitten as if it were her own plush toy, her eyes sparkling as if reflecting a sky full of stars.

She had never been in contact with such adorable animals before, because she might accidentally take their lives if she wasn't careful.

Moreover, even if she were to encounter her by chance at the family shrine, the small animals would not dare to approach her and would always be frightened away by her.

So, this was the first time in her life that she had ever petted a cat.

It feels so good, even better than the Big Head Bear plush toy... just as good.

The dinner was held at Tsukimi-tei, which overlooks Sagami Bay.

As Erii sat down with her cat sister in her arms, the servants brought out a large, chilling bluefin tuna belly, and the table was already filled with all sorts of expensive seafood.

Lu Mingfei picked up a piece of tuna sashimi to fish for the cats. Kimura Hiroshi hesitated, thinking that these two were very picky eaters and only ate special cat food. But the next second, he saw the younger cat take the bait, jump over, bite the sashimi, and hang in mid-air, swaying back and forth.

Erii tried to feed the fish by imitating her, but the cat sister pressed her wrist down with her paws. The noble cat queen did not like being teased, so she stretched her neck and snatched the fish from Erii's fingertips.

He finished eating slowly and deliberately, even nodding in satisfaction. The look in his eyes as he looked at Erii seemed to say, "You're a good cat owner. Tomorrow, my poop is your responsibility."

Moonlight pierced through the night's rain and mist, illuminating the dining table and reflecting the silvery fish oil clinging to the cat's whiskers. The girl's delicate and radiant face blossomed into a captivating smile.

……

The cherry blossoms by the hot spring pool had long since faded, and the remaining calyxes rustled against the emerald leaves in the night breeze, making a soft, tinkling sound.

Lu Mingfei, wearing beach shorts and a floral shirt draped over his shoulders, leaned against the obsidian pool, looking more like he was there to admire the beautiful women on the beach than to soak in the hot springs.

In fact, he was indeed waiting for a beautiful woman to appear.

Before leaving Ehime Prefecture, he picked out a swimsuit for Erii that would be suitable for soaking in hot springs.

"Whoosh—" The sound of a paper door sliding came from behind. Erii stood at the boundary between moonlight and steam, her plain white yukata like a mountain covered by the first snow, concealing her graceful and beautiful body.

Erii looked at Lu Mingfei, who was already soaking in the hot spring, without any shyness on her face. She walked barefoot on the cobblestone path to the edge of the hot spring and slowly untied the silk ribbon wrapped around her waist.

The moment the white yukata slid down the girl's body, the entire hot spring pool paled in comparison.

The moonlight shone on her porcelain-like skin, and the hollows of her collarbone were filled with a soft glow. The pink and white swimsuit that clung to her skin outlined her perfect waistline, and the lace hem just right to cover her key areas, giving her an indescribable beauty and allure.

What's most deadly are those legs, so long they're almost arrogant, and every step her delicate toes take feels like stepping on Lu Mingfei's taut heartstrings.

Lu Mingfei swallowed hard, wanting to say something complimentary, but his usually eloquent mouth seemed to be glued shut, and he couldn't utter a word.

Under the full moonlight, the two people in the courtyard, one on the shore and the other in the hot spring pool, gazed at each other without uttering a word.

"Eri is so pretty." Lu Mingfei smiled, extended his hand in invitation, and said a cheesy pickup line he had taught Old Tang:
"If you're too beautiful and charming, you'll catch a cold."

Because it was a pun in Chinese, Erii didn't understand it. She nodded and placed the yukata she had taken off on a boulder next to her.

This action exposed her entire back to the moonlight.

On what should have been fair and flawless skin, there were winding black lines resembling a spider web.

Dark veins climbed up from the lumbar spine beneath the delicate skin, extending all the way to the vicinity of the shoulder blades, resembling an exquisite yet ferocious tattoo.

The hot spring suddenly became bone-chillingly cold.

Lu Mingfei strode forward, the hot spring water churning. He looked at the black veins on the girl's smooth back, which resembled black thorns, his fingers hovering above her but he dared not touch them, his face terribly gloomy.

"When did it start?" Lu Mingfei asked, his voice hoarse as he looked at the girl who had turned around.

(End of this chapter)