Dragon Clan: Force me to be reborn and slay dragons

Chapter 440: Dozens of lives lost in minutes, very busy.
Nuonuo held her younger brother and sat leisurely in an armchair on one side of the living room, her slender fingers pinching a small piece of rice cake and feeding it to the little guy.

Although Ricardo's growth and development were permanently stuck in the infant stage due to his bloodline, he was not actually very weak and could still tolerate some soft and easily digestible snacks.

He smacked his lips, his big, round eyes curiously surveying the luxurious yet unfamiliar surroundings.

Ironically, as one of the most important treasures of the Chen family, he had never been to this magnificent and luxurious main hall.

Nono was already used to the envious and jealous looks she had just received.

She was well aware of her position in the Chen family.

Although in the eyes of the collateral descendants whose bloodline is not pure, she may be a high and unattainable legitimate daughter.

But in her large circle of dozens of siblings who were fiercely competitive with each other, no one truly respected her as "the father's most beloved child."

More than anything, it was the ambition to take his place and the malice to teach this disrespectful bastard a lesson when the opportunity arose.

The girl in front of her, who had brought the family tree and whose gaze seemed to hold a knife, as if she wanted to stab her through, was someone Nuonuo couldn't even be bothered to recall.

I only vaguely remember that when I was a child, I had given the other person a severe beating for something.

He's not good at fighting, not smart enough, and not good at talking. He's a complete loser who gets beaten up in every way, and she can't be aroused in the slightest.

She was so busy feeding Ricardo and pondering why Mr. Chen was hiding that she didn't notice Caesar's emotional changes beside her.

There was nothing she could do; the Chen family's constant jealousy and rejection of her was a daily occurrence she had long been accustomed to.

She never imagined that these acts of malice directed at her, which she considered insignificant or even childish, would act as fuses, completely igniting the flame deep within Caesar's heart that was determined to gain power at all costs.

Not long after he started dating Nono, that old man Frost repeatedly spouted nonsense, saying things like, "Caesar, you are the future hope of the Gattuso family. Your partner should be the best hybrid, with pure blood, outstanding abilities, and the ability to assist your career."

"Chen Motong's bloodline is not outstanding, and she has not even awakened the power of words. She is not qualified to carry the bloodline of the Gattuso family at all."

He responded with harsh words, but deep down he clearly understood a cruel truth:
In the face of Gattuso's massive and cold family machine, the will of an individual is pitifully insignificant.

Caesar knew he couldn't escape the Gattuso family, but he wouldn't abandon Nono, nor would he allow her to repeat her mother's mistakes, becoming a beautiful but fragile woman who ultimately faded away under family pressure and her husband's indifference.

He turned his head slightly, his icy blue eyes looking at Lu Mingfei.

He must become stronger, strong enough to break the shackles of his family, strong enough to ignore all rules and criticisms, firmly guard everything he has chosen, and protect this lovely, rebellious red-haired priestess.

For this reason, he would not hesitate to pay any price, even if it meant touching those forbidden powers!

At the same time, Lu Mingfei and Erii sat side by side, and Chen Weien handed over an open sandalwood box, inside which lay a thread-bound Chen family genealogy.

The paper is yellowed, clearly indicating that it is quite old.

The Chen family can indeed be described as a large and prosperous mixed-race clan. Their genealogy records can be traced back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, spanning hundreds of years, with branches spreading far and wide and members scattered all over the world.

Although their heritage cannot compare to that of ancient families like the Zhou and Bai, which have been passed down for thousands of years, they are still undoubtedly powerful figures in their own right.

The Chen family genealogy records countless prominent figures, but Lu Mingfei had no interest in how many high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and tycoons the Chen family had produced in their ancestors.

I quickly skimmed over the dense list of names and biographies, then carefully searched through the table of contents.

Ultimately, the list narrowed down to the early 20th century, to a group of clansmen who, dissatisfied with the Qing government's corruption and incompetence, went overseas to seek a path of change with the ideal of saving the country and ensuring its survival.

Finally, in an inconspicuous corner, he saw that familiar name—Charlotte Chen.

Erii's grandmother.

Turning to the detailed page, there is a brief biographical record of Charlotte Chan and her father.

His father, Chen Jingxing, was a man from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China who was determined to save the country through indirect means. He traveled across the ocean to France to do business, hoping to accumulate wealth to purchase weapons to aid his homeland.

He later married the daughter of a wealthy French businessman and they had a daughter. However, they were both tragically killed in an accident when their daughter was young.

Charlotte Chan was orphaned and destitute. She was taken in by a priest she knew and raised in the Catholic Church. She grew up in a church school.

Because she did not know her own Chinese name and only used her father's surname, she was called Charlotte Chen, and those around her called her Aunt Charlotte.

After the turmoil in China and the spread of war, he resolutely followed the Catholic Church's dispatch and returned from France to China, which was engulfed in flames, to help establish an orphanage, take in orphans who had lost their loved ones in the war, and help women and the elderly.

However, during that horrific and unspeakable catastrophe in Nanjing, she was unable to protect the women, children, and infants she was sheltering. When she was leading them to escape outside the city, they were intercepted by the Japanese army. In the end, unable to bear seeing her compatriots being humiliated, she chose to shoot herself.

In just over a hundred words, the story of a woman's wandering, selfless, and tragic life is encapsulated.

In this weighty genealogy that records the lives of tens of thousands of Chen clan members, her story seems so insignificant, like a drop in the ocean.

The Chen family, who had recorded her name, probably never imagined that among the descendants of this seemingly lonely nun who would eventually fade into obscurity, a super hybrid would emerge, standing at the pinnacle of the hybrid world.

Lu Mingfei's gaze lingered on those few lines of text for a long time, looking at the lineage belonging to Charlotte Chen, which had been completely severed after her suicide, with no further records.

He raised his head, looked at the old butler Chen Fu who was standing to the side, and asked in a calm tone:

How did you determine that she is a member of the Chen family?

Chen Fu seemed to have anticipated this question and calmly replied:

"The family first became aware of Sister Charlotte because a nun who came from France with her mentioned her in her testimony during the postwar trials of war criminals, and had a photograph of her from that time."

At that time, one of the family's scribes happened to be in charge of organizing various archives and materials related to that war. He saw this information and took it to heart.

After years of extensive investigation and comparison of historical figures and relationships, it was finally confirmed that she was indeed a long-lost descendant of the Chen family.

As for Charlotte Chan's lineage being deemed extinct and without descendants, it was because she was a lifelong nun who had taken an eternal vow in the Catholic Church, and was required to abide by a lifelong vow of celibacy and not to marry.

The French nun also stated that Sister Charlotte indeed had no children.

No one knew that Charlotte Chan, after becoming a novice nun, visited Japan as a representative of the French Catholic Church.

There, she met and fell in love with the head of the Uesugi family of the Hebi-hachi clan, and they even eloped without regard for anything else, and she became pregnant with his child.

However, fate played a cruel trick on them, and the immense pressure from the Hebiki family ultimately forced them apart. Having lost her lover and becoming an orphan, she was left helpless and alone in a foreign land, having grown up in a church school and lacking any skills to make a living.

In order to ensure the safe growth of her infant child, she had no choice but to return to the Catholic Church, the only church that could provide her with protection, put on her nun's robes again, and ultimately made an eternal vow, returning to her original life trajectory.

She only had a husband she could never see again in this life, and a child who was so close yet she could not speak of her feelings.

Lu Mingfei already knew the inside story, but looking at the cold sentence "no descendants" on the family tree, he couldn't help but sigh.

If Erii didn't only have this one biological father, and if it weren't for the fact that Genjiro and Genjiro's brother still needed that unreliable old man to play a small role, he would really want to throw that old man into the sea to feed the fish.

He didn't pursue the matter further about where Charlotte Chen's remains ended up. Judging from Uesugi Kotsugi's madness in almost destroying the Hebi-Hachi family, he could guess that her fate after death wouldn't be good.

Erii sat obediently next to Lu Mingfei. She recognized the Chinese characters and knew that Charlotte Chen was her grandmother.

However, the written description is ultimately too pale and brief. A mere hundred words or so encompass the old woman's life, failing to reveal the hardships and suffering she endured, nor the love, hatred, and desperate struggles she experienced.

Moreover, the girl was too naive and hadn't read many books, so she couldn't do reading comprehension as easily as Chinese children, and couldn't appreciate the profound sorrow beneath the calm narration.

Inside the wooden box where the family genealogy is stored, there is also a severely faded old black and white photograph with some wear on the edges.

Lu Mingfei gently removed it.

The photo was taken in a simple courtyard, with an elderly nun in dark clothes standing in the center.

She had a thin face, gentle features, and a kind smile, but her eyes held an unyielding sorrow.

She was surrounded by several foreign nuns and a dozen women with sorrowful faces, while in front of her were dozens of thin, sallow-faced children dressed in tattered clothes but with innocent eyes, some squatting, some sitting, and some standing.

It was clear that the children liked her very much, and the nuns and orphaned women trusted and respected her.

Erii's crimson eyes were fixed on the old woman in the photograph, her gaze lingering on the features of her face that bore a resemblance to her own.

If her grandmother had taken care of her when she was little, perhaps her memories would be filled with warmth?

Thinking this, my hand was grasped by a warm, large hand and gently squeezed.

The girl turned her head and met Lu Mingfei's gaze; the two smiled at each other.

Butler Chen Fu had been observing Lu Mingfei and Erii's reactions. Seeing that their emotions weren't fluctuating much, he spoke up at the opportune moment:
"To be honest, the genealogy you two are seeing now is actually an old version revised many years ago, and much of the information has not been updated."

The patriarch had already instructed his subordinates to begin revising the family genealogy to a more detailed version.

He paused briefly, then looked at Lu Mingfei:

"If possible, the Chen family hopes to formally include Miss Erii's name in the newly revised family genealogy, noting that she is a descendant of Sister Charlotte. This would be a way to acknowledge her ancestors and comfort their spirits in heaven."

As for why the names of Sugikoshi and the three Genji brothers were not included...

The only problem is that these three—father and sons—are either war criminals, serial killers, or violent criminals; none of them have a good reputation.

Charlotte Chan was highly regarded during her lifetime and was a respected and kind nun. It would be inappropriate to associate her with these tainted figures, lest it tarnish her reputation.

No matter how bad the Chen family's reputation is, they still have a certain amount of pride. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry deserves to be included in the family genealogy.

The Chen family patriarch has many children, but only the most outstanding ones are actually recorded in the family genealogy.

Nono happens to be one of them.

Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow and glanced at the name of the Chen family patriarch, Chen Tianmu.

Yes, that's very fitting for the occasion.

"No rush, let's talk after I meet with your family head." Lu Mingfei put the family tree back into the sandalwood box, held the photo in his hand, and looked at the steward Chen Fu:

"Can I take this?"

“Of course.” This time it was Chen Wei’en who spoke. He smiled and raised his hand, indicating that Lu Mingfei could put the photos in the box to take back, so that the old photos would not get wrinkled if they were put in his pocket.

Lu Mingfei did not refuse. After placing the photos down, he asked:

"When will your patriarch be back? I'm busy with dozens of lives at stake."

To be honest, he's very angry right now.

Upon hearing this, the steward Chen Fu felt something was amiss. Why did it sound like he was about to start a massacre?
In broad daylight, under the clear sky, could it be that Lu Mingfei is truly prepared to defy the world and commit a heinous crime?

But judging from the hints of impatience on his face, he didn't seem to be in a hurry to take action.

Could it be that something else is going on?
Percy, who had been standing quietly behind Caesar and Nono without taking a seat, adhered to his duties as secretary and bodyguard. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but look at Lu Mingfei.

He spoke terrifyingly, but he didn't sense any killing intent. Was it because he hid it too well, or because the killing intent had never stopped from the beginning and he had gotten used to it?

Percy was puzzled, but he knew his duty: to protect Caesar, keep a close eye on Lu Mingfei, gather all intelligence related to him, and not let any clue slip by.

Nuonuo looked up, reached out and took the family tree, flipped precisely to the page she had just read, and quickly glanced at it.

Well, I was definitely furious.

However, what truly angered Lu Mingfei was the Chen family's attempt to use Erii to ease the conflict between them and buy more time.

Knowing full well that Lu Mingfei came to the capital to deal with the Chen family, why did they still let Erii be included in the Chen family genealogy? Wasn't that deliberately jumping into a minefield?
Butler Chen Fu would never do something so stupid; it must have been instigated by that man.

But why?
Was provoking Lu Mingfei a way to test his limits of patience?

Or is it simply a desire to die faster?
Nuonuo couldn't understand it, and neither could the butler Chen Fu. Just after saying "Please wait a moment," she felt her phone vibrate slightly in her pocket.

Lu Mingfei and Caesar also raised their heads, looking towards the main gate of the mansion.

The villainous male lead has arrived.

(End of this chapter)