Starting with Kengan beating up the Pirate King

Chapter 167 Motto
"Mr. Liu, how was the food?"

"Hmm, this restaurant is quite good. Is our collaboration settled then?"

"Okay, okay, I'll treat you here again next time!"

In a small town dozens of miles away from the Tang Clan, Liu Yuan, dressed in a long robe and mandarin jacket, walked out of the restaurant while wiping the grease from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief.

He patted his protruding belly, looked around with a sly look, and then called for a carriage to take him home.

Sitting alone in the carriage, he was no longer the smiling businessman he was in the restaurant; his expression was gloomy and solemn.

Although he knew that someone like him would eventually be put to use as the empire took action, he still found it difficult to adapt when the day actually came.

His real name is Shimada Hideji. He was an extraordinary individual trained by the Japanese Army. Fifteen years ago, he was dispatched to China to carry out an undercover mission.

With the financial assistance, he started a business in the area, amassed considerable wealth, started a family, and had a son.

The peaceful life was eroding his body and his will. If it weren't for his family in Japan and the fact that he hadn't forgotten the oath he took when he joined the army, he would have really wanted to refuse the order.

"It's been almost 20 days, and Tangmen still hasn't given me any reply. They only said they need to investigate the difficulty of completing the commission before deciding whether to increase the price. This sounds too much like a deliberate excuse to delay me."

But given the Tang Clan's reputation, they don't seem like the type to use underhanded tactics against their employers… I just wonder what's so special about that young patriarch of the Zhuge family? Why would I hire the Tang Clan to assassinate him at all costs? Five chests of gold bars—enough to kill a general—and the Tang Clan's response is still so ambiguous.

Feeling a growing sense of danger, Shimada Hideji was extremely uneasy.

'Should we move Yishan and her son out first? No, that would only give us away...'

After paying the money and sending the carriage driver away, Shimada Hideji dusted off his clothes, put on a smiling face, and walked into the gate of his house.

"Yishan! Baby! I'm back!"

"...Yi Shan? Has she gone out?"

As he walked to the middle of the courtyard, the boy who would usually run out to greet him did not appear, making Shimada Hideji slightly realize that something was wrong.

Just as he stopped, his expression changed, and turned to go out again, he found that a man and a woman were blocking his way at the gate of his own courtyard.

'Oh no! It's someone I've met in the Tang Sect!'

Shimada Hideji's expression changed, and he backed away, saying, "Who are you? What are you doing barging into my house?!"

Just then, he heard footsteps behind him, so he quickly turned around and saw Tang Bingwen, the leader of the Tang Clan, blocking his retreat with a tall, unfamiliar young man.

"You... Sect Leader Tang?" He feigned a moment of surprise, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, it's you! No wonder these two looked so familiar. Have you finally decided to take my commission? It's not very appropriate to show up when I'm not home!"

Tang Bingwen said expressionlessly, "Mr. Liu, didn't you say that Young Master Zhuge killed your distant nephew who joined the Three Demonic Sect? Now that Young Master Zhuge is in front of you, you can't even recognize him?"

Shimada Hideji was taken aback, his pupils contracted, and his gaze was fixed on Guan Yi, who was standing next to Tang Bingwen.

This person... is the target?!

Oh no! I'm afraid I've been exposed!

He was utterly disillusioned that the Tang Clan would do such a thing, but he forced a furious expression and said, "Sect Leader Tang, what does this mean?! Not only do you not take money to do your job, but now you're bringing the target I asked you to assassinate right in front of me to retaliate against me?!"

"Liu Yuan, whose real name is Shimada Hideji."

Guan Yi said, “You are 37 years old. Fifteen years ago, you traveled to China and went deep into Sichuan to infiltrate the country. You were responsible for collecting intelligence on the Tang Clan, a Chinese sect of supernatural beings, and its surrounding areas. In the past 15 years, you have only reported to your superiors three times through a radio hidden in a secret compartment behind the bookshelf in your study, so you have never been exposed.”

Shimada Hideji looked horrified.

“What are you talking about…”

"Your superior is named Sasaka Kazuo, a skilled samurai and the captain of a special forces unit of superhumans in Japan. He was your instructor back then. Send him a telegram, and tell me exactly what to say. I'll give you a quick death."

Guan Yi said coldly, "Otherwise, the people of the Tang Clan are the best at torturing people."

Tang Bingwen chuckled: "This is a misunderstanding of the Tang Clan by outsiders, Young Clan Chief Zhuge. Our Tang Clan is only good at killing people, and incidentally, we also learn some useless techniques that can't kill people."

"There's a...a mole?! Damn it! Who is it? Who is it?!" Shimada Hideji's emotions gradually collapsed after Guan Yi revealed the precise information.

He roared in disbelief, turned abruptly, and ran towards the courtyard gate.

He had no spirit of sacrifice, risking his life to attack Guan Yi, who was standing next to the Tang Clan leader; he wanted to save his own life.

But unsurprisingly, the Japanese assailant, who had been neglecting his training, was defeated in a single exchange by Gao Yingcai and Tang Wanru, two mid-generation masters of the Tang Clan, and was also slightly poisoned by the Qi poison.

"Ah—!" The poison took effect quickly.

He rolled on the ground, feeling as if his internal organs were being churned together, and screamed in agony.

"Ouch... Baka! Seven bears!"

"Kill me! Kill me!"

"Didn't I already say I was going to kill you?"

Guan Yi squatted down and used her fingers to seal two acupoints on him to relieve his pain: "Do as I say, and I'll give you a quick death."

"Huh...huh...huh..."

Shimada Hideji curled up on the ground, panting heavily. He stared at Guan Yi for a long time, then closed his eyes in despair and asked, "Where are Yishan and the child?"

“Of course it’s nothing, they were just lured away. They are Chinese, they were before we knew, and they will always be Chinese after you die,” Guan Yi said.

"...I know what to do."

Before long, after being relayed through a series of radio stations, the telegram reached Shimada Hideji's superior, Sasaka Kazuo, who was far away in the northeast.

"Teacher, I have been exposed. Zhuge Yi of the Wuhou Sect learned in advance through divination that the Tang Sect would accept the commission to assassinate him, and went to the Tang Sect yesterday to coerce them into coercing them into cooperating with the operation."

If he dies in the Tang Clan, the fact that the Tang Clan accepted the Empire's commission to assassinate him will be made public to the entire world of supernatural beings, making the Tang Clan unacceptable to the supernatural world.

If the Tang Clan hadn't been displeased with being coerced by him, I wouldn't even have had time to send this telegram. I have no chance of escape; I hope my teacher will be aware and quickly send someone to avenge me!

"Shuji, has the jade shattered?" Sassa Kazuo murmured with his eyes closed after hearing his subordinate's translation.

Unlike Shimada Hideji, he was well aware of the trouble that "Zhuge Yi" had caused their army to invade and plunder resources in Northeast China over the past few years.

The mines we wanted to mine were all destroyed prematurely, and reopening them would take a very long time.

The supplies that were to be seized were either moved away beforehand or burned directly.

Those civilian guerrilla groups seemed to be watching them from above, scattering in droves before they could take action and suddenly reappearing when they let their guard down. As for the supernatural beings, they brought even more trouble.

If it hadn't taken him a full six months and repeated confirmations, he wouldn't have believed that a superhuman, a family of superhumans, could cause them so much trouble! Zhuge Yi must be eliminated!
but……

Although he was heartbroken by the students' sacrifice, he put himself in their shoes and thought that the 'sorcerer' who had caused them so much trouble could not possibly have revealed such a big flaw. There was something wrong with this telegram!

He reported the findings through multiple levels of research, and ultimately, a senior researcher with a deep understanding of Chinese culture reached the following conclusion:

"Chinese people have a strong sense of family and attach great importance to the inheritance of bloodlines. Since Zhuge Yi is the future patriarch of the Zhuge clan, he certainly does not want us to attack the Zhuge family at all costs. Therefore, he took the initiative to step forward and become a target. As for the Tang Clan, they were forcibly dragged onto the war chariot by him and had no choice but to help him deal with us."

Don't underestimate him. This young Chinese genius, like his renowned ancestor Zhuge Liang, is a formidable sorcerer and will be extremely difficult to kill. We can let him choose the battlefield, but we must send our true elite forces to strike decisively!

His deductions were mostly correct, except for one point: the Tang Clan was not forcibly dragged onto the war chariot by Guan Yi. The contents of this telegram were compiled by Guan Yi and the Tang Clan leader together!

After sending the telegram, Guan Yi bowed to Tang Bingwen and said, "Thank you, Master Tang, for taking this matter upon yourself for the Zhuge family. I have no way to repay you."

Tang Bingwen smiled indifferently: "The Zhuge family has been working tirelessly in the rear, calculating the fate of the nation and protecting my compatriots. Knowing that you will face retaliation, how can the Tang Clan ignore it? This is a decision that I made together with the Master and the others after discussing it."

“Of course.” He looked at Guan Yi and said, “All of this is predicated on the fact that you, as a key figure, have the courage not to stand aside. If you refuse to accept the invitation from my Tang Clan, or if you decide to hide after learning about it, then it is not worth sacrificing your life for my Tang Clan! At most, we will only kill this Japanese devil who hired us to kill you!”

"Since I'm here, there's no need for the Tang Clan members to sacrifice themselves for my Zhuge family." Guan Yi smiled and said, "If there weren't truly no suitable battlefields near the Zhuge family, and if the Zhuge family members weren't far less skilled in combat than the Tang Clan members, I wouldn't have come."

"I've been lying in bed a lot these past few years, and I'm getting a little itchy. Some Japanese ninjas and samurai, I'll find a suitable place and bury them all."

"Hahaha, young clan leader, what a spirit!" Tang Bingwen laughed loudly, "Good, bury them all!"

Following behind the two, Tang Wanru and Gao Yingcai exchanged glances, feeling inwardly impressed. Although they were two generations apart, the young clan leader of the Zhuge clan was in no way inferior to the sect leader when they walked together. Moreover, in terms of the methods of an alien, he, who was able to kill the sect leader of the Three Demon Sects six years ago, might not necessarily lose to the sect leader.

A remarkable young talent, a remarkable sorcerer, it seems there is nothing he cannot calculate!

Just then, Guan Yi suddenly stopped and looked at the street corner. A young man, clutching his stomach and looking miserable, hurriedly walked by. Guan Yi looked slightly surprised.

Guan Yizhen never expected to meet him.

That must be... Wugensheng?

(End of this chapter)