I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Haha, that's true. It seems you are indeed Tachibana Takayuki's son."

After saying that, Onodera chuckled softly a few times.

However, in the blink of an eye, the smile on his face transformed into solemnity and gravity.

"Tachibana-kun, why are you here? This is not a place you should be."

Onodera's voice carried a clear sense of tension.

Although he expressed his emotions subtly, his worries and anxieties were fully conveyed to Qingdeng.

Now that things have come to this, there's no need to keep making things mysterious or covering things up.

“Mr. Onodera, I am currently investigating the case that led to my father’s untimely death.”

Qing Deng spoke directly, enunciating each word clearly.

“I learned from some source that there is a ‘secret stronghold’ of my father on the top of Kikyō Mountain, so I came here with my companions to check it out.”

With each word Qing Deng uttered, Onodera's eyes widened a little more.

Finally, his eyes widened as large as horse bells.

"You...you...you're investigating...that case?"

Onodera stood frozen, staring at Aoto with a horrified look.

His lips moved several times, as if he was about to say something, but he couldn't utter a coherent word.

Finally, as if giving up the struggle, he let out a long sigh.

"A father and son getting involved in the same case one after the other... How could such a thing happen in the world..."

Onodera's voice vibrated incoherently.

Ignoring the fact that the other party was still in a state of confusion, Qing Deng quickly asked:

"Mr. Onodera, since you are an old acquaintance of my father, would you be so kind as to lend me a hand?"

The next second, Qing Deng slashed his sharp gaze at Onodera.

"May I ask what your relationship is with my father? What is your connection? Is this my father's 'secret stronghold'?"

Onodera pursed his lips and fell into deep thought as Qing Deng bombarded him with questions like a machine gun.

It wasn't until quite some time later that he solemnly asked in return:

"...Mr. Tachibana, if I may be so bold as to ask: are you aware of just how dangerous the case you are currently investigating is?"

"I know."

Qing Deng answered without hesitation, his voice firm and resolute.

"In fact, I have uncovered many unspeakable secrets in this case. I am well aware of the danger of this case, but I am mentally prepared to face any terrible outcome."

"..."

Onodera raised his head, his sharp, arrow-like gaze piercing straight into Aoto's eyes.

Aoto calmly accepted Onodera's gaze. His expression was composed and unhurried.

This brief standoff ended with Onodera resigning.

"Ha...it seems...you weren't just putting on a brave face or lying..."

Onodera sighed again, then forced a bitter smile.

"Tachibana Takayuki, you never would have imagined, did you? Your son would actually take over your 'mission'..."

At this point, Onodera took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and looked up at the sky.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes, the melancholy and confusion in them had vanished.

Instead, there was excitement and exhilaration.

"This is the will of Heaven!"

"At this critical moment when I was at my wit's end and about to be driven to the brink of despair, you, who took over Tachibana Takayuki's 'mission,' just happened to appear at this time and place... I really can't think of any other reason other than fate!"

"Perhaps... the gods allowed me to live on until now precisely for this day!"

"Alright! I'll tell you everything I know! I'll answer every single one of your questions truthfully!"

"However, before that, could you tell me the current progress of your case investigation? So that I can tell you the truth that you don't yet know, one by one, based on your actual situation."

Qingdeng nodded, and then briefly recounted his recent experiences.

After listening attentively, Onodera gasped.

"You've investigated this far... Impressive! In that case, there's not much left for me to tell you."

"Since that's the case, I won't waste any more words and will get straight to the point!"

"In order to bribe the officials of the Shimizu clan, Takayuki Tachibana borrowed a large sum of money."

"After a long period of observation, screening, probing, and contact... he finally bribed two important cadres of the Shimizu clan."

"One of them was named Kitahara Ginzo."

Upon hearing the familiar surname Kitahara, Aoto's brow twitched instantly.

However, he did not interrupt and continued to listen quietly.

"As for the other person..."

At this point, Onodera paused.

In an instant, he revealed a rather charming expression that mixed helplessness and embarrassment.

However, in the blink of an eye, he smoothed out all the discoloration on his cheeks.

"...It's me."

Just as Onodera finished speaking, a gentle breeze blew into the room, opening his shirt and revealing his body covered in tattoos.

Onodera's "It's me" wasn't delivered with a loud volume or a high pitch, yet Qing Deng and the others perceived it as a thunderous, resounding, and enduring sound.

Like an echo in a valley, Onodera's words, "It's me," lingered and reverberated in the ears of Aoto and the others before drifting away into the distance.

The lively Souji almost cried out.

As her lips unconsciously parted, she quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose.

Even so, a low gasp still escaped from between his fingers.

Although Aoto and Sanako did not react as strongly as Souji, they were also deeply surprised.

At this moment, Qingdeng deeply felt what it meant to "search high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly"!

Ever since learning the crucial information from Ugaki Goro that "Tachibana Takayuki obtained 5000 ryo in 'bribe funds' without any investment," Aoto had been troubled by how to find Tachibana Takayuki's bribe recipients.

Even now, Aoto is still at a loss—as a result, the person who was bribed by Tachibana Takayuki actually showed up on his own!

This is what they mean by "manna from heaven."

Driven by intense emotions, Aoto focused all his attention, unwilling to miss a single word or phrase that Onodera would utter next.

"The casino is the most important industry of the Shimizu clan."

"In order to facilitate management and to distribute power, the boss... that is, Shimizu Eiichi, divided the huge casino business into several parts and handed them over to me, Kitahara Ginzo and several other executives."

"Actually, my story with Takayuki Tachibana is not complicated."

“Tachibana Takayuki found me and offered me a large sum of money to win me over, asking me for clues about the ‘phantom drug’.”

“According to what you just said, you seem to call that damned drug a ‘trick drug,’ while we call it a ‘phantom drug.’”

"To make it easier for you to understand, I will now uniformly refer to it as 'strange medicine'."

"'Strange Medicine' is the top secret of the Shimizu clan."

"Even I, as a member of the clan, know nothing about it."

"To be honest, I only learned about the existence of this medicine when Ju Long came to me."

"It's funny to think that the whole process of how I met Takayuki Tachibana, got to know him, became familiar with him, and eventually became comrades-in-arms, was full of drama."

“Our initial relationship was very simple, without any impurities, it was just a pure ‘transfer of benefits’.”

“He wants information about the ‘cursed drug,’ and I want money.”

"Therefore, I took advantage of my identity to secretly investigate the 'past and present life' of the 'strange drug'."

"If this drug hadn't been investigated, it would have been fine, but once the investigation was conducted... the findings were shocking!"

"Simply put, 'poisonous drugs' are a type of slow-acting poison made primarily from poppies."

"It has two main functions: hallucination and mental derangement, making people impulsive and irritable."

*******

*******

Taking the high school entrance exam, plus the noise from the dragon boat races outside giving me a headache, preventing me from taking a nap, and the lack of sleep leading to lethargy = a full stack of debuffs, leaving me in a terrible state.

I'm so sorry, I only wrote this little bit again today... (leopard crying.jpg)

Fortunately, the dramatic plot involving the investigation is basically over. Starting tomorrow, Qing Deng will officially begin his battles with the Shimizu Clan and the Fazhu Party.

Today's middle school entrance exam was still so difficult; I almost didn't finish it again.

I feel like I did terribly on the test, I might have to repeat a year again~~

I'll be taking the high school entrance exam again next year!

Chapter 431 Attacking the Mountain! The Qingshui Clan's Army Attacks! (Part 2) [4200]

"poppy?"

The commander tilted his head, looking puzzled.

She subconsciously turned her head to the side and cast a "seeking answer" look at Aoto and Sanako beside her.

"King Tachibana is knowledgeable and has a great memory; Miss Sanako is well-read and erudite. They must both know what poppies are..." Souji thought to himself.

However, the scene that unfolded before her eyes greatly surprised her.