Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

“By the way,” Flamel ran his fingers through his messy hair, “speaking of Inuyama He, your good student, Lu Mingfei, has a good relationship with him.”

Angers' hand, which was about to cap the bottle, froze in mid-air. He slowly turned his head, looking at Flamel, "Lu Mingfei and Inuyama He seem to have a good relationship?"

Putting these two names together is like putting fried chicken and foie gras on the same plate—it's not that they can't be put together, it's just strange.

“A completely unrelated relationship,” Angers frowned. “How could it be not? Lu Mingfei has only been enrolled for two years, while Inuyama He graduated sixty years ago. They’ve never even met.”

“He hasn’t met Inuyama He in person,” Flamel grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow from smoking, “but he has met Inuyama He’s granddaughter. Inuyama Ri, the granddaughter of the Inuyama family, is an exchange student at the academy this year, didn’t you know?”

Angers was stunned; he really didn't know.

As the principal, he was certainly aware of the Japanese exchange students. They came every semester, sent by the Sheqi Hachike family, as part of an educational agreement. But he rarely inquired about the specific list; that was Manstein's job.

"Inuyama Rishi," he repeated the name softly, "in Kassel?"

“Yes, she’s a beautiful girl who took my class,” Flamel said proudly, as if it were his achievement. “The girl is quite pretty, a typical Japanese beauty, with long, straight black hair and a soft voice, but her hands are incredibly steady when she draws alchemical arrays. Lu Mingfei knows her, and the two are very close.”

He paused, then added, "Frilian told me. She said that Lu Mingfei and Inuyama Riko would occasionally go to the library together and stay for an entire afternoon. Sometimes they would even eat together. Not in the cafeteria, but Lu Mingfei would cook for himself and invite Inuyama Riko and Frilian to eat in his dorm. Hot pot, stir-fries, Lu Mingfei's cooking skills are quite good."

Angers stood there, the wine bottle still in his hand, the cap unscrewed. The sun had completely set, and the courtyard was dim, with only a small wall lamp at the corner of the stairs emitting a faint light.

Lu Mingfei. Inuyama Riri. Inuyama He. These three names formed a line, a hidden line he had never noticed before.

How well do they know each other?

“They were so close that Inuyama Rina would talk to Lu Mingfei about her grandfather,” Flamel said. “Friline said that once they were talking about Japanese swords, and Inuyama Rina said that her grandfather had collected many famous swords, one of which was a gift from the principal. Lu Mingfei asked which principal it was, and she said Hilbert Jean Angers.”

Angers' fingers tightened slightly. The bottle made a soft "squeak" in his hand.

"and then?"

“Then Lu Mingfei said, ‘Principal Angers, I know him. He invited me for tea.’” Flamel imitated Lu Mingfei’s tone perfectly. “Inuyama Rin was surprised and asked the principal why he invited you for tea. Lu Mingfei said that after slaying the dragon, the principal invited me and Frilian for tea.”

He paused, looking at Angers: "When did you invite Lu Mingfei for tea? How come I didn't know?"

Angers remained silent. It was a private conversation in the principal's office, with only him, Lu Mingfei, and Frilian present.

“So,” Flamel continued, “Inuyama Rin was quite moved when she heard this, saying that her grandfather often mentioned you, saying you were ‘the most terrifying yet most respectable person’ he had ever met. Lu Mingfei asked, ‘Did your grandfather hate the principal?’ Inuyama Rin thought for a moment and said, ‘He used to. But now, it’s probably a very complicated feeling.’”

A complex feeling.

Angers closed his eyes. The word was like a fine needle, piercing into a place he thought he had long since become numb.

"What else did they talk about after that?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

“Frilian said she wasn’t listening carefully; she was reading,” Flamel shrugged. “But she said that since then, Lu Mingfei and Inuyama Nashi have gotten along better. Inuyama Nashi sometimes brings Lu Mingfei Japanese sweets, and Lu Mingfei teaches her Chinese.”

He took a sip of his drink and smacked his lips: "Anyway, you can use this route. Lu Mingfei - Inuyama Ri - Inuyama He. Although it's a bit roundabout, it's still better than you barging directly to the Inuyama family's gate and saying, 'Old student, I've come to catch up with you, and by the way, can you help me kill the Dragon King?'"

Chapter 482 Long-Legged Beauty

Su Enxi was comfortably soaking in the moderately warm hot spring water, with white mist rising from the surface, and a delicate wooden tray floating gently beside her.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the butler, Kimura Hiroshi, had carefully prepared a pool of spring water at the perfect temperature. Breakfast was served while she was bathing, a simple Japanese set meal: a bowl of clear porridge, several plates of crisp pickled vegetables, and a piece of cod that was pan-fried until the skin was slightly charred and the inside was snow-white.

On the distant beach, the Coast Guard was busy at work. The mechanical arms of excavators chugged up and down, scooping up concrete debris and fish carcasses that gleamed deathly silver in the morning light, dumping them into the cargo beds of heavy trucks. The fishing port, now completely ruined, was cordoned off with bright yellow police tape, and several Self-Defense Force officers, holding clipboards, were questioning a few scattered witnesses.

The morning news was playing on an embedded LCD screen beside the hot spring pool. At a press conference, the Chief Cabinet Secretary responded cautiously: "Regarding the incident in the Atami region during the tsunami, the government is still conducting an in-depth investigation and has not yet reached a final conclusion. The online rumors of an alien invasion are completely false information; please do not believe them..."

The officer on the screen certainly wouldn't believe the alien theory, because the forces behind this incident, which were trying to cover it up, were deeply entrenched. Kassel College, the Eight Serpent Clan, and even Su Enxi's own team might have different stances, but they had an amazing tacit understanding on the bottom line of strictly guarding the secrets of the dragon race.

When the topic turned to Mount Fuji, the official's expression became noticeably more serious. He presented a report from a national research institution, pointing out that the unusually high frequency of volcanic activity in the Japanese archipelago in recent years might indicate profound changes in the Earth's crust, and could not rule out the possibility of a large-scale earthquake.

Su Enxi glanced at the screen, grabbed the remote control and turned off the TV decisively. Then she slowly submerged her entire body in the water, leaving only her mouth and nose above the water to breathe.

The hot spring pool at Blackstone Mansion was carved from a natural bluestone trough. Skilled craftsmen used ancient methods to lay copper pipes to draw hot spring water from deep within the earth, creating this warm and jade-like pool.

Beside the pond, a tall, ancient cherry tree with strong, vigorous branches stretches out like a canopy above the hot spring. This cherry tree is called the Kanzakura, and it is said that it was specially transplanted from the garden of Shuzenji Temple by the gardener of the Shogun. Its flowering season is earlier than that of ordinary cherry blossoms, and its full bloom is like a loud horn, announcing the official start of the pink cherry blossom season that sweeps across Japan.

Cherry blossoms are the soul of Japan. Every year in March and April, as the warm air moves from south to north, the vibrant colors of cherry blossoms follow closely behind, coloring a patch of land northward each day. Meteorologists call this advancing front the cherry blossom front.

The terrain here is high and open, with no obstructions. Looking north, one can see the sacred mountain in its entirety. The slopes of Mount Fuji are already tinged with a hazy pink hue, and the cherry blossoms are stubbornly advancing from the relatively warm foothills toward the snow-covered summit.

Such a view is already a luxury. Staying in a high-end hotel with a view of Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms would cost at least hundreds of thousands of yen per night. But this is just Su Enxi's own backyard.

Ordinary people, soaking in such hot springs and gazing at such magnificent scenery, would inevitably feel a sense of superiority and arrogance, taking pride in standing at the top of the social pyramid. But Su Enxi felt nothing at all. She found it all utterly boring, far less interesting than the flashy romance novel in her hand.

Deep down, she was a complete homebody, a fact Kimura Hiroshi hadn't yet realized due to their short time together. For a homebody, the grandest spectacle in the world couldn't compare to the illusory paradise built between the pages of a book. Therefore, Su Enxi always remained indifferent to real-world power and enjoyment.

She certainly wields the power to stir up storms, but the real world, in her view, is "not fun at all." The ultimate romantic fantasies of girls only exist in those stories saturated with melodrama and saccharine sweetness.

For example, the female protagonist in the book, who can only sob, will call her boyfriend with a tearful voice: "What should I do? The company's stock has dropped again. My boss was really angry with me today. I'm so afraid he'll fire me." Her boyfriend on the other end of the phone will comfort her gently: "It's okay. Stocks will always go back up. When the market is better, your boss will naturally be in a better mood."

After hanging up the phone, the handsome boyfriend, walking towards his private jet, frowned and instructed his assistant, "Transfer a few hundred million yuan to buy some stock in Jiajia's company. Let it rise a little, so that the fat boy won't keep bullying our Jiajia."

The assistant said with a stern face, "Young Master, why bother giving that fat man face? Just tell him that Miss Jiajia is the future young mistress of our Nangong family. He'll be too busy currying favor with her."

The young nobleman waved his hand lazily: "No, I haven't told Jiajia my true identity yet. It's fine as it is now. I want to experience a commoner's love."

But what's the reality? The reality is, you might use hundreds of billions of dollars to manipulate the currency market of a small Southeast Asian country, ultimately adding billions in profits to your account—but it's nothing more than watching a string of cold, hard numbers fluctuate a few times. There's no sense of accomplishment, let alone happiness.

Su Enxi crunched the potato chip she was holding and turned her gaze back to the pages of her book.

Just then, the old copper bell by the pool rang out, and Kimura Hiroshi's voice pierced through the misty water: "Miss Eun-hee, a visitor."

Immediately afterwards, the sound of high heels approached from afar. In the mist, a tall, slender figure walked steadily towards her in slender heels, her figure swaying like a tall bamboo stalk stretching its branches in the wind.

A few minutes earlier, Kimura Hiroshi was directing the servants to sweep and clean the courtyard in front of the mansion. Suddenly, a deep and furious roar of a high-performance engine came from below the mountain road, approaching rapidly. In a moment, a sapphire blue Lamborghini sports car, like a blue lightning bolt tearing through the morning mist, executed a precise drift and came to a smooth stop in front of the imposing gates of the Black Stone mansion.

The visitor opened the car door. She was wearing a black bodysuit, with a shimmering gold tulle skirt casually tied around her slender waist. She wore slender shoes with five-inch high heels and sunglasses that covered most of her face.

She got out of the car without a word, tossed the car keys to Kimura Hiroshi who came to greet her, and walked straight into the official residence. Kimura Hiroshi did not stop her, nor did he even ask her name. Because Su Enxi had given instructions the night before: "Tomorrow morning a beautiful woman you've never heard of will visit. Just let her in, and don't see anyone else."

"A beauty I've never heard of before?" Kimura Hiroshi felt slightly embarrassed. He had served several masters and seen almost all of Japan's top actresses. This mansion had also hosted celebrities from Europe and America. Was his master's statement a bit of an exaggeration?

“You’ll understand when you see her,” Su Enxi smiled at the time, “Haha, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Chapter 483 Don't Fall Asleep

When the visitor actually stepped out of the Lamborghini, Kimura Hiroshi immediately understood Su Enxi's meaning. The difference between her and ordinary beauties was not just her exquisitely flawless features or perfectly proportioned figure, but her innate aura.

Her beauty was imbued with an eerie solemnity and distance, as if she possessed an innate barrier, making it clear to anyone who looked at her that she was no ordinary being.

At that moment, the visitor entered the hot spring area, casually untying the gold gauze skirt from her waist and the headscarf from her head, revealing herself wearing only a wet black bodysuit and sunglasses, before stepping directly into the hot spring pool. Her ankle-length, jet-black hair spread out slowly in the water like seaweed.

"Is this the latest fashion trend from Paris? You're not even taking off your wetsuit." Su Enxi didn't even look up, continuing to flip through the novel in her hands. She simply used her fingertips to gently push the wooden tray floating on the water toward the other person. "Try it, top-quality sake. Consider it a welcome dinner for you."

Without even looking at her face, Su Enxi knew the newcomer must be Mai Shude. For this partner, her physique was far more recognizable than her face. Su Enxi was simply puzzled; given Mai Shude's almost obsessive attention to her appearance, why would she come to the hot springs without even changing out of her soaking wet wetsuit?

The black bodysuit was a professional sharkskin full-body swimsuit from SPEEDO, indicating that Mai Shude hadn't even had time to change after returning from the sea, simply throwing on a sheer skirt before rushing over. It was an unusually disheveled appearance on her.

Mai Shude didn't take the drink, nor did she respond to Su Enxi's teasing. Silently, she drew the diving knife strapped to her leg, pressed the sharp tip against the fabric of her neck, and then slowly and resolutely slashed downwards.

As the blade swept across, a tear was cut in the bodysuit, and what was revealed beneath the tear was not the smooth skin one would expect, but dense, tiny blue scales!

Su Enxi's expression changed.

Mai then removed her sunglasses. Fine, bluish scales, like bizarre eye makeup, were spreading around her eyes, growing towards her ears.

"Is there any way to salvage this?" she asked, her voice hoarse and low, like a venomous snake hissing, completely devoid of its former clear and alluring quality.

"I warned you! After injecting the Ancient Dragon Serum, you must inject the Locking Agent within four hours! Otherwise, the serum will completely erode your genes, turning you into a mindless Deadpool!" Su Enxi sat up straight in the water and roared, "Why didn't you use the Locking Agent?! Damn it!"

"Is there any other way?" Even speaking a few more words was difficult for Mai Shuto. Panting, she drew a Glock pistol from her back and slowly but steadily loaded a specially made bullet. The bullet was a meticulously cut and polished blood-red crystal, shimmering with an eerie glow in the morning light. This kind of bullet would be fatal even to a Dragon King-level being.

With slightly trembling hands, she handed the loaded pistol to Su Enxi, saying, "If things get really bad, shoot."

Her body had reached its limit; even standing in high heels made her seem unsteady. But this weakness only added to her breathtaking, fragile allure.

"Let's go, we can't waste any more time!" Su Enxi grabbed Glock, threw it on the bluestone next to her without even looking at it, and reached out to help Jiude Mai.

At her peak, Mai Shutoku could easily hang upside down for an entire day by simply pinching the roof beam with two fingers. But now, she had already exhausted her strength just trying to climb out of the hot spring pool. After several attempts, her long legs futilely kicked against the pool wall, but she could not pull herself out of the water.

"Forget it!" Su Enxi made a quick decision, jumped ashore, and forcefully dragged Jiu De Mai up, letting her lie flat on the warm bluestone by the pool. She picked up the diving knife and helped Jiu De Mai cut and tear open the tight-fitting clothes that were completely stuck to her skin.

This extremely form-fitting wetsuit requires assistance to put on and take off, and given Mai's current condition, she is completely powerless to do so.

When the bodysuit was completely removed, the body of the woman covered in blue scales was fully exposed to the morning light and mist. She writhed and curled up violently on the bluestone in pain, much like a female snake undergoing a molt, full of primal allure and agony.

Su Enxi reached out and grasped her wrist to check her pulse; the heartbeat beneath her fingertips was as rapid as a rapidly charging war drum. A gruesome, gaping wound tore from her chest all the way to her lower abdomen, the flesh rolled back at the edges, revealing bone beneath; her internal organs were undoubtedly severely damaged.

The frenzied regenerative abilities granted by the ancient dragon serum are desperately repairing the wound, but at the same time, the cold power belonging to the dragons is also frantically eroding her human side. The duality of dragon blood is fully manifested in her: it is both a miraculous medicine for bringing the dead back to life and a deadly poison that leads to utter ruin.

"Think of something to do, concentrate! Don't let your mind wander!" Su Enxi pressed down on her shoulder and commanded loudly.

“A joke from Deyun Club.” Jiu De Mai’s eyes began to wander, unable to focus.

"No! Reading jokes now would be the end of you! You need to do something that will move you emotionally! You absolutely cannot pass out! Once you fall asleep, you might never wake up again!" Su Enxi said urgently. "Recall the scenes of you with your boyfriends, the more detailed the better!"

Su Enxi had no idea how many relationships Jiu De Mai had had. If the list were compiled, it would probably be big enough to make a movie called "300." Outside of missions, when Su Enxi called Jiu De Mai, nine times out of ten, she would hear different men's whispers, the sound of waves, or the background noise of a ski resort on the other end of the line.

They occasionally met at social events, and Mai was always accompanied by a dazzling male companion, whose identity ranged from a descendant of ancient European nobility and a Hollywood star to a top designer. Su Enxi often complained, half-jokingly, that although she was considered a beauty, whenever Mai was around, men rarely looked at her.

“Abbas…Abaddon…Ryan…Johnson…Patrick Star…” Mai Shude murmured intermittently, each name uttered with extraordinary difficulty, her eyelids drooping heavily.

"Wait! Patton? Isn't that the avant-garde bald muscleman we met at the Left Bank gallery in Paris last year? You actually managed to win over his aloof and eccentric personality?" Su Enxi was dumbfounded, then caught an even more astonishing name. "Why do I hear such a strange name? Girl, are you from Bikini Bottom?"

“Napoleon…Dae…Hututu…” Blood spilled uncontrollably from the corner of Mai Shude’s mouth, and her body was collapsing at an accelerated pace.

"It's changed from a foreign animated film to a domestic one, keep reading." Su Enxi forced herself to calm down, speaking rapidly, "Hang in there, keep reading! I'll be right back!"

She hurriedly grabbed a velvet bathrobe hanging by the pool and wrapped it around herself. Her wet, bare feet trod across the cool bluestone slabs as she rushed toward the medical room in the mansion.

Chapter 484 Hell-Level Dungeon (Part 1)

When Su Enxi rushed back to the hot spring with the heavy medical kit, Jiu De Mai was already in a semi-conscious state. She was still uttering syllables indistinctly, but her voice was barely audible.

Su Enxi quickly opened her medical kit, took out a special rubber band, and tightly tied it around her fair, smooth upper arm. Soon, the bluish artery beneath the skin became clearly visible. She skillfully inserted the needle at one end of the infusion tube into her artery, and dark red blood immediately flowed into the transparent tube. Then, holding the other end of the needle, she tried to find a vein on the side of Jiu Demai's neck for the injection.

However, the moment the needle tip touched the skin of Jiude Mai's neck, which was covered with fine blue scales, a slight cracking sound rang out, and the needle snapped! Her skin was now as hard as fine porcelain; as for the areas completely transformed into dragons and covered in scales, forget about it. The defensive power of dragon scales was well-known—even bullets could hardly penetrate them.

"What the hell?!" Su Enxi was so anxious she almost jumped up. Her blood was the only possible antidote to neutralize the ancient dragon serum and pull Jiu De Mai back from the abyss, but now, she couldn't even get a single drop into her veins!

She tried to pry open Mai Shude's lips. But Mai Shude's jaw was clenched tightly, and several attempts were in vain.

"Open your mouth!" Su Enxi shook Jiu De Mai's shoulders forcefully, her voice rising with anxiety.

With her last ounce of strength, Mai Shude loosened her jaw a crack. Blood immediately gushed from her mouth. In that instant, Su Enxi vaguely heard a different syllable, not from the long list of ex-boyfriends. She froze, then leaned down, bringing her ear close to Mai Shude's blood-stained lips.

That's right. She kept repeating only that one name. Clear, faint, yet repeated with an almost obsessive intensity.

Su Enxi suddenly felt a bit absurd and heartbroken, even though she couldn't laugh at the moment. You can have a thousand names on your lips and play a thousand different roles, but it turns out they're just to cover up the one thing deep in your heart that you dare not easily touch.