Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Yakumo Kurenai lay back in the hot spring, her short legs spread wide: "Of course, but right now we only have one clue—the seabed. How are we supposed to find it? Although there are aquatic youkai in Shiranui, there aren't enough of them..."

"Hmm, perhaps we could contact the Kappa clan? But those guys who like to pry into people's backdoors are not only incredibly greedy, but also cowardly; so we definitely can't trust the Kappa around Osaka. We'll have to bring in people from Tokyo..."

After careful consideration, Yakumo Kurenai finally provided some data: "The search can only begin in three days at the earliest, and it will take more than a month to search just Osaka Bay; and that's assuming the highest price is offered. Without sufficient financial incentives, the time will be extended indefinitely; in addition, we cannot rule out the possibility that they have been bribed by the Tongxin Society, unless you, Master, are so benevolent that you can take all those kappa into your harem—including the male kappa."

Of course, Harunobu wouldn't do that, so he reached out and tugged at Yakumo Kurenai's cheek to stop her from spouting even more nonsense: "I just thought of a new clue. Do you remember the ninja who used a puppet to perform the substitution jutsu during the Tenran Trial?"

The royal ninja, Yakumo Kurenai, rubbed her cheek. Before she could speak, Taira Yukiko's gentle voice rang out: "Isn't that the person we met at the Wind Pavilion last time? The one who ran away in a panic after seeing us?"

"That does seem very suspicious," Tachibana Seiko narrowed her eyes. "He's not a woman, so why would he run away as soon as he sees the teachers' college?"

No, even a woman shouldn't run away when she sees me!

Fujiwara Kaguya chimed in, "So, the thing that person took from the Rumor House back then seems to be some kind of special part. Could he be the designer of that so-called 'Human God'?"

What's truly remarkable is the mechanical Stand that shouldn't exist in this Taisho era, and the massive, modern-day God Gundam. Harunobu doesn't believe there's no connection between the two. And regardless of whether there is or not, just drag Hattori Ichizo out and ask him.

“However, if he really is what you think, Master, wouldn’t taking action against him now alert him?” Hirako was always thorough in her considerations. “Master, aren’t you going to wipe out the Nurarihyon, the Painting Demon, and those alchemists all at once? If we arrest him beforehand, these people might discover the problem.”

After all, if Harunobu's thinking is correct, then Hattori Ichizo's importance must be extremely high, and there is absolutely no possibility that he would be captured without anyone noticing, even if Harunobu was confident that he could do it quietly.

Currently, the only people available are Tachibana Seiko and Fujiwara Kaguya. While their combined strength isn't bad, it's still somewhat lacking compared to the executives of the Tongxin Association.

This was indeed a problem, and it stumped Harunobu.

"Since there are still a few days left, why don't we ask Ran to send some ninjas over to help?" Yakumo Kurenai suggested first.

That's certainly one way, but it might not work. Right now, Misuruhime is making the most of the ninjas in Shiranui, so it's hard to say whether she can spare any more, or even how strong they would be.

Moreover, the Tongxin Society is certainly keeping a close eye on its old rivals, and any personnel changes would easily alert them.

Hirako nodded slightly and suggested, "How about we call Amu and the others over?"

This is also a good idea. Tachibana Seiko alone can't handle Fujiwara Kaguya, but with Hosho Amu and the lazy duo, it should be enough; they might even be able to call on the fully-fledged Tsuchimikado Haru. But Tokyo isn't peaceful either. Although Tsuchimikado Kitsune didn't reveal the existence of the succubus Lily, his abrupt and reckless kidnapping seems suspicious.

It's just a matter of being on the safe side; Harunobu doesn't want to weaken the defenses of Aozorakan. This time, Tsuchimikado Haruyuki's divine power ensured everything went smoothly, but there's no guarantee that others will be so lucky.

However, it seems impossible to achieve perfection. Even the mercenaries proposed by Tachibana Seiko have problems; their basic loyalty cannot be guaranteed.

Have the hard-won clues become a source of trouble instead?

At this moment, Fujiwara Kaguya, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "How about we contact those Knights of the Round Table, Master? Aren't those guys also going to cause trouble for the Tongxin Society?"

Harunobu was taken aback, as this was truly a path he had never considered. But upon reflection, it didn't seem impossible. After all, the Knights of the Round Table had initially mistook him for a member of the Tongxin Society, which was why they attacked; this was also confirmed by Sadako Ōtake's intelligence. Therefore, they and the Tongxin Society were definitely not allies, but rather natural enemies.

Moreover, Harunobu's side gained the upper hand in the battle. It could be said that the Knights of the Round Table were beaten and mocked for nothing, although these brainless guys deserved it. But at least Harunobu's side didn't object to joining forces with them.

"But how do we contact them without the Tongxin Association finding out?"

Yakumo Kurenai raised the question, while Fujiwara Kaguya was prepared: "We can use British flag signals. I learned some over there. Since King Arthur is a red dragon, he should be able to see them, right?"

It didn't seem impossible. The women began to consider the feasibility, while Harunobu rubbed his temples with a strange expression: "No, it doesn't have to be that complicated. I should be able to contact her directly... as long as there's only one dragon near Osaka."

Finally, it's going to come in handy; the Dragon Speaker's ingenious use.

Chapter 417: Negotiations with the Red Dragon Queen

Firstly, Harunobu wasn't originally a true Dragon Speaker; he only acquired the ability to quickly and reliably absorb information implanted into his soul through forced training within the system. This allowed him to successfully evade the most powerful attack of Vortigern's soul dragonfire and kill him when facing the heavily injured Vortigern.

At the same time, Harunobu also absorbed a lot of information from the dragons that Vortigern had "voluntarily offered," and then he became a true dragon speaker—at least he really knew the language of dragons.

And of course, it's not just language, but also ecology, aesthetics, combat skills, and even magic; this naturally includes the methods by which dragons communicate with each other, and how they search for dragon speakers.

Chapter 446

However, considering the blood feud between King Arthur and Vortigern, the method of communication between dragons is out of the question; the method that Harunobu is now preparing to use to contact King Arthur's red dragon is to reverse the spell that the dragon uses to search for dragon speakers, so that he, as the dragon speaker, will take the initiative to send a message to find the dragon.

To be honest, if he didn't have the power to transfer the information, he would have to consider ways to resell it, and that would likely lead to information distortion. But now he just needs to wait for night to fall, then lie quietly on his soft, velvet-matted bed and relax.

A strange fluctuation, imperceptible to anyone except the dragon, began to emanate as Qingxin fell asleep. The Dragon Speaker's intense thoughts, amplified by the flow of magic, spread outwards along with the fluctuations, traversing a considerable distance and arriving in Arthur Artoria Pendragon's dream.

"Merlin?" The Red Dragon Queen initially thought it was her student and companion who had arrived, but then she remembered that the unreliable magician was still on the island of Great Britain; even if the Dragon Speaker had a close connection with his dragon lord, it was still too difficult to contact the Far East region across the ocean.

So, in the dream, the majestic Red Dragon Queen, perched atop a small mountain of gold coins, looked down at the figure at the foot of the mountain, then frowned slightly: "It's you, Hiraharu Shin."

"The effect is so good?" Qingxin was touching his lifelike body below. "I really didn't expect to succeed in one go."

The Red Dragon Queen didn't bother explaining dream magic to the mortals below. She simply spewed two bolts of lightning from her nostrils: "Why have you intruded into my dream, Ping Qingxin? Are you here for revenge?"

Qingxin shifted his gaze from his crotch, the undone waistband snapping back onto his healthy belly: "Hello, King Arthur. You didn't call me the dragon's servant, so it seems you've cleared up the misunderstanding yourself?"

“Vortigern’s Executioner, this is my last bit of patience. State your purpose.” The Red Dragon Queen said coldly, “I warn you, even in a dream, the wrath of a dragon is still unbearable.”

"Alright, alright." Qingxin rubbed his hands together nonchalantly, then jumped onto the golden mountain and came to the Red Dragon Queen's head. "I'm here to negotiate with you—before this, you and the Knights of the Round Table came here to find a group of alchemists, right?"

The Red Dragon Queen reacted quickly: "You have leads on them?"

“Yes,” Harunobu nodded. “I know their stronghold, their fighting strength, and even their escape routes…”

—All of the above comes from the heartfelt dedication of Elder Tubi.

"What do you want?" the Red Dragon Queen asked without hesitation. "Money? Power? Or the blood of a true dragon?"

“To be honest, I would like all of these, but before that, I need to explain some basic conditions.” Qingxin smiled. “Those alchemists are colluding with my enemies—the Tongxin Society—so I need you to leave some alive so I can interrogate them for information.”

The Red Dragon Queen nodded: "I needed to interrogate them anyway, no problem."

Qingxin was also satisfied: "Then the second point is that I hope you will not rush to take action after you know the location; I have three more clues that I plan to capture at the same time, so as not to alert the enemy."

The Red Dragon Queen's gaze shifted slightly, she pondered for a moment, and then asked, "When do you plan to make your move?"

"In the next few days, after my wife confirms the information on the remaining two locations," Harunobu thought for a moment and gave a timeframe, "No more than five days, is that alright?"

"make a deal."

"OK!" Qingxin snapped his fingers. "Then, one last thing: when you're making your move, try not to affect ordinary people, okay?"

The Red Dragon Queen proudly raised her head: "The Knights of the Round Table uphold the code of chivalry and will never bully the weak or harm the innocent!"

“Okay, then so be it…” Qingxin nodded innocently, but not successfully hurt, ready to wake up and start his happy nightlife. However, a beautifully curved dragon claw suddenly landed in front of him.

Wait, why does he find the claws of this creature, which are larger than a person when their claws open, longer than a short sword, and have scales that shimmer more brightly than plate armor, to have such beautiful curves? He wasn't a dragon fanatic when he played Yu-Gi-Oh! in his past life, he played Teardrop!

Qingxin shook his head sharply, clearing his mind of distractions: "Is there anything else, King Arthur? Or are you planning another sparring match?"

“I will, but that’s a matter of reality.” The Red Dragon Queen’s voice was calm. “But before that, I intend to apologize to you—regarding the previous misunderstanding and conflict, it was indeed caused by my arrogance and stupidity. I sincerely apologize to you here and hope to make amends for it.”

“But I am not familiar with the customs and etiquette of this country, let alone the samurai ideology, so I would like to know what kind of compensation would be sufficient to make up for your losses.”

"You seem quite interested in my lair. Is it for money? I wonder if you can accept pounds sterling. If you only accept gold coins, then it will probably take some time..."

“Ah, then let’s use pounds.” Haruno interrupted the Red Dragon Queen’s polite and respectful inquiry. “Anyway, no one on my side was injured in the end, but your people suffered a worse fate, so compensation will suffice.”

The Knight King was somewhat incredulous: "It's that simple? But what about the damage to your reputation, and the surprise attack..."

"That's fine then." Qingxin was too lazy to argue with the Red Dragon Queen about this, especially when he needed her help. "Besides reputation, since you've investigated me, you should know which one is the most famous, right? That's much more shameful than being a servant of a dragon... Anyway, I have to go back to my wives. I'll contact you again before we take action, King Arthur."

Having already sensed the little fox tugging at his pants, Qingxin finished speaking and swiftly severed his spell, leaving the Red Dragon Queen alone in the dream, claws raised.

Incidentally, the Red Dragon Queen certainly knew which of Qingxin's most resounding reputations was; in fact, that's precisely why she wanted to resolve the matter with money. After all, King Arthur was a pure virgin, and he didn't even have a fake queen.

However, the fact that Hiraharunobu agreed so readily made the Red Dragon Queen somewhat uneasy. According to her adherence to chivalry, being deceived by lies and attacking an innocent person was already a grave mistake; using rhetoric in the process of requesting compensation was a borderline act. Before doing so, the Knight King thought it was a reasonable means to avoid being sexually humiliated, but now Hiraharunobu's casual attitude made the Knight King reconsider.

Of course, she would never agree to any request that went against her pure will!

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Author's note: Please vote!

Chapter 418: The Ninja's Lair

Four days later, everything was ready, including the specific division of labor.

Harunobu will be responsible for the Nurarihyon, the Painted Demon, and the suspicious mechanical ninja Hattori Ichizo. The Nurarihyon will be handled solely by Shiranui, whose Fire Demon Lord Shiranui is very confident in. The Painted Demon will be dealt with by Hira Yukiko and Yakumo Kurenai. Yakumo Kurenai will be responsible for breaking the Painted Demon's barrier magic, while Hira Yukiko will be responsible for attacking. Their combined strength is undeniable; at least one or two subordinates won't be able to break through their encirclement. Moreover, if necessary, these two can even attempt a life-for-life strategy—Harunobu will hold them off, after all.

As for Harunobu, he, along with Minamoto no Yuki, and Fujiwara no Kaguya, went to capture the suspicious ninja Hattori Ichizo, who was skilled in mechanical technology. There's not much to say about their journey; it was basically a picnic. Harunobu could easily defeat him during the Tenran Trial, let alone now.

Following their dream-based communication last night, the Knights of the Round Table on the other side were already prepared and ready to launch an attack on the foreign alchemists at any time; to prevent these Knights of the Round Table from doing so...

Chapter 447

If they act recklessly, Tachibana Seiko will go nearby to remotely monitor their actions.

Harunobu looked around and then patted Yakumo Kurenai on the head: "Don't be willful, remember to listen to Sachiko."

"Yes~" Yakumo Kurenai drawled, playfully nuzzling Harunobu's large hand, "I won't do anything reckless. If I die, I won't be able to do H-things with the teacher anymore~"

That's how fox spirits are. Harunobu was used to this kind of directness. He casually pinched Yakumo Kurenai's sweet little mouth, and then took Fujiwara Kaguya's little hand: "Then let's start the operation according to plan. I won't say anything more, but remember, your safety comes first."

"Yes~ Yes~" Yakumo Kurenai leaned against Hirayukiko and started fiddling with her fox head, looking eager to try. After all, she had been with Harunobu for so long, but hadn't done anything truly meritorious, so in terms of status, she was practically at the bottom of the entire academy.

Now that she finally has a chance, and the opponent is a painting demon that is basically powerless after its barrier was broken, she must win cleanly and decisively!

"Just some lowly ninja, don't let yourself be fooled by such a weakling." Shiranui Ran said confidently, arms crossed. She seemed a bit arrogant, but in reality, she was fully armed and on high alert.

It's time to let Harunobu see the true power of the Fire Demon in Shiranui, so he won't keep making up ninja jokes all day long, thinking she doesn't know.

Lord Fire Demon, who had been getting thwarted since his entrance, grinded his pearly white teeth, already impatient for something to happen.

Qingxin nodded: "You too, Holy Son, you just need to be responsible for monitoring and recording, don't be impulsive; if those foreigners talk nonsense again, just tell me."

"Yes~" The tall, black-clad dragon girl smiled and hugged Qingxin. "Anyway, you can always see me, right, Master?"

Womb Realm Mandala, my Superman!

After the final mobilization, the group swaggered away from the guesthouse, leaving only the now high-spirited Yu Ming Qingjing behind. She was now managing the century-old savings of the Daiwu Taisha and Yoe Shrines, and the relatives and friends she had originally expected to come to vie for power and exploit the family fortune were now all as obedient as quails and as obsequious as licking dogs.

The not-so-stupid Kiyokage knew perfectly well why. It wasn't because she had suddenly become rich, but because she was now working for Taira no Harunobu. Even if Taira no Harunobu didn't bother contacting her at all, that alone was enough to make her the most untouchable person in Osaka.

Now she sincerely hopes that Taira no Shin will always be victorious and healthy, and that he will one day come back and walk into her bed by mistake... Hmm, it's time for her daughter to get married.

Unaware, or perhaps indifferent, of the fact that someone was eyeing him, Qingxin was leisurely strolling down the street, a string of candied hawthorns in his left hand, a string of grilled squid in his right, and a cute cowgirl pendant hanging around his neck.

Yuan Xueying walked awkwardly to Qingxin's left, her usually composed eyes filled with nervousness and shyness. She frequently glanced at the passersby, feeling as if everyone was watching her. After all, for a lady, a daughter of a samurai family, to eat candied hawthorns from a man's hand in the street was simply shameless!

But this wasn't her suggestion, and candied hawthorns do make your hands dirty, plus Harunobu meant well. Most importantly, Kaguya was willing to eat grilled squid while clinging to him… Minamoto Yuki, blushing, timidly poked her head out, her small, red-lipped mouth slightly open, gently taking the candied hawthorn Harunobu offered her. The rosy hawthorn was bitten off, mixed with the syrup, and entered her mouth, separated by clear saliva; the angel, her nerves taut with shyness, felt an unusual sweetness, more beautiful than any dessert she had ever tasted before.

Fujiwara Kaguya nestled in Harunobu's arms, slyly eyeing her best friend, and mentally discussing her next wicked idea with her dear husband: "Master, Master, Sakura actually really likes watching Western Latin dance, but that dance is too vulgar—but Master, you can take her to see it, and then suggest teaching her."

"Let's finish our business first." Harunobu stuffed the grilled squid into Fujiwara Kaguya's mouth, who had transformed into a pimp, and stopped in front of a small building. According to the information from the Rumor House and the reconnaissance of Shiranui Ran, this was Hattori Ichizo's lair. It was also the only remaining territory of the Iga ninja, Naniwa Village, and the headquarters, factory, and warehouse of the Naniwa Industrial Company.

Indeed, Hattori Ichizo was a descendant of the famous Iga ninja. However, as the ninjas employed by the Tokugawa rebels, even though the Tokugawa shogunate had long since discarded them after their usefulness was over, their lives continued to decline after the restoration of the emperor. As a result, they lost all the little territory they had left in various places, and in the end, only this small building remained.

Without territory or money, the remaining ninjas of Iga all ran away. Even Hattori Ichizo had considered running away, otherwise he wouldn't have participated in the Tenran Trial. However, he didn't have the ability; he didn't have the talent for spellcasting, his martial arts skills were only barely second-rate, and he didn't have the status of a samurai, so he couldn't even kill monsters to make money or open a dojo.

So he had no choice but to follow the trend of the times and start a company, doing business in machinery. However, while his technical skills were quite good, his business acumen was worse than his swordsmanship; instead of developing practical production tools in this era, he started making mechanical dolls, which is why he ended up hanging on in this half-dead state.

Perhaps that's why he became a lackey of the Tongxin Society.

Harunobu thought for a moment, and seeing that Minamoto Yuki hadn't recovered from her shyness, he could only cough twice: "Sakura, is there anything strange inside?"

"Ah!" Yuan Xueying was startled and quickly spat out the candied hawthorn in her mouth. She looked at the small building in front of her and tried her best to enter a state of oneness with nature and sense the aura inside.

Harunobu, however, looked at the candied hawthorns that were glistening with a trail of clear saliva, making them appear even more rosy and delicious. Encouraged by Fujiwara Kaguya, Harunobu bit into the remaining two candied hawthorns and chewed while looking at Minamoto Yukisakura.

woo-

The steam started hissing.

Chapter 419: The Patriarch of Nurarihyon

As usual, Nurarihyon is here to eat and dash for free tonight, and he's going to challenge himself by trying to eat at all his favorite restaurants in one night. As a naturally low-profile yokai who can disrupt perception, his favorite thing is to do bad things in front of everyone in a lively crowd.

He was overjoyed to see those fools getting completely fooled.

Especially now that the work is all done, all the people who could have leaked the information but could be silenced are no longer speaking, which means he's now on a complete vacation!

He smugly pinched the foreigner's large chest, turned around, sat on her lap, picked up a bottle of liquor worth several hundred yen from the table, and took a swig. A large amount of liquor spilled down, soaking his black haori, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his exaggeratedly bald head. At that moment, a pair of large hands reached out; it was the wealthy businessman sitting opposite the foreigner, his lecherous eyes fixed intently on the sly devil's head.

Of course, in the wealthy businessman's eyes, what he was aiming for was the large breasts of the expensive foreign prostitutes, and what he was touching was that pair of soft, exquisite treasures. Although they felt hard, and were a little wet and sticky, he didn't realize that he was actually touching the sweaty, bald head of an old monster.

"What a disgusting monster." Shiranui Ran half-squatted on the rafters of the izakaya, shaking her head and muttering under her breath. This wasn't the first time she'd seen this rascal causing trouble here; she'd already seen enough of him during her previous scouting trip. He was clearly quite strong, and his talent was even more outstanding, but he had absolutely no morals whatsoever; he basically just took advantage of his low profile to do these messy, pointless things that were nothing but disgusting.

However, this has nothing to do with her.

Beneath the white mask, the gleaming golden vertical pupils shone brightly.

Chapter 448