We agreed to be in a band for life, what the heck is Dragon Raja?

"Thinking like that is too childish."

Toyokawa Sadaharu, being a seasoned veteran and the head of a large conglomerate, had gradually taken control of the conversation:

"Let me tell you, the Toyokawa Group was originally a branch of the Hebi-Hachi family, and... the Hebi-Hachi family also provided a lot of assistance to the group's development."

"The reason they stepped forward was simply because of strategic cooperation between the families."

"You are still too young and do not have a clear understanding of the family's development plans, which is why you are so easily deceived."

"Ask yourself honestly, when it comes to family matters, instead of asking me, the head of the family, you go to a traitor who has been expelled from the family. Isn't that the most ridiculous thing ever?"

Seemingly sensing that he had gradually persuaded Toyokawa Shoko, Toyokawa Sadaharu changed the subject and returned to the initial topic:

"You are still young, so I can let bygones be bygones."

"Besides, you are Mizuho's daughter, and I don't want you to suffer."

"Honestly admit your mistakes, abandon your ridiculous fantasies, and you will still be the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family."

"When I get old, the power of the family will naturally pass to you. If you are really dissatisfied with what I have done, you will know everything when you stand in this position."

He was telling a story that was seven parts truth and three parts falsehood, but his tone was quite sincere.

As the head of a large conglomerate, he needs to make promises at all company meetings, whether for employees, investors, or even the leaders of the Snake Clan.

So even though he was a high-level hybrid, he was already well-versed in this.

"Are you making empty promises to cover up the questions I'm raising?"

Toyokawa Shoko understood the subtext of his words perfectly.

Noticing that the conversation was drifting further and further away from its original topic under her grandfather's guidance, she said, word by word:

“I said, this time when I returned to the old Furukawa Garden, my father did not come back with me.”

"And... he'll never come back."

Toyokawa Shoko's expression was somewhat gloomy.

She remembered that rainy night again.

Rain poured down on the overpass.

The eight-legged steed spirit hurled the divine spear named Gungnir.

If it weren't for Nan Yun Yuyue's timely appearance and her father's desperate fight... she probably would have died in Nibelungen long ago.

Toyokawa Sadaharu noticed the sadness in her expression and thought to himself:

"Could it be... that son-in-law is already dead?"

"Perhaps it is really possible. After all, none of the group leaders in the Kanto branch are pushovers. Maybe Toyokawa Kiyoshi was seriously injured in the battle and died because he didn't receive timely treatment."

"If that's the case, then Toyokawa Shoko had no choice but to return to the old Furukawa Garden because she had run out of support?"

"So... everything just now was just her bluff."

"Heh... I knew it."

Toyokawa Sadaharu composed himself, cleared his throat, and continued:

"Not coming back...that's actually a good thing for you."

"Considering our past relationship, I can compromise and not pursue the losses he caused to the family."

"And you, from now on, must obediently accept the family's teachings."

He casually picked up a sheet of A4 paper from the desk and said:

"Now that you have ignited your golden eyes, I guess that son-in-law has already told you some things about mixed-race people."

“You attended a school like Moon Forest in the past, which may have given you a relatively happy childhood, but in reality, it did not benefit you in the slightest when it came to taking over a large corporation.”

"In order to train you, I can help you find a high-level hybrid from the Snake Clan to be your mentor and train you in true combat skills."

"You should also know... that bloodline gives us the means to return our power to ourselves."

"If you want to take over the Fengchuan Group in the future, in addition to business acumen, you must also have the ability to convince others."

Toyokawa Sadaharu's words were very persuasive, like an elder giving earnest advice to his granddaughter, full of beautiful visions for the future.

"Ha ha……"

Toyokawa Shoko watched her grandfather's performance quietly, completely unmoved.

Are you kidding me? She's already become Uesugi Kotsu's apprentice, why would she need to ask a half-blood from the Snake Clan to be her master?

Who is Uesugi Kotsugi? He is the oldest living inheritor of the 'Royal Blood' in the world. Within the entire Snake Clan, there is no one whose fighting strength can rival his. Even on a global scale, it would be difficult to find an opponent for him.

Under his tutelage, his kendo skills improved by leaps and bounds, much faster than he had imagined.

All Japanese kendo masters must respectfully seek instruction from Sugikoshi, based on his kendo skills.

After all, this former Shadow Emperor of the Snake Clan had truly learned the essence of various Japanese sword styles, far surpassing those who clung to the differences between schools and sects.

Therefore... the vision that Toyokawa Sadaharu is currently describing to her is not tempting at all.

"Stop trying to fool me with these meaningless words."

Toyokawa Shoko said.

"As the person in charge of the group, you should stop using those so-called promises about the future to cover up the current problems."

"This kind of escapism only makes people laugh."

She withdrew her golden eyes, her expression remaining calm and expressionless, though a deep disappointment was hidden in her eyes.

"Now... I have a question."

"So... what exactly caused my mother to pass away?"

…………

…………

the other side,

Under the cover of 'Candlelight', Nanon Ugetsu explored the interior of the villa.

Thanks to his deliberate concealment, the maids with lower system ranks had no idea that a stranger had infiltrated their home.

"So those basic footwork techniques in swordsmanship can also help with concealing one's figure."

Nan Yun Yu Yue thought to herself.

Even without the aid of the Word of Power, with the assistance of the movement technique, both the sound and the amplitude of the movements were much smaller than before.

Even though he had already visited the old Furukawa Garden once, seeing its layout still filled him with admiration:

"This villa is really big."

The former Furukawa Garden has a long history, originally the residence of Mutsu Munemitsu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Meiji period. Now, it has undergone further renovations by the Toyokawa family, making its interior much more complex than before.

However, under the detection of 'Discipline', he had already found the entrance to the basement.

"The basement layout is much larger than that of Xiao Mu's basement."

"So the entrance to the basement can only be found from inside one of the rooms... How well hidden."

Just then, a maid who had just finished cleaning a room came out of that room.

Nan Yun Yuyue's figure was hidden at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor. Only after she slowly pushed the cleaning cart away did she step into the room.

The scene before my eyes suddenly changed.

The interior appears somewhat cluttered compared to the neat and grand layout of the villa's exterior.

Some books were piled on the shelves, and there was a large stack of cardboard boxes underneath, but it didn't look like a storage room in the Toyokawa family home. Instead, it looked like a temporary storage place for their children's review materials after the college entrance examination.

In the corner of this room, there is a small, tightly closed door, which is the entrance to the basement.

Sensing that Toyokawa Shoko was still confronting her grandfather, Nagumo Ugetsu's heart stirred:

"Let's see if we can get in."

There were also many cardboard boxes displayed at the entrance, but they did not contain books or A4 paper, but rather printed photos.

"Is this a photo of Xiao Xiang when he was a child?"

He randomly picked one out and looked at the picture on it.

"It really is."

This should be a photo of Toyokawa Shoko when she was three or four years old. She had short, light blue hair curled over her shoulders, her cheeks still had baby fat, and her light golden eyes shone with liveliness.

Many of the photos below also belong to Xiao Xiang, and these photos are not the kind that are not very satisfactory; on the contrary, they are all very clear and exquisite.

"Why were these photos just carelessly left here?"

Nan Yun Yuyue was somewhat puzzled.

He moved the box blocking the doorway slightly outwards, and then began trying to open the basement door.

"Pretty hard."

"This design..."

Nan Yun Yu Yue frowned.

Now he was absolutely certain that something was hidden in the basement.

The door was ingeniously designed. While he could certainly break it open with his physical abilities, doing so would trigger an alarm.

"Who would install such a complicated lock on a normal basement?"

"Moreover... Xiao Xiang had told me about the layout of the basement before, but he didn't mention that the door lock would be linked to the alarm system."

"Could this be a new addition?"

Thinking of this, Nagumo Ugetsu activated the few remaining effects of the 'Philosopher's Stone':

"Let's probe from this distance again and see if we can make any new discoveries."

Chapter 174 Facing Toyokawa Sadaharu (Part 2)

The Philosopher's Stone effect is now active.

[Time remaining: 2.5 minutes]

Swah——

The realm of 'discipline' slowly penetrated behind the lock, but still encountered the same sensation as before.

"Still not working?"

Nan Yun Yu Yue thought to herself.

The invisible realm continues to try to penetrate, and although the penetration is much more efficient than before, what is hidden in the shadows remains shrouded in mystery.

"It's highly likely that some kind of special restriction needs to be lifted before it can be opened."

However, the 'Discipline' domain was not without effect; the scene inside the basement had already appeared in his mind.

“Apart from that shadow... everything else is pretty much as Xiao Xiang described to me.”

The basement of the old Furukawa Garden was much larger than he had initially estimated; the entire basement floor occupied an area that even exceeded the interior area of ​​the first floor.

In the northeast corner of the basement level, there is a drained swimming pool.

Its floor is covered with a patterned blue and white checkered pattern, which looks like a recessed chessboard in the middle of a flat area.

The shadow was positioned right at a passageway leading to the pool, and the distance between the two was not very far.

"Xiao Xiang said she had been here before, but didn't notice anything unusual."

Nanyun Yuyue's thoughts drifted.

"I reckon only Toyokawa Sadaharu is capable of locking the basement."

"I wonder what he went through all that trouble to hide."

He turned his attention back to the study on the third floor.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko is turning the tables and questioning Toyokawa Sadaharu.

"It's time to go up."