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Japan is a place where there are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers. There are countless monsters hidden there. Not to mention Gen Chisei and Kazama Ruri, every one of the cadres in the Demonic Clan is a dangerous, degenerate hybrid with a bloodline that has reached a critical blood limit. Moreover, Herzog has been planning for so many years. Doesn't he have a strong force around him to protect him? Isn't the organization that secretly supports him spying on everything that happens in the deeper shadows?
"Sorry, I was distracted." Ying stared into Lu Mingfei's eyes for a second, then smiled and bowed slightly, "Lu Jun is indeed a handsome man with a graceful demeanor. No wonder the head of the Shangshan family is so fascinated by him."
In Genchisei's small circle, it was no longer a secret that Eri might have fallen in love with a specialist from the headquarters.
Using this kind of privacy to change the subject at this time will definitely make Lu Mingfei ignore what happened just now.
Sure enough, his face felt slightly hot.
In fact, Lu Mingfei did not have an ordinary face to begin with. Even if he was a loser in the past, he would still be pleasing to the eye if he cleaned himself up. What's more, this time Lu Mingfei awakened his bloodline before his freshman in high school. With the blessing of dragon blood, his height and body shape grew sufficiently, and his facial features also developed earlier. He is definitely a handsome man who is not inferior to Chu Zihang and Caesar.
However, he was still not used to people praising him in person. Among many emotions, fear had almost been eliminated from his soul, but shyness unexpectedly remained.
"The Awakening Temple is a very solemn place for the family. Please be reserved, guests." Sakura reminded quietly, then pushed open the screen of clouds and cranes in front of her. A small vermilion torii appeared in front of her, and behind the torii was the terrace called Awakening Temple.
Then Sakura bowed and retreated to the side. A pretty girl in a shrine maiden's costume walked out from behind the torii gate holding a copper basin. She stood in front of the three people, with tenderness in her eyes and a shy look on her face.
Chu Zihang looked at Caesar, and Caesar looked at Chu Zihang. It was obvious that although these two had done research on the Snake Eight Families before coming to Japan, they did not know much about Shintoism and had no idea what was going on.
"The hand-washing ceremony, in Shinto etiquette, you have to rinse your mouth and wash your hands before visiting a shrine." Lu Mingfei reminded in a low voice that if you don't follow the rules in front of Japanese Shinto believers, it would be a very contemptuous act.
In fact, Lu Mingfei didn't care what the family heads thought, but it was not the time to turn against each other yet. It was also very important to pretend to be friendly and show weakness to the enemy.
Caesar and Chu Zihang looked as if they had suddenly realized something. Caesar thought that it would be a very embarrassing thing for Master Gattuso if he lost his manners in front of others.
He came to Japan with only one purpose, and that was to be awesome. He came here awesome and left awesomely. I think this time Caesar has very awesome teammates, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to become the second man after Angers to make the Japanese branch surrender, right?
If he lost face in something like etiquette, it would be an indelible stain on his awesome journey. Although others might not know it, Caesar himself knew it.
After passing the Torii, there is a round stone table with a Tai Chi pattern in front of you. Five important figures with different expressions are sitting beside the stone table.
As the head of the Sheqi Eight Families, his status in Genji Heavy Industries is equivalent to that of the board of directors of Kassel College. Yet, he stood up and bowed slightly to Lu Mingfei and the other two when he saw them walk into the torii gate.
"They are paying respect to you." Chu Zihang whispered to Lu Mingfei, who was obviously surrounded by him and Caesar.
Originally, this position should have belonged to the leader of this team, but Japan is a country that respects the strong and despises the unknown. The Eight Snake Families naturally inherited the tradition of their nation. They were servile in the face of tough figures like Ange, but when facing other commissioners sent by Kassel Academy, they tried their best to inflict personal insults and abuse.
The surrounding granite walls were carved with Shinto demons and ghosts, looking down at Lu Mingfei and the other two who walked in from the torii. Some ancient alchemical techniques must have been used when carving those things, and the eyes of the demons and ghosts seemed to be flashing a ferocious light.
The girls who were holding the copper basins filed away from them one by one, and then the screen was closed behind them.
The youngest of the family heads smiled and nodded at them. As Yuan Zhisheng was the one closest in age to the three headquarters specialists among all the people present, it was natural for him to be responsible for communicating with the specialists.
"We met the day before yesterday. My name is Yuan Zhisheng, the patriarch of the Yuan family, and currently serving as the acting director of the branch's executive bureau." His tone was calm, as if he did not take the commissioners seriously. However, he managed a friendly smile when he glanced at Caesar and Chu Zihang, but his eyes immediately turned cold when he looked at Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei was stunned for a moment, then smiled back at Yuan Zhisheng. He was taller than Yuan Zhisheng, and he looked down on him. For some reason, this attitude seemed provocative to other family heads.
Yuan Zhisheng's eyes twitched and he looked away.
Lu Mingfei still remembered that the last time he came to Japan was about a year later. At that time, Yuan Zhisheng had been working in the Executive Bureau for a long time and had begun to take over the core affairs of the family, so he seemed more mature. At this time, Yuan Zhisheng seemed to be a little happy, like a young man. Although it was a bit strange to say this, Lu Mingfei himself was just a young man.
"This is the head of the Ryoma family, Mr. Ryoma Genichirō. Mr. Ryoma Genichirō is also an alumnus of Kassel College. Many years ago, President Angers personally appointed him as the head of the Japanese branch."
Lu Mingfei and the other two looked over in a friendly manner and nodded to the middle-aged man in a black suit. Lu Mingfei had met Ryoma Genichirō before, and he only remembered that he was not only the director of the Japanese branch, but also had served in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces because of his steady character. He left behind the confidants of the Snake Eight Clan in the army, which gave this mixed-blood force the power to dispatch the Air Self-Defense Force to participate in the war at critical moments. I think this man is the only hub between the main family and the army.
The last time they met, the head of the Longma family was a somewhat listless, but meticulously dressed and inconspicuous middle-aged man. However, this time, he could clearly see that he was in good spirits, with a solemn expression and murderous eyes. He even came with a long sword. I think he was a sword saint-like figure. I just don't know what would happen to him in this year to turn such a man into the one Lu Mingfei saw last time.
"Master Fuma, Mr. Fuma Kotaro, Mr. Fuma is our wakashira, and is equivalent to the head of the family in terms of control, but the premise is that we have lost contact with the head of the family."
Fuma Kotaro is an old man wearing a black kimono and looks like he is made of fine steel. His nose seems to have been damaged beyond repair and a piece is missing. His eyes are as sinister as a demon's.
“Like the vice president in the White House,” Caesar said.
Gen Chisei was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, Fuma Kotaro actually said with a smile, "Yes, just like the vice president of the White House, when the president dies, the vice president immediately takes over to prevent the whole country from falling into panic due to the loss of the leader."
"My name is Inuyama He, the head of the Inuyama family. Like all of you, I am a student of Principal Angers, and I can be considered a senior to all of you young heroes!" The white-haired head of the Inuyama family scratched his head and laughed.
"The head of the Inuyama family was also the first branch manager and is a highly respected elder here," said Gen Chisei.
Caesar and Chu Zihang's expressions changed. When they were looking through the materials, they found information about the first director of the Japanese branch. It was said that this was a very powerful hybrid, and his bloodline might be higher than A-level.
Lu Mingfei smiled at Inuyama He, who narrowed his eyes slightly, then relaxed his brows and smiled back. The old man still remembered how dangerous the young man in front of him was, and he didn't want to make the family at odds with him.
"Master Miyamoto and Master Sakurai are busy with official duties, and Master Uesugi is unwell, so they are not present. We ask for your forgiveness." Gen Chisei nodded.
Lu Mingfei's gaze did not fall on him, but on the old man who had not spoken or been introduced, and who had always lowered his head and held the tea.
"Yuan Jun hasn't introduced this gentleman to us yet." He said softly, his voice was calm and gentle, and a strand of hair was lifted up when the wind blew, but no one saw the throbbing blue veins on the man's forehead.
The old man raised his head slowly. It was an old but still handsome face, with a straight nose and deep-set eyes. The facial lines were as clear as if carved by a knife, and the pupils were as black as the abyss.
Lust seemed to be trembling against Lu Mingfei's waist, and the almost unsuppressible murderous intent was about to surge out but was immediately suppressed. The old man's eyes met Lu Mingfei's, but neither of them stayed for too long, just passed by.
"My name is Masamune Tachibana, the acting head of the Snake Eight Families." Masamune Tachibana showed a frank and friendly smile on his face.
It was this kind of smile, Tachibana Masamune's signature expression, that made Lu Mingfei want to draw his knife and chop off his head.
But Tachibana Masamune's next words made him freeze in place.
"Mr. Lu's name is well-known. It is true that heroes emerge from youth." Tachibana Masamune said. The old man actually walked out of his seat and came to Lu Mingfei. He looked at the young man carefully, then showed a trace of relief on his face, put down the teacup and patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder.
"Chisei has already told me about you and Eri. I don't object. Young people should be energetic like this, free to fall in love and so on... But the head of the Uesugi family has some health problems. If you want to take her out, please be sure to send her back to Genji Heavy Industries on the same day."
"You mean, you, you allow me to take Eri out?" Lu Mingfei's fingers trembled slightly. He was about to touch the hilt of the knife, but at this moment he suddenly had a sense of absurdity.
Chapter 161 Tachibana Masamune (3)
The Tachibana Masamune in front of him was almost identical to the Herzog who was good at disguise in Lu Mingfei's memory, but he didn't seem to care whether Eri was in his hands.
why?
Could it be that because the White King's holy remains have not been found yet, Herzog is not yet completely sure that he can ascend the throne as the new White King?
Tachibana Masamune actually rolled up his sleeves, stretched out his dry but still powerful hand to clasp Lu Mingfei's wrist, and started chatting in a low voice.
"Mr. Lu, you look like a promising young hero. Do you have any family members at home? Where do you work?" Tachibana Masamune held Lu Mingfei's hand affectionately, as if he was an elder who hadn't seen for a long time and was asking about the younger generation's recent situation.
Lu Mingfei felt it was more and more absurd.
"If Mr. Masamune is talking about relatives in our world, then my parents are indeed mixed-blood, but I don't know where they work, and I haven't had any contact with them for a long time." He answered calmly. It seems that Tachibana Masamune would not care whether his uncle, aunt, Lu Mingze and others are considered relatives to Boss Lu.
There is a charcoal stove on the Tai Chi stone table, and a Kansai iron kettle on the stove. It seems that the tea in the teacup in Masamune Tachibana's hand comes from this Kansai iron kettle.
"I have been paying attention to Lu Jun since the academy implemented the Kuimen Plan. I have watched your fight with the god repeatedly, and I was deeply moved by the young man's high spirits and the successors to the dragon-slaying cause. I often regret that I was born a few decades earlier and could not follow Lu Jun." Tachibana Masamune was quite emotional, as if he really valued Lu Mingfei and admired Lu Mingfei very much.
The old man's face was full of wrinkles, his features were as sharp as a knife, but his eyes were bright when he said these words.
Lu Mingfei looked at Caesar and Chu Zihang helplessly, with a look of help in his eyes.
But Caesar and Chu Zihang both bowed their heads and knelt down. They were not nervous when surrounded by several family heads. They were all killers, so there was no need to be nervous. At most, they would draw their swords and fight. But the two of them had no intention of helping Lu Mingfei. They looked at their eyes and noses, and stared at the cup of hot tea in front of them.
Long before participating in this meeting, and even before leaving for Japan, they had actually already guessed about the current situation.
There is no doubt that Lu Mingfei, who showed the strongest strength, would receive the best treatment in the Japanese branch. That was because the Eight Snake Families respected and even feared the strong. Even if the academy clearly designated Chu Zihang as the team leader in the mission report, they would probably still regard Lu Mingfei as the core of this operation. So neither Chu Zihang nor Caesar were surprised by the situation at this time.
At this time, the patriarch and the distinguished guest were having a pleasant conversation. Out of courtesy, no one else wanted to interrupt or butt in. The fire burned more and more vigorously, crackling. A cool breeze blew in from the direction of the bay, bringing some low black clouds.
"No, no, Mr. Masamune's name is truly well-known. We often hear about your deeds in the academy." Lu Mingfei said with a dry laugh. He had a puzzled feeling. The Herzog in front of him seemed to be much easier to deal with and get along with than the last time. He even allowed Lu Mingfei to take Eri away.
You must know that Eri is the most important key to open the White King's treasure house. Without her, even Herzog would not be able to filter the White King's fetal blood.
"Oh, really?" Tachibana Masamune's face showed an expression of as expected and a little expectation.
"I don't know what deeds a person like me can have that can be passed down in the academy."
Lu Mingfei retreated tactically, thinking, Hey, old man, you are not playing by the rules now, shouldn’t we have some business flattery at a time like this? It’s too weird for you to ask such a question!
Seeing the department's specialist's expression become awkward and embarrassed, Yuan Zhisheng cleared his throat and whispered, "Dad!"
Tachibana Masamune laughed out loud. He was indeed very charismatic and had some leadership qualities. "Mr. Lu, don't be so reserved. I'm just asking out of curiosity. Mr. Lu, you are now well-known in the secret party. I wonder if you have any plans after graduation?"
"I don't have any plans. People like us can do nothing but fight and kill. We won't go home and open an electronics factory." Lu Mingfei said, "Maybe we can join the executive department and slay dragons all over the world. But many people in the school say that I might be the principal's illegitimate child. I think he might pass the position of principal to me."
"If you join the executive department, your life will be very insecure and unstable." Tachibana Masamune frowned. "It's not bad to stay in the academy. It's safe and secure, and there is a secret party organization. With your prestige, Lu Jun, you may really become the principal."
"I don't have any big ambitions, and I'm not very interested in becoming a principal." Lu Mingfei took a sip of tea.
"Well, I just want to live a stable life. It's rare to see a dragon-slaying hero like you, Lu Jun. You are not tempted by fame and fortune, which is good." Tachibana Masamune nodded, "Excuse me, do you have a marriage contract?"
Lu Mingfei was stunned. Chu Zihang and Caesar also clearly heard something was wrong and looked at Tachibana Masamune. Yuan Zhisheng's eyes also became erratic.
The previous questions could be regarded as greetings between the leader of the Japanese mixed-race people and the strongest dragon-slaying hero of this century, but the last sentence was almost written on his face: "Mr. Lu, I think you should come and seduce our head of the Shangshan family."
Lu Mingfei's cheek twitched. He really wanted to catch the little devil and ask him clearly whether he was the one who did all this and why Herzog became like this.
Damn, he came up with an attitude of kneeling and licking his boots, so it was hard for me to use a knife to attack him.
"For now... I don't have a marriage contract, but I'm already dating a girl." Lu Mingfei said.
He regained his composure and made himself alert. Herzog was an opponent as cunning as a fox, and he might be plotting some shameful conspiracy.
"Ahaha, we're just dating. It's normal for young people to have a messy private life. When I was young, I also lived in Shibuya..."
"Cough cough!" Yuan Zhisheng started coughing.
Tachibana Masamune patted the back of his head and said, "Oh, oh, sorry, sorry. Anyway, I have heard about the matter between Lu Jun and the head of the Uesugi family from Zhisheng. As the head of the Snake Eight Clan, I have no objection to this matter. I hope that Lu Jun can spend more time with Eri while you are in Japan."
Lu Mingfei smiled awkwardly, avoiding the burning gazes of the several family heads and senior brothers around him, "But I remember the body of the Shangshan family head..."
"It's okay, we will arrange palliative care as soon as possible and she will be able to go out soon." Tachibana Masamune waved his hand.
Lu Mingfei's eyes suddenly fell on the stove in the middle of the stone table, and his heart moved slightly.
"I have heard that Mr. Masamune is an excellent tea ceremony master, but I have never asked you for advice according to etiquette..."
"It's a lie, it's a lie. Actually I don't know anything about the tea ceremony." Tachibana Masamune laughed heartily.
Lu Mingfei nodded.
"We have already learned about the purpose of Genji Heavy Industries through the academy. They said they are planning to use the technology of the Ganliu Research Institute to improve underwater robots, right?" After greeting Lu Mingfei, Tachibana Masamune sat up straight, and suddenly he had the aura of a leader. "The Snake Eight Families will provide the most complete logistics and support for all the actions of the academy. At the same time, we will also ensure the security of all the specialists."
“Although I think security work is totally unnecessary.” Tachibana Masamune looked at Lu Mingfei and smiled.
"Mr. Masamune, you are too kind." Lu Mingfei calmed down. He was more alert now. Herzog was the most dangerous and cunning enemy he had ever encountered in his life. Such an enemy must have his own purpose in everything he did. Lu Mingfei had witnessed his cunning, cruelty and meanness before, and he would never be fooled again today.
This cunning sand fox did not express its determination to get Eri at this time. Instead, it took the initiative to send her to Lu Mingfei. This made Lu Mingfei suspect that the old dog was plotting against him.
In fact, this is not impossible. Lu Mingfei holds the ownership of the Dragon Bone Cross of Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire. There is a lot of evidence in the previous time and space that Herzog's understanding of dragons is at the forefront of human history. Maybe he can judge from the video materials that Norton has swallowed up Constantine's power and become another supreme and all-element controller after the Black King and the White King.
Norton in this state is not inferior to the White King in terms of crown position, but he has not had time to grow up, but his genes are perfect. Maybe Herzog still has a way to ascend to the throne through other materials.
A visible dragon bone cross and the Holy Remains of the White King which has not been seen for more than 20 years. Obviously, the former can also be used as a backup plan.
While Lu Mingfei was still imagining it in his mind, several family heads had already started chatting with Caesar and Chu Zihang.
Although it was called a meeting, it was not formal at all and could even be said to be very casual. The heads of the Ryoma family, the Fuma family, and the Inuyama family seemed to be very serious old men, but they were actually very talkative and not serious at all, and they often said interesting things.