The moment that voice reached him, Ishikawa Kotaro, inside the pavilion, was struck rigid with shock. His first instinct was to duck behind the three bodyguards positioned at his back; he knew that voice all too well!

He could never forget that just hours ago, in the Western-style restaurant, the owner of this very voice had slapped him dozens of times in front of a crowd, humiliating him to the point of wanting to disappear. Worse still, the three bodyguards he had trusted implicitly—Fujii Ichiro and his men—couldn't even handle that man's frail female disciple. In the end, he had been forced to apologize to that man and the woman. This disgrace had become the nightmare of Ishikawa Kotaro’s life!

To wash away this humiliation, Ishikawa Kotaro immediately looked up the man's identity upon returning. To his surprise, the man who had struck him was already on a list of key concerns for his father. It was then that Ishikawa Kotaro learned this individual was a formidable cultivator named Zhang Yang.

Upon obtaining information about him, Ishikawa Kotaro disregarded the advice of Fujii Ichiro and the others, even tuning out his father's directive to exercise restraint for the time being. He immediately deployed the five Jōnin his father had secretly assigned to protect him, sending them to ambush and attack Zhang Yang's residence. Ishikawa Kotaro was determined that only by killing this man named Zhang Yang could he cleanse the shame he had endured!

As for the beautiful woman by Zhang Yang's side, Ishikawa Kotaro had already devised countless methods to insult her; Japanese men, after all, were quite resourceful when it came to tormenting women.

But now, Ishikawa Kotaro's mind held only one realization: he had been utterly betrayed by that old fox, Kim Hyun-shin!

This was the Four Flowers Hotel in Gyeongyang, Korean territory through and through. For Ishikawa Kotaro to hear that devilish voice here could only mean one thing: the five Jōnin he sent to ambush Zhang Yang had all failed and perished. More importantly, the enemy had clearly colluded with the Koreans. This invitation tonight was nothing short of a massive trap!

Convinced that Kim Hyun-shin was in league with Zhang Yang, Ishikawa Kotaro hid behind his three bodyguards, raised a hand, pointed fiercely at Kim Hyun-shin, and roared, "Kim Hyun-shin, how dare you betray me! Did you think luring me here would allow you to eliminate me without anyone knowing? Just what benefit did that Zhang Yang offer you!"

The three bodyguards shielding Ishikawa Kotaro simultaneously drew the long, narrow, slightly curved katana hidden beneath their suits. At the same moment, their black suits fell away, revealing the tight, black ninja suits worn underneath!

These three bodyguards were far more powerful than the three who had accompanied Fujii Ichiro. Moreover, as the three bodyguards leveled their katana at Kim Hyun-shin, a formidable aura emanated from them, nearly freezing the very air circulating within the pavilion!

Park Young-joon’s face turned ashen. Here, his own strength was only marginally superior to Ishikawa Kotaro’s, but facing these three ninjas acting as bodyguards, his capability seemed entirely inadequate.

Kim Hyun-shin’s face darkened. He hadn't expected that Ishikawa Kotaro would be guarded by three high-level ninjas. Although he could barely withstand the combined pressure released by the three ninjas, what shocked him even more was how the owner of that voice had managed to infiltrate the rear garden of the Four Flowers Hotel!

He had made sure to station his own men all around the perimeter when inviting Ishikawa Kotaro tonight, preventing any unauthorized personnel from entering. If the owner of that voice could get in, didn't that mean all the guards he had posted were already neutralized?

And from Ishikawa Kotaro’s reaction, Kim Hyun-shin had a dreadful suspicion about who the owner of that voice truly was!

Kim Hyun-shin gritted his teeth, glancing around constantly while maintaining a vigilant watch over the surroundings outside the pavilion. He spoke to Ishikawa Kotaro, "Mr. Ishikawa, please calm down. We swear, we have not colluded with anyone. We extended this invitation tonight with absolute sincerity!"

"How could I possibly believe you!" Ishikawa Kotaro scoffed, refusing to trust Kim Hyun-shin. He retreated slowly, hidden behind the three ninjas who had discarded their suits to reveal their black ninja attire. He edged from the center of the pavilion straight to its entrance.

The atmosphere within the pavilion had become intensely frigid, yet Kim Hyun-shin still hadn't seen the owner of the voice appear. Now, watching Ishikawa Kotaro poised to exit under the protection of three ninjas whose strength seemed unfathomable, Kim Hyun-shin felt trapped—no way forward, no way back!

Kim Hyun-shin knew that if Ishikawa Kotaro were allowed to leave the Four Flowers Hotel tonight, even if he returned safely, Ishikawa Kotaro would certainly assume he had conspired with Zhang Yang. This would be a fatal blow to South Korea's subsequent plans.

Of course, that wasn't the worst outcome. If Ishikawa Kotaro died at the Four Flowers Hotel, or was killed shortly after leaving, it would be the most devastating blow to South Korea’s current agenda in Huaxia!

Kim Hyun-shin even felt that inviting Ishikawa Kotaro here late tonight was akin to shooting himself in the foot.

Inside the pavilion, Park Young-joon was incapable of reacting, while Kim Hyun-shin dared not make any rash move, fearing unnecessary misinterpretation. And Ishikawa Kotaro remained perfectly shielded by the three ninjas, vigilantly watching for the person who had yet to show himself.

The three ninjas stood silent, guarding Ishikawa Kotaro, covering his slow retreat while remaining wary of Kim Hyun-shin before them, and the speaker from earlier.

A brief silence descended upon the pavilion; the two sides were locked in a stalemate. The Japanese and Korean factions, who were supposed to be having a pleasant discussion, perhaps even cementing a perfect alliance, had been completely shattered by a single sentence from Zhang Yang.

Squeak, squeak, squeak... Chirp, chirp, chirp...

A small mouse darted over the railing from outside the pavilion, tumbling in. It stood beside one of the pavilion pillars, its round black eyes darting left and right, observing the tense standoff between Kim Hyun-shin and Ishikawa Kotaro.

Another small white creature leaped out of the darkness and landed next to the first mouse; it was a polecat. The powerful aura emanating from the three ninjas inside the pavilion had absolutely no effect on these two little things.

These two creatures were naturally Wuying and Shandian. They had appeared first at the rear of the pavilion, effectively blocking the back exit.

The first to be shocked upon seeing these two little ones were the three ninjas protecting Ishikawa Kotaro. Once Shandian and Wuying appeared, they became highly alert, daring not retreat a single step further. Kim Hyun-shin, however, could barely conceal the profound shock in his eyes upon recognizing Wuying and Zhuifeng!

"S-Spirit Beasts!" Kim Hyun-shin exclaimed almost involuntarily in his shock. Immediately after, his eyes shone with unconcealed greed. In that moment, he forgot his awkward predicament, forgetting that Ishikawa Kotaro and the three ninjas were right there at the entrance of the pavilion.

Thump, thump, thump!

In the still night, the sound of horses' hooves arose slowly.

Inside the pavilion, Kim Hyun-shin, Ishikawa Kotaro, and the others turned their heads almost simultaneously. Outside the pavilion, on the small flagstone path, a figure clad in snowy white slowly emerged!

It was a magnificent horse, pure white from head to hoof, radiating spiritual energy. Anyone who saw it would never forget the proud spirit it possessed.

Riding this white horse was a young man barely in his twenties, carrying a large black cloth sack in his hand.

"It's you!"

Seeing the young man astride the white horse, Ishikawa Kotaro, hidden behind the three ninjas, felt his eyes burning with intense hatred. This was the very person who had humiliated him so thoroughly at the Western-style restaurant earlier that day!

Zhang Yang rode Zhuifeng effortlessly into the rear garden of the Four Flowers Hotel, causing no alarm to anyone along the way. The guards Kim Hyun-shin had stationed around were no obstacle to him.

As soon as Shandian and Wuying reached the Four Flowers Hotel, they rushed ahead. The guards stationed outside the pavilion in the rear garden didn't even have time to react before they were knocked unconscious by a burst of poisonous mist from the two small creatures.

This meant that, at this moment, no one other than Kim Hyun-shin, Park Young-joon, Ishikawa Kotaro, and the three ninjas inside the pavilion had seen Zhang Yang.

Whatever might happen to Kim Hyun-shin, Park Young-joon, and Ishikawa Kotaro after tonight, no one would ever connect it back to Zhang Yang.

"Indeed, it is I."

Riding Zhuifeng, Zhang Yang slowly approached the pavilion, dismounted, and stood before the steps. He casually tossed the black cloth sack he was holding!

The black sack arced through the air, but before it could land—

Swish!

One of the ninjas shielding Ishikawa Kotaro moved instantly, appearing at the base of the pavilion steps, his tightly gripped katana swinging down in one motion!

Thwack! Gurgle, gurgle...

The black cloth sack was sliced clean in half. Then, five heads simultaneously tumbled out of the severed bag, scattering and rolling onto the ground!

Kim Hyun-shin had just managed to pull his gaze away from the mouse and the polecat, but as he saw the snow-white divine horse, his entire focus locked onto Zhuifeng. The five severed heads and the dismounted Zhang Yang failed to capture even a flicker of his attention. His eyes were entirely fixed on Zhuifeng!

And when Ishikawa Kotaro clearly saw those five heads, the rage on his face instantly drained away, replaced by a deathly pallor. His eyes, which moments before seemed capable of spitting fire, were now filled with endless terror!