Inside, there was a neatly folded, tight-fitting black ninja uniform, and beside it lay a scattering of shuriken shaped like hexagons, along with a plain, unadorned black Nihon-ken (Japanese Sword).
This Nihon-ken was identical to the demonic Muramasa sword held in Zhang Yang’s home; the only difference was that this one lacked the dazzling splendor of Zhang Yang’s blade. It was so unassuming it looked like a cheap sword replica found at any street stall.
“The humiliation we suffered must be washed away by ourselves—with the enemy’s blood!”
Gently feeling the sheath inside his backpack, the man knelt on the ground, murmuring to himself with grim seriousness.
This man was Igasaki Dōjun, the supreme mastery level cultivator who had infiltrated Huaxia, a top-tier Japanese ninja.
Swish, swish, swish!
Suddenly, four figures came sprinting rapidly from the distance. Each of them carried a large burlap sack on their back, and it appeared that each sack contained a person.
“Lord Dōjun!”
The four stopped behind the man, placed the sacks before them, and simultaneously knelt, pressing their foreheads to the ground as they respectfully called out.
These were the operatives Japan had kept lurking in Huaxia, primarily responsible for intelligence gathering. “Did Ishino Saemon manage to capture them all?”
Igasaki Dōjun remained perfectly still, not even turning his head to look, and asked blandly.
“Yes, my lord. Following your instructions, we took them without alerting anyone—four absolutely healthy, burly men for you.”
The leader of the four responded, then stood up and tore open the burlap sacks in front of them, dragging out the people stuffed inside.
Each of the four large sacks contained a sturdy farmer, unconscious. They were dressed in the rough, coarse cloth worn by villagers from the nearby northern suburbs, identical to the simple clothes Igasaki Dōjun wore, clearly indicating they were local villagers captured nearby.
“Very good. Wake them up.”
As Igasaki Dōjun spoke, he picked up the plain, black Pu-shi Nihon-ken before him, holding the hilt and scabbard tightly with both hands, and drew the blade slightly.
A brilliant flash of light appeared between the scabbard and the hilt, testament to how incredibly sharp the hidden blade was within that unassuming black Nihon-ken sheath.
Following Igasaki Dōjun’s order, the man woke the four farmers. Once the sturdy men came to, rubbing their eyes in confusion, they finally saw where they stood.
“Ah! I recognize you! You were the one who knocked me out!”
“What exactly do you people want? Why did you bring us here!”
“Who are you, and where is this place?”
Upon waking, the four farmers’ first reaction upon seeing the four men beside them was that they had been abducted. However, they weren't bound by ropes or restricted by handcuffs. After a brief panic, their courage slightly increased, and they began rapidly questioning the four men beside them.
Although the four farmers questioned aggressively, their legs were trembling slightly. After all, they were just ordinary farm laborers, and facing this sudden situation filled them with great terror.
The four men who captured them seemed to anticipate what would happen next. They quickly backed away, moving to a distant spot and turning their backs, not daring to watch a single moment.
“When I hold Muramasa, I am not only the most powerful ninja of the Great Japanese Empire, but also its proudest samurai! As the most proud samurai of the Great Japanese Empire, I offer you, you Zhina people, a chance—a chance to live!”
Igasaki Dōjun stood up, drew his Nihon-ken, and held it across his body as if solemnly completing a ritual. He turned, his eyes narrowed, and spoke the following words in chilling, heavily accented Mandarin: “If you can escape the range of my sight within five minutes, you may return home alive.”
“Madman!”
“Pervert!”
“Are you insane?!”
“This is Huaxia territory, and you dare to kill people so casually!”
The initial reaction of the four farmers, upon noticing the Japanese man, was to curse him. However, when they saw the bright, sharp Nihon-ken in his hand, they fell silent almost simultaneously.
Igasaki Dōjun’s words were delivered with utter seriousness, sounding nothing like a joke. The four villagers exchanged glances, their fear deepening.
This man had dragged them into the deep mountains and spoken such things to them. If he wasn't a mad pervert, he could only be a homicidal maniac!
“Help!”
One of the farmers suddenly shouted and bolted!
After the first one fled, the second immediately followed without a second thought, running toward the outside of Yanming Mountain.
The third and fourth hesitated only for a moment before realizing what was happening and immediately took off running.
Not a single one chose to stay behind to test whether Igasaki Dōjun's words were true. The four of them scattered, fleeing outwards from Yanming.
“Not running fast enough…”
Five minutes passed in a flash. As a supreme mastery level cultivator, Igasaki Dōjun’s perception and sight far surpassed those of ordinary people. Even if the four sturdy farmers fled with every ounce of effort, how far could they get in just five minutes?
The corner of Igasaki Dōjun’s mouth curved upward, revealing an incomparably wicked smile.
Swish!
He raised the Nihon-ken high, his foot speed instantly accelerating. Even if the four ordinary farmers had been given a five-hour head start, they could never escape the grasp of a supreme mastery cultivator.
Igasaki Dōjun showed no pride in his supreme mastery status. Even facing four defenseless, ordinary Chinese peasants, he showed no mercy. In his eyes, these four ordinary Chinese people were no different from wild beasts or livestock; killing them was not something that would invoke guilt.
With every downward stroke of the Nihon-ken, one farmer lost the ability to run. As blood sprayed from their backs, their faces turned pale, and they collapsed onto the ground, soon expiring. After dealing with the bodies of the four men, Igasaki Dōjun returned to his original spot.
“My Lord…”
Even the four men who served him couldn't comprehend why someone as powerful as Igasaki Dōjun needed to kill a few Chinese people every few days, using their ordinary blood to consecrate his blade.
Only Igasaki Dōjun himself knew the truth. To conceal his aura on Yanming Mountain and avoid detection by other powerful Huaxia cultivators, he needed to employ a sealing jutsu to lock down the energy fluctuations within the mountain, preventing them from leaking out.
And this sealing jutsu required the blood of ordinary people as a catalyst. This was the true reason he needed to kill a few Chinese people every few days since arriving at Yanming Mountain.
Today’s four were the third, and final, group. He had successfully sealed Yanming Mountain as an independent domain. Here, he was confident that even if he unleashed his full power, it wouldn't attract the attention of any nearby supreme mastery cultivators. Although this effect would only last a few days, it was sufficient for him.
“Have you found any news about the demonic blade Muramasa?”
After sheathing his sword, Igasaki Dōjun’s gaze fell back onto the four men who served him, and he asked lightly.
“My Lord… there is no news whatsoever regarding the demonic blade Muramasa…”
The leader of the four stepped forward, answering with effort.
Igasaki Dōjun frowned slightly, showing displeasure.
“But my Lord!”
Seeing Igasaki Dōjun’s brow furrow, the man’s heart skipped a beat, then he shouted with all his might, “We have traced the movements of the Koreans, my lord! And, we received a piece of intelligence concerning Zhang Yang!”
Igasaki Dōjun’s frown softened. He knelt back down, laid the sheathed Nihon-ken before him, and closed his eyes.
“The person Korea sent to Huaxia this time is named Park Seung-eun, the father of Park Young-jun who died at the Four Flowers Hotel in Jingyang. After arriving in Huaxia, he made no moves for several consecutive days.”
The man quickly relayed the intelligence regarding the Korean faction before continuing, “But today, we received a tip that cultivators from the Huaxia National Security Bureau went to Zhang Yang’s villa.”
Hearing the last sentence, Igasaki Dōjun’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.
“Those cultivators from the National Security Bureau would never show themselves without reason. Their appearance today is enough to show that those Koreans have been caught in a bind by the other side. Heh heh, those arrogant Koreans, they couldn't hold back after all…”
Igasaki Dōjun quickly analyzed the truth revealed by this piece of news.
“Mi Xue, Qu Meilan, Yan Liangfei, Yan Yefei and Li Juan—the couple…” Igasaki Dōjun murmured the names of the people closest to Zhang Yang, then suddenly asked, “Among the people closest to Zhang Yang, who do you think is the easiest for us to capture to force Zhang Yang to leave Changjing and personally come to Yanming Mountain?”
“My Lord!”
The man was startled, answering with visible difficulty, “Within Changjing, capturing any one of these individuals would be impossible without attracting anyone's attention!”
“No, you misunderstand me.”
Igasaki Dōjun narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, “We don't need to capture them inside Changjing. We can lure them out of Changjing, and then make the move.”
“If the intelligence is correct, then Yan Liangfei apparently has two relatives living in the county town near Yanming Mountain…” To be continued PS: I sincerely ask friends to give Xiao Yu some support and encouragement by casting your monthly tickets his way. Regardless, there will be four chapters exploding out today… The remaining three chapters will likely be released later.