"Very good!"
Yamamoto Ichirō’s lips curled into a smile of "appreciation" at his words. He nodded, commending Kameida Koji for his "keen" analysis.
"However, we can’t jump to conclusions without solid evidence. The waters in Yun Port City run very deep."
He then issued an order to Kameida Koji. "Mr. Kameida, relay my commands at once!"
"Mobilize three elite Ninja squads. Have them secretly tail the other three Grandmasters of Huajin!"
"I want to know their whereabouts last night. And remember, do it secretly! Do not alert them!"
"And if... when the truth is finally uncovered, regardless of whether the killer is one of them or someone else... I will make them, and the powers behind them, pay for the deaths of our warriors from the Great Wa Country!"
"We will use the cruelest methods imaginable to show all Daxia People the consequences of provoking the Great Wa Country!"
"Yes, sir! I will get to the bottom of this. Blood for blood!" Kameida Koji snapped to attention, roaring his acceptance of the order.
At that moment, a squad leader in a junior officer’s uniform appeared at the entrance to the hall. After receiving permission to enter, he jogged over to Yamamoto Ichirō and Kameida Koji, snapped to attention, and saluted.
"Reporting, Honorable Consul! Lieutenant Colonel Kameida! There’s a man from Daxia outside requesting an audience! He claims he has an urgent matter to report!"
Kameida Koji, who had been itching for a chance to vent his anger and prove his loyalty, scowled. He snapped at the officer with a furious expression.
"Idiot! What right do those cowardly Daxia People have to disturb the Honorable Consul? Tell him to get lost! If he refuses, arrest him and execute him on the spot!"
"Yes, sir!" The junior officer flinched, acknowledged the order, and turned to send the man away.
"Wait." Yamamoto Ichirō raised a hand to stop him. He looked at the junior officer and asked flatly, "What else did the Daxia man say?"
The junior officer quickly turned back and recited cautiously, "Reporting, Honorable Consul! He said... he brought something that would interest you greatly."
"He also said... he has long admired the Great Wa Country and that he wants nothing more than to serve your glorious nation."
A curious expression appeared on Yamamoto Ichirō’s face. He drew out his words, "Oh? Brought something I’d be very interested in? And he wishes to serve the Great Wa Country? Heh... How interesting."
"Let him in. I’m curious to see what ’interesting’ item he has brought."
"Yes, sir!" The officer accepted the order and quickly exited.
A short while later, a burly man dressed in a fine silk robe entered the hall, led by the junior officer.
The man appeared to be in his early forties, with a stiff buzz cut. His most striking feature was the black leather eyepatch covering his left eye. His remaining right eye was sharp and gleaming.
His face wore an expression of terrified sycophancy. As soon as he entered the hall, the one-eyed man’s gaze darted to Yamamoto Ichirō and Kameida Koji before he immediately performed a deep bow.
"Wang Weijing, Gang Leader of the Cyan Dragon Gang, at your service, Your Excellencies! I have come to pay my respects!"
Neither Yamamoto Ichirō nor Kameida Koji spoke. They simply stared coldly at the uninvited man from Daxia.
When they didn’t respond, Wang Weijing straightened up. He forced a smile he believed was appropriate onto his face and began to speak.
"Your Excellencies, please, don’t be angry. I have come uninvited today because I possess a priceless treasure that I wish to offer to the Great Wa Country, and to you, my lords!"
"I possess... a relic from the Zulong Dynasty—the Immortality Crystal!"
"What!!!"
The words had barely left his lips when Yamamoto Ichirō—who had been as steady as a boulder and seemingly indifferent to everything—suddenly erupted with a terrifyingly powerful aura!
An invisible shockwave of energy exploded outward from him. His loose black robes billowed as if in a gale, snapping loudly in the still air.
Under the force of this violent surge, the gold-rimmed spectacles on his face let out a sharp CRACK! The lenses instantly shattered, sending fragments flying.
Kameida Koji, being the closest, bore the brunt of it. He let out a muffled grunt and staggered back three or four steps before managing to steady himself.
The junior officer and the guards standing nearby fared even worse; the sheer force of his presence sent them stumbling and knocked them to the ground.
Even Wang Weijing, who prided himself on his considerable martial skill and had braced himself mentally, felt his blood and internal energy roil from the sudden, terrifying pressure.
’I never imagined this seemingly frail, ancient consul from the Wa Country could unleash such appalling might!’
’This man isn’t some civil servant diplomat! He’s clearly a peerless, ferocious beast hiding beneath those robes!’
Yamamoto Ichirō stood up straight. His eyes, now fully visible without his glasses, burned with a nearly demented fervor and greed.
"What... did... you... say?"
"The... Immortality... Crystal? From the... Zulong Dynasty... the Immortality Crystal?!"
His breathing grew ragged.
’That legendary divine artifact... the key to eternal life and the ultimate secrets of power... it actually... it actually exists?’
Wang Weijing forced down his fear, knowing his gamble had paid off!
He quickly bowed again, his tone becoming even more reverent. "Y-Yes! My lord! It’s the absolute truth! I would not dare speak a single word of falsehood!"
"I came upon the Immortality Crystal by a stroke of luck, and I know that such a divine artifact is worthy only of a person as noble as yourself, Honorable Consul!"
"That is why I have come to offer it to you, asking only for the chance to serve the Great Wa Country faithfully!"
At these words, Yamamoto Ichirō slowly reined in his terrifying aura. He gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling Kameida Koji and the guards to step back.
Then, in halting Chinese, he said, "Gang Leader... Wang, you have done very well!"
"You are! A very, very good citizen!"
In the faint light of dawn, Lu Yun stood in the martial arts training ground of the Lu Family’s rear courtyard, dressed in loose-fitting practice clothes.
His body flowed from one stance to another as he slowly practiced the Mountain-Breaking Inch Force Fist.
Each transition between strikes caused the surrounding air to issue a low moan.
On the sidelines, only the two brothers, Lu Jingteng and Lu Jingwu, watched with rapt attention, not daring to be distracted for a moment.
They knew this was a Grandmaster of Huajin personally instructing them, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
For the final move, Lu Yun’s form paused for a fraction of a second before his right fist shot forward—seemingly slow, yet incredibly fast.
It was as if invisible waves in the air were being pushed, compressed layer by layer, until they finally condensed into a single point on his fist!
The Fist Force shot out across the distance. Ten paces away, a decorative rockery half a man’s height instantly shattered!
It didn’t explode into fragments. Instead, a perfectly round, bowl-sized hole with smooth, clean edges was punched straight through its center!
Lu Yun slowly relaxed his stance and turned to Lu Jingteng and Lu Jingwu. "That punch contained over forty years of my power. Did you see it clearly?"
For the sake of the family’s legacy, he had gone to great lengths to demonstrate the principles of the Huajin level in the most direct way possible.
Lu Jingwu scratched his head, his expression a mixture of awe and confusion. "Uncle, the Mountain-Breaking Inch Force Fist truly is a superior art that only a Grandmaster of Huajin can fully comprehend. It’s leagues beyond the Heart-Breaking Fist you taught me years ago!"
"But it’s too profound. I’m afraid I’m too slow to grasp the true secrets behind it."

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