Chapter 684: Wei’s Loophole (3k)
“Gen Jixiang?”
Su Jiu was first stunned. She turned her head and saw Gen Jixiang’s smiling little face. The latter was wearing a gray and white kimono, with a traditional large knot tied at her back.
Bowing her waist and with her hands behind her back, the ends of her dark hair hung before her chest, giving off an illusion of purity and allure, completely different from her previous sharp yet cautious demeanor.
“It’s truly sad, Su-lang forgot about me so quickly.”
Upon hearing this, “Gen Jixiang” stood up, feigning sadness on her face. She reached out to gently cover her face, with one eye peeking out from her sleeve, curved like a crescent moon.
“Wei? How were you able to possess someone so quickly…”
Hearing this tone, Su Jiu was somewhat surprised. She quickly realized the other party’s true identity, but what surprised her most was how efficient they were.
After all, Gen Jixiang was the princess of the Tokyo underworld, with so many capable individuals around her. Yet, there was no sign of any precautions.
“Guest out.”
Wei did not speak, but her gaze swept over those who were watching them. She clapped her hands with a light chuckle.
“Clap… clap…”
As soon as the clapping sound faded, the sound of several pairs of leather shoes treading on the wooden floor echoed in the rather spacious dining area. It was the previous waiters, who swiftly escorted the onlookers out of the area for the time being.
At this moment, another figure slowly walked out from among those people…
“The inheritance of the remaining nine-tailed fox bloodline in exchange, this was Gen Jixiang’s willing decision. Her father, the head of the family this term, already knows about this.”
The one who answered Su Jiu was not Wei, but the slender middle-aged man – Gen Takumi, his face showing no joy or sorrow.
His sharp gaze fell directly on Su Jiu, and his brows were slightly raised, clearly harboring some resentment about “Wei” finding a Dragon Country person to guard the relic.
“Mr. Gen Takumi, we meet again.”
Meeting the other party’s gaze, Su Jiu could feel the unfriendly emotions from him, but she merely smiled. After all, she had beaten up a Tokyo University student on the arena before.
E Huo and Lin also noticed the situation and, holding large plates, tried to move closer while eating.
“It should not be your first meeting, the two of you. I hope that regarding the matter of repairing the relic, there will be no personal grudges, as this involves the resurrection of that demon.”
Wei chuckled softly, abandoning her playful demeanor, and took out a folding fan from nowhere, gently clapping it against her palm!
“Whoosh!”
A stream of blue flaming airflow formed between the three of them. The airflow completely isolated them from the outside. The flames flickered, yet not a single sound from the outside could penetrate. This also completely isolated the eating duo from the outside.
“This time, the Fujiwara family, representing the human forces, is willing to assist the Dragon King’s envoy in repairing the relic and continuing to suppress the trunk bone of Yamata no Orochi…”
Nodding lightly, Gen Takumi did not want to dwell on minor matters. He turned to Wei and said more seriously, “For this transaction, the Fujiwara family will secretly provide external assistance to resist the covetousness of other human families (Eight) wu Si Liu Ba Qi families, and as for the Tokyo government, I will coordinate as much as possible to prevent the intervention of Onmyoji and the army.”
“Why can’t the Onmyoji intervene?”
This time, it was Su Jiu’s turn to be confused. Logically, in Sakura, Onmyoji should be considered an official force. Shouldn’t it be better to have them join?
Gen Takumi looked up and glanced at Su Jiu, speechless that the other party seemed to have no grasp of the situation. However, he patiently explained:
“The Onmyoji are controlled by the two great families, the Kamishiro family and the Hagikawa family. Many high-ranking officials within have or had some connection with these two families. As for the army, they are strong supporters of the Suzuki zaibatsu and Shendai Pharmaceutical Company, with many officers having received their funding and favor.”
“We do need to prevent their intervention. But currently, are only the Kamishiro and Suzuki families interested in the relic?”
Nodding, Su Jiu asked again. She had only found members from these two families in the exploration team. So it was highly likely that these two families were coveting the relic.
“Not only…”
Upon hearing this, Gen Takumi responded and then fell into contemplation. His thick eyebrows, as if drawn by a brush, were tightly furrowed. After a long while, he slowly said,
“Including the Fujiwara family, all eight major families are interested in the relic. It’s just that most people don’t know what’s underneath, so they haven’t shown the fanaticism that the Kamishiro family has in pursuing the ‘Divine Blood’ potion.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu’s brows rose, and she teased with a smile, “Then that’s truly hellish difficulty. But fortunately, Sakura’s number one family – the Fujiwara family – is at least on our side now.”
“Hehe…”
Gen Takumi smiled but did not continue speaking. Instead, he looked towards Wei, awaiting her next instructions.
“Since the two of you have finished talking, take this.”
Seeing the silence on the scene, Wei chuckled and took out two ice-blue feathers from her sleeve, then distributed them into Gen Takumi’s and Su Jiu’s hands.
Accepting the feather, which exuded a slight chill, a flash of crimson fire flickered in Su Jiu’s eyes. She felt a slight discomfort in her heart, but this strange feeling quickly dissipated.
“This is the legacy of the Lord. It can be used to seal the evil nature of Yamata no Orochi within the armor, and it can violently destroy the spirit power attached to it. You each hold one. If you see the armor, simply touch the feather and stick it on directly.”
As Wei’s voice sounded, Su Jiu began to examine the feather. The exterior of the feather was slightly ice-blue, while the interior was dark purple. The shaft in the center of the feather was a string of black hearts, shaped like an ice phoenix but with an added touch of evil.
Perhaps it was this evilness that made her uncomfortable?
Wei looked at the two of them and asked with a smile, “Will that be all, the two of you? I will accompany Miss Su to the relic the next day to repair it. Do you have any other questions?”
Without thinking further, Su Jiu immediately put the feather into her pocket, but she kept a reservation in her heart:
If it can violently destroy the armor, why bother repairing the relic?
Isn’t that unnecessary?
“If the two of you have nothing else to ask, our conversation ends here.”
Seeing that Su Jiu and the other did not speak further, Wei chuckled and waved her hand, intending to disperse the dark blue flames.
At this moment, Su Jiu stepped forward and stopped her:
“Can you give me the item related to Izanami earlier? This item can enhance my beast pet’s strength and will be convenient for fighting in the relic. You just saw it, the black maid outfit outside is…”
“This… I do not have the enhancement item with me, and how can one demand remuneration in advance.”
Upon hearing this, Wei’s small face revealed a hint of distress, and she could only shake her head, then waved her hand to completely disperse the flames, turned around, and assumed a posture of leaving.
It seemed she did not want to linger on this topic.
Seeing Wei refuse, Su Jiu was not surprised. After all, she didn’t expect the other party to compromise on such matters. She could only give a stiff laugh and say, “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Wei nodded slightly and walked towards the direction outside the hall. Her pace was slow, but it made the waiters beside her overlook her presence.
Watching Wei’s retreating back, Gen Takumi also seemed to be leaving. At this moment, Su Jiu called out to him:
“Is this Wei perhaps that golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox?”
“Yes.”
Gen Takumi was stunned for a moment, not knowing what Su Jiu meant, but he still nodded and replied:
“Her soul form is almost identical to Tamamo-no-Mae from ancestral records. Otherwise, the head of the family would not have allowed her to possess Jixiang. No one would forget the name of the nine-tailed fox.”
After receiving this answer, Su Jiu felt a little relieved, but she continued to ask, “Are there clear records of her allegiance?”
“I don’t know about that. There are too many explanations regarding the nine-tailed fox demon. Some say she is an evil demon that bewitches rulers, while others call her Inari God, a messenger who guards farmland and welcomes harvests for the common people.”
Gen Takumi shook his head, indicating that he did not understand this aspect. This transaction was made between the head of the family and Wei.
This world is not black and white. As long as the transaction is beneficial to the Fujiwara family, they can do it.
Without further discussion on this matter, Su Jiu exchanged some plans for the future with this second family head, confirming that he would be responsible for blocking people, while she would be responsible for internal work with Wei.
In a short while, more than half an hour passed in a hurry. Su Jiu realized that it was getting late, so she took the two well-fed individuals and took a taxi back to the inn.
As soon as she lay on the sofa, Lin, with her eyes half-closed, impatiently asked, “How was it? Did she agree to give the reward first?”
“She refused, and I feel like this matter is not that simple…”
Shaking her head, Su Jiu took out the strange feather again, her gaze fixed on it, and the flames in her eyes surged again, a feeling of discomfort rising to her heart.
“Refused? It is indeed unlikely to get the reward in advance.”
Lin’s light purple eyes blinked, showing a hint of disappointment, but not much surprise. Her gaze also fell on the special feather, and after looking at it for a while, she directly said:
“This thing looks strange. Its level does feel quite high, but there is dense karma swirling around it. If this is an item from that ‘Dragon King’, then Sakura’s ‘Dragon King’ doesn’t seem that great.”
Karma?
This time, it involved Su Jiu’s blind spot of knowledge. She had also heard that the reason Lin chose not to kill on a large scale at the border of Bear Country was largely due to fear of accumulating karma.
“Ordinary people can hardly detect it, only those like us who specialize in avoiding karma among demon beasts can sense it,” Lin softly said. “It’s best not to get involved with karma. Once you get entangled, it’s very difficult to wash it off.”
Listening to Lin’s words, Su Jiu fell into deep thought. If this feather was not from Izanami, then what role was Wei playing?
Tamamo-no-Mae, or Inari God?
“Beep beep!!”
While the two were conversing, Su Jiu’s phone in her pocket rang. She came back to her senses, casually picked it up, and looked at it. Seeing that it was marked as Shadow One, she connected…
“Boss, the large area where that Red Demon Shrimp is located has been found. It’s a downstream river far from the relic, between several towns…”
