The scene of the Red Leaf Banquet.
A gust of wind blew past, and the red maple leaves fluttered to the ground.
A group of female prostitutes wearing kimonos and holding folding fans were dancing to the neon song in the middle of the venue. Although their movements seemed slightly slow, their every move was full of special charm.
Not far from the female prostitutes, under almost every red maple tree, there were small wooden tables. Men in kimono and hunting clothes sat around the tables, holding small red wine bowls in their hands, admiring the beautiful women in the field who were set off by the scenery.
Liu Xiaojiang and Wuyue walked into the banquet hall, leaning against each other. The neon person in charge of arranging seats led them to a corner, and they sat down like a couple at a small table under a red maple tree.
After that, perhaps because they saw the relationship between Liu Xiaojiang and Wuyue, no one was willing to disturb the young couple. In short … none of the guests who came to the banquet hall chose to sit with the young couple.
"There are less than a hundred Mutants here …" Liu Xiaojiang looked at the singing and dancing performance in the hall, then picked up the small red bowl on the table that Wuyue had poured wine for.
"The so-called Onmyojis of Kyoto, and the Biji Mountain ninjas, have they fallen to this extent?"
After that, he drank the tasteless sake in the bowl, and put the small red bowl back on the table.
"These people are all important figures of the various families. The ninja of this generation of Biji Mountain ninjas, and the heads of the two families of Onmyojis … are all here."
Wuyue smiled as she poured Liu Xiaojiang more wine. She poured the clear wine into the bowl again, but it still couldn't hide the golden maple leaf pattern at the bottom of the red bowl.
"Are they the three old men who are sitting around a table and wearing clothes that are slightly different from the others …" Liu Xiaojiang picked up the small red bowl that looked like a work of art under the light and moonlight and looked up at the three old men who were dressed particularly conspicuously in the distance.
"Hmm …" Wuyue followed Liu Xiaojiang's gaze, still smiling gently, and said, "Ampere Takuma, Daoman Shuwa, and the nameless ninja of Biji Mountain … these three old men have the most say in the Neon Mutant circle."
"Ampere Clan, Daoman Clan, and the Biji Mountain ninjas who have inherited ninjutsu and continuously absorbed Innate Mutants …"
"If we can get rid of these three forces at once, then the Mutant circle in Japan will collapse, and it will be inevitable in the future."
"How can you be sure …" Liu Xiaojiang looked at the three old men in the distance. They were obviously very old, but their spirits were not inferior to the young people around them.
"If losing a leader is enough to cause the organization to collapse, then this organization is too simple. How can they have their current status and identity in Japan …?"
"This is because the situation is different from before …" Wuyue looked at Liu Xiaojiang beside her and slowly explained with a smile.
"I've already briefly explained the situation here to you at the mountain gate of Kiyomizu-dera, but you don't really seem to understand the meaning of those words …"
"Japan is different from us. This difference is not only limited to the methods of the Mutants, but also the attitude of the higher-ups towards the Mutants. After all, because of the failure of the Mutants back then, they have long since stopped paying attention to the so-called Onmyojis and ninjas …"
"Maybe until now …"
"Most of these guys will only think that the reason for their defeat is because they lost to the stronger scientific weapons of other countries. Even if the Hippo Mountain ninjas suffered a defeat on the battlefield, it didn't really affect their footsteps at that time …."
"On the other hand …"
"We, the Mutants of other countries who defeated the Biji Mountain ninjas, also didn't affect anything in the eyes of these guys, let alone have the right to decide the direction of the war …"
"Although the Mutants are a good tool, their role in today's continuous development of society is at most to the extent that it's better than nothing …"
"Moreover, this kind of thing that is better than nothing has become an unstable factor in today's world where there are almost no wars and order is still relatively stable. It can cause chaos in society at any time. It's an existence that does more harm than good."
"In almost the same situation, even if the ninjas of Biji Mountain and the two heads of the Anpei and Daoman families are willing to listen to them, Japan's attitude towards the Mutants is completely different from ours …"
"These guys treat the Mutants as outsiders who are not compatriots. They don't want to 'wrong' themselves in the slightest because of outsiders, nor are they willing to bear the risk of the Mutants' existence to society. That's why they 'imprisoned' the Biji Mountain ninjas, the Anpei and Daoman families in their respective territories."
"If there is no order from above, and if they are not carrying out the mission given by above, except for the annual Red Leaves Wine Festival, the Hippo Mountain Ninjas and the Ampere and Daoman families are not allowed to leave the territory without permission …"
"Otherwise, they will be seen as walking time bombs. For the sake of social order and the safety of ordinary people … they must be removed."
"This will only lead to greater conflicts over time …" Liu Xiaojiang frowned.
"Since they don't agree with the existence of the Mutants and don't care if the Mutants can be used as tools, why didn't the higher-ups eliminate the Mutants completely? Instead, they used 'imprisonment' to pressure the Mutants' leaders …"
"There's no point in doing so. On the contrary, it will arouse the hatred of the Mutants …" Nangong Wuyue poured herself some wine and gently shook the small bowl in her hand.
"The higher-ups in Japan aren't fools. Of course, some of them have thought of the possible consequences of this, but … they have no choice but to do so."
"… What do you mean?" Liu Xiaojiang looked at Nangong Wuyue in confusion.
"Of course it's because of humanitarianism. There's also pressure from the international community …" Nangong Wuyue smiled maliciously.
"The Mutants aren't a group that only exists in Japan. Besides, everyone is having a headache because of the Mutants. Why should the rest of us care about humanitarianism while the Japanese can do whatever they want on this issue?"
"… I see." Liu Xiaojiang noticed the smile in Nangong Wuyue's eyes. He roughly understood the real reason behind Japan's actions, so he slowly raised the corner of his mouth and said.
"Since the situation is like this, then my operation this time can be considered a small help to Japan. After all, these are tools that I don't need … It's a relief to be able to throw them away."
"Hmph …" Nangong Wuyue put the small bowl back on the table. "If this thing succeeds, then after this … the Japanese higher-ups won't be able to shake off the bad reputation of ignoring humanitarianism."
However,
"I'm still too confident …" Liu Xiaojiang shook his head calmly. Nangong Wuyue looked at him with deep suspicion. He took the initiative to reach out and grab Nangong Wuyue's shoulder that was exposed outside her kimono, allowing the wisps of black gas in his palm to successfully invade her body.
Nangong Wuyue didn't feel anything unusual, but she still looked at Liu Xiaojiang in confusion. "What are you …"
"Don't drink the wine on the table anymore …" Liu Xiaojiang immediately reminded her. "Although it can't be compared to the Tang Sect's methods, this thing is colorless and odorless. Normal observation methods can't see it clearly. As for the effect … it's enough to make you unable to breathe for a short period of time."
"You're saying that the wine is poisoned?" Nangong Wuyue couldn't help but be stunned when she heard this. She obviously didn't know when she gave herself away, and she didn't even realize that the wine she drank was poisoned.
On the other side.
Perhaps it was because they witnessed Liu Xiaojiang and Nangong Wuyue drinking the poisoned wine, but the musicians responsible for the dancers stopped what they were doing. In an instant, the originally lively and peaceful banquet became much quieter.
At the same time, as if to prove Liu Xiaojiang's words, the Nangong Wuyue put down the cup of wine.
The Neon Mutants all put down their wine cups and followed the three old men to the red maple tree where Liu Xiaojiang and Wuyue were.
Moreover, everyone's face was so calm that the younger Nangong Wuyue among them began to look at Nangong Wuyue without restraint.
It was as if everything was within their expectations …
"Miss Shi Zi, I'm sorry to offend you …" The leader of the Nangong Wuyue, a ninja from Mount Hiei, calmly led the crowd to Liu Xiaojiang and Nangong Wuyue.
"However, you should be able to understand. After all, you may be one of us, but your heart isn't on our side. Instead, you chose to stand on the side of the Chinese. Poisoning the wine … can be considered as helping you avoid physical pain."
"You … How did you find out?" Nangong Wuyue was smart enough to immediately pretend to be in disbelief. Her acting was enough to make Liu Xiaojiang believe her.
However, Liu Xiaojiang basically couldn't understand what they were saying. He could only analyze the general conversation based on the current situation and guess that this group of Nangong Wuyue might be saying something proud.
"Miss Shizi, you're really amazing. No matter how we investigated, we couldn't find any flaws in you. But when you traveled to Shina a few years ago, you finally chose to let your guard down …" The old man named Shuwa Michinoku said with a smile beside the ninja head.
"Hmph, you're obviously a pure Yamato Nadeshiko, but you chose to stand on the side of the Chinese. Shi Zi … You've let me down!" On the other side of the ninja, Ampere Tokuma was not as calm as the other two old men. He obviously felt that he had been deceived.
"… Mr. Tokuma." Nangong Wuyue guessed the reason why she was exposed, so she regained her usual calmness and looked at Ampere Tokuma with a smile.
"The reason why Shi Zi's identity was exposed was because of your teacher …"
"I was just worried about your safety! Who knew … "Ampere Tokuma said angrily," You actually betrayed us! Betrayed the Ampere Clan who raised you for so many years! Why?! "
"It's not a betrayal …" Nangong Wuyue shook her head and smiled. "I'm just a force that was absorbed into the Ampere Clan …"
"What do you mean by 'raised'? A martial artist like me who has awakened a special ability can't learn the Yin-Yang Technique of the Ampere Clan. You, Mr. Tokuma, are good to me … It's just that you want me and your grandson to carry on the family line."
"If you don't want to, why don't you say it?!" The other Nihon people present, perhaps out of respect for Ampere Tokuma, or perhaps because they felt that Nangong Wuyue couldn't escape, all chose to let Ampere Tokuma handle the 'family affairs'.
However, considering Ampere Tokuma's behavior, Liu Xiaojiang felt that even if he had a lot of influence in Nihon, it was impossible for him to protect Nangong Wuyue's life. That was why he broke his heart when he thought that things were irreversible.
Ampere Tokuma's care for Nangong Wuyue didn't seem to be fake …
Even if Liu Xiaojiang couldn't understand their conversation, he could still feel Ampere Tokuma's emotions. It wasn't the negative emotions of someone who wanted to kill someone to vent his anger after being deceived. There was anger … but more than that, there was regret and confusion.
"If I say it …" Nangong Wuyue's eyes flashed with despair. She knew that this mission had failed because of her. She even accidentally put the life of Liu Xiaojiang, a fellow Nihon's in danger.
"If I say it, will I still have a chance to stay in the Ampere Clan … where it's so convenient to get information?"
"You …" Ampere Tokuma covered his heart with his hand.
"Tokuma, watch your emotions. I know you value Miss Shi, but she's still not a member of the Ampere Clan. Besides, she's a spy that the Chinamen left here …" Ninja Tokuma couldn't help but remind Ampere Tokuma.
"If Miss Shi doesn't die, we'll be showing our weakness to the Chinamen. The higher-ups … will think that we're useless."
Ampere Tokuma looked at Ninja Tokuma and said, "Imprison her and make sure she never leaves the house. Isn't that enough …"
"Ampere Tokuma, don't make things difficult for Ninja Tokuma, and don't make things difficult for all our fellow Nihon just because of an outsider …" Dao Man Xiuhe frowned.
"You should know our situation. We can't let a grain of sand appear in those people's eyes …"
At this moment …
Nangong Wuyue seemed to be relieved. She didn't care how the other party would deal with her. She just turned around and smiled bitterly with guilt.
"Liu Zhenren, I'm sorry. It seems … I've harmed you."
However …
Liu Xiaojiang finally heard a sentence that he could understand and finally confirmed the current situation. He slowly got up from the ground and nodded slightly with a smile.
"No, Nangong Wuyue, you didn't harm me. Exposing your identity will only force you to go back after the mission is over. As for this matter … it can be considered to have solved some of my worries."
"Among these people present, except for Ampere Tokuma, kill all of them … You shouldn't have any objections, right?"
"Liu Zhenren, are you …" Before Nangong Wuyue could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt the air turn cold.
Then …
She saw an extremely strange black aura spreading out from Liu Xiaojiang's body, causing this young man, who had left a gentle impression on her when she first met him, to look … like a complete stranger!
Cold!
Strange!
So much so that it made people instinctively feel fear!
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