On the battleship. At night.
Matsumoto Takeyoshi was sitting on a cushion, playing chess with someone. The veiled Green and White Envoys stood quietly behind him, one on his left and one on his right.
The person sitting across from Matsumoto Takeyoshi was wearing a black robe and a black hat. He wore a crystal clear white jade puppet mask on his face. Under the mask, a pair of blue eyes flashed coldly. He looked very strange.
"How's the progress?" the black-robed man asked in a hoarse voice. He placed a white piece on the chessboard.
"It's going well." Matsumoto Takeyoshi placed a black piece on the board.
"I heard that there's a problem with your son?" The black-robed man raised his head as he spoke. He looked at Matsumoto Takeyoshi with his blue eyes.
Matsumoto Takeyoshi smiled as he picked up a few black stones from the jar and played with them in his hand. He lowered his head to look at the chessboard. "Lord Shinozaki sure is well-informed. He got the news so quickly."
"Got the news? Haha. "The black-robed man laughed." I was there at the time. How can I say that I got the news? I should say that I saw it with my own eyes. What do you think? "
Matsumoto Takeyoshi frowned when he heard this. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the black-robed man.
He was not the only one. The green-robed man standing behind him narrowed his eyes when he heard this! This Shinozaki was there when he fought Ye Fan!
Even with his cultivation level, he had not sensed Shinozaki's presence. This made him feel uneasy. This Shinozaki's cultivation level was probably on par with his.
The white-robed man looked calm. He closed his eyes tightly and stood there as if he had fallen asleep.
The black-robed man lowered his head and looked at the chessboard with interest.
"You're spying on me?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi asked.
"Spying? Hehe, "the black-robed man put down the white chess piece in his hand and said with a smile," Don't make it sound so bad. I am only following the orders of Great God Xie Tian to come and see your progress. If I wanted to monitor you, why would I show myself, en? "
Hearing the black robed man say this, Matsumoto Takeyoshi looked away and continued to place his piece on the chessboard. "If that's the case, Lord Shinozaki has already reported the situation here to Great God Xie Tian?"
"What do you think?" The black-robed man laughed.
"Great God Xie Tian, what instructions do you have?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi asked with a frown.
"Instructions? Humph, humph. "The black robed man gave a cold laugh as the white chess pieces in his hand clattered," Great god Xie Tian is very unhappy. Although this matter was not your original intention, if we look into it, it is your mistake. Who asked him to be your son? "
Matsumoto Takeyoshi frowned and said nothing. The black-robed man was right. If this matter was really investigated, he had nothing to say.
"Great God Xie Tian wanted to take your son's life, but he was afraid that he would hurt your feelings and affect your actions in the Great Ming Dynasty. So, he asked me to tell you that this will be the only time. There will be no next time. Otherwise …" As the black-robed man spoke, a black fog appeared in his hand that was holding the chess piece.
"Chi …" The white chess piece instantly turned into a white paste that flowed from his hand and dripped onto the chessboard, releasing a black smoke.
After the stone chessboard came into contact with the white paste in the black-robed man's hand, it instantly softened and melted. In the blink of an eye, the two feet square chessboard and the chess pieces on it had all turned into a pile of ash!
"It seems like this round is a draw." The black-robed man patted the dust off his hands and stood up to look at Matsumoto Takeyoshi with a smile. "I wonder what the result will be next time."
"Lord Shinozaki, please go back and tell Great God Xie Tian." Matsumoto Takeyoshi also stood up. "This kind of thing will not happen again."
"That would be for the best." The black-robed man turned around and slowly walked to the door. When he reached the door, he turned around again. "That's right, you should hurry up with the matter of the Nine Cauldrons. Great God Xie Tian has begun to urge you." After he finished speaking, the black-robed man pushed the door open and left.
Matsumoto Takeyoshi walked to the porthole with his hands behind his back. He raised his head and looked out. He saw a black light in the sky that was quickly flying in the direction of Japan.
"Where are the thirteen people now?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi turned around and asked the black-robed man.
"According to the time, Koga Ryu's Bamu Changqing, Kyoto's Akatsuki, and Japan's Ghost King's Five Attendants should have arrived in the Great Ming Dynasty. There should be news in a few days." The black-robed man said. "As for Hengyama Jugo, Sato Kawa Kai, Funakoshi Shinichi, and Fujita Gang, they encountered a storm at sea, so they will be a few days late. Onigirō and Kamehameha have always been alone, so there is no news yet. I believe they are also rushing here."
"How is Miyamoto Akiichi and Sasaki's progress?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi continued to ask.
"According to the spies, the progress of the two of them is very smooth." The black-robed man replied.
"How long will it take to finish?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi asked.
"If the progress is smooth, it will take at least one month, at most three months." The black-robed man said.
"Finally, there is good news." Matsumoto Takeyoshi nodded. "Pass down my order. Wake up the shadow troops hidden in the Great Ming Dynasty and let them be on standby. Also, inform Taro and let him use the power of the imperial court to find the whereabouts of the Nine Cauldrons. Remember, as long as you find the specific location, you must not act on your own accord. Once you find the location, report to me immediately. I have the arrangements."
"I will pass down the order immediately." The black-robed man nodded.
"Also," Matsumoto Takeyoshi continued. "Arrange for a confidant to go back to Japan and secretly bring the Sword of Kusanagi here."
"Sword of Kusanagi?" The black-robed man was shocked.
Not only him, but the white-robed man who had his eyes closed immediately opened his eyes when he heard these three words.
"Mr. Matsumoto, do you want to …" The black-robed man frowned.
"I heard that someone criticized me in front of Tokugawa Ieyasu, saying that I have a secret artifact. Although this person has been killed, with Tokugawa Ieyasu's suspicious personality, he will still do something. To prevent any accidents from happening, it is better to bring the Sword of Kusanagi here. This is one of the reasons." Matsumoto Takeyoshi began to walk as he spoke. "Another reason is that the Great Ming Dynasty is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. There are many masters and godly weapons. Let's not talk about others, just the Cold Dragon Sword in Ye Fan's hand is a huge problem. I thought that I could use Hattori Chihiro's Flaming Sword to suppress him, but who would have thought that I would end up losing the Flaming Sword instead of the Weapon Forging Manual. Bring the Sword of Kusanagi here. It might be able to help at a critical moment. "
The black-robed man nodded. "That's good. A long delay may cause problems in the future."
"Shinozaki is one of the ten guards under Great God Xie Tian. His position is respected." Matsumoto Takeyoshi looked at the crescent moon outside the window. "I didn't expect that even he would be alarmed this time."
"Should we make some preparations?" The black-robed man asked. "If you are willing, I can set up a barrier around this warship."
"There is no need." Matsumoto Takeyoshi waved his hand. "That would be counterproductive. Everything will be the same as before."
The black-robed man nodded slightly.
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