The Kawata family.
Dim lamplight flickered in the courtyard, and the guards dozed off.
Swish!
A gust of night wind blew, and a dark figure darted into the Kawata family, unnoticed.
The dark figure silently traversed every corner, eventually entering Kawata Yuudou's room as if familiar with it.
"Who!"
In his sleep, Kawata Yuudou seemed to sense something and woke up instantly.
He sat up straight, looking around warily.
Ever since the ancient zither was handed over to the Dark Association, Okamura had withdrawn the ninja force, believing there was no crisis for the Kawata family.
This move left Kawata Yuudou sleepless, unable to even close his eyes when he slept, fearing revenge.
At this moment.
In the dim moonlight, he indeed saw a dark figure sitting on a chair not far from him.
The dark figure seemed to be crossing its legs, with a cigarette in its mouth.
"Who are you?"
Due to the dim light, Kawata Yuudou couldn't see the face of the person opposite him and asked.
He didn't choose to raise an alarm. Seeing that the cigarette in the other party's hand was half-burnt, he deduced that they had been there for some time.
The other party could have killed him immediately but didn't, which gave him a sliver of hope.
Besides, even if he called for help, it might not be in time!
Because he could tell that the other party was very strong, otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to enter his room without a sound.
"Heh, this should be the first time you've seen me."
"But you should be familiar with my face."
The man turned his body, leaning closer, revealing a sinister smile.
"It's you!"
"Ye Cangtian!"
Kawata Yuudou almost screamed. The person in front of him looked exactly like the photo of Ye Cangtian that had been sent back!
It was obvious that this was the sworn enemy he had been longing to kill, the killer of his son!
With the other party appearing before him, Kawata Yuudou felt a chill down his spine.
He had meticulously planned to get rid of the other party and had even handed over the ancient zither that the other party was trying to rescue to the Dark Association. Now that the other party had come to his door, how could he possibly let him go?
"Haha, I knew you'd recognize me!"
"How is it? Surprised? Unexpected?"
Ye Cangtian laughed heartily, his playful smile growing more intense.
From the moment he saw the ancient zither, which was covered in injuries, he had made up his mind that this revenge must be exacted!
And tonight, with a dark moon and a strong wind, it was the perfect time to act!
"You, weren't you crippled?"
"How could you be here?"
Looking at Ye Cangtian's smiling face, Kawata Yuudou seemed to recall something and hurriedly asked.
He didn't believe the ninja force would joke about such a matter.
Besides, with the Upper Ninja Sasaki personally taking action, how could there be any accidents?
"I don't need to explain this to you!"
"You just need to know that a mere Sasaki can't do anything to me!"
"Furthermore, I advise you not to think too much. While I'm in a good mood, it's best to leave a final message. Perhaps I can help pass it on for you."
Ye Cangtian smiled disdainfully. He wouldn't say anything about the Heart of Relics.
As expected, the other party was here to kill him!
Kawata Yuudou's heart turned cold. He was no match for Ye Cangtian at this moment.
He forced himself to calm down and forced a smile that was more like a grimace.
"Ye Cangtian, although you've calculated everything, you've still overlooked something."
"You thought you could fool everyone by faking your injuries, but if I shout your name loudly, you'll be doomed!"
Kawata Yuudou suddenly thought of something and said through gritted teeth.
He had guessed Ye Cangtian's plan.
He pretended to be seriously injured by Sasaki, causing the ninja force to relax their vigilance and withdraw their protection from the Kawata family, thus creating an opportunity to eliminate him.
However, as long as he shouted loudly, the bodyguards outside the room would surely hear.
This would inevitably lead to a full-scale pursuit by the ninja force.
He believed that even if Ye Cangtian had three heads and six arms, he wouldn't be able to leave Japan alive.
Therefore, he planned to use this as a bargaining chip to make the other party hesitate.
"Heh, what time is it now?"
"Why do you still hold onto a shred of hope?"
"How about I give you a chance to try? Let's see who speaks faster, you or my dagger?"
Ye Cangtian smiled playfully, flipped his wrist, and a dagger with a black skull appeared in his hand.
Cold sweat dripped down Kawata Yuudou's forehead.
He didn't dare to gamble; losing the gamble would cost him his life!
Of course, he also knew that members of the Dragon Team like Ye Cangtian would not be tempted by vast fortunes. If they were, he would gladly give up all his wealth to save his life.
His eyes suddenly lit up. People like this might only be interested in crystals.
But how could a secular family like his possess such scarce items?
"Ye Cangtian, how about we make a deal?"
"If you let me go, I can pledge my allegiance to you and provide you with all the information and intelligence of the ninja force."
After thinking for a long time, Kawata Yuudou spoke.
He certainly didn't intend to become Ye Cangtian's servant. After all, the other party was the killer of his son. He only said this to save his life.
After tonight, he could inform the ninja force about this matter, and then Ye Cangtian would have no opportunity to kill him again.
"That's a good condition."
"But unfortunately, I don't believe you!"
"And I don't need an old dog like you!"
Ye Cangtian shook his head and smiled.
Upon hearing this, Kawata Yuudou's face darkened, and he said fiercely, "So, you won't let me off today no matter what?"
"That's right. When you repeatedly caused trouble for me and even tortured Guqin, your death was already decided."
"However, before you die, I can tell you one thing."
"Your son, Kawata Ichiro, was not killed by me. I think someone wanted to sow discord and use you to kill me!"
Ye Cangtian said lightly.
All the conflict he had with the Kawata family began because of Kawata Ichiro.
Now, as everything was about to return to dust, explaining this matter was so that Kawata Yuudou could die with some understanding.
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Kawata Yuudou's eyes widened. His once straight spine softened, and a sense of defeat grew stronger.
He considered himself wise in all matters, rarely having rivals in power and family struggles.
But he never expected that the person he longed to kill was not his son's killer, and he himself had become someone else's pawn.
This made him furious, and it also gave rise to a sense of guilt towards his son, making him feel utterly useless.
After all, he was already a dead man. Since Ye Cangtian didn't even hide his identity now, why would he lie to a dying man?
"Who, who killed my son?"
"Do you know, Ye Cangtian?"
Kawata Yuudou was very agitated. He didn't want to die with such unfulfilled regrets.
"I don't know specifically who it was, but I will definitely find out!"
Ye Cangtian spoke the truth. No matter who was behind it, their ultimate goal was to frame him. He couldn't bear this burden for nothing.
"Good, old man will give you a chance to continue investigating."
"After you've figured everything out, remember to send me a message in burning paper!"
Kawata Yuudou gritted his teeth and said.
He didn't believe in ghosts and spirits originally, but he couldn't accept dying like this.
Compared to Ye Cangtian, the person orchestrating things from the shadows was even more hateful.
And after his death, perhaps only Ye Cangtian would genuinely investigate this matter, so he gave up shouting and closed his eyes.
"Since you've made your choice, I won't bother to take action."
"Deal with it yourself, consider it preserving your last bit of dignity."
Seeing that the other party had given up struggling, Ye Cangtian retracted his skull dagger.
After a moment of thought, he then said, "By the way, I can promise to investigate this matter, but there's a condition. You need to help me write a letter..."
Upon hearing this, Kawata Yuudou hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. After all, with things as they were, what couldn't he accept?
He then took paper and pen and began to write.
...