They hesitated, wondering whether to continue executing Araki Yoji's mission or surrender to Araki Mikoto.
After all, Araki Mikoto was, in name, still the patriarch of the Araki clan until this moment. Moreover, Araki Yoji was already dead, and they saw no reason to risk their lives for a dead man.
They naively believed they still had a choice.
However, as they dithered, Chen Xiao casually unleashed several wind blades, ending their lives.
The lives of these scoundrels were worth nothing in Chen Xiao's eyes!
"It seems your family doesn't really welcome me," Chen Xiao said to Araki Mikoto, his tone casual.
"Master..."
Araki Mikoto's face paled with panic, unsure of what to say.
After a few moments of thought, she replied, "They are them, and I am me."
"Of course, I know they are them, and you are you," Chen Xiao said calmly. "Let's go, take me to meet your family."
With that, Chen Xiao walked towards a car by the roadside.
Araki Mikoto shook her head with a bitter smile, the fate of the Araki clan already evident.
...
Meanwhile, within the deep mansion of the Araki clan, many high-ranking family members were gathered, engaged in a heated discussion.
A middle-aged man, resembling a bullhead shark, exclaimed excitedly, "I just received a call from Yoji. He's dealt with that traitor, Araki Mikoto, and also blew up that kid from China. This time, our Araki family can finally account for ourselves to His Majesty the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, the entire conference room fell silent.
Araki Mikoto... was dead?!
This meant the end of an era for the Araki clan!
The bullhead shark speaking was Araki Taku, Araki Yoji's father.
He himself possessed little strength and could only occupy a seat near the end in the family's council hall.
Even this near-end seat was due to Araki Yoji.
He was elevated by his son's status; otherwise, he would not have been qualified to attend this high-level internal family meeting.
As soon as his words fell, Araki Lei, Araki Mikoto's father, turned deathly pale. In just over ten hours, he had experienced the entire spectrum from heaven to hell.
Originally, he should have been seated near the head of the table for such meetings.
However, given that his precious daughter had become a traitor to the family, and even the entire nation, he could only sit at the very end.
And this was likely the last high-level meeting he would attend.
As the father of a traitor, it wouldn't be long before someone within the family would target him for retaliation.
His former supporters would also scatter like fallen leaves following Araki Mikoto's death; it would be considered good if they didn't add insult to injury.
This was the sorrow of a great family: no kinship, only struggle!
But he could not simply wait for death; today was his last chance.
He wasn't trying to gain more power; he was destined to stay away from the core of power from now on, that was a foregone conclusion.
What he wanted to strive for was simply a chance to survive.
Therefore, upon hearing Araki Taku's words, he immediately slammed his hand on the table and began to confront his third brother.
"This is utterly preposterous, Araki Taku! Who gave you the authority to unilaterally decide to kill Mikoto?"
"Have you forgotten Mikoto's status? Even if she truly committed a mistake, she should be judged by His Majesty the Emperor, not be dealt with through assassination!"
"Moreover, whether Mikoto truly betrayed the family and the Emperor has not been determined. Mikoto is my daughter, and I'm not defending her; based on my understanding of her, she would never do such a thing!"
Araki Lei argued his case eloquently.
His words were merely an attempt to exonerate his daughter.
Even if his daughter had indeed committed treason, all evidence was now gone.
As long as he insisted on this narrative, he believed others would not pursue a dead person.
This way, he could extricate himself unscathed.
"Mikoto, I'll let you protect your family one last time!" he thought silently, his gaze sweeping across everyone present, observing their reactions.
"Heh, second brother, don't think we don't know what you're thinking!" Araki Taku sneered. "Do you think I'm truly foolish? Araki Mikoto, as a divine attendant and the patriarch of the Araki clan, would Yoji dare to act without permission?"
"To tell you the truth, Yoji was granted permission by our father to kill the previous patriarch! Because the Chinese person she brought back was an extremely dangerous individual, so any means were permissible to eliminate them!"
Araki Lei froze abruptly, then shouted, "You're talking nonsense! How would I not know if something like this happened?"
"Of course, you wouldn't know? If you had known, you would have tipped off your daughter, wouldn't you?" Araki Taku glanced at him arrogantly, a fake smile on his face.
"Furthermore, based on current intelligence, we cannot rule out the possibility of collusion between you and your daughter. So, second brother, after the meeting, you can expect to be investigated!"
Upon hearing this, Araki Lei instantly became enraged and cursed, "Baka yarō! Araki Taku, you bastard! I can't believe you dare to treat me like this! Haven't I been good enough to you all these years? If it weren't for me, would your family have the status they do today?"
"And that brat Araki Yoji, he raped the daughter of the Director of the Security Bureau. If I hadn't smoothed things over, he would have been killed long ago!"
At this moment, Araki Lei was like a rabid dog.
He had long anticipated that someone would seize the opportunity to retaliate against him.
He just hadn't expected it to come so quickly, and from his third brother, with whom he had always had a decent relationship.
"Araki Lei, are you insane! Yoji is the chosen candidate for the new patriarch, and I warn you not to spout nonsense! Slander!"
"New patriarch? Him?"
Araki Lei gritted his teeth and said, "Don't get your hopes up. I'm telling you, the evidence of your son's wrongdoing is all in my hands. If I release it to the public, he'll be rotting in prison!"
With that, Araki Lei angrily left the meeting.
Araki Taku, however, remained frozen in his seat, as if petrified.
He was completely flustered and, facing this situation, had no idea what to do!
As Araki Lei was about to leave the conference room, a man in traditional samurai attire suddenly stood up and called out to him.
"Father-in-law, wait!"
The samurai pursued him.
"Hijikata, are you coming with me?"
The samurai's name was Hijikata Toshirō, and he was Araki Lei's son-in-law.
Of course, he was not Araki Mikoto's husband; he had married another daughter of Araki Lei.
Seeing Hijikata Toshirō chasing after him, Araki Lei felt a slight sense of relief, thinking that he still had allies among the family's upper echelons.
However, before he could finish speaking, Hijikata Toshirō had already drawn his sword and, with a *swish*, pierced his heart.