The dagger was only as long as a palm, two fingers wide, with a curved and sharp blade.
The hilt was also covered in rust, having been sealed for many years like other antiques.
Su Yang held the dagger and drew it across a bronze artifact.
—Screech!
A deep, long scratch appeared on the bronze artifact, yet the dagger showed no wear at all.
“Good knife!”
Sakada Sougetsu exclaimed, reaching out to take it, then retracting her hand.
She suddenly remembered that everything here, including the entire ship, belonged to Su Yang, and she had no right to ask for the dagger.
“Do you want it?”
“Of course.”
Sakada Sougetsu’s eyes were fixed on the dagger. As an assassin, she was most interested in various weapons.
“If you want it, then you’ll have to follow me wholeheartedly from now on!”
Su Yang chuckled. Sakada Sougetsu shook her head. “After I save my sister, I’ll return to Sang Country and will never come to Long Country again. I can’t stay, let alone follow you.”
Sakada Sougetsu only wanted to rescue her sister, Sakada Yano Sakura, and return to Sang Country with her to relive their past.
“Actually, there’s a secret I want to tell you!”
“What is it?”
“Your sister likes me, so she gave her first time to you.”
Hearing this, Sakada Sougetsu’s eyes widened. “What nonsense are you talking about? How could my sister fall for a man from Long Country?”
Su Yang sat on the ground and slowly recounted how he met Sakada Yano Sakura.
“A long time ago, I killed a high-ranking official from your Assassin Hall. Afterward, your sister, under the alias He Ying, infiltrated Long Country and bought a villa near where I lived.
She faked several chance encounters, asking me to help her move things, fix her plumbing, repair her car, and so on. After a few times, we got to know each other.
She even claimed to be my loyal fan, asking for my autograph and to have drinks with me. I suppose you know I’ve written poetry and songs, right?”
Sakada Sougetsu listened, stunned, but she had indeed heard of Su Yang’s poems and songs.
Especially “Si Linglong,” which had driven countless women to madness and admiration.
And those few songs had spread throughout Long Country and even reached Sang Country.
“But even so, my sister wouldn’t give her precious first time to you. I believe in my sister; she’s not a promiscuous woman.”
Su Yang nodded. “Your sister initially intended to ambush me when I was off guard for revenge. However, I saw through her scheme. I didn’t kill her, and eventually, we became friends.
Your sister, on one hand, found me handsome and talented. On the other hand, she wanted to protect her compatriots who might be in Songhai. So, she reached an agreement with me. She would marry me, and I would let them go.”
Su Yang knew that Sakada Sougetsu wouldn’t believe him easily, so he was telling her half-truths.
Only this way could he make Sakada Sougetsu relax.
“I don’t believe you unless you let my sister call me. I want to talk to her.”
“That might be difficult. Currently, your sister is pregnant.”
“What? That’s impossible, absolutely impossible!”
Sakada Sougetsu’s face changed drastically. Her sister, Sakada Yano Sakura, had only been in Long Country for less than half a year.
How could she be pregnant?
Su Yang took out his phone and flipped through some photos.
The photos were sent by Lu Qi yesterday, saying that both Sakada Yano Sakura and Kawashima Nako were pregnant.
The doctor’s examination showed they were both three months pregnant. They were no longer held in the basement but had been moved to live on the hillside.
Su Yang had also been shocked at the time; these two women had actually conceived from a single encounter.
And they got pregnant after just one time.
Sakada Sougetsu snatched the phone and, at first glance, it was indeed her sister, Sakada Yano Sakura.
In the photos, her sister looked a bit fairer and plumper than before, likely due to pregnancy.
Kawashima Nako was also there, one of her childhood companions.
Both women had joyful smiles on their faces, and there were no visible injuries. The living environment was also not bad.
Looking at this, Su Yang indeed hadn’t lied to her.
“Um, are my sister and Nako having boys or girls?”
“How would I know? The doctor didn’t say, and does it matter if it’s a boy or a girl?”
Sakada Sougetsu put down the phone, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“You don’t know, but in Sang Country, we often favor boys over girls. Men can inherit the family business, while women have to rely on themselves.
If they’re lucky, they marry a good man and have a secure life. Unlucky women can only enter the red-light district or become assassins, risking their lives for money.”
Su Yang said, “So, you became an assassin to earn money? Or were you forced by your parents?”
“Both!”
Sakada Sougetsu wiped away a tear inadvertently, her smile forced and helpless.
“This is life!”
Su Yang seized the opportunity. “Come to Long Country! Your sister is here. Stop being an assassin and live freely under the sun.”
Sakada Sougetsu’s body trembled. Su Yang’s words, “live freely under the sun,” broke through her defenses.
As an assassin, her greatest skill was not killing but disguise and concealment.
All along, she had trained and tracked targets in the darkness.
“But, my relatives are still in Sang Country, they…”
Seeing her waver, Su Yang intensified his persuasion. “If you feel they treat you well and are important to you, you can secretly bring them over. As for the rest, I’ll arrange it.”
“This… I’ll consider it. If I can see my sister and she agrees, I’ll leave the Assassin Hall immediately.”
“Very good, you’ll be able to talk to her tomorrow.”
Su Yang had already decided to call Lu Qi tonight and brainwash Sakada Yano Sakura.
He would trick her into helping to persuade Sakada Sougetsu, dealing a heavy blow to the Sang Country Assassin Hall.
“By the way, I’ll give you this skull dagger. But don’t think about using it to stab me, or I won’t be lenient.”
Su Yang handed the dagger to Sakada Sougetsu, playing to her interests to speed up the persuasion process.
“Thank you.”
Sakada Sougetsu caressed the dagger as if it were a baby.
“Oh, and you can pick whatever gold, silver, jewelry, or antiques you want from here.”
“Forget it, I don’t want these things. I’ll seriously consider what you said.”
“Alright, let’s go out then!”
Su Yang stood up and led Sakada Sougetsu back the way they came.
…
On deck.
Yuan Kui and the other three took turns on guard duty; Shen Qiu, who was injured, was absent.
Seeing Su Yang come up, Yuan Kui and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
“Boss, we thought something had happened to you.”
“Yuan Kui, have they all been dispatched to eliminate the scout team members?”
“Yes, they left in a small boat an hour ago, saying they were carrying out a mission assigned by Miss Sakada.”
Su Yang nodded. With the female mercenaries taking action, the disciples of Shi Wuzun would be safe.
Next, he would head to Kyoto at full speed.
“Yuan Kui, you all go and rest. We’ll be landing around dusk tomorrow, and there might be a tough battle.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Yuan Kui and the others rubbed their hands, feeling full and satisfied, wishing a battle would break out right now.
“Sougetsu, you should also get some rest.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow!”