Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

"The most important ingredient in that medicine is... the blood of unborn Deadpool fetuses." Tachibana Masamune sighed deeply. "This is the inspiration I got from Dr. Herzog's diary. The blood of unborn Deadpool fetuses has the effect of suppressing dragon transformation. So I raise these Deadpools, separate the healthy mothers from each one, raise them in captivity, and then mate them with strong male Deadpools to breed stronger and more advanced Deadpool fetuses... The blood of these fetuses will have a more significant effect on suppressing the deterioration of Eri's bloodline."

Gennochi was completely stunned. Although he knew that Tachibana Masamune had no need to lie to him about saving Eri, when he thought about the innocent girl being injected with medicine made from the fetal blood of those ugly monsters every day, he couldn't help but feel an indescribable chill in his heart.

"So your purpose of raising Deadpool is to prolong Eri's life?" Gen Chisheng couldn't help but ask.

He felt that although the man in front of him was full of lies, if this man was really the one who made Eiry take the risk and raise such a dangerous thing in the building, then no matter what his original intention was, and no matter whether Eiry was his biological daughter or not, at least the man did extend Eiry's life. This result was undeniable. From this point of view, this man might still have a trace of humanity... Because if it was Genji, he would probably do stupid things to sacrifice innocent people for his loved ones. He learned selflessness from the man, and at the same time, he also had the same selfish personality as the man.

"That's just one of the reasons, Chisheng. I've told you everything. From the beginning, I told you the fundamental purpose of raising these Deadpools was to counter the King General... or Dr. Herzog," Tachibana Masamune said seriously. "But you know what? The research I've done hasn't even caught up to the level Dr. Herzog achieved twenty years ago... You've also seen that dragon-shaped Deadpool, right?"

"He was originally a special commissioner sent by headquarters to Japan. Ten years ago, he was seriously injured and on the verge of death during a mission. I saved him, but I couldn't bring him back to life," said Tachibana Masamune. "At that time, I had a bottle of demon potion in my pocket that I had looted from the demon thugs. I had two paths before me. One was to let him die. I wouldn't have to bear any guilt for it, and at most I would be considered an indifferent bystander. The second path was to inject the demon potion into that man's body and see what kind of distortion would occur to him. If I took this path, I was destined to bear the guilt of a life... For some unknown reason, I finally made up my mind to push the potion into that man's body."

"It took that man ten years to become what he is now. Perhaps you, Zhisheng, think he's powerful enough, but the dragon-shaped Deadpool's transformation wasn't complete. Twenty years ago, Dr. Herzog created a dragon-shaped Deadpool with an even greater degree of deformation." Tachibana Masamune's eyes were filled with fear. "If Herzog ever develops a way to control Deadpool, then the Snake Generals will truly be powerless to resist..."

"Enough!" Minamoto no Chisei shouted, interrupting Tachibana Masamune.

Yuan Zhisheng closed his eyes and immersed himself in the darkness.

He has given this man chances again and again in his heart, and he has broken his bottom line for this man again and again, but all he got in return was lies...still lies.

The mountain of lies had already weighed down Yuan Zhisheng. He felt that this was enough, and today's questioning could end here. He didn't want to hear any more lies, otherwise he couldn't guarantee that he could restrain his murderous intent... He was afraid that he would suddenly pull out the Spider-Slash and slash it across the neck of this heartless man!

Tachibana Masamune was also shocked into silence by Minamoto no Chisei's roar. Minamoto no Chisei had never shown such a violent side in front of him. He thought that Minamoto no Chisei was blaming him for always looking for excuses for the family's loss today.

"Chisheng, I will not evade my guilt. Today's loss to our family rests solely on me. From the very beginning, these are all sins I committed. Those who died were innocent." Tachibana Masamune knelt on the ground behind Chisheng. "Since I've come to you, it means I'm ready to die. I will use my life to pay for the sins I owe to my family... Although my frail life cannot atone for the sins of so many dead souls, it is the only thing I can offer now."

"But remember to take good care of Eri. Besides me, you're the person she trusts most in this world. I hope to see her healthy again, but I'm destined not to see that day." Tachibana Masamune smiled bitterly. "I can only ask you to protect Eri's safety and happiness for me. Although her bloodline is more dangerous than that of ordinary 'demons', I hope you can show her some mercy, Chisei. If she ever completely loses control... then please use your demon-slaying sword to give her a perfect redemption!"

Chapter 368 The Breakup between Father and Son

In the face of Tachibana Masamune's plea, Minamoto no Chisei stood silently in the darkness, without saying a word, like a cold iron tower.

Perfect redemption... for whom? Eri? The girl who played the role of sister in his life?

Yuan Zhisheng carefully imagined the scene in his mind, and then found that he could not achieve perfect redemption at all...even if the girl really became a "ghost" one day.

He had done something similar many years ago, raising his demon-slaying sword to end the life of an important person... But that could not be called a perfect redemption at all. It was simply killing. No matter whether the other party was a "human" or a "ghost", once killed, it was killed, and the pain he carried would not be alleviated in the slightest.

There wasn't a day that Yuan Zhisheng didn't regret the decision he made that day. If he could go back in time and do it all over again, he would never swing that deadly blade and kill that crucial person in his life... It felt like cutting out a large piece of his heart, leaving only a blank space.

To this day, he still occasionally wakes up from terrifying nightmares, and the images in his mind are lingering... The boy who fell into the deep well stared at his face with clear eyes, and the moonlight fell on that beautiful face like a girl, so clean, so white... Like a child who is far away from you, and like a lonely ghost coming towards you.

That day he lost his beloved younger brother, and a big piece was missing in his life. Later, Eri appeared as a sister and finally filled this blank... There was no way Genjiro would give her up so easily. No matter the law or morality, no one could take his sister away from him.

So, in his heart, Genji deeply questioned Masamune's words. Perfect redemption... was this really what a father should say? He felt that even when death was imminent, he still wanted to put his life on the line for the greater good, sacrificing his only "daughter" as a condition for him to waver in his determination to punish him?

The little bit of good feeling that Yuan Zhisheng had finally developed towards Tachibana Masamune's return dissipated again, just like this man's kindness, which was nothing but a cloud of smoke that could not be blown away by the wind... Yuan Zhisheng smiled bitterly in his heart. He didn't expect that at this point he still harbored such childish stupidity in his heart. Lu Mingfei had clearly revealed this man's true face to him, but he still naively believed that this crazy man had a chance of turning back.

Yuan Zhisheng took a deep breath and put his hand on the hilt of the Spider-Slash knife at his waist. His five fingers slowly gathered together and he gripped the black hilt tightly.

"Go ahead...Chisheng." Tachibana Masamune saw Minamoto Chisheng's actions from behind. He knelt upright on the ground from his prostrate body, with his sleeves, hands and chest exposed.

As soon as Tachibana Masamune finished speaking, there was a sudden clanging sound in the air, and a pale arc of light tore through the air, infinitely magnified in Tachibana Masamune's pupils.

"I have no more requests and no more complaints. Life is a dream, and the affairs of life and death are over. My lonely soul wanders eastwards towards the underworld."

Tachibana Masamune recited a sad sentence in a quiet tone, then slowly closed his eyes.

He raised his head and exposed his neck, generously welcoming the knife light that symbolized death.

The knife light jumped twice in the air, and two streams of blood splashed like crimson reeds, flying in a series in front of Yuan Zhisheng's eyes.

Tachibana Masamune screamed, and his body fell to the ground.

Tachibana Masamune was curled up on the ground, shaking and twisting uncontrollably, gasping for air. He stretched out his hands tremblingly and touched his temples... However, he could not feel anything. There was only sticky and wet blood in his hands, and the place where his ears were originally was empty.

Gennosuke glanced at Tachibana Masamune, his blood vibrating, and then he cut the spider into the scabbard at his waist.

"Just like you said, I can't fight against the entire group of fierce ghosts and the king generals with my own strength. The Eight Snake Families still need you. You are the qualified leader. I am not suitable to be a leader." Yuan Zhisheng said expressionlessly.

"So you didn't kill me... but made me suffer the punishment of cutting off my ears instead?" Tachibana Masamune said with a trembling voice. His voice trembled because of the severe pain. The ear nerves involved the nerve center, and the severe pain even made him think that he didn't hear what Minamoto Chisei said clearly.

Tachibana Masamune wanted to smile bitterly, but he couldn't force his lips to open. The pain of being deprived of one of his five senses was definitely unbearable for ordinary people.

In the underworld, finger amputation is already an extremely harsh punishment. Generally, if a gang member commits a serious crime, the gang leaders will cut off the member's fingers starting from the little finger. The pain of finger amputation is definitely enough to be a deterrent, and generally after two fingers are amputated, a person will not be able to grip the handle of the knife.

The punishment of cutting off ears is even more severe than the punishment of cutting off fingers. Even for the most serious crimes, the underworld rarely uses a person's face as a punishment, because the face represents a person's dignity, and every function of the facial features is more important than holding a knife. Whether a person is blind or has an ear cut off, it is a very shameful thing, enough to shake a man's dignity and demeanor, especially for a man like Masamune Tachibana who holds the highest position in the underworld family... In some ways, this punishment is even more cruel than depriving Masamune of his life.

That's why when Lu Mingfei blinded Tachibana Masamune, Sakurai Nanami was so angry, and even Inuyama He was extremely surprised, because Lu Mingfei's behavior was a naked provocation to the dignity of the Snake Eight Clan and Tachibana Masamune personally.

"Your life is certainly not enough to account for the deaths of your tribesmen, but I must take something of your life's worth as punishment. Otherwise, as the head of the family, I won't be able to explain myself to them. Your eye has already been blinded, and I can't blind your other eye, rendering you unable to see." Yuan Zhisheng said calmly, "Killing you now is meaningless. Those innocent people who died won't come back to life, and no one will feel better... So, spend the rest of your life atoning for the deaths of your tribesmen."

"Given your mistakes, the next period of time would be best spent healing and repenting." A strange coldness permeated Genji's voice. "As for the battle against the Oni Clan, I will take full responsibility, from command to participation. I will personally mobilize the forces of all eight families... This includes those under your own Tachibana family, as well as those you'll inherit from Patriarch Inuyama."

Gennochi's voice was very cold, and his meaning was very straightforward. Mr. Masamune, who was once at the peak of his career in the Japanese underworld, has lost his great authority. Perhaps Tachibana Masamune's reputation is still there, but he can no longer mobilize a single soldier from the eight families of Snake... In other words, Tachibana Masamune has lost all his real power. Apart from his distinguished status as the head of the Tachibana family, he is no different from those old men who drink tea and enjoy their retirement in the strategic department.

Tachibana Masamune was completely stunned. For a moment, he even suspected that his ears had been cut off, which blurred his hearing. If the cruel punishment of ear cutting was still within his acceptable range, then Minamoto no Chisei's words were far beyond his expectations and even unreasonable.

It can be said that Minamoto no Chisei had lived his entire life under his guidance and education. If Tachibana Masamune was a strict teacher, then Minamoto no Chisei was his most outstanding and obedient disciple. If Tachibana Masamune was a fearless warrior, then Minamoto no Chisei was the sharpest and most useful sword in his hand... If a disciple had mastered all of his teacher's skills, it would be understandable for him to do some immoral things to steal the teacher's skills, but how could a sword have its own ideas and betray its master?

Was it simply because of his past deceptions and mistakes that led to his family's current loss that this man, who had always revered him as a father, completely lost his trust in him? Was that all?

Tachibana Masamune was puzzled.

Tachibana Masamune thought that he was the person who knew Minamoto Chisheng's nature best in the world. In his estimation, his appearance in front of Minamoto Chisheng in this seriously injured state today should be able to offset his anger a little. Minamoto Chisheng's anger should be more directed at Lu Mingfei. He has already lowered his posture quite low, and he has just given Minamoto Chisheng a very sincere and reasonable explanation. The most he will suffer is the punishment of amputation of fingers, or even not even amputation of fingers. The greater probability is that he will be severely reprimanded by Minamoto Chisheng.

But in the brief moment when the blade of Spider Slasher enlarged in Masamune Tachibana's pupils, Masamune Tachibana had the illusion that the lion-like man in front of him really wanted to kill him with one blow.

There were too many incredible things and physical pains that happened today, more than the bizarre events that happened in the past twenty years combined. Over the years, Tachibana Masamune had never been as tired as today, nor had he ever felt as aggrieved as today.

First, he was blinded in one eye by Commissioner Cassel named Lu Mingfei under the protection of the two family heads, and then he almost fell into the group of Deadpools and was torn into pieces by thousands of demons. He just accepted the punishment and suffered the punishment of cutting off his ears... Everything that happened today and his "son" Gen Chisheng made Tachibana Masamune feel that things were gradually beyond his control.

Tachibana Masamune really didn't like this feeling. If he couldn't even hold such a small thing in his hands, how could he hold something bigger?

Gen Chisei, who had already sheathed his sword, shook his windbreaker. He turned his back to Tachibana Masamune, took a step forward, and slowly walked towards the door.

Yuan Zhisheng was about to step out of the door when he suddenly heard a deep shout from behind him.

"Chisheng!" Tachibana Masamune, who was kneeling on the spot, suddenly called out to Minamoto Chisheng.

Yuan Zhisheng paused, stopping where he was. Without turning around, he said, "The Metropolitan Police will be here in a few hours. The family is in shambles. We're short on manpower to sort out the remains of the dead and settle the families of the deceased. I must rush to the scene to coordinate and direct the situation... If there's anything else, please let me know quickly."

"Is that so...Chisheng, I think back, since entering this room, you haven't called me dad." Tachibana Masamune's voice, with a wry smile, came from behind Minamoto Chisheng. "That's right, you probably don't want to acknowledge someone like me who has committed such heinous crimes as your father, right? Especially after all that happened today. I'm the one who caused the deaths of so many people in the family. This is no different from acknowledging a thief as your father."

Yuan Zhisheng spoke after a brief pause, "It's not what you said... It's just that too much happened today... To be bombarded with so much information in just half an hour would leave anyone overwhelmed... I'm just a little lost right now, unable to process my thoughts. Give me some time... Dad."

The atmosphere in the air was a little silent and awkward. Such a strange atmosphere had never appeared between Tachibana Masamune and Minamoto no Chisei in the past.

After a long silence, Tachibana Masamune spoke: "Chisheng, this is the last time I will speak to you in this tone of instruction... You have taken over the position of family head from me. I am sincerely pleased that you are more responsible and capable than I am, and a more suitable candidate for the position of head than me. Only under your leadership can the family survive safely in these troubled times. I am also glad that you did not inherit all my bad habits. No matter how you view me after learning the truth, I will tell you..."

"Chisheng, you are my proudest 'son'. In my heart, you are as important as Eri." Tachibana Masamune stood up tremblingly and bowed deeply to Minamoto Chisheng's back. "Please do your best to cheer up the family in the future!"

Yuan Zhisheng took a deep breath and finally replied calmly: "I will."

Then he left the door without looking back, and his black windbreaker disappeared into the dark corridor, as if he was swallowed by the dark and bottomless mouth of a giant beast.

So Gennochi did not see that, just before his figure completely disappeared into the darkness, Tachibana Masamune, who had been bowing in the deepest part of the dark room, slowly raised his head. The flickering candlelight illuminated the old man's kind and gentle face... and also illuminated his eyes.

Unlike his kind and gentle expression like a father, the old man kept staring at Yuan Zhisheng's back until he disappeared from his sight... It seemed as if there was a man-eating beast hidden in those gloomy gray eyes, which almost jumped out from the bottom of his eyes and devoured Yuan Zhisheng in one bite.

……

"Eri... Uesugi Eriri... my daughter... Uesugi... Eriri..."

Uesugi Yue stood there in a daze, looking at Eri's receding back, dazed and lost. He remained in this dazed state for who knows how long, repeating the words "Eri", "Uesugi" and "daughter" over and over again, as if he had Alzheimer's disease.

"Master Yue? Master Yue?" Lu Mingfei waved his palm in front of Uesugi Yue's eyes and muttered softly, "Could it be that he was shocked too much in one day and was scared silly? I was thinking that I shouldn't tell him about Eri. What if he develops Alzheimer's? He's such a lonely old man, and I don't have time to take care of him..."

"Sister Alzheimer's! You are the one with Alzheimer's! Your whole family has Alzheimer's!" Uesugi Yue came back to his senses and glared at Lu Mingfei fiercely, with an expression that seemed like he wanted to eat him up.

Chapter 369 Uesugi Yue's Self-Mockery

"You can be happy or angry, but it's wrong to curse, Master Yue," Lu Mingfei said with dissatisfaction. "I'm just worried that you might be too excited after hearing so much good news. What if your blood pressure rises, your nerves twitch, your head buzzes, and you get a heart attack or a stroke?"

"Asshole, who do you take me for? An elderly widower who can't take care of himself?" Uesugi Yue frowned, reaching out to open the small door on the front of the trolley, eager to walk out, "No! I have to go find Eri!"

When he thought about his daughter having eaten noodles at his ramen stall just now, but Uesugi Yue had no idea about it and only treated her as a strange little girl he liked...how could Uesugi Yue accept this gap?

He simply couldn't wait to find Eri again. It was completely instinctive - a father's anxious and cherishing heart for his daughter.

However, just when Uesugi Yue had stood up and was about to leave quickly, a pair of hands pressed heavily on his shoulders, holding Uesugi Yue's body in place... It was Lu Mingfei. He held the old man down from the front, and Lu Mingfei's face blocked Uesugi Yue's, with a serious expression.

"Master Yue, the one time we met was enough. You shouldn't go looking for her again... As for the reason, I think you know it well." Lu Mingfei looked into Uesugi Yue's eyes and said seriously, "I promise that I will bring Eri to your ramen stand again in the future, but now is not the time for you and your daughter to recognize each other."

"Don't worry, I don't mean to harm any of you, whether it's the brothers Genjisheng and Genjinu, or you and Eri, father and daughter. If I had any ill intentions towards you, I wouldn't have to tell you all this truthfully." Lu Mingfei even used honorifics in Japanese when he said this. "This is for your own good, and for Eri's good too, so please be patient until then, please!"

Uesugi Yue's pair of tiger eyes stared at Lu Mingfei's eyes, his gaze seemed to penetrate Lu Mingfei's eyes and pierce Lu Mingfei's heart... After staring at each other in silence for a long time, Uesugi Yue could only see sincerity and pleading in Lu Mingfei's eyes, and his mind was also thinking quickly about Lu Mingfei's words.

Indeed, all the words and actions of this young man are almost consistent. He can see that Lu Mingfei is sincere to Eiry and to him. The expression and tone when he tells him about his two sons are also very sincere. Lu Mingfei has no reason to harm him, otherwise he would not have told him so many little-known secrets... If he keeps himself in the dark for his entire life, until he is buried alone, wouldn't he be even more pathetic?

Uesugi Yue's body, as hard as rock, relaxed little by little. He slowly sat down on the seat next to Lu Mingfei where Eri had just sat. Light and shadow flickered in his weathered eyes, and his expression was complicated.

What Uesugi Yue didn't even notice in his haste was that his body, which he instinctively wanted to move, was actually held down by the young man in front of him... The force that could hold him down could even knock down a tiger.

"I know it's hard for you to digest such a huge amount of information in one day. You must have a lot of questions." Lu Mingfei looked at the old man. "We still have ten minutes. Feel free to ask me anything you want to know. I will never hide anything I can tell you."

Uesugi Yue took a deep breath and turned to look at Lu Mingfei: "Then tell me! Tell me everything! Tell me everything clearly... Eryi... Uesugi Eryi, my daughter... What is going on?"

"Didn't I make it clear just now? Eri, like Minamoto no Chisei and Minamoto no Chijo, was created using your genes and IVF technology. She is your daughter, there's no doubt about that," Lu Mingfei said, patting Uesugi Yue on the shoulder. "Master Yue, don't worry. You won't be living the life of a lonely old man in the future. You have two sons and a daughter, and your later years will surely be happy and healthy...if all the crises that have occurred and will occur in Japan are successfully resolved."

"I seem to be worried that I will become an old widower? Am I discussing this issue with you?" Uesugi Yue slapped Lu Mingfei's hand away, his beard standing up, and he seemed to be resentful of Lu Mingfei for not letting him go to find Eiry.

"Didn't you just say that I treated you like an elderly, lonely man who couldn't take care of himself? And you even called me a bastard." Lu Mingfei looked at Shang Shanyue and spread his hands, looking innocent. "I thought you had been lonely for too long and that this was something you cared about."

Uesugi Yue looked at this cunning and mean boy. Under the ramen chef's white linen clothes, his chest rose and fell like a blower... It was obvious that he was very angry with Lu Mingfei and was taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Alright, even if I didn't ask clearly just now, I'll make my question more specific now. Let's not play tricks on each other and answer me properly." Uesugi Yue stared at Lu Mingfei. "Eryi's last name is Uesugi, right? She inherited my last name and became the head of the Uesugi family... Does everyone in the family know that she is my daughter?"

What Uesugi Yue thought in his heart was that, in this case, Uesugi Eriya was not a fake head of the Uesugi family. She was the daughter who inherited his bloodline and was the most authentic head of the Uesugi family.

Uesugi Yue believed without any doubt that Eri was his daughter... Apart from his daughter who inherited his bloodline, where else in Japan could he find another girl as "perverted" as this?

Uesugi Yue had also experienced Eiry's aura just now. At the moment when Eiry stood in front of Lu Mingfei, Uesugi Yue could clearly feel a pressure that was no less than his own forcing his aura back. Although Uesugi Yue did not even use the power of his own words, nor did he exert his full strength to exert his pressure, Eiry did not do so either... Although this does not mean that Eiry has the power to suppress Uesugi Yue, in a short period of time, there is no problem for Eiry to compete with Uesugi Yue with her power. As the most powerful half-blood in the world, Uesugi Yue is so powerful that even most of the heads of the eight Sheqi families do not have the power to match him.

Uesugi Yue was still wondering how this little girl who appeared out of nowhere could have such a savage bloodline... Turns out she was his daughter! Then everything made sense, after all, like father, like daughter!

"No, almost no one in the family knows that Eri is your daughter. They only know that Eri is a descendant of the Uesugi family, the only remaining bloodline of the Uesugi family, and her bloodline is powerful. Therefore, Eri is the rightful owner of the Uesugi family." After a moment's thought, Lu Mingfei decided to tell the old man the truth. "As for you, few people in the Sheqi family know of the existence of 'Uesugi Yue'. Only the older generation... But the older generation thinks you're missing, and most of them actually prefer to believe that you're dead and gone... To be honest, your reputation in the Sheqi family is not very good."

"Do I need you to remind me of my reputation in the family?" Uesugi Yue glared at Lu Mingfei fiercely.

"Oh yeah! And there's more!" Sugyue seemed to suddenly remember something and asked Lu Mingfei with a strange expression, "You just said that Gen Chisheng is my son and Eiry is my daughter. They are both my children. Eiry did call Gen Chisheng "brother" just now... Then why did Eiry say that Gen Chisheng is not her biological brother?"

"Just like you, you don't know you have these children, and they don't know you have a father," Lu Mingfei said. "They know nothing about their own life experiences. Except for the brothers Gen Chisei and Gen Chijo, they are unaware of their blood relationship with Eri."

"Then how did my son get the Minamoto family name, enter the Minamoto family, and even become the head of the Minamoto family?" Uesugi Yue frowned. "Who arranged all this? Who was the previous head of the Minamoto family?"

"It has nothing to do with the previous head of the Minamoto family. This was all arranged by a man named Tachibana Masamune." Lu Mingfei looked at Uesugi Yue, "Have you heard of the name Tachibana Masamune?"

Uesugi Yue nodded slowly. He had heard of him. Not long ago, Ange had mentioned to him a man named Tachibana Masamune, the head of the Tachibana family, one of the three upper families of the contemporary era, and the former head of the Snake family. He was an impostor whom Uesugi Yue had never heard of.

"Whether it's Minamoto no Chisei or Eri, they've all grown up under the watchful eye of a man named Tachibana Masamune. He's taken care of them and raised them," Lu Mingfei said. "Before today, Minamoto no Chisei and Eri both considered Tachibana Masamune to be a father figure in their lives."

In response to Lu Mingfei's words, Uesugi Yue remained silent. He certainly felt bad, as if a can of seasoning had been overturned. It tasted sour, bitter, and spicy, but no sweetness.

It is as heartbreaking for one's own child to regard another man as his father as it is for a biological father to hear his own child affectionately call his stepfather "Dad"... But what can Uesugi Yue say?

He owed all of this to those children, over twenty years, a full twenty years! He had three children, each in their twenties. In total, he had missed out on over sixty years of their lives, even longer than the long years he had wasted!

He was unable to participate in their childhood, failed to accompany them as they grew up, and failed to teach boys how to be independent men and girls how to be self-reliant ladies... Although it seems now that his children have learned these things, and all of them have become responsible, responsible and independent... In short, they are all very good people.

But none of this has anything to do with him... He hasn't fulfilled his fatherly responsibilities to his children.

How could he then blame the man who had raised his children?

Even if that man was a fake head of the family, even if his children recognized another man as their father, even if that fake father instilled his life principles into his children... all Uesugi Yue could do was remain silent.

Because he is not a qualified father at all... No, to his children, he is not worthy of being called a father.

Uesugi Yue poured himself a glass of sake, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

A bitter smile silently appeared on the corner of his mouth. The ramen chef who was originally full of energy seemed to have aged another sixty years in a short period of time.

"Master Yue, it's not entirely your fault. After all, you didn't know you had three children. Although I can't fully empathize with you, I can probably understand how you're feeling right now." Lu Mingfei noticed Uesugi Yue's loss and said comfortingly, "And what I'm telling you is that before today, Gennochi and Eri always viewed Tachibana Masamune as a father figure... Did you notice I said 'before today'?"

"Why, did something special happen today?" Uesugi Yue sighed softly, holding the empty wine glass. "Because you found me today and told me everything, the identity of the biological father of those children has been revealed, right?"

"But it's enough for me to know all this... That's enough." Uesugi Yue shook his head gently. "You're right. Telling Eri that I'm her father wouldn't be a good thing for her. The same goes for Gennochisei and Gennochijo. Even if I really rushed up to them and grabbed their shoulders, I'd be trembling with excitement, and the only words I'd utter would probably be 'Sorry, I got the wrong person,' or 'I'm a ramen salesman. I recently released two delicious flavors. Want to try them at my ramen stand?'... Yes, that's all I dare to say."

"I don't have the courage to recognize them. It sounds like the man who raised them, Tachibana Masamune, treated them well and educated them into good people." Uesugi Yue paused, "But I'm terrible. My life is a mess. I'm not a qualified head of the family, not a qualified son, not a qualified husband, and even less a qualified father... I don't have the face to see them like this. A father who has not appeared in their lives since they were born suddenly appears in front of them. Anyone would be shocked."

"I'm afraid they'll grab me by the collar and ask me where I've been all these years and why I've ignored them... I'm afraid to see them cry after they find out the truth... But what I fear most is that they'll just respond with a faint 'so what' or simply deny me as their father." Uesugi Yue's voice trembled slightly. "Who would acknowledge a father without any sense of responsibility? They all have good lives. They don't need a father who's a ramen chef. They all have magnificent lives. A father like me would be a stain on their lives."

The former gangster boss and now a ramen chef, this man named Uesugi Yue has never used such a humble tone to mock himself.

This lowliness... is like being buried in the dust.