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

"Why, am I so unlucky? So unlucky that you picked me out of all the tourists? So you came all the way to find me because you learned a magical power from your master to dispel bad luck and misfortune, right?" Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes. "You Japanese monks' tricks are so low-level. If my IQ dropped by another 80, I might believe you."

Chapter 452 Temple of Conscience

"Unlucky?" The Japanese monk raised his eyebrows. "No, no, no, how could you be unlucky? You are simply the luckiest person I have ever met!"

"If the luck of ordinary people is a pool of water or a flowing stream, then yours is a vast, surging river! You can't even see the end!" the Japanese monk said sincerely. "To put it simply, you're simply too dazzling among the crowd. If other people's luck is like scattered fireflies, then yours is as dazzling as a giant 180-watt light bulb. It's hard not to notice you... Do you understand this?"

Lu Mingfei twitched his lips. He wondered, "Are you really a professional monk?" The description at the beginning was quite convincing, giving off a strong sense of ancient martial arts, but what's with the lame modern metaphor at the end? Isn't a firefly a metaphor for the bright moon? Who taught you to use the metaphor of comparing someone to a 180-watt light bulb? Was it that unreliable master who taught you to wait and see your luck?

"Were you sent by Lu Mingze to deal with me?" Lu Mingfei asked the monk suspiciously.

"Who is Lu Mingze, the donor?" The monk was stunned, his face full of confusion.

"Then you were sent by Jiude Mai and Su Enxi?" Lu Mingfei pressed. "Because I told them I didn't need their remote assistance, they felt resentful towards me and sent you to mess with me?"

"Donor, I've honestly never heard of any of those strange names you mentioned." The monk stroked his round, bald head. "No one sent me here. I just saw that you were incredibly lucky and awesome, so I wanted to try to improve your luck. We monks don't lie. Donor, are you suffering from paranoia?"

He came to take advantage of his luck and had reasons and evidence without blushing or beating his heart, and even complained about his paranoia... He never thought that one day he would be complained by a Japanese monk. Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and resisted the urge to throw the monk out of Sensoji Temple.

Eiry trotted over from the crowd, holding a bamboo stick in her hand. She handed the stick to Lu Mingfei with a slight element of showing off in her action. This was the first time in her life that she had drawn a lot, and it seemed that she had drawn a good one.

Lu Mingfei borrowed the bamboo stick and looked down. He found that there were Chinese annotations printed on the Japanese stick.

"The sky is open and the earth is wide, which is auspicious for a good relationship; the day is auspicious and the time is good, and all things are complete."

"Oh my! A very good fortune! It's this same fortune!" The monk leaned forward with his shiny head. "Meeting is fate. I learned how to interpret fortunes from my master. Do you need a fortune interpretation service?"

Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes. He thought to himself, does this fortune need to be interpreted? The fortune tellers in your temple don’t understand what metaphor and implicitness are at all, right? This fortune is so straightforward that it’s about to slap me in the face. It’s just like “Only mother is good in the world”. There’s no need to think about it. Anyone can understand it.

But Lu Mingfei turned his head and looked at Eri, who looked confused and only knew that she had drawn a good fortune. He said to the monk in a compromising manner: "Then please interpret the fortune for me."

"You can't just look at the surface of a fortune. It depends on what you're asking for. Whether it's marriage, career, or academic success, the meaning of the fortune will be interpreted differently depending on your mental imagery when you draw the fortune... But this one is truly remarkable." The monk clasped his hands together and looked at Eri. "May I ask what you were imagining when you asked this fortune?"

"Sakura." Eri wrote in the small notebook and showed it to the monk.

The monk was stunned.

"Well... don't get me wrong, Sakura refers to me." Lu Mingfei explained, suppressing his shame, "Sakura is my name, just understand it that way."

"I didn't expect that the donor has such good fortune, and even his name is so unique." The monk sighed.

"Cut the crap. What do you mean by this lot being extraordinary?" Lu Mingfei asked. "Is there anything special about it compared to the others?"

"Yes, this lot has a unique meaning. In other words, if you draw this lot to pray for marriage, it means everything is perfect and a good match will be formed. But if you draw this lot to pray for something else, it will automatically be invalidated." The monk explained, "And I want to tell you, this lot is the only one in the box that is the best for marriage. No matter how good the other lot is, it is only a good one. This lot is extremely difficult to draw. It is only offered once a day, and once you draw it, it is gone. So this lot... is incredibly accurate!"

"Is it really that effective?" Lu Mingfei's heart moved, and he unconsciously clenched the bamboo stick in his hand.

"It's incredibly effective!" the monk said in a low voice. "Legend has it that the last shogun of the Tokugawa family obtained this fortune. And guess what? When he was burned to death, the geisha he had always secretly loved actually confessed her feelings to him and then jumped into the flames with him, dying by his side... What a passionate love story!"

"Last year, an Italian man with terminal cancer came to Japan for a trip. Feeling hopeless, he drew this lottery at Sensoji Temple. And guess what?" the monk said excitedly. "His ex-wife actually approached him to remarry! All she had to do was for him to name her as the beneficiary of the insurance policy."

"And last month, a girl was lucky enough to win this lottery, and guess what happened?" The monk said, "That night, the girl was caught in a stampede on the Ginza overpass. Her lungs were damaged and she went into shock, so she was rushed to the hospital. Then, she and her attending physician fell in love at first sight. She was discharged last week, and they got engaged yesterday!"

"Damn it, this is really weird. But is this really a lucky number for marriage? Why does it look more like a Death Note or some kind of curse?" Lu Mingfei shuddered slowly. "It sounds like the fates of those who drew this lot weren't very good."

"But everyone did find love in the end, didn't they?" The monk consoled Lu Mingfei. "A person's luck in life is predetermined. Some people are destined to be unlucky and short-lived. Winning a lucky number in marriage isn't necessarily a good thing, because love has used up their luck, and they'll eventually have to repay it with other things. But you, benefactor, don't need to worry about that at all. As I said earlier, you are a person with great luck. You can definitely find a happy marriage."

"What you said is really to my liking. Then I will lend you my auspicious words." Lu Mingfei smiled and took out some money to pay the monk as a fee for interpreting the fortune.

Lu Mingfei now finally understood why so many people were so eager to give money to temples and Taoist temples even though they knew that these places were highly suspected of being scams. A few words made people so happy that he would accept it even if the other party was lying.

"Donor, you are too vulgar." To Lu Mingfei's surprise, the monk actually pushed back his fortune-telling fee. "I am a monk. Monks don't handle money. Besides, you are a person of great fortune. Accepting your money will reduce my merits."

"Donors, you probably haven't been to the Guanyin Hall yet. If you have been there, your trip to Sensoji Temple today will be complete. If you really want to pay homage to Buddhism, just put money in the money box at the entrance of the Guanyin Hall and go in to worship." At this time, the monk leaned close to Lu Mingfei's ear and reminded him in a low voice, "Donors, each of you can put in a five-yuan yen coin. The homophonic pronunciation of a five-yuan coin in Japanese is '缘'. It's enough to spend a little money to establish a good relationship with the Bodhisattva. Too much is as bad as too little. Donors, don't be fooled by my greedy nephews. Guanyin is not a money-making person. My nephews' cultivation is not yet at home. Donors, don't waste your money under their deception."

"Master is such an honest person. Your Sensoji Temple is truly a conscientious temple." Lu Mingfei sighed. After paying his respects to the monk, he pulled Eiry away and headed towards the Guanyin Hall under the monk's guidance.

"A person with great luck, a truly rare person with great luck. Such a person will do great things in the future. It is absolutely right not to accept his money, otherwise I will definitely lose my merits." Until Lu Mingfei and Eiry walked away, the monk was still muttering to himself facing the direction where Lu Mingfei left.

"Master! Master! I heard you're an expert at interpreting fortunes here, right?" The middle-aged woman came up to the monk, holding a bamboo stick and carefully handed it to him. "I just drew a fortune stick for my son, but the text is so abstruse, Master, I can't understand it. Could you help me interpret it when you have time?"

The monk turned his head and looked the middle-aged woman up and down, muttering things like, "Your luck is too shallow," "You'll be a mediocre person all your life," and "I can't add any merit to your fortune interpretation." But after a brief hesitation, the monk sighed and muttered, "Meeting is fate... Even a bad fate is fate."

"Where's the lot you drew? Let me see it first." The monk stretched out a hand towards the middle-aged woman.

My aunt immediately handed the bamboo stick she had just drawn to the monk, and the monk looked at the stick carefully.

"Set empty, the night is still and the water is cold, the fish have no bait. The boat is full of smiles and empty, carrying the bright moon."

It was indeed a confusing fortune, completely different from Lu Mingfei's idiotic fortune of "Only mother is good in the world". It was basically impossible to understand this kind of fortune without professional interpretation.

"Lady donor, when you were drawing the divination sticks, what were you visualizing?" the monk asked. "Career? Studies? Or marriage?"

"Marriage! It's marriage!" said my aunt. She pointed at Lu Mingze, who was playing with the koi in the pond, and then at Jiajia, who was watching others make amulets. "This is my son and my... future daughter-in-law. I'm praying for them to be together. So, do they look like a good match? I saw something on the fortune stick that said 'A boat full of smiles, an empty boat carrying the bright moon.' Since they're both smiling, doesn't this fortune have a very good meaning?"

"To be honest, if this lot is for career, studies or peace, it can only be considered a mediocre lot. If it is for marriage..." the monk said slowly.

"If you're praying for a marriage, that would be a perfect fortune, right?" Auntie couldn't help but interrupt, her face full of anticipation.

"If you're looking for a marriage partner, it can only be considered a lucky draw." The monk sighed and shook his head slowly.

"How could it be?" Auntie was stunned. "My son and his future daughter-in-law are such a perfect match, how could they only have a bad lottery? Didn't the lottery say it was a joke at the end?"

"Laughing doesn't mean everything is good. Let me explain it to you carefully," the monk said. "This fortune means: When all is quiet, the waters are deep and cold, the fish won't bite without bait. When you go hunting, you return empty-handed. The boat will carry you back under the bright moon. The smile here is a smile of helplessness. This interpretation can tell you about your current fortune. You should focus on practical things, not illusions. You should seek truth from facts, otherwise everything will be in vain and nothing will be accomplished."

"How could this be...how could this be..." Auntie was dumbfounded. "How could my son and his future daughter-in-law not be together? They were so close to getting married! Are the fortune sticks from your temple really effective? Could they be wrong? Or should I go get another one?"

"Donor, the fortune sticks at Sensoji Temple are famously effective, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people visiting here," the monk said, clasping his hands together. "And when it comes to fortune sticks, sincerity is key. Often, only the first stick you draw is the most accurate. Furthermore, fortune sticks drain your luck. Asking too much will make the Bodhisattva and Buddha lose their sense of sincerity, and your fortune will only get worse."

"Then what should I do? I've already spent a lot of money on that girl. If my son can't marry her in the end, wouldn't it be a huge loss?" Aunt asked sincerely, "Then may I ask, Master, is there a solution to this problem? How can my son and that girl be together?"

The monk looked left and right, and finally opened his pocket and coughed twice very deliberately.

How could the mercenary aunt not understand what the monk meant? Her stingy nature immediately flared up: "Don't they say that drawing divinations costs money, but interpreting them is free? Why are they charging a fee? Isn't this cheating consumers? And aren't you monks supposed to keep your hands free of money? Saying money will ruin your merits."

"Yes, interpreting the divination is free, but interpreting it isn't. Interpreting divination is a very energy-consuming endeavor, and if you're not careful, you'll lose your merit." The monk said sincerely, "We monks really don't touch money with our hands. This depends on you, the donor, to put in the money. Actually, if you feel that spending money on your son's marriage isn't worth it, I can't force you. For ordinary people, such things are a matter of belief or not. It just sounds like you've invested a lot of money in your son's words. If in the end, your efforts fall through because you can't bear to give up such a little sincerity, don't feel sorry."

The aunt thought, the master's words really made sense. She had invested so much in Jiajia, and all she needed was this final push. Hadn't she come to Sensoji Temple to pray for marriage for her children? If she failed at the Bodhisattva's hands, she would slap herself in the face. Besides, how much did sincerity cost?

Chapter 453 Seeking Destiny

"Then may I ask, Master...how much is the appropriate amount of money for the fortune-telling?" my aunt asked tentatively.

"That depends on your sincerity, but the fortune-telling at Sensoji Temple..." The monk paused, his hand hidden in his sleeve pointing up with a finger, "usually starts at this number."

"I understand, I understand. It's just one thousand yen. My sincerity is definitely enough!" Aunt took out her wallet with a smile.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't expect that the price of sincerity food was the same as that of strawberry daifuku. It didn't seem expensive at all. The fees at Sensoji Temple were quite honest. It was really a conscientious temple, the aunt thought as she took out the money.

"No, it's 10,000 yen." The monk smiled and shook his finger. "This is the standard fee at Sensoji Temple. It's fair and honest."

Then the monk immediately withdrew his finger, still muttering, "Sin, sin, I didn't mean to be tainted by money, Bodhisattva, please don't blame me, Buddha, please don't blame me."

The hand holding the 1,000 yen suddenly stopped, and her smile froze on her face. The sincerity of 1,000 yen was a good deal, but the sincerity of 10,000 yen was a bit expensive... Thinking that 10,000 yen was enough for their whole family's food expenses for a week, and that they had chicken legs and roast duck for every meal, the aunt began to hesitate.

But then she thought again that Lu Mingze and Jiajia's relationship was about to succeed, and she couldn't let it fail at this last step. So she gritted her teeth and slowly pulled out a 10,000 yen bill from the zippered compartment of her wallet.

When the aunt stuffed ten thousand yen into the monk's pocket, the monk smiled and praised the aunt for her vision, saying that he was one of the most skilled people in the entire Sensoji Temple, and his ability to tell fortunes was second only to his master who had already passed away. The fortune-telling fee of ten thousand yen was absolutely worth it, and the aunt was getting a good deal. The aunt was also trying to prepare herself mentally and tell herself that she was not cheated, that this was the price for the master's fortune-telling. Only by spending this money could Lu Mingze and Jiajia be blessed by the Bodhisattva and achieve the right results.

The monk patted his pocket to show that he had indeed received the money. Then he began to mutter some strange incantations, which my aunt could hardly understand because the monk was speaking Japanese.

Finally, the monk heaved a sigh of relief, made a gesture to end the exercise, and smiled at my aunt: "It's done!"

"Is that it?" the aunt said in surprise. "Then is the marriage between my son and daughter-in-law a done deal?"

"How can it be that simple? I mean, we've found a way to resolve it." The monk shook his head. "The main reason your son and that girl aren't compatible is because of your son. He's too unreliable."

"Unsteady? How could my son be unsteady?" Auntie pointed at Lu Mingze in the distance, "Master, did you see what he looked like? From childhood to adulthood, every relative or friend who saw my child didn't praise him for being a steady kid!"

"Ahem, I said solid, not sturdy." The Japanese monk coughed twice. "Didn't the fortune teller give the answer? Your son's feelings are too unrealistic, completely unrealistic. Perhaps what he pursues is not what you expected at all. Things are going against your wishes, and therefore everything has failed."

"Master, what you mean is... I've been busy all the time, but Lu Mingze's mind is not on Jia Jia at all, right?" Auntie widened her eyes.

"That's all I have to say. Anyway, I've already told you the result of the divination. The rest is up to you to figure out." The Japanese monk suddenly slapped his head, as if remembering something. "Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Your son and that girl named Jiajia might still be a little bit unconnected."

"Fate?" Aunt didn't understand.

"Yes, fate." The Japanese monk nodded. "Fate is a very wonderful thing. It refers to the invisible yet inevitable connection between people or between people and things. It's difficult for two people who lack fate to truly be together. And whether there is fate or not is something that outsiders cannot force."

"Then according to what you said, my son and Jiajia will never be able to go together?" Auntie was so anxious that she almost jumped up and down.

"No, no, fate is indescribable. Perhaps it just happened suddenly at some opportune moment. Anyway, let's first confirm your son's intentions. Sincerity is key to success, and so is fate." The monk said, "I think you haven't visited the Guanyin Temple yet. When you pass by the money box in front of the temple, you can also establish a good relationship with Guanyin. Remember to worship with piety. Perhaps Guanyin Bodhisattva will see your sincerity and help you."

"Then may I ask, Master, how much money does it cost to establish a good relationship with Guanyin?" When the aunt heard the word "cash box", her heart tightened and she couldn't help asking.

"Oh, I'm a monk. Can you please stop asking me about money? It's ruining my merits, you know?" The monk raised his five fingers and waved them in front of my aunt, then immediately retracted them, clasped his hands together, and muttered to himself, "Sin! Sin!"

Fifty thousand yen… Auntie was struck by lightning. She immediately turned and left, stumbling away. What else could she do? The fortune had been interpreted and dissolved. Was she really going to stay here and discuss Buddhism with the master?

As my aunt hurried away, she cursed inwardly, "This Sensoji Temple is such a rip-off! I've only been chatting for a few minutes and I've already lost 60,000 yen. If we continue chatting for an hour, won't I have to mortgage my house here? This is even more of a scam than tourist attractions back home!"

"Master Abbot, why did that woman run off in such a hurry? Did you overcharge a foreign tourist again and scare them?" The young monk, holding a broom, came over and complained, "Last time, you charged someone 200,000 yen for a signature, and they threatened to sue us at the Consumers' Association. If you keep charging like that, you'll ruin our reputation!"

"What are you talking about? Last time, that guy drew a terrible fortune! I even felt like charging him 200,000 yen to help me change his fortune would bring me bad karma and damage my merits. It was a losing deal!" The Japanese monk was humiliated and furious. "Besides, I only took 10,000 yen this time. The strange thing is, the donor was quite happy to pay the 10,000 yen. But then I asked her to spend 5 yen to establish a good relationship with the Bodhisattva, and her expression suddenly changed, as if she was unwilling to do so."

"That donor is indeed quite strange." The young novice shook his shiny bald head. "Perhaps you, the abbot, want ten thousand yuan, but the Bodhisattva only takes five yuan. So the donor feels that the ten thousand yuan is a waste?"

"You're the only one with a talent for wisdom!" The Japanese monk tapped the young novice's bald head, then suddenly hugged him and whispered in his ear, "Master, let me tell you something in secret. A very lucky person has come to our temple today. You haven't learned the art of fortune-telling, so you can't tell. Master doesn't even dare to charge him. That donor also brought a very beautiful girlfriend with him, and she took away our temple's best marriage fortune stick..."

……

Genji Heavy Industries, Xingshen Temple.

At this moment, all the family heads of surnames gathered here. The eight Sheqi families have never held large-scale meetings so frequently. The storm is coming, the revival of "God" is imminent, and the moment of decisive battle is approaching. Everyone can smell the breath of blood and rain. In this situation, it is reasonable to hold war preparation meetings repeatedly, because the battle situation changes rapidly.

But today's meeting was not convened by the head of the family, but was jointly convened by the heads of the other families... This meeting cannot be regarded as a war preparation meeting, but rather more like a meeting to hold people accountable.

"Head of the Fengmo family, forgive my stupidity, but I really find it hard to understand your actions... or rather, none of the family heads present here can understand your decision last night." The head of the Fengmo family spoke first, and the old man's expression at this moment was like a frosted stone.

The expressions of the family heads present were not very good. Before today, they had been scattered in various corners of Japan, fully engaged in the task of searching for "God", but this crucial task was suddenly interrupted last night. The one who had the power to issue this order was naturally Minamoto Chisei, who was the head of the family.

"The war against the demons has been completely halted. From now on, the family's focus will be on finding and destroying the 'God'... These were your exact words at the last meeting," said the head of the Sakurai family. "But why did you suddenly halt the search for the 'God' last night? How will the eight families of Sheqi continue their work? Are we to sit back and watch the 'God' revive?"

"I heard that the exploration of the Tama River has yielded promising results. Drilling has been deepened and intensified, and is now reaching a critical juncture." The head of the Miyamoto family frowned slightly. "According to the report sent by Masahiko Sakurai, the remains of the Age of Gods are likely hidden beneath that land, and the whereabouts of the 'Gods' will likely be revealed along with it. Why halt the process at such a critical juncture? Isn't this tantamount to surrendering on the enemy's doorstep?"

All the family heads began to question Minamoto no Chisei. Although they did not criticize him verbally, they did not hide the accusations in their expressions and tones. Even the head of the Inuyama family, who strongly supported Minamoto no Chisei in the last meeting, sighed deeply. If he could stand on the same front with Minamoto no Chisei when the decision was made to stop the war against the demons last time, then he could not understand why Minamoto no Chisei stopped the search for "God" this time.

"We won't sit idly by and wait for death, nor will we surrender. It's just like Patriarch Miyamoto said. We may have found the forbidden door. Perhaps behind it stands the ultimate enemy of the Sheqi Eight Clans. But the closer we've come to this point, the more cautious we must be in our future actions," Yuan Zhisheng said. "I suddenly had a revelation. I realized that if we blindly open that forbidden door, our family might suffer heavy losses and could very well fall into an abyss of no return."

Yuan Zhisheng clapped his hands, and a figure walked out from the corner of the Awakening Temple.

"Masahiko?" Sakurai Nanami raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you in charge of the Tamagawa project? How did you end up in the family?"

The person who came was none other than Masahiko Sakurai who had returned to his family from the Tamagawa River.

"Head, I think you should be well aware of the level of this meeting." Fuma Kotaro frowned deeply. "This is a meeting that decides the life and death of the family. Sakurai Masahiko's level is not qualified to attend this meeting."

Fuma Kotaro spoke very bluntly, but his words were correct. With Masahiko Sakurai's level, he actually had no authority to participate in this family head-level meeting, and he didn't even have the qualifications to be an observer. However, he had been present before the meeting started, which was personally instructed by the head of the family, Gen Chisei.

"Masahiko Sakurai will not express any opinions at the meeting, and he has sworn on his name not to disclose a single word of the content of today's meeting," Minamoto said calmly. "Masahiko Sakurai is only attending this meeting as the director and witness of the Tamagawa on-site project. As the head of the family, I believe I have the authority to authorize him."

"Go ahead, Masahiko Sakurai, tell us about your team's exploration in the Tama River." Gen Chisei said to Masahiko Sakurai.

After bowing deeply to Minamoto no Nakasei and the other family heads, Sakurai Masahiko began to narrate calmly. He told them everything about the expedition team's experience in the Tama River, including the iron-rich reddish-yellow mud that spurted out of the well, the ghost-toothed viper that killed several members of the expedition team, and Minamoto no Nakasei's urgent order last night to stop further excavation under the Tama River.

After listening to Masahiko Sakurai's narration, the expressions of the family heads changed differently. Sakurai Nanami breathed a sigh of relief, as if she was glad that Masahiko Sakurai had stopped the excavation, otherwise the scientific expedition team members at the Tamagawa site would have been wiped out. Miyamoto Shio could not hide his excitement. The appearance of the forbidden creature, the Ghosttooth Viper, meant that the civilization of the dragon clan was just around the corner. They were about to unveil the mysterious veil passed down from the Age of Gods, buried by time and dust.

"A battle with a 'god' is a war with no retreat. We have long been prepared to fight to the bitter end, harboring the will to perish without return." Fuma Kotaro looked directly into Minamoto Chisei's eyes. "Could it be that at this juncture, head of the family, you are still telling us that you are not mentally prepared to go to war with a 'god'?"

"Unlike the war with the demons, the war with the gods is unavoidable. I know this very well." Gen Chisei met Fuma Kotaro's gaze without hesitation. "But going to war shouldn't be blind. Our goal is to win this war, not to send our people to their deaths without any principles."

"Excuse me, Headmaster, your kindness has gone too far. You're too young and haven't had the chance to experience many wars, so you don't know that victory in any war is built on the accumulation of death and corpses," said Fuma Kotaro. "I believe all members of the clan who participated in the war should have this awareness."

"What if we sacrifice the lives of all our tribesmen and still fail to win the war?" Yuan Zhisheng asked in return.

Chapter 454 Revealing the truth

"Head, are you afraid? You're afraid of failure and the consequences of failure." Fuma Kotaro's voice turned cold. "How can a man like the head of a family be cowardly? Being afraid without fighting is the biggest taboo in war!"

"Yes, Master Fengma, you're right. I'm afraid. Of course I am. Ever since I took over as patriarch, I've been terrified every day," Yuan Zhisheng said sincerely. "My life plans didn't even include the words 'Sheqi Eight Families' and 'Patriarch'. I should have left this country and sold sunscreen on Montalive Beach in France... but I had no choice but to shoulder the responsibility of being patriarch."

"From now on, the family's prosperity, honor, and disgrace, as well as the lives of all the clan members, have become a heavy burden on my shoulders. If my will is not firm, the family may fall into an abyss of irretrievable destruction. If I make a wrong decision, hundreds or even thousands of members of the family may die." Yuan Zhisheng posed a series of rhetorical questions. "Is the position of patriarch truly a supreme power? Isn't it more like a responsibility? This responsibility makes people walk on thin ice. Master Fengmo, you said that those who are cowardly are not qualified to be patriarchs, but in my opinion, those who do not feel compassion for the sacrifices of their clan members are even less qualified to be patriarchs."

This was the first time that Minamoto no Chisei spoke frankly, revealing in front of the family heads except Tachibana Masamune his desire to go to the nude beaches in France to sell sunscreen. Minamoto no Chisei originally gave everyone the impression of being extremely aloof and tough, but his words at this moment undoubtedly exposed his inner vulnerability... But he was real at this moment, because no one can really have a heart as hard as stone. Even the strongest person only hides his inner cowardice where others can't see.

"But war always involves sacrifice. At least before the war, all of us in the Fuma family were prepared to risk our lives at any time." Fuma Kotaro's voice slowed down slightly. "If we delay the opportunity because of fear of sacrifice, that would be a fatal mistake that could lead the family into the abyss."

"Timing...Does Patriarch Fengmo really think he has figured out the timing?" Yuan Zhisheng asked.

Fuma Kotaro frowned slightly, as he was confused by Gen Chisei's question.

"Fellow Patriarchs, if we truly found the remains of the Age of Gods, uncovered the forbidden civilization, and successfully found the 'God' as expected... who would be the happiest?" Yuan Zhisheng paused. "Or, to put it another way, at this juncture when the 'God' is about to revive, besides us eight Sheqi families who want to kill the 'God'... who would be most eager to track him down?"