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

"It's delicious, the flower arrangement is good, and the seedlings are good. I asked you to lead the way, so why are you acting so high and mighty here?" A woman walked out from behind the humpback whale. She was dignified and elegant, and exuded the aura of a queen.

This scene made the eyelids of the two waiters and the women around them tremble... Even the powerful people in Tokyo's socialite circle would not treat the store manager of Takama-ga-hara with courtesy, but at least they would communicate with him in a friendly tone. No woman has ever made such a...brutal move towards the store manager of Takama-ga-hara.

"I'm coming." Su Enxi nodded to Old Tang.

"Do you know me?" Old Tang pointed at his nose.

At the same time, he looked Su Enxi up and down. Old Tang usually had a deep impression of women, especially good-looking women, but he seemed to have never seen such a beautiful girl.

"Ronald Tang, a Chinese-American." Su Enxi leaned close to Old Tang and whispered in his ear, "He grew up in Brooklyn, New York City, taught himself English, specializes in infiltration and assassination, and is a bounty hunter by profession..."

"Does this count as knowing you?" Su Enxi gave Old Tang a sly smile.

"Damn, you know me so well, are you secretly in love with me?" Old Tang's eyes widened.

"Stop it, Potato Chips, there are people all around." Jiude Mai whispered to Su Enxi and glared at Lao Tang.

When Old Tang saw Jiude Mai, his eyes rolled and he understood instantly.

He had an impression of Jude Mai, even though he was dying at the time, but anyone who had seen Jude Mai's figure would never forget it for the rest of their life... However, Old Tang remembered Jude Mai not only because of this woman's devilishly hot figure, but also because she was Mingming's friend.

"I remember you. You were the kindhearted female warrior who bravely stepped forward that day, right?" Old Tang pointed at Jiude Mai and gave her a thumbs-up. "Although my memory is a little fuzzy, I remember you flying the plane. You looked so handsome and sexy!"

"What female knight? She's a female ninja." Su Enxi corrected, "Female knights are warm-hearted, female ninjas are cold-blooded. If Lu Mingfei hadn't begged her, do you think she would care about you?"

"But she saved my life, that's undeniable. In my eyes, anyone who saved me is a hero." Old Tang raised his funny eyebrows at Su Enxi. "So you're also the woman behind Mingming?"

His thoughts were very direct. Since Jiude Mai was Lu Mingfei's friend, and this girl was with Jiude Mai, and she came out of the store where they were, then weren't they all in the same group?

"What do you mean by 'the woman behind the scenes'? Isn't that a bit harsh?" Su Enxi rolled her eyes at Old Tang. Although the statement seemed correct, Su Enxi still corrected him, "At least here, I am Lu Mingfei's immediate superior, and Takama-hara is the store under my name."

"Woman? Opening a gigolo parlor?" Old Tang widened his eyes again.

"What's wrong with a woman opening a gigolo parlor? I'm rich, so why do you care what kind of parlor I open?" Su Enxi raised her chin. "If I wanted to, I could buy out the entire Kabukicho and open a whole row of gigolo parlors. I've opened a lot of them. I even invested in the military medical clinic where you were treated."

"Oh my god, a super rich woman!" Old Tang showed off his shameless skills again, "Can you support me?"

"Long Legs is right, no man is reliable." Su Enxi curled her lips, "I've supported you so many times, and you're still so shameless."

Old Tang wanted to ask something but was interrupted by Jiude Mai.

"Why don't you go to the warm private room instead of standing in the rain and chatting with the crowd?" Jiude Mai glanced at Su Enxi. "Potato chips, you seem to talk several times more after meeting this guy."

"Who made this guy look so shameless and have such a mean personality?" Su Enxi glanced at Old Tang. "I always feel uncomfortable if I don't say something to him."

"This is someone we know. Don't worry about it. Just appease the people outside and hurry back. You'll need to oversee the rest of the process. Heracles will mess around on his own." Jiude Mai instructed Humpback Whale, "If there's anything you can't judge, come back to the third floor and ask us. Tell the waiters not to come up again. You'll be the one to pass on any messages."

"Yes!" the humpback whale responded respectfully.

"Let's go. We'll talk about it after we get back. I won't care if you two quarrel or kiss each other on the third floor." Jiude Mai said to Su Enxi and Lao Tang.

"Damn it, who would go with this guy!" Su Enxi was like a cat whose tail was stepped on by Jiude Mai, and she wanted to jump up.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Old Tang shouted a few words, then walked straight towards the two waiters who had just said nothing to stop him from entering Takama-ga-hara.

The two waiters looked at the aggressive Old Tang as if they were looking at an approaching beast. They shrank their necks and their calves felt weak.

Who knew that this weird guy with no ticket and no invitation was actually an acquaintance of the seniors, and had such a strong background that the store manager and even the boss behind the scenes came to meet him in person... The two waiters felt so sad that they had no idea how this guy would retaliate against them if they offended him.

Being fired is not a light punishment, right? They stopped the boss's important friend on such an important night and made such a big fuss.

Old Tang stretched out his hands and patted the two waiters' shoulders heavily. His exaggerated strength made their shoulders sink, but what he said was unexpected.

"Although they are two troublesome guys, I think they are great." Lao Tang said to Su Enxi, "The employees are so responsible. No wonder this store is running so well. It was so popular tonight. As a boss, don't look for it afterwards. They’re troublesome.”

Su Enxi was not the only one who was surprised by Lao Tang's words. Jude Mai wondered how this guy's emotional intelligence suddenly became so high. Even Humpback Whale couldn't help but sigh in his heart that Sakura and Heracles' friends were indeed good men who valued friendship. If the men in Takama-ga-hara had such a spirit, Tokyo's flower arrangement road would surely be dazzling!

The two waiters were the most moved. The place on their shoulders where they were tapped felt very warm. They looked at Lao Tang's back as he left, and they were so grateful that they wanted to kneel down to him.

……

Takama-ga-hara, third floor.

As soon as Jiude Mai and the other two stepped onto the third floor, Lu Mingfei arrived.

"Holy crap, brother, what are you dressed like?" Old Tang stared at the almost unrecognizable Lu Mingfei with wide eyes. "What kind of play are you acting in? A tree demon? A goblin? Or a flower fairy?"

Lu Mingfei, who had rushed over with only half of his makeup done, was furious when he heard that Old Tang was coming to visit. He originally had a lot of caring and sentimental words to say, such as asking Old Tang if his injury had healed, and thanking Old Tang for almost risking his life to buy time for him... But when he met such a heartless guy, Lu Mingfei's passion for seeing his old friend again was instantly suppressed.

"When it comes to male flower arrangement, do as the Romans do. You know shit!" Lu Mingfei said with a dark face.

"But brother, you are really awesome. That vicious old guy was killed by you in the end!" Old Tang laughed and walked up quickly to hug Lu Mingfei.

Chapter 753 Bloodline Evolution

"Killing that old guy wasn't easy. You won by a narrow margin, right?" Old Tang whispered in Lu Mingfei's ear. "I heard you were more seriously injured than I was. You should have recovered by now, right? Good brother, I'm so happy to see you again!"

Old Tang patted Lu Mingfei's back vigorously, his emotion coming from the bottom of his heart. Listening to those brotherly words and feeling the strength and warmth of Old Tang's palm, Lu Mingfei felt a surge of sadness in his heart and his eyes couldn't help but turn red.

Not wanting Old Tang to see his slightly red and moist eyes, Lu Mingfei put his arm around Old Tang's shoulders and patted him hard on the back a few times.

"Damn it! Are you still the old Tang I knew? How did you become so disgusting?" Lu Mingfei said with a fake laugh, "I told you I have a way to kill Herzog and I'm sure I can kill that old guy in the end. You don't believe me anymore, do you?"

"I'm fine, everyone is alive, no one is dead..."

"That's great... isn't it? No one died..."

Lu Mingfei's voice became softer and softer, and the force with which he patted Old Tang's back became lighter and lighter. Finally, Lu Mingfei's small voice trembled slightly, as if to hide some emotion deep in his heart. It sounded like a dream to Old Tang's ears.

Sometimes, people often use laughter to hide their true emotions, because smile is the most beautiful mask and the toughest armor, but some emotions are like sharp swords and surging tides when they come. They can easily pierce your mask and break down your armor, no matter how strong and hard they are... No matter how rigorous and fulfilling the training Lu Mingfei has received, and how he has been reborn, he is no longer just a boy of twenty. He has to carry too much on his shoulders until he kills his nemesis Herzog.

At this moment, seeing his brothers who had fought side by side and trusted each other with their lives, Lu Mingfei felt mixed emotions. His friends, this city, and his beloved girl... everyone survived, and he succeeded.

He gambled everything he had and everything everyone had. If Gen Chisei and Kazama Ruri died, Lu Mingfei would be sad. If something happened to Lao Tang and Xia Mi, Lu Mingfei would regret it. If Eri still couldn't escape the tragic fate, Lu Mingfei would resent it so much that he would want to kill himself... But in the end, he killed his nemesis and defeated the doomed tragic fate. The emotions accumulated over the past five years, the hardship, worry, and grief mixed together, were like a violent flood, almost breaking down Lu Mingfei's psychological defenses.

In the end, Lu Mingfei finally held back his tears and whispered to Old Tang, "Thank you... Old Tang."

"That's not like you, Mingming. You said I've become corny, but haven't you become so polite too?" Old Tang shook Lu Mingfei's shoulders. He looked into Lu Mingfei's eyes, seemingly unaware of his uncontrolled emotions and moist eyes. Old Tang smiled and said, "There's nothing to thank me for. Remember, when you came to Brooklyn to have dinner with me two years ago, I promised you that if anyone bullies your girl, I'll beat him up with you!"

"I, Old Tang, am quite strong and have a life of my own. If I'm here for you, I'm not afraid to poke a hole in the sky!" Old Tang exaggeratedly recreated his past appearance with his hands and feet dancing. "I'm just fulfilling my promise. What's there to thank me for? Isn't it awkward to thank a close brother? Did you really think I, Old Tang, was just bragging to you back then?"

Looking at Old Tang's appearance, Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered that two years ago, when he first went to Brooklyn, New York to find Old Tang, they had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. They drank too much and got drunk. Lu Mingfei mentioned to Old Tang that he had a girl he liked, and Old Tang was very happy to listen... This was the first time Lu Mingfei mentioned anything about Eiry to others. At that time, he had not seen Eiry, nor should he know Eiry. He only knew about this unforgettable girl from the story in his dream, and he had never even mentioned Chu Zihang.

He was still worried about how to get to know Eri, but after listening to his words with great interest, Old Tang stood up indignantly. It seemed that in Old Tang's opinion, his brother was the most awesome and should be more than enough to match any girl. What made Old Tang even more angry was that when Lu Mingfei mentioned the person Herzog, Old Tang slammed the table and said bluntly, "A woman who bullies my brother is shitting and pissing on my head, she must be fucked!"

At that time, Old Tang didn't even know who the bad guy was who bullied his brother's woman. He was just bragging after drinking... But he really did it. Even if the bad guy was Bai Wang, Old Tang would still do it as soon as he said it, even if it meant risking his life!

How could he forget? The scenes of the past were still vivid in his mind. They even smashed their wine glasses on the day they made their bold promise. Whether it was Ronald Tang as a human or Norton as a dragon, there was no difference. This man had long been his brother, Lu Mingfei... a brother who had shared life and death.

"Men's friendship is stronger than gold," Su Enxi sighed. "If a humpback whale were here to see this, I'm afraid it would be so moved that it would cry, right?"

"Crying bitterly." Jude Mai added.

"Oh, Mingming, that beautiful female knight... ahem, I know the female ninja. Is that other pretty girl who looks like an artistic young woman also your friend?" Old Tang looked at Jiude Mai, then at Su Enxi, and whispered to Lu Mingfei, "Why haven't I heard you mention her before?"

"She doesn't like to show up in public, but I mentioned her to you, but you don't have much impression of her." Lu Mingfei said.

"How could I not be impressed by pretty girls?" Old Tang didn't believe it.

"Hey, you've done your emotional outbursts. Two grown men, there's no need for whispering, right?" Su Enxi rolled her eyes, not even bothering to raise them. "Xiao Yinghua, if you've used up all your emotions and tears here, how are you going to impress the guests when you get on stage?"

"She is really the owner of this store." Old Tang asked Lu Mingfei for confirmation again, his tone and expression still revealing disbelief.

"It's the real deal. She bought this endangered gigolo parlor outright, paying 10 times the estimated market value of Takamagahara. She even bought the land and the indentures of all the gigolos and waiters there." Lu Mingfei nodded to Old Tang. "But that was just over a month ago. Back then, my brothers and I had just arrived at this place, so buying it would be more convenient."

"Oh my god, oh my god, she really is an extremely rich woman!" Old Tang's eyes almost popped out.

Only at this moment did he finally believe that Su Enxi's words that if she wanted to, she could buy the entire Kabukicho and open a whole row of male escort shops were not empty talk... It turns out that there really are women in this world who spend money like sprinkling candy beans, and they are so young and beautiful. Isn't this the projection of Minerva, the goddess of wealth in ancient Roman mythology, on earth?

"By the way, you said you supported me several times. What do you mean?" Just when he was about to shamelessly ask the rich woman for support again, Old Tang suddenly remembered this.

"How do you think you've been offered so many big contracts for no apparent reason these past few years, when you were barely able to afford food?" Su Enxi said with disdain. "There's a reward of 500,000 for finding an old house in Germany, a reward of 300,000 for diving a waterfall in Indonesia, and a reward of 100,000 for catching a murderer in Australia that might just wipe out his entire savings of ten years of hard work... You always take on such sought-after assignments. Do such lucrative opportunities really just keep falling squarely on your head?"

"You mean..." Old Tang opened his mouth in disbelief.

"I'm the employer for most of the quests you accepted on the Hunter website. I was the one who posted all those quests where the rewards weren't proportional to the effort." Su Enxi raised her chin. "The money involved is the smallest thing. It's just that I registered several accounts just for you, and every time I had to find you a group of clean teammates from all over the world. Do you know how much trouble that was? It completely delayed my time watching TV series!"

"Why are you helping me like this?" Old Tang was completely shocked.

She couldn't understand why such a wealthy woman would go to such lengths to give him money. Could she be attracted to him? Was it his handsomeness or his character? Was his charisma so radiant?

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not interested in anyone like you at all." Su Enxi knew from Old Tang's expression that he was mistaken. She stuck her chin out at Lu Mingfei and said, "If this guy hadn't begged me desperately, do you think I would care whether you could afford to eat or whether you would starve to death?"

In Su Enxi's opinion, Old Tang and Finger are essentially the same kind of people, except that Old Tang seems to be more righteous. Both of them can be attributed to old losers among men... But this is only one side of Old Tang's humanity. Dragon King Norton is still very important. Under their surveillance and protection, Old Tang has awakened a part of himself. Even if it is temporarily maintained in a relatively stable and balanced state because of Lu Mingfei, no one knows whether this balance will be broken one day. In Su Enxi and her archives, Old Tang is still the most dangerous part of the world. Regardless of Lu Mingfei's factors or the boss's factors, Su Enxi has to focus on monitoring Old Tang's social status and private life.

"Mingming, is what she said true?" Old Tang turned his head to ask Lu Mingfei for confirmation, his face still full of confusion.

"Listen to me, Old Tang. I asked Su Enxi to do this, but it's not as exaggerated as she said." Lu Mingfei glanced at Su Enxi and quickly explained to Old Tang, "Those tasks originally needed someone to do them. If you didn't take them, they would have been delegated to others. It's just that when issuing it to you, Su Enxi slightly increased the reward. I'm definitely not questioning your ability or survival ability. I just thought that since you happen to be in this line of work, Old Tang, it's best to keep the wealth within the family..."

Lu Mingfei chose his words carefully, fearing to hurt Old Tang's self-esteem... Of course it would be uncomfortable. Most men would definitely be angry about this. If it were Caesar or Chu Zihang, they might have turned against Lu Mingfei on the spot. After all, this was about a man's dignity. Most of his work and life over the years had been secretly arranged by others. It was like a real version of "The Truman Show", which was really chilling.

But after a brief moment of daze, Old Tang suddenly punched Lu Mingfei's shoulder...not an angry beating, but an excited fist.

"So it's you, Mingming, who's sponsoring me!" Old Tang suddenly realized, his expression excited. "Great, brotherly indeed! I've risked my life to help you. I think your saying, 'Keep the wealth within the family,' really hit the nail on the head. Anyway, whoever does the mission will do it. If you need any low-risk, high-reward missions like this in the future, just give them to me!"

Looking at Old Tang's genuine excitement, Lu Mingfei thought to himself that he was such an idiot. How could this guy's personality be compared with Caesar and Chu Zihang?

Caesar is a lion with golden mane on the grassland. He walks from the direction of the sunrise and never accepts any gifts or charity. Chu Zihang is a lone wolf in the extreme heights. He never possesses anything and sniffs at the carrion on the mountainside... But Lao Tang is a dog, a pure dog, just like Fingle the pig. As long as there is food to keep them from starving to death, no matter who throws it to them, they can eat and drink their fill and spend the day happily.

"Of course that's no problem. Oh, by the way, Old Tang, where's Xia Mi?" Lu Mingfei asked, "Didn't Xia Mi come with you? Is she still receiving treatment?"

"No, she has 'Whisper of the Earth'. Her injuries weren't as severe as mine, so she recovered a long time ago, about two days ago," Old Tang said. "But she knew her boyfriend was having surgery in the room next to ours, and she refused to leave, insisting on waiting until he woke up. I just woke up a while ago, heard you were here, and rushed over immediately after filling my stomach."

Lu Mingfei's heart moved, and he quickly asked: "How are Senior Brother and Eriyi?"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Old Tang nodded. "Their evolution was successful. When I woke up, they had already finished molting. All that's left is to inject them with some miscellaneous drugs."

"Shedding the cocoon?" Lu Mingfei was stunned.

"Yes, this is a necessary step in evolution." Jiude Mai explained to Lu Mingfei, "When a hybrid's bloodline evolves due to the dragon serum, if it fails, they will directly become Deadpool. But if the evolution is positive, they will form something like a cocoon. The dangerous process is rebirth in the cocoon, but once they shed the cocoon, there is nothing to worry about. This means that their bloodline has made a qualitative leap. In fact, dragons themselves also have this process, but the case is rare because it is too difficult to evolve a pure-blooded dragon."

Lu Mingfei showed a look of understanding. He was stunned not because he was curious about the term "cocooning". In fact, he had seen this process more than once, and even experienced it himself... That process was really like nirvana and rebirth, but after breaking out of the cocoon, Lu Mingfei didn't even know whether he was a dragon, Lu Mingze, or his original self.

Thinking of this, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but look worried.

Chapter 754 Big Shot Matters

"Don't worry, I've checked for you. Your senior brother and your girlfriend are still in human form." Old Tang patted Lu Mingfei's shoulder, dispelling his worries. "They haven't turned into dragons or snakes, they haven't grown strange scales or wings, and they're not unconscious."

"In other words, their consciousness is not controlled by their bloodline?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"Yes, that's what your doctor friend said. I looked at your senior brother and your girlfriend, they're both very normal. Your senior brother even has the heart to be affectionate with Xia Mi." Old Tang nodded, then sighed, "But your short doctor friend is really quite capable. That's the blood of the White King, mixed with Xia Mi's and mine. A serum of that purity is highly toxic to any hybrid, yet he actually has a way of using it on hybrids with out-of-control bloodlines, and even allowing them to maintain their human form after their bloodlines evolve."

It is indeed incredible, even unbelievable, and completely breaks all the general theories of "bloodline evolution" of Kassel Academy. People generally believe that dragon blood itself is highly toxic, even after purification. Ordinary hybrids who suck or inject dragon blood will have only two outcomes... death or turning into Deadpool.

Of course, there are precedents of lucky hybrids successfully evolving, but the probability is extremely low, even one in a thousand. However, a successfully evolved hybrid also means that it has completed the step from human to dragon. Not to mention completely evolving into a true dragon, the body and mind will more or less be infected with the characteristics of the dragon. This is a view that all "bloodline" scholars unanimously agree on.

Kassel Academy has a top-secret "Nibelung Project" that can help hybrids complete the transformation of their bloodline without causing any impact on the hybrids themselves. However, the prerequisite is that the dragon bones of a certain dragon king must be obtained, and the success rate of this plan is not guaranteed because there has never been an experimental precedent. The entire plan is currently just talk, and the conditions are very harsh... But now someone has succeeded, and the principle is different from the "Nibelung Project". No one knows how he did it, and he even succeeded in two cases at once, with a success rate of 100%!

"But Mingming, does your short doctor friend have any opinions about Xia Mi and me?" Old Tang asked Lu Mingfei in a low voice.

"Why do you say that?" Lu Mingfei was stunned.

"Because he was very rough when he changed my IV drip, and his attitude towards Xia Mi and me was not very nice. He was quite cold and didn't even want to talk to us." Old Tang asked seriously, "He was wearing a mask the whole time. I thought at the time, this guy must have the face of a dead wife underneath the mask."

After Old Tang finished speaking, Jiude Mai frowned slightly, while Su Enxi covered her mouth and chuckled, thinking that this guy's description was quite accurate. When the psychopathic boss was in a bad mood, he would look at everyone with a face as if his wife had died.

"It's not targeting you and Xia Mi, that guy is like this to everyone." Lu Mingfei sighed slightly in his heart. What he said was true. That guy didn't have any particular opinions about Lao Tang and Xia Mi. That guy seemed to have a lot of opinions about the entire dragon clan.

"Oh, that seems to be the case." Old Tang nodded thoughtfully. "I think he doesn't treat your senior brother and your girlfriend very well, as if everyone owes him money."

Old Tang scratched the back of his head. What he didn't tell Lu Mingfei was that he didn't have much impression of that short guy, but he always felt a little scared. This feeling seemed to come from instinct... But now Old Tang already knew roughly who he was. With a monster of his bloodline, what else in this world could scare him?

Lu Mingfei thought that it was normal for that guy to be rude to his senior brother and Eiry. It was all because of him. That guy disliked everyone who had a good relationship with him, just like a child who was jealous when he saw his beloved brother playing better with others.

"So how long will Chu Zihang need?" Su Enxi asked Old Tang, "Is an hour and a half enough? His show starts in a few hours. The Western Military Region is quite far from here. I can send a helicopter to pick him up, but he still needs makeup, a costume change, and familiarization with the performance process."

"I don't know either. I asked the doctor how long it would take for my brother's brother and his girlfriend to be discharged from the hospital, but he just said it was none of my business." Old Tang looked innocent, "As if I had killed his wife."

"Okay, Old Tang, keep your mouth shut." Lu Mingfei held his forehead. He was glad that the guy was not here, otherwise, with his vengeful personality, he would probably cause trouble for Old Tang.

The sound of footsteps rang out, and the wooden stairs creaked, as if a bear was running wildly up to the third floor.

"Brother, it's really you!" Fingle's figure appeared at the stairs. He rushed over here excitedly, like a bear seeing his beloved honey.

"Heracles! Heracles!" The humpback whale was panting as he chased after him. "Don't run so fast! Susan and Jiudesan told us they're discussing something important on the third floor. No one can go up there without permission!"

Although they were similar in size, it was obvious that the old and injured humpback whale could not catch up with the young and strong Fingle. When the humpback whale just stepped onto the stairs to the third floor, Fingle pounced on it and gave Old Tang a bear hug.

"They said you were seriously injured. I was so worried. I had nightmares every night and couldn't sleep well for several days! I thought to myself, if something really happened to my brother, I would definitely dig up that Herzog guy and dig up his grave. I would even pee on his memorial tablet a few times!" Finkel patted Old Tang's back vigorously. "Now that I see your brother, I'm relieved. You look healthy."

"Be healthy, be healthy, be strong, and eat delicious food. I woke up just now and had a full meal before coming here. Now I'm hungry again. If I weren't healthy, I wouldn't be hungry so quickly, right?" Old Tang also patted Finger's back. "But I'm really touched, brother. You actually thought about me so much. Don't tell me that I dreamed of you even after sleeping for so long. I can't remember what I dreamed about. It seems that you were also seriously injured by that old guy Herzog. Don't talk about it. Let's find a chance to dig up the old guy's grave together!"

Herzog was dead, his bones and blood were recovered, so where was his grave... Lu Mingfei sighed in his heart, but there was a chance that he could go to the old shrine of the Snake Eight Clan and urinate on the spirit tablet of Tachibana Masamune, as long as he was not afraid of retaliation from the Japanese underworld. After all, Herzog's affairs had not been revealed to all the Snake Eight Clan, and in name, Tachibana Masamune was still the respected and recently deceased former patriarch of the Snake Eight Clan.