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

"No need. I already have a rough idea of ​​where Eri is hiding. Leave the task of finding her to me. You should continue to accompany the VIP on the tour as planned. If we make too much noise, it might cause the child to resist." Gen Chisei instructed Sakura. "Oh, by the way, the meeting will be postponed for fifteen minutes. This is Mr. Masamune's order."

"Hui." Ying said softly, and watched until Yuan Zhisheng left this floor. Then she took Caesar and Chu Zihang to the 30th floor.

"Who is 'Eri' you mentioned just now?" Caesar asked.

"She is the head of the Uesugi family, one of the three major families of the Sheqi Eight Clans. She is the only female among the eight clan heads besides the head of the Sakurai family. She has a very good relationship with our young master, almost like a brother or sister." Ying hesitated. "But the head of the Uesugi family has been ill recently, and something happened last night, so the young master is quite anxious. The head of the Uesugi family will probably be unable to attend the meeting later. I hope that all the distinguished guests will understand."

"Of course, I understand." Caesar patted Ying's shoulder gently with an expression that said "I understand, I understand."

Young girls often feel ill for a few days each month. He knew it well; even a fearless little witch like Nuonuo would inexplicably lose some of her energy during those days. During these special times, ladies should just lie back in bed, sip a steaming cup of brown sugar ginger water, and recuperate. Missing meetings or something like that was understandable.

Unlike the vigorous and decisive atmosphere on the 28th floor and the solemn and solemn atmosphere on the 29th floor, the environment on the 30th floor of Genji Heavy Industries is extremely relaxed and comfortable.

This floor is in Japanese style. In each exquisite and retro Japanese-style room, elderly people in kimonos sit around on the tatami. Exquisite and small Daifuku snacks are placed in the corner of the small table. Some of the elderly people are playing chess, some are chatting and drinking tea, and laughing from time to time.

"Is this your senior activity room?" Caesar asked. "Do you also run a nursing home?"

"This place is called the Strategic Department. Those who can enter the Strategic Department are the most prestigious and reputable elders in the family. They may have been highly respected leaders in the past, or perhaps they were renowned sword masters. In peacetime, there is usually no important matter that requires them to show up. Their daily routine is to drink tea and chat. Their mere presence will ensure the stability of the Sheqi Eight Clan's position in the underworld. These elders are the foundation of this edifice." Ying said, "Unless it is a matter of family strategy, they will not be bothered to show up. Every elder here has a wanted warrant at the National Police Agency. The amount is huge and difficult to revoke."

"Similar to some living legend? An elder of the family?" Chu Zihang concluded.

"Yes, that's what I mean." Sakura nodded.

"Just like the House of Lords in ancient Rome. How interesting." Caesar smiled. "Are we just holding meetings with them?"

"No." Ying shook her head. "Although the elders are renowned within the clan, the only ones qualified to confer with the distinguished guests from the main branch are the representatives of the Japanese branch and the heads of the eight clans. The heads of the clans should already be waiting at Awakening Temple."

"Lu Mingfei won't get lost on the 24th floor, right?" Chu Zihang suddenly asked.

"He should still be bathing. In the etiquette of the nobility, bathing is a very sacred etiquette. It is common to spend half an hour or an hour on it. He looks like he will take even longer." Caesar thought for a moment.

"Perhaps he was drawn to something in the VIP area." Sakura was referring to the ancient sword exhibition area and the arcade room. "Mr. Masamune has instructed that the meeting be delayed, so he has plenty of time to do what he wants... Let's continue our tour."

……

Genji Heavy Industries, 24th floor, VIP area.

Lu Mingfei stood in the deepest part of the bathing area. Hot steam rose from the white jade bathtub in front of him. The little rubber duck floated among the rose petals in the pool, swaying left and right in the hot steam. The rubber duck looked like it had lost its way among the roses.

Only then did he notice that there was clothing hanging on the hanger next to him. It was a red and white shrine maiden's costume, a traditional attire consisting of a kimono, a white robe, and a scarlet hakama. The cuffs and lapels were woven with red silk cords, and the obi was a long strip of red silk. The shrine maiden's costume was so wide that it could almost fit two adults... It was clearly a girl's clothing, taken off by its owner and quietly placed here.

So where should the owner of the rubber duck and the red and white witch costume be now?

This was actually an obvious question, but Lu Mingfei felt that his brain was not enough. In the quiet space, his heartbeat was like a drum... When facing a dragon king, his heart had never beaten so fast, as if it was about to tear through his chest and jump out!

This was an unexpected encounter, so damn sudden! Lu Mingfei's mind was filled with a sense of unreality. He still couldn't believe it. He urgently needed some kind of proof to tell him that he was not in a dream... Otherwise, how could it be, how could it be... His hands seemed to be out of control, trembling as he reached for the rubber duck in the bathtub.

Suddenly, a pale hand stretched out from under the water covered with rose petals and grabbed Lu Mingfei's wrist.

Following closely was the floating red hair, soft and smooth, a rare dark red, like crimson seaweed swaying on the waves... Then came the round white forehead... long eyelashes that curled slightly upwards... and finally a pair of deep rose-red eyes...

The girl's head half emerged from the water, like a pink lotus suddenly blooming in the pond. She quietly looked at this strange "uninvited guest" who was as strange as a black bear, her eyes half curious and half vigilant, cautious, like a cat that was found while playing hide-and-seek.

Lu Mingfei opened his mouth, his throat rolling with difficulty, but he could hardly utter a syllable. He seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to speak... Cassel's "S" level had never lost its composure like this before. Before this, he had imagined hundreds and thousands of scenes of meeting the girl, perhaps in the dark deep sea, perhaps in a quiet secret room... Whenever he thought of it, he would carefully arrange dozens of different sets of words for encounters in different scenarios.

But he never thought that the encounter would be so unexpected, as if fate was playing a big joke on him... One of them was naked and soaked in the water, and the other was covered in dust and dirt like a black bear.

Lu Mingfei had been preparing for four years, thinking he was ready for this fateful encounter... but when the moment finally arrived, he realized all his preparations were for naught. He wanted to give the girl a big hug, but she was soaked in water, naked. He wanted to greet her warmly, like an old friend, but he couldn't find the right words. All his years of studying Japanese proved useless.

He could only stare at her blankly, as helpless as a child.

The girl's big eyes blinked as she observed Lu Mingfei. The vigilance in her eyes was almost completely replaced by curiosity.

She still held onto his hand, not letting go, because she could clearly feel it trembling restlessly every moment, but it was so warm that she didn't want to let go. Her initial focus was on the funny, dirty face, like the teddy bear in her drawer, but she suddenly saw something in that face that instantly drew her in and couldn't look away.

It's the boy's eyes.

In fact, she had not intended to run away from home this time, because she would be found every time she ran away. The farthest she had gone was to the road in front of the Genji Heavy Industries Building, where she stood there staring at the traffic coming and going for several hours.

She hid here, and when her brother or someone she knew came to find her, she would suddenly jump out of the water, which would probably scare the other person?

She kept hiding in the water and looking up secretly, but what finally came was a stranger she had never seen before. This strange person seemed to be here to steal her little yellow duck...until half of her head floated out of the water and met the man's eyes.

That face was obviously as funny as her teddy bear, but those eyes were so pure. She had never seen eyes like that before, and no one had ever looked at her like that before...

Such bright eyes, making people reluctant to look away after just one look... So lonely, so hesitant, so silly, but when looking at her, sober, so gentle, and so pure, as if a lonely child finally met the most beautiful shell on the beach, those eyes are so bright... as if tears will flow at any time.

He looked like he was about to cry, but he tried his best to force a smile for you.

"Hui..." Lu Mingfei was finally able to make a sound.

"Ms. Eiry... Miss Eiry..." An awkward shout interrupted Lu Mingfei's words. The sound of running came from far away. Someone was coming here!

The girl in the water was like a frightened rabbit, half of her head suddenly submerged in the water.

A woman's reflection appeared outside the black curtain wall. Just before she poked her head into the cubicle, the girl's soft fingers suddenly touched Lu Mingfei's palm. Lu Mingfei came to his senses, grabbed the witch's costume on the hanger and the rubber duck on the water and hid them behind him.

"Ms. Eri, are you here? If you sneak out while I'm changing the sheets, I'll be punished by the head of the family..." The middle-aged woman walked into the compartment, and her voice stopped abruptly when she saw Lu Mingfei. She looked at the dirty man in front of her with suspicion, as if she didn't understand why such a person suddenly appeared in the VIP area.

"Who is it?" The middle-aged woman looked warily at this person who clearly did not have the temperament of a VIP.

"Kassel Academy Commissioner, Class of 2009, Lu Mingfei." Lu Mingfei introduced himself. "Your young master's assistant, Sakura Yabuki, sent me here. I need to shower and change clothes before the meeting with the eight family heads. You can ask her."

No one noticed that a string of bubbles suddenly appeared in the pool behind Lu Mingfei.

"It turns out that this is a distinguished guest from our department. I failed to recognize your identity in a hurry. I am very sorry for my impoliteness!" The middle-aged woman lowered her head respectfully and bowed deeply.

"It's okay, it's okay. Being vigilant is a good thing. No need to apologize." Lu Mingfei pretended to be calm. "I look like I just rolled in the mud with a bear. It's easy to be misunderstood."

"I'm sorry to disturb your bathing time. I'll leave here immediately." When the middle-aged woman was about to say goodbye and leave, she glanced behind Lu Mingfei, then she suddenly stopped and frowned slightly.

Lu Mingfei was stunned, his heart skipping a beat. Could it be that Eri had suddenly appeared? If she were caught red-handed, she'd at least be charged with plotting against the head of the Minamoto family. Even jumping into the Sea of ​​Japan wouldn't clear her name. Elephant Turtle and Tachibana Masamune would probably want to castrate her alive, right?

"Do you like taking a rose petal bath?" asked the middle-aged woman.

Lu Mingfei let out a long sigh and grinned, "Yeah, yeah, I like to wash my body with roses. I did that when I was in the United States. I always felt that I couldn't wash clean without covering it with a thick layer of roses... Is there any problem?"

"It's not a problem..." The middle-aged woman looked at Lu Mingfei with a curious look, "It's just that in Japan, only women bathe in bathtubs covered with rose petals. Some men bathe in rose petals... to attract other men with the fragrance."

The woman left mumbling, leaving Lu Mingfei standing there in a daze, as if struck by lightning.

Suddenly, the girl in the water jumped out, like a graceful mermaid breaking through the water. Lu Mingfei's eyes were instantly filled with whiteness, his nose felt sweet, his heart skipped a beat, and his mouth opened into an "O" shape in surprise... Then he was caught off guard and was pulled into the bathtub by the girl, choking on his mouth full of bath water.

The hot water seeped into his lungs, and the feeling of his respiratory tract being filled with water was definitely uncomfortable. Lu Mingfei struggled to get up, but the girl's hand suddenly reached down and gently rubbed his head. Lu Mingfei calmed down instantly.

It wasn't just the girl's gentle, childlike touch, but also Lu Mingfei, leaning against the bathtub, that allowed him to clearly hear the rapid, deliberately subdued footsteps approaching. Unlike the middle-aged woman, the footsteps were clearly from a martial artist, brimming with murderous intent. If this had happened in ancient China, he'd have been a peerless master of the seventh level of Qinggong.

"As expected, you're here...Eri." A male voice sounded on the water surface accompanied by a sigh.

Lu Mingfei looked through the gaps between the rose petals underwater...Yuan Zhisheng was here.

Chapter 200 A brief encounter, a beautiful encounter

"I know you've always wanted to go out and see the world. I know that, but... Alas." Yuan Zhisheng's voice suddenly became gentle, and at the end of his words, he let out a long sigh.

Yuan Zhisheng picked up the miko's robe from the ground, draped it over the girl's shoulders, and said softly, "You've grown up now. You should be more reserved even when facing your brother."

The girl looked around, as if looking for something.

"You're looking for this, right? I brought it out of your room." Yuan Zhisheng took out a pen and a small notebook from the lining pocket and handed them to the girl.

The girl took it with satisfaction, wrote on the notebook quickly, and then held it up to show Yuan Zhisheng.

"You found it." The girl's handwriting was beautiful and cute, with a girlish and innocent tone.

"Hide and seek?" Gen Chisheng glanced at the large bathtub behind Eri. "Why did you come all the way up here to take a bath? Isn't the bathtub in your room more comfortable?"

"Because I'm alone." The girl wrote in the notebook.

Genji looked at the few words on the notebook, speechless and stunned. After a long silence, he touched the girl's head with a hint of heartache: "We have an important meeting later. After the meeting, we need to receive the special representatives of the headquarters. They are very important people. Of course, Eri is also important, but these people are related to the fate of the family. I must also stand on my own side... Can Eri understand?"

The girl nodded slightly, looking quite well-behaved and sensible.

"After I'm done with my work these days, I'll make time to accompany you. It's up to you to play Street Fighter or watch Ultraman Ultraman Tiga, okay?" Yuan Zhisheng asked.

The girl nodded first, then shook her head slightly.

"Does it mean 'not enough'?" Yuan Zhisheng asked.

"No need, brother is busy." The girl wrote in the notebook.

What Yuan Zhisheng didn't notice was that the girl secretly glanced at the bathtub behind her, like a kitten hiding its treasure there and afraid of being discovered.

"Eri has grown up." Genji smiled with relief, "Let's go."

The girl nodded obediently and followed Yuan Zhisheng.

Gen Chisei took two steps and suddenly turned around. He reached towards the corner of the bathtub, but was stopped by Eiry just as his fingers were about to touch the water.

"I just wanted to drain the water. You should have finished washing, right?" Gen Chisheng was a little confused as to why Eri suddenly stopped him.

The girl pointed at the water's surface. Yuan Zhisheng looked at the crimson rose petals covering the surface and understood instantly, "You mean the rose petals on the surface haven't been cleared away yet, and you're afraid they'll block the water outlet if you pull the plug, right?"

The girl nodded, her gaze at the water seemed to penetrate the gaps between the rose petals, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face. Although the smile was thin and cold, like the cool moonlight falling on the snow, it appeared on her seemingly emotionless and indifferent face, but it had a kind of beauty as if she had put on blush.

"Then let's leave it alone for now and wait for the person in charge of cleaning this floor to come and deal with it." Yuan Zhisheng said, "Come on, let's go home. I'll take you to your room."

Until the footsteps of the two people gradually faded away and completely disappeared from this layer, a yellow rubber duck emerged from the water, like a pioneer scouting the enemy, and then a series of bubbles emerged, blowing the rose petals to both sides.

In the water covered with rose petals, Lu Mingfei floated up and down. Perhaps it was because he had been soaking in hot water for a long time, his brain was very hot and his emotions were up and down. He laughed like a fool in the water, choked on a mouthful of water... and then continued to laugh foolishly.

He heard the conversation on the water surface clearly. Of course, he understood that the girl didn't let Yuan Zhisheng pull out the plug not because she was afraid that the rose petals would block the water outlet, but because she was afraid that the water level would drop and her figure would be exposed to Yuan Zhisheng's sight... She hid herself!

It was not until Lu Mingfei's respiratory tract was filled with water due to his laughter that he broke through the water surface and took in big gulps of fresh air into his lungs.

His brain was still in a state of extreme hypoxia. Recalling the brief encounter just now, everything seemed as unreal as a dream, but not entirely beautiful.

He held up the yellow rubber duck he'd been clutching tightly in his hand and looked at it in the bright white light cast by the headlamp on the ceiling. On the duck's belly was a line of small characters written with a thick, water-filled brush. It was a short sentence, written in a combination of Chinese characters, kana, and English, making it look particularly endearing.

"Eriyi's Duck".

Lu Mingfei stared blankly at the words on the duck's belly until the hot water cooled and the wisps of steam ceased rising from the surface. A tsunami was raging in the boy's heart, overwhelming and lasting, but he just stood there quietly, not letting anyone know.

……

"Yes, you're right, Lu Mingfei is indeed very slow." Caesar was also a little numb from waiting. "Bath is indeed a sacred etiquette, but there is no need to dawdle like this. He doesn't look like he's bathing, it's more like he's hiding somewhere to have a baby."

Ying had already taken them to tour the 30th floor. There were nothing but Japanese-style rooms here, and in each room were elderly men and women sitting. If the heads of the eight families were older than these elderly people... Caesar's mind showed the images of several skinny old men like skeletons, wearing black kimonos, with stern and haggard faces, coughing while inviting them to have tea, and they were about to cough out their lungs after just a few words.

"Maybe he was so engrossed in playing games that he forgot the time. The gaming area is right next to the bathing area," Ying said.

"It shouldn't be. He is not the kind of person who can't tell the difference between the important and the unimportant." Chu Zihang shook his head.

"Senior brother still understands me." A voice came from the elevator entrance. The elevator door opened with a "ding" sound, and Lu Mingfei, who had finished washing and changed into a brand new uniform, appeared in front of the three people.

"The timing is perfect. The family heads have been waiting for a long time." Ying led the three of them to open a hidden sliding door, and sunlight came in from behind the door.

This is an extremely wide terrace, hidden in a corner of a high-rise building. It is difficult to detect from the sky. It is like a cave isolated from the world. The hidden sliding door is the only way to get here.

"This place is called Awakening God Temple. It is not easily open to the public. Few people can come here. Only VIPs with sufficient status are qualified to be received by the heads of the families here." Ying explained.

What comes into view is a small vermilion torii gate. Through the torii gate is a stream and a small bridge. Beside the clear stream are jade-like white stones and dead mountain trees, exuding a leisurely and quiet Zen feeling.

At the end of the torii gate, there was actually a temple, a Shinto-style temple. Ancient records of gods and demons were engraved on the gray granite walls. Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi shone in brilliance, and the mighty Susanoo wielded a giant sword. Opposite them stood green-faced, fang-toothed demons, so ferocious they looked like the unjustly deceased from the underworld. Bones piled like mountains at the demons' feet. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning swept across the earth, a scene of all things, a scene of majestic majesty.

Ying held up a copper basin filled with clean water. She whispered that this was the Shinto "Sailor's Ceremony," which required washing one's hands and mouth before visiting a shrine, lest the karmic obstacles stained by human sins contaminate the gods.

In the main hall of the shrine was a huge round table made of black and white Tai Chi stone slabs. Six people were sitting around the table, seemingly waiting. When Caesar's group entered the hall, they stood up and bowed to greet them.

Ying introduced them one by one.

"You have all met Mr. Yuan Zhisheng, the head of the Yuan family. He is also the young master of the Sheqi family and the director of the Japan branch's executive bureau."

As the series of titles were read out, Caesar realized that the Eight Snakes truly valued them enough to send such a distinguished figure to greet them. This young man's status within the Eight Snakes was probably equivalent to that of Principal Ange's illegitimate child at Kassel Academy, if the principal had one.

Yuan Zhisheng glanced at Lu Mingfei in surprise. He remembered that when he had just met Caesar's team, this young man wasn't with them. He had already met Caesar's team on the 30th floor of Genji Heavy Industries. Where did this guy come from? He wanted to ask him where he had been and what he had done last night, but since this was a serious occasion, he couldn't confront the people at the headquarters in front of the heads of the various families.

"The head of the Ryoma family, Mr. Ryoma Genichirō, controls the arms industry in the Japanese underworld. Mr. Ryoma Genichirō himself is also the current head of the Japanese branch."

The head of the Longma family is not a withered skeleton, nor is he a stern old man, nor does he look like the most terrifying arms dealer in the underworld. Instead, he looks more like a middle-aged office worker and looks completely undignified.

He was wearing an ordinary suit, his hair was combed back with hairspray, and his eyes were completely devoid of the spirit of a gangster elite. He looked like a middle-aged office worker who was often late for work and was criticized and deducted from his boss to the point that he had lost faith in life.

"The head of the Inuyama family, Mr. Inuyama He, is a close friend of Principal Ange. When the Japanese branch was first established, Mr. Inuyama He was the first to take over."

The head of the Inuyama family is a white-haired old man, but he looks energetic and has a friendly smile, like the grandfather of the girl next door.

"Hahaha, although I don't want to admit it, I am indeed the principal's best friend in Japan, and I used to be his student. I haven't seen him for many years, and I am so old now. I guess the principal must be even older. I wonder if the old guy can still hold a knife." The head of the Inuyama family scratched his gray hair and laughed.

"The head of the Sakurai family, Ms. Sakurai Nanami, is the only female among the eight family heads. Over 70% of the casinos in Japan have inseparable business ties with the Sakurai family. Ms. Sakurai herself also serves as the inspector of the Japanese branch."

The head of the Sakurai family is an extremely beautiful young woman. Although her clothes and appearance are very low-key, her every frown and smile still reveals her charm. She does not look like one of the supreme heads of the underworld, but more like the wife of a gang leader.

"The head of the Fuma family, Mr. Fuma Kotaro, is the 'Wakata' of the Snake Eight Clan. Before Mr. Masamune took over the position of head of the family, the head of the Fuma family served as the acting head of the family. The Fuma family is a ninja family. Mr. Fuma Kotaro himself has no connection with the Japanese branch, but we will need the help of the Fuma family ninjas for this mission."

The head of the Fuma family finally possessed the air of a mafia boss. Scars crisscrossed the old man's face, and his gaze was as sharp as a knife. Anyone whose eyes passed through it felt their skin ache, as if being sliced ​​by a swift blade, sending a chill down their spine.