Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Mu raised his head, and his golden eyes, which always seemed a little confused, now looked at him unusually clearly, as if confirming the truthfulness of his words.

"Really?"

"real."

Jiujo Renji nodded affirmatively:

"Look, I'm standing here perfectly fine now, aren't I?"

Mu stared at him for a few seconds, and seemed to finally confirm that he was not lying, and his tense little face relaxed a little.

But she still didn't let go of his hand, instead she held it tighter.

"alright.."

Jiujo Renji said with some amusement:

"Let go first, I can hardly breathe if you hold me like this."

Mu then reluctantly let go of his hand, but still stood very close to him, staring at him without blinking, as if afraid that he would suddenly disappear again in the next second.

Looking at the girl's dependent and somewhat fragile look, Kujo Renji's mood became complicated.

He continued in a gentle voice, "Did anything else happen while I was away?"

Mu blinked, as if recalling something, and then she softly uttered a name:

"...Minami, you found me."

Mori Minami!

The appearance of this name instantly confirmed some of Kujo Renji's previous speculations.

really...

During the time he was under house arrest by Toyokawa Sadaharu, Mori Minami also began to take action.

Therefore, Toyokawa Sadaharu should have reached some kind of "cooperation" or "tacit understanding" with Mori Minami?

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why Mori Minami found Wakaba Mutsushi so quickly and accurately.

Did Toyokawa Sadaharu reveal to her the news that Xiangzi was temporarily "unable to move" in exchange for her helping to "look after" Mu? Or... was there a deeper interest between them?

He looked at Mu's eyes, which had become somewhat dim and fragile due to the mention of "Minami", and continued to ask in a slower tone:

"And then? Did she... do anything to you?"

Given Mori Minami's almost paranoid "maternal love" and desire for control over Mutsu, it should not be difficult for her to forcibly take Wakaba Mutsu away in his absence.

Wakaba Mu blinked her pure golden eyes, shook her head, and said in a calm, matter-of-fact tone:

"I, reject Minami."

"Ok?"

Kujo Renji was a little surprised.

Mu seemed to sense his doubts and added softly:

"...It was 'Mortis' who rejected Minami."

Kujo Renji understood instantly. Apparently, during his time of being "out of touch," Mortis had intervened between Mu and Minami, and...had successfully prevented Minami from taking Mu away.

Xiao Mo, you did a great job.

Feiwu Xiaomo’s title will be revoked for three months.

Of course, Kujo Renji also knew very well that Mori Minami would never let it go.

Without Hidehiko Toyokawa as the "buffer zone" in the middle, the conflict between Minami Mori and Shoko Toyokawa will only become more intensified and more direct.

After all, from Mori Minami's perspective, Wakaba Mutsu is always her daughter.

And now "Toyokawa Shoko" is undoubtedly the culprit who snatched her daughter away and destroyed their "deep mother-daughter love".

This kind of "hatred of having your daughter taken away" is not so easy to resolve.

Upon hearing this, Jiujo Renji reached out his hand again and gently rubbed Ruoye Mu's soft hair, with a hint of sincere praise in his tone:

"Really? Our Mutou is really getting more and more powerful."

Mu squinted his eyes comfortably as he rubbed his face, like a kitten with its fur stroked, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Just when Kujo Renji thought the topic of Mori Minami could come to an end for the time being, Wakaba Mu suddenly raised his head and, in a tone that was determined to shock the world, dropped another bombshell:

"...Tiger, found me too."

"tiger?"

Jiujo Liansi was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

Then, a light bulb went off in his head—

White stone tiger!

Damn! Why on earth would he come looking for Mu instead of finding someplace to hide at this hour?!

Don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble?!

Kujo Renji felt his temples throbbing again.

He suppressed his dissatisfaction and asked in a calm tone:

"He looked for you? What did he say to you?"

Wakaba Mu tilted her little head, as if trying to recall, and then said in her unique, emotionless and flat tone:

"He said... he found out who had harmed the 'Boss' in the first place."

Jiujo Liansi's heart suddenly trembled when he heard this:

"?"

Ruoye Mu looked at him, seemingly unaware of his inner shock. He simply continued in that calm tone, adding something that completely stunned Jiujo Renji:

"He just said two words."

"——String scroll."

.....

If there is any surname in Japan that can produce the most direct and awe-inspiring association with these two words, it is undoubtedly the Genmaki Group.

It is not just the name of a business group, but more like an invisible and omnipresent behemoth entrenched in the body of modern society.

To ordinary Japanese people, its existence may be just a vague symbol of wealth and power occasionally mentioned in newspapers;

But for the few who truly stand at the top of the pyramid and can glimpse the true rules of how the world works, the two words "string scroll" represent an almost absolute and suffocating dominance.

It is difficult to estimate the wealth of the Xianjuan family with an accurate number.

Some people have joked that their assets may have already exceeded tens of trillions of yen, or even higher, enough to compete with the wealthy royal families in the Middle East, or even... surpass them.

This magnitude of wealth is no longer simply personal wealth; it's a formidable force comparable to the annual GDP of some medium-sized nations, capable of shifting the global economic landscape. According to unnamed financial analysts, the Xianjuan family's publicly disclosed assets alone may be approaching a staggering $350 billion—enough to easily rank among the world's richest, truly "wealthy enough to rival a nation."

However, wealth is only the tip of the iceberg of the Xianjuan family's power.

Their influence, like a dense spider web, has long penetrated into every corner of Japan's and even the world's economy, culture, politics and technology.

The Xianjuan family controls a giant multinational consortium whose business scope spans many key areas such as financial investment, real estate development, cutting-edge military industry, entertainment media, and global shipping.

Their sources of income are no longer limited to traditional capital operations and industrial management. They also occupy an absolute leading position in fields such as high-tech, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering that represent the future development direction.

It can be said that the existence of the Xianjuan family itself is "the pinnacle of the pyramid of the global elite circle."

Of course, most of this about the Xianjuan family is hidden behind a thick fog from the public's view.

Because the power they possess is so terrifying that once it is fully exposed to the sun, it will be enough to cause panic and unrest in the entire society.

What people can see is always only the part they are willing to show.

Kujo Renji actually knew something about the terrifying nature of the Genmaki family.

After all, when you climb to a certain height, you will naturally feel the insurmountable obstacle that is like an invisible sky, looming over Japan and even the entire East Asia.

That is the "territory" of the Xianjuan family. Anyone who tries to challenge its authority will end up in pieces.

But what he felt at this moment was deep incomprehension and...absurdity.

In his previous life, it was almost impossible for Kujo Renji, who was struggling to survive in the underworld, to offend a behemoth like the Genjumaki Group, or even have the slightest connection with them!

Where on earth did Bai Shihu get this "information"?

"String scroll"?

This is even more outrageous than telling him that the mastermind behind this is aliens!

Kujo Renji was extremely suspicious of the "information" that Bai Shihuya passed on through Wakaba Mu.

There must be some misunderstanding here, or... was Bai Shihu also used by someone to spread false information?

Just when Kujo Renji's thoughts were in confusion and contemplation because of the two words "string scroll", Wakaba Mu, who had been standing quietly in front of him, suddenly spoke out of the blue.

Her voice was still in that calm tone, but her pure golden eyes were now unusually bright, staring straight at Jiujo Renji's face, as if she wanted to see through all the secrets deep in his heart.

"'Boss'..."

Mu gently repeated the name, and then asked with a hint of uncertainty:

"Is it...Lian Si?"

Kujo Renji paused.

He didn't expect that Mu would suddenly ask so directly.

This question caught him off guard even more than the "string scroll" just now!

How should he respond? Admit it? Or deny it?

If he admitted it, would it cause trouble for Mu? Would it put her in deeper danger?

But if he denied it... looking at Mu's eyes that were clear without a trace of impurities and seemed to be able to see through everything, he suddenly felt that any lies and cover-ups seemed so pale and powerless in front of such a gaze.

And... Mu seemed to have known it a long time ago. Or rather, she had already... felt it.

After hesitating for a moment, Kujo Renji finally said "hmm" slowly and softly.

Hearing this affirmative answer, the corners of Ruo Yemu's little face, which always had no expression, actually slowly and rarely curled up into a small but extremely sincere arc.

She seemed... genuinely happy to have this "secret" confirmed.

The girl didn't ask any further questions, nor did she show any surprise or fear.

It seemed that for her, the fact that the soul of "Lian Si" lived in the body of "Xiangzi" was not a shocking thing, but just... a fact that she had already noticed and silently accepted.

She simply stretched out her little hand, gently and carefully pulled the corner of Jiujo Liansi's clothes, and then said in a soft and tender tone with a hint of coquettishness:

"Lian Si...I'm hungry."

Jiujo Renji looked at the girl's golden eyes that were slightly narrowed with joy, and her dependent and reassured look. The irritation and confusion in his heart caused by the "String Scroll" seemed to be quietly soothed at this moment.

He couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Mu's soft hair again, and his tone became much gentler:

"Okay, got it. What do you want to eat?"

"...Cucumber." Mu answered without hesitation.

Kujo Renji: "..."

Well, it seems that some essential things will not change easily.

When the slightly abrupt yet unusually harmonious "confession" between Kujo Renji and Wakaba Mu came to an end, the atmosphere in the room seemed to become a little more relaxed because of the tacit understanding.

Kujo Renji looked at Mu who was contentedly thinking about how many cucumbers to eat for dinner, and he felt relieved for a while.

However, this relaxed atmosphere did not fully extend to the "native" deep in his consciousness.

Miss Toyokawa Shoko felt...quite awkward at the moment as Kujo Renji admitted his identity to Wakaba Mutsuki in such a nonchalant and even somewhat "careless" manner.

She didn't express any dissatisfaction directly, but Kujo Renji could clearly feel that Xiangzi's consciousness, which was originally depressed because of his grandfather's betrayal, was now emitting a kind of...similar to the resentment of a child whose candy was taken away but who was too embarrassed to say it directly.

"..."

In Kujo Renji's mind, Xiangzi's consciousness was like a wronged but pretending to be reserved kitten, and it let out an almost imperceptible snort with a hint of sourness.

Kujo Renji asked in his mind with some amusement: "What's wrong, Miss Xiangzi? Are you dissatisfied with something?"