They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

Could it be that one of the Shenzhou clan, with whom Emiya often interacted, had found out about him and shared his information with him? This wasn't surprising, as Minamoto no Nakasei's surname and identity certainly reminded him of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, a prominent general of the Minamoto clan during the Heian period.

The story of Minamoto no Raikou and his four heavenly kings conquering the demons of Mount Oe is well-known in Japan.

But the truth is not that complicated. The Shenzhou family rarely pays attention to these small families in the island country. Not to mention young people like Yuan Zhisheng who have only debuted for a few years.

The reason why Emiya could tell that the other party was related to "Minamoto no Raikou" was purely because he recognized the ancient aura of the two famous swords.

Now that he has been forging swords for a long time, he always feels familiar with some well-known ancient sword treasures, just like a craftsman who has been immersed in sword making for many years and has a natural keen perception of peerless treasures.

Similarly, Emiya can tell the difference between ordinary blades and fine swords at a glance, and can even identify the specific information of a particular sword by just looking at it, and even try to project and copy it on the spot...

Never mind, it would be a bit rude to pirate it on the spot.

"Indeed, Lord Emiya is a living legend, with a discerning eye. I am indeed a descendant of the Minamoto clan," Minamoto Chisei praised inwardly, shaking Emiya's hand. "And I am also the current head of the Minamoto clan, Minamoto Chisei."

"No, 'living legend' is too high-sounding a description!"

To be honest, Emiya felt quite lucky. It was well known that the nicknames people gave to others in this country and even their daily language always had a "middle school" flavor. This culture was ingrained in their bones.

For example, "yishengxuanming" means to give your all, and "tiandiwuyong" means not to put it the other way around. People are given nicknames like "sushi god" and "cooking immortal," as if cooking alone can prove one's culinary accomplishments.

He was afraid that the other party would use a more shameful and exaggerated nickname as soon as she opened her mouth. Fortunately, when he met up with the Zhou family, the other girls had already gone their separate ways. If Nuonuo was there at that moment, wouldn't she have burst out laughing on the spot?

"I see. Lord Emiya doesn't seem to like excessive pomp and circumstance or unnecessary stares."

Yuan Zhisheng clapped his hands, and the gangsters lined up in two columns in the museum's lobby seemed to have received a unified order. Everyone immediately turned around and left in an orderly manner, retreating behind the huge screen-like shelter and disappearing.

Not long after, only a handful of people were left behind Gen Chisheng, which was about the same number as the Zhou family members behind Emiya. This behavior was indeed an attitude of respect for the guests.

Emiya looked at the crowd which had suddenly thinned out and nodded secretly. The head of the Minamoto family was obviously managing and commanding a considerable force.

Now that Nuonuo is not present, he cannot use profiling to test these Japanese families in more detail, so everything depends on his own judgment.

From a cursory observation during their initial meeting, Emiya discovered that most of the retreating individuals were wearing dark black uniforms lined with Ukiyo-e patterns and black bow ties. This stark contrast to their summer attire, coupled with their strong physiques and stern expressions, made them look like gangsters straight out of a movie.

He remembered that in "The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II", the members of the Night Robbery Family were also dressed like gangsters. They ran various secular businesses such as casinos, concealing their true identities under the appearance of gangsters.

Then, Emiya said meaningfully, "These people are not ordinary gangsters. You can send so many people to control the entire exhibition hall. I believe the capital strength under your family must be extremely strong."

Gennochi was not surprised that Emiya saw through his family so thoroughly. Since the other party could tell his identity at a glance, he should have made a more detailed and comprehensive investigation of his family's strength.

"Yes, the family is indeed involved in many industries. If it can be described as huge, it is indeed worthy of the name. As for those people just now, most of them are of weak bloodline and mediocre talents. There are many such people in the family. Lord Emiya does not need to worry about them."

Although Yuan Zhisheng was polite and considerate in his treatment of subordinates like Yasha and Crow, he only assigned capable people to the right positions. Yuan Zhisheng never paid any extra attention to those with low abilities or even those who were useless.

After hearing Minamoto no Chisei's answer, Emiya thought to himself that it was just as he expected.

All aristocratic families have this problem. No matter if they are mixed-blood or magician families, they all adhere to the theory that bloodline is supreme. Talent determines the upper limit of ability, and good bloodline determines the upper limit of talent. Therefore, the reproduction model of aristocratic families is like conducting breeding experiments on animals and plants.

After many generations, the descendants have multiplied and those with superior breeds become the winners and become the heads of the family, while those with inferior breeds either die in the competition or give up their dreams and become ordinary people.

The two men led their respective groups of people to formally enter the internal exhibition hall of the Sword Museum. The items on display in these exhibition halls, including the collection of swords and materials, had all been arranged in advance by the Snake Eight Families.

Many alchemical swords hidden in the family inventory and never seen the light of day were taken out and replaced with some low-level ordinary swords that were only of collection value. Therefore, these rare treasures were displayed on the booth and exposed to fluorescent lights, sparkling with gold-plated or bright silver metallic luster.

Ever since entering the exhibition hall, Emiya's attention was instantly diverted. For him who was eager for the design drawings of the Noble Phantasm, this place could be said to be a "feast for his eyes"... Perhaps even the beautiful faces and charming figures of beautiful girls such as Nono, Melyuchina and Xia Mi were not as attractive as the swords in front of him.

What's a woman? Now, a woman will only slow down my sword-fighting speed!

"This sword, the Sujumaru Tsuneji, is also known as the Sword of Breaking Evil and Revealing Truth, and is considered one of the Five Blades of the World. It was wielded by Nichiren Shonin. At the time, Nichiren Shonin was living in seclusion on Mount Minobu in Kai Province. A believer at the foot of the mountain presented this tachi as a gift. Several prayer beads were wrapped around the handle, hence the name Sujumaru."

Although Minamoto no Chisei was not in charge of matters related to the family's sword collection, he was no stranger to the famous swords in it. His own swords, "Spider-Giri" and "Doji-Giri Yasutsuna", were also taken from the family's collection, and belonged to the Five Blades of the World, along with "Suzumaru Tsunetsugu".

"The Five Blades of the World are truly worthy of their reputation," Emiya nodded in praise. "The same is true of your swords, 'Arashi-Kiri' and 'Doji-Kiri Yasutsuna'. I'm sure they're among the best in the entire collection."

Gennochi was surprised at Emiya's precise "intelligence network" that worked time and time again:

"Indeed, what I carry is the ancient and famous sword inherited from my family. It is also the weapon I am allowed to wield as the strongest 'Demon Slayer' in my family."

The value of these ancient alchemical swords, besides being collected, lies in their use for bloodshed. Genshisei had never considered that Emiya could learn the blueprints by observation.

Unlike the Gaotingen family, the Sheqi Eight Clan were not as skilled in alchemical techniques. These ancient sword-forging techniques had long been lost over time, rendering these ancient blades extinct. The Sheqi Eight Clan's Ganliu Research Institute had attempted to replicate these forging techniques, but their alchemical swords were never as good as these renowned ancient blades.

In addition, Gennochi also knew that his father, Masamune Tachibana, often forged swords in a mountain hut, but that was entirely Masamune Tachibana's personal hobby. The blades he forged were of very high quality, and any dusty ancient sword picked out from the family collection could beat Masamune Tachibana's clumsy work.

If these preparations happened to cater to his needs and allowed him to establish a good relationship with Emiya, then the plan to win over Emiya would have made a good start and would be halfway to success...

However, the display of these swords and weapons was arranged by his father, Tachibana Masamune. As expected, his father was more meticulous. Gennochi originally thought that this was a casual arrangement made by his father based on his personal preference, but it turned out that he had noticed Emiya's preference.

"'Demon Slayer'?"

Emiya was a little unfamiliar with the term mentioned by Minamoto no Chisei, but considering that Minamoto no Chisei was a descendant of the Genji clan, he quickly understood its meaning. It should be similar to the "Four Great Demon-Exorcist Families of Type-Moon", a family mission to kill non-human monsters such as "demons".

"Is this your family's destiny?"

Gen Chisei's pupils shrank slightly. He almost forgot how many times he was surprised today. Emiya actually revealed the fateful hostile relationship between the Eight Snake Families and the Oni Clan.

In this land, the Eight Snake Families gathered the most outstanding hybrids of the White King's bloodline, but they were different from the Black King's bloodline. They were very likely to give birth to unstable bloodlines. In other words, it was extremely easy for them to degenerate into "ghost" (Deadpool) bloodlines.

These half-breeds with unstable bloodlines were either imprisoned by their families or rebelled and fled. The fugitives gathered together to become the "Fierce Ghost Crowd" and openly opposed the family.

The family has tried to exterminate the fierce ghosts more than once, but the latter always revive. Because as long as the Eight Clans of Sheqi exist, there will always be unstable bloodlines, and the ghosts of the fierce ghosts are endless.

The fierce ghosts are the shadow of the Snake Eight Clan, and slaying ghosts is the family's sad fate, because in a sense, they are wiping out their own kind.

Just like in the Heian period, their ancestors Minamoto no Raikou and the Four Heavenly Kings also went up the mountain to kill the predecessor of the fierce demons, the "Oeyama Demons".

Chapter 136: Emiya Has Gone Crazy

As an experienced demon slayer, Yuan Zhisheng is also deeply troubled by this sad sense of fate. This is also the common feeling of every demon slayer in the Execution Bureau who kills evil spirits and hunts down fierce ghosts everywhere.

——They clearly have a just mission, but they wield their swords to kill their own people or familiar relatives and friends.

Because when carrying out the mission of slaying demons, the demon slayer must face a mental test. Although the target of the mission seems to be an innocent and harmless fugitive, the target can essentially turn into an evil demon who loses his mind and kills people indiscriminately at any time and place.

If at this moment, the demon slayer had a trace of pity in his heart, it would most likely mean the sacrifice of more innocent people.

Therefore, rather than letting more people lose their lives, it is better to kill the "ghost" in front of you to eliminate future troubles... Sacrificing the minority for the majority is the unquestionable "righteousness".

Gen Chisheng was particularly impressed and deeply impressed by this experience of slaying demons.

After all, when he was a cadre of the Executive Bureau in his early years, he killed his younger brother Gen Chijo with his own hands during an outbound mission.

Because Gen Chisei witnessed his brother's degeneration into an evil ghost that plundered human lives, in order to uphold "justice", he had to kill the other party and throw the body into the well... Such an experience of brotherly killing is truly an endless nightmare.

From that day on, Gen Chisheng truly lived in a nightmare called "killing demons." The scene of his brother's murder recurred in his mind over and over again. Every time he slew a demon, his brother's image seemed to vaguely overlap with his target. He couldn't avoid it, yet it lingered.

Sometimes on rainy days he would stay alone and drink, imagining and recalling that day when his younger brother, Gen Chinu, opened his eyes wide and watched his brother, Gen Chisheng, pierce his chest with a knife. However, his brother, his face covered in blood, just smiled and said in the tone that his brother was most familiar with, "Brother, you're back!"

It seemed as if the younger brother didn't care about the fatal wound in his chest at all, nor did he turn into the evil spirit who committed unforgivable sins as the intelligence indicated.

The younger brother is still the introverted and timid younger brother who has been following Yuan Zhisheng and calling him "Brother, Brother" since childhood.

What this younger brother cares about most is that his dear brother finally decided to break away from the gangs in the big city and return to his hometown after a long absence to visit his lonely brother.

That's why the younger brother said at that time, "Brother, you are back." He was still the younger brother at that time, not a ghost.

This thought suddenly occurred to Yuan Zhisheng at the moment when he raised the knife and stabbed his brother's chest to kill him.

And every time he recalled that day's experience, he couldn't help but wonder if the other party had transformed from an evil ghost back into his familiar brother. If so, he would at least bear the sin of killing his brother, rather than the credit of killing the evil ghost.

But this is impossible. Gen Chisheng denies himself every time. There has never been any record showing that the tribesmen who have degenerated into evil spirits can regain their humanity by their own will. The process of degeneration is irreversible.

Perhaps the truth is that his brother was already dead before he drew his sword, and what he killed was an evil ghost that had occupied his brother's body but was pretending to be alive.

Alas, young girl...

"Gen-san...are you okay?"

It was not until Emiya reminded him that Gen Chisei suddenly realized that he had been immersed in memories for too long.

Emiya pointed to his waist where he was tightly gripping Spider-Kiri's hand.

"I saw that you seemed to be lost in thought just now, and your hand unconsciously tightened around the hilt of your sword... I guess you were recalling your experience fighting an evil spirit. It must have been a brutal battle that had nothing to do with pleasure..."

Upon hearing this, Genjiro looked around at the group of followers and subconsciously managed his expression. To be honest, if he were alone with Emiya at this moment, he would even be unable to help but put on a wry smile.

"Mr. Emiya, if possible, I hope you won't guess my thoughts so accurately next time."

Minamoto no Chisei is really going to live in Bengbu soon. How much information does Emiya have about himself and the Eight Snake Clans?

He was afraid that some more exciting secret would come out of Emiya's mouth, making the secret that had been kept secret with great difficulty exposed to the public.

Thinking of this, he felt that he had to quickly grasp the rhythm of the conversation and firmly grasp the initiative, rather than being disrupted by Emiya's shocking remarks from time to time, which made his mentality fluctuate.

"I think it's about time. We have a lunch planned after this exhibition. Ying, where is the venue we've booked?"

Gen Chisei turned around and asked Sakura Yabuki, who was dressed as a secretary.

"Wait a moment, young master... our arrangement is at Kagurazaka Ishikawa."

Emiya took the opportunity to take another look at the girl with glasses...So your name is also Sakura?

"Very good, then we will start the next arrangement immediately."

Thirty-six strategies, walking is the best strategy!

Gen Chisei's tone didn't sound like that of a young master who ruled the underworld with great vigor and determination, but rather like that of a defeated general who was hastily making tactical changes in the face of an overwhelming opponent from Emiya.

----

Located in Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Ishikawa is renowned for its exquisite kaiseki cuisine, having been awarded three Michelin stars for many years. Bookings are often difficult, but for the local powerhouse Snake Eight, this isn't a problem at all.

The most basic form of kaiseki cuisine is "one soup and three dishes", in other words, one soup, one sashimi, one boiled dish, and one fried or grilled dish.

This kind of cuisine is often criticized for being expensive but not filling, but its selling point is not the "quantity", but the freshness of the ingredients, the delicacy of the food, the high-quality utensils and dining environment... So, the key is to enjoy the style.

After all, whether or not food is good is often difficult to satisfy, as individual preferences vary. However, there's a distinctly recognizable "high-end feel" that's readily apparent, making it no wonder Ishikawa has consistently held three Michelin stars for years.

"Then I must say, Lord Emiya, you must rarely eat kaiseki. Only first-time guests would have such feelings."

Yuan Zhisheng skillfully put the Hokkaido sea urchin topped with Baijie sesame sauce into his mouth, and then started to eat the grilled tilefish and fried broad beans.

"Kaiseki cuisine consists of appetizers like 'shofu' and 'hachisun', followed by 'mukaisuke', 'gamono', and 'yakimono'... The key to tasting the food is to experience the flavors gradually building to a climax as you eat them in sequence."

"No, no, this is not a question of eating more or less. I'm not unfamiliar with these dishes. How should I put it? This is probably a difference in dietary concepts," Emiya put down his cutlery and looked solemnly at Gen Chisei, who had the demeanor of a young master.

Gen Chisheng was stared at by Emiya's burning gaze, and he felt a shock all over his body in a trance, as if the other party had come to a professional field that he was familiar with. Damn it, in this field, Gen Chisheng actually felt that he had no right to speak and could not interrupt, and could only let the other party express himself freely.

"I believe that satisfying your appetite is more important than the 'dining experience.' The feeling of 'tasting delicious' is the ultimate dining experience. Anything else is unnecessary embellishment and unorthodox practices. Suppressing the need to satisfy your appetite in order to elevate the dining experience only fosters laziness among chefs."

Emiya pointed at the dishes in front of him. "For example... this Hokkaido sea urchin with sesame sauce is a clever combination, but his sesame sauce is cooked. If it were me, I would prefer raw sesame seeds to enhance the refreshing feeling and match the soft sea urchin."

"Look over here. The conger eel soup is well-seasoned, but the plum and lotus root dish next to it isn't balanced enough. The problem is that the plum isn't acidic enough, which makes the taste unbalanced and the lotus root flavor more pronounced. I think a little lemon juice could be added to fine-tune it..."

Gen Chisei looked at Emiya opposite him in surprise as he spoke eloquently... He was no longer a legendary dragon slayer and godslayer, but a gourmet and genius chef who had deeply studied gourmet cooking.

Under such a powerful aura, Yuan Zhisheng seemed to feel that the owner of this Ishikawa store had no choice but to bow down in admiration.

But does that make sense? The intelligence reports that Emiya's cooking skills are good only because he's good at making simple bento dishes. How come he even knows a little about kaiseki? And to top it off, the rhythm of this topic has inexplicably returned to Emiya's control.

What the hell is going on? Why are you still exporting even though I've already transferred to Rufeng? What kind of intelligence network is this? Did you sneak a peek at my schedule?

"Well, Lord Emiya, I think your suggestions are very accurate. I will arrange for someone in my family to send a copy of the suggestions to the store owner and urge him to make timely improvements."

After repeated setbacks, Yuan Zhisheng had no choice but to surrender. "Let me tell you, you have so much information. I don't think you came here simply to accept the family's invitation."

Emiya was stunned, thinking that he was here on behalf of the Zhou family, and he really was envious of your sword collection, so he was willing to come over for a look so that he could steal all the designs.

However, we still have to talk about the serious and obvious reasons.

"Gen-san, have you heard of a gang called 'Aoi-ya'? We need to use your intelligence network to conduct a small investigation."

Intelligence network?

When Gen Chisheng heard this word again at this moment, his scalp almost tingled - he tasted a subtle sense of irony. He always felt that the intelligence network of the opposite side, Emiya, was so awesome that it could actually make the family's intelligence network come in handy?

"We cannot interfere with the normal operations of a gang without reason, so can you give a suitable reason?" Yuan Zhisheng replied, shaking off the distracting thoughts in his mind.

The Sheqi Eight Families do manage a large number of gangs in Japan, but they are also the maintainers of the underworld order and will not break the rules without reason. If they act rashly and cause dissatisfaction, it may even lead to disastrous consequences, causing the gangs under them to turn to their mortal enemy, the "Menggui Clan".

Emiya frowned. Minamoto Chisei didn't agree easily. Even a powerful family like the Minamoto clan wouldn't take on a gangster so easily. It seemed the domestic power structure in Japan was more complex than imagined. The Minamoto clan might be wary of Aoi-ya being the white glove of another, more formidable faction.

Emiya decided to add a little more context to his original statement:

"What if I tell you that the people behind 'Aoi House' are coveting your 'God'?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Zhisheng's pupils shook violently.

Chapter 137 It’s right, it’s all right

The private room in Ishikawa Restaurant where Emiya and Minamoto no Chisei sat alone was like a beautiful and elegant room in a single-family villa. The natural wood, stone and glass brick structures wrapped the huge space layer by layer. The stacking of asymmetrical elements was full of the traditional "wabi-sabi" style unique to Japan, and a tranquil atmosphere silently filled the place.

However, in stark contrast to the entire room's decor, the silence between Emiya and Minamoto no Chisei was brewing a sense of severity like a dark cloud covering the sky, as if they were about to face a sudden storm.