Chapter 318: Starting the Seduction Already?

After dinner, all the guests gathered in the recreation room.

Chang Liang Yao admired the decorations and furnishings in the surroundings, while Su Fang Hongzi’s secretary, Inaba Kazuyo, came to Akaso Kaze’s side and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Akaso, our president invites you to come over."

Akaso Kaze tilted his head slightly and happened to see inside the collar Inaba Kazuyo had lowered, causing his eyebrows to twitch.

It was empty.

Inaba Kazuyo did not seem to notice Akaso Kaze’s gaze and remained bowed, waiting for his reply.

Akaso Kaze nodded and stood up to follow behind Inaba Kazuyo.

In the hallway, the female secretary swayed her waist as she walked in front.

On her form-fitting short skirt, there were no traces of undergarments.

Is she trying to seduce me?

Why would a secretary do such a thing?

Akaso Kaze felt a faint sense of doubt in his heart.

He followed the secretary to Su Fang Hongzi’s private lounge.

Su Fang Hongzi was leaning elegantly against the armrest of a sofa, holding a glass of red wine.

"Lord Akaso, I didn't expect you to accept my invitation. If I had known, I wouldn't have invited a fortune teller."

Akaso Kaze smiled noncommittally.

Su Fang Hongzi continued: "I would like to ask you to do something. You saw those cursed masks earlier. The medium who sealed them back then left behind a magic array, saying they must be resealed every ten years."

"I would like to ask you to help me perform a sealing ritual, using your magic power and the original array to reseal the cursed masks."

"As compensation, I am willing to pay one hundred million yen."

One hundred million yen...

That’s quite mediocre.

Akaso Kaze was not who he used to be.

Besides, this was no ordinary commission; two hundred cursed masks were not something that could be solved by simply casting a spell.

Moreover, Akaso Kaze hadn't figured out whether these cursed masks generated black Qi on their own or if they would be fine once cleared.

If they were cleared only to return to their original state after a while, and something happened later, it would ruin his reputation as the strongest Yin-Yang Master.

"Ms. Su Fang, forgive my bluntness, but this set of cursed masks definitely cannot be solved by a simple seal. Based on the current situation, their seals have long since been broken."

"I’m afraid you have been living under the curse of these masks for many years."

"I have two suggestions. One is that I don't need any payment; you simply hand the set of cursed masks over to me, and I will handle the rest."

"The other is that you will need to spend a large amount of money, at least over one billion, and I will need to study the masks carefully before I can find a way to completely lift the curse."

"As for the array left by the medium that Ms. Su Fang mentioned, I will not use something of such unknown origin."

Ms. Su Fang’s brows furrowed tightly.

It was clear that Akaso Kaze’s conditions had taken her by surprise.

In fact, although the number of masks she collected was large, most were worth only around several hundred thousand yen.

Even the premium masks displayed in the mask hall were generally priced in the millions, and not a single mask was worth over two million yen individually.

Although the cursed masks of Schuber were famous, it was a bad reputation, and general mask collectors dared not collect them.

As collectibles with a price but no market, their individual value was far less than two million.

So even if all two hundred cursed masks were calculated at the highest price, it would only be two or three hundred million yen.

Yet Akaso Kaze had demanded a sealing fee of one billion yen, several times their actual value.

As for giving the cursed masks to Akaso Kaze, Su Fang Hongzi wouldn't even consider it.

"Lord Yin-Yang Master, allow me to consider this matter and give you an answer tomorrow."

A smile appeared on Su Fang Hongzi’s face: "I am a bit tired, so I will go back to rest first. I hope you have a pleasant evening."

Watching Su Fang Hongzi get up and leave, Akaso Kaze felt a bit puzzled.

Who leaves their guests behind like that?

Seeing the host leave the room and close the door, Akaso Kaze prepared to get up and return as well.

But the secretary, Inaba Kazuyo, came before him.

She sat directly on Akaso Kaze’s lap, her face slightly flushed.

"Ms. Inaba, what are you doing?"

"Ms. Su Fang said that we must ensure Lord Akaso has a good time..."

Akaso Kaze was very surprised.

Is she starting the seduction already?

Inaba Kazuyo used the cover of her actions to lean onto Akaso Kaze’s shoulder, pressing her cold lips against his ear.

"Lord Akaso, save me!"

The woman’s trembling voice carried extreme fear.

Akaso Kaze couldn't help but frown.

It seems there is a hidden story here.

It requires careful investigation.

A mysterious atmosphere began to ripple through the room.

"Tell me, who is trying to harm you?"

Hearing Akaso Kaze’s loud question, Inaba Kazuyo looked toward the door behind them in terror.

"Don't worry, no one can see or hear what we are saying and doing right now."

Akaso Kaze said calmly, holding Inaba Kazuyo’s waist.

He had cast a True Illusion; whether it was a wiretap or someone peeking, they would only see the illusion he had created.

Of course, what he was doing now was no different from what was being displayed, just the words being spoken were different.

Hearing Akaso Kaze’s words and seeing that the door remained undisturbed, Inaba Kazuyo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lord Akaso, Ms. Su Fang seems to have gone mad."

"Over the past two years, she has spent billions of assets purchasing all sorts of strange things from various places, like red gemstones, withered wood staves, unknown blood, and so on."

"I saw with my own eyes her placing those things together with the cursed masks, and those things were actually swallowed by the masks."

"If it were just that, it would be fine, but the most terrifying thing is that Ms. Su Fang asked me... asked me to find living people for her."

Inaba Kazuyo spoke with extreme fear.

"Living people?" Akaso Kaze frowned slightly.

"Yes, she told me to spend money to bribe people who aren't afraid of death to try on her masks, saying that as long as they wear the mask and spend one night in this villa, they can receive a reward of ten million."

"I didn't dare to find anyone, just making excuses that I couldn't, and Ms. Su Fang, she actually forced me to wear that mask."

"I made excuses several times, and seeing that I couldn't put it off any longer, I felt very scared, always feeling that if I wore that kind of mask, something bad would happen..."

"Why don't you leave Su Fang Hongzi?"

Akaso Kaze asked with a frown.

"I, I don't dare. Ms. Su Fang said that if I leave without permission, she will turn us into lifeless puppets, at her beck and call."

Puppets?

Hearing Inaba Kazuyo’s words, a thoughtful expression appeared on Akaso Kaze’s face.

This sounds like puppet arts.

Can cursed masks perform puppet arts?

It sounds a bit strange.

However, the name "cursed mask" implies it brings bad luck, not necessarily that it is caused by a curse.

More than an hour later, Akaso Kaze returned from Su Fang Hongzi’s lounge alone.

In the hallway, he happened to run into Chang Liang Yao.

She was looking at the ceiling, wondering what she was thinking.

"Lord Akaso." Seeing Akaso Kaze, Chang Liang Yao’s eyes lit up, and she walked over quickly, "I heard you have a life-saving talisman. I wonder if you could sell me one?"

Akaso Kaze raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

A fortune teller asking a Yin-Yang Master for a talisman sounds a bit strange.

Chang Liang Yao explained with a pale face: "I just did a reading for myself and drew this card."

She stretched out her slender fingers, with a tarot card tucked between her fingertips.