Chapter 109: The Beginning of the Great Battle

"Little girl, are you jealous?" Jiu De Jiude Mayi Mayi smirked, watching Su Enxi crush the potato chip with too much force.

"Shut up, Long Legs!" Su Enxi snapped, her tone sharp with a hint of confusion: "Are those things in TV dramas even real?"

"Our boss says it's a story from another world." Jiu De Jiude Mayi Mayi recalled those romantic scenes, a faint blush crossing her face—gone in an instant. It was too embarrassing; love could make someone act like that.

"I almost cried watching that drama. The worst part? I just finished a drama with me as the female lead, and now I'm watching the male lead chase other girls." Su Enxi shoved the crumbled chips into her mouth, crunching loudly.

"It's practically on par with your island nation's unique culture."

"So now I'm the victim?"

Su Enxi stared at the two figures in the telescope, their faces flushed from a bit of alcohol, feeling strange inside. The takeout they ordered? She'd arranged it herself. With Lu Mingfei's meager cash, he could never have afforded this expensive meal.

"Let me be clear—I'm a pure love ninja." Jiu De Jiude Mayi Mayi replied coolly. "Don't get too immersed. Clearly, the female lead in this world isn't you, and it isn't me."

"Then what about my son? In the drama, that kid was so sweet and obedient."

Su Enxi remembered the warm, peaceful life she'd seen in her memories.

"Why not borrow some seed from our giant panda? Strip yourself naked and offer yourself up—see if he'll eat it." Jiu De Jiude Mayi Mayi suggested.

"He's a coward." Su Enxi evaluated. "Can someone erase my memory? Pretend I never watched this drama."

Jiu De Jiude Mayi Mayi turned on her phone's flashlight and flashed it at Su Enxi.

"Big tits, no brains."

"What did you say?!"

Every day after that, Lu Mingfei and Hui Liyi had a wonderful time wandering Tokyo.

As Finger said, if you've ever liked a second girl, how can you be sure you won't like a third?

The third is to the second what the second is to the first.

Love belongs to what happens now. Past love? We saints of love call that memory.

That was Finger's exact words.

Fine, Lu Mingfei admitted—he was smitten.

Once he stripped away Hui Liyi's monster traits—or compared her to the other "monsters" he'd encountered recently—Hui Liyi was just a little girl with supernatural abilities.

After that, everything followed naturally. Lu Mingfei, weak-willed as ever, felt his third spring stir.

He'd once refused to let himself love anyone but Nono… but some things…

Finger was absolutely right.

Lu Mingfei watched Hui Liyi, curiously scanning her surroundings as they walked through the park, and couldn't help smiling. The day was clear and mild; in this park frequented by locals, the two strolled and played together.

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Tanaka Ginza?" A handsome, mixed-race man asked as he passed them. He wore a monocle over his right eye and a dark jacket; his speech was awkward. "My phone's dead—I can't even use navigation now."

It was the 21st century—why was someone still wearing such a retro monocle? Lu Mingfei found it odd, but it didn't stop him from offering help.

"Let me check for you." Lu Mingfei pulled out his phone to look it up.

"There's a bus stop straight ahead. Take the…"

Lu Mingfei explained the route to the man.

"Thank you so much. Travel always brings unexpected problems. Honestly, my girlfriend already went ahead—if I'm late, I'm dead." The tourist smiled awkwardly at Lu Mingfei and Hui Liyi. "Everyone says Tanaka Ginza's shopping street is perfect for couples—lots of nice goods."

"You two look like a couple in love. Have you been there?" The man adjusted his monocle with a light push.

Before Lu Mingfei could speak, Hui Liyi pulled out her small notebook, where she'd written in permanent marker: "What is a couple?"

"It means both people want to stay together forever, happy every day they're together, and miss each other terribly when apart…" The man clasped one hand over his chest, rested the other on his chin. "In short—you really, really like each other. Haha, sorry, I just started dating. Apologies."

The man seemed cheerful and talkative—not at all like his stiff appearance.

"We…" Lu Mingfei scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

"Then me and Sakura are a couple!" Hui Liyi wrote in her notebook.

"Ah, I see—you two really do suit each other. Oh no!" He glanced at his wristwatch and smiled apologetically. "Sorry to interrupt you—I must hurry to my appointment."

He gave them a polite nod and hurried off in a light run.

"Sakura, let's go to Tanaka Ginza!" Hui Liyi wrote in her notebook.

She held the notebook up, covering half her face, leaving only her wide, glistening eyes fixed on Lu Mingfei with hopeful anticipation.

"Okay." Lu Mingfei turned his head away, cheeks slightly flushed, unable to meet her gaze—his heart pounded.

Too unfair. That expression.

In that moment, Lu Mingfei's love for his paper-thin wives shifted. Goodbye, Captain. Goodbye, Asahina…

Hui Liyi's bounty had been raised to one billion yen by the Snake and Eight Families. For efficiency and to avoid trouble, they chose to take a taxi.

Soon after they left, Su Lin stepped out from beneath a tree.

I almost got scared—that Klain guy is too mischievous.

Su Lin glanced at Su Xiaoqiang, who had just "casually strolled" over, then vanished from sight.

Tanaka Ginza…

A mansion burned in roaring flames, beams crackling as they collapsed; the once-luxurious estate was now a field of ash.

The air reeked of gunpowder and charred flesh.

A boot pressed down hard on a scaled hand.

"Beowulf? Dragon-slaying clan?"

"That's it?" Lao Tang stared coldly at the man beneath his foot, his bloodline exceeding the threshold and mutating. Behind him stood other bloodline clans, each bearing wounds of varying severity.

"My deepest apologies, Lord Nodong," Zhao Huai Gu said, clutching his severed arm. "It was our strategic error."

They hadn't expected Beowulf to gather a large force of the Crimson Covenant here, lying in wait. They'd assumed most of the Covenant had withdrawn.

At least five hundred bloodline warriors were present here, and nearly half had activated Blood Surge.

Of the ten-man team, only three had achieved Blood Ascension. They were caught off guard and had to recall the Ascended and their squads from other targets for backup.

"Heh…heh…" Beowulf chuckled low and raspy, his voice like rotting wood. "Long Wang of Bronze and Fire… Nodong."

"A堂堂 Long Wang stoops to sneak attacks—what a petty trick. So the rumors of your resurrection are true after all."

"You Dragon Kings have lives tougher than cockroaches."

"Look, those groveling slaves are—pfft."

Old Tang stepped on the old man's mouth and picked at his ear: "Take him away. Lock him up. Interrogate him until we get the location of the remaining forces."

Beowulf closed his weary eyes; the prolonged blood-soaked battle had pushed him to the very brink.

Our mission as pawns is done. The rest is up to you, Angre. Don't disappoint me.