In the moment of danger, Ye Qiu tackled Qiushan Nange to the ground, pinning her beneath him.
“Pfft!”
Another bullet whizzed by.
Ye Qiu quickly rolled with Qiushan Nange across the floor twice.
“Let go of me!”
Qiushan Nange was nearly driven mad with fury.
This bastard had his hands on her chest—and worst of all, he’d even grabbed a handful.
Ye Qiu grinned. “Forgot to mention, I’m a doctor. I specialize in ‘helping the needy.’ Want to give it a try?”
“You bastard—”
Bang!
Another bullet flew in.
This time, Ye Qiu saw clearly—the target was Qiushan Nange.
“You came to kill me, yet someone’s out to kill you. Interesting.”
Instead of dodging, Ye Qiu smashed the bullet with a single punch from his left hand.
Why not his right? Because his right hand was still wrapped around Qiushan Nange.
This jerk was definitely doing it on purpose.
He could’ve shattered the bullet without tackling me—he’s absolutely intentional.
Qiushan Nange gritted her teeth in rage.
Just then, four men emerged from the shadows.
Three were dressed in black night gear, faces masked, with two swords strapped diagonally across their backs.
Ninjas!
The one on the far side cradled a sniper rifle.
Clearly, he was the shooter.
A glint of killing intent flashed in Ye Qiu’s eyes as his gaze settled on the fourth man.
This one was an old man, likely in his sixties, wearing a loose kimono, wooden clogs on his feet, and a samurai sword at his waist.
“Looks like you’re not too popular back home, huh? Otherwise, why would these guys come all the way to Hua Country to kill you?” Ye Qiu said with a laugh.
“Hmph,” Qiushan Nange snorted, her gaze locking onto the old man as she spoke in a low voice, “Wara wara…”
The old man smiled broadly, responding with a string of “wara wara.”
It was the language of Great East—Ye Qiu couldn’t understand a word.
He pulled Qiushan Nange up from the ground, grumbling, “Hey, can you two stop chirping in bird language and say something I can understand?”
“Hahaha…”
The old man let out a long laugh, looking at Ye Qiu with admiration. “Sect Master Qiushan is a goddess in our Great East. Before she retired, her suitors could line up from Tokyo to Mount Fuji. I never imagined you’d win her heart—truly enviable.”
“You wouldn’t get my charm,” Ye Qiu quipped, striking a pose before wrapping an arm around Qiushan Nange’s waist again, as if staking his claim.
“Let go,” she hissed under her breath.
Acting like he hadn’t heard, Ye Qiu asked the old man, “Who are you, and why are you targeting my Nange?”
Your Nange?
Qiushan Nange froze at those words, then flushed with a mix of shame and anger.
This jerk was calling her that in front of others—deliberately taking advantage of her.
“I am Yoshida Chūji, from the Amaterasu Shrine,” the old man said with a smile.
Chūji? Middle-school syndrome?
Ye Qiu gave him a serious once-over. He did look a bit goofy.
“I recall a martial arts grandmaster from your Great East named Yoshida Shūichi, the high priest of Amaterasu Shrine. What’s your relation to him?” Ye Qiu asked.
The old man chuckled. “He’s my older brother.”
Ye Qiu’s heart skipped a beat. This guy had some serious backing.
“Why do they want you dead?” he asked Qiushan Nange.
“Probably under Miyamoto Musashi’s orders,” she replied.
Ye Qiu grew more puzzled.
Miyamoto Musashi, the martial god of Great East—why would he want Qiushan Nange dead?
That made no sense!
Qiushan Nange explained, “Over twenty years ago, Amaterasu Shrine stirred trouble in Hua Country’s East Sea, hijacking fishing boats and killing some fishermen.”
“There was a small island guarded by a dozen Hua Country soldiers—they were wiped out by the shrine too.”
“Hua Country’s leadership was furious and sent Ye Wushuang to the East Sea.”
“That day, the waters of the East Sea ran red with blood.”
“Ye Wushuang, alone with a single sword, took down eight hundred of Amaterasu Shrine’s ninjas.”
“Then he went to Great East, stormed the shrine, killed another four hundred ninjas, and forced the shrine’s previous leader—Miyamoto Musashi’s father—to his death.”
Ye Qiu was taken aback. “Miyamoto Musashi is from Amaterasu Shrine?”
“You didn’t know?” Qiushan Nange looked at him like he was an idiot.
“I’m not from your Great East—how would I?” Ye Qiu retorted.
She continued, “Ye Wushuang forced Amaterasu Shrine to sign a treaty: for fifty years, they couldn’t invade Hua Country.”
“They also had to restrain Great East’s martial grandmasters—no stepping into Hua Country for fifty years, or Ye Wushuang would raze the shrine to the ground.”
“Back then, I wasn’t a grandmaster yet, so I came to Hua Country to challenge Ye Wushuang. I couldn’t even block one of his strikes.”
“Ye Wushuang was too strong—absurdly strong.”
A flicker of fear crossed her eyes as she went on, “For years, Amaterasu Shrine has honored that treaty—no invasions, no grandmasters entering Hua Country.”
Ye Qiu caught on. “So they’re here to drag you back?”
Qiushan Nange shook her head. “They’re here to kill me.”
“Since Ye Wushuang vanished over twenty years ago—dead or alive unknown—Amaterasu Shrine has been quietly building its strength. They haven’t invaded Hua Country, but they’ve been consolidating power domestically.”
“Recently, Abe Aoki came to Hua Country without permission and died. The shrine used that as an excuse to absorb the Abe family’s forces.”
“If they kill me this time, they’ll go after Xiao Xue next to take over the Water Moon Sect.”
“Their goal is to unify Great East’s martial world, then bide their time to invade Hua Country again—to avenge the humiliation of twenty years ago.”
What ruthless ambition!
Ye Qiu now had a rough grasp of Amaterasu Shrine’s power. Setting aside their other fighters, they currently boasted one martial god and one grandmaster. With that strength, dominating Great East’s martial world was only a matter of time.
Once they succeeded, Hua Country would be in trouble.
With Ye Wushuang’s fate still a mystery, who could stand against Miyamoto Musashi?
The Forbidden City surely had the power, but those old fossils wouldn’t lift a finger.
A storm of blood and chaos seemed inevitable.
Ye Qiu leaned close to Qiushan Nange’s ear, whispering, “Let’s make a deal. I’ll take care of these guys, and we call our misunderstanding even. How’s that?”
“Deal,” she agreed instantly.
“You’re so pretty—you wouldn’t trick me, right?”
Her quick agreement made Ye Qiu uneasy.
Qiushan Nange snorted. “Believe it or not, up to you.”
Ye Qiu released the pressure points on her body and withdrew the golden needle.
Then, Qiushan Nange turned to Yoshida Chūji and his group. “You think a few losers like you can kill me? You’re overestimating yourselves.”
“I’m not looking down on you—you couldn’t even handle one move from my man.”
“Don’t believe me? Try him.”
Instantly, the three ninjas beside Yoshida Chūji charged at Ye Qiu.
The moment they clashed, Ye Qiu’s expression shifted.
Damn it, this old hag set me up!
