Chapter 154: Sudden Upheaval

An invitation to become an honored guest?

Ye Yan was completely dumbfounded by Yagyu Aiko's abrupt remark—utterly stunned.

He had imagined that Yagyu Aiko might have all sorts of reasons for seeking him out, but he had never dreamed it would be for this. It was entirely unexpected.

And delivered with such blunt directness.

"Miss Yagyu sure knows how to joke!"

Ye Yan awkwardly lit a cigarette, then offered a hollow laugh in the face of her displeased gaze.

"Mr. Ye may state any conditions you wish. As long as the Yagyu family has the means, we will certainly satisfy them... any conditions at all."

Yagyu Aiko's fighting spirit did not waver simply because of Ye Yan's refusal; she merely answered calmly.

He was a Grand Sovereign, a rare existence even on a global scale. Yagyu Aiko had never imagined that such a person would readily agree.

All of this was within reason.

Abe Dako's previous plan had been for her to stall Ye Yan—using a honey trap to lure him in, thereby facilitating their more leisurely exploration of the Tang Tomb and the retrieval of the lost Hirumaru.

Initially, Yagyu Aiko had felt somewhat irritated at being used as a mere tool. However, after getting closer to Ye Yan, this new notion had taken root within her.

If Ye Yan could be recruited into the Yagyu family, combining his formidable strength with that of her grandmother, the two of them together would possess power rivaling—or even poised to surpass—the Miyamoto family, leaping forward to become the premier swordsmanship powerhouse on Fusang Island.

This was Yagyu Aiko's objective.

"Conditions?!"

Ye Yan shook his head, his tone resolute. "Miss Yagyu should take those words back. I'm doing quite well at the company, and I have no intention of seeking employment elsewhere... so I won't be considering this."

Leave the Dragon Kingdom to join Fusang Island?

Are you kidding me?

Whether from the perspective of personal interests or psychological allegiance, Ye Yan could never choose to join them.

Psychologically, Ye Yan was a native-born citizen of the Dragon Kingdom; he could never betray his motherland.

From the standpoint of interests, as long as he could send the people of Fusang Island packing and complete this mission, he stood a strong chance of becoming one of the Ten Elders, ascending to that lofty position.

What would he gain by going to Fusang Island and joining the Yagyu family?

To abandon all his years of hard work and the network of connections he had accumulated just for such an uncertain outcome—how could Ye Yan possibly do that?

Therefore, he would not consider it at all.

"Mr. Ye, there is no need to make a hasty decision. You might want to think it over carefully."

"For you, although Fusang Island is not your homeland, it may well prove to be a better choice. At the very least, it is closer to the spiritual energy circle than the Dragon Kingdom... and closer to that vast, boundless world."

"Do consider it..."

Yagyu Aiko spoke with poised serenity, her expression remaining unruffled by Ye Yan's rejection.

She remained the very picture of an iceberg beauty.

Hearing this, Ye Yan on the opposite side felt a profound sense of speechlessness.

If he remembered correctly, he had said nearly these exact words when inviting Li Lianxing earlier. The two of them seemed to be reading from the identical script, down to the punctuation marks.

"This is my private number. If you ever figure it out or change your mind, you can contact me at any time. The doors of the Yagyu family will always remain open to you..."

"Of course, that is just one aspect. If you ever need help with anything, you may bring it up as well. Even setting aside the Yagyu family, I personally would be willing to offer you some assistance."

Yagyu Aiko handed a pre-prepared slip of paper to Ye Yan, her expression completely serene.

"This..."

Looking at the slip of paper before him, Ye Yan looked somewhat hesitant. In the end, he did not refuse it, simply slipping the note into his pocket.

Just as the two of them were speaking, Ye Yan suddenly caught sight of a flustered figure within the banquet hall. The figure was tall, clad in a striking white tuxedo—none other than his assistant, Liu Han.

Ye Yan looked up at Liu Han, who spotted him in return and immediately rushed over in a panic. "Brother Yan, b-bad news, the Tang Sect..."

Halfway through his sentence, he noticed Yagyu Aiko sitting opposite Ye Yan, and the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

He hurried to Ye Yan's side, caught his breath, and then leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Brother Yan, word just came from Brother Shan. Something's happened at the martial arts school. It seems the Fusang delegation launched an attack on the Tang Sect, injuring quite a few of their disciples. Right now, they're heading toward the Tang Tomb."

"What..."

Ye Yan furrowed his brow. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. Brother Shan said so himself. Judging by his tone, he hopes you can make a trip over to the Tang Sect."

"Alright, I understand."

"..."

After a brief exchange, Liu Han quickly stood up and retreated to the side.

Ye Yan turned his gaze back to Yagyu Aiko, only to find her still maintaining her calm demeanor. She showed no signs of tension or unease at Liu Han's arrival, acting as though she were completely oblivious to what Liu Han had reported.

In fact, when Ye Yan looked at her, she even took the initiative to speak. "Mr. Ye, do you have some urgent matters to attend to? If so... please feel free to go. I won't keep you here any longer."

"...Alright!"

Ye Yan drained the last drop of juice in his cup, slowly stood up, and said, "In that case, I will take my leave and no longer keep Miss Yagyu company."

"Please go ahead."

"Mm!"

"..."

After exchanging these words, Ye Yan took Liu Han and swiftly departed the banquet hall.

Once the two of them had gone, the young female translator who had accompanied Yagyu Aiko from the main Yagyu household looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Miss, wasn't Lord Goma's task for us to stall him? If we just let him leave like this, won't it be hard to explain to Lord Goma?"

Worry flickered in the translator's eyes. As a participant in this mission, she naturally knew what her and Yagyu Aiko's assignment was.

Yet now, without even making an attempt to stop him, they had simply allowed Ye Yan to leave. This clearly did not align with the instructions Goma Yoshito had given them.

Hearing this, Yagyu Aiko, who was sitting in the soft armchair and gently swirling her wine glass, gazed in the direction the two men had departed, a playful smile playing on her lips.

After a long pause, she spoke.

"If a true Grand Sovereign wishes to leave, how could our meager abilities ever hope to stop him?"

The young translator pondered this for a moment and felt it made sense. For the two of them to try and stop Ye Yan... truly would be wishful thinking.

Yet she still couldn't resist asking, "Then Miss, what should we do next?"

"Just continue enjoying the banquet. Remember to have someone send a message to Abe Dako later, telling him we failed to stop Ye Yan and that he has already gone."

"Understood."

Having received her instructions, the young female translator hurried away to dispatch the message.

After she left, Yagyu Aiko's expression grew increasingly playful.

"The Gatekeepers have entered the arena as well. This play is getting more and more lively. I truly hope for some unexpected twists... preferably with a few casualties."

She tilted her head back and took a delicate sip of wine. Under the lights, her alluring red lips looked particularly striking, resembling a blooming, blood-stained rose.

...

Inside the Tang Sect martial arts school's inner grounds.

Abe Dako was manipulating his Hyakki Shikigami, using their physical bodies to trigger and clear out the traps and hidden mechanisms distributed along the paths of the inner area.

Suddenly, his cell phone vibrated.

He pulled out the phone, glanced at the message on the screen, and his expression instantly turned grave.

"Word just came from Yagyu Aiko. She says Ye Yan should already be on his way to the Tang Sect; she couldn't hold him back..."

"Useless woman. I knew she'd be of no use."

Hearing Abe Dako's words, Miyamoto Isshin, whose hair hung loose around his shoulders, let out a cold laugh.

His tone was laden with utter disdain. Compared to the effeminate Abe Dako, Miyamoto Isshin held an even deeper hostility toward Yagyu Aiko.

"How much further to the Tang Tomb?"

Goma Yoshito wasn't as hot-tempered; he calmly questioned Abe Dako instead.

That Yagyu Aiko couldn't stop him was well within his expectations. After all, trying to hold back a Grand Sovereign was inherently unrealistic.

Goma Yoshito hadn't pinned high hopes on her anyway, only wishing she could stall Ye Yan a little longer so they could smoothly enter the Tang Tomb.

"Less than a kilometer left. However, the traps and hidden mechanisms in the area ahead are much denser. It will still take us some time to break into the Tang Tomb."

After making a silent calculation, Abe Dako provided an estimate.

Goma Yoshito nodded. "Understood. Pick up the pace as much as possible."

"Alright..."

While the two were speaking, the shikigami Abe Dako was using as cannon fodder to scout ahead were suddenly riddled by a dense volley of flying needles, turning into billowing black smoke and dissipating into mid-air.

Witnessing this, Abe Dako remained unperturbed. His lips moved slightly, and the "Asura Ghost Domain" behind him expanded.

Immediately following, a dozen more shikigami were released from several directions, landing right where the previous batch had vanished. Lined up abreast like a road-roller, they resumed their advance.

Right at that moment, two striking green rays flashed across the mountain forest ahead.

The lights were slender and elongated, shooting from afar like two intertwined giant serpents lunging out of the woods.

With a sweeping tail-whip, the green serpents instantly batted all the lined-up shikigami into the air, where they crashed down and turned into rolling billows of smoke.

Moreover, the deep green venom sprayed by the thrashing serpents scorched the earth a eerie shade of green wherever it landed, followed by rising wisps of dark vapor. These giant serpents were none other than the Tang Sect's secret technique, the "Toxic Miasma."

"Which scoundrel dares trespass into the forbidden grounds of our Tang Sect? Turn back this instant..."

Along with the emergence of the giant serpents, a roar that shook the mountain forest rang out. The newcomer was a corpulent, bulky elder with a fierce expression.

This man was none other than Tang Qiushan, the second of the Tang Sect's trident, a figure who rarely showed his face.

"Another roadblock."

Seeing his shikigami easily knocked down, Abe Dako helplessly shook his head, intending to unleash more shikigami to deal with the opposing Tang Qiushan.

Before he could act, however, he was stopped by Goma Yoshito beside him.

"Ye Yan is probably arriving soon. There's no need to waste time on small fry like this. Fall back, I'll handle him."

As the words fell, Goma Yoshito drew the long katana at his waist and slowly walked toward Tang Qiushan.

"You Fusang ghosts actually dare to probe our forbidden grounds. With me here today, don't even think about passing through so easily."

Seeing Goma Yoshito approach with his blade drawn, Tang Qiushan leaped forward and assumed a boxing stance.

"I don't have time to play with you."

The moment the words left his mouth, the long katana in Goma Yoshito's hand flashed forward. Following that, a fierce blade-light erupted from the ground, as if cleaving the world in two, filling Tang Qiushan's entire field of vision.

"Not good..."

Seeing the flash of the blade, Tang Qiushan instinctively wanted to dodge.

Yet before his feet could even move, he felt a sharp, cutting pain across his chest, followed by a splash of warmth spattering against his face. Then, the world began to spin uncontrollably.

The dazzling light flared for a split second, only to vanish into the night just as quickly.

When everything settled, Goma Yoshito had already sheathed his sword, while Tang Qiushan lay before him in a pool of blood.

"As expected of Lord Goma."

Such a fierce blade-stroke that instantly killed his opponent drew murmurs of admiration from the onlookers.

"Alright, keep moving. Time is tight, we must accelerate our operations."

Despite the chorus of praise, Goma Yoshito remained entirely indifferent.

Compared to his instantaneous slaying of Tang Qiushan, the impending arrival of Ye Yan gave him a far greater sense of urgency.

"Understood!"

Abe Dako knew the priorities of the situation and dared not dawdle. He immediately summoned new shikigami from the Asura Ghost Domain, lining them up to act as flesh-and-blood pathfinders once more.

Before long, the group vanished into the night.

...

Meanwhile, Ye Yan and Liu Han, who had hurried over, had not been advancing toward the Tang Tomb for long when they discovered the unconscious, life-or-death-unknown Tang Qiushan sprawled upon the ground.

The two halted beside the pool of blood.

"Brother Yan, he's still breathing!"

Liu Han pressed his hand against Tang Qiushan's carotid artery, detecting a faint, lingering pulse.

"Brother Han, get Senior Qiushan out of here for medical treatment first... I'll go on ahead alone."

Ye Yan glanced from the fallen Tang Qiushan to the narrow path ahead, its outline already swallowed by the encroaching shadows of the forest.

"Will you be alright by yourself?"

Although he knew Ye Yan was exceptionally strong, Liu Han couldn't help feeling a pang of worry upon hearing that he intended to approach the Tang Tomb alone.

"I'll be fine."

Ye Yan shook his head. "Saving lives takes priority."

"Alright."

Hearing Ye Yan put it that way, Liu Han stopped hesitating.

The man before them was a senior veteran of the Tang Sect; if he were to die here, the consequences would be catastrophic.

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Han decided to administer simple first aid to Tang Qiushan's wounds before carrying him out for proper treatment.

As for the situation at the Tang Tomb, he would leave it to Ye Yan to handle alone. He knew that even if he tagged along, the help he could offer would be severely limited.

"Alright, sorry for the trouble. I'll leave things here in your hands while I head on ahead."

"No problem."

Realizing that Goma Yoshito and his group were drawing closer and closer to the Tang Tomb, Ye Yan had no desire to waste any more time.

After exchanging a few brief words with Liu Han, he pressed deeper into the interior of the Tang Tomb, his figure vanishing into the night at lightning speed.