[Fantasy] My World (Complete) - Chapter 34

Episode 19: Old Friends from Fusang

[Synopsis]
What?! A water ghost sabotaging the ship! These pirates are blind! Of all people to mess with, they had to mess with me
, the young master of Japan! Fusang Island is right in front of us. You weren't part of my plans. Go back to sea and feed the fish!
I was just thinking about how to impersonate a Fusang nobleman when I unexpectedly stumbled upon the secret stronghold of the Jinggong family.
But people say that drunkenness leads to trouble, and they're absolutely right. I've become a father figure, but this time, I'm not willing at all!

Chapter 1: Fierce Battle Against Pirates
January 28th, evening.
We're getting closer and closer to Fusang Island. With less than two hundred nautical miles left, Luo Wei seems a little nervous. He keeps ordering the sailors to climb to the highest point to look into the distance.
After seeing him order the sailors to look around and gather information for the fifth time in an hour, I finally couldn't help but ask him what he was doing.
"Young Master Zhao, you don't know, Fusang Island is an extremely dangerous place in the East China Sea,"
Luo Wei replied solemnly. "Especially within a two-hundred-nautical-mile radius of Fusang Island, dozens of pirate groups of varying sizes roam here. If they find any easy ships to plunder, they won't hesitate; often, the ship will sink and everyone on board will perish."
"I've heard of the Fusang pirates' prowess, but don't they prefer to operate near the coasts of the Yuan Dynasty and the Korean Peninsula?"
"Those appearing there are tightly organized groups with ronin armies, belonging to the sphere of influence of those who were driven out of Fusang Island. The pirate fleets there are supported by daimyo; they're smaller in scale, but their ferocity is no less than that of the ronin armies."
"Oh? The daimyo of Fusang support pirates?"
I was now puzzled. "Isn't Fusang supposed to be a paradise for men, a place everyone wants to visit? With such poor security, who would dare come?"
"The waters outside Fusang Island are chaotic, but things are much better once you're inside. If any Japanese dare to offend a guest, all the daimyo, including their Emperor, will join forces to kill him. So, in terms of both service and security, it's the best place I've ever seen,"
Luo Wei said with a smile. "Of course, this rule only applies to foreigners; the daimyo of Fusang still frequently fight among themselves."
He paused, then added, "These pirates are weak and can only target weaker fleets. And every time they go to Fusang..." Most of them are medium to large merchant caravans like our Wuge Caravan, so there shouldn't be any problems. If it weren't for your impressive martial arts skills, Young Master Zhao, and the fact that we chose a high-performance ship, you wouldn't have earned those 100,000 gold coins so easily!
We departed from Guihai City port at noon on the 24th of the first lunar month, so it will only be five days until noon tomorrow. According to the agreement, I will give them an extra 50,000 gold coins for every half day we arrive early. Judging from the current situation, we should arrive at Seto Port on Fusang Island late tonight, so Luo Wei automatically included the 50,000 in the calculation.
I smiled, "Don't worry, a mere few dozen or a few hundred pirates are nothing to me."
"That's good!"
Luo Wei said with relief.
However, I felt that he was just being perfunctory. I could tell from the fact that he kept having his crew observe the situation on the sea surface; he was still thinking of avoiding pirates whenever he saw them. Good things don't come, bad things usually do.
Just thirty nautical miles southwest of Iki Island, near Fusang Island, a crew member on the deck suddenly shouted, "Sir, there's a very suspicious large ship about three miles ahead!"
Usually, there were two crew members on deck, but as one shouted, the other slid down the sail, panting, "Sir, the situation is bad. This large ship looks like a fishing boat, but where would fishing boats be out at night?" Luo Wei, who
had been on deck, asked in a low voice, "Can you see how many people are there?"
The crew member shook his head, "I don't know, but judging from the size of the ship, it can hide at least a hundred people."
Luo Wei picked up the map, glanced at it, pondered for a moment, and then quickly said, "Notify the helmsman to change course and head towards the Great Yuan Kingdom to bypass them."
"Yes, sir!"
A crew member waiting for orders immediately ran into the captain's cabin to relay the order, while another sailor quickly ran down to tell the rowers to speed up.
Seeing that the helmsman had begun to take control and the ship's speed had noticeably increased, Luo Wei's expression finally improved a bit. He then turned to me and said, "Luckily, the ship we bought is fast enough, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to escape at such close range."
As if mocking him, Luo Wei's words had barely left his lips when, with a muffled "boom," the ship suddenly tilted to the left and forward.
"Damn it! The sea monsters are scuttling the ship!"
Luo Wei's face immediately turned ashen, and he said dejectedly, "Young Master Zhao! The ship is about to sink. If you're a good swimmer, jump into the water quickly and swim southwest. There's a large island called Tsushima Island about thirty nautical miles away. If you can swim there, you'll be saved!"
I said calmly, "What about you?"
Luo Wei smiled bitterly, "Even generals must die on horseback. We seafarers may face this day sooner or later. It's fate!"
As we were talking, all the sailors on the lower deck and the resting crew members gathered on the deck, including the cooks. Everyone was holding whatever weapons they could find, looking at the approaching large fishing boat with grief and despair.
"Young Master Zhao, you should leave quickly!"
Luo Wei urged. "We'll fight them to the death here. Kill as many as we can, it'll be worth it. Don't worry about us!"
"Didn't you just say you trusted my martial arts?"
I suddenly laughed. "Let me see if the Japanese pirates are as weak as the rumors say!"
Weak?
Luo Wei and all the crew members couldn't help but smile bitterly. If I hadn't been so generous and easygoing, they would have already started cursing.
"Too late!"
Just then, the crew member near the bow pointed ahead with a grim face. We went to his side and saw that the fishing boat had accelerated and was heading straight for us.
Now we could clearly see that the bow of the fishing boat had a huge, beak-like protrusion made of fine steel, at least five or six meters long. Once it crashed into the hull, there was no way to escape... Of course, now the ship had been pierced by the water monsters, so there was no way to escape.
Three li isn't a long distance; it's less than the time it takes to brew a pot of tea. We could already see the densely packed crowds on the fishing boats. Besides those on the deck, several large sails were also covered with pirates, dressed in brightly colored clothes and wielding katana. They shouted and yelled, trying to intimidate the people on our side of the boat with their sheer force.
"Boom!"
After a loud bang and a tremor, a huge bird's beak had already pecked into our hull, and the entire ship shook violently.
"Kill!"
the pirates roared, activating the sail poles. The sails rose and fell towards our ship, followed by the pirates who had been climbing on them. But when the sails were still seven or eight meters away from us, they roared and jumped down, raising their katana and slashing down at us.
"Get out of the way!"
Luo Wei shouted at the top of his lungs.
The pirates' leaping distance, combined with their sharp katana, made them far more lethal than the crew members standing on the deck. He ordered everyone to hide first, avoiding the brunt of the attack before engaging the enemy.
But even so, how could the crew members who heard the commotion possibly escape in time?
Besides, they weren't skilled in martial arts; compared to these pirates accustomed to murder and robbery, it was like a white rabbit facing a big gray wolf.
In the critical moment, a figure suddenly leaped into the sky, followed by a violent explosion of air. Under the bright moonlight, countless palm shadows covered the entire sky above the deck.
And the deck was at least ten meters long!
"Bang bang bang..."
"Ah...ah..."
Screams filled the air. Luo Wei, who had jumped to the side, widened his eyes to see more than a dozen of the first pirates fall from the sky with a crash, slamming onto the deck. Regardless of their landing posture, they were all dead.
"Get out of the way!"
I roared, unleashing one hundred and fifty-eight palm strikes, followed by a lightning-fast kick that struck a massive ironwood mast.
"Bang! Bang!"
The ironwood was instantly kicked in two, sending the seven or eight pirates clinging to it hurtling through the air. With a loud "plop," the massive sail landed on the sea.
"Oh my god!"
Two more sail poles crashed down at that moment. Seeing this, the Japanese pirates, who had been roaring and shouting, were now screaming in terror.
A few clever pirates simply jumped into the water between the two ships—better to be killed by this monster!
But I wasn't about to let them go!
Using the force of the broken wood, I spun in mid-air, soaring like a fierce eagle. Five or six Japanese pirates who had jumped first sprayed blood and died instantly.
Then, I landed on the two sail poles. Wherever I passed, Japanese pirates fell, coughing up blood. Their screams and cries instantly drowned out the sound of the waves.
"Is...is this even human?"
Luo Wei muttered to himself.
The crew members who had scattered earlier shared the same expression.
They couldn't believe that these vicious pirates who roamed the eastern seas were so easily slaughtered like watermelons, and this super expert had even rushed onto the deck of the Japanese fishing boat without stopping, his movements elusive as he unleashed his killing spree.
No matter how sharp the Japanese swords were, no matter how many attacked, this Young Master Zhao was like a messenger from hell, snapping necks and breaking limbs with unstoppable force. Wherever he passed, a trail of wailing Japanese lay in his wake.
"Kill them!"
"Young Master Zhao, kill!"
"Yes! Kill these sons of bitches!"
Suddenly, the crew members on our ship erupted in a cacophony of shouts. Standing on the ship's railing, they clenched their fists, shouting with boundless excitement, regardless of whether I heard them or not.
"Spare us!"
"Don't kill us! Surrender!"
"Surrender! Surrender..."
The force of these fierce shouts instantly shattered the last vestiges of resistance in the Japanese pirates. The dozen or so remaining pirates on the deck panicked and knelt on the ground with a "thud," throwing their swords aside, making the most humiliating gesture of surrender.
I didn't pursue them; I simply stood there, my cold gaze sweeping across every corner of the Japanese ship's deck. Wherever my gaze fell, the helmsmen and other crew members were all terrified, kneeling on the ground like their companions, not daring to utter a sound.
"Where's the water ghost?"
Amid the cheers, I asked the Japanese pirates calmly, in the mainland language.
"..."
The Japanese pirates fell silent.
"Ah!"
The Japanese pirate furthest from me flipped and flew out, nearly smashing a large hole in the ship's hull, but the bright red bloodstains remaining on it looked terrifying under the moonlight.
"Raise your heads, all of you!"
I said coldly. "If you don't speak, you'll all die!"
Everyone who heard this shuddered.
"We...we're all back..."
a short Japanese man replied in broken mainland Chinese. "Five of us were...you killed, and now there are only three of us left..."
He pointed tremblingly to himself and the two beside him. I noticed that they were generally shorter than the other Japanese men, though the others weren't particularly tall either.
I nodded and asked again, "Who is the leader?"
The pirates who had raised their heads all turned their eyes to the Japanese man who had just spoken. Unable to dodge, he could only force a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Hero, it's me, it's me!"
"Is there no one left in the sea?"
"Yes, yes!"
the Japanese leader hurriedly replied, "The rest of us are here."
"Young Master Zhao, there shouldn't be anyone left."
Because the two ships were very close, the two massive sail posts and sails formed a bridge connecting them. Luo Wei quickly ran over and whispered to me, "The sea is not like a river. No one dares to stay in it because there are countless ferocious fish. A moment's carelessness and you'll be torn to pieces."
My worry was that if there were still people in the sea, and they scuttled the ship, Luo Wei and his men would have no way to survive. Since Luo Wei was so certain, I felt relieved.
"Manager Luo, call the brothers over. Let's take this ship to Seto Port,"
I said thoughtfully.
"Alright!"
Luo Wei readily agreed, then loudly called to the impatient crew, who swarmed over, stepping on the masts and sails.
Our original ship, having had its hull pierced, was now swaying and sinking, and would soon be submerged.
Now that I had captured this pirate ship, it could serve as our means of transportation.
The Japanese men on deck were filled with fear. They thought that since I had called for reinforcements, I would kill them; after all, we had enough manpower for the ship.
They wanted to resist, but seeing my figure, and recalling the demonic killing I had just witnessed, they dared not entertain even the slightest thought of resistance.
"If you can get the ship to Seto Harbor before sunrise tomorrow morning, I will spare your lives,"
I said loudly to the Japanese men. "If you fail to reach it, you will all die!"
"R-really?"
the Japanese leader asked in disbelief. Not only him, but all the Japanese pirates wore expressions of anticipation and tension.
Although the Japanese are ruthless, when faced with someone even more ruthless, they, like everyone else, still hope to save their lives.
I smiled wryly: "Don't even think about scuttling the ship again and escaping by water. I only need a plank to reach the nearest island, but before I get there, I will find you all and kill you one by one! If you don't believe me, you can try."
"No! No!"
The Japanese leader, with a servile demeanor, said, "Don't worry, sir, we won't seek death again!"
What a joke!
This ferocious man could kick through sail poles weighing thousands of pounds; his skill was probably already at a transcendent level. Why would he care about a mere distance on the sea?
While the Japanese leader wasn't particularly clever, he was certainly not stupid. He had already abandoned unrealistic thoughts and focused solely on fulfilling my orders and saving his life.
Next, the Japanese leader and his men got up from the ground. Some went down to the cabin to inform the people in the engine room, some went to help pull up the remaining two sail poles, and some went into the captain's cabin to prepare for retreating and turning.
In short, driven by the desire to save their lives, the Japanese men all displayed remarkable courage and effort, leaving the crew of the nearby Wuge merchant caravan bewildered and unsure of what to do.
"Young Master Zhao!"
Luo Wei couldn't help but whisper, "You don't actually need them. We can do these things ourselves. The Japanese pirates are all ruthless wolves; don't trust them."
I smiled. "I don't trust them, I trust myself. The more ruthless a person is, the more they cherish life. For their own lives, they wouldn't dare to do anything underhanded. Don't worry."
Luo Wei was speechless for a moment, then realized it was true. If it were him, he wouldn't dare to make any move either.
Although he had seen many martial arts masters, none could compare to Young Master Zhao before him. His martial arts were simply divine; he was probably quite famous in Liufeng Kingdom!
“I have another reason for keeping them,”
I smiled. “We’ll inevitably encounter other Japanese pirates on our journey. If we’re on a pirate ship with pirates around, it will naturally reduce a lot of trouble. My goal is to reach Seto Port as quickly as possible and kill them all. There’s no need for that.”
Luo Wei, having figured it out, laughed. “I forgot. It seems Young Master Zhao is really looking forward to Japanese beauties.”
“Whether they’re good or not, we’ll only know after we try,”
I said casually. “However, those two prodigies from the Jiangnan General Chamber of Commerce that you mentioned before, Manager Luo, have piqued my interest. I’ll inevitably have to visit and befriend them in the future.”
This time, Luo Wei didn’t dare take my words about wanting to meet the two prodigies as a joke. With his skills, he was extraordinary anywhere and certainly qualified to befriend two such talented young women.
"They definitely won't disappoint you."
Luo Wei said, then suddenly slapped his forehead, "Oh, right, actually, there were two stunningly beautiful girls on Fusang Island who were just as beautiful as Murong Rui and Shangguan Xiaolian, at least in terms of looks."
"Oh? Who are they?"
I vaguely guessed something.
"They were twin princesses of the Haoye Temple royal family of the previous dynasty. From a young age, they were exceptionally beautiful and were hailed as the treasures of the Japanese. Judging by their age, they should be sixteen years old now. If they were still on Fusang Island, Young Master Zhao, you would be able to see these celestial twin beauties."
Luo Wei exclaimed.
"Have they already met with misfortune?"
I asked, feigning regret.
"No, no,"
Luo Wei waved his hands repeatedly. "They escaped from Fusang Island with the eldest prince of the Haoye Temple royal family, their brother. I heard they're secretly operating in the Great Yuan Kingdom. But it's a real pity. They were originally the most noble royal family on Fusang Island, but now they're forced to wander and do useless work."
"Useless work? You mean it's impossible for those exiled former royals to restore their kingdom?"
"Haha, of course it's impossible!"
Luo Wei laughed loudly. "It's not that I look down on those who escaped, it's just that the new dynasty is too powerful! Besides their 500,000 elite troops, they have the 'Ghostly Physician' Kurokoji Kiyō in literature, the War God of Izumo in martial arts, plus the assistance of Fusang's number one expert, Ryūzō Kigorō, and other elites. How could those remaining members of the Haoye Temple royal family possibly have that ability?"
Remembering something, Luo Wei added, "But they were quite impressive too. I heard that when the Japanese delegation went to the Great Yuan Kingdom last time, the Haoye Temple family invited a mysterious, top-tier expert to help them. In front of the Nangong family, one of the three great families of the continent, they killed all the members of the delegation, including powerful generals like Fukiishi Yagyu and Uesugi Nobukatsu. It was truly remarkable!"
I smiled faintly, lost in thought, and didn't continue the conversation.
Luo Wei assumed I had lost interest in the matter. Furthermore, since the ship's bow had already left its original position and turned towards Seto Port, Luo Wei, along with several helmsmen, brazenly entered the captain's cabin to keep watch, lest the Japanese lead us elsewhere.
Actually, he was being overly cautious; even if the Japanese had more courage now, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
However, Luo Wei's cautious attitude was still commendable.
Hearing Luo Wei describe the current situation on Fusang Island, I thought that since I'd already come all this way, I might as well help the Jinggong sisters kill some of their enemies, which would ease the pressure on them to restore their kingdom later. But then I quickly changed my mind. After all, all
I wanted was for my two little beauties to be safe, healthy, and happy. How could I let two delicate girls get involved in such important military and national affairs?
Don't misunderstand, I didn't say I wouldn't help Jinggong You and Jinggong Yu if they wanted to fight back! Money? No problem. Weapons? No problem. Young Master Ri has plenty of those things. Just don't involve my two little darlings.
Besides, with Jinggong You and Jinggong Yu's abilities… Hmph, having fought several battles, I now know the cruelty of war. It would be a joke if these two women and children led an army that could defeat the fierce generals and soldiers of the new dynasty.
Let them run into obstacles!
A few more times and they'll learn their lesson and understand the difficulties!
Then I'll give them tens of millions of gold coins so they can live a life of luxury and ease. Isn't that a good way to take care of them? ...Hmm, even if they want to settle in Jiangnan, it doesn't matter. Just consider it as me supporting a few good-for-nothing relatives of my concubine's family!
Thinking of this, my mood suddenly brightened, and I looked towards the direction of Fusang Island in the night sky. Damn it, Fusang Island, here I come!

Chapter Two: Stepping onto Fusang
Island Fusang Island, also known as Dongying Island, is often referred to as the Yamato Islands by its inhabitants. It consists of four large islands, from south to north: Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido.
Kyushu and Shikoku are relatively small and located in the south of Fusang Island. Honshu is the essence of Fusang Island and the largest island. Hokkaido, also known as Ezo, is a place inhabited by low-class natives. It's a snowy and icy place where you can hardly see any people; it can be ignored.
Kyushu is the island that has absorbed the most foreign cultures. Whether it's the cultural transmission from the three continental kingdoms or other islands in the seas, you can see a diverse and fascinating array of customs and traditions.
Shikoku, on the other hand, is like an island in a lake, half-surrounded by Honshu and Kyushu. Its inhabitants mainly rely on fishing for a living,
and most of the pirates within hundreds of miles of Fusang Island originated from here. The Japanese have a proverb: "Whoever controls Honshu controls all of Japan."
Therefore, Honshu has always been a strategically vital location for military strategists on Fusang Island. Numerous large and small lords, known as daimyo, reside here. Even when the Goyoji Imperial Family was still in power, these lords would fight amongst themselves, forming alliances to attack each other… in short, it was a chaotic mess.
Although Honshu was prosperous and wealthy, it couldn't withstand such turmoil. The Hojo family rose in rebellion, launching a coup and overthrowing the weak Hoyoji Dynasty under the banner of "Japan needs peace and prosperity." The Hojo family thus became the new imperial family.
However, like previous emperors, the Hojo family only held absolute control on Honshu. Kyushu and Shikoku were treated like vassal states, paying tribute and submitting to the emperor. The various feudal lords continued to live like local tyrants.
As for Hokkaido… forget it. Sending people to occupy it would be a waste of resources; let those barbarians fend for themselves.
Even so, after several years of diligent governance and the implementation of a series of measures by the founding emperor, Hojo Reikatsu, a vibrant dynasty was created. However, two years ago, misfortune struck again with continuous natural disasters, plunging Japan back into poverty and panic.
All founding emperors were men of unwavering resolve. Hojo Reishatsu, facing hardship, sought aid from all sides while simultaneously developing the entertainment industry on Fusang Island, gradually revitalizing the island.
Despite the heavy casualties among men from years of war, the number of women on Fusang Island steadily increased. There were over a million widows alone, and with the continuous baby boom, Fusang now had at least twenty million women, compared to a mere eight million men.
Excluding the elderly and children, the number of women aged twelve to forty on Fusang reached a staggering twelve million. After careful consideration, Hojo Reishatsu boldly decided to vigorously develop brothels and gambling, among other forms of entertainment.
Because the Seto Inland Sea was calm and sunny, and the women ate fish, vegetables, and other lean foods daily, it's no wonder that Japanese women had such excellent figures and skin.
Coupled with the submissive nature and skillful service of Japanese women, they became renowned far and wide. Furthermore, due to the long and narrow shape of Fusang Island and its numerous ports, many caravans used it as a transit point. Therefore, it quickly became a paradise for various caravans to spend time, relax, and enjoy themselves—of course, only medium to large caravans with strong defenses dared to come.
Fusang Island has many excellent ports, but for stays exceeding ten days, caravans usually avoided the outer ocean and sought refuge in the inland sea surrounded by Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. This calm and expansive area was ideal for long-term anchorage—this is the Seto Inland Sea, commonly known as the Fusang Inland Sea.
Looking at the map in Luo Wei's hand, after arriving at Iki Island, we would travel along the land route, heading northeast through the North Kyushu Strait to enter the Seto Inland Sea.
A group of Japanese rowers were paddling frantically; we estimated we would arrive around dawn. The Seto Inland Sea has many ports, and Luo Wei chose Kobe Port, one of the three major ports, for me. Kobe Port is located at the northernmost point of the Seto Inland Sea, near Osaka Prefecture, the capital of Fusang Island. Originally, the most prosperous place on Fusang Island was Kyoto Prefecture, the capital of the Houyoji Imperial Family. However, during the infamous "Kyoto Bloodbath Night," the Uesugi Army massacred at least 200,000 nobles and commoners in a single night, turning the once-prosperous Kyoto Prefecture into a living hell. Therefore, the new capital, Hojo Reishatsu, was established in Osaka Prefecture, also an ancient capital of Fusang.
Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, and Kobe Castle are not far apart, about 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers), which is negligible compared to the hundreds or thousands of li (approximately 500 kilometers) that are cities on the mainland.
Sailing continuously, the pirate ship finally arrived at Kobe Port before sunrise the next morning.
The sight of hundreds of ships of all sizes anchored in the harbor truly amazed me, while Luo Wei chuckled and said that the major ports of the Great Yuan Dynasty often had two or three thousand ships anchored, stretching for hundreds of li (approximately 500 kilometers)—that was truly magnificent!
Upon arriving at Kobe Port, the Japanese pirates proved quite resourceful. Their thin leader, Nagano Ike, knew several port officials and quickly had the ship anchored, then respectfully saw us off.
Nagano Ike and his men were eager for us to leave, initially fearing I would kill them the moment we landed. However, I had no interest in killing such small fry, so I led Luo Wei and the rest of my men into the city, leaving Nagano Ike and his crew worrying for nothing.
Luo Wei's task was simply to take me to Seto Port; here, it was time for us to part ways. The crew was very grateful to me, refusing to accept the remaining reward. They said that if it weren't for Young Master Zhao, they would be dead, and there would be no opportunity to earn money.
In the end, after much persuasion, they accepted half the reward and sincerely invited me to ride on their ship again.
Their words reminded me of a question that had been troubling me.
As a farewell feast, my crew and I entered a small izakaya (Japanese pub) in town. I tossed out a thousand gold coins, making the innkeeper, disturbed in the early morning, beam with joy. He immediately put up a notice that the place was closed for the day and began preparing drinks and food.
Logically speaking, resources were scarce on Fusang Island; even nobles couldn't eat pork and beef every day, let alone a dazzling array of drinks.
However, in recent years, with the development of the entertainment industry on Fusang Island, merchants brought large quantities of pork, beef, mutton, wine, champagne, baijiu (Chinese liquor), huangjiu (yellow wine), and so on to sell here, partly for their own enjoyment and partly to make a fortune.
Of course, 99% of the customers weren't the native Japanese inhabitants of Fusang Island, but rather these merchants and wealthy young men from noble families who came to enjoy themselves.
So, lured by the enormous sum of a thousand gold coins, the izakaya owner quickly brought out over a hundred bottles of high-proof liquor. Other dishes like grilled skewers, hand-pulled lamb, and braised beef were served in a continuous stream, only to be devoured in no time.
The izakaya was filled with laughter.
Even the most frugal seafarers and sailors, after a successful voyage, would stop by an izakaya for a drink to relax. And now, having escaped death and without paying, they could drink and eat to their hearts' content—why wouldn't they?
This joyous atmosphere reached its peak after the izakaya owner brought over thirty beautiful women from the brothel next door.
While they laughed and reveled in the main hall, I pulled Luo Wei into a Japanese-style room next door, where two maids served him as he drank Japanese sake, ate snacks, and discussed serious matters.
"Manager Luo, we've known each other for a while now, and it's rare to have shared hardships together. Come, let me toast you!"
I said sincerely, raising my glass.
Luo Wei, a seasoned businessman, wasn't usually easily moved, but after last night's harrowing escape, he considered me a good friend. Naturally, he excitedly raised his glass: "Young Master Zhao, you're too kind. I'm only here because of your rescue last night. Come, let me drink this first!"
With that, he tilted his head back and downed a large cup of sake. After I finished my drink, the maid quickly refilled our glasses.
I chuckled and said, "Manager Luo, if you think highly of me, then don't call me Young Master Zhao anymore, just call me Zhao Qing."
Luo Wei shook his head repeatedly, "How can that be? Fine, I'll just call you Brother Zhao, and you don't need to call me Manager Luo anymore, just call me Brother Luo."
"Alright, Brother Luo, let's have another drink, please!"
"Hehe, Brother Zhao, cheers!"
With my deliberate efforts to befriend him, Luo Wei, who had already been getting along well with me these past few days, became even more fraternal, and our relationship grew increasingly harmonious.
"Brother Luo, to be honest, I actually have some things to do on my way to Fusang Island,"
I said hesitantly after a few rounds of drinks.
"Haha, Brother Zhao, you've finally said it!"
Luo Wei laughed without any surprise, "I knew it. Someone like you, with your superb martial arts and immense wealth, is definitely not just here in Japan to play with women! Tell me, is there anything Brother Luo can help with? I certainly won't refuse!"
"It's like this,"
I lowered my voice, "Actually, my family owns a trading company in Liangli County. Recently, a large business deal came our way. To avoid others finding out and coveting it, my father sent me alone to Fusang Island to buy some things."
"A trading company in Liangli County?"
Luo Wei was a member of the sea charioteers and knew a lot about the interpersonal relationships on the mainland and various islands, especially the Wuge trading caravan's close ties with Liufeng Kingdom. After a little thought, he understood: "Brother Zhao, the Liangli County Prefect, Lord Zhao Kang, is your..."
"I'm ashamed to say, I'm the most useless of my father's sons."
"Haha, so you're the Prefect's son!"
Luo Wei laughed. "You're too modest. If even you're a good-for-nothing, then what kind of hero must Lord Zhao's capable son be? Probably about the same as Prince Lanting!"
I smiled slightly and continued, "What a coincidence, Brother Luo, you mentioned Prince Lanting. My matter is somewhat related to him."
"Oh?"
Luo Wei's face lit up. "Could it be that your father has also established a connection with Prince Lanting? That's truly a cause for celebration!"
"Hehe, my father only received a task from His Highness by chance, and it's not easy to handle."
I sighed.
"What problem can't be solved? Tell me!"
Luo Wei asked curiously.
I didn't speak at first, but waved my hand, signaling the two Japanese girls beside me to leave. To cater to guests from all directions, the Japanese girls, and indeed all the Japanese, could speak and understand the mainland language. Since we were discussing serious matters, not letting anything slip was the first principle.
The Japanese woman chuckled, gave us a flirtatious wink, and then obediently retreated.
"Last year, Lord Lanting decisively defeated the steppe barbarians on the vast desert plains, temporarily stabilizing the situation in the Northwest. To further stabilize and develop the Northwest, His Highness has decided to relocate five million people from other regions to the Northwest,"
I said calmly. "To attract people to the Northwest, Lord Lanting came up with an idea: not only will he build houses for them and provide land for cultivation, but he will also give every unmarried man a wife so they can have more children and enrich the vast Northwest plateau." "His
Highness Lord Lanting is truly generous,"
Luo Wei flattered without restraint. "But how much money will it cost to give each unmarried man a wife?"
"Money isn't the problem; the problem is that we simply can't find that many women,"
I said with a wry smile.
"No women?"
Luo Wei shook his head and laughed, "Brother Zhao, you're taking advantage of my ignorance. Xiliang City is now a famous widow city, with at least 200,000 widows there. Are you worried about not having women?"
"Brother Luo, since you know this, you should know that the 'Silver Tiger Legion' and 'Garrison Army' of Xiliang City total 400,000 men, all of whom are unmarried bachelors, right?"
I counted on my fingers, "Even if all those widows were willing to marry, there would still be 200,000 short! Not to mention that among the 5 million people who migrated here, at least 500,000 are unmarried poor bastards!"
"That's true."
Luo Wei nodded, then his eyes lit up with surprise and delight, "Brother Zhao, you wouldn't be saying that... your father, Lord Zhao, has landed this lucrative position, would you?"
"Lucrative position? I think it's more of a hassle!"
I spread my hands, looking annoyed, "My father actually accepted the task of buying 200,000 female slaves and made me do it! He's out of his mind!"
"Oh dear, Brother Zhao, you can't think like that!"
Luo Wei said, exasperated. "This is proof that your father enjoys the deep trust of Lord Lanting! This is also Lord Lanting creating an opportunity for you to make a fortune! How... how can you interpret your father and Lord Lanting's good intentions like this?" "
Is buying and selling women fun?"
I countered.
"Uh..."
Luo Wei suddenly felt a little ashamed. For this young master who had lived inland since childhood and had never been involved in the slave trade, it seemed like he was actually quite indignant!
"This... this..."
Luo Wei thought for a long time before saying, "Brother Zhao, think about it. His Highness Lord Lanting is giving them to single men as their only wives. These female slaves are basically no longer considered female slaves. It's even possible that His Highness Lord Lanting will directly pardon their slave status. This is much better than being sold to brothels by those slave traders and living a miserable life, right?"
"What you say... is true,"
I said thoughtfully.
"Not only is that true, Brother Zhao, you're practically a savior for these hundreds of thousands of female slaves! Your merits are immeasurable!"
Luo Wei flattered without batting an eye, while also revealing his true intentions: "Brother Luo, I have some connections on Fusang Island. If you, young brother, want to buy Fusang female slaves, I will do my utmost to help! I'm not bragging, Fusang female slaves are absolutely the best wives in the world. Your father sending Brother Zhao here to acquire them truly shows his keen eye!"
At this point, Luo Wei's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Two hundred thousand female slaves—how much profit could that generate? Fifty million? One hundred million? Or even more? If he could facilitate this deal, he'd easily make at least ten million, wouldn't he? Then I could retire early, fulfill my wish, and buy a big house and land in the heart of Jiangnan to become a small landlord…
Seeing Luo Wei's expectant gaze, I shook my head: “My father sent me here only to act as the payment person. He has already contacted a minister from Fusang Island in Osaka Prefecture and negotiated the price. Once I've inspected them, I can pay and ship them back to Guihai City. Then, the officers and soldiers of the ‘Iron Wolf Legion’ will escort them to the Northwest.”
“Ah?”
Luo Wei couldn't hide his disappointment. Watching a huge sum of money slip away was unpleasant for anyone.
“This matter was arranged by my father long ago. I'm sorry I can't help you with your business, Brother Luo,”
I said calmly. “However, there is one more thing I would like to trouble you with, Brother Luo.”
“Brother Zhao, please speak,”
Luo Wei forced a smile. He thought to himself, “That's true. How could a dignified prefect let a greenhorn handle such a big business? Wouldn't that seem too frivolous? Perhaps I was too naive!”
I smiled slightly and said, "Brother Luo, can you handle the business of transporting 200,000 female slaves to Guihai City?"
Luo Wei was taken aback, then his eyes widened. "You mean... you want me to take on the transportation business?"
"That's right. Are you confident, Brother Luo?"
I said gently. "I must make it clear first, you must do a good job at every step. Otherwise, it won't just harm me, but also you and the Wuge Merchant Guild. Lord Lanting is not someone to be trifled with!"
"Of course!"
Luo Wei nodded quickly, immediately starting to calculate in his mind. Transporting 200,000 people certainly couldn't be charged as a tourist tour; that would cost at least 500 gold coins per person, totaling 100 million gold coins for 200,000 people.
To calculate the price, Luo Wei pondered for a long time, even forgetting about drinking. After a long while, he finally looked up and said, "Brother Zhao, I'm just a manager, not a high-ranking member of the caravan. According to my estimate, they should be able to agree to a transport fee of 20 million gold coins. That's the bottom line for the Wuge Merchant Guild."
"Haha, Brother Luo, is this how you do business?"
I laughed. "Why are you telling me your bottom line all at once?"
"Since we're friends, I naturally have to help you out!"
Luo Wei said with a slightly embarrassed smile. Actually, what he was thinking was that although he had quoted the lowest price this time, if he could use this to get on the good side of Lord Lanting, he believed the bigwigs of the merchant guild would be overjoyed.
I understood this, but didn't point it out: "However, we only spend three hundred gold coins to buy a female slave. Isn't the one hundred gold coins for transport too expensive?"
"Hehe, Brother Zhao, you don't understand this."
Luo Wei knew I wasn't familiar with maritime trade, but he wasn't angry. He explained with a smile, "That's how our maritime trade prices are. For example, a medium-quality official kiln vase from the Great Yuan Kingdom sells for two hundred gold coins in Jiangnan, but we charge five hundred gold coins for transport. Do you know why?"
"No, please explain, Brother Luo."
"That's because this same official kiln vase can sell for two thousand gold coins on any large island in the South China Sea! So, do you still think five hundred gold coins is too high, Brother Zhao?"
I feigned sudden understanding: "I understand. These female slaves are more than just three hundred gold coins to Lord Lanting; they're a secret weapon for stabilizing the Northwest. Therefore, the one hundred gold coins for transport is negligible compared to their value."
"Yes!"
Luo Wei exclaimed, "Brother Zhao is indeed clever, that's exactly what I mean!"
"Okay, I understand, twenty million gold coins it is then."
I readily agreed, "But I have a request."
"Please speak, Brother Zhao."
"Two hundred thousand female slaves are not commodities after all. I want them to live comfortably during the ten-day journey, in a less dire and less crowded environment."
"Of course, we would have done that even if you hadn't asked."
Luo Wei nodded, "Don't worry, we will deploy forty super-large warships for two hundred thousand people, plus a complete escort force. We will also have doctors on board during the journey, so they won't get sick."
"Then I'm relieved."
I thought for a moment and added, "As for other arrangements on the ship, there's no need, as long as the cabins are clean. I will prepare bedding and such for them."
"Good!"
Luo Wei didn't suspect anything, assuming I just wanted to save money, and readily agreed. Before I mentioned the number of female slaves, I had already estimated that the space needed for two hundred thousand people was enough to store two hundred billion catties of grain.
Although I have a good relationship with Luo Wei, I won't tell him I want to buy grain right now. After all, merchants exchange information very quickly. If the Great Yuan Kingdom knew I wanted to buy 20 billion catties of grain to help disaster victims, not only would they raise the price on the spot, but whether they would even sell to me was another matter—causing turmoil in the Liufeng Kingdom
would be far more beneficial to the Great Yuan Kingdom than just 1 billion gold coins! Similarly, if other forces knew about this, such as the people of the Huayun Kingdom, they might sabotage the grain transport ships at any cost, sinking them, which would also cause turmoil in the Liufeng Kingdom.
On the contrary, saying it's about buying female slaves poses less of a threat to others. The Great Yuan Kingdom and the Huayun Kingdom wouldn't pay attention, and those pirates, big and small, aren't foolish enough to offend the newly powerful Lord Lanting of the Liufeng Kingdom for these female slaves.
So for now, I can only say it's about buying female slaves. Once they receive the grain, they can't back out. Then I can rush back to Guihai City as quickly as possible to avoid a lot of trouble.
As for whether deceiving the Wuge Merchant Guild would cause them trouble, I'm not that old-fashioned. Compared to the lives of tens of millions of people, I can tell which is more important. At most, I'll compensate them with some money. Merchants, after all, do things for money, right?
"Brother Zhao, when do you plan to transport the people back, and where will they board the ship?"
After another round of eating and drinking, Luo Wei asked again.
"I'm not quite sure about that. Do you have any good suggestions, Brother Luo?"
"It's too conspicuous in the Seto Inland Sea. I'm afraid it's not a good idea."
Luo Wei took out a map and pointed to a place. "What do you think of this place?"
I looked closely and realized it was Iki Island, which we had passed through today.
Shaking my head, I pointed to its west, to Tsushima Island, three times its size: "There'll be more space for transport and loading here."
"Good!"
Luo Wei readily agreed. "Hehe, don't be fooled by how far it looks on the map. Fusang Island isn't actually that big, and besides, this place is only seventy nautical miles apart. Even if you have them come from the Seto Inland Sea, it'll only take them a day at most."
"As for timing, today is the 29th of the first lunar month. Brother Luo, how about we meet here on the evening of the 15th of the second lunar month?"
"That's still a bit rushed,"
Luo Wei hesitated. "According to our caravan's itinerary, I won't be able to meet them for at least five days. Adding the time to go back and borrow ships, I'm afraid we won't make it in time."
"Then what time do you think would be safer, Brother Luo?"
"Let's set it for the evening of the 20th of the second lunar month!"
Luo Wei said after thinking for a while.
I calculated the time. From here back to Guihai City, even with a faster pace, it would only take fifteen days. We could arrive in Guihai City before March 5th, which is plenty of time.
I ordered the "Golden Wolf Army" of the "Iron Wolf Legion" to come to Guihai City to collect the grain, which was scheduled for early March. Considering their transport time, it would be just in time for the relocation.
I handed over a stack of gold notes and said calmly, "This is a deposit, Brother Luo, please accept it. I won't treat you unfairly afterward."
Involving such a large deal, Luo Wei didn't dare to be negligent. He picked up the gold notes and saw that the first one was worth one million gold coins. There were five such notes in total, truly dazzling Luo Wei's eyes.
These gold notes were issued by the First Bank of Liufeng Kingdom; they were practically ironclad, impossible to forge. Luo Wei, being a seasoned manager, took a deep breath and carefully placed the gold notes into his inner pocket, then let out a long sigh.
"Haha, come on, Brother Zhao, let's drink!"
Luo Wei, in high spirits after finalizing a deal, laughed heartily, "See you again on February 20th!"
"Cheers! May our cooperation be successful!"
"Successful cooperation! "

Chapter Three: Secret Stronghold.
Half an hour later, I emerged from the izakaya.
Luo Wei and his men were embracing Japanese women in bed, especially that old lecher Luo Wei, who had called five thirteen-year-old Japanese girls in one go. I bet he needed aphrodisiacs to keep up.
These seafaring drivers were also quite heavy drinkers. They all came to toast me, and I wasn't afraid of them. I drank to everyone's liking, downing five or six jin (2.5-3 kg) of liquor, making them exclaim "generous!" and "God of Wine!"
It's a pity I didn't come here for fun; otherwise, I could have seduced a few beautiful young noblewomen from the Yamato tribe—wouldn't that have been quite enjoyable?
According to my plan, after resolving the transportation issue from Fusang Island back to Guihai City, I need to address my identity.
I haven't really considered the possibility that Luo Wei and his Wuge merchant caravan might abscond with my money. There are many people who can easily hand over five million gold coins as a deposit, but definitely not many, especially with Prince Lanting standing behind them. Unless the Wuge caravan is courting death, they don't want to encounter thousands of mercenaries storming their Jieluo Island and slaughtering their entire families. Similar to
the concern about not revealing the truth about transporting grain, I absolutely cannot say I'm from Liufeng Kingdom when I go to the Great Yuan Kingdom to buy grain. Otherwise, the consequences would be similar to revealing the grain purchase – too many people hope that neither I nor the grain I bought will ever return home.
Therefore, I chose to come to Fusang Island, intending to impersonate a Fusang Island noble and buy a large quantity of grain to take back to Fusang Island. After all, the grain is piled up on Tsushima Island; they don't know where I'm ultimately going to transport it.
Fusang Island has recovered somewhat in recent years, but it still suffers from a severe shortage of food and money. Aside from its population, it lacks almost everything. According to the Keimiya sisters' estimates, even with increased fishing and large-scale land reclamation, they still need to purchase 5 billion catties of grain annually to meet their needs… Naturally, these are paid for by merchant caravans and pleasure-seekers, who have indeed contributed significantly to Fusang Island's gradual revival!
Purchasing 20 billion catties of grain seems abrupt, but it's plausible to explain it as a way to make a fortune and build up reserves for the country during famine years.
However, do I really have to sacrifice my looks to seduce a Japanese noblewoman, or even a royal girl, to impersonate a Fusang noble?
Or should I impersonate a noble scion of an ancient family? The Keimiya sisters taught me fluent ancient Fusang aristocratic language, so I wouldn't be exposed in either way.
Walking the streets, I kept pondering this question. Unable to decide which plan was best, I temporarily set aside this troubling matter and began to observe the bustling city of Kobe.
Kobe Castle isn't very large. Despite being a renowned city on Fusang Island, it's only slightly larger than Katsura Castle, with an estimated population of no more than 100,000. Although small, the streets are very clean, filled with casinos, restaurants, brothels, cricket fighting arenas, cockfighting arenas, and more. Every shop is bustling with people, creating a lively scene.
Even more outrageous, the brothels here not only have extremely spacious facades but are also wide open, with many scantily clad Japanese beauties standing or sitting outside. I only glanced inside and was startled to see many naked beauties walking around in the lobby.
But to be honest, any man who sees so many voluptuous and slender beauties without clothes, their breasts and bare buttocks swaying in front of him, will immediately feel a surge of lust and want to grab a few of his favorite beauties for a tryst.
Passing another brothel with its doors wide open, I caught a glimpse of a busty beauties milking contest taking place right in front of the street… and the third one… Walking down this street, I realized that even if I explored every brothel in the entire country of Liufeng, I wouldn't find so many different kinds of entertainment. And this was just Kobe; in Osaka, the variety would be unimaginable.
No wonder Japan has become one of the most desirable destinations for men in recent years. The brothels alone are so alluring, along with all sorts of other exciting and fun entertainment. Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned veteran, you have to leave your labor and money here!
Pretending to be a Japanese nobleman isn't so easy. I need to at least have some fame here before I can go to the Yuan Dynasty to buy grain.
Is Kobe too small? Maybe I should go to Osaka and first compete with some noblemen in brothels, showing off our wealth and status? That's the easiest and fastest way to become famous.
Acting on impulse is one of my strengths, so I immediately asked for directions to the horse market, intending to buy a few fine horses and gallop all the way to Osaka.
Reaching the horse market from the city center required navigating a long, winding road, but thankfully the Japanese were clever; they had placed signs at every intersection to attract people, making it easier for me to find the market.
Kobe Castle was teeming with people of all nationalities and races: those speaking accents from the three continents, blondes with blue eyes, and dark-skinned individuals… they made up at least three-quarters of the people on the streets. I saw very few Japanese; the few I did see were mostly beautiful Japanese women in outlandish costumes, being carried around the streets by wealthy men.
That was fine; my attire wouldn't stand out at all. After walking through several streets, I gradually moved away from the hustle and bustle. Apart from the dozen or so streets that occupied half of Kobe's city center, the rest of the area consisted mostly of residences and inns of various sizes.
Those who live in Kobe Castle are mostly not ordinary people. One can roughly discern the status of the inhabitants simply by looking at the stone lions at their gates or the size and height of the gate itself.
To avoid a few playing children, I stepped aside, and my eyes inadvertently caught sight of a stone lion on the opposite side of a house with its gate tightly shut. Half of its head was painted with a blue mark, which looked rather strange.
My heart skipped a beat. This… wasn't this one of the markers of the Keimiya family's secret hideout that the Keimiya sisters had told me about?
With that thought, I quickly reached the house's entrance. As I walked along the three-meter-high wall, my divine sense began searching for the people inside.
There were at least a dozen people inside, but none of them were particularly skilled in martial arts; they were all men. Most of them were gathered in the small building in the courtyard, and their defenses weren't very good. So, seeing that no one was around, I found a secluded spot, leaped into the courtyard with a "whoosh," and simultaneously transformed into a wisp of blue smoke, flying into the tall house like lightning.
The buildings on Fusang Island often resemble temple architecture, with spacious beams and lintels, perfect for concealing one's figure.
Below, seven or eight Fusang warriors are drinking, while three other men who look like scholars are also in a dissolute manner, gulping down wine in disheveled clothes and loudly complaining.
"Damn it, I really can't stay in this lousy family anymore!"
"Don't talk nonsense, be careful it gets back to the mistress."
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm not afraid of her! What does this woman know? All she does is fight for power and profit all day long. All her businesses have failed, and she can't even manage those managers. I've had enough!"
"Yeah! Me too. This woman is far inferior to the mistress. Look at what she's done to this huge family business! If this continues, even if we don't get caught by the rebels, we'll starve to death!"
"Starve to death? Didn't they say the little princess and the others were coming back? They're with the Duke of Lanting of Liufeng Kingdom! How powerful are those grassland barbarians? Didn't they still get beaten to a pulp by the Duke of Lanting? If you piss me off, I'll go back to Liufeng Kingdom with the little princess and continue being their retainer, I won't serve this woman anymore."
"You've hit the nail on the head! That's exactly what I was thinking! It'll be hard for the little princess and the others to turn things around. At most, they can only help the mistress keep the business afloat. Besides, they're all married now, so they can't stay in the Jinggong family forever. They'll eventually have to go back to Lord Lanting's side, and then we'll go with them."
"Yes, we can leave, but it's a pity for Lord Kōtarō..."
"It's a shame Lord Kōtarō is so devoted to this woman, but how has she treated him? She only knows how to trust those sycophants. If it were up to me, I'd kill them all first. They're the biggest reason for our defeat!"
"Exactly! If they hadn't been shouting about doing business with those ruthless merchants from the Great Yuan Kingdom, we wouldn't have suffered such a terrible loss!"
"Hmph, I think they've simply taken bribes from those trading companies..."
"..."
As the saying goes, drunkenness leads to trouble, and this group is probably a
perfect example. Just a little bit of horse urine, and they've revealed the entire family's internal strife. If an outsider were standing on the roof beam like me, they'd know exactly how to deal with the Jinggong family without even needing torture.
"Bang bang bang!"
Just as they were rambling on, there were several knocks at the door.
The guards in the courtyard immediately rushed to the door, while those drinking inside the house also stood up, hiding by the windows or doorways, peering towards the main gate.
Peeking through the crack, several samurai who were about to draw their swords showed delight. After gesturing to the people in the back room, they quickly opened the door.
However, the people inside weren't so relaxed. They rushed back in a swarm, quickly wrapped up the bottles and threw them into a corner, then hurriedly straightened their clothes and ran out of the house. Voices approached from afar, and a smile appeared on my face. So, they'd arrived.
My gaze returned to the ground, where a group of men and women wearing bamboo hats entered the house, surrounded by others. Leading them was a beautiful woman with a graceful figure. Once inside, everyone removed their hats, revealing familiar faces—Jing Gongyou, Jing Gongyu, Gong Tailang… Most of these dozen or so people were elders of the Jing Gong family I had met in Yizhou County. Only two were unfamiliar: one was tall and handsome with very bright eyes; the other was slightly plump with a kind smile, seemingly good-natured.
They followed closely behind Jing Gongyou and Jing Gongyu, even Gong Tailang was behind them. Judging from this, they were likely the villains everyone was talking about.
“Drinking in broad daylight?”
Jing Gongyou, being a woman, was very sensitive to the smell of alcohol. Although the place had been cleaned, she could still clearly smell the strong odor of alcohol emanating from the room and from her men.
"Uh...Reporting to the mistress, it's actually because everyone has been too tired these past few days, so we're drinking to rest."
The samurai who had spoken the loudest earlier knelt on the ground and said.
"How dare you!"
Before Jing Gongyou could even speak again, the handsome Japanese man beside him shouted, "Knowing full well that the mistress and young master are arriving in the next couple of days, you still indulge yourselves like this! Do you even respect the mistress and young master?"
The men's expressions changed drastically. A scholar bowed his head and said, "We...we've been waiting for the mistress and young master's arrival these past few days, and we've been gathering information everywhere. We only rested this morning, so after waking up, we wanted to drink to refresh ourselves..."
"Tsk tsk, are you complaining that the Mistress assigned you too many tasks?"
The fat man with a smile on his face laughed and said, "Being tired is your excuse for not respecting the Mistress and Young Master? Who is the most tired? Is it you? No! It's our great Mistress and Young Master. They are running around everywhere to rescue all the Japanese from the rebels. They are the most tired! The Mistress and Young Master didn't complain about being tired, but you are complaining here, huh?"
The two men spoke more viciously than the other. The fat man behind them was even more ruthless. With just a few words, he accused them of disrespecting Jing Gongyou and Jing Gongyu.
"We have not disrespected the mistress and young master!"
Another scholar, still somewhat arrogant and having drunk a bit, immediately glared at the two of them: "Fujita Yu, Yamanaka Hirotaka, you two treacherous villains have already made our Keigami family's life difficult. Stop stirring up trouble here!"
The tall, handsome man's face immediately changed, and he pointed at the scholar, speechless for a long time. The smiling fat man knelt down with a "plop," hugging Keigami's leg, saying, "Young master, Hirotaka and Yu have only ever known how to serve you and the mistress, and have never done anything wrong. If you think we are treacherous villains, then expel us from the Keigami family!"
"Nonsense!"
Keigami kicked him impatiently: "Get up, who said you'd be kicked out?" "
Of course, Jing Gongyu couldn't bear to part with them. When Jing Gongyou was managing the business, they spent most of their time entertaining him, showing him the ways of the world, including going to brothels, gambling, and drinking. He couldn't bear to send them away.
Jing Gongyou also frowned deeply. Fujita Yu and Yamanaka Hirotaka's main responsibility was to accompany their son. Rather than attributing the recent setbacks to them and his trusted confidants in the Great Yuan Kingdom, it was more accurate to say it was due to Jing Gongyou's recklessness. These people at most played a supporting role.
Therefore, when the scholar uttered the words 'difficult to move forward,' it felt like a slap in the face to Jing Gongyou, making her very uncomfortable.
'What are you arguing about? Shut up!'
The cold and beautiful young woman took a breath and coldly looked at them, saying, 'I just arrived and see my own people fighting amongst themselves. Can't you do anything meaningful? Now I want to hear serious business. All irrelevant people, get out!'
'Yes!'" "
Now that she's the head of the household, Kyouya Yu is quite formidable when she gets angry. A group of unrelated people quickly ran out, leaving only Kyouya Yu and her son, Fujita Yu, Yamanaka Hirotaka, Kyoutaro, and the scholar who had just refuted the two petty people.
"Mr. Hosokawa, please tell me what you've found out these past few days,"
Kyouya Yu asked calmly, sitting on the tatami mat.
Mr. Hosokawa was the scholar, named Hosokawa Itsuki. He was one of Kyouya Hideyoshi's advisors,
and Kyouya Yu had sent him back to Fusang Island on a secret mission. "Reporting to Madam, I spoke with Akiyama Morishige through my confidant. They are willing to take on this batch of porcelain, but the price can only be..."
Hosokawa Itsuki hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Only one-tenth."
"What? One-tenth?"
Kyouya Yu's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she said angrily, "Is he playing games with us? Fifty percent is already our maximum loss limit. Didn't you tell him that?" "
I did." "
Hosokawa Itsuki glared hatefully at the two people behind Keimiya Yu. "But they said if the price isn't right, forget it. Nobody else would buy this pile of broken porcelain! It's not like before the porcelain industry developed. People need high-quality porcelain now. These inferior products are only for ordinary people. The 10% price is only because of our long-term cooperation."
Hosokawa Itsuki spoke faster and faster, his tone becoming increasingly harsh. Even I felt that these were perhaps what he really wanted to say to Keimiya Yu.
"Insolence!"
Everyone present could hear the commotion, but only Keimiya Yu shouted, "Why are you shouting so loudly? Are you trying to scare us? Look at you, what kind of tone do you have? You're practically one of theirs now, do you still act like a servant of the Keimiya family?"
Hosokawa Itsuki's face flushed red with anger, and he barely managed to clench his fists and suppress his rage.
Kyotaro, standing beside him, frowned and said, "Young Master, Mr. Hosokawa is not a servant; he is the most loyal subordinate of our Keimiya family." "
Hmph! Isn't it all the same?"
Keimiya Tamaki was clearly afraid of Kyotaro, and her tone immediately softened.
"One-tenth...one-tenth!"
Keimiya Yu, looking quite shocked, muttered to herself, "Is this the heavens trying to destroy our Keimiya family?"
Keimiya Tamaki said impatiently, "Mom, why are you so worried? It's just a business loss, isn't it? Our Keimiya family is so rich, what's there to be afraid of?"
“Sigh, you don’t understand…”
Keimiya Yu sighed. “You all go out first, Kyotaro stays.”
“Yes!”
Keimiya Tamaba had no choice but to participate in the discussion, so he quickly ran out. Fujita Yu and Yamanaka Hirotaka didn’t stop either; their faces were also very grim. This time, the Keimiya family had lost everything, and they had indeed played a negative role in it. If they didn’t want to be punished, they could only try to please their young master even more.
Hosokawa Itsuki was now much more sober and regretted his words, but this was not the time to apologize. He was the last to leave, so he quietly closed the door and stood five meters away to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
Seeing this, Kyotaro sighed and said, “Madam, Mr. Hosokawa is a highly regarded retainer whom the master greatly admires. You should trust him more, instead of just making him do these chores.”
Keimiya Yu nodded, but Kyotaro could tell that she was just being perfunctory. There was an indelible anxiety, and even… even a hint of panic, between the brows of this mistress.
"Kyotaro, we're in big trouble this time!"
After a while, the cold and beautiful young woman suddenly lowered her voice and said heavily, "The only one who can help me, the only one who can help the Keigami family, is you! I beg you, you must save us..."

Chapter 4 An Exorbitant Demand
Kyotaro was taken aback and immediately prostrated himself on the ground respectfully, saying, "Mistress, please don't do this! Tell me, whatever you need Kyotaro to do, I will go through fire and water for you."
Because he was kneeling, he couldn't see the fleeting smugness on Keigami Yu's face, but I did. I couldn't help but frown. What was this woman up to now? Could it be that she wanted Kyotaro to assassinate someone again?
After concealing her emotions, Keimiya Yu said gently to Kyotaro, "Get up, Kyotaro. Don't you know? In my heart, you are the most reliable person. You don't need to be so polite in front of me."
"I wouldn't dare!"
Kyotaro avoided her gaze and asked again, "Mistress, did you just say there was some kind of crisis?"
"Yes, a crisis that could destroy our Keimiya family."
Keimiya Yu nodded heavily.
"What is it?"
Kyotaro also became nervous.
"If we can't sell this batch of porcelain for fifty million gold coins, our Jinggong family will be finished!"
"Why?"
Kōtarō asked, puzzled. "Even if we've been cheated in this deal and lost everything, we still have so many businesses; we can still make a comeback!"
"It's impossible now."
The cold and beautiful woman gritted her teeth and whispered, "I... I had already mortgaged everything and borrowed twenty million gold coins, plus the ten million gold coin deposit from those cunning merchants, to buy this batch of porcelain."
"Oh! Mistress! You... how could you be so irrational!"
Kōtarō smiled bitterly. "So, the total price of this batch of porcelain isn't one hundred million gold coins, but one hundred and thirty million gold coins?"
"Not one hundred and thirty million gold coins, but... but one hundred and eighty million gold coins!"
"What?"
Even the usually composed Kōtarō was shocked and almost jumped up. "Mistress, how could there be an extra fifty million? With such a high price, you shouldn't have been cheated!"
“Of course, the price is very high for just these,”
Jing Gongyou said dejectedly. “The problem is, besides this batch of 100,000 sets, I secretly ordered another 100,000 sets, which gave them a 10% discount.”
“Bang!”
Gong Tailang slammed his fist into the hard floor beside him, startling the beautiful young woman who recoiled, thinking he was about to hit her.
“Mistress, you… sigh!”
Gong Tailang, his face ashen, tried to say something, but finally let out a sigh: “If we lose money, we lose money. Go and beg the two princesses; they will give us money so we can make a comeback.”
“I can’t go; only you can,”
Jing Gongyou immediately said, looking at him expectantly.
“Mistress, you often overcomplicate things.”
Kōtarō’s mood hadn’t recovered, and his tone lacked its initial respect. “Although the two princesses say they don’t care about you, don’t you know them? They’re all bark and no bite. They’re actually very worried about you and the young master; otherwise, they wouldn’t have traveled all the way from Ryūfū Kingdom.”
“If it were just a few million gold coins to get back on my feet, I would have gone to find it myself.”
Kōdō Yu looked at him timidly, adopting a submissive demeanor. “What I need now isn’t that, but at least fifty million gold coins. They will absolutely not give me that money unless you go.”
“Fifty million gold coins?”
Kōtarō said, “Mistress, you didn’t explain the source of those fifty million gold coins to me earlier. Who did you borrow them from? Why are you in such a hurry to pay them back?”
“I…I…”
Kōdō Yu hesitated for a long time, and before she could speak, tears fell. “I took on a job from Hāyū Kingdom. They offered one hundred gold coins per set to make five hundred thousand sets of armor for them, and then…I…”
"So, Madam, you used 50 million gold coins to buy this batch of exquisite porcelain, which is supposedly worth ten times the profit, right?"
Kōtarō looked at her helplessly. "Madam, you need to know that some people's money is not to be taken. What kind of people are the people of Huayun Kingdom? They're a pack of wolves! You even dared to embezzle their money?"
"I just thought I'd use the money I made to pay off the debt here, so... so I had the Shimazu family in Kyushu start forging armor..."
At this point, the cold and beautiful young woman herself felt a little embarrassed. To have managed to turn this business into this mess, she was probably a rare genius throughout history.
Kōtarō clenched his fists, on the verge of tears. He wished he could jump onto the roof and roar at the sky to vent his helplessness and anger.
While I shook my head, I also thought of another thing that didn't seem right: the Huayun Kingdom's army consisted of nomadic barbarians skilled in mounted archery. A crucial aspect of mounted archery was speed. If they were wearing armor weighing fifty or sixty pounds on horseback, what speed could they possibly achieve? Will the cavalry still have an advantage?
I wouldn't be so surprised if Huayun Kingdom asked Fusang Island to forge five million swords and spears.
"We won't think about our own money, but we can't leave Huayun Kingdom without repaying those fifty million gold coins,"
Jinggong You said. "Kyotaro, go and talk to Meihe Cai for us, ask for her help. Otherwise, no matter where we escape to, the people of Huayun Kingdom won't let us go."
She paused, then added, "There's nothing worth keeping in Dayuan Kingdom. We can develop in Liufeng Kingdom. With Meihe Cai's husband—Lord Lanting—taking care of us, our Jinggong family can quickly rise again… I've figured it out. Without reliable connections in officialdom, doing business is really too difficult. Liufeng Kingdom is much better!"
Kyotaro's mouth moved, thinking, "My master built her empire in Dayuan Kingdom without relying on any official connections…"
But the kind-hearted Kyotaro felt that saying this would hurt his mistress's pride, so he kept quiet.
"Is it alright, Kyotaro?"
Jinggong You put on her most pitiful look: "Please help us this last time. After we get to Liufeng Kingdom, we won't have such big trouble anymore."
"Mistress, if we go to Liufeng Kingdom, we should be even more careful,"
Gong Taro couldn't help but say. He knew in his heart that the son-in-law of the Jinggong family, namely Prince Lanting, didn't have a good impression of this mother and son. Otherwise, given his character of traveling thousands of miles to Dayuan Kingdom to help his master kill his enemies, how could he not come when the Jinggong family encountered such great difficulties?
The cold and beautiful young woman nodded sincerely, without speaking, her eyes fixed on Gong Taro. Gong Taro was an honest man, how could he stand her looking like a little woman?
But asking the Jinggong sisters to take out fifty million gold coins seemed even more difficult to say.
"Mistress, I doubt the little princess and her entourage have fifty million gold coins on them this time,"
Kōtarō said thoughtfully. "How about we ask them to give us whatever they have, to the Shimazu family first, and then we can think of another way?"
"What other way is there?"
A hint of helplessness appeared on Kōtarō Yu's fair and delicate face. "These past few days we've traveled all over the Jiangnan General Chamber of Commerce, but who is willing to help us? What do we have that would make them want to help us?"
"That's true. These merchants are only after profit; they have no sense of morality whatsoever,"
Kōtarō sighed. "But Mistress, do we really have no money left?"
"I do have one or two million gold coins on hand, and antique jade worth around ten million at home, but that's just a drop in the bucket, how could it be fifty million?"
the cold and beautiful woman said. "That's why I wanted to sell this batch of porcelain to Akiyama Morishige, but I didn't expect him to only offer ten percent, which is ten million. Even if we have two hundred thousand sets of porcelain, it's only twenty million gold coins."
Kōtarō's eyes suddenly lit up: "What if we transport the porcelain to the Korean Peninsula? Would the merchants there offer more?"
"The Korean Peninsula? How could that be?"
Kōmiya Yu said disdainfully. Having been the head of the family for so long, she still had this much knowledge. “All the Korean Peninsula wants is grain, wine, salt, tea, spices, silk, and ironware. They might buy some porcelain, but sending 200,000 sets would overwhelm their market. Besides, they couldn't even handle 10,000 sets!”
“Then why is Akiyama Morishige willing to buy 100,000 sets?”
“It’s simple. The Akiyama family has a huge fleet, sailing the seas all year round. In three to five years, with hundreds of islands of varying sizes and hundreds of millions of people, they can definitely sell the porcelain.”
Jing Gongyou calculated, “I thought they could sell it for at least 70% of the original price, so I offered 50%. I didn’t expect them to be so ruthless.”
"That's how merchants are, they rob people when they're in trouble,"
Kōtarō said. "Mistress, I still advise you to sell the 200,000 sets of porcelain, and then sell all the antique jade pieces. That should give you at least 30 million gold coins. That way, the little princess and her family can settle their problems for only 20 million gold coins, which will be a lighter burden for them."
Kōtarō said in astonishment, "How can we just sell off the treasures of our Kōtarō family? Mei and Cai have married Lord Lanting, do they need money? Even here in the Great Yuan Kingdom, it's said that Lord Lanting defeated the barbarians of the desert grasslands, seizing countless gold and silver treasures, and the Emperor rewarded him with them all!"
Kōtarō was both amused and exasperated. "Mistress, it's true that Lord Lanting is very rich, but he doesn't only have the little princess and her husband as wives. He has many beautiful women in his household. If we help them and other women gossip about them, and the little princess and her husband are neglected in the future, what other hope will we have?"
"Oh..."
Keiko Yu looked at him with sudden realization, "Kyotaro, you're right, that makes sense."
She paused, then said thoughtfully, "If all else fails, I'm going to try and find Ootada Yasuyuki, see if he can help resolve some issues."
"No!"
Kyotaro frowned, "He was involved in the devastating losses last September, and he's always been infatuated with you, Madam. We can't let him have the chance to make inappropriate demands."
The cold, beautiful young woman herself wasn't entirely confident. Thinking about that man, she agreed with Kyotaro, "Let's see!"
Next, they discussed the specifics of raising money. I found it boring and quietly slipped out of the room.
What troublesome relatives!
Even an honest man like Kyotaro is starting to scheme against the Keiko sisters… Well, actually, it's not really scheming. Besides relying on the Keiko sisters and me, are they going to sacrifice themselves or flee the world?
I knew without even thinking that as long as Kyoutaro explained the situation, the girls would give their all to help their families. If that wasn't enough, wouldn't they just ask me, their husband, for more? It's so frustrating.
I haven't even figured out how to make money yet, and the Jinggong family is already asking for 20 million gold coins. What's worse, this money didn't need to be given so early, but that stupid woman, Jinggong Yu, messed up the business like this. She's a perfect example of someone who's all looks and no brains!
I wanted to go outside immediately to think about what to do, but as soon as I jumped off the roof, I saw Jinggong Yu, Fujita Yu, and Yamanaka Hirotaka leaning against the wall, whispering to each other.
With their martial arts skills, they couldn't possibly have seen me flash by in the air. After leaving the courtyard, I went directly to the outside of the wall separating me from Jinggong Yu and the others to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Young Master, the Mistress is here to discuss serious matters. Are you going out now…?”
“Anyway, I can’t help. I’m just going to the casino for a bit, what’s the big deal? Besides, I go there often in Jiangnan, don’t I?”
“But, the Mistress has completely cut off your allowance.”
“Ah? How much do I have left?”
“I’m all gone. When we went gambling the other day, we used all of Shanzhong’s money.”
“Tch, Fujita, why are you saying all this? My money is Young Master’s money, isn’t it? I’d give anything for Young Master.”
“Shanzhong, you’re so good to me! Don’t worry, when I’m in power, I’ll definitely promote you to a position second only to the Emperor… and Fujita too.”
“Thank you, Young Master, we will go through fire and water, even die for you!”
“Uh, Young Master, actually I have some money here, it’s my savings from my salary. Take it if you need it.”
“How much?”
“Ten thousand gold coins.”
"Only ten thousand? That's a bit low... But never mind, let's go out and have some fun first. After we get back to Jiangnan, I'll secretly sell a few antiques.
That way, I'll not only have money for fun, but I can also pay you back." The proverb "The father builds the business, the son squanders it" is undoubtedly a common trope on the mainland. Usually, apart from families with military backing or deep-rooted wealth, most wealthy people can't escape the "wealth doesn't last three generations" rule—meaning that from the grandfather's generation to the grandson's, the wealth is
usually squandered. So don't be fooled by the glamorous image of Jiangnan merchants. Over the past thousand years, countless large, wealthy, and powerful merchants have emerged in Jiangnan, but each time they disappear from the Jiangnan stage after a few decades or a couple of centuries. Many only enjoy a brief period of glory for one or two decades before fading into obscurity.
Strictly speaking, the Kyou family should also be considered merchants from Jiangnan, because before Kyou Hideyoshi fled with his sister, wife, son, and retainers, he had never done business. His wealth accumulation was entirely in Jiangnan; it was Jiangnan that gave him the opportunity to become a tycoon.
Now, with Kyou Hideyoshi's body barely cold, the next generation of the Kyou family heirs has already begun to degenerate, which makes me quite reflective: education truly must begin from childhood; spoiling children from a young age is simply unacceptable. This Kyou Takara is too outrageous; as his uncle, I should discipline him. At this moment, I remembered his disrespect towards me and wondered if I should wait until the three of them left, then beat them up while masked, and throw them at the door to teach them a lesson.
Wait!
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me—a way to both discipline Kyou Takara and complete my identity transformation!

Chapter Five: Gambling Table Showdown
Afternoon, Fortune Gambling House.
Despite its vulgar name, this "Fortune Gambling House" is one of the top ten gambling houses in Kobe Castle. Spanning three acres and two stories high, it's so spacious it seems to stretch endlessly.
Gambling houses, if they have the means, all prefer to be opulent and brightly lit; only such grandeur can attract more gamblers.
It should be lunchtime, a time for people to take a nap, but the place is still packed with gamblers. Around the gambling tables, gamblers of all skin colors and ages shout and yell with boundless energy, echoing from upstairs and downstairs, making the entire casino chaotic.
This kind of casino isn't high-class, but it's perfect for sailors who travel at sea and wealthy young men, so business is booming.
The most bustling gambling table today is the one in the very center. The people sitting opposite him have changed constantly, but a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy has remained steadfast, and he's also the one attracting the most attention.
On this gambling table, he had already won no less than two million gold coins. Even after the casino brought in five highly skilled dice rollrs, they couldn't stop his incredible luck.
The casino's managers, since being secretly summoned, hadn't left. Based on their decades of experience, they could clearly see that this young man knew absolutely nothing about gambling. He placed bets randomly, yet he won five out of ten times. Even more astonishingly, he would occasionally hit a "point bet"—a direct bet on a certain number of points—which was the most peculiar aspect.
The casino's top experts could control the points, but even those were only top experts. In Kobe, controlling the points once or twice out of ten was already extremely difficult; controlling the odds was relatively easier.
Due to his lack of skill, the casino couldn't easily catch him whenever they tried. In short, the young man had been sitting there for over an hour, winning more than he lost—his luck was simply phenomenal.
The casino was full of shrewd people, one of whom, a physiognomist, frowned deeply: this young man clearly had the face of someone mean-spirited, ruthless, and incapable of accumulating wealth, so how could he be so incredibly successful?
However, although the young man won nearly two million gold coins, only half came from the casino; at least half a million were lost by a seemingly honest but heavily intoxicated young man sitting next to him. The
young man's smug tone after winning angered the honest young man, who, perhaps due to intoxication, consistently bet against him, resulting in heavy losses.
But as the young man won again and again, besides the honest young man, others around him also started betting on him, causing the casino to lose even more, leaving the managers with livid faces.
"Haha, I won again! Two hundred thousand gold coins, hand them over! Money is so easy to make!"
As the dice cup was lifted again, amidst the joyful shouts of the crowd, the young man laughed wildly, turning to the simple-minded young man beside him and saying, "Country bumpkin, you know how tough it is to mess with the young master, huh? If you do it again, you'll lose all your money!"
"You...you stop being so arrogant!"
I said, my face flushed, watching as the dice shaker took the one hundred thousand silver notes beside him and handed another one hundred thousand gold coins to the young man, my tone becoming irritated: "If you've got the guts, let's go and gamble alone! Do you dare?"
"Hahaha, you ask me if I dare?"
The young man was none other than Jing Gongyu, who had secretly run away. He held a large stack of silver notes in his hand and said disdainfully, "I'm just afraid you don't have that much money to lose!"
I pretended to be angry and stood up, slamming a stack of silver notes into the gambling table with a "thud." "Here are two million gold coins worth of silver notes. If you win them, I'll acknowledge your skill!"
Jing Gongyu stared at the "one hundred thousand" on the first silver note, his mouth practically watering.
He wasn't exactly a smart man, and he thought he was blessed with good fortune today, having already made so much money. Now, a fool had come along and was giving him money. How could he not be happy, and how could he not gamble?
"Young Master,"
Fujita Yu, who had been standing behind him, gently tugged at Jing Gongyu's clothes. "Let's quit while we're ahead. After we win this fool's money, we'll leave. Otherwise, the money in this casino won't just be won for nothing."
Jing Gongyu was stunned. He looked towards the dice shaker, and for the first time, he clearly saw that the men standing next to the dice shaker, who appeared to be gamblers, were staring at him with grim expressions and a fierce glint in their eyes.
Not being on his own turf, Jing Gongyu immediately became frightened. He quickly nodded and said to me, "Come on, let's gamble in the private room over there. Those who are scared shouldn't come."
With that, he put away the silver notes, gave me a defiant look, and walked towards the back.
In a casino, there's never just one type of gambling, nor is there always only one room. There are always many private rooms for gamblers who enjoy high-stakes gambling but need quiet.
This was naturally the case now.
Once the room door closed, there were only the two of us, two dice shakers, and a gloomy man in charge of security. I had just seen him; this gloomy man wasn't just a simple bodyguard. He was standing among the managers, presumably because Jing Gongyu had won too much today, which displeased him, so he had come to check things out.
"Gentlemen."
A dice shaker brought out a brand-new set of dice and a dice cup, while another explained the rules: "The usage fee for the private room is five hundred gold coins, paid by the winner. We don't interfere with any other wins or losses. Do you have any questions?"
"I have no problem. What about you?"
Jing Gongyu turned to me.
"Let's begin!"
I still looked angry, but inside I was already laughing. If I hadn't secretly rigged things, how could Jing Gongyu have won?
Now it was time to teach him a lesson, but ridiculously, he was completely unaware, still thinking that the God of Wealth was on his side today, ready to fleece a fat sheep.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."
The three dice swayed in the dice cup for a while before the dice shaker slammed them down on the table and raised his hands: "Please place your bets, both of you."
"I'm betting on Big! 100,000 gold coins!"
Jing Gongyu said generously, pulling out his money. "So, are you in or not?"
"Nonsense!"
I tossed out a 100,000 gold coin note: "Small!"
The gloomy manager standing to the side shook his head. These two were complete novices. It was a pity he couldn't participate in the gambling, otherwise he would have won them everything!
"Place your bets... Let's begin!"
Since it was only a two-person duel, the dice shaker didn't hesitate much, immediately opening the dice cup and loudly announcing, "Three, four, five, twelve points, big!"
"Hahaha! I won!"
Jing Gongyu grinned as he watched the other dice shaker hand over my silver notes, looking down at me and saying, "Wow, how come this money is so easy to win? Don't you think so?"
"Kid! Don't be so arrogant!"
I retorted angrily, "This time I'm betting on small again, two hundred thousand gold coins!"
"If you're looking for death, how can I stop you?" With such a lucky
start, Jing Gongyu was naturally unafraid: "Big, two hundred thousand!"
The result, of course, was predetermined; this time it was big again. In the blink of an eye, Jing Gongyu had won three hundred thousand gold coins from me. On the surface, I was sweating profusely with anxiety, but inside, I remained calm.
If I had won all of Jing Gongyu's gold coins at the beginning, then it was very likely that after he lost them all, Fujita Yu and Yamanaka Hirotaka would see through my scheme and pull him away.
But if I lost some first and then fought back, they would think I was just lucky, and the more I lost, the more resentful I became, the more I wanted to win back, thus falling into an even bigger crisis.
Don't doubt it, this is the mentality of a gambler. I've seen it all in Wushuang County. Usually, these people end up being sold into slavery, still clinging to the past, thinking that if they had just persevered a little longer, they could have turned things around. And so, I lost all five rounds, leaving me with only 100,000 gold coins. My bad luck made the three people in the casino feel a little sorry for me, after all, Jing Gongyu's arrogance was too disgusting.
Jing Gongyu was riding high, but that didn't mean he had any good intentions. Looking at me, my face flushed with defeat, all he felt was the pleasure of trampling his enemy underfoot.
"Tsk tsk, you only have 100,000 gold coins left, how pitiful!"
Jing Gongyu teased, looking at the last silver note on my table. "Why don't you stop gambling? You can hire a carriage to go home with the rest of the money, so you don't go back empty-handed, hahaha..."
"Bullshit! Would I dare not?"
I hesitated for a moment, then pushed out the last silver note: "Big!"
"Then I'll bet on Small. If I win this 100,000, I can go home and rest. Today was really boring. I won so much without expending any energy. How should I spend it?"
Jing Gongyu said with a smug smile.
"Place your bets... Open!"
The dice shaker lifted the dice cup, a sudden gleam of joy in his eyes. His weak voice immediately shouted loudly: "566, 17 points, Big!"
"What?"
Jing Gongyu, who was so arrogant that he no longer looked at the dice cup, but stared directly at me, wanting to see my miserable state after losing everything, his eyes almost popped out of his head.
But when he looked closely at the dice cup, he realized that the dice shaker hadn't misread the number, and his face immediately darkened: "How could it be a big win? Are you cheating?"
The gloomy manager next to him, who had initially looked much more relaxed than the dice shaker, immediately turned serious upon seeing this and said, "Young master, you can't just say things like that! If you win, it's normal, but if you lose, it means someone else is cheating? Are you implying that our Fortune Gambling House is cheating?"
"I..."
Jing Gongyu had never been reprimanded before and wanted to retort, but the two men behind him pulled him back. Looking at the gloomy manager's burly figure, he finally shut his mouth and stopped complaining.
"Hmph! This time it was just your good luck. How about we bet 200,000 gold coins next?"
Jing Gongyu vented his anger on me, roaring as he threw down 200,000 gold coins: "I'll continue betting on small, you dare bet on big again!"
He was deliberately trying to win all my money in one go, leaving me with no chance to recover.
"Two hundred thousand it is, I'm not afraid of you!"
Relieved, I gritted my teeth and shakily placed the money on the table. It was clear I was still somewhat scared and worried.
"Place your bets... Let's begin!"
The dice shaker glanced nervously at the dice cup, then announced with feigned composure, "553, thirteen points, big!"
"Impossible!"
Jing Gongyu's eyes widened as he stared at the dice cup, but how could the numbers inside change? The number thirteen clearly flashed before his eyes, as if mocking him.
"Haha, my luck has turned!"
I laughed at the opportune moment. "Next round, two hundred thousand, big!"
"No!"
Jing Gongyu glared at me, his eyes blazing. "Let's bet four hundred thousand next round, are you in?"
"This..."
I hesitated, thinking.
"Coward!"
Seeing that I still didn't quite agree, Jing Gongyu, determined to win all my gold coins, taunted me, "If you don't dare, then take your 400,000 and get lost. Anyway, I still won 1.6 million gold coins from you, how satisfying!"
I was furious when I heard this: "400,000 it is... Big!"
"Hmph! Then I'll still say 400,000, Small."
Jing Gongyu said coldly, "I don't believe it, three hands in a row, Big?"
And he was right, the third hand was 443, 11 points, Big. In an instant, my capital became 800,000. Although Jing Gongyu still won 1.2 million from me, including what he won outside, he still won about 3.5 million in total, but he was already extremely unhappy.
"Fourth hand, 800,000 gold coins, Small!"
Jing Gongyu said through gritted teeth, his eyes fierce as he looked at me, as if he would rush over and beat me up if I didn't agree.
"Eight hundred thousand gold coins, I'm still betting on Big!"
I felt much more relaxed now, and said with a smile, "Kid, I'm not afraid of you now. The God of Wealth is already on my side. Let's see how I win the money back!"
"Dream on!"
Jing Gongyu said arrogantly.
"Place your bet... It's open... 356, fourteen points, Big!"
"Place your bet... It's open... 155, eleven points, Big!"
After several rounds, it was all Big. Although Jing Gongyu realized something was wrong and stopped betting aggressively, he still lost most of the money he had just won. He only had two hundred thousand gold coins left, and his face looked so pale it seemed like water was about to be squeezed out.
"Hahaha..."
I returned my arrogant gaze to Jing Gongyu: "Looks like the tables have turned! How about it, kid, go back to suckling! This 200,000, I'll take pity on you and not win it!"
Jing Gongyu was already furious, and hearing this, he couldn't hold back any longer. He yelled and charged forward: "I'm going to kill you!"
"Slap!"
Before the gloomy manager could even reach us, Jing Gongyu was slapped so hard he spun like a top. Fujita Yu and Yamanaka Hirotaka, who had rushed up to help, were also kicked into the corner, screaming in pain.
"Damn it, you want to hit people after losing? Don't you know who I am?"
I pulled out a waist tag from my pocket and showed it to them.
The waist tag was made of bronze, engraved with a lavender pattern, with a few cherry blossom petals next to it, and the words "Yagyu" written in the center.
"This is..."
A family crest flashed through the gloomy manager's mind: "Are you a member of the Yagyu family?
"

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