A strange, overweight figure erged from the woods.
Hair turning slightly white, a man who was at least in his fifties or sixties and much too plump was clad in tight-fitting clothes, which accentuated his fat and jiggled comically with each step he took.
"A ninja?"
Suming was dumbfounded. In broad daylight, deep within the Qinling forest, an elderly, overweight man dressed as a ninja had appeared?
What was going on?
"Mr. Sakata?"
Upon seeing the old, fat ninja, Park Jeong-ui was taken aback. He rose slowly to his feet, his thick eyebrows furrowing deeply, "How did you co to be here?"
"Good day to you, Mr. Park Jeong-ui," the portly ninja bowed slightly, "I've co to see you at the behest of Mr. Park Young-myeong."
As soon as he finished speaking, five other ninjas dressed just like Sakata erged from the forest, but these individuals seed much more like real ninjas, being short and lean, even slightly hunchbacked.
However, their gazes were fierce, walking as if tiptoeing, with arched backs poised for action, ready to pounce on their prey at any mont!
"Youngming?" Park Jeong-ui frowned, "Didn't I tell him not to get involved in these family matters? Why did he still send you... No, how did you find ?"
Mid-sentence, Park's expression suddenly changed.
Park Young-myeong was unaware of his exact location in the mountains; the place was dozens of kiloters away from the mountain's base. Park and his professionals were engaged in shady business, concealing their tracks ticulously from the mont they entered the country until they reached the mountains—especially in the first dozen kiloters upon entering the forest, which was relatively close to human habitation, prompting extra caution to hide their movents.
Even professionals would find it difficult to track them, let alone Mr. Sakata, who managed a dog at restaurant back in Korea.
Park knew that Sakata had a unique occupation in his youth.
Mr. Sakata was a true ninja.
To outsiders, ninjas seed to possess mystical abilities. In ancient tis, when technology was primitive, exaggerations culminated in the belief that ninjas were nearly omnipotent, akin to Huaxia's ancient cultivators or foreign superheroes.
For example, they could kill invisibly and soul-steal. During the Edo period, a lord from Satsuma Domain and a lord from Changzhou County beca sworn enemies; the forr dispatched two female ninjas disguised as geishas. These geishas went to a tavern near the Changzhou lord's residence and sang, drawing crowds every day. When the Changzhou lord heard of the two charming 'artists,' he invited them to perform in his house.
After their performance, as the Changzhou lord was about to get more intimate, he suddenly collapsed, convulsing with foam at the mouth, then suffered raging fevers and delirium for half a month, until he perished as if his soul had been snatched by demons.
There was a rumor that these geishas were soul-snatching ninjas capable of killing without a trace. In fact, this style of assassination, employing blow darts or poisoned needles hidden in flutes or similar instrunts, was common for ninjas. With just a puff, the fine poison needles could silently penetrate the body at close range, undetectable even by the victims themselves.
For the ninjas' safety, many such needles were made of materials that could dissolve in blood; triggered by the warmth of blood, they would vanish without a trace, along with any poison, which would lt into the bloodstream. The tiny wounds were often undetectable due to their minuscule size.
As for the victims falling into comas or becoming incoherent, it was an era of limited dical technology; the absence of discernible wounds led people to believe the victims' souls were stolen.
Actually, it wasn't a reflection of the ninjas' superior skills that allowed the victims to suffer for days; rather, ancient poisons, typically derived from plants or animals, were relatively weak compared to modern chemicals that could decimate populations. The poisons were simply not potent enough, and the delivery needles were so thin that they could only carry minute amounts of toxin. That's why victims could linger before death.
The unfortunate lord likely died from complications and various tornts. In ancient tis, poisoning seldom resulted in imdiate death; unless, like Pan Jinlian who forced poison down Wu Dalang's throat, it was rare for an assassin to successfully poison soone on the first try. A ninja capable of such was considered highly skilled, among the upper echelon.
Of course, besides mastering blow darts, ninjas were also trained musicians, contributing to their multifaceted talents and the mysterious folklore that surrounded them—ninjas were said to be masters of disguise, never revealing their true faces.
There was also talk of ninjas flying or using water evasion, largely thanks to a special hollow belt. When scaling walls, it served as a foothold; ordinarily, it was a sheath for a flexible sword, and while subrged, it functioned as a breathing tube.
Overall, ninjas were neither demons nor superhumans; put simply, they were special operatives with skills and knowledge, cultivated by specific organizations for assassination and espionage.
This profession peaked during Japan's Warring States period and found renewed vigor during World War II, when the militarist samurai ethos prevailed. So so-called ninjas joined the military, serving the invaders by guarding dignitaries and carrying out assassinations and espionage.
Ninjas were categorized into upper, middle, and lower rankings. The upper ninjas, also known as 'strategist ninjas,' planned overall battle strategies, while the middle ninjas were tactical commanders noteworthy for their fighting skills. The lower ninjas, or 'physical ninjas,' were equivalent to special forces, engaged in frontline operations.
Sakata's grandfather was a middle-ranked ninja from the Iga-ryu sect who lost his life in Korea, leading the Sakata family to settle there and beco close friends with the Park family.
Park Jeong-ui knew about Sakata's heritage, but in modern society, where firearms ruled, no one really took the idea of ninjas seriously—it was usually just fodder for jokes.
Yet even a real ninja would struggle to track him after he entered the mountains... unless, these n had been following his group all along!
Mr. Sakata's strength was still unknown, but the other six ninjas were clearly skilled fighters.
One Chunin and five Genin, in the jungle, their survival skills and ability to kill were far superior to those so-called poaching experts he had hired!
At this thought, Park Jeong-ui, accustod to the darkness of the world, subconsciously raised his hand that was kept behind his back, slowly moving it toward the position where his handgun was holstered at his waist.
It was empty. He then rembered that his gun had been confiscated by Suming.
His gaze flickered, quickly sweeping over Suming.
Suming was also dumbfounded.
Park Jeong-ui and his n were speaking in Korean, which both Suming and Su ng didn't understand, but Suming wasn't blind, and he could clearly see what was happening in front of him.
Both parties clearly recognized each other. Park Jeong-ui was surprised by their arrival, and apart from the fat ninja, all five had a cold deanor, as if they were afraid others wouldn't realize they were hostile.
What the hell was happening here? In the light of day, under the clear sky, a group of ninjas just popped up out of nowhere?
It was clear this wasn't a cosplay; no one would co to this forsaken place to cosplay as a ninja, and the old fat man didn't look like he had anything to do with ninjas either.
Besides, since when did ninjas roam freely in Huaxia? Was there no justice or law anymore?
Could it be that in a little while, a sword immortal flying on his sword and leading a fire-breathing mythical beast would appear from the mountains, summoning forbidden spells to fight a great battle against these ninjas?
This setting was too strange.
Suming held the crested ibis close in his arms, only letting a small red head peek out, and shook his head at Su ng, signaling for him not to act rashly and to observe the changes.
Clearly, these ninjas weren't here for him.
Xiao Hong stuck out her head, equally curious as she watched the ninjas. The crested ibis that made Park Jeong-ui's heart flutter did not seem to catch the ninjas' attention. Six people, most of their focus was on Park Jeong-ui, occasionally casting glances at Suming and Su ng.
Park Jeong-ui's eyelids twitched slightly.
"What did Youngming send you here for?" Park Jeong-ui asked hoarsely, one word at a ti.
Mr. Sakata spoke indifferently, "Mr. Park Jeong-ui, Youngming is also for Zhebin's sake, so he can grow up under the sun, and for the Park family to develop smoothly and legitimately."
Park Jeong-ui was stunned and then it dawned on him. He started laughing sowhat maniacally, "I understand now, I understand. So, as a brother and uncle who shouldn't see the light of day and drags them down, I must disappear, right? If I'm not mistaken, I've already been wanted in my own country, haven't I? ..."
"There's no need for further words, Mr. Park Jeong-ui. Youngming hopes you depart this world without suffering. You should commit suicide. These five are my last n; I don't wish for them to be hard. If you resist, I will have to resort to extre asures," Mr. Sakata interrupted Park Jeong-ui coldly, giving a slight nod.
In the mont he nodded, one of the ninjas drew from his waist a strange short sword barely two feet long, looking coldly at him.
Bang!
Before the ninja could make his move, Park Jeong-ui pounced like a leopard and landed a fierce punch on the nose of the nearest ninja.
Blood sprayed, and the ninja rely grunted before collapsing limply, his nose almost completely flattened, and bits of his nasal bone piercing into his brain, ending his life imdiately.
Park Jeong-ui propped up the limp body and forcefully pushed it at the others, seizing the mont they tried to avoid it to make a panicked escape, rushing into the trees.
Mr. Sakata threw a shuriken that whistled through the air with a "whoo" and drove sharply into Park Jeong-ui's back.
Park Jeong-ui cried out in pain, stumbled forward, rolled on the ground, and dived into the woods.
Mr. Sakata drew his flexible sword, glanced at Suming and Su ng with eyes that already seed to consider them personal property, and coldly left a ssage for the others, "The four of you, stay to silence them."
Having said this, he took his knife and, agile as a fat monkey, dashed into the forest after the fleeing Park Jeong-ui.
The four remaining ninjas drew their swords to form a half-circle, their faces expressionless as they closed in on Suming and Su ng.
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