Takizawa Hideo quickly regained his composure, his expression returning to normal. With a polite smile, he invited Suzuki Yuichi and "Suzuki Chun Xin" into the main castle of the Takizawa family.
As they entered, the father and son of the Suzuki family were struck by the grandeur of the Takizawa household. In this modern society, the Takizawa family retained many traditional customs, exuding a sense of both antiquity and underlying nace.
The Suzuki duo were led to a quiet room to wait. Takizawa Hideo excused himself, saying he would summon the main family mbers to discuss the collaboration.
"During our last eting, we only t Takizawa Hideo. Now that the main family is involved, it’s clear the Takizawa family places significant importance on the tomb developnt project," Suzuki Yuichi remarked quietly.
Suzuki Chun Xin’s expression turned serious as well.
Father and son began strategizing their approach to discussions with the Takizawa family. As the shadows cast by the lamplight stretched, Suzuki Chun Xin's shadow flickered. A small, dark figure detached from the shadow and vanished.
Outside, the sound of a watchman’s bell echoed—a pattern repeated four tis now.
---
"Miss Lola, the head of the Suzuki family and his successor have arrived."
After arranging for the Suzuki father and son, Takizawa Hideo swiftly entered a lavishly decorated room deep within the castle. The room had pristine white carpets, and over a dozen handso young n crawled on the floor.
Each man wore only shorts, blindfolds, and gags. Their deanor resembled that of dosticated animals, having lost all semblance of humanity.
A seductive woman nad Takizawa Lola lounged on a chaise, holding a long whip and sipping a deep red liquid.
"I’ve heard that Suzuki Xia Ya, the young master of the Suzuki family, is quite strong. So even call him the strongest man alive, is that true?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"Unfortunately, Suzuki Xia Ya isn’t here. Instead, they brought Suzuki Chun Xin," Takizawa Hideo replied, bowing his head. "Suzuki Xia Ya reportedly ran away from ho so ti ago and has yet to be found."
"What a pity," Lola said, shaking her head. With a snap of her whip, she struck a nearby young man before lazily stretching and standing up. "So, what’s Suzuki Chun Xin like?"
"A refined and gentlemanly individual," Hideo answered.
"I’ve collected plenty of that type already," Lola yawned. Stretching once more, she added, "Let’s go et Suzuki Yuichi. If my brother weren’t off in South Arica, this task wouldn’t have fallen to …"
"Would Miss Lola like to have lunch first?" the butler inquired respectfully.
Lola’s eyes glead. "Lunch? Let’s see if Suzuki Chun Xin is up to the task."
Just then, a loud "clang, clang" echoed.
Lola frowned. "Butler, this is the third ti, isn’t it? Are the guards so useless, or is the intruder especially difficult? Could it be an exorcist daring to co here?"
Takizawa Hideo furrowed his brow. "I investigated after the second alarm. It seems this was triggered by a branch family mber, Takizawa Feng. But this third alarm… Four bells indicate an exorcist-level threat."
"A branch family brat? Has he undergone the ‘baptism’?"
"Only the first level, not yet eligible for ‘Naihe,’" Hideo replied.
Lola snorted. "Have the main family’s guards deal with it. Once this is resolved, deal with Takizawa Feng too. The Takizawa family has no use for incompetents who cause trouble."
"Understood!"
---
A shadow flitted through the Takizawa family’s ancient castle, passing effortlessly through walls due to its incorporeal nature. No secret corner was spared from its surveillance.
This shadow was none other than Ren Zhen, who had made a contract with Ba Qi.
The shadow paused in a peculiar room where young won were suspended in rows. Their clothing had been stripped, and they were unconscious but alive. However, many were emaciated, as if their vitality had been drained.
Their bodies were connected to nurous tubes, which led to special containers beneath them, seemingly collecting their blood. Each container bore a specific number.
Though Ren Zhen was no stranger to bloodshed, the sight before him made him frown.
"What is going on with the Takizawa family… such wickedness!"
Voices suddenly ca from outside the room. Ren Zhen phased through the wall and saw two n in black kimonos standing guard.
Another man, also dressed in a black kimono and carrying a katana, approached. "Miss Lola has ordered the guard squad to deploy. The fourth-level alarm has sounded. Ryo, you’re coming with ."
"Understood, Captain!"
Now only one guard remained at the door. Ren Zhen hesitated briefly, then decided to follow the captain for more information.
---
Bang!
A young man smashed through the gates of a grand mansion.
On the main street of the village below the Takizawa family’s castle, a dozen guards nervously surrounded the intruder—a young man who had fought his way through the third entrance.
Out of the sixty guards stationed along the way, only these few remained; the rest lay defeated.
Though injured and bloodied, the young man pressed forward relentlessly, dragging a servant nad Gao Zhi by the neck. Monts earlier, he had thrown another servant, Kenji, through the air.
This was Young Master Feng’s mansion.
The guards watched in shock as the intruder stord inside.
"Get out here, you bastard!"
Before the guards could react, the intruder’s furious roar echoed from within.
With no ti to consider the consequences, they rushed in, fearing the wrath of the Takizawa family’s rules if they didn’t stop the intruder.
Inside, Young Master Feng, infamous for his cruelty toward won, leaned nonchalantly against a pillar, holding a blood-stained katana.
"How incompetent are you to let this man barge into my ho?" he sneered.
The guards grimaced at his rebuke, but the intruder ignored them. Tossing Gao Zhi at Feng, he growled, "Hey, green-haired bastard, hand over the manager’s child now!"
Facing the incoming Gao Zhi, Takizawa Feng rely snorted coldly. With a simple wave of his hand, his katana effortlessly sliced Gao Zhi in half—leaving him no chance to make a sound before dying.
"Useless thing."
Descending the stairs, Takizawa Feng scrutinized the young man standing before him. "I hear you're called Suzuki? A monstrous fellow indeed... but this is as far as you'll go."
"I told you to hand over the person, you bastard! Didn't you hear ?!" The youth—Suzuki Xia Ya—glared furiously and reached toward Takizawa Feng.
However, as Suzuki Xia Ya closed in, Takizawa Feng vanished in an instant.
Suzuki Xia Ya felt the chilling sensation of being watched by a venomous snake. Instinctively, he stepped forward—but in the sa mont, a searing pain shot through his back.
A deep gash opened on Suzuki Xia Ya’s back, blood gushing out—a wound inflicted by Takizawa Feng's katana.
"Impressive reflexes for a monster," Takizawa Feng sneered, his expression playful. He swung the katana lightly, flinging off the blood.
Takizawa Feng's eyes glimred red intermittently, and faint, blood-red steam seeped from his body, creating an ominous aura.
"Young Master Feng must have taken so kind of secret drug to temporarily boost his strength," murmured one of the guards quietly.
But Takizawa Feng's icy gaze snapped to him, scaring the man into imdiate silence.
"No one is allowed to speak of what happened here today!" Takizawa Feng barked.
The guards imdiately nodded submissively, too afraid to protest. Even a side-branch mber like Takizawa Feng wielded undeniable authority.
Suzuki Xia Ya gritted his teeth and stood up. "You're really a monster."
"Just figuring that out now?" Takizawa Feng grinned sinisterly. "You're not very bright, are you? Well, let show you sothing entertaining."
With a wave of his hand, the door to a nearby room swung open. Inside, a small figure hung from the ceiling—a child.
The child’s head drooped, their body a bloody ss covered in cuts. It was the sa horrifying scene as the manager’s wife.
"A beautiful sight, isn’t it? Their screams were simply delightful," Takizawa Feng said with a twisted smile. "And it’s all your fault, Suzuki! Yours! You ruined my fun, so this is what you get! Hahaha!"
Suzuki Xia Ya, clutching a rock he had picked up, crushed it in his hand. Without engaging Takizawa Feng, he dashed into the room, severing the rope and bringing the child down.
As he held the child, Suzuki Xia Ya’s expression softened, realizing the child was still alive.
As Suzuki Xia Ya looked at the child’s face, his pupils widened.
The child’s mouth was bloody, their teeth knocked out, and their eyes had been gouged out.
"You want to save this child?" Takizawa Feng mocked. "Go ahead, but saving them might just bring more pain. Hahaha!"
"I’ll kill you," Suzuki Xia Ya said coldly, standing up with a blank expression and walking toward Takizawa Feng.
Unfazed, Takizawa Feng gripped his katana in both hands and assud a stance. "You still don’t understand the gap between us, do you? Today, I’m not the sa as before. Can’t you tell?"
"Enough talking."
Suzuki Xia Ya threw a punch, but Takizawa Feng dodged easily.
"Too slow!"
Takizawa Feng moved behind Suzuki Xia Ya and slashed down with his katana. Yet in that mont, Suzuki Xia Ya turned and grabbed the blade bare-handed. Despite the blade cutting into his palm, he held it tightly, immobilizing it.
"You..."
Before Takizawa Feng could finish his sentence, Suzuki Xia Ya’s fist struck him squarely. Dark mist seed to radiate faintly from the punch, giving it an almost divine power.
Takizawa Feng was smashed into the ground with such force that the entire courtyard trembled.
"Young Master Feng!" the guards shouted, rushing forward. But it was too late—Suzuki Xia Ya had seized Takizawa Feng's katana and turned it on him, aiming for his throat.
A sharp tallic clang rang out as an iron rod intercepted the blade.
"That’s enough!" a voice declared.
Suzuki Xia Ya glared at the figure holding the iron rod like a wild beast, but before he could act further, two sharp blades suddenly pierced his chest from behind.
"Enough is enough, intruder," ca a calm voice. Two n in black kimonos stood behind him, withdrawing their blades, which had crossed in Suzuki Xia Ya’s chest.
"Guards from the main family!" the other guards exclaid in surprise.
Ignoring their reaction, Suzuki Xia Ya turned like a feral lion to attack the swordsn. However, the man with the iron rod struck him rcilessly from behind, shattering his skull.
Suzuki Xia Ya fell to the ground, twitched briefly, and went still.
"What a terrifying man," one swordsman said, bowing respectfully toward Suzuki Xia Ya. "A worthy opponent."
Turning to the guards, he commanded, "Clean up everything before dawn."
"Yes, Captain!" they replied.
As they obeyed, their expressions suddenly turned strange, staring at sothing behind the captain.
The captain spun around sharply.
Suzuki Xia Ya’s body, shrouded in thick black smoke, began to move again. Slowly, he rose to his feet.
"What a terrible vacation," ca Suzuki Xia Ya’s voice from within the smoke. "So it’s you fools who woke up?"
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