Xiao Feng remained unmoved, as if he hadn't heard Su Yuzhuo's plea.

The Martial Monks continued their steps as well, as if if Xiao Feng did not rescind his command, they would follow the original plan, regardless of Iwakami Shigehiro's life or death, to kill Uesugi Yumi.

Su Yuzhuo couldn't contain her anxiety. She reached out and grabbed Xiao Feng's arm, her expression full of seriousness and sincerity.

However, before she could utter her plea, Iwakami Shigehiro suddenly moved.

He suddenly drew the stiletto hanging from his waist, leaned back, clenched the knife handle with both hands, and thrust it into his own abdomen.

"Puff! Puff!"

The short sword pierced through his body, and at the same time, Uesugi Yumi behind him was also pierced.

"Bastard!"

Uesugi Yumi cursed angrily but, due to the pain, loosened her grip, and the short sword fell from Iwakami Shigehiro's neck.

"Clang!"

The crisp sound shattered the silence. Uesugi Yumi immediately withdrew herself, retreating swiftly. Fresh blood gushed out from her pierced abdomen.

Iwakami Shigehiro's complexion turned deathly pale due to excessive bleeding, but he still managed to smile weakly and said, "Oto... don't beg him. But... seeing you plead for me... makes me very happy, really happy."

"Why?" Su Yuzhuo frowned and asked, "Why did you do this?"

Xiao Feng watched coldly, thinking, so the tragic drama begins.

He pulled the little girl and Lu Yao beside him, lowered his voice, and said, "Do you believe that next, Iwakami Shigehiro will say something like, 'I don't want to make things difficult for you'?"

The little girl and Lu Yao exchanged glances, clearly seeing disbelief and a touch of anger in each other's eyes.

Such an emotionally stirring scene, even if you don't like it, shouldn't be mocked, right?

However, in the next moment.

Fujiwara Keiaki chuckled reluctantly, saying, "I... don't want... to make things difficult for you."

"..." Lu Yao.

"..." The little girl.

The initial heartfelt emotions vanished in an instant. Could they not be so cooperative?

If it weren't for the life-and-death relationship between Xiao Feng and Iwakami Shigehiro, the little girl and Lu Yao would almost suspect they had conspired to perform this act.

As she thought about it, Iwakami Shigehiro said, "Remember when you were so stubborn as a child? Back then, I had just been adopted by our master, and I accidentally broke the neighbor's window.

The neighbor's aunt came over to complain, saying that you broke it. You didn't admit it, so our master punished you by making you kneel in the yard without any food.

And you knelt all day without eating or drinking, until you fainted, without admitting to breaking the window or implicating me..."

At this point, Iwakami Shigehiro's body trembled. He felt a sweetness in his throat, and a metallic taste surged up, but he used all his strength to swallow back the reversed blood.

"Don't talk for now," Su Yuzhuo reminded.

Iwakami Shigehiro smiled and shook his head, insisting, "From that moment, I decided that no matter what mistakes you make, I will always take the blame for you.

You know, when I heard you were going to take over the Iwagami Clan, I was so excited because you finally understood, and I could fully support you in developing the clan together.

But now... I'm sorry, the road ahead, only you can walk it alone."

Bracing himself to finish these words, Iwakami Shigehiro tilted his head to the side, and with a "poof," he spat out a large mouthful of blood, kneeling on one knee on the ground, his head hanging low, gasping for breath.

Zhao Guo'an gritted his teeth, gave up pretending to be dead, and walked over to check on Iwakami Shigehiro's condition.

But after taking just two steps, he saw Iwakami Shigehiro raise his head, his complexion turning from ashen to black, along with his neck and hands and all exposed skin.

"You're poisoned?" Su Yuzhuo stepped forward, intending to support Iwakami Shigehiro.

Iwakami Shigehiro waved her off weakly, "It's no use. I've lived too exhaustingly all these years, just want to take a good rest now.

I... can actually feel it; you're very fed up with how I've become now. I want to return to how I was as a child, but I seem to have forgotten what I was like then.

Of course, even if I remember, it might not help because... we can never go back."

At this point, Iwakami Shigehiro trembled, reaching for the knife handle. He gripped it and forcefully pulled it out.

"Poof!"

Another mist of blood sprayed from his mouth, and the ground before him looked as if it had been drenched in a rain of blood.

"Take... take it." Iwakami Shigehiro extended the trembling stiletto to Su Yuzhuo with both hands, "Be my executioner."

Lu Yao frowned slightly, "What is an executioner?"

"Sister Lu Yao, you don't even know this?" The anime-loving little girl explained, "To put it simply, it's like delivering the final blow."

"Delivering the final blow?" Lu Yao still didn't quite understand.

"Let me explain," Xiao Feng said calmly, "You must have heard that in the Samurai Realm and Ninja Realm, even in the whole of Japan, suicide culture is quite prevalent.

The most representative example is the 'One Hundred Million Honorable Deaths Plan' proposed by Japan at the end of World War II, indicating that they would rather have one hundred million people die than relent to the USA.

We all know what happened later; two atomic bombs from the US military shook them to the core."

"Brother Xiao Feng, you're off-topic. Sister Lu Yao asked about the executioner," the little girl reminded.

"Right, the executioner."

Returning to the subject, Xiao Feng said, "The methods of suicide in Japan mostly involve seppuku, different from what you see in movies because even if your sword technique is superb, stabbing yourself with one clean stroke is quite difficult.

So, to prevent the person performing seppuku from failing to kill themselves and hence tarnishing their name, an executioner stands by to deliver the final blow at the critical moment.

In fact, a proper suicide might even include a ceremony, with specific attire and techniques, each having its own significance."

Lu Yao nodded with understanding, feeling that the little girl's explanation wasn't wrong per se, but too concise, making it hard for others to grasp.

"Hurry... I'm barely holding on."

Iwakami Shigehiro urged, his figure swaying unsteadily, seemingly ready to collapse at any moment.

Xiao Feng glanced at Su Yuzhuo, who was hesitating without acting, and stepped forward to take the knife.

But just as he reached out, Su Yuzhuo took the knife first, then fell into a long struggle and hesitation.

"Ahhhh!"

The intense pain made Iwakami Shigehiro wail in agony, and with a thud, he fell to the ground, his body curled up like a lobster, his features contorted, looking fierce and terrifying.

"Rather than let him suffer like this, it's better to give him a swift end. I know it's hard for you to make the move, so I can do it instead," Xiao Feng said considerately.

"No need."

Su Yuzhuo replied lightly, closed her eyes, flicked her wrist, and sealed his throat with a single stroke.

Iwakami Shigehiro's face showed a relieved smile, somewhat similar to Shao Wenxing's expression at his death.

"Oto... take me... back home... next spring, view the cherry blossoms of my homeland for me."

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