The people from the Ittō-ryū are just too ruthless, really showing no mercy. If someone truly dies, the two factions might start a feud, and who knows what trouble I might get dragged into.

Thinking of this, Ling Zhenfei quickly made his move. A silver needle in his hand shot out like lightning, directly striking the steel bead away.

The silver needle, having deflected the steel bead, didn't lose momentum and headed straight for the opponent. That person was startled and dodged to the side, avoiding Ling Zhenfei's silver needle, which embedded itself in a roadside stone pillar.

The surroundings fell silent; everything happened in an instant, so many people didn't even know what had occurred, only seeing a flash of sparks in the air.

Watanabe No was kicked and flipped over, stood up brushing off his clothes, clearly unaware of what had happened.

The person opposite wore a mask and a black ninja outfit, glanced around, and soon spotted Ling Zhenfei.

Said something to Ling Zhenfei, which he couldn't understand, so Xia Shan quickly translated.

It turned out the person was asking who he was. Ling Zhenfei replied in Mandarin, "Friend, it's just a martial arts exchange, why go for a killer? Do you truly have such a deep enmity between you?"

Hearing this, the person was stunned and said, "So you're Chinese. I have a grudge against the Watanabe family, since when did you Chinese start interfering?"

Ling Zhenfei laughed, "So you can speak Chinese, that's good. Just now, it was all bare-handed, yet you still used hidden weapons. Aren't you afraid of ruining your Ittō-ryū's reputation?"

The person sneered, "We Japanese have our own rules. Since you want to play, I'll play with you."

After speaking, the man's Northern Spiritual Energy activated in his hand as he charged towards Ling Zhenfei.

Without needing to be said, it was obvious the man intended harm on Ling Zhenfei, but at this moment, a voice suddenly called out, "Stop."

The man halted his actions upon hearing the voice and looked toward the crowd in the back asking, "Why tell me to stop? Shouldn't we teach him a lesson?"

At this moment, a woman emerged from the crowd, wearing a beautiful black and white ninja outfit, appearing as though she'd stepped out of an ancient painting.

The woman said to the man, "You're no match for him, let's go. Don't cause trouble."

With these words, the woman first glanced at Ling Zhenfei, then turned to leave.

Ling Zhenfei chuckled and also turned back to sit in his car, Xia Shan accompanying him.

"What did you do just now, why did that person try to attack you?"

Xia Shan was extremely curious because everything had happened too fast for her to understand.

"Nothing much, just that kid was too arrogant for my liking," Ling Zhenfei said modestly.

At that point, Watanabe No also got into the car, saying to Ling Zhenfei, "Thank you so much, Mr. Ling, I didn't realize it before. The Ittō-ryū people are so despicable, using hidden weapons."

"It was just a small effort," Ling Zhenfei replied.

Then Xia Shan, somewhat curious, asked, "Who was that woman just now? She seems to have a strong presence."

Watanabe No said, "That woman is currently the Celestial Maiden of the Ittō-ryū."

"What does Celestial Maiden mean?" Xia Shan inquired.

"Celestial Maiden originally meant Pride of Heaven and now symbolizes something akin to being able to learn the ancient Classics' Iaido, which is quite formidable," Watanabe No explained.

"Then who was the guy fighting with you? He seemed really arrogant," Xia Shan asked with keen interest.

"That person is a notorious troublemaker in the Ittō-ryū, sooner or later I'll deal with him, just you wait and see."

Watanabe No said angrily, clearly harboring deep resentment towards that person.

Ling Zhenfei knew Watanabe No was just boasting because, judging by the current situation, it wouldn't be easy for Watanabe No to defeat that person.

The car continued on, with Ling Zhenfei asking Watanabe No, "Is there a major conflict between you and the Ittō-ryū, do you often fight?"

Watanabe No replied, "We from the Iga-ryu and the Ittō-ryū are arch-enemies. It's been countless years, we've never gotten along, though fights these days are rare."

In fact, Ling Zhenfei had already guessed this, so he didn't ask further. Soon, the car reached a grand mansion that looked very historical from the entrance.

With lots of black paint on the house, the great door looked like a mysterious building.

The car didn't stop and drove straight in. It was apparent the mansion was grand, even Ling Zhenfei, who had seen the Cao Family's house, was shocked by the Watanabe family's property. The estate was massive, and it undeniably had a historical feel.

No one knew how many years this house had been around, it was ancient and classical, with sceneries at every few steps. The architectural style bore a resemblance to the Tang Dynasty.

After parking in a small lot, Ling Zhenfei and Xia Shan got out of the car. Watanabe Nagayumi was already waiting there and, after some polite exchanges, led them to a small courtyard.

This courtyard felt even older, showing an ancient and simple style. However, the room's decorations were all in Chinese style, showing that Watanabe Nagayumi truly loved Chinese culture.

According to Japanese customs, Ling Zhenfei sat uncomfortably, while Xia Shan seemed very accustomed to it, kneeling there just short of becoming a Japanese woman in a kimono.

Watanabe Nagayumi sat beside Ling Zhenfei, with a woman in a Japanese kimono making tea for everyone.

While tea was served, Watanabe Nagayumi and Ling Zhenfei chatted while drinking.

"Divine Doctor Ling, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Why didn't you inform me earlier about your visit today? Luckily someone recognized you on the road, or I would have missed you."

Ling Zhenfei found it amusing in his heart. What Watanabe said sounded nice but, who knows, they might have been watching him ever since he got off the plane, only to send someone to invite him since he stayed at no hotel but instead headed directly to the Watanabe's place.

"I was very busy, and as soon as I had the time, I hurriedly took the plane over, so I didn't have time to inform Mr. Watanabe."

In fact, Ling Zhenfei just didn't plan to tell Watanabe, but he was unexpectedly discovered by him.

The two, harboring their own intentions, switched the topic to something else.

Watanabe asked Ling Zhenfei, "Divine Doctor Ling, I've heard you have a female apprentice in China. Is it this young lady?"

Watanabe even knew about He Lingxiu, revealing that he definitely paid attention to Ling Zhenfei's affairs.

Ling Zhenfei quickly shook his head, saying, "This young lady is someone I met on the plane, heard about the beautiful scenery at the Watanabe family and wanted to take a look, and will soon continue her travels in Nagoya."

Ling Zhenfei said this hoping to distance Xia Shan, avoiding involving her in any future problems.

Unexpectedly, Xia Shan said, "Look at Divine Doctor Ling talking so formally. Haven't we known each other for a long time? Besides, the scenery here is so beautiful, I want to stay a few more days."

After hearing this, Ling Zhenfei was exasperated. He tried hard to pull Xia Shan out of trouble, but Xia Shan just kept jumping right back into it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.