335 Kitaniwakawa's One Cu

Yukishiro Sa sat on a small futon, holding a bamboo cup with a porcelain-skinned hand. The steam rose from the ember colored tea and spread the fragrance of fresh tea leaf to the entire room. She held the teacup with delicate fingers, and handed it over to Qi Wangsun. She then spoke meekly like a typical Japanese housewife.

"Qi San, here is your tea."

"Tea my ass!"

Qi Wangsun waved a hand and nearly knocked the teacup to the ground. The amber-colored tea juice spilled out and down to the hardwood floor.

"Bakayaro!" The middle-aged man in Sumari dress suddenly pulled a taut face and pulled the blade out from its sheath. Cold lights ran down from the body of the blade and seemed to have lowered the temperature in the room. A powerful Blade Qi rushed forward and forced Qi Wangsun to lower his head.

"Kawakami San, please don't!"

If Yukishiro Sa was angry that Qi Wangsun had nearly knocked the teacup out of her hand, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she ordered the middle-age man to stop acting up. The middle-aged man pushed the blade back into the sheath and returned to his seat. However, his eyes were filled with rancor when he glared at Qi Wangsun.

After she had issued her order, she looked to Qi Wangsun with a cold face.

"Qi San, are you going to refuse the tea I prepared for you?"

"Yukishiro Sa, don't play games with me. It won't work." Qi Wangsun let out a cold smile. "Release Xiao Jin now, or you will never leave China again."

An icy intent rose in Qi Wangsun's eyes. His face was contorted by anger, as he put the overbearing demeanor of a rich heir on full display.

Yukishiro Sa was unfazed by Qi Wangsun's reaction, instead, she rather liked him that way. "Qi San, you finally look like the son of a mighty figure in China. You acted too weak and helpless before, like a sheep that was meant to be devoured by a tiger."

"Cut to the chase, Yukishiro Sa, are you going to release her or not?"

Qi Wangsun said coldly.

Although they were still far from the base of the Qi family's operation in Northern China, Qi Wangsun was much closer to home than Yukishiro Sa. Qi Wangsun was confident that just the bald brawny man alone should be able to handle the threat.

"Qi Wangsun, you think too lightly of Yukishiro family." Yukishiro Sa was unaffected by Qi Wangsun's hot glare. She slowly lifted a cup of tea and sipped it while covering half of her mouth with the other hand, as per the tea-drinking etiquette. A hint of contempt surfaced on her face.

"Humph! Meng Zhong, help Xiao Jin get out of there. Kill anyone who dares to stop you."

Qi Wangsun let out a cold smile as he commanded the bald man with a wave of the hand.

The bald brawny man was called Meng Zhong and he remained seated on the futon as if he didn't hear the order.

Meng Zhong, didn't you hear me?" Qi Wangsun was riled up and so he raised his voice at the man.

Meng Zhong remained as still as a statue.

Qi Wangsun panicked slightly as he realized that the usually obedient Meng Zhong no longer listened to his orders.

"Qi San, what about now? Do you still think the odds are with you?" Yukishiro Sa set the teacup on the table and let out a gloating smile.

"You are in this with them?" Qi Wangsun finally wrapped his mind around what was going on. Meng Zhong wouldn't ignore him without getting the order to do so from Qi Wangsun's father. It was evident that Qi Wangsun's father knew of the kidnapping.

"I can't believe that my father would help you to set me up!"

Qi Wangsun exclaimed incredulously.

Despite the difficult relationship between the father and son, it still seemed unforgiving of the father to help a woman from Japan against the son.

Even Chen Fan was taken aback by the development. The son and father's bickering was getting out of hand.

"Young Lord, Lord Qi wanted you to marry Miss Yukishiro right away. Both Dong Sheng Group and Qi family were counting on this alliance." Meng Zhong finally broke his silence.

"What do you mean?" Qi Wangsun furrowed brows and asked in confusion.

He registered that something was off in the cadence of Meng Zhong. Did anything bad happen to the Qi Family so that they had to turn to the Yukishiro family for help? The Fu Hai Group was the Qi family's only rival, but the two-parties had been at it for decades and the competition had always ended in a stalemate.

Meng Zhong answered him with a heavy voice: "Yang Qinhu has made a move on us."

His words stirred up different reactions on his listener's faces. Chen Fan narrowed his eyes as he felt the name Yang Qinhu sounded very familiar.

"Yang Qinhu?" Qi Dongsheng's brows remained in a knot. He said in bewilderment. "Do you mean that tycoon lives near the China-Russia Border? Our paths never crossed, why would he go out of his way to act against us? But even if he did, so what? It's not like we are afraid of him on our turf. He is not that powerful anyway."

"Young Lord, you think too lightly of Yang Qinhu. He is not only a tycoon that presided near the border, but he is also a powerful Grandmaster listed on the heaven roll." Meng Zhong announced in a serious voice as he shook his head.

"Heaven roll? Grandmaster?" Qi Wangsun was dumbfounded.

He had never heard of those terms. Although he was groomed to be the next lord of the Qi family, and Qi Dongsheng even hired many experts to teach him the art of people reading, he was an outsider when it came down to Martial arts. After all, Qi Dongsheng had never thought that they would have to deal with threats such as Yang Qinhu.

Chen Fan finally remembered that he had seen Yang Qinhu's name on the Heaven roll before.

"I recall that he ranked number twenty on the Heaven roll." Chen Fan rubbed his chin.

"Even if Yang Qinhu is more powerful than Brother Meng, we still have over a few dozen guards in my family's service. Not to mention the hundred or so former employees of my father. They have all kinds of modern weapons in their disposal, and Yang Qinhu would mean nothing to them. Don't tell me that he would lead an army to our doorstep. The Chinese government would never allow him to do that."

"Hehe, what an imbecile!"

Before Meng Zhong spoke up, Kawakami Gensai who had been sitting behind Yukishiro Sa murmured in Japanese.

"Don't talk behind my back. I know Japanese, you know." Qi Wangsun was seized by a fit of anger. He rebutted hotly.

"I say, you are an imbecile!" Kawakami Gensai cracked a smile and spoke coldly: "You don't understand how powerful a Grandmaster is."

"She is right, Young Lord. Yang Qinhu is way out of our league. Grandmasters were mighty figures in China. Each and every one of them are near-invincible warriors. No one could bring them down unless another Grandmaster is involved." even as Meng Zhong explained, a fear filled light flickered in his eyes. It was as if he had seen the unimaginable power of Grandmasters first hand.

"What does any of that have to do with me marrying Yukishiro Sa? Could Yukishiro save us while we can't save ourselves?" Qi Wangsun refused to back down and he asked indignantly.

"Of course we could."

Yukishiro Sa lifted her chin and revealed her smooth skin on her elegant neck. "The Yukishiro family has the support of Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa, one of the four greatest Kendo Grandmasters. If he is willing to lend a hand, Yang Qinhu would be no threat at all."

"Mr. Kawakami Gensai behind me was the proud disciple of Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa. Under his protection, no one would even harm a hair on me."

After Yukishiro Sa said that, Kitaniwakawa lifted his chin and puffed out his chest, eyes brimming with disdain.

"That's right, only Master Kitaniwakawa could save us now." Meng Zhong nodded.

Qi Wangsun's heart suddenly sank to the bottom.

His family was the only thing that Qi Wangsun could fall back to. Without the Qi family on his side, he was no different than any ordinary student such as Liu Xiaojin and had no power against his family's will.

Qi Wangsun was staggered by the development. He managed to hold back the immense sorrow and looked at Yukishiro Sa.

"I really don't get it, you are so young and pretty, there are plenty of fish in the sea, why me?"

"Don't you use family honor as the excuse. You are the family lord now, you bend the family rules. So tell me what you are really after."

"You are very smart." Yukishiro Sa cracked an alluring smile. "There is a reason for my action. Dong Sheng San promised me the right to rule the Qi family after we get married."

"What?"

Qi Wangsun was shocked by the revelation.

Although Qi Wangsun was not interested in taking over the Qi family, he would never allow a girl from Japan to claim the seat of power. If that prospect came to fruition, he would be a lump of meat on the chopping block waiting to be carved up. In other words, Qi Wangsun was just a ticket for her to power. With such a high reward, anyone would jump on the opportunity to marry him. It was a huge blow to his confidence.

"Enough talking Qi San, it's time to make your decision now. Marry me or die!" Yukishiro Sa said matter of factly.

"Dang Dang."

Kawakami Gensai slowly pulled out his wakizashi, the cold light lit up the room again.

"Boohoo."

Liu Xiaojin started to whimper as she slowly lost hope. She looked to Qi Wangsun with tears all over her face.

Qi Wangsun stood with his hands clenched tight in a fist. His nails dug into the cushion of his palm without him even realizing it. This was the first time that Qi Wangsun felt helpless. Without his family's support, he was just an ordinary teenager.

"I… I…"

He had to choose between a hopeless future and his lover's life. Qi Wangsun's lips trembled and unable to form a word.

"You will let go of Liu Xiaojin and fuck off."

Chen Fan suddenly broke the silence.

"What?" Yukishiro Sa furrowed her brows and glared at Chen Fan coldly.

She had taken Chen Fan as Qi Wangsun's servant and was shocked to hear him speak out. The Japanese were fiercely hierarchical and Chen Fan's action was outright disrespectful.

"Bakayaro!" Kawakami Gensai's face was contorted by anger. He slid the blade out and brought it around to hack at Chen Fan's head from above.

The blade sliced through the air and made an ear-piercing whistling sound. It was so powerful that it could cut open a waterfall.

"Kitaniwakawa's One Cut"

Rumor had it that Kitaniwakawa made his name by cutting open a ten-meter wide waterfall using this technique. Although Kawakami Gensai's skill was not as proficient as Kitaniwakawa, the power in the attack was remarkable.

"Be careful, boss." Qi Wangsun panicked and shouted out.

However, it was already too late. The blade seemed to be traveling at the speed of light and had reached Chen Fan in a blink.

A sadistic grin appeared on Kawakami Gensai's face as he was ready to paint the floor with Chen Fan's blood. His favorite thing was to watch his victim being carved into two halves. Yukishiro Sa shook her head and lamented Chen Fan's impending death. Liu Xiaojin was terrified by the sight that she even stopping crying altogether. Meng Zhong was also shocked by the power in this attack. To everyone's surprise, Chen Fan shot out a finger and flicked at the incoming blade.

Suddenly, a thunder rumbled across the room.

"The Art of Thunder Finger!"