Chapter 146 Truly pouring one's heart out!

Qinchuan had always believed that aside from putting on airs, the biggest trait of the people of Sakura Country was their fondness for talking nonsense to act cool. I have already come to your territory to go on a killing spree, how could I possibly announce my identity right off the bat?

Besides, I’ve already done the deed, and yet you still have the nerve to say "How dare you?" Wouldn't "Of course" be much better?

Qinchuan was full of complaints he wanted to vent, but after a moment of thought, he decided that teaching this pretender a lesson would be much more direct and satisfying.

"Was the female ninja I injured earlier also from your Chiba family?" Qinchuan asked with a beaming smile.

He chose not to strike blindly because the True Qi of the Nine Yangs inside his body was currently in a chaotic state. He needed to hurry and channel his internal energy to suppress it; otherwise, once the Nine Yangs Qi erupted, the consequences would be unimaginable.

A fierce intent to kill instantly flashed in Chiba Hengshan's eyes, and he said coldly, "Daring to injure my daughter, I will make you pay with blood."

"Your slogan sounds good, but I hope you can back it up with some actual action." Qinchuan shrugged with an indifferent expression. By now, he had temporarily suppressed the Nine Yangs Qi within him, so provoking his enemy naturally made him even more uninhibited.

Chiba Hengshan nodded, gnashing his teeth as he said, "I hope your mouth is still this tough in a moment! Attack!"

At Chiba Hengshan's command, the two nearby ninjas charged forward once again like rabid dogs. Simultaneously, hidden weapons were hurled from multiple directions in the darkness, targeting Qinchuan's vital points.

Blade lights crisscrossed the air. The two charging ninjas possessed considerable strength, but in Qinchuan's eyes, they were nothing more than mere chickens and dogs. He first dodged the hidden weapons, then moved like a ghost right in front of the two ninjas.

"Baka!"

The two ninja men in black were startled and instinctively swept their sabers toward Qinchuan's neck and waist.

Swish! Swish!

A chilling gleam flashed, yet Qinchuan didn't evade at all. He thrust out his left and right hands with pinpoint accuracy, pinching the exact middle of the blade bodies.

"Don't bring out such pieces of junk to humiliate yourselves."

Before his voice even faded, Qinchuan sharply flicked his wrists.

Clang!

With the sound of shattering metal, the two long sabers forged from fine steel snapped instantly in response. Not giving the two ninjas any time to react, Qinchuan raised his hands and drove the broken blades straight into their chests.

Splat!

The broken blades pierced flesh, and the two bodyguards let out miserable shrieks before collapsing to the ground. Their eyes were filled with lingering resentment and terror, and after twitching their legs a couple of times, they finally breathed their last.

Chiba Hengshan, who had originally intended to wait for the optimal moment to launch a sneak attack, wore a face of utter shock. He had previously assumed his daughter was only injured because she had been careless and underestimated her opponent, never expecting Qinchuan's strength to be this formidable.

Facing so many hidden weapons and the coordinated attack of his two capable aides, Qinchuan not only failed to be caught off guard by the numerical disadvantage, but he didn't even reveal a single opening. It simply defied belief.

"Everyone, come out! Make sure this man is hacked to pieces!"

At Chiba Hengshan's roar, dozens of black-clad ninjas instantly poured out from the dark. Each of them held a ninja blade with a ferocious look in their eyes, quickly surrounding Qinchuan airtight.

"It seems this is the core fighting force of your Chiba family. Tell me, if I kill all of them, will your Chiba family still have a foothold in Sakura Country?" Qinchuan finished speaking and flashed a brilliant, sunny smile.

Yet in Chiba Hengshan's eyes, this smile was akin to that of a demon. Having reached this point, however, he had no room for retreat. If Qinchuan were allowed to wreak havoc in Sakura Country and still retreat scot-free, it would invite endless criticism, giving the other major families even more justification to jointly suppress the Chiba family.

"Take him down!"

With that, Chiba Hengshan took the lead and charged forward.

The rest of the Chiba family ninjas, acting like mad dogs pumped with adrenaline, rushed at Qinchuan with blood-curdling screams. Flashing blade lights and sword shadows swept through the void, leaving behind nothing but cold corpses.

Meanwhile, Qinchuan's figure shuttled back and forth among the numerous ninjas like a phantom, claiming a life wherever he went. In a mere three minutes, fewer than ten ninjas remained standing on the scene.

Seeing this, Chiba Hengshan felt as though his heart was bleeding. These were the core forces painstakingly nurtured by the Chiba family, yet they proved utterly vulnerable before Qinchuan.

"This is an opponent from an entirely different dimension! Baka yarou!"

Chiba Hengshan wished he were dead. Looking at the bone-deep wound on his shoulder, anger and fear coexisted in his heart, leaving his mind in utter turmoil.

"Are you still going to bring this upon yourselves?"

Qinchuan paused, then continued, "Of course, you still have another path you can take. We can cooperate, and push the Chiba family to the pinnacle of Sakura Country."

Chiba Hengshan's body shuddered as he stared at Qinchuan in absolute disbelief, feeling as though he had just heard the biggest joke of the century. But soon, his mocking expression froze, for he suddenly realized that what Qinchuan suggested might not be entirely a pipe dream.

If they had such a powerful hidden asset like Qinchuan helping from the shadows, rising to the pinnacle might not be such a difficult task after all—especially with the upcoming family grand competition. If his daughter could successfully claim the position of Saintess, the family's influence would reach unprecedented heights.

"Are you telling the truth? Why should I trust you?" Chiba Hengshan asked tentatively.

A flicker of joy crossed Qinchuan's mind. He had merely been spouting nonsense on a whim, never expecting the other party to actually have such a need. Clearly, the Chiba family's current situation in Sakura Country was extremely awkward.

Then again, if he could truly reach a cooperation with the Chiba family, it would align perfectly with his own best interests at the moment. Otherwise, trying to rescue Wei Baochuan after alerting the enemy would result in an abysmal success rate, and guaranteeing a safe retreat would be difficult. Heaven knows whether Wei Baochuan has already been transferred by now!

"I have always been a benevolent person, especially toward my allies—I treat them with absolute sincerity. As the saying goes, a Chinese man never deceives a Sakura Country man. You can completely trust my sincerity; follow me, and I guarantee you'll eat well and live in luxury," Qinchuan patted his chest in assurance.

Chiba Hengshan looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and caught the heavy stench of blood lingering in the air, silently complaining to himself: This really is treating people with absolute sincerity! You literally scooped people's lives out until they died. If I don't trust your sincerity now, I'll probably be regretting it down in hell!

"You don't have much time to think. The ninja who was killed earlier wasn't from your family, right? Judging by his strength, he must have belonged to the core leadership of his own clan. No doubt their people will be arriving soon," Qinchuan urged with a smile.

"But..."

"But what? If you aren't willing to cooperate, it's no loss to me. You don't honestly think a few people like this could keep me here, do you? When the higher-ups of your Sakura Country come to blame you, the Chiba family will likely have even less of a place to stand!"

Qinchuan's words struck right at the heart of the matter. Chiba Hengshan's expression turned intensely ugly, his body even trembling slightly from emotional agitation.

Currently, the younger generation of martial arts talent in the Chiba family was facing a generational gap, with his daughter Chiba Kaori being the only one with standout talent. To truly break through, she had to stand out in the family martial arts grand competition half a year from now, and whether she could have the last laugh remained unknown.

On the other hand, the younger generations of the other major martial arts families were brimming with talent. It wouldn't be easy for his daughter to break through the encirclement. When that time came, the other families would likely unite to suppress or even devour the Chiba family, making their continued existence a matter of question.

Every time he thought of this, Chiba Hengshan felt a piercing grief. Gathering his focus, he asked slowly, "How do you propose we cooperate?"