Chapter 148: Exposed

Kameda Hotel.
In a secret chamber within the underground parking garage.

"Why did you bring him here?" the leader of the Yagyu family asked irritably.

Chiba Tsuneki forced a smile. "This man is extraordinarily powerful. It took the elite of the Chiba family nearly all lost to capture him. With the Yagyu family’s strong warriors present, how could our family dare to take undue credit?"

The Yagyu warriors exchanged looks of sudden understanding, and a few couldn’t help but smirk with pride. It was no secret that the younger generation of the Chiba clan was fading, and their submissive demeanor before the Yagyu family was just a natural consequence.

"I never expected the Chiba family to be so sensible!"

"Asao, how can you speak like that about the Chiba head? His actions are selfless—a great spirit worthy of praise."

"Yes, yes, it’s Okada who truly understands the situation and expresses it well!"

Though they appeared to correct each other, anyone could see they didn’t truly respect Chiba Tsuneki, which only strengthened his resolve to cooperate with Qin Chuan.

"Okada, has Wei Baochuan from Huaxia handed over the information he controls?" Chiba Tsuneki asked, following Qin Chuan’s earlier instructions.

Yagyu Okada spat, irritated. "Mentioning that guy just makes me angry. We’ve tried every method imaginable, but he hasn’t uttered a single word. There’s an order from above forbidding lethal force. If this fails, our family’s top expert will have to intervene."

"The one who uses the Withering Soul Devour technique?" Tsuneki’s eyes brightened as he cautiously inquired.

Okada nodded, then sighed. "Unfortunately, that master is currently trapped in Huaxia and can’t leave anytime soon. So that guy still has a few good days ahead. Once the master returns, even his iron will won’t stop him from revealing all the secrets."

"Feiwu, you’ve said very little today! You should know all this. Why is the Chiba head asking me?"

Okada suddenly sensed something was off. Feiwu usually never stopped talking, but since entering the secret chamber under the parking garage, he had been almost silent—a highly unusual behavior.

"Dead men don’t talk much," Qin Chuan said suddenly.

The Feiwu who had returned with him was actually an imposter wearing a disguise. Now that Wei Baochuan’s safety was confirmed, there was no need to maintain the ruse.

This comment stunned the other Yagyu warriors. They looked at Qin Chuan as if he was courting death.

“You fool! You speak recklessly and deserve to die!”

One of the Yagyu warriors suddenly struck toward Qin Chuan’s chest, clearly intending to kill him.

Just as the other warriors smiled with the confidence of victors, the palm stopped abruptly just five or six inches from Qin Chuan’s body.

"Okada, what’s wrong with you?"

"Hit him quickly!"

"Use your signature palm technique to teach him a lesson!"

They all asked in confusion. Okada, too, was flabbergasted, feeling as if an invisible wall blocked his palm, no matter how much force he applied.

Qin Chuan’s lips curled slightly. Suddenly, he lifted his right leg and kicked hard into Okada’s abdomen.

Boom!

Okada felt as if hit by a speeding train and was sent flying like a broken kite.

Without giving the others time to react, Qin Chuan burst free from his bonds as the ropes snapped instantly. He vanished from the spot and reappeared behind one of the Yagyu warriors in the next moment.

Smack!

Qin Chuan’s palm struck the back of the man’s head, cracking it like a watermelon hitting the ground. Without a sound, the man’s soul departed for the underworld.

He repeated this method, each flash killing another Yagyu warrior.

Watching Qin Chuan reap lives like a grim reaper wielding a scythe, Chiba Tsuneki and the Chiba family’s ninjas gasped sharply, some trembling uncontrollably.

Though they had experienced Qin Chuan’s terrifying strength before, witnessing it firsthand was still a profound shock. Tsuneki was especially grateful for cooperating with Qin Chuan; otherwise, their family’s elite forces would have been wiped out, possibly including himself.

After a short while, the Yagyu warriors were all dead. Qin Chuan hurriedly opened the innermost room of the secret chamber. There, a middle-aged man with a bruised face was tied to a wooden rack on the wall. His clothes were stained with blood; his complexion pale, and he was unconscious.

Approaching closer, Qin Chuan compared him with the photo in his memory and confirmed it was Wei Baochuan, one of the two researchers.

Having learned from past experience, Qin Chuan conducted a thorough check and found no human-skin mask on Wei Baochuan. He quickly stabilized his injuries with silver needles and finally breathed a little easier.

"Qin, it won’t be long before this place is surrounded again. The Chiba and Yagyu families maintain contact at fixed intervals; if communication breaks off, it means trouble," Chiba Tsuneki said gravely, his voice shaking slightly. "What worries me most is the incoming Yagyu head, the so-called Sword Saint of Sakura Country. If he intervenes, things will be even harder to predict."

"Are you talking about Yagyu Hongjun?" Qin Chuan asked.

Tsuneki’s eyes flickered with surprise but quickly recalled that Yagyu Hongjun’s exceptional martial prowess was well known in the martial arts world, so it wasn’t strange others knew about him.

"He’s just a shameless braggart who learned a bit of Huaxia swordsmanship and calls himself a Sword Saint. It’s laughable. Whether he comes or not is one thing, but if he dares block my path, I’ll have him expelled from the Sakura Country martial arts community," Qin Chuan sneered.

Tsuneki relaxed slightly. He didn’t think Qin Chuan was bluffing and urged quickly, "Qin, though your strength is unparalleled, this is Sakura Country. The Yagyu family has many warriors. If they use a numbers game, it won’t be easy for you to escape with an injured man."

Qin Chuan didn’t deny this. He hoisted Wei Baochuan on his back and swiftly left the secret chamber under the parking garage. Tsuneki had prepared a secret base as a temporary refuge for Wei Baochuan.

"Take care of your wounds yourselves. I’m leaving first. Don’t worry, I will honor our agreement."

Qin Chuan disappeared quickly into the night. Tsuneki and the others exchanged glances, then began to feign injury by activating internal energy, spitting blood, and appearing as if gravely wounded from a fierce battle.

Arriving at a dilapidated, abandoned house, Qin Chuan twitched at the corner of his mouth. Was the Chiba family really this destitute?

The thought passed quickly. He used a key to unlock the rusty door. Inside, following Tsuneki’s instructions, he found a wooden bookshelf at the far end and turned the protruding wooden handle in the middle three times counterclockwise.

The bookshelf slowly rotated and slid left, revealing a stairway descending downward. As Qin Chuan stepped down, voice-activated lights illuminated the once pitch-black underground space like daylight.

At the bottom was a large room of about a hundred square meters, furnished and equipped with daily necessities, spotlessly clean as if regularly maintained.

"No wonder Chiba Kaoru chose to train here in seclusion. This godforsaken place is indeed rarely visited."

Qin Chuan laid Wei Baochuan on the bed, about to begin treatment when a sudden, intense murderous aura rapidly approached from above the stairway.

"We’ve been exposed!"

Qin Chuan was shocked. He hadn’t sensed being followed earlier. Could there be a traitor within the Chiba family?