Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 69 The Bizarre Situation

"Please calm down, Madam Butterfly."

The waiter next to him bent even lower, repeating the same dull words like a stiff robot.

"Calm down, calm down! How can I possibly calm down!"

Mrs. Butterfly leaned back on the soft, comfortable sofa, her chest heaving.

She glanced sideways at the row of silent, black-clad servants, her anger escalating. "If our imperial army were still here, how dare these worthless remnants of the old regime, these nobles and princes, speak to me like this!"

"You know, a hundred years ago when I first set foot on this land, everyone, no matter who they were, had to grovel at our feet. Those so-called nobles even begged us to help them restore their kingdoms!"

At this point, Lady Butterfly's eyes flashed with deep disdain, "Even that so-called emperor has to obediently submit to our control!"

"It's quite amusing that a former servant would dare to yell at his former master!"

After saying that, Madam Butterfly snorted coldly, "He's just a little brat now, yet those impoverished nobles are so terrified that they want me to stop?"

"How is that possible!"

"But Madam, many of the ninjas we sent were killed by Lü Qian using cruel methods. Even the Onmyoji couldn't summon their souls. It seems they are no ordinary young men. Perhaps we should hold back for now..."

"Snapped!"

Before the waiter in black could finish speaking, he received a loud slap across the face, which sent his head flying to the side.

"すみません!" (Sorry!)

After being hit, the waiter in black apologized loudly in Japanese, while bowing even deeper, almost to knee level.

"Baka!"

Lady Butterfly took off the black glove on her right hand and threw the glove, which she had just used to hit someone, into the brazier at her feet.

The gloves quickly turned to ashes in the raging flames.

Butterfly placed her hands on her thighs and looked down at the brazier at her feet. The flickering flames reflected in the depths of her pupils, and a raging fire seemed to be hidden beneath her calm face.

"I will never let that kid get away with this, Lü Qian, Lü, Lü Ci! That bastard!"

"A ninja who has never killed anyone can't be considered a ninja. Those before were just cannon fodder ninjas I trained on this land."

"People who grow flowers kill people who grow flowers—isn't this our usual tactic?"

Lady Butterfly revealed the true identities of the deceased Higanbana ninja in a cold voice. They were the Flower Planters she had cultivated over the years, brainwashing them and turning them into the lowest-ranking ninja in the Higanbana.

"Our elite are the true Higanbana ninja. Pass the word down, get these heirs to the Higanbana title moving! I want that brat's head by the day after tomorrow—no! Tomorrow morning!"

She stared at the flickering flames in the brazier, her fist clenched tightly on her thigh, and she roared furiously, her face contorted with rage.

「アクション!」(Action!)

"Hi!"

The black-clad waiter standing to the side bowed respectfully again. Just as he was about to relay Madam Butterfly's orders, the doorbell suddenly rang from the closed door.

"Ding-dong—"

The crisp, long sound broke the heavy atmosphere inside the villa.

Lady Butterfly leaned back on the sofa, gave the black-clad waiters a look, and then quietly tidied her clothes to make herself appear more normal.

After receiving the instructions, the waiters in black dispersed, and some went to the entrance to welcome the guests in.

"Madam Butterfly, it's been a long time!"

A middle-aged man in a suit and glasses followed the waiter, carrying a brown briefcase, looking every bit like an office worker.

"Oh, it's Mr. Fujiwara. Thank you for your concern!"

Madam Butterfly, who had been sitting on the sofa with a frosty expression, quickly stood up when she saw the visitor and smiled at him.

"Please have a seat!"

"Thank you for the meal!"

The two sat down again on the sofa. Lady Butterfly looked at Fujiwara opposite her, her eyes flashing with resentment and disdain, but her face was full of smiles.

Although she looks somewhat old, with wrinkles etched on her face by the years, one can still see glimpses of her youthful beauty.

"I wonder if Mr. Fujiwara has brought any instructions from back home this time?"

Lady Butterfly glanced politely at Fujiwara across from her.

If we want to raise the banner of Biheren again on the land of Northeast China, we certainly can't rely on those old courtiers alone.

As early as after the defeat of the Japanese, Lady Butterfly received instructions and assistance from Japan, which is why she was able to establish herself in the Northeast and secretly train Higanbana.

But as Ono Shinobu once said, these ninja were merely tools of those in power, but even tools have their own thoughts.

A hundred years ago, they responded to the Emperor's call and came out of the mountains to start anew on this land of China. They would use their strength to exchange for a new life on this land of China.

Higan had never been truly loyal to the royal family or the upper class; it was all just an exchange of interests!

Shortly after Hirai Ninja's defeat, news of the Japanese surrender spread throughout the world.

But the Japanese are a pack of insatiable wolves. They may hide their ambitions because of temporary pain, but those ambitions will always remain.

From that time onward, the Japanese upper class began to re-engage with these defeated Higanbana ninja, hoping to get them to re-establish their presence in the northeast and prepare for the future.

In the eyes of the Japanese, the Hira-nin were just a group of losers, but losers are better able to obey their control.

It's best to have a weapon that's easy to handle. A weapon that's too sharp will always hurt the user, won't it?

The Japanese and the Higanbana people cooperated in this way, each harboring their own ulterior motives, and Lady Butterfly also received tremendous help from the other side of the sea.

But in her heart, none of that mattered. What mattered most was Bi Heren's freedom, so she was willing to play along with those politicians.

"Madam Butterfly is indeed wise."

Fujiwara took the teacup brought by the waiter, took a sip, offered a polite compliment, and then put down the teacup to get down to business.

"The cabinet hopes you can halt all current plans and focus on finding the demon sword and training the Higanbana ninja!"

"Hehehe, Mr. Fujiwara, are you joking?"

Madam Butterfly paused for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed, "What kind of plan could I possibly have? It's nothing more than eliminating some potential future threats!"

She reached out and picked up the teacup in front of her, using the act of drinking tea to conceal the cold smile on her lips, while the anger in her eyes burned even brighter.

But Fujiwara on the other side didn't buy it. He remained calm and said, "Lady Cho, I'm only here to inform you, not to negotiate. Moreover, there's a major matter recently, and the Cabinet hopes that your Higanbana Shinobu will provide full assistance during this period!"

He spoke the request in a commanding tone, then turned and opened the briefcase beside him, taking out the top few documents and handing them to Madam Butterfly.

Mrs. Butterfly took off her gloves and took the document. She adjusted her glasses and quickly read the document in her hand.

Fujiwara leisurely picked up his teacup again and took a sip, ignoring the other person's reaction.

"What?! No way, I won't agree!"

Mrs. Butterfly slammed the documents in her hand onto the table and glared angrily at Fujiwara across from her.

"Hand over all your ninja techniques, secret arts, and medicine formulas...? You're trying to undermine the foundation of the Hiei Ninja! I will never allow it!"

"And you actually intend to use my Biheren's resources to cultivate new organizations and superhumans? That's absolutely impossible!"

Fujiwara seemed oblivious to Lady Butterfly's murderous glare. Facing her anger, he slowly put down his teacup.

"clatter!"

The porcelain teacup clinked against the saucer, making a soft sound that eased the tense atmosphere.

"This is an order from above!"

He uttered only one sentence, which instantly calmed the furious Lady Butterfly down. She could only suppress her heaving chest and glare angrily at him.

The field remained silent for a long time, with only the sound of Lady Butterfly's heavy breathing.

"Okay, I agree! But I have one condition!"

"Please speak!"

"I'm going to make one last move. I absolutely cannot let Lü Qian of the Lü family get away with this, and he has a very high chance of becoming an obstacle in the future progress of the empire!"

Lady Butterfly, seeing the other party's nonchalant attitude, understood that she and Bihe could not afford to fall out.

The demon sword has not yet been found. If those high-ranking Japanese officials were to betray them now, it would be as simple as saying a few words.

Circumstances dictate that Lady Butterfly could only use these destined-to-be-lost legacies to buy herself and Bihe Ren a chance to make a move.

"Can!"

Fujiwara nodded; after all, negotiations are something that involve a lot of back and forth.

As a scholar once said, if you want to open a window, you should first say that you want to tear off the roof.

The upper and lower limits are always in a process of compromise through constant collision.

Now we can both restrain and appease Biheren, and also resolve potential future problems. Why not do it?

"Alright, I have other important matters to attend to, so I'll head back now!"

After saying that, Fujiwara picked up his briefcase, stood up, and walked towards the door.

"Bang!"

The villa's door closed again quickly, leaving only Mrs. Butterfly leaning against the sofa, her right hand supporting her forehead, frowning in deep thought.

There's only one chance to shoot, and I can't easily get on the field, so it's up to you, Yohei Aoyama!

Thinking of this, Mrs. Butterfly picked up the phone next to her and dialed the number of that familiar person.

"Hey, Yohei, it's me, Cho. I need to talk to you!"