"You must rise again from where you made your mistakes!" Old Takeuchi sighed. "From today onwards, the next year is your time to atone for your sins! During this year, you must wholeheartedly assist and serve Chen Xiaojun! After a year, whether or not you will be given a new sword depends on Chen Xiaojun's opinion. If he says yes, then so be it. But if you do something to offend him again, I will simply cripple you, so you won't embarrass yourself in public again!"
Upon hearing the phrase "one year later," Takeuchi Yako's eyes lit up with hope, her fear lessening considerably. She looked at Old Master Takeuchi with anticipation and gratitude, saying, "Yes! I will do my utmost to perform well! I beg you, Grandfather… no, I beg you, Head of the Main Family, to give me a chance!"
Chen Xiao, however, felt increasingly uneasy as he listened...
What do you mean, a year... assist and serve me for a year?
"Wait!" Chen Xiao couldn't help but call out, "Hey, old man Takeuchi. You've set me up again! Why did you drag me into this while you were disciplining your granddaughter?! You don't mean to keep her by my side for a year, do you?!"
A strange light flickered in Takeuchi Fumio's eyes, but he said in a serious tone, "That's only natural! Ya Zi offended you, so she naturally has to atone for her sins with her actions! For the next year, I will send her to serve Chen Xiaojun exclusively, to be his slave, without any complaints! Even if you make her commit seppuku, she can do whatever she wants with him!"
"..." Chen Xiao's eyes widened.
What is old Takeuchi trying to do? He's already put Tang Ying by my side, and now he's putting another granddaughter in my place? Is this some kind of perverted fetish of the Takeuchi family?! They offend someone, so they send their granddaughter away to apologize?!
"I……"
Before Chen Xiao could speak, Old Takeuchi immediately shouted at Ya Zi, "Listen up! If Chen Xiaojun refuses to forgive you, then there's nothing I can do! I've already given you a chance for your own wrongdoing. Now you can beg Chen Xiaojun for forgiveness!"
Takeuchi Yako obediently bowed to Chen Xiao and said in a fearful voice, "Lord Chen Xiao, please accept me and let me follow you! For the next year, I will serve you with all my might and will absolutely not cause you any trouble!"
"If I don't..." Chen Xiao was somewhat annoyed.
“If you don’t agree…” Takeuchi Yako said, biting her lip hard, and grabbed the broken sword from the ground. She pressed it forcefully against her chest. She wasn’t just pretending; the broken sword was pressed hard against her chest, tearing through her clothes, and the broken blade had pierced her chest, drawing blood!
"If you refuse to give me this chance to atone for my sins, I will have no choice but to die in front of you to atone for them!" Takeuchi Yako said each word clearly—judging from her tone, she was definitely not joking!
“I…” Chen Xiao was truly furious.
This old Takeuchi, does he think he's kind-hearted and easy to bully?!
However, it must be said that Takeuchi really hit his weak spot... Chen Xiao asked himself, although he didn't like Takeuchi Yako, he didn't hate her to the point of wanting her dead, and he couldn't be so cold-blooded as to watch a girl commit suicide in front of him without doing anything.
"Fine!" Chen Xiao stomped her foot in a huff, glaring at Old Takeuchi. "Are you forcing me? Fine! I agree! But if your granddaughter ends up missing an arm or a leg while she's with me, you'd better not regret it!"
Old Takeuchi said solemnly, "Since I've followed you, I'm your servant! You can kill me or torture me as you please!"
Chen Xiao was so angry he laughed, and couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Old man! You're ruthless!!"
He took two steps down the steps and stood in front of Takeuchi Yako, deliberately leaning closer and sneering, "Takeuchi Yako, you know I don't like you. You've had a tough year following me! From now on, I'll make you clean rooms, do laundry, and sweep the floor during the day, and empty chamber pots and spittoons at night. Will you do all that?"
Takeuchi Yako raised her head, looked at Chen Xiao, and said earnestly, "I will do my best to do anything you ask me to do! The stricter you are with me, the more chances you give me to atone for my sins!" Chen Xiao stared intently into the woman's eyes and found them full of seriousness and sincerity. There wasn't a trace of pretense in them... as if she truly believed it was a matter of course!
Damn it! All Japanese people are malaria fanatics! No wonder they're called "Japan"!
"Get out of here! Go and heal your wounds! You can't even stand properly now, how can you serve me! Go and get your injuries treated!"
Chen Xiao waved his hands angrily. Old Takeuchi nodded, and the two guards then carried Takeuchi away again.
Chen Xiao walked up the steps and returned to the main hall, taking a sip of tea in a sullen voice. He looked up at Takeuchi Fumio with a strange expression and a hint of mockery in his tone: "Master Takeuchi, you've given me your three granddaughters, Tang Ying and Takeuchi Yako. How generous! Since you're so generous, why not go all the way and send that Tang Xin to my side as well? Wouldn't that be more thorough?"
He spoke these words with resentment, but Old Takeuchi smiled faintly: "If a master like Mr. Chen Xiao really takes a liking to Tang Xin, then it would be good for me to send her down the mountain to learn from you."
"No! Let's forget about it!" Chen Xiao was startled and quickly waved his hand, unable to resist staring at Old Takeuchi from head to toe: "What exactly are you up to?!"
Old Takeuchi, with a composed expression, slowly walked to sit opposite Chen Xiao, gently picked up a teacup, and took a small sip. His expression gradually became serious, and he raised his head to stare into Chen Xiao's eyes.
"Chen Xiaojun, have you ever considered... Princess Chiyoko is just a woman. Although she holds the title of a princess in the Imperial Family, the Japanese Imperial Family has always favored sons over daughters, and there is no female member of the Imperial Family as heir to the throne. Moreover, according to Imperial tradition, once a female member of the Imperial Family marries, she is stripped of her imperial status and no longer enjoys any imperial privileges, becoming just like an ordinary person... This is an ancient and ironclad rule of the Imperial Family that will never change. Therefore, female members of the Imperial Family, even those of the rank of princess, possess only a noble status and no real power."
He paused for a moment before slowly saying, "So, Princess Chiyoko, a female member of the royal family, a princess with no power, why would she repeatedly attract such assassination attempts? She encountered such a thing at sea, and now, back in Kyoto, on the very grounds of the royal family, those guys actually dared to come knocking and try to kidnap her! Have you ever considered what is so special about her that would make those people risk so much and do so many earth-shattering things?"
Chen Xiao's expression was solemn, and he frowned, saying, "I didn't think about it... These things don't seem to have much to do with me. Although I was entrusted to protect her, the time for that entrustment has already passed."
Old Takeuchi looked at Chen Xiao and sighed deeply: "Actually... Princess Chiyoko's background is very pitiful!"
"Pitiful?" Chen Xiao shook his head: "She is a princess in the royal family, of noble status, born with a wealth and honor that ordinary people can only dream of. What's there to pity about her?"
Old Takeuchi smiled slightly, abruptly changing the subject, and asked, "Chen Xiaojun, I know you possess superpowers, so what do you think these so-called superpowers include?"
"Hmm?" Chen Xiao suddenly became wary, staring at Old Takeuchi: "Old man Takeuchi, you don't seem to know nothing about the world of superpowers, do you? Last time you were able to produce cell repair fluid, so why are you asking me about this?"
Old Takeuchi smiled faintly: "Japan also has many traditional people with extraordinary abilities. For example, the two people you saw last night were Onmyoji. Besides them, Japan also has puppeteers, sorcerers, and so on. Oh, and you might know about ninjas... In your opinion, wouldn't these people be considered to have supernatural abilities?"
"..." Chen Xiao didn't know how to answer.
It seems... based on what he knows about the "seven-level system" of differentiation, these Onmyoji and the like seem rather complicated and not easily differentiated according to the seven-level system of the supernatural world...
However, these people also possess abilities that ordinary people cannot have; perhaps... they should also be considered "superpowers"...
Furthermore... if we think about it a step further, according to this concept, even highly skilled martial artists could be considered to have superpowers!
When martial arts are practiced to the highest level, one's strength and abilities are no less than those of so-called superpowers! Martial arts masters, such as Takeuchi Bunzan in front of us, also possess superpowers that far surpass those of ordinary people. So, would that be considered a "superpower"?
“North America has famous clubs, Europe is the traditional sphere of influence of service agencies, Africa also has various superpower organizations and superpower mercenary groups, and Europe also has many second- and third-rate medium-sized superpower organizations. I’ve even heard that in Eastern Europe, there are a few legendary vampires who have appeared in some superpower organizations.” Takeuchi Fumiyama smiled: “So, it’s really difficult to give a precise definition of superpowers.” Chen Xiao frowned.
"Actually, Japan also has a large supernatural organization. It's just that this organization is usually hidden deeper, more secretive, more transcendent, and less known to the world. Moreover, because the Japanese imperial family is descended from gods, the supernatural organization has always been around the imperial family since its emergence. It's just a pity that since the world war decades ago, our political system has undergone some subtle changes. Although the imperial family's status is still very high, its actual power has been greatly weakened. Therefore, the supernatural organization surrounding the imperial family has also split up."
"Unfortunately, or fortunately... Alas, it's really hard to tell whether it's fortunate or unfortunate." Old Takeuchi seemed to give a bitter smile: "Princess Chiyoko happens to be someone that both sides of this split organization care about very much! She has unfortunately become the focus of attention for both sides."
"One side of the split continues to pledge allegiance to the royal family, but unfortunately, the upper echelons of the royal family seem to have little interest in maintaining this supernatural organization. They prefer to either dismantle it entirely, allow it to split, or bring it under government control, subjecting its members to governmental constraints. The other side, in recent years, has been lured by mysterious foreign supernatural organizations, completely betraying their country. Some members have joined one such organization abroad. The identity of that mysterious foreign organization remains unclear. We cannot obtain detailed information. We only know that their aims are strange, even... fanatical!"
Fanaticism? It would be really hard to find anyone in this world more fanatical than you Japanese.
Chen Xiao muttered a curse in his heart, but said nothing and continued to listen to what Old Takeuchi had to say.
"Their aim seems to be to destroy all rules and regulations, break all frameworks, and ideally plunge the world into chaos... Their so-called survival of the fittest is a ridiculous idea, but these are still superpowers, and it's worrying if they really start causing destruction."
Chen Xiao nodded: "Yes, the biggest rule in Japan is the Imperial Family. The Imperial Family is the idol and spiritual anchor in the hearts of all Japanese people. So..."