Chapter 395: Leopard Tail Hangs Low

Chapter 395: The Lion’s Tail Sinks

"This consciousness has been thrown into the pit of judgment by you, and what purpose is there for a shell to remain, while you orchestrate so many affairs?"

The skin of the beast, once adorned as a royal hide, had already been entirely torn asunder, restored to its original form. He grasped the core of the feline ink, curious to watch the five-fang village’s water village five, slumbering beneath the earth.

A thread of nerves, as fine as silk, was slowly detaching from his sevenfold entanglements, returning to the ever-changing ring of the Li’s finger.

Black light flickered endlessly, symbolizing the consciousness of the five-fang village, now plunged into an endless void of impermanence.

"Did the old master remember, during our time in Leizhou, that Zhao Qingyou tried to test a homemade injection?"

"Yes, I remember. Not the one of the demonic spirit’s power, but the one you mentioned?"

King Maru sighed, his face twisting in embarrassment. "That little boy’s craftsmanship was so poor; the result was nothing but a rough imitation. The quality was so low. And to be honest, the master I serve isn’t exactly a regular merchant. The matter of improving that wasn’t even worth our concern, let alone my stomach."

"Have I always doubted the legitimacy of this ability’s lineage? Or is it your master’s ink that’s the problem?"

Li Kaian, with a weary glint, replied, "I asked Zhao Qingyou a question once. If I could extract a six-level spirit from his ink, would he be able to produce the 'Demon Spirit of the Nine Tails'?"

Li Kaian’s face grew serious. "At that time, Zhao Qingyou did respond affirmatively."

Maru, sensing the gravity, faltered slightly. "Then Zhao Qingyou was indeed capable!"

Maru’s voice trembled with a sudden shiver. "I heard him say that. But now, hearing it, I feel my spirit already slipping into that hollow state. Please, give me another chance."

Li Kaian, still unmoving, gently lifted his chin. "You think this is enough? I’m the one who’s been left to fend for myself."

Li Kaian shook his head faintly. "You’re not the only one with a troubled past, old master. Let’s see if you can handle this."

Maru laughed softly. "Well, if you insist on following me, let’s go. If I have to fight for my life, I’ll make sure you don’t get away with a cut to the brain."

A faint, crackling sound echoed in the silence.

Leaving the pit of his own making, Maru stretched his armored fingers, the sound of metal ringing out. "Fine. But if you try to pull me out with a blade, I’ll rip your skull apart!"

A faint, rasping sound emerged from the shadows.

Li Kaian stepped forward, grasping the head of the demon with a firm hand. "Then let’s go."

With a burst of speed, Li Kaian leapt into the shaft, the echoes of battle already reverberating through the cavernous underground casino. The crimson glow of orange fire danced across the walls, illuminating the scene as if the very spirits of the past were watching.

"Look at this farce! I didn’t even miss a chance to save you," Li Kaian said, his voice steady.

Maru paused, his breath catching. "You really think you can pull this off? Just because you’re here doesn’t mean you’re invincible."

Li Kaian tilted his head, his eyes reflecting the flickering flames. "Maybe not. But at least I’m not the only one who’s been left to fend for myself."

With a final nod, Li Kaian turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Maru to ponder the weight of his words.

“I wager ten thousand treasure notes!”

“Accepted!”

Amidst the surrounding siege, Li Jun stands serene; Leopard Tail, after a long, resigned silence, releases a breath, hands empty, hands over the still‑bleeding embroidered spring blade to a retainer, then strides calmly from the crowd.

He halts a yard before Li Jun.

In Matsumoto Castle's Samurai Town, a hundred and thirty‑two suspected Honghu members are discovered, eighty‑two captured, fifty slain on the spot, none escape.

Li Jun raises an eyebrow; Leopard Tail's figure far exceeds his expectation.

One must note that the Samurai Town comprises merely seven or eight streets, a district whose population barely reaches three thousand; how could such a tiny populace harbor so many Honghu?

Moreover, within the Brocade Guard, those deemed Honghu sleeper agents are at least recruits; ordinary folk swayed by intrigue are mere cannon fodder, lacking even the right to be counted.

A thought shifts, and Li Jun grasps the source of this inflated number.

This Leopard Tail likely annihilated his own cultivated Honghu in Matsumoto Castle in one sweep, attributing all to the town.

"Congratulations, Lord Yan, on this great merit; I shall surely report the victory truthfully to the thousand‑household commander."

Leopard Tail's eyes cast downward, his expression inscrutable, while his hands hang at his sides, clenched into fists, veins standing on the backs.

"No need."

Leopard Tail suddenly lifts his head; beneath his furrowed brow lie blood‑streaked eyes, his hoarse voice trembling.

"Can I truly be left with no path to live?"

Li Jun says nothing, merely raises a hand and hurls the carried skull toward Leopard Tail.

Instinctively, Leopard Tail catches the dripping brain, freezing in place.

"What does it mean?"

In the Matsumoto Castle operation, the local Brocade Guard units unite heart and soul, enabling me to capture the notorious criminal Chu Ke, a major offender of the Edo upheaval, and the five‑fold water village; Leopard Tail, as a hundred‑household officer, leads the vanguard, fearless of his own safety, intercepts Chu Ke's escape, and slays him.

Li Jun gazes at the bewildered Leopard Tail, chuckles softly: "I am but a sword‑bearing brute, capable of inscribing only such words; the remainder of the report you shall compose—how?"

The tide turns; even the once death‑bound Leopard Tail can no longer restrain his expression, his pinprick pupils dilate, and his lips curl upward, suppressed.

Leopard Tail's ten fingers plunge into the soft flesh of his palm, the sting jolting him back to awareness from a sea of excitement and greed.

"Lord Yan, your kindness I accept; to be frank, this band of Chu Ke lying in Matsumoto is my lapse; you spare me, and I am already content."

Leopard Tail bitterly remarks, "If I sign the report again, I shall be reckless."

"Not given freely; I demand three million taels of the Ministry of Works, is that unreasonable?"

"It is only right; even without merit, I shall give."

Leopard Tail nods, exchanging the three million allotment for his hundred‑household rank, even his own severed head—a bargain unrivaled.

"Do not misunderstand; this is not a price on your life. I, Lord Yan, am not so unseemly; lately my purse is thin, I need funds to shore the bottom."

Understood.

Leopard Tail, now unusually compliant, declares: "In the latest appraisal, Matsumoto ranks fifth, not matching Inuyama, yet its Ministry allotment remains ample; if you, Lord Yan, lack funds, I can add another million."

Li Jun smiles satisfactorily: "Then I shall not be polite with you."

"But this skull I cannot take."

Leopard Tail straightens his arms, "Otherwise my heart will be unsettled."

"No need for unease."

Li Jun suddenly steps forward, raising his right hand lightly.

This sudden motion startles Leopard Tail, his entire body trembling; the nearby Braided Guard, nerves taut, lifts weapons, the clatter of swords drawn and triggers echoing like a torrent.

"What the hell do you want? Put down your weapons!"

Leopard Tail's eyes widen, he shouts angrily at the subordinates around.

A hand lifts gently onto Leopard Tail's shoulder; Li Jun stands beside him, whispering: "If I wished to kill you, I would not indulge in these trivial games; you should understand that."

"Clear as day."

Leopard Tail's entire body erupts with gooseflesh, his shoulders pierced by needle‑like pain; in his ears a hissing phantom sound, the genes' alarm of dread.

A starving wolf climbs his shoulder, a fierce tiger at his side.

Only now does Leopard Tail realize the chasm between himself and Li Jun, his restless thoughts transmuted into the gratitude of surviving against all odds.

"You can see that there are still hearts within the household; thus, take this merit without worry. Though Inuyama and Matsumoto are distant, inevitably Matsumoto may one day rescue Inuyama from a Honghu‑set fire that razes the city; if such a day comes, I hope Matsumoto will not shun a thousand li to aid Inuyama!"

Li Jun speaks solemnly, his words resonant: "United in spirit, we watch over one another."

His lithe form, taller by half a head than Li Jun, now bows his head, nose to toe, pupils flickering at the corner, glancing at that sharply defined profile.

If in days past someone spoke of "watching over each other," Leopard Tail would have dismissed it as jest.

In the Japanese‑area Brocade Guard's various households, sweeping snow before the door is the rule!

Yet now, Leopard Tail perceives this man's words as earnest, and seems to have taken them to heart.

"Master, what are Uncle Li and the others discussing?"

Li Hua, emerging from somewhere unknown, crouches above the Master's single eye, gazing curiously toward Li Jun.

"Matters of the elders, we do not pry."

The Master raises a crimson ink‑core in his hand, saying, "Little Flower, look how beautiful this is, how tasty; shall I give it to you?"

"No."

"Why? This is good; eating it makes one grow."

"Master, stop deceiving me; I am not a three‑year‑old child."

Li Hua states firmly: "This is an ink‑core; I possess one, you have one. If it breaks, the Ming Ghost will utterly vanish. If merged with another's core, the Ming Ghost grows stronger."

"Which turtle‑son told you these things, is it Zou Si Jiu?!"

The Master erupts in fury, his single eye shooting a red beam a yard long, searching for Zou Si Jiu.

"I am still young, not in a hurry to grow; thus this belongs to you, Master, and you must protect me."

Li Hua leans forward, hands covering the Master's single eye, a sweet smile on her face.

"Ah, you little girl."

The Master sighs, no longer fussing, directly shoves the Fei Hu core into his chest.

No grand spectacle occurs; the ingestion is as calm as clouded sky, only the Master's single eye's crimson deepens.

"Old Horse, it's time to go."

Li Jun turns back, calls out, and passes Leopard Tail.

The surrounding Braided Guards disperse, opening a wide passage, watching the lone figure and his armor depart the ruin.

"Where shall we go now? The Hoi records lack any trace of the Kamakura native; shall we continue fishing in the sea, or return to the thousand‑household office to file our report?"

"First, file the report; capturing three Honghu of leader level suffices to silence the new Donglin Party's mouths."

In the meantime, a glossy head reflecting firelight suddenly darts out from the diagonal.

“Master Zou, the sorcerer?! Marshal Ma, I’ve been searching for you for ages, you...”

Marshal Ma burst into a ferocious laugh, only to find that Zou Si-jiu had cut him off with a wave of his hand before he could finish his sentence.

“Old man, stop playing around.”

Zou Si-jiu said gravely, “There’s been an incident!”

Li Jun’s eyebrows furrowed tightly: “Dog Mountain City?”

“It’s not.”

Zou Si-jiu shook his head: “It’s Chen Qisheng. He’s been surrounded by people. He said...”

“Said what?”

“The usual rule: saving a life comes at a cost.”