Chapter 132: Chaos

Phoenix said, "We fought. Although the Iga clan was prepared, they still fell behind. I estimate they suffered over forty casualties; among them, three Jonin and fifteen Chunin were killed, while the rest were Genin."

Phoenix’s data was quite accurate. Long Fei continued, "Is the Koga clan really that formidable? Are their trump card ninjas truly that powerful?"

"It was mainly because the Iga clan was too overconfident, which led to their misjudgment. The Koga clan also lost over twenty men, though only two of their ace ninjas were killed." Phoenix was truly an expert in intelligence; hiding among the crowd, she had managed to tally the death tolls for both sides with such precision.

Long Fei suddenly asked, "I suspect that some of those Iga clansmen were killed by you, weren't they?"

Phoenix paused for a moment and replied, "I only killed five Chunin."

"That makes sense; it keeps the strength of both sides balanced, making the fight more interesting. But you must be careful in the future. Don't risk your life for everything, you understand?" Long Fei couldn't help but show his concern. Though his tone was indifferent, it warmed Phoenix’s heart.

"I understand. By the way, Young Master, at seven o'clock this evening, the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi invited the heads of over a dozen gangs—formerly under the control of the Black Dragon Society—to negotiate. It seems he wants to ascend as the new leader of the Black Dragon Society," Phoenix said.

Long Fei was stunned. This was getting interesting.

"And what was the result? For one gang to challenge over a dozen at once, the Yamaguchi-gumi’s strength must not be underestimated." Long Fei nodded. "I imagine those smaller gangs wouldn't surrender to him so easily, would they?"

"Indeed, but no fighting broke out tonight. I expect the Japanese underworld will see a chaotic brawl within the next few days," Phoenix said calmly.

Long Fei laughed heartily. "Excellent. The livelier their fighting, the faster my injuries will heal. I’ll just sit back and watch them tear each other apart like dogs."

Seeing Long Fei laugh so happily, the corner of Phoenix’s mouth curled into a smile, though hidden behind her veil, no one could see it.

"Alright, you’ve worked hard. Go get some rest and stay safe. We’ve already lit the fire; once I recover, we’ll head back." Long Fei found himself missing Liu Ruoyi in Tianhai, and of course, Yang Danni. He even missed Ye Qian; after not bickering with her for several days, he was worried he might lose the knack for it and felt a bit unaccustomed.

Dragon Maiden had been sitting by Long Fei’s bedside, watching him with a gentle smile. She listened to the conversation without interrupting, her expression unchanging. It seemed that in her heart, only Long Fei’s affairs warranted her attention; everything else was mundane and had nothing to do with someone as ethereal as her.

After Phoenix left, Long Fei turned his head and asked, "How did you remove that poison from me?"

"I knew something was wrong as soon as I received your call. By the time I arrived, you were already unconscious. Fortunately, Phoenix used her internal energy to treat your wounds in time; she did the heavy lifting, and I only provided a little help," the Dragon Maiden smiled.

Long Fei naturally didn't believe her. He laughed, "And how did you provide this 'little help'?"

"Have you forgotten? I can communicate with the souls of all living creatures in nature. In other words, you could call it a form of spiritual power, though mine is only effective on lower animals and not very useful for humans. Hehe, I negotiated with the parasitic worm, and in the end, it obediently crawled out of your mouth!" The Dragon Maiden spoke lightly, but in truth, making such a parasite leave voluntarily was a feat of hardship beyond Long Fei's comprehension. Naturally, she wouldn't tell him that.

Long Fei frowned, feeling a shudder at the mention of the parasite, and an even more nauseating sensation knowing it had crawled out of his mouth. He asked cautiously, "What happened to the worm?"

"I removed its toxicity and let it go!" The Dragon Maiden pointed outside with a smile. "It flew away. Actually, they are quite pitiful; you have to realize that it only became a parasite after over a hundred of its own kind killed each other. I didn't have the heart to harm them further!"

Long Fei shook his head. The Dragon Maiden truly had the potential to be a savior; calling her an angel was no exaggeration.

"By the way, how did the duel between Song He and Abe Haoming end?"

"How else? A draw. But I feel neither of them gave it their all. They didn't look like rivals, but rather like old friends who cherished one another," the Dragon Maiden laughed.

Over the next two days, Long Fei barely left the hotel, dividing his time between healing his body and cultivating his spiritual power. The Dragon Maiden’s vast knowledge was beyond his expectations; she even had unique insights into the cultivation of spiritual power. With her help, Long Fei’s spiritual power improved significantly in just a few days. Although the amount residing in his brain was still small, managing to develop it in just a few days would likely shock even Song He.

Of course, there was another important reason for the speed of Long Fei’s progress: his Pure Yang body played a role. Then again, Francis had indirectly done him a huge favor; if not for the hypnosis attempt, the spiritual power in Long Fei’s mind wouldn't have been suddenly stimulated. It was like a poison; by using poison to fight poison, the hypnosis had inadvertently stimulated the growth of his mental strength.

In two days, the seemingly peaceful Ise City underwent earth-shattering changes. Both the Iga and Koga clans were severely weakened by their war. Meanwhile, the alliance of over a dozen gangs failed to defeat the Yamaguchi-gumi. Watanabe Fangzheng, with thunderous momentum, forced the gangs into submission and eventually sat on the throne of the Black Dragon Society’s leader. The Japanese underworld was reshuffled in an instant. With the addition of many experts from the Black Dragon Society, the Yamaguchi-gumi became the sole dominant power. However, even Watanabe Fangzheng likely understood that while those gangs were currently submissive, they would surely seek every opportunity to overthrow him once they saw a chance.

Watanabe Fangzheng was well aware that the Yamaguchi-gumi was also severely weakened and needed time to recover. Although he had absorbed some experts from the Black Dragon Society’s headquarters, there was still much work to be done, especially in comforting the families of the fallen. This alone would keep him busy for quite some time, as at least two thousand people had lost their lives in the gang war to help him secure his position. Now that he was the leader, he naturally had to perform many superficial tasks. Public sentiment—yes, public sentiment was most important.

Watanabe Fangzheng was not a fool. He understood that gangs were like brothels; it was impossible to eradicate them, and seeking absolute dominance was unrealistic. So, once he truly held the position of the Black Dragon Society’s leader, he focused more on balancing the various forces, letting the other gangs be suspicious and keep each other in check so they would cause him less trouble. Only then would his seat be more secure. Being known as the godfather of the Japanese underworld, he naturally had some capability.

Born in the land of pigs, one doesn't necessarily have to be as stupid as a pig, even if it is still a pig.

The situation was developing step by step according to Long Fei’s vision, so he was very happy. Although he hadn't killed many people himself during this trip, quite a few had died indirectly because of him. The fire had been lit, the smoke had been released, and it seemed there was nothing left for him to do. Long Fei prepared to leave Japan; he dreamed of returning to Tianhai. Humans, once they have attachments, find it hard to feel comfortable anywhere else, unlike before when he was a wanderer with no ties.

The Dragon Maiden had already returned to India. Fate is truly a strange thing; when Long Fei was boarding his flight, he coincidentally met the same flight attendant who had said goodbye to him last time. The young woman seemed to have a deep impression of him. Recognizing him from afar, she bowed and smiled, "Welcome back on board our airline. I wish you a pleasant journey!"

Long Fei gave a cheeky grin, which made the flight attendant blush.

Welcome? If it were truly a welcome, he might have to come back and visit more often. But some of the more annoying Japanese pigs would be the ones to suffer.

In the Koga clan’s council hall, Koga Tanida’s expression was grim. He frowned at the ninjas kneeling before him, his heart heavy. Initially, the Koga clan hadn't been as numerous as the Iga clan, but their strength was by no means inferior. With the emergence of those ace ninjas, they had indeed tipped the scales of victory in their favor for a time. But good times don't last; after several days of war, more than half of the ace ninjas had sacrificed themselves. Of the thirty-six, only nine were still combat-ready. And of the two hundred ninjas urgently recalled from various regions, combined with the original personnel in the stronghold, their total force of nearly four hundred had now lost more than half.

This was not a petty gang brawl; battles between ninjas were far more brutal, and casualties could not be compared to those of common gangsters. Perhaps the death of a hundred gangsters wouldn't equal that of a single ninja; the two were simply incomparable. Thus, losing so many ninjas at once made Koga Tanida’s heart ache.

However, the only consolation for Koga Tanida was that the Iga clan had lost far more men over the past few days. So, despite his own heavy losses, he had successfully led the Koga clan to the winning side. He believed every Koga clansman could see this, and that defeating the Iga clan was only a matter of time.

But the problem now was that he had secretly ordered his ninjas to practice the sword techniques of warriors, which violated the ninjas’ prohibition. Thus, he was always the one being criticized by public opinion. Even if Koga Tanida believed that one day the Koga clan would become Japan’s number one ninja family and these criticisms would naturally vanish, for now, he had to consider negotiating with the Iga clan.

If they continued to fight like this, even if the Koga clan were to eventually win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. The Koga clan would then face even greater challenges. There were over forty ninja tribes, each with its own characteristics; if they truly and sincerely united to deal with a weakened Koga clan, it would not be a difficult task. For Koga Tanida, that was an extremely dangerous prospect.

The ceasefire agreement finalized during the day was now lying before Koga Tanida. Striking the tea table with his fist, Koga Tanida said with extreme frustration, "This Iga Masamune is too devious, leading public opinion to turn against us! Hmph, if we had just pushed a little harder, we could have defeated them completely. Alas, what a pity!"

"Clan Leader, we have already proven the strength of the Koga clan to the world, so that is not important! Let us leave them be for now; after some time, we will find ways to deal with them," Murakami-kun said, bowing his head to Koga Tanida.

"Murakami-kun, I am stifled with frustration. Back in the day, the ninjutsu of our Great Japanese Empire was so prosperous. It was precisely because each house remained closed off that we face today’s decline. Alas, I have spent so many years preparing to unify the ninja tribes, only to fall short at the final step. It is truly hateful!" Koga Tanida’s ambition had never changed; even now, he was thinking of unifying Japan’s ninja tribes.

There were nearly fifty registered ninja tribes in Japan, not to mention the many who remained in hiding and refused to show their faces. Therefore, the idea of unifying all the Japanese ninja tribes was somewhat insane, and its implementation was naturally too difficult.

Of course, Murakami-kun understood the nature of his clan leader, Koga Tanida, too well. He only thought it was absurd in his heart, but said nothing aloud. In truth, this war should not have been so easy to start; if anyone were to blame, it was Koga Tanida himself, who had intentionally sought the opportunity to ignite the flames of war. Thus, reaching this point seemed entirely normal to Murakami. He felt that Koga Tanida having ambition wasn't a bad thing, but he was too prone to getting lost in his own world. He always thought he was smarter than others, stronger than others, and destined to succeed—and so he failed. This outcome seemed to be within Murakami-kun’s expectations, but due to his status, he had always followed behind Koga Tanida.

Suddenly, a commotion came from outside the hall. Koga Tanida, already in a foul mood, immediately roared, "Go and see who is making that noise!"

Before anyone could leave, a ninja ran in, reporting with panic and indignation, "Report to the Clan Leader, Iga clan ninjas have come to assassinate again. They killed one of our Chunin—"

"This is absolutely outrageous! How many of them came?" Koga Tanida’s face turned livid. He had not wanted to stop fighting anyway, and now they were provoking him again.

"Only one person came, and we have already driven them away!" the messenger continued.

Getting up from the floor, Koga Tanida paced back and forth several times before cursing angrily, "The bastards of the Iga clan are truly shameless! They went back on their word. We signed a ceasefire agreement this morning, and they come to sneak attack at night. Hmph, this time, we must not negotiate with them again. This war must continue, and I believe we will win sooner or later!" It was as if he were giving a pre-battle mobilization speech. In truth, Koga Tanida had already ruled out the possibility that it was an Iga ninja assassin. He wasn't a fool; he had long suspected someone was fanning the flames from the shadows, hoping he would engage in a full-scale war with the Iga clan. But he had been looking for such an excuse all along, so he had been playing dumb. Even now, he was just putting on a show. To put it bluntly, he just wanted to seize every opportunity and excuse to wipe out the Iga ninja clan.

Long Fei had left first, while Phoenix was left behind for one final task: to provoke the two major ninja families, who had already agreed to a ceasefire, back into conflict.

Of course, this was not a wise move. Both clans knew the truth, and if Phoenix went again, she would easily be exposed. However, Long Fei felt that the Iga and Koga clans had already fought to this extent, so even if it were discovered that someone was stirring the pot, it would be of no consequence. Besides, the signal Long Fei had received from Koga Tanida was that the two clans were extremely hostile, and that Koga Tanida had long wanted to teach the Iga clan a lesson or even eliminate them to take their place. Thus, even if Koga Tanida saw through it, there was no guarantee he wouldn't play along.

From this perspective, Long Fei’s plan was quite thoughtful. Leaving Phoenix behind seemed clumsy, but it had a touch of "great wisdom appearing as stupidity." Affairs in this world are complex, and relationships between people are filled with various interests. To stand invincible on countless invisible battlefields, one must first carefully analyze the opponent. When it is inevitable to be someone else's chess piece, finding a way to utilize more people is a victory, and that is the only way to ensure one lives better than the vast majority of others.

After instantly killing a Chunin, Phoenix flashed, leaping over the wall amidst white smoke, and then bounded into the dense forest. Aside from some screams, no one pursued her. As the saying goes, do not pursue into a forest. These Koga ninjas actually knew a bit about Phoenix’s martial arts; someone who could instantly kill a Chunin was at least on par with a Jonin. Don't let the single-character difference between Chunin and Jonin fool you; the gap was massive. So, no one chased her. Who would be so bored to pursue her? If things went wrong, they might lose their lives—it wasn't worth it!

This was not the first time Phoenix had traversed this dense forest. During this period, she had come and gone several times every night, passing through this forest each time. However, today, not long after she had jumped away, Phoenix frowned. A sense of danger was quietly approaching. While she couldn't say she had never felt this in her life of killing, such occurrences were extremely rare.

Phoenix was accustomed to living on the edge of a blade, and her alertness to such danger was far stronger than that of an ordinary killer. She stopped and held her breath to listen. The surroundings were silent, save for the rustling of leaves in the breeze. There was moonlight tonight; the bright, full moon cast silver-grey light, stretching Phoenix’s shadow long and thin.

Slowly closing her eyes, Phoenix dragged her katana across the ground. At this moment, she couldn't hear any strange sounds, but she was certain the source of the danger was within fifty meters of her. Aside from gambling on her sixth sense, she had no other choice.