If I don't have money to go to college, I can only go to slay the dragon.

This was probably the most glorious moment in the life of this shabby pickup truck. Last night it was still hauling construction waste worth thousands of yen at the construction site, but today it has been transformed and is being watched by a group of luxury cars that may be worth dozens of times more than it.

Actually, Lin Nian and Caesar in the car were fine. They didn't care what kind of car they were driving. Even if they were riding a bicycle, the people outside had to roll out the red carpet for them. But for Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang, this scene was a little embarrassing.

Because the two of them were sitting in the back of the car, they felt awkward, neither standing nor sitting. If they sat, half of their bodies would be exposed outside the car, and even if they sat upright and were stared at by countless pairs of eyes, they would still feel uncomfortable. As for standing... it would feel even weirder than sitting.

Fortunately, the main family members in Kabukicho are now all tough guys who have undergone rigorous training. No matter how funny something is, they will not laugh. They have to hold back even if they can't help it, otherwise they will have to cut off their fingers to apologize.

The tattered pickup truck wobbled to the entrance of the Yamata Club and stopped. The head of the Inuyama family followed it all the way until Caesar turned off the engine and got out of the car. Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei finally freed themselves from the car and climbed out, waiting for Inuyama He to come over.

"If you have any problem, do you want to talk about it here or inside?" Caesar looked at Inuyama He and felt that the other party didn't seem to be too arrogant to start a war. If there was something to talk about, then why not just solve the problem amicably and leave some room for maneuver.

Although Caesar had previously proposed to kidnap the head of the Uesugi family and turn against the Eight Snake Families to work alone, as a team leader, considering the overall situation, he had to admit that being surrounded by enemies was actually the worst option and it was a radical move. It would be best not to turn against them if possible.

"Let's go in and talk. The patriarch has been waiting for you in there for a long time." Inuyama He said to Caesar calmly.

Caesar paused, and Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei on the side were also a little surprised. They probably didn't expect that the Eight Snake Qi Families seemed to be serious about playing with them this time.

"Why is Mr. Lin Nian still in the car? Is there something inconvenient?" Inuyama He noticed that Lin Nian, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had not gotten out of the car for a long time. He did not rush to the front of the car to observe the situation inside. Instead, he stood there steadily and asked Caesar and others.

Even though Inuyama He's tone was neither hurried nor slow, Caesar and the others still sensed a sharpness in it.

"We were so tired from investigating intelligence last night, he probably fell asleep in the car." Telling lies with open eyes is a compulsory course for every leader, and Caesar is no exception. He spoke without revealing any flaws.

"Then could you please wake up Lin Nianjun? The head patriarch has been waiting in the inner room for a long time. I believe he wants to talk to you about something important. I hope everyone in the headquarters team can be present." Inuyama He said.

"Well... Lin Nian is a little grumpy when he wakes up, so we don't dare to wake him up. You know Cao Cao, the one from the Three Kingdoms. Lin Nian is just like him. He can kill people even when he is asleep." Lu Mingfei was so anxious that he could say all kinds of nonsense.

Inuyama He was obviously shocked by this outrageous excuse, but he was also more certain that something seemed to be wrong with Lin Nian. Considering the changes in Tokyo last night, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and his suspicion of these people increased a little.

"Is that so... It's okay, Liangyi, please go wake up Lin Nianjun, and be prepared to die. If you are unfortunately beheaded, your adopted sister Inuyama family will take care of you." Inuyama He said.

"Yes." Liangyi said lightly.

Seeing Okubo Ryoichi walking towards the passenger seat of the wrecked pickup truck, Lu Mingfei's mouth twitched, and he took a step forward and pressed Okubo Ryoichi's shoulder.

Lu Mingfei's action made the gangsters around him move slightly. Although the amplitude was small, when everyone did the same, the trivial sound became extremely noticeable, causing Caesar and Chu Zihang to silently put their hands in front of the bulge covered by the hem of their waist.

Even though Inuyama He raised his hand to stop his subordinates from getting restless, Lu Mingfei, under the pressure of countless gazes, looked at Okubo Ryoichi with an awkward but polite smile, "It's better not to disturb Lin Nian's sleep. It's really dangerous. You're not as fast as him!"

"Mr. Lu, don't worry about my safety. My words are from the Dust-free Land, which should be able to block Mr. Lin Nian's bad mood when he wakes up." Liang Yi explained, and then his eyes just quietly looked at Lu Mingfei's right hand on his shoulder.

It's not that he didn't want to push the hand away, but he couldn't do it. Lu Mingfei was much stronger than he thought. Having the hand pressing on his shoulder was like being hammered into the ground like a nail, unable to move. He even felt that Lu Mingfei could really press him into the concrete floor if he used a little more strength.

As expected, every one of the people around Lin Nian is a monster.

Liang Yi looked at Lu Mingfei deeply, until Lu Mingfei let go of his hand embarrassedly, then he continued to walk towards the passenger seat of the pickup truck as ordered by the head of the Inuyama family. When he was about to stick his head inside, the passenger door opened from the inside and a leg stepped out. Inuyama He who was standing behind him raised his head slightly, and looked at Lin Nian with a little surprise as he walked out by himself, put his hands in his pockets, looked up at the sky and yawned lightly.

After yawning, Lin Nian lowered his head and looked at Liang Yi standing outside the car door, then glanced at Inuyama He and the gangsters around him, and said lightly, "I just went out for a breath of fresh air, but the family made such a big fuss to accuse me? It seems that they still have too much distrust in us."

"No, it's just that some incidents happened in downtown Tokyo last night. It's suspected that the ghosts were causing trouble. It so happened that everyone from our headquarters left Shinjuku without informing us, so we are naturally worried about your safety, and have been waiting for your return all night." Inuyama He came forward and smiled at Lin Nian, who was unharmed but a little listless and sleepy.

Lu Mingfei and others behind him also found that Lin Nian seemed to look no different from usual. All the cracks on his face were gone, and he looked as if he had never been injured.

"Is the patriarch waiting for us inside now?" Lin Nian asked, tilting his head to glance at the building of the Bayamata Club.

"The head of the family has been waiting inside for a long time. He hopes to talk about the whereabouts of everyone in the headquarters yesterday and discuss the changes in the Roppongi direction late at night, so that we can better exchange some intelligence and information and prepare to resist the next wave of attacks from the fierce demons." Inuyama He nodded.

"We went for a walk around Ginza last night, and we did see the unusual situation in Roppongi, but when we rushed over, the place was occupied by your people and the Metropolitan Police Department, so we came back without finding anything. We still have many questions about what happened last night that we want to ask our family." Lin Nian said.

"This is naturally what the head of the family wants, so please move aside, everyone in the headquarters." Inuyama He raised his hand politely and made a gesture of invitation.

Lin Nian nodded and walked in front. Lu Mingfei and others followed him and gathered around him. After they walked into the club and were a little away from Inuyama He and Liang Yi who were following behind him, Caesar asked in an extremely low voice, "What happened to your injury?"

Lin Nian didn't say anything, but just slightly exposed his right hand which was in his pocket. Caesar and others immediately saw the bloody cracks on his skin.

"It was just some superficial work," said Lin Nian.

In the car, relying on the little time that Lu Mingfei and the others had bought, he used the little remaining power of Yaqi to repair the scars on the exposed skin. However, he only repaired the scars on the surface. The torn muscles and various broken bones inside were still the same. Now it could only be regarded as a silver-plated gun tip that looked good but was useless.

“What should we do if a fight really breaks out?” Lu Mingfei whispered, “All the heads of the eight Sheqi families are here. This might be a Hongmen Banquet!”

"According to your Chinese saying, if they use cup-breaking as a signal, you and Chu Zihang should forget about the code of conduct and just let Jun Yan lead the way. Lin Nian is not strong enough to fight now, so we have to ensure our own safety first." Caesar said softly as he looked at the gangster from his own family who opened the door for them.

"The situation shouldn't be that bad." Lin Nian said.

They walked into the main hall of the Yamata Club. The enchanting singing girls who used to be dressed in gold and powder were nowhere to be seen now. There was no decadent music and no atmospheric lighting. A few windows were open on the third floor. The pale blue light of the early morning shone obliquely on the old man in black feather woven cloth who was sitting cross-legged on the tatami in the deepest part of the main hall. The sound of water flowing out of the teapot in the old man's hand echoed in the wide space. It was clearly a place of romance, but at this moment, it had a sense of tranquility and Zen.

Lin Nian looked around the hall. The second and third floors were not filled with fully armed gangsters as he had imagined. There was not even a single service staff to be seen. It seemed that almost all of the security forces that came with the family were stationed outside the building, just like the men in black that they had seen when they entered the street.

And when they entered the hall, even Inuyama He behind him did not move forward, but stopped outside the door. At the instruction of the old man Kurohaori in the depths of the hall, he closed the door, sealing off this quiet and spacious space, leaving it only to the headquarters team and the real powerful old man of the Snake Eight Families.

What a great spirit.

Even Caesar couldn't help but take a second look at the old man in black feathers who was making tea in front of the tea table. He knew very well that the headquarters team's position was unclear and he was also concerned about Lin Nian's identity, but he still dared to place all the security forces outside. The only person who could possibly compete with Time Zero, the owner of Setsuna, the head of the Inuyama family, was also stationed outside. He met them alone when there were sharp issues. Was this "sincerity" or "stupidity"?

Whatever it was, Caesar recognized the courage of the leader of the Eight Clans of Sheqi.

"Everyone in our headquarters, you've been working hard all night. Why don't you come sit down and have a cup of tea to quench your thirst?" The voice of old man Kurohaori was heard in the hall. It was calm and gentle, yet it did not lack the majesty of a superior.

Lin Nian and the others exchanged glances, and finally walked in unison to the back of the hall, came to the tea table, and looked closely at the leader of the Eight Snake Clans, whom they met for the second time since coming to Japan. They also saw four cups of hot tea placed on the table in order, four cups of good tea, and sat down calmly.

No one started the conversation first, but just watched the old man slowly wash all the tools with hot water, put them back in place one by one, and clean the stains on the tea table. The whole process was calm and focused. It reminded me of the Japanese culture of Kyudo, which does not require accuracy, but requires peace of mind during the process, and pursues the ultimate artistic conception, from which a unique beauty is born.

Caesar picked up the teacup and took a sip, then paused and tilted his head slightly. It seemed that the old man in front of him was not only good at brewing tea but also at expressing the beauty of artistic conception.

After cleaning and putting away the tea sets, Tachibana Masamune looked at Lin Nian and the others and nodded gently, saying, "Everyone in the headquarters, my daughter is naughty and has been taken care of by you. The incident in Roppongi last night was sudden. Did it bring you any gains?"

ps: The new year is over, I will try to resume daily updates