“Since Jude hasn’t found any decent fighters yet, the Gwakes are falling apart. If Mr. Weather steps in to help the Gwakes secure the leadership role, Jude will marry Buffy to Mr. Weather in a show of gratitude. “Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone? “Anyway, Mr. Weather will not get angry with you if you play your cards right. He might even value you and offer you some perks.” Zoro formed the perfect plan amid the cheerful talk. “I get what you mean now, Zoro.” Luis’ eyes lit up. Nevertheless, he quickly grew worried and said, “This is a good plan, but what if the guy defeats Hannah, Zoro? “He was savage yesterday. He destroyed your team of a dozen fighters. Even Scarface and the assassin from Ryokan nearly died at his hands.” This was Luis’ main concern. Kaze’s aggression last night left him traumatized. Zoro patted Zenika, gesturing to her to turn over before he uttered, “Your concern is invalid. “Hannah was once the rising star in the Viper’s Den West S
Kaze pulled up outside Villa No. 1 and noticed an approaching car. Juan got out of the car and wobbled his way to Kaze. “Is this the villa Mayor Synder gave you?” Kaze put on a stern face. “Are you stalking me?” He was surprised that Juan managed to follow him to Wyomspring. “I wouldn’t!” Juan waved his arms frantically. “I have a villa here too. I take occasional trips here.” Kaze was speechless. It was hard to believe who Juan was when the latter was eager to suck Kaze’s ass. Juan was the president of the Riverbank Feng Shui Society and the headmaster of a religious institution. In short, he had influence in the city. “Go back to your villa. Why are you following me?” Kaze turned on his heel to leave. Juan would not leave Kaze alone. “You must feel lonely living in such a big place. Why don’t I assign a few ladies to care for your needs?” Judging by Juan’s lewd expression, Kaze knew he was up to no good.Care for his needs? Clearly, it was the care Kaze did
Juan was caught in a moment before the thrill started to kick in. “Thump!”Juan fell to his knees and said emotionally, “Please accept my deepest respect.” Rose was dumbfounded. What was going on? Juan was basically the age of Rose’s father. Yet, he wanted to be Kaze’s student.Kaze was lost for words. Juan was quick to take action. Kaze had not even finished what he was going to say. Kaze waved his arm and said indifferently, “Get up. I never said that I’ve accepted you as my student.” “I won’t get up until we establish a mentor-mentee relationship.” Once again, Juan put on a shameless act, insisting that he would kneel forever unless Kaze agreed to his request. Kaze said callously, “If I don’t take you as my student, you can kneel there for all I care. I won’t even bat an eye.” Just as the disappointment overwhelmed Juan, Kaze said, “You can be a nominal student to me, seeing that you come in good faith.” “A nominal student?” Juan was taken aback. He had ple
Without the right interpretation, no one would be able to decipher the secret manual of other schools. The result could be disastrous if another school’s manual was interpreted wrongly. Juan’s jaw dropped, and he stared blankly at Kaze. Kaze’s interpretation was an exact match with Juan’s school. He read out the 16 cosmic keys which were fundamental to Juan’s school. “How did you learn to read our school's secret manual?” Juan asked, his throat dry.Juan even suspected Kaze to be a spy sent by other schools to steal his manual. However, Kaze deciphered the Kawaskys’ deepest secrets in no time. There was no need for Kaze to be a spy. “Who told you the key to interpreting my family’s secret manual?” Kaze grinned. “I have the Oracle before. As far as I know, there are 32 cosmic keys.“I have no idea how your ancestor obtained an incomplete copy. “Bring me a pen and paper, Rose.” Kaze waved at Rose. “Sure.” Rose went to grab a piece of paper and a pen. Half an
Kaze smacked Rose’s head. “Jesus Christ. A date in the morning? What’s in that head of yours?” “Well, I’ll never know. Maybe you’re scared Darcy will check up on you at night.” Rose meant business. “I need to watch you like a hawk for Darcy’s sake. “What’s with you and Ms. Gwake?“Zenika texted me this morning to scare me. She said word has been going around the Riverbank higher society that you were alone all night with Ms. Gwake. Casius will make you pay when he returns.” Kaze said helplessly, “Oh, please. You should know better than anyone where I was last night.” “I know that you were home, but no one else does.” Rose pouted. “Besides, you were talking about making Ms. Gwake your woman and getting handsy with her last night. What are you really up to, Kaze? “I’m going to have a hard time justifying your behavior to Darcy.” With Rose driving him up a wall, Kaze sighed and replied, “Fine. I’ll tell you the truth, but you need to promise to keep this between us.” “I
Though Kaze was not fond of Alexander, he nodded in acknowledgment since it involved Agnes. “Alright. I’ll pick out a nice gift for him. You can come along. I could use your opinion too.”Rose was on board with the idea. Her phone then rang. “Zenika’s calling again.” Rose looked at the screen display and scrunched her nose. She really did not want to take any calls from Zenika. Despite Rose’s repeated rejected calls, Zenika continued to bombard her phone. Kaze said with a stoic face, “Why don’t you take the call and see what she has to say?” If Zenika was out to get Rose, Kaze would need to send a stronger message to Zenika. Rose accepted the call. The call ended briefly after that, and Rose gave Kaze a strange look. “Here comes trouble for you, Kaze.” “What’s the trouble?” Kaze asked nonchalantly. Rose replied, “According to Zenika, Luis instructed her to make the phone call. Apparently, Luis went back and realized his mistake upon reflecting on the incident at
Among these fighting schools, the most prominent dojo was Drake Gym. Though Drake Gym was linked to the Viper’s Den South River Branch, the school was run by the Gwake family. Kaze parked the car. While walking with Rose to Drake Gym, he came across a Ryokanian-inspired building across from the gym. “Refined Blade Dojo!” Kaze narrowed his eyes at the signboard hanging on top of the door. Only Kaze could pick up on the killing intent surging from the signboard. The Refined Blade was consistently ranked among the top three swordsmanship styles in Ryokan, with a long history of producing renowned masters.Kaze was aware that the ninjas of the Kailan Clan were taught in the ways of the Refined Blade. Daiso, who died at the hands of Kaze, was also a master in the Refined Blade. In other words, Kaze’s long-standing nemesis, the Kailan Clan was connected to the Refined Blade. Having spotted the Refined Blade Dojo, Kaze needed to keep an eye on them. His biggest enemy in Ri
Luis lowered his head humbly in Kaze’s presence. Zenika and the others said ingratiatingly, “Please give us a chance to redeem ourselves, Kaze.”“Adversities bring us together. Kaze, you’re a big brother to us!” Rose was confused. Since she knew Luis and his friends were bad news, she prepared herself for some nasty stuff they would do to Kaze. To her surprise, they apologized to Kaze. What was going on? “At least you can recognize your mistake. I’m not a petty person.” Kaze said indifferently, “In that case, we can forget about last night. We can still be friends.” “You’re such a generous man, Kaze. Had I known, I wouldn’t have crossed you in the first place.” Luis was overjoyed by Kaze’s cordiality. He drew close, put his arm around Kaze’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Though you’re younger than me, you are stronger than all of us. “I think Zenika is right. You are a big brother to us.“You heard me. He will be our big brother. “Just address him as such
No one cared about the thoughts in Collier’s head. Rory looked at Hannah and said heavily, “I wonder what you mean by that, Chief Delmore.” Hannah nodded at Kaze and then said coldly, “Cut the crap. Take your men and leave!” Rory furrowed his brows, his lips still curled. “Chief Delmore, that doesn’t sound right. I am here on legal Execution Hall’s business. Even if you are the chief of the South River Branch, you have no right to stop me. Or is the South River Branch no longer under the West State Viper’s Den jurisdiction?” Hannah did not even flinch when Rory tried to accuse her. She said, “I said, cut the crap. Come on, show me what you got. I’ll let you go first.” Rory’s lips twitched helplessly. He knew Hannah was known for her quick sword stance in the West State Viper’s Den. According to the agents who once went on a mission with her, many experienced fighters and experts could not even see her moves before they were killed on the spot. Now that Hannah had recove
“Swoosh!” The knife hit Collier in the shoulder, pushing him back against the wall. He tried to move his body but when he felt the pain in his shoulder, his face paled. He was shocked that the knife perforated his shoulder and pinned him onto the wall, like how Kaze pinned the Execution Hall’s agent to the wall earlier. Rory did it as payback to Kaze for what he had done earlier. Collier did not want to look bad in front of Kaze. He steeled himself up as he held the knife. With his teeth clenched, he pulled it out from his shoulder, drawing an arch of blood in the air. “Deputy Chief!” It was only then Collier’s men reacted to the situation and drew their weapons. “Hmph!” Collier grunted without looking at his men. “Clank!” The agents from the Execution Hall armed themselves as well and dashed forward. “Thump! Thud! Sheen!” The two groups of agents engaged in a fight with cries and clanks sounding ceaseless. Amid the painful cries, Collier’s men were struck
Once again, Rory looked at Kaze with surprise. “Young Man, I must admit that I’ve underestimated you again.” The deputy chief of the Viper’s Den South River Branch was certainly an officer with a higher rank than him. However, Rory was merely surprised, not deterred or scared as if he was not afraid of Kaze who brought Collier into the conflict. Kaze smiled. “You’ve underestimated a whole bunch as well.” Rory grunted heavily and then turned to Collier and his men walking into the lobby. Without even standing up, he curled his lips into a fake smile and said, “Mr. Ettinger, of what do I owe the visit? You and your men are here to see the doctor? Too bad. You are one step late. Scorpion and his men had already thrashed the…” Scorpion simply smiled awkwardly, afraid to make a noise. He could not afford to mess with the deputy chief. ‘I’ll thrash your skull if I can!’—if it was some other time, Collier would certainly argue with Rory and scold him in the face. However, his
“Kaze.” The call got through and Collier’s voice came from the phone. “Herbal Spring. Rory Conroy of the Viper’s Den West State Branch Execution Hall is here.” Kaze then hung up the phone. He was discussing with Collier about the support from the Viper’s Den West State Branch behind Rhys earlier. He just did not expect Rhys to call for help so quickly, seemingly trying to seize the advantage. However, Kaze was not afraid. He put his phone away after the call and sat down on the couch. “How dare you sit in front of the captain?! You’re dead!” An agent held the sword at his waist and wanted to draw the blade. Kaze narrowed his eyes and slid his foot forward. “Clank!” The sword that was tossed in front of him earlier was kicked forward. “Thump!” Before the agent could draw his sword, his hand was perforated by the flying sword. Blood splattered upon impact and the momentum of the sword dragged the agent backward, ultimately pinning his wrist on the wall. Kaze
“Arrogant?” Rory gestured at his men behind him. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, scrutinizing Kaze. “You’re damn right. The Viper’s Den West State Branch Execution Hall is that arrogant. We have the right to be! We also have the right to execute first and ask questions later. Why wouldn’t we be arrogant with it?” The agents of the Viper’s Den West State Branch Execution Hall looked at Kaze as if he was a clown, wondering where the rural bumpkin was from and where did he get the confidence to question them. They found his ignorance laughable. Kaze said, “Even if you have the right, it is for you to execute your official business, not for you to use it on ordinary people.” “Hahaha!” Rory laughed hysterically, cocking his head back as if he heard the funniest joke. “Young Man, I don’t know where you are from but you are stupidly naїve and childish.” As he spoke, he glanced at Scorpion and asked, “Is it him who beat up Rhys?” “Yes! It’s him!” Scorpion glared at Kaze a
“Mr. Road once saved someone important in the Viper’s Den West State Branch. Mr. Road asked Captain Conroy to uphold justice for Rhys after the assault he endured. “You’re blind not to know who Captain Conroy is. You have some nerve to insult him.” Scorpion made a big fuss now that the Viper’s Den West State Branch had his ass covered. Thomas was going down. “What?“The Viper’s Den West State Branch Execution Hall?”Thomas turned pale. Fear washed over the other police officers. The Viper’s Den West State Branch’s reputation was enough to intimidate the police. The Execution Hall was basically the police’s worst nightmare. Even the members of the organization trembled at the mention of the Execution Hall. The Viper’s Den’s Execution Hall and the Tiger’s Cave’s prison gate were places of terror. Those who were unfortunate enough to be taken there rarely walked out alive. Even the rare survivors would not escape in one piece. A deputy chief of the South River S
Thomas glared at the two police officers and waved his arm curtly. “Don’t just stand there. Make the arrest!” He knew how Scorpion and his crew operated.Scorpion was not the type to give up on a fight easily. Thomas was the security captain of the Southgate Police Department. The supposed Captain Conroy would only rank slightly higher than him. Members of the criminal underworld often associate with people on the police force to seek favors in time of need. However, these favors should not be used lightly. It was common knowledge not to enlist the help of someone high up in the command chain right away. It would be a waste of resources. In a typical situation, Thomas might have trouble making the arrest. However, Thomas was taking Kaze’s side, so he had nothing to fear. With that in mind, Thomas said icily, “Captain Conroy? How many more captains are you going to call upon?“Even if you summon someone working for the state, you’re still coming with us.” “You’re ju
All these incidents put together suggested that Kaze was more than he seemed. Thomas focused the most on Kaze and the mayor’s relationship. The power of a local authority outweighed someone from out of state. Though the officials working in the state government were more powerful, they would have no bearing on the locals’ situation. Kent was the mayor of Riverbank, and his decision would change the course of the locals’ fate. Thomas understood his place in the matter. Boris may be badass, but Thomas could get nothing out of him. Thomas had to deal with Boris’ men frequently. These men would give the police gifts during the holidays as payment for turning a blind eye to certain things. He could fall out with Scorpion and his crew, but he could not cross Kaze when Scorpion’s people were clearly at fault. Kent could possibly intervene, and Thomas’ connections would not be able to bail him out.Thomas turned stern and said coldly, “It’s outrageous of you to trash a plac
Scorpion sat sprawled across the couch, his legs crossed. He lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said, “Oh, an old friend. It’s Captain Blunick from the Southgate Police Department.“I’m handling business today. I’d appreciate it if you could look the other way.” The person in charge was Thomas Blunick, security captain of the Southgate Police Department. Thomas frowned and said icily, “Is this your way of handling business, Scorpion? “Don’t you push it.” Scorpion grinned and said without any reservation, “Mr. Road’s son, Rhys, was beaten up by some riff-raff. Mr. Road sent me here for some unfinished business. “You should know that Mr. Road dotes on Rhys, and Rhys now suffers two broken legs. “This is not over until the culprit pays.” Thomas scoffed. “You can’t trash a medical center in broad daylight.” He asked curiously, “Who is Rhys’ attacker?” Even the other police officers were intrigued. To think someone would hurt Boris’ son in Riverbank. It was a death wis