Chapter 307
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Chapter 307 The Sword of Fang Yu!
As he walked deeper inside, Qin Lang felt increasingly uneasy.
He turned to look at Qin Yimo, but found her expression calm, without a trace of panic.
He knew his cousin had a meticulous mind and would certainly have noticed the strange aspects of this association.
But Qin Yimo’s composure indicated she already had ideas or countermeasures in mind, so there was no need to panic.
With this thought, Qin Lang’s expression relaxed considerably.
Muto Ichiro led Qin Yimo’s group into the reception room, stopping at a tea table.
“Miss Qin, and you two gentlemen, please be seated,” Muto Ichiro said.
The three of them sat down together.
A woman dressed in a kimono entered the room and knelt beside the tea table to prepare tea.
“Miss Qin, I admire your courage. You remained calm and composed in such a dangerous situation earlier, truly impressive,” Muto Ichiro said, looking at Qin Yimo.
“It’s nothing, I just have slow reactions,” Qin Yimo smiled.
“No need for modesty, Miss Qin. By the way, I don’t yet know these two gentlemen’s names,” Muto Ichiro looked toward Fang Yu and Qin Lang.
“This is my cousin, Qin Lang. And this is my… friend, Fang Yu,” Qin Yimo said.
“Nice to meet you,” Muto Ichiro greeted Qin Lang and Fang Yu.
Qin Lang responded with a smile, while Fang Yu seemed distracted, looking around.
Muto Ichiro quickly glanced at Fang Yu, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
“Mr. Muto, you invited me to your association. Is there something you wish to discuss with me?” Qin Yimo asked.
“Yes,” Muto Ichiro said, a smile spreading across his face. “I know that Miss Qin’s family, the Qin clan, is one of the top-ranking families in the entire Nine Provinces. Therefore, our Eastern Merchants Association would like to seek an opportunity for cooperation with the Qin family.”
“Cooperation?” Qin Yimo frowned slightly.
“Yes, Miss Qin, cooperation. Our Eastern Merchants Association has been in the Nine Provinces for five years, and we currently have branches in various regions. For example, this place is our branch on Nine Phoenix Island. This branch hasn’t been established for long, less than half a year,” Muto Ichiro said.
“What kind of cooperation are you referring to?” Qin Yimo asked.
“All aspects, Miss Qin, I’m talking about cooperation in all aspects. After five years of development, our Winter Merchants Association has gradually established a foothold in the Nine Provinces business community. But that’s not enough, we want to continue growing, so we need to find a powerful partner. And the Qin family that you represent, Miss Qin, is our primary target for cooperation,” Muto Ichiro said.
As he spoke, the woman in the kimono had finished preparing the tea and placed a cup in front of each person.
“I know that Miss Qin has recently been representing the Qin family in business expansion in the Jiangnan and Huaibei regions. And our Eastern Merchants Association happens to have similar plans…” Muto Ichiro continued.
But by now, Qin Yimo’s brow was deeply furrowed.
From Muto Ichiro’s words, she understood one thing.
The Eastern Merchants Association wanted to hitch a ride with the Qin family and extend their reach into the business communities across various regions of the Nine Provinces.
“What can you offer me? I need a reason to cooperate with you,” Qin Yimo asked.
“Hehe, Miss Qin certainly gets straight to the point. Our Eastern Merchants Association is certainly sincere about cooperating with the Qin family. We can offer many things, including conveniences for the Qin family when conducting business activities in the Eastern Province, and our resources can be shared with the Qin family…” Muto Ichiro said.
Qin Yimo shook her head, frowning as she said, “These things are too vague, our Qin family doesn’t need them.”
“That may not be true,” Muto Ichiro said, his eyes flickering. “Our Eastern Merchants Association is involved in more than just business.”
“For instance… who is behind the assassins that Miss Qin encountered tonight, where they will strike next, how many assassins there are… we can help Miss Qin answer questions like these. We can even help Miss Qin permanently solve the problem,” Muto Ichiro said after taking a sip of tea.
Hearing Muto Ichiro’s words, both Qin Yimo and Qin Lang’s expressions changed.
The assassination attempt on Qin Yimo had drawn the attention of the entire Qin family.
The investigation into who was behind it was currently the Qin family’s top priority.
Unfortunately, the mastermind was hiding too deep, so much so that the Qin family had deployed all their intelligence networks and numerous connections but still couldn’t uncover anything.
They had only managed to obtain some information through counter-surveillance techniques.
For instance, Qin Yimo’s appearance at Lotus Fragrance Tower tonight was because they knew the enemy would make a move soon, so she deliberately used herself as bait to draw out the assassins.
But the result was that they almost failed.
The entire Qin family desperately wanted to uncover the identity of the mastermind, and now Muto Ichiro’s words truly stirred Qin Yimo and Qin Lang’s hearts.
“You know the identity of the mastermind behind tonight’s assassins?” Qin Yimo asked, looking at Muto Ichiro.
“Yes,” Muto Ichiro nodded. “Our Eastern Merchants Association’s main business isn’t actually in the commercial realm, but in intelligence operations.”
“We possess a vast amount of intelligence. Many people of distinguished status like yourself, Miss Qin, cooperate with our Eastern Merchants Association to obtain the intelligence they desire.”
“For example, the Long family of Nine Phoenix Island has a cooperative relationship with our Eastern Merchants Association.”
Qin Yimo stared at Muto Ichiro, her beautiful eyes showing changing emotions.
Beside her, Qin Lang also had a look of surprise and doubt as he watched Muto Ichiro.
Muto Ichiro wore a confident smile.
He knew his words had already taken effect.
“With so much intelligence, why don’t you share one or two examples? Anyone can boast,” Fang Yu, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
Muto Ichiro looked at Fang Yu and said, “All intelligence has its value. I can’t disclose it casually.”
“Then this cooperation can’t be discussed, because you can’t prove your intelligence capabilities,” Fang Yu said.
Muto Ichiro’s expression changed slightly as he narrowed his eyes, looking at Fang Yu.
“It’s easy to prove this point. For instance, our appearance at the banquet tonight and saving Miss Qin… this wasn’t a coincidence,” Muto Ichiro said, his gaze sharpening.
“You mean…” Qin Yimo’s expression changed slightly.
“Yes, we knew in advance that these assassins would make a move tonight, at Lotus Fragrance Tower, against Miss Qin… In fact, from the moment these assassins arrived on Nine Phoenix Island, their whereabouts have been under our control. Their every move, their next plans, we can foresee them all.”
“I mentioned earlier that many distinguished clients like Miss Qin cooperate with our Eastern Merchants Association. For what purpose? Not to obtain any substantial resources from us… but to protect their personal safety.”
“You can understand it this way: our Eastern Merchants Association is the world’s best bodyguard agency. We can eliminate all known and unknown dangers for you. As long as our Eastern Merchants Association is present, your personal safety will definitely not be an issue,” Muto Ichiro said with a smile.
Qin Yimo and Qin Lang exchanged a glance, shock evident in their eyes.
But at the same time, there was doubt in Qin Yimo’s eyes.
“You’ve said a lot, but it’s all empty talk, not a single useful word,” Fang Yu spoke up again.
Muto Ichiro turned to look at Fang Yu, his tone growing colder, “Mr. Fang, I’ve already said that all intelligence has its value. Before Miss Qin agrees to cooperate with our Eastern Merchants Association, I cannot disclose too much.”
“You don’t need to disclose too much. Just tell me if there are any more assassins on Nine Phoenix Island preparing for the next assassination attempt against Qin Yimo?” Fang Yu asked, looking at Muto Ichiro.
Muto Ichiro frowned slightly, as if pondering something.
After a moment, he answered, “Yes. I can tell you definitively that there are still assassins remaining on Nine Phoenix Island. And they will soon carry out their next assassination attempt against Miss Qin.”
Hearing this, Fang Yu laughed out loud.
This Muto Ichiro really took everyone for fools.
“Muto Ichiro, right? How many people have you tricked with this method?” Fang Yu asked.
Seeing the smile on Fang Yu’s face, Muto Ichiro’s expression darkened as he replied, “Mr. Fang, I don’t understand what you mean.”
“What I mean is, the assassins who appeared at the banquet tonight, including those who might appear in the future, were all arranged by you, weren’t they?” Fang Yu smiled.
A flash of panic crossed Muto Ichiro’s eyes, but his expression remained unchanged as he said solemnly, “Mr. Fang, do you think I would need to do something like that? Our Eastern Merchants Association…”
“Of course you would. What you’re doing now is the best low-investment, high-return business. Just by doing something similar to what an assassin organization would do, then fooling someone who’s already terrified of assassins, you can earn several times more than an actual assassin organization… It’s too profitable,” Fang Yu shook his head and said.
Muto Ichiro’s expression fluctuated.
By now, both Qin Yimo and Qin Lang understood what Fang Yu meant.
Indeed, there were many loopholes in Muto Ichiro’s words.
Fang Yu’s explanation was almost certainly the truth!
“Bang!”
Muto Ichiro slammed the table hard, stood up, glared at Fang Yu, and said, “I sincerely wanted to cooperate with you and revealed many secrets about our association, and now you turn around and accuse me of hiring assassins!?”
“You Nine Provinces people are truly shameless!”
“Guards!”
Muto Ichiro, furious with embarrassment, gave the order, and several sword-bearing warriors rushed in from the door, immediately surrounding Fang Yu and the others.
“You forced my hand, refusing the easy way and choosing the hard way!” Muto Ichiro said.
“So impatient, how can you be a successful con artist?” Fang Yu shook his head, a mocking smile appearing on his face, and continued, “Besides, there’s another huge loophole in your words.”
“Go ahead, tell me, what loophole!?” Muto Ichiro asked with a cold smile.
“You said your Eastern Merchants Association is an intelligence agency with countless pieces of intelligence… yet you don’t know who I am.”
“I don’t think I’ve been keeping a low profile lately, have I? How come you don’t recognize me?” Fang Yu smiled.
“You talk too much!” Muto Ichiro said coldly.
As he spoke, a warrior standing behind Fang Yu immediately drew his sword and swung it at Fang Yu’s head.
Fang Yu turned around, reached out his hand, and easily seized the sword from the warrior’s hand while kicking out.
“Bang!”
The warrior was sent flying backward.
By now, his sword had fallen into Fang Yu’s hand.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve used a sword. Tonight is a good opportunity to practice,” Fang Yu said with a cold smile, looking at Muto Ichiro and the others, a golden light faintly appearing in his pupils.
