"That's how things are."
Wu Xian looked at Uesugi Etsunosuke's desolate expression, as if his own vegetable garden had been ravaged by wild boars, feeling a surge of secret satisfaction. Then, amidst Etsunosuke's heartbroken gaze, he reached out to embrace Hikariyo's slender waist, as if deliberately boasting, and continued to speak.
"I will marry Hikariyo soon. We plan to have a grand wedding at Meiji Shrine, and then another one in our homeland, China."
"Rest assured, both weddings will be informed to you. As a father, it is an indispensable process to hand over his daughter to her husband. Under any circumstances, you should not be absent."
Dream on! I will never hand my daughter over to you!!
Uesugi Etsunosuke clenched his teeth, turned to look around, and discovered a small forest in the distance, located in a secluded spot, which would be perfect for burying bodies.
It's decided!
"Youngster, since you know my identity, you should understand that becoming my son-in-law is not just about being good with words."
Saying this, Uesugi Etsunosuke rolled up his sleeves and walked out of the ramen stall, staring fiercely at Wu Xian with a menacing expression and declared angrily, "Come here and let me personally test if you have the ability to protect Hikariyo. If you don't pass this test, I will never agree to this wedding."
It's not that Uesugi Etsunosuke is deliberately picky with Wu Xian; rather, he has already observed Hikariyo's abnormality from the details.
Although this daughter is beautiful and cute, her eyes and speaking manner are not very intelligent. If placed in Uesugi Etsunosuke's youth, he would definitely be able to deceive her eight times in one night.
Therefore, he must give this seemingly full of bad water little fair-haired man a good lesson.
It would be best to leave him with a psychological shadow. Otherwise, if they really get married in the future, Hikariyo doesn't know how many wrongs she will have to endure.
"That's not good."
Wu Xian frowned and was somewhat reluctant, "To be honest, I'm quite capable in combat. But you are Hikariyo's father. If I accidentally injure you, it would be quite awkward when we interact with each other in the future."
"Hahaha! Capable of fighting?"
Uesugi Etsunosuke sneered coldly and absent-mindedly pulled down his collar, revealing the still firm muscles and the tattoo with a dragon's head underneath.
"Godzilla, are you? You've got a pretty imposing name. From your looks, you should be of good bloodline, a mixed-race person. Too bad, it seems you know nothing about true strength."
"Just in time, I'm in a very bad mood right now. I can teach you a good lesson. Otherwise, you'll be eaten up by others outside and make Hikariyo suffer unnecessarily."
"Hmm, that means you're agreeing to the wedding, father-in-law?"
"Shut up! Don't call me father-in-law!"
Uesugi Etsunosuke's face turned black again and twice, and he coldly snorted before heading in the direction of the small forest.
Wu Xian couldn't help but shrug and show a very helpless expression.
You've seen it, I've already warned you. It's the father-in-law himself who's looking for a beating, so I can't be blamed, right?
<-→+A！
…
<-→+BB!
……
↑↑↓↓←→←→BABA!
...
In ten minutes, the shaking noise in the small forest gradually subsided.
The camera zooms in, revealing Uesugi Etsunosuke, the former emperor of the underworld and a revered figure in Japan, lying on the ground with a bruised nose and swollen face. He is groaning and unable to get up.
As for Wu Xian, he casually walked out of the small forest, lightly brushing nonexistent dust from his sleeves, looking rather smug.
That's it. This is the scene that Yu Zhi Sheng saw after he came here.
He walked into the small forest, looked at the elderly man kneeling on the ground, and couldn't help but fall into a long silence.
If I'm not mistaken, this old man should be, maybe, probably, possibly, his father-in-law to both Zhi'er and Hikariyo... right?
So then, why did he beat him? Is he like Tachibana Zengo, one of the dark forces behind the scenes?
If so, that would be terrible. Is there not a normal father in the world?
"Huh! You're here quickly. Has your succession ceremony as the head of the clan been completed?"
Looking at Yu Zhi Sheng's skeptical expression, Wu Xian raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile.
"In the crucial moment, unnecessary formalities can be simplified. The other heads of the family have no objections either."
Saying this, Yu Zhi Sheng's eyes involuntarily took on a strange look.
As the saying goes, rumors only get more and more exaggerated. In just a few short hours, there were already no less than twenty versions of how he had overthrown the established order and seized the position of the family head.
Despite their distinct differences, all these versions depicted him as a deeply cunning and old schemer.
This has caused even the heads of the outer five families who knew the inside story to become suspicious and nervous. At the consecration ceremony in the shrine, their eyes towards him were laced with fear, as if they might be poured into concrete buckets any moment and sink to the bottom of Tokyo Bay.
Shaking his head, Yu Zhi Sheng dispelled these thoughts from his mind, and then thinking for a moment, he bent down to help Uesugi Etsunosuke get up.
Uesugi Etsunosuke was grunting, when suddenly he felt someone approach. He thought it was the young man who had found his conscience and was wondering whether to launch a surprise attack. As soon as he raised his head, he saw Yu Zhi Sheng's face and froze again.
If Hikariyo resembles her mother, then Yu Zhi Sheng has nothing in common with Uesugi Etsunosuke.
However, for some reason, Uesugi Etsunosuke felt a sense of familiarity when he saw him.
And thinking of what Wu Xian had said before, he couldn't help but tremble and say.
"You are... Yu Zhi Sheng, or is it Yu Zhi'er?"
"Yuan Zhi Sheng."
The tone paused slightly, but Yu Zhi Sheng still nodded: "According to the biological relationship, I should call you father."
"Good... good..."
Uesugi Etsunosuke said a couple of words, then suddenly grabbed Yu Zhi Sheng's collar and pulled him closer, spitting angrily into his face and scolded: "You filthy little brat! How can you be her brother? Just watch your sister jump into the fire pit! Ah?!”
"Oh, this..."
Yu Zhi Sheng's face turned embarrassed, and his gaze flicked to the side, where Wu Xian was standing with Hikariyo, looking like he was enjoying the show. Suddenly, he felt very tired and wanted to die. How do I fix this?
"Alright, you two don't play around anymore. This isn't like saying a comedy routine."
Wu Xian said this, then stepped forward, hugged Hikariyo, and gave Uesugi Etsunosuke a pat on the shoulder with one hand. In an instant, as Uesugi Etsunosuke gritted his teeth, Wu Xian launched a full-force attack with both hands.
In an instant, a warm current coursed through Uesugi Etsunosuke's entire body, healing all his injuries and even regulating the stagnant diseases accumulated in his body for many years.
Soon enough, the dark purple color on his face vanished completely, and even the wrinkles were significantly reduced, as if he had suddenly aged back by twenty-something years.
"This is..."
Uesugi Etsunosuke struggled to hold back a moan, looking at his smoother and whiter hands. Then he went to the ramen stall and took out a mirror to look at himself, his eyes full of disbelief.
"This is amazing... How did you do that? A word spirit... No, I've never heard of any word spirit that can have such an effect. What kind of power is this?"
"This is none of your business, just consider it as a gift for Hikariyo's parent. There will be other benefits in the future... In short, father-in-law, you can rest assured that I will take good care of Hikariyo."
Wu Xian smiled slightly, but what he said made Uesugi Etsunosuke and Yu Zhi Sheng very uncomfortable. It was as if their daughter (sister) was going to be snatched away.
Alright, it's not a feeling, it's a fact!
"Alright, let's put these things aside for now and get back to the point."
Wu Xian said this, his expression slightly serious.
"I'm going to marry Hikariyo, so naturally, I want to give her a perfect wedding. With the father-in-law and the elder brother already here, the second brother can't be left out. A family should be neat and in order."
"Second brother? Are you talking about Zhi'er?"
Hearing this, Yu Zhi Sheng's breathing stopped for a moment. Recalling the memories he had seen from the perspective of Kanazawa Mitsuo, his face couldn't help but show a bitter smile: "He is now the king of Ogre Crowds, controlled by King General, and it may not be easy for him to return to our side."
"What does this mean? What happened to Zhi'er? Is he not in Yotsuba Clan? How can he be the king of Ogre Crowds and controlled by the King General?"
Uesugi Etsunosuke looked utterly confused, feeling that the three children's experiences were quite complex and he wasn't quite following along.
"Don't worry, once I find him, I have plenty of ways to get him to come back quietly. And if I'm not mistaken, someone will make a move soon."
Without answering Uesugi Etsunosuke's question, Wu Xian's gaze flicked to the direction of the Tokyo Peninsula Hotel and a playful smile appeared in his eyes.
"For the next two weeks, I will cast a 【Ritual】 over the entire Tokyo area, so that no hybrid or dragon can use sorcery below the level of a Dragon King. Use this opportunity, brother-in-law, to gather as many people and weapons as possible to attack the Oni Zoku. This shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing this, Uesugi Etsunosuke and Yu Zhi Sheng couldn't help but shiver involuntarily.
A ritual that can envelop the entire Tokyo area... What kind of monster is this?
Being targeted by such a monster for one's own daughter (sister) is good or bad...
"Brother-in-law, you're not saying anything."
"……No problem."
Yu Zhi Sheng nodded with difficulty. Yotsuba Clan is the king of the dark world of Nihon, and all self-defense forces can be mobilized.
After the seal on the word spirits, the power of the Oni Zoku has undoubtedly declined significantly. Two weeks is enough time for him to root out these unstable elements.
And by then, it's likely that Zhi'er and the anonymous force behind it will have to make their move.
"Then I'll take Hikariyo to rest first. Once I find out the news about my second brother, come and find me."
Wu Xian smiled and then pulled Hikariyo towards the car they had come in. The latter turned back to say goodbye to Yu Zhi Sheng and Uesugi Etsunosuke, and then both of them left the area as the car started up.
Finally, there were only two fathers who had never met before standing in the night wind, staring at each other in silence.
"Zhi Sheng..."
Finally, Uesugi Etsunosuke spoke first, his voice filled with a complex mix of emotion and hope: "Can we talk about what has happened to you all these years?"
Yu Zhi Sheng pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Alright... father."
