Chapter 370 - 254: Aoi Monshou
Chapter 370: Chapter 254: Aoi Monshou
"Mr. Mitsui, what brings you here so late at night?" Chiba Yuki backed up half a step until she was pressed against the folding screen, her fingernails digging into her palm just to keep her voice steady.
Mitsui Genichiro’s greedy gaze swept over the curves of her body beneath her plain white robe. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he let out a hoarse laugh. "I hear you had a guest today. Who was it, and where are they?"
Chiba Yuki quickly shook her head. "You must be joking, sir. I’ve just opened, so I haven’t had any business yet..." ’I finally got a customer, and a good one, too. I can’t let this nasty old man ruin things.’
However, she was rudely cut off before she could finish.
"Haha, I have my informants watching. They said someone went in this morning and never came out. Since you won’t talk, I’ll just have to look for myself." Mitsui Genichiro’s withered palm slapped down on the gilded censer, startling a few specks of crimson ash into the air.
Several of his men shot into the depths of the corridor like a pack of wolves.
"Please, don’t wake my daughter..." Chiba Yuki pleaded. She gripped her sleeves to hide her trembling and terror, utterly at a loss for what to do. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to call the police; it was that calling them was useless.
Mitsui Genichiro was a powerful figure. You could say he was the local tyrant. She had called the police on him before, only for it to backfire and get her private bathhouse shut down for an "inspection."
"My dear, if you just agree to serve me faithfully from now on, all of this can end. Why must you be so stubborn?" Mitsui Genichiro’s lecherous eyes fixated on Chiba Yuki, practically drooling.
"Mr. Mitsui, please, don’t ever say such things again. I must remain faithful to my late husband’s memory. I cannot remarry," Chiba Yuki said.
Mitsui Genichiro scoffed. "I’m not asking you to remarry. I’m just asking you to serve me."
"That is out of the question. Please, stop pressuring me," Chiba Yuki pleaded.
However, her pleas didn’t inspire any mercy in Mitsui Genichiro. Instead, they only served to excite him further.
Just then, his men returned. "We couldn’t find anyone, sir."
"No one’s here, sir."
"Did you check the underground cavern?"
"Er, no," the men replied.
"Hmph. It’s a secret place, so it’s normal you wouldn’t know about it. He must be down there." With that, Mitsui Genichiro led the way toward the underground cavern.
Chiba Yuki’s pupils shrank. "There’s really no one there!" ’Even though the gentleman isn’t there now, there are still signs that he was staying there. What if Mitsui Genichiro finds them...’
"He’s definitely down there," Mitsui Genichiro cackled. But after a few steps, he stopped. Chiba Yuki hadn’t followed him.
"You two, grab her and bring her down! You, stay up here and keep watch," Mitsui Genichiro ordered his men.
Immediately, two of the warriors seized Chiba Yuki, one on each side.
Chiba Yuki struggled and begged, "No, please!"
"Stop shouting! Shout again and you’ll wake your daughter. You wouldn’t want me to violate you in front of her, would you?" Mitsui Genichiro sneered.
"No..." Despair washed over Chiba Yuki.
"You brought this on yourself. You refused to submit, so I have no choice but to use force. I gave you so many chances!" A vicious glint flashed in Mitsui Genichiro’s eyes. He had hoped Chiba Yuki would see reason and come to serve him willingly, but since she was unwilling, he didn’t mind resorting to more aggressive methods.
Besides, he had been coveting this private bathhouse for a long time. Its location was superb, and its hot spring had been famous for over a hundred years. If he were to run it, it would be a sensation all over Japan, a high-end destination—a goose that lays golden eggs. Leaving it in the hands of a widow like Chiba Yuki was simply a waste.
And so, with her mouth covered, Chiba Yuki was forcibly dragged down. No matter how much she struggled, how could she possibly be a match for two strong warriors?
Down in the underground cavern, her cries would be utterly unheard. The place was completely secluded.
Following Mitsui Genichiro’s orders, the two warriors tied Chiba Yuki to a stone chair at the edge of the hot spring pool.
In the struggle, Chiba Yuki’s Hairpin fell into the pool. Her long black hair spilled down like an inky waterfall, cascading into the steam that rose from the water.
Tears streamed from Chiba Yuki’s eyes. A towel had been stuffed into her mouth, and as her clothes began to come undone, her heart filled with utter despair.
Mitsui Genichiro’s dry, web-like hand caressed Chiba Yuki’s skin, which was as smooth and pale as fine jade. A bestial glint lit up his murky eyes. He leaned down to bite at the knot in her bonds, and her whole body trembled. Just then, an unnatural rumbling suddenly echoed from the depths of the cavern, as if an earth dragon, asleep for a century, was stirring in its slumber.
Both Mitsui and Chiba Yuki were startled, thinking it was an earthquake.
A part of Chiba Yuki was hopeful, yet another part was filled with regret. ’If only it were a massive earthquake,’ she thought. ’It would bury this foul old man, and I could preserve my honor... but what about my two adorable daughters?’
Mitsui Genichiro began to panic. ’How could I be so unlucky?’ Just as he was about to abandon the beauty before him and flee for his life, a mysterious Armored Man appeared in the pool.
It was Li Xiang. He had returned.
"You’re..." Mitsui Genichiro was utterly panicked. ’Isn’t this the Mysterious Man who’s been causing such a stir recently? The one they think might be an alien?’
Chiba Yuki: "..."
Li Xiang raised his hand. A thin strand of Cold Ice Sword Qi shot out, and Mitsui Genichiro slowly crumpled to the ground. There was no blood.
This was a more subtle method of killing that Li Xiang had devised. The Cold Ice Sword Qi, like a fine thread, had pierced the man’s heart and extinguished his life force. The entry wound on the skin was only the size of a pinprick, and it had been instantly frozen shut by the Sword Qi’s frigid energy, preventing any blood from escaping.