Chapter 144: Building an Archway
The time had arrived, it was five o'clock in the afternoon.
The sky was dark and gloomy, not very pleasant. There were no beautiful sunset clouds on the horizon, only a dull and gloomy color. The typhoon was getting closer and closer.
A convoy of cars stopped at the entrance of Yagyū's house. There were a total of ten identical black cars that filled up the alley.
Standing at the entrance were gangsters dressed in dark suits, arranged like a human wall. As pedestrians passed by, they quickly chose to avoid the group of men in suits. There were bulges under their clothing, which indicated they were carrying either guns or knives. It was clear that they were a group of gangsters skilled in combat.
Tsuyoshi Goto arrived at the front door and pressed the doorbell.
After a few moments, there was a response from inside the door. A figure wearing a long coat stood at the entrance, wearing a mask and with a hood covering their head.
Row after row, the gangsters' gazes swept over, and then fixed upon the figure. Their faces turned serious, and one by one, they moved aside, bowing their heads in a display of respect.
"Please, Mr. Bai!"
"We are having a feast at White Egret Garden!"
Tsuyoshi Goto showed enough respect and, after stepping aside, he opened the car door willingly, saying, "Please!"
The other person didn't say anything, not even taking off their mask. They just tossed the invitation to Tsuyoshi Goto and then got into the back seat of the car.
Tsuyoshi Goto himself was responsible for driving and drove towards the destination within the convoy.
"I'm still worried, what should I do if you refuse to come forward?"
"I didn't have the courage to knock on the door... I was afraid our leader would go crazy."
"But, the dinner tonight is not safe. I hope you can pay more attention and, if possible..."
He noticed the silent gaze of a figure on the back seat in the rearview mirror. He chuckled in disappointment and held back his words.
The phrase "Please go easy on us" wasn't something he could say.
This was already a trap, using a dinner invitation as a way to deceive him into coming. It was a grave mistake.
If he succeeded, he could be called a ruthless conqueror. But if he failed, he could only blame himself for being foolish and careless.
Pleading for mercy was meaningless.
Tsuyoshi Goto didn't say anything. He wasn't familiar with Bai Wei and only thought that the figure in the back seat was acting strangely.
Because Bai Wei was not an introverted person, he would not remain so silent.
...
White Egret Garden was a Chinese-style shop with an exterior that resembled a Japanese design.
The building had three floors in total, but it looked like an ancient palace. In the middle, there was a courtyard that was shaped like the character "回".
On the first floor, there was a central stage where many beautiful girls were dancing in the dance floor. They were performing dance routines inspired by the court dances of the Ming Dynasty. Instead of restrictive kimonos and geisha attire, they wore semi-transparent palace skirts with golden hairpins nestled in their updos. Once they started dancing, their ribbons swayed to the melodious tunes of silk and bamboo instruments. Occasionally, glimpses of long, fair legs and smooth skin could be seen beneath the translucent long skirts, naturally igniting a sense of fervor.
In the feudal era several hundred years ago, these court dancers were the darlings of the aristocracy. With a band of over a dozen musicians and a group of more than a dozen dancers, they were generously taken care of, provided with food and drink, all for the entertainment of a select few. Their skills, of course, were highly refined.
Amidst the dance floor, there were just over twenty girls, each with her own captivating beauty. They were all young and stunning, and upon closer inspection, each possessed her own unique qualities. They sang and danced, transforming the place into something that didn't seem like a dining establishment at all, but rather a nightclub where adults would gather.
But, oddly enough, it had a touch of elegance to it.
Tsuyoshi Goto watched the dance for a while and then led the guests upstairs.
Compared to the dance floor on the first floor, the second floor was the focal point. The interior design here was completely Japanese-style, with sliding doors covered in white paper. In the rooms, geisha were intentionally placed, and young talented girls sat on tatami mats, playing the shamisen.
The entire White Egret Garden was like a private event, with only one door left open while all the other grand doors remained closed. In the luxurious banquet hall, there were no other guests to be seen. Instead, standing in front of the open door, there was a man dressed in a red shirt.
The man held a cigarette in his hand, and from a distance, he seemed completely out of place in this scenery, exuding a temperament that didn't belong. He appeared more like a wild beast in the mountains rather than a well-fed bureaucrat who belonged here.
Tsuyoshi Goto loudly exclaimed, "The guest has arrived, leader!"
Sanada looked up with a calm expression and extinguished the cigarette in his hand. His little companion immediately handed him an ashtray.
He walked over quickly with confident steps. "Ah, our esteemed guest has arrived! Please, take a seat!"
A figure silently entered the only open tatami room.
In the room, besides Sanada, there were three other gang members. They had all been leaders of different gangs that Sanada had taken over, and now they were like his brothers.
A "brother" in this context is someone who is very close to and respected by a gang leader, with a higher position than regular gang members.
"This is Mr. Hiroshi Miyamoto..."
"This is Mr. Jutaro..."
"This person is..."
After sitting down, Sanada began introducing different people.
Three former gang leaders also looked towards the figure taking a seat at the top. His whole body was hidden underneath a sweatshirt and a mask, making it impossible to tell anything about him.
Several people glanced at each other, silently exchanging looks.
Sanada, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind at all. He called someone over and said, "Bring the lady in and pour him a drink. We can start serving the food!"
Soon, a row of beautiful girls walked gracefully into the room, one by one. They knelt down and started pouring drinks.
Sanada and the other three also began to toast and drink together.
During this process, the figure sitting at the top remained silent and completely still.
Even though Sanada had apologized and drank three cups of wine in a row to show his remorse, he remained completely unresponsive.
As the atmosphere grew more lively, suddenly, the wine glass in Sanada Ryoichi's hand broke into pieces.
The girls pouring drinks realized that something was wrong. Miyamoto Hiroshi raised his hand, and the other girls immediately stepped back, retreating to the wall.
It was clear that this place was indeed one of the businesses owned by a gang organization. Even the girls here were under the command of Miyamoto.
"Today, I have set up a feast, hoping to resolve the hatred between us. If you are worried that we have poisoned the food, you should not have come, my lord."
"Not eating the food, not drinking the wine, and not taking off your hat and mask... It seems that this banquet is destined to end without joy."
Sanada's eyes gleamed with wickedness.
"Until now, I still have a small bit of respect for you, sir. Must I flip the table over for you to be satisfied?"
He truly presented a grand and magnificent reception that couldn't be faulted, both in terms of emotions and logic. It was undeniably impressive and left no room for criticism.
He also seemed genuinely apologetic.
But he still became a little anxious.
Just ten minutes after sitting down, he couldn't help but unleash his anger. Sanada Ryoichi couldn't bear not the other person's complete indifference, but rather the pounding of his own nervous heart.
What humble attitude, what sincere apology, it was all fake pretense.
He couldn't wait a moment longer, wanting to regain all the lost dignity and shame from this person as soon as possible, with interest.
While waiting, he smoked and thought about how he could regain what he had lost in front of everyone.
Just making the other person bleed wasn't enough, not nearly enough.
Sanada Ryoichi is a butcher who pretends to be a kind and honest person. He has sharpened his knives and hopes to patiently wait for his prey to consume the poison he offers, making them careless.
Not foolish, but overestimated himself and underestimated the opponent.
"Wow, there's so much nonsense..."
Finally, the person who had been silent spoke, with a clear and crisp voice.
"From the moment I first saw you, you didn't even say a single true word."
"You said you respected, apologized, and resolved the hatred, but what did you actually do?"
"Your followers filled the entire White Egret Garden, all around you. Even the girl pouring wine carried a hidden sword."
"You shouted loudly with confidence, behaving fearlessly like an ancient general. But this is not a battlefield where two armies confront each other. This is your Osaka Castle. You have trapped an entire army inside your fortress, waiting for me to enter, while pretending to be bold and open on the surface."
"It's really... being a promiscuous woman but still wanting to maintain a virtuous image."
The figure judged Sanada's actions, openly ridiculing and mocking his little tricks, exposing his pretense and arrogance.
Sanada Ryoichi's eye twitched His eye started to twitch. He never really intended to negotiate He didn't plan on having a discussion. His attempt at pretending with just a few words was instantly exposed and his disguise was quickly uncovered.
The person continued to sneer, saying, "Do you think it will work this way? You set up everything like this, and yet I still came. It's because I have no fear in my heart. But you, with all these people stationed and the gates closed, all these preparations... It's all because you are scared deep down, feeling weak. You believe that if you don't arm yourself completely, you won't be secure enough... This kind of intimidation, it's not even useful. It just makes me laugh even more."
"Enough!" Sanada became furious and exclaimed, "I invited you to my banquet, yet you keep insulting me repeatedly, Mr. Bai. Those who refuse to toast will be forced to drink, and I see that you..."
"You are wrong again," the person interjected in a cold tone.
"I...," Sanada suddenly froze, completely speechless.
The person stood up, raised their hand, and took off the outer layer of their coat. After removing the mask and hoodie, a beautiful face was revealed.
"It's not my older brother who came, but me, Yagyū Simozi!"
"I am the leader of the Yagyū clan, it's time to settle old scores and seek revenge!"
"The Sanada Group, today... I want you all to be banished from this world!"
