Chapter 105: The Threat from the East Sea

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Afterwards, Zhang Desen and Liu Yuting continued to savor their tea. During this time, Liu Yuting unexpectedly inquired whether the Moon Deity truly looked as the legends described. This caught Zhang Desen off guard for a moment, but then he understood. It turned out that before leaving the Southern Dian Kingdom, Zhang Desen had made a trip to outer space. Ultimately, due to various circumstances, he ended up on the Moon itself, where he discovered an ancient base left by prehistoric humans.

Liu Yuting, knowing Zhang Desen had been to the Moon, assumed he must have met the legendary Moon Deity. Having been fascinated by the Moon Deity’s tale of moonward flight since childhood, her imagination began to run wild.

Zhang Desen glanced around and noticed that the commotion had scattered most of the patrons in the eatery; aside from Li Longfang and a few nearby tea tables, hardly anyone was within earshot of their conversation.

Seizing the moment, Zhang Desen adopted a mysterious tone and teased Liu Yuting, “What’s this? Are you jealous, Ting’er?”

Liu Yuting’s cheeks flushed awkwardly. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m asking serious questions. Besides, no matter how many women you have in the future, I’ll faithfully fulfill my role as the lady of the house. I just want to know if the Moon Deity said anything special to you.”

Her delicate face took on an even more uneasy expression. Zhang Desen, upon hearing this, felt that something was amiss. He thought it best to clear up some misunderstandings and said, “Alright, Ting’er. It seems you don’t fully understand the Moon. Maybe I haven’t explained it well enough. Let me give you a quick rundown…”

He then proceeded to share some basic scientific knowledge about the Moon, which helped alleviate some of Liu Yuting’s doubts.

Just as Zhang Desen was about to elaborate further, a figure clad entirely in black, face covered, and dressed much like a ninja from Zhang Desen’s original universe in Japan, ascended to the teahouse’s upper floor where they sat.

The black-clad stranger, upon spotting Zhang Desen and his company, approached their table. His presence exuded an intimidating aura that set Zhang Desen and the others on high alert. Other patrons, frightened by the intruder, quickly fled the teahouse.

A waiter stepped forward and politely addressed the figure, “Hello, sir. What would you like to order?”

Without a word, the black-clad man kicked the waiter aside with a fierce shove.

“Get lost!” he barked.

The waiter flew backward nearly toppling over the railing on the second floor. Though he coughed up blood, he was fortunately not in mortal danger.

The teahouse owner shouted in anger, “Who is this madman, causing trouble here? I’ll call the authorities!”

The black-clad man sneered, “Go ahead and call them. I want to see if they dare to come for me.”

He then strode directly to the table where Zhang Desen and Liu Yuting sat and took a seat opposite them. Li Longfang and the others moved to confront him, but Zhang Desen waved them off, signaling they should remain seated and continue drinking tea—though their eyes never left the intruder.

Under the table, Zhang Desen discreetly readied his handgun—not because he doubted his own strength, but to protect Liu Yuting should things escalate suddenly.

Zhang Desen addressed the black-clad stranger with measured respect, “You must have come here for an important reason. May I ask your name?”

The man replied, “You speak wisely. I am Mizuno Motoo, a warrior ninja from the Land of the Rising Sun. Might I inquire if you are the Zhang Desen I have heard of?”

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Zhang Desen smiled. “So, you’re a Japanese ninja. It’s been a long time since I last saw one in my era. Yes, I am Zhang Desen. May I ask what business you have with me?”

Mizuno Motoo returned the smile but with cold eyes. “I am here to tell you that someone has offered us a substantial reward to take your head.”

Zhang Desen chuckled lightly. “You speak casually. Perhaps you have forgotten—you are not in Japan anymore, but in the Great Xing Kingdom.”

Mizuno Motoo responded calmly, “Our Japanese ninjutsu may still be unknown to you in its true power…”

Zhang Desen laughed heartily, cutting him off. “You pitiful little country, frogs in a well, unaware of the vastness of China. Let me warn you: your arrogance will be your downfall. If you cause trouble in the Great Xing Kingdom, you will not return alive. I advise you to follow the rules, or you’d better prepare for the afterlife.”

Mizuno Motoo said, “Very well. I was inclined to give you a chance to live. But since you are so ignorant, I will inform you that our first group will hold a martial arts contest today. Starting tomorrow, our men will come for your head. You and your family should keep one eye open when you rest—otherwise, you may never see the sun rise again. Farewell.”

With that, Mizuno tossed a gold ingot to the shopkeeper and departed.

Liu Yuting, visibly anxious, asked, “Desen, what are we going to do? I heard those Japanese ninjas…”

Zhang Desen smiled and interrupted, “Have you forgotten where I come from? Plus, with our technological advantage, their infiltration skills are practically useless. You can rest easy.”

He then summoned Li Longfang and gave him instructions for deploying defenses, which Li Longfang promptly executed.

Soon after, a crowd surged along the street toward a particular location. Zhang Desen sent someone to inquire and learned that a martial arts tournament was underway, drawing a big audience.

Realizing this must be the contest Mizuno mentioned, Zhang Desen resumed sipping his tea. However, he decided it was time to attract their attention to aid Li Longfang’s efforts. Since Liu Yuting was curious about these Japanese ninjas’ abilities, Zhang Desen settled the bill and led her toward the arena.

At the venue, a group of Japanese ninjas and ronin stood on stage. Their leader, a man named Osumi Shudo, announced:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am the leader, Osumi Shudo. Today, warriors from Japan present a martial arts challenge to demonstrate that wherever the Japanese warriors stand, all others are destined to fall. Our Japanese martial arts are unrivaled. Strength speaks for itself. Anyone who disputes this may step forward to challenge us. Winners will receive a thousand taels of gold.”

He gestured toward a pile of gold coins beside him. “Losers’ fate is irrelevant. Who dares to step onto the stage? Our warriors of the grasslands await.”

A man suddenly rushed onto the stage and declared, “Such arrogance! Do you mock the martial arts of Central China?”

Osumi Shudo replied, “Sir, as far as I know, Liao Gu is gradually occupying the Central Plains…”

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The challenger cut him off, “That’s only temporary. Don’t forget, Liao Gu’s 300,000-strong army was repelled by Great Xing. Reclaiming the Central Plains is only a matter of time.”

Osumi Shudo nodded and said, “Very well, you are a man of courage. Jiangkou Songzhi, step forward and entertain him.”

From among the standing Japanese ninjas, one stepped out. “Jiangkou Songzhi will test your skills. May I ask your name?”

The man replied, “I am Wu Degao. I accept your challenge.”

Immediately, Jiangkou Songzhi launched an attack, employing a wrestling move, seemingly intent on throwing Wu Degao off the stage.

However, Wu Degao did not dodge. As Jiangkou’s powerful body barreled toward the slightly smaller Wu Degao, the crowd tensed, averted their gazes, unwilling to witness the man’s defeat. Only Zhang Desen remained calm, confident that this man was not without skill.

Sure enough, just as Jiangkou Songzhi was about to collide with him, Wu Degao delivered a sudden Shaolin Tan kick to Jiangkou’s head. Before anyone could react, Jiangkou toppled to the ground.

A stunned silence followed, then the audience burst into applause and cheers. The Japanese ninjas’ faces darkened as if scorched.

The burly leader ordered his men to carry Jiangkou down and called out, “Ono, you’re up.”

Soon, a large man named Onodera stepped forward and attacked Wu Degao. They quickly became entangled in combat.

Wu Degao initially tried to use the Tan kick again, but Onodera, besides being large and well-defended, was surprisingly agile, narrowly evading each strike. Wu Degao’s expression soured.

Having only a few, including his master, capable of countering his Tan kick, Wu Degao was forced to change tactics. He adopted a “mushroom strategy,” aiming to wear down his opponent through prolonged grappling to find weaknesses.

But he soon realized Onodera had learned this technique too—the Central Plains’ martial arts were adapting, employing similar tactics. This complicated things for Wu Degao.

The crowd, fired up, cheered Wu Degao on loudly:

“Come on, Wu Wei!”

“Knock him down! Show him not to underestimate us!”

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The duel between Wu Degao and Onodera had entered a tense stalemate.