The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 484 Objection
In the center of the room, Saburo Kibuchi's body lay on the ground.

The two sat cross-legged on either side of the corpse.

The man sitting on the left was around forty years old, with a bronze complexion and no beard. He wore a narrow-sleeved long robe that was completely different from the style of the Central Plains. A Japanese sword lay across his lap, its blade clear as flowing water. His gaze was fixed on the corpse in front of him.

The man sitting on the right appeared to be in his early thirties, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and an imposing presence. He was wearing a wealthy man's robe and plain white leather gloves, and was constantly stroking the corpse.

The man holding the Japanese sword, who is acting as the spokesperson, is named Sato Shunji, a Japanese. The young man sitting opposite him is named Huangfu Hui, but he is a native of Dashuo.

After a moment, Huangfu Hui withdrew her hand and sighed.

"Sato-kun, I'm about 80% sure I'm right."

"It was a deep voice," said Shunji Sato.

"How to say?"

Huangfu Hui picked up the corpse's right arm, which had turned into a "bloody balloon," and shook it twice, making a sticky, watery sound.

"Sato-kun, the martial art that killed Kikubuchi-kun is called 'Leaf Picking'. As far as I know, the sect that inherited this martial art was wiped out by the founding emperor of the Great Shuo Kingdom, and its secret manual was also taken away."

"In the world today, only those in the imperial court can use this martial art. And as far as I know, there is only one person with such mastery of this martial art and such cruel methods."

“If it really is that person… Sato-kun, my only suggestion now is that you pull out the wakizashi and insert it into your stomach, give me the tachi, and I will give you the second and then sever my own heart meridian.”

"Even so, given that person's reputation... our bodies will probably be desecrated, but that's better than being tortured while alive."

These words left Sato Shunji completely bewildered.

Why should I be given a second clerk? Why should I be allowed to die with my body intact?

For the Japanese, seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) is an extremely solemn and serious matter, and it is absolutely not something to be joked about.

Having worked with Huangfu Hui for a year, he had come to know her well enough. She was meticulous, ruthless, and steady in her actions. Even when she was about to kill someone, her words would only make the other person feel comfortable and gentle, and would never offend them.

Huangfu Hui wouldn't joke about this with him.

In other words, he was serious.

But Sato Shunji couldn't help but confirm it.

"Huangfu Jun, are you serious?"

Huangfu Hui nodded.

“I’m not kidding, Sato-kun. Your family is far away in Japan, so you may not be afraid, but I have to think about my family… I don’t think I can hold out against that person without revealing my family.”

"I'll take the first step."

After saying that, to Sato Shunji's astonishment, Huangfu Hui actually raised her hand suddenly and used her inner energy to strike her own heart!
"Wait a minute!"

With a loud shout, Sato Shunji flashed in front of Huangfu Hui, grabbed his arm, and blocked the blow.

Huangfu Hui just sighed, then raised her left hand and struck her own temple without holding back.

"バカ(idiot)!"

Relying on his superior martial arts skills, Sato Shunji once again blocked Huangfu Hui's left palm, his veins bulging.

"Huangfu Jun, how come I never noticed how cowardly you were before! You're ready to commit suicide just because you guessed who your opponent is!"

"No matter how powerful the enemy is, you should not lose your will to fight back. You are also a martial artist, don't you even understand this simple principle!"

Huangfu Hui struggled a few times but couldn't break free, and let out a long sigh.

"It's not that I don't understand... it's not that I don't understand courage, but that you, Sato-kun, don't understand how terrifying your opponent is."

"Fine, I'm afraid you won't let me commit suicide, but could you please let go of my hand first so I can prepare myself?"

Shunji Sato stared at him intently for a long time before slowly letting go of his hand.

"Thank you."

Huangfu Hui thanked him, slowly raised her hand, curled her ten fingers into claws, and gripped her forehead—then suddenly tore it open!
Brush and pull!

Blood gushed out like a fountain, and flesh tore open! In just a moment, his once handsome face was completely disfigured!

Then Huangfu Hui lifted her clothes and tore at the skin with moles, birthmarks, and scars one by one.

By the time it was finished, Huangfu Hui was completely unrecognizable, with no trace of his identity left on his body. He then let out a long sigh and smiled at Sato Shunji with his blood-covered face.

"It can only be this way."

Shunji Sato's face was now ashen.

"Lord Huangfu... is it that serious?"

Huangfu Hui said with a smile.

"Sato-kun will find out soon, but the most urgent thing is to erase all traces of our plan before they arrive... I think Sato-kun won't object, right?"

Shunji Sato remained silent.

He really wanted to object.

The so-called erasure of traces is actually murder and arson, wiping out all the achievements of the cooperation between the two parties over the past year, which means making all the efforts of the past year go to waste.

Are we going to do this before we've even seen the enemy?
He was truly unwilling to accept it.

If Saburo Kyūbuchi is dead, and he destroys all the achievements, how can we face the wrath of Saburo Kyūbuchi's sect?

What's the difference between this and telling him to commit suicide?
After a long silence, he said in a deep voice.

"No, Lord Huangfu, I object."

Huangfu Hui sighed deeply.

"Sato-kun, you'll regret this..."

"I thought that after a year of knowing each other, you would have some trust in my judgment. I never expected that even after I've gone to such lengths, you still—"

Sato Shunji raised his hand to stop Huangfu Hui from speaking.

"No, Lord Huangfu, let me finish."

"I trust you and I trust your judgment, but to act so cowardly before even seeing the enemy would be against my martial code!"

"If I were to do such a thing, I would no longer be worthy of being a samurai! Even in death, I would have no face to meet Amaterasu!"

"So, let's compromise."

Shunji Sato slowly gripped the hilt of the katana.

"Isn't he at the county government office, asking someone to go there?"

"I'll go. You stay in the manor."

"With my level of skill, no matter how terrifying the opponent is, they shouldn't be able to kill me silently... Just wait for the fighting to stop. If I win, I will shout 'Victory!' three times. Then you can rest assured and wait for me to return."

"If I lose, and there is no sound, you will destroy those things... Do you agree to that?"

Huangfu Hui was silent for a while, then sighed.

“Sato-kun has made up his mind, what can I say?”

"I can only wish Sato-kun good luck in his military campaign."

Shunji Sato nodded and turned to leave.

Once he had walked far away and his footsteps had completely disappeared, Huangfu Hui suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Ah."

"You lowly Japanese bastards, you don't know your place!"

Before he finished speaking, he slipped out of the room and strode towards the back courtyard.

(End of this chapter)