Di Ming

Chapter 314 The Mastermind and the Informer

Zhu Yin's most secretive bodyguard and comrade-in-arms was not a person, but a dog!

Zhu Yin was able to sleep soundly at night while on a mission to an enemy country teeming with ninjas, mainly because of Xiao Hei's silent protection.

Xiao Hei, whose real name is Black Tiger, is the only exotic military dog ​​in the Special Agent Headquarters. He served for eight years and was awarded three major merits. His codename is Shining.

Black Tiger is strong, gifted, and has undergone long-term professional training. In addition to its powerful sense of smell and intelligent brain, it also possesses top-level fighting ability among canines.

During the exercise, a North American gray wolf weighing 60 kilograms was choked and killed in three minutes.

In actual combat, while pursuing two spies who had fled abroad, he killed one by choking him, and within minutes caught up with the other, leaving him crippled and arrested.

Its speed is exceptional, achieving a 100-meter sprint time of six seconds. Furthermore, it possesses remarkable endurance, capable of maintaining an average speed of 15 kilometers per hour for over three hours continuously, and even tracking enemies for hundreds of miles using only its sense of smell!
A burst of force from three meters away can knock someone down with a force of up to 2000 Newtons. But to knock down a tall, strong man, it only takes 1000 Newtons.

This was a fierce dog weighing fifty kilograms, which was very dangerous to the enemy. Zhu Yin took it to the Northwest to quell the rebellion. More than a dozen rebels died in its mouth, and it tracked down several fleeing Mongol nobles.

Among its attack skills, its neck-biting control (chokehold) is the most outstanding, followed by arm-biting control, leg-biting control, and torso suppression.

However, when necessary, the "groin-biting control" method, which has a very low probability and is very insidious, will also be used.

For example, at this moment, a ninja attacks from behind to assassinate Zhu Yin!
The ninja was bitten in a vital spot, and although he had a gag in his mouth, he couldn't help but scream in agony. His ninja sword clattered to the ground.

Little Black took a bite and wouldn't let go, dragging the assassin fiercely all the way to the wall.

"Ah—" The assassin was also highly skilled, but at this moment he could only be dragged backward in vain.

Almost simultaneously, several figures rushed in, their blades flashing. They were Ding Hongying and the others who had been guarding the outer room.

"Uncle Tiger, are you alright?" Ding Hongying asked, holding up a lantern.

She had actually already sensed that an assassin had infiltrated the area. However, Zhu Yin had previously instructed her and Wu You not to act rashly upon discovering the assassin's presence, and not to reveal their strength unless absolutely necessary.

The main reason was that Zhu Yin wanted to conceal his true abilities and didn't want the enemy to know that Ding Hongying, who was by his side, was skilled in martial arts. Hongying stayed by his side, but her status was only that of a maid. Wu You was in the same situation.

The assassin was bitten by a dog, defeated by a hunting hound. If word got out, his enemies wouldn't pay attention to the strength of his guards. They wouldn't know that his two maids were a skilled swordswoman and an excellent ninja.

So the next time someone sends an assassin to plot against them, they will focus on Xiao Hei's existence and ignore Hong Ying and Wu You's.

In this way, it becomes easier for them to set traps and scheme against themselves.

Zhu Yin was a cunning and ruthless spy who was accustomed to analyzing and exploiting the enemy's psychology. Even the slightest move was carefully considered, and he would never act without a purpose.

Zhu Yin stood up and shouted, "Are you all useless? With so many people guarding outside, how could you let an assassin in! What's the point of keeping you around!"

"If my hunting dogs hadn't spotted them, the assassin would have succeeded!"

At this point, he suddenly shouted sharply, "The assassin has lost too much blood and is dying! Save him immediately!"

Ding Hongying, Wu You, Kangxi, and the others secretly laughed to themselves, but apologized aloud, their expressions filled with fear.

Immediately, from the outside, the room appeared to be in complete chaos, with the lights flickering.

The ninja, his mouth gagged, stared wide-eyed at the performance before him, completely forgetting the excruciating pain.

The commotion quickly alerted others outside the academy.

The lanterns inside and outside the academy were lit, and the assassin, his lower body covered in blood, was dragged in front of Zhu Yin.

If a ninja mission fails and there is no escape, according to ninja law, one should commit suicide. If one is captured before one can commit suicide, then one should remain silent until death.

This is not only the law of the ninja, but also the way of the ninja.

However, the assassin was unlucky; Little Black bit him and wouldn't let go. In excruciating pain, he had no ability to commit suicide and couldn't even hold his weapon.

It must have really, really hurt.

Once he is captured alive, there will be no way he can keep the secret from Zhu Yin, a spy from later generations.

Zhu Yin's interrogation skills are probably unmatched in this ancient world. This ninja, falling into his hands, will only regret being born, and even more so, regret being a ninja.

Zhu Yin interrogated the ninja behind closed doors overnight. Using only a few methods, he managed to get the stubborn ninja to confess within half an hour.

He only wanted to die quickly.

However, the ninjas who carry out missions often have extremely limited knowledge. He was just a "Chunin," unaware of who his employer was, only knowing that a "Jonin" had dispatched him to carry out the mission.

He revealed that the "Jonin" who sent him was none other than Hattori Haruki!

However, Hattori Haruki was just a code name, not his real name. Even this Chunin didn't know Hattori Haruki's real name, and had never even seen his face.

Jonin are highly skilled ninjas, second only to the head of the main clan. They are proficient in martial arts, movement techniques, disguise, infiltration, intelligence gathering, wilderness survival, medicine and poisons, illusion techniques, and strategic planning, making them formidable.

Zhu Yin also knew that during this period in Japan, the total number of ninjas from various sects exceeded ten thousand. However, there were only a few dozen Jonin, and each of them was extraordinary.

Jonin are essentially a special type of lord, an unconventional clan. They possess small territories and castles, and control a small population, but within their own ninja villages and castles, they are absolute rulers.

According to Wu You, her master Hattori Shunju was a Chinese ninja who controlled at least one independent ninja village and possibly a ninja castle with his own estate and forests.

A ninja village is essentially an independent fortified estate, typically built in a strategically important location with numerous traps and mechanisms. Even if Zhu Yin knew Hattori Haruaki's whereabouts, as an envoy, he couldn't do anything to him.

Unless you ask Hideyoshi for help.

In Zhu Yin's view, ninjas, in essence, are similar to highly capable special agents of later generations, and they are already quite professional. It's just that due to the time difference of several hundred years, most of their skills are definitely not as good as those of Huya, whom Zhu Yin trained.

But when it comes to assassination, disguise, and illusion in a cold weapon environment, Tiger Fang is not as good as the ninja.

Many people believe that ninjas were all Japanese, but that's not true. In order to gather intelligence and complete various missions, ninjas also needed a small number of Chinese, Koreans, and even Westerners.

Hattori Haruaki was a Ming dynasty man who had been in Japan for nearly thirty years. He became a powerful ninja after marrying into the Hattori family. Zhu Yin interrogated him and learned that Hattori Haruaki, upon learning of the Ming envoy's visit, had sent assassins to kill the envoy in order to prevent peace talks and provoke a war between the two countries.

If the Ming envoy dies in Japan, it will thoroughly enrage the Ming Dynasty, and the war will become even more brutal.

It was clear that Hattori Haruaki was extremely unwilling to see any hope of a ceasefire. The reason he acted so quickly was to act before negotiations began. Moreover, he had just arrived at his lodgings, making it the easiest time to strike.

After interrogating them, the Chunin was no longer of any use, so Zhu Yin gave Xiao Hei a wink.

Xiao Hei pounced again, biting the chunin's throat with a chokehold. Since he was no longer of any use, he would simply be executed.

The black dog bit open the ninja's neck, its expression ferocious. But it dared not drink blood; this was a training regulation. Military and police dogs that drank human blood would be retired or even euthanized.

Seeing that the ninja was dying, Zhu Yin immediately bandaged his wounds and plugged the blood hole in his neck.

The dying Japanese ninja stared at Zhu Yin with a bewildered look. His last words were: "Are you crazy?"

After the ninja died, Zhu Yin suddenly stood up and shouted sternly:

"Damn it! They couldn't save him after all, we didn't even have time to get a statement!"

"Who exactly sent this person? Who is behind this? The Japanese Taiko must give us an explanation!"

Zhu Yin stormed out of the house; it was still dark. A group of people had already gathered outside, all of them Japanese managers and stewards from the establishment.

The ninja's body was also carried out, his neck bandaged, but it was all in vain.

"Envoy Ming, what bad thing has happened?" a steward asked in a trembling voice. They had been there for a while but dared not enter. They could only hear the Ming envoy scolding his attendants for their incompetence, as if they were trying to rescue an assassin inside.

Zhu Yin's face was cold and icy under the lamplight. "I was attacked in the middle of the night. Someone broke into my bedroom with the intention of assassinating me. Fortunately, I was attacked and bitten by a hunting dog. Unfortunately, I was bitten in a vital spot and bled profusely. I could not be saved."

"The assassins are all dead, and I am still completely confused. Who is the mastermind behind this attempt to kill me? I expect an explanation from you."

The steward and others quickly knelt down, "Envoy Ming, we truly know nothing! Envoy Ming, you've been so frightened..."

He kept kowtowing as he spoke.

Zhu Yin's face turned ashen. "Don't report to His Highness the Grand Secretary yet, so as not to disturb his rest. As soon as it's light, you all go into the city and report to the Grand Secretary."

"Hai! Hai!" The manager and the others, sweating profusely despite the cold weather, quickly left as if they had been granted a pardon.

After the manager and others left, the group searched inside and out again, but found no more hidden ninjas.

In truth, Zhu Yin knew that no ninjas remained hidden. Because no matter what kind of ninja they were, they couldn't escape Xiao Hei's nose at this point. Unless, of course, the ninja became colorless and odorless.

On the roof of the academy building, a falcon stood. Even a ninja's stealth techniques could hardly escape its eagle eyes.

After what happened, it will be very difficult for ninjas to infiltrate again.

Tonight, this ninja who failed has essentially blocked the path for future ninjas targeting Zhu Yin with his own defeat.

Only then did Zhu Yin feel relieved enough to call Wu You in.

Wu You, fearing recognition from acquaintances, disguised his appearance every day after arriving in Japan—an essential skill for ninjas. And today, it truly came in handy.

If she hadn't disguised herself, she would likely have been recognized by this ninja.

Zhu Yin said with a playful expression, "I never imagined that the one who sent people to kill me was your master, Hattori Haruaki. Sister, what do you think?"

Zhu Yin felt that he was also a scoundrel, having been called "sister" by his great-aunts for generations.

Wu You's face was a little pale. "Brother, you have to believe me, I absolutely didn't..."

Zhu Yin waved her hand, "That's not what I meant. You finally escaped his control and fled the ninja village, how could you collude with him to harm me? You're my sister, I believe you."

"But..." Zhu Yin looked intently at this great-great-aunt, "Is there anything you haven't told me about the ninja village and Hattori Shunju?"

"For example, who betrayed Xiushan Maru?"

Wu You met Zhu Yin's gaze, then looked away like a deer. After hesitating for a moment, she finally said, "Xiushan Maru... was betrayed by me. I'm the informant. But I..."

Zhu Yin chuckled, "So you're the little traitor. I guessed right. Why did you betray your fellow disciples?"

Wu You mustered his courage and said, "Because I need to gain Hattori Haruaki's trust. Only by gaining his trust can I learn his powerful ninjutsu. But that's not my goal. My goal is to escape..."

"Only by gaining his trust and learning powerful ninjutsu can I have a chance to escape the ninja village and return to the Ming Dynasty to find my brother... I am trying to find my brother Wu Lu."

She raised her head, looking calmly at Zhu Yin. "So I don't regret it. If I hadn't seized the opportunity to betray Xiushan Maru, I wouldn't have gained Hattori Shunju's trust, I wouldn't have been able to return to the Central Plains, and I wouldn't have met my brother..."

Hearing this, Ding Hongying, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but open her mouth, but then stopped herself from speaking.

For over a month, she and Wu You had traveled together and developed a good relationship. But who would have thought that appearances can be deceiving, and that Wu You would betray his fellow disciple?
Thinking about this, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Nobody trusts a traitor!
Zhu Yin asked, "Why do you insist on betraying Xiushan Maru? He has already persuaded his fellow disciples, and they are all preparing to take action against Hattori Shunju. Once they rebel, wouldn't you have a chance to escape in the chaos?"

Wu You shook his head and said, "It's no use. Xiushan Maru is very smart, but he underestimated Hattori Haruaki's cunning and treachery. I know that resistance will definitely fail, even if I don't inform on him, it will still fail."

"By then, everyone will die, and there's absolutely no chance of success. Hideyama Maru is too confident. He was only thirteen years old at the time, just a low-ranking ninja. What makes him think he can fight against our master? Just a bunch of kids who haven't even finished their apprenticeships yet?"

"On the contrary, my secret betrayal saved everyone. In the end, it turned out that I was the traitor, but the rebellion was nipped in the bud before it even started, and everyone survived except for the ringleader, Hideyama Maru."

"Not only did I save the lives of dozens of my fellow disciples, but I also gained Hattori Haruaki's trust and became his direct disciple, which gave me the opportunity to escape the ninja village."

"So even if my brother looks down on me for being an informant, I don't regret it. If I could do it all over again, I would still be the traitor."

Upon hearing this, Ding Hongying breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Uncle Tiger, I think Wu You makes a lot of sense. Knowing that the rebellion would fail and many of her fellow disciples would die, she might as well have betrayed them..."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Okay, your reasons are very convincing and you've convinced me."

He certainly believed Wu You. Although being an informer was dishonorable, Wu You's reasons were entirely valid.

He also believed that Hideyama-maru's resistance was bound to fail. If Hattori Haruaki were really so easy to deal with, how could a Han Chinese like him have become a Jonin in Japan and lived a carefree life for thirty years?
But who is the real identity of this mysterious ninja who sent assassins to kill him and prevent peace talks?

(End of this chapter)