Lu Mingfei doesn't want to be a superhero

Most shrines are built on mountains, and there is a long path called "Sando" between the torii gate and the main hall. However, there is not enough space in a building, so the first thing you see when you enter a shrine is the torii gate, and behind the torii gate is the building.

Lu Mingfei followed Sakura inside. Before entering the main hall, Sakura presented him with a copper basin filled with water. Lu Mingfei washed his hands and rinsed his mouth; this was the "hand-washing ceremony" before visiting the shrine.

After Lu Mingfei and Genji performed the hand-washing ceremony, Sakura bowed and left, and Lu Mingfei followed Genji into the main hall.

The main hall was exceptionally spacious, with a huge curtain hanging inside. Under the curtain were eight small tables, each with a different long sword. The hilts of the swords were decorated with eight different family crests in gold. A person was kneeling in front of seven of the long tables, while only one was empty.

Upon seeing Lu Mingfei enter, six of them stood up and bowed, while only one red-haired girl with a black veil covering her face remained unmoved, her red and white shrine maiden dress blending seamlessly into the shrine setting.

“Lu-kun, let me introduce you…” Genji walked to the seven people and introduced them, “This is Mr. Ryoma Genichiro, the head of the Ryoma family. Mr. Ryoma Genichiro is the current head of the Japanese branch.”

The long sword on the table behind the head of the Ryoma family has a magnificent horse's head depicted on the hilt, undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman. The horse seems ready to leap into reality at any moment. However, in contrast to the magnificent horse's head, the head of the Ryoma family looks like a man experiencing a midlife crisis. He is dressed in an impeccable suit, and despite being of mixed race, he is balding. He has no energy or spirit. If he were to play a corporate slave in a TV series, he might win several acting awards.

“The head of the Inuyama family, Mr. Inuyama He. Mr. Inuyama He was the first branch manager. The Tamamo-no-Mae Club that hosted you yesterday is an Inuyama family property,” said Genjiro.

The white-haired head of the Inuyama family looked very kind, and his smile was warm and cheerful: "I was supposed to personally greet you last night, but if an old man like me with a face full of wrinkles suddenly squeezed into a place full of beautiful girls, it would probably spoil everyone's mood, so I postponed the meeting until today. Please forgive me."

"The head of the Sakurai family, Ms. Sakurai Nanami, also serves as the inspector of the Japanese branch." Genji introduced the only woman among those who stood up and bowed, while the other woman remained seated, her hands tucked into the wide sleeves of her shrine maiden skirt.

The head of the Sakurai family was surprisingly a stunning young woman. Although she dressed conservatively, her suit skirt couldn't hide her curvaceous figure, and the thick-rimmed, dark red glasses on her face made her bare face look like she was wearing makeup.

"Mr. Fuuma Kotaro, the head of the Fuuma family and the 'young leader' of the Snake-Headed Eight Families, makes all the family affairs when the patriarch is away," said Genjiro. Although he said that, in reality, he had been the de facto leader in recent years when the patriarch was not around, but he did not like this feeling.

The head of the Fuma family was the only one present who resembled a member of the underworld. This elderly man, dressed in a black kimono, looked as if he had been forged from refined iron, his gaze as cold and sharp as a knife. Standing before him felt like having a knife pointed at your brow. But his name seemed to belong to a famous figure from Japan over four hundred years ago. I wonder what he was thinking when he chose that name; wasn't he afraid of feeling embarrassed?

“Next is me,” Genjiro pointed to himself, “I am the head of the Genji family.”

Lu Mingfei was somewhat surprised: "I didn't expect that you, Senior Brother Yuan, would become the head of the family at such a young age. I thought the head of the family would be an elder in your family."

The expressions of all the family heads present changed slightly, except for the red-haired female family head whose face was covered by a black veil; no one could tell that her expression had changed.

Yuan Zhisheng was silent for a moment before explaining, "I am currently the only member of the Yuan family."

Lu Mingfei paused for a moment before realizing what Yuan Zhisheng meant, and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Yuan..."

“It’s alright,” Genji shook his head and introduced the head of the family, who was kneeling in place and dressed in a shrine maiden’s outfit, “This is the head of the Uesugi family, Uesugi Erii. She is not very good at socializing and cannot speak. Please forgive her for any rudeness, Mr. Ji.”

The head of the Uesugi family looked up at Lu Mingfei, giving him a respectful look, which could be considered a greeting.

"Eri!" Tachibana Masamune, dressed in white linen, scolded in a low voice, "You must be polite to our distinguished guests!"

The head of the Uesugi family blinked, took out a small notebook from his sleeve, wrote something for a while with his head down, and then held it up: "Hello."

Lu Mingfei blinked, thinking to himself that this girl didn't seem very smart.

Moreover, he is disabled and cannot speak, which is somewhat pitiful.

Lu Mingfei was somewhat troubled. This was the first time in his life that he had interacted with a disabled person, and he didn't know how to greet the female head of the family. He couldn't help but scratch his head. Suddenly, he noticed that the Uesugi family head's gaze had changed and she was staring intently at his left side.

Lu Mingfei looked down and realized that because he had reached up to scratch his head, he had stretched his clothes, causing the Angewomon figure that he had previously managed to hide in his shirt pocket to have its head sticking out.

The head of the Uesugi family focused his gaze on the head of Angewomon peeking out of his pocket.

Chapter 135: Livening Up the Atmosphere (laughs)

Genji Heavy Industries, at the Awakening Temple.

Lu Mingfei looked down at the Angewomon figure sticking out of his pocket, then at the Uesugi family head staring intently at it.

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Mingfei took the figurine out of his pocket and tentatively moved it to the left.

The head of the Uesugi family turned his head in the direction the figure was moving.

Lu Mingfei raised the figurine upwards.

The head of the Uesugi family looked up.

Lu Mingfei moved the figurine down, and the head of the Uesugi family also lowered his head.

Lu Mingfei pulled the figurine behind him again, and the head of the Uesugi family leaned forward slightly.

"Cough cough!" Yuan Zhisheng coughed forcefully twice.

Lu Mingfei then noticed that all the other family heads present were staring at him with rather unfriendly eyes.

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat—oh no, he almost forgot that this seemingly not very bright girl was also one of the highest-ranking members of the Snake Clan.

"Won't these people think I'm some kind of rude jerk trying to provoke them?" Lu Mingfei thought to himself, a little uneasy.

No, I have to do something to make up for it!

So Lu Mingfei rushed forward and handed the Angewomon figure to the Uesugi family head with both hands: "Here you go!"

He bought it cheaply anyway, so he wouldn't feel bad giving it away. Besides, judging from the expressions and looks of the other family heads, he was really worried that he wouldn't be able to leave this house alive if he didn't "spend money to avoid trouble".

The head of the Uesugi family stared at Lu Mingfei for a few seconds, his gaze falling on the Angewomon figure. He raised his hand slightly, but quickly lowered it again, turning his head to look at the last old man who had not yet been introduced.

Tachibana Masamune glanced at Lu Mingfei, his eye twitching slightly. He took a deep breath before saying, "Eri, since it's a gift from an honored guest, please accept it."

Erii quickly reached out and took the Angewomon figure, stuffing it into the wide sleeve of her shrine maiden outfit. Then she wrote something in her notebook and showed it to Lu Mingfei: "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he was glad he had gotten away with it.

Erii then lowered her head and began to scribble on the notebook, making a "scratching" sound, and she did so for a long time without stopping.

“Ahem,” Genjiro coughed lightly, “This last gentleman is Mr. Tachibana Masamune, the head of the Tachibana family and also the head of the Snake-Headed Eight Families.”

"It's a pleasure to meet such an outstanding young man as you, Mr. Lu Mingfei. Welcome to Japan," said Tachibana Masamune, dressed in a white linen suit, as he smiled and shook hands with Lu Mingfei. "Please give my regards to Principal Angers."

Lu Mingfei wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like he could see a "#" on the old man's forehead.

However, upon closer reflection, Lu Mingfei had to admit that he had indeed been a bit too presumptuous. Although the Uesugi family head opposite him seemed to be just a not-so-bright girl, she was, after all, one of the most esteemed members of the Snake-Headed Eight Families. Especially in terms of Japanese culture, his actions could even be considered an insult to the dignity of the Snake-Headed Eight Families. The fact that the family heads were still polite and courteous to him was already a testament to their good manners.

Damn it, have I been assimilated by Tony? Lu Mingfei silently cursed himself.

Having just teased the head of the Uesugi family, which had made the atmosphere a bit tense, Lu Mingfei felt it was time to lighten the mood.

That's right! Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. He remembered that the principal had said that he was very prestigious in the Japanese branch back then, and after he came to Japan, many people had indeed mentioned the principal. There was even a head of the Inuyama family in front of him who was the principal's student when he was young.

This shows that the principal must have a very good reputation in the Sheqi Bajia family. Talking to them about the principal might ease the atmosphere.

“Mr. Tachibana, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I will convey my greetings to the principal,” Lu Mingfei said warmly, shaking Tachibana Masamune’s hand. “It seems that everyone in the Japanese branch has a good relationship with the principal.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingfei felt as if the surroundings had fallen silent for a few seconds, with only the rustling sound of the Uesugi family head writing continuing.

After a few seconds of silence, Tachibana Masamune's smile remained unchanged: "Yes, yes, the Snake Clan of yesteryear was fortunate to have the principal's care. It was out of respect for Principal Angers that we joined the academy and became its Japanese branch."

The principal has such good connections in Japan? No wonder he's a legendary dragon slayer who's been active for nearly a century! Lu Mingfei couldn't help but marvel at this.

After introducing all the family heads, Genjiro sat down at the last empty table. A low table was placed in front of Tachibana Masamune, and Lu Mingfei sat down opposite him. On the table was a charcoal stove, and on the stove sat a Kansai iron kettle. The kettle was dark and heavy, with the upper half resembling a durian covered in countless blunt spikes, and the lower half was carved with a red-faced, long-nosed tengu, its wings spread and flying in the flowing clouds and flames.

The charcoal fire glowed the bottom of the kettle red-hot, and the tengu's face and the edges of its wings glowed with a flickering light. The water was about to boil. A gentle breeze blew, and the water in the kettle gurgled. From this height, one could see directly onto the surface of Tokyo Bay, with white sails dotting the water under the sunlight.

"Is this Japanese tea ceremony?" Lu Mingfei asked excitedly. It was the first time he had ever witnessed Japanese tea ceremony in real life. In Tony's world, he usually went out with Tony, who preferred parties and strong liquor and wasn't particularly interested in anything quiet and elegant. So Lu Mingfei had never experienced Japanese tea ceremony before.

Tachibana Masamune nodded: "If we have nothing to offer our distinguished guests, let's have the Japanese tea ceremony."

Lu Mingfei glanced subconsciously at the Sakurai family head and the Uesugi family head—based on his experience watching anime, shouldn't a beautiful woman be serving tea at this time?

To his disappointment, neither of the two family heads made any move to get up; it seemed that the person who would greet him was the tall old man in front of him.

Damn it! What kind of tea ceremony is a Japanese tea ceremony without beautiful girls?!

No, now is not the time to expect a pretty girl to serve tea. Lu Mingfei looked around and found that the other family heads were still not looking at him very friendly. This proved that his attempt to liven up the atmosphere by using the principal was not very effective and he needed to continue to work hard.

If we keep trying... how about we chat about everyday things? Lu Mingfei silently made his decision.

He immediately noticed something—Tachibana Masamune's accent had some Russian characteristics.

In Tony's world, Lu Mingfei not only receives Tony's instruction but also interacts with other scholars. Therefore, he specifically learned some common languages, such as Russian, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese. However, he learned Japanese mainly to make it easier to watch anime, and he learned Portuguese so that he could visit Xiaotiannv's mother's house later.

Because of the power of words, although he didn't put too much effort into language learning, Lu Mingfei still managed to learn several languages ​​at a native-speaker level. As a result, he was proficient in Japanese and Russian and keenly noticed that Tachibana Masamune's Japanese accent had Russian accents. This meant that he learned Russian earlier than he learned Japanese, and that Russian was his true mother tongue. That's why he brought his Russian accent into his Japanese.

Moreover, although Tachibana Masamune has pure black eyes and his every move carries a strong Japanese flavor, his straight nose, deep-set eyes, and sharply defined facial features are not typical of Asians. He looks more like a mixed-race person of white and yellow race.

Therefore, Lu Mingfei guessed that he was probably of Japanese and Russian descent and had lived in Russia for a long time.

Now we have something to talk about!

“Mr. Ju, judging from your accent, did you live in Russia for a long time?” Lu Mingfei asked.

After a moment of silence, Tachibana Masamune said, "I am only half Japanese and half Russian. I lived in Russia until I was thirty, and then I came to Japan to return to my family."

Of everyone present, except for the head of the Uesugi family who was still writing something with the seriousness of a model student, everyone showed a surprised expression, even those who seemed stern and unsmiling, such as Fuuma Kotaro and Genjiro.

They exchanged glances, conveying their thoughts through their eyes.

Most family heads' first reaction was—this S-rank is indeed up to no good. They've only just met, and they already want to question Mr. Ju's legitimacy as the family head based on his bloodline and background?

But soon, many family heads secretly sneered.

Indeed, logically speaking, a person with half Russian blood would not be suitable to be the supreme leader of a Japanese mixed-race family. However, everyone has seen what the patriarch has done for the Snake-Headed Eight Families, and no one dares to challenge his prestige. Merely being of Japanese-Russian descent is not enough to shake the patriarch's prestige. This S-rank is too naive.

However, Tachibana Masamune really didn't want to discuss this issue in depth with Lu Mingfei, since it wasn't something to brag about for the head of the Snake Clan to have Russian blood.

Just then, the water in the kettle boiled, and Tachibana Masamune seized the opportunity to change the subject, saying, "The water is boiling, let me serve tea to our guests."

Lu Mingfei sighed in disappointment—as expected, it wasn't a pretty girl who came to pour the tea.

Unaware of Lu Mingfei's thoughts, Tachibana Masamune picked up the iron kettle, poured boiling water into the teacup, and then discarded it. This was the standard procedure in Japanese tea ceremony; the first infusion of hot water was merely for warming the teacup. Next, he used a wooden tea scoop to add two spoonfuls of tea powder to the teacup, then took a large spoonful of hot water from the kettle, preparing to pour it into the teacup…

At this moment, Lu Mingfei suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Ju, I'm very curious about the principal's affairs in Japan. Could you tell me about them?"

Lu Mingfei's idea was simple. He could tell that Tachibana Masamune didn't want to delve into the topic of Russia, so he wanted to steer the conversation back to the principal. He was also genuinely curious about what the principal had done in Japan back then, and having the other family heads tell heartwarming stories of the principal's friendship with the Snake-Headed Eight Families would help to bring him closer to the family heads.

But unexpectedly, Tachibana Masamune's hand trembled, and the hot water spilled outside the bowl.

The other family heads looked at Lu Mingfei with deep, unsettling eyes—was he here to provoke them? This guy was definitely here to provoke them!

Seeing that Tachibana Masamune had spilled water, Lu Mingfei kindly picked up a towel from the side and helped wipe it up.

Tachibana Masamune quickly apologized: "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lu."

"It's alright, it's alright. It's normal for an elderly person's hands to tremble a little sometimes. After all, people like the principal, who are over a hundred years old and still more energetic than young people, are extremely rare," Lu Mingfei said.

Tachibana Masamune took a deep breath and said nothing more.

To the other family heads, Lu Mingfei's words clearly implied that their patriarch was far inferior to Angers, so they looked at Lu Mingfei with even more hostility.

Just as the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence again, someone no one expected broke the silence.

The head of the Uesugi family, whose face was veiled in black, suddenly stood up and walked in front of Lu Mingfei, his red hair and the wide sleeves of his shrine maiden robes swaying slightly.

She took the small notebook from which she had been writing something, tore off a piece of paper, and handed it to Lu Mingfei.