Tokyo Wrestler

Win-win!

A world where only the three injured were born.

Aoi Suige continued:

"You can ask Old Man Shicun about the specifics when you have time, and discuss with him how to maximize your reputation and financial gains."

“Mm,” Sett replied.

However, upon hearing the other party mention the butler, Ishimura Taro...

Sett's mind immediately flashed back to the miraculous skill of the elderly samurai Ishimura Kojiro, who had severed the finger of the Gold Tooth deputy leader with a single, seemingly instantaneous strike.

Sett could no longer contain his curiosity and asked:

"Was that old man with the katana earlier the butler's brother?"

Chapter 20: Is it still you, the son of a coward who doesn't even dare to show your true form?

“Yes.” Aoi Soe’s red lips parted, and she asked in return, “Doesn’t it look much like it?”

"They don't look that alike... the butler seems younger than him," Sett replied truthfully.

Although the butler, Ishimura Taro, had graying temples, his beard was neatly trimmed every day, and his gentlemanly short hair parted in a 3/7 ratio made him look quite energetic; but the elderly samurai, Ishimura Kojiro, was completely different. He had a very long beard and his long hair was tied up at the back of his head. Although he was also graying, judging from his aged appearance, he seemed to be much older.

However, based on their names, Ishimura Taro clearly means the eldest son in the family, and Kojiro needs no further explanation, which is why Sett was able to guess their relationship based on their names.

Because "Tarou" is the name of an ancestor of the Japanese people, the eldest son is not named Tarou, but "Taro".

He's not surnamed Wu, he's the old man who drinks medicine every day...

Upon hearing Sett's question, Aoi Soe seemed to recall for a moment before replying:

“Indeed, Fourth Master… Ishimura Kojiro may look old, but he is actually nearly ten years younger than Ishimura the Elder.”

She casually called Ishimura Kojiro "Fourth Master"... but then her expression dimmed slightly, and she changed her address to his name.

Although the change in expression was fleeting, Sett noticed it keenly.

There's a story... Sett didn't gossip recklessly, but instead responded with surprise, "Ten years old? I thought they were the same age."

“Yes.” Aoi Suige pulled out another slender women’s cigarette, dangling it over her red lips, and fumbled for a lighter beside the seat… but couldn’t find one after searching for a long time.

Sett noticed at a glance that her full hips were covered by the hem of her trench coat.

Sett then reached into the flesh with one hand, pulled out the lighter, and handed it to Aoi Soe.

The latter accepted it without saying thank you.

ignition.

After exhaling a few puffs of smoke, amidst the gray haze and the starlight outside the window, Aoi Soe suddenly turned to Seir and asked:

Do you believe there are places in this world where aging can be accelerated?

At first, I didn't believe it, but after experiencing my half-beast heart and data-driven abilities firsthand these past few days...

Adding to that the methods used by the elderly samurai Ishimura Kojiro just now were clearly not those of an ordinary person... I'm increasingly sensing that this world is extraordinary...

Sett nodded seriously and said:

"I believe."

"Haha!" Aoi Soe suddenly burst into laughter, seemingly amused by Sett's sincere yet dazed appearance. She teased:

"If I had recorded what you were doing just now, I would have said it. You looked so stupid and dazed. How could anyone in the world actually believe in such superstitious things? It's hilarious."

Just like she was more than a decade ago.

Immediately afterwards, Aoi Soe stubbed out the cigarette she had only taken two puffs of, sat up straight, her full headlights appearing even more prominent, and on a whim, she said:

"Since that's the case, I'll just say it to you casually."

"But... team leader, we should be arriving soon..." the secretary with the flying hat reminded him quietly.

Aoi Suige's phoenix eyes suddenly sharpened, and he shouted, "Stop the car and get out to wait!"

"Hey!" The secretary with the flying hat hurriedly stopped the car, scrambled out of the driver's seat, and stood outside. He quickly returned to normal and began to diligently stand guard—clearly, he was deliberately avoiding the situation.

The other six black sedans belonging to the Qinghe group also pulled over to the side of the road.

Aoi Soe's expression softened slightly. She glanced at Sett and asked, "Want to hear more?"

"Yes," Sett replied sincerely.

Aoi Soe laughed heartily, her powerful aura vanishing instantly.

The differential treatment should not be too obvious.

She thought for a moment and said:

"That probably happened when I was thirteen. I was in middle school then, carefree, singing karaoke every day, teaching hooligans a lesson, collecting protection money from the surrounding schools... Haha, I'm getting off-topic."

"One day I came home from school and found that my father, who was the leader of the Qinghe Group at the time, was preparing to go on a long trip."

"To this day, I still don't know exactly where my father went on that trip, but he took almost all of the main force of the Qinghe Group with him, leaving only a few core members such as Old Master Shicun to barely keep the Qinghe Group running."

Aoi Soe's thoughts drifted back to her middle school days.

She continued:

"Half a month later, Father returned, but he only brought back thirteen people with him!"

"How many main members did your Qinghe Group have back then?" Seti interjected.

"Aside from the countless outsourced personnel scattered throughout the Nerima Ward, the core force that my father took away at the time numbered at least a hundred," Aoi Soe replied.

Only thirteen out of a hundred people returned? What kind of hellish place did they go to...? Sett exclaimed, "That's a huge loss. Wouldn't your Qinghe Group have been severely weakened back then?"

Aoi Suige shook his head and said, "No, quite the opposite. It was from then on that the Aohara Group truly reached its peak, a peak that I could never reach even if I devoted my entire life to it."

Sett: ? ? ?

Ignoring Sett's surprise, Aoi Soe continued:

"When my father came home, I immediately noticed that he looked more than ten years older. His face was lined with many more wrinkles, and his once sharp eyes, which were almost unbearable to look at, now held a gentler, more aged quality..."

"Not only that, the thirteen people who came back with him were all aged to varying degrees, and the guns in their hands had turned into all sorts of strange weapons... For example, Ishimura Kojiro, who was originally a skilled gunman, suddenly came back with a samurai sword."

"And then there's Aunt Mei, the only woman among those thirteen. She's also become superstitious, constantly muttering about ghosts and gods. This old woman who's been a master of killing thousands of men has actually taken a liking to the shrine maiden's outfit that symbolizes purification and purity, and she wears it every day to look pretty."

"But without exception, everyone's combat power has become extremely strong."

The image of an old woman with a face full of wrinkles wearing a witch's outfit... Sett got goosebumps just imagining it.

Then Sett asked, "So, Ishimura Kojiro's swordsmanship, which was almost like teleportation, was learned from that mysterious place?"

"It should be," Aoi Soe nodded and said.

"However, Kojiro Ishimura's situation is rather special, I'll explain it later."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "In the following years, the Qinghe Group grew stronger and stronger, almost dominating half of the Tokyo yakuza... Oh, back then, the Tokyo yakuza were not as complicated as they are now. Whoever had the biggest fist was the boss, and expansion relied entirely on force. Therefore, the Qinghe Group was virtually invincible at the time."

"...but the good times didn't last long."

Aoi Soie paused for a moment, then said:

"My father died suddenly from illness at that time."

"After his death, the rapidly expanding Qinghe Group was naturally leaderless and began to split from within, falling into chaos."

"The other groups that had been oppressed by the Qinghe Group also took this opportunity to unite and resist. They not only forced the Qinghe Group back to the Nerima Ward, but also threatened to destroy the Qinghe Group."

Recalling the darkest moments of that year, she looked down and reached for a cigarette again.

He hesitated for a long time, but didn't light it. Instead, he looked up at the stars outside the window, opened his mouth, but didn't reminisce about the past. Instead, he sighed:

"Yes, my father died too young, leaving me, who was only seventeen at the time, with such a mess in the Qinghe Group."

Outside the window, the endless stream of vehicles, their dazzling lights mingling with the silvery moonlight, quietly fell upon Aoi Suige.

Sett turned his head to look at her cold and beautiful profile.

The woman standing before him, with her dark skin and big headlights, no longer seemed like a powerful woman leading a gang, but rather a fragile woman who had endured immense pressure since childhood.

Sett didn't know how to comfort him, so he just replied:

"Is that so? My dad was in a similar situation. He was heavily in debt and ran away, leaving my mom, sister, and me to depend on each other and work hard to pay off the debts."

"Heh, then we're in the same boat," Aoi Soe said with a self-deprecating laugh as she turned around.

He then fell silent.

The two suddenly fell into an awkward silence.

The car belonging to the Qinghe Group was very well soundproofed; you couldn't hear the roar of traffic outside. All you could hear were Sett and Aoi Soe's soft breathing.

Finally, Sett was the first to speak and ask:

"What about Kojiro Ishimura?"

Aoi Suige also answered accordingly:

"His... after his father's death, the thirteen men who once dominated the Tokyo yakuza also died one after another... but with their help, like the last rays of their dying breath, I finally managed to get the Seiwa Group back on its feet in Nerima Ward."

Of those thirteen people, only Ishimura Kojiro is still alive.