The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"If you don't want to suffer, get up right now, test your abilities, and then call the other members of your four madmen." Ishihara Akira stopped what he was doing and looked at Xia He, who had finally regained her senses, and said.

"You want to turn all four of us madmen into your knights?" Xia He, whose mind was finally working, said with a frown.

“That’s right. It’s not just you four madmen, but also the Three Corpses, and even the entire Quanxing are in my plan. But that’s for later. For now, just call the people over for me,” Ishihara Akira said.

"Then you should first have Liu Yanyan remove the Qi-suppressing Gu from my body," Xia He said, sitting up.

"Then you should get dressed first."

Then, Ishihara Akira got up and left Xia He's room, going to the room where Liu Yanyan and Lü Liang were.

Compared to the comfort of Ishihara Akira's side, Liu Yanyan's situation was much more miserable. She dared not sleep and had nowhere to sleep, so she sat on a chair all night. As a result, when Ishihara Akira saw her, not to mention how greasy her hair was, she had dark circles under her eyes, making her look like a giant panda.

On the other hand, Lü Liang, being under surveillance, didn't have much time to think, and since he had a bed, he slept very comfortably, and his condition seemed about the same as usual.

"Go and remove the Qi-suppressing Gu from Xia He's body," Shi Yuanzhang ordered Liu Yanyan.

"Oh," Liu Yanyan responded softly, turned and left the room, heading towards Xia He's side.

……

"Lu Liang, do you know about the Double-Handed Technique?" After Liu Yanyan left, Shi Yuanzhang plopped down in the chair where Liu Yanyan had been sitting and asked Lu Liang, who was sitting obediently on the bed playing on his phone.

"Dual-wielding technique?" Lü Liang asked, puzzled.

"As its name suggests, it is meant to ensure both life and health. It is one of the eight extraordinary skills developed by Duanmu Ying, who came from Jishitang among the Thirty-Six Thieves. It is divided into the Red Hand and the Blue Hand. The Red Hand is in charge of life, which means that all life formed by the tangible Qi is under the control of the Red Hand. The Blue Hand is in charge of nature, which means that all souls and spirits transformed by the intangible Qi can be influenced by the Blue Hand."

"Does this place seem familiar?" Ishihara Akira asked with a smile.

"Blue Hands, Soul and Spirit, Soul Clarity Technique?" Lu Liang was taken aback at first, then raised his hands, looking thoughtful.

“That’s right, the Soul Clarity Technique.” Ishihara Akira nodded in affirmation. “Then do you know when your Lü family began to pass down the Soul Clarity Technique as a family skill?”

"When?" Lü Liang asked instinctively.

"It's hard to say the exact time, but I can tell you that when the Thirty-Six Thieves were active, your Lü family didn't have the ability of the Soul-Clearing Technique at all; you only had the Ruyi Force. But after that, after the Thirty-Six Thieves disappeared and were almost all killed or wounded, your Lü family gained the Soul-Clearing Technique. Don't you think that's a coincidence?" Ishihara Akira laughed.

"So what do you want to say to me?" Lü Liang vaguely understood what Shi Yuanzhang meant and said seriously.

"Click." The door opened, and Liu Yanyan and Xia He, who had already dressed again, walked into the room.

“I know how to awaken the Dual-Handed Technique, but the process is rather horrible and very painful for you. I wonder if you would be willing to try and complete your Lü family’s Soul-Clearing Technique.” Ishihara Akira didn’t hide anything from Liu Yanyan and Xia He, and spoke directly to Lü Liang.

"The Dual-Handed Technique... You're helping me like this, there must be other motives behind it, right?" Lü Liang pondered for a moment, then asked in return, as if he had already seen through everything.

“Yes. I have a purpose. I want the Dual Hands. That is to say, after you awaken, you will pass on the Dual Hands ability to me until I learn it.” Ishihara Akira did not hide anything and answered very straightforwardly.

“Teach you? If my Soul Clarity Technique is truly the Blue Hand of the Dual-Handed Technique, then obviously the Dual-Handed Technique should be a kind of innate superpower. I can't possibly turn it into a technique and teach it to others,” Lü Liang added.

“It’s alright, you just need to cooperate with me in doing some experiments.” As Ishihara Sho said this, he raised his palm, and a blue aura appeared and enveloped his palm.

"The Soul-Enlightening Technique?!" Lü Liang exclaimed in astonishment.

Chapter 286 Four Madmen

"Are you still worried that I won't be able to learn the Dual-Hand Technique?" Ishihara Akira asked with a smile, maintaining his Soul Clarity Technique state.

"Alright, now you can tell me how to awaken the Dual Hands." Lü Liang sighed silently as he looked at the blue light on Ishihara Sho's hand, then looked up and stared directly into Ishihara Sho's eyes.

“As I said before, the ‘dual perfection’ in ‘dual perfection’ refers to the perfection of both body and life. Therefore, the techniques are divided into the Blue Hand, which targets the soul and spirit, and the Red Hand, which targets the body and life. So, to awaken the Red Hand based on the Blue Hand, you need to work on your body—cut off your limbs, cut off your tongue, and even damage your ears, nose, and eyes. Then, you need to be tortured in every way. Through the transformation relationship between body and life, the condition of the body will have a reciprocal effect on your soul. Then, through the principle of the perfection of both body and life, the body will be repaired, and the power of the Red Hand will be awakened.” Ishihara Akira explained, starting with the phrase “the perfection of both body and life.”

While it may not be entirely accurate, considering that Lü Liang awakened his Red Hand after suffering in the original work, it's not too far off and should still be quite in line with the theory of the awakening of the Dual Hands.

Otherwise, Shi Yuanzhang estimated that he would have no choice but to go to Biyou Village to cause trouble for Ma Xianhong, thereby drawing out Qu Tong and obtaining the Shuangquan Hand from her...

But if that's the case, only God knows the success rate.

After all, the Dual-Handed Technique is a dual-purpose ability that protects both life and death, possessing dual capabilities targeting both the soul and the body. Meanwhile, Ishihara Sho's Heavenly Demon ability corresponds to the soul. If Qu Tong were to discover this, she wouldn't be able to harm herself, but it would be extremely difficult for her to use the Heavenly Demon Soul Devouring ability again, like she did with Obito in the Naruto world, to steal his abilities.

Because, in some ways, the dual-wielding hand really counters him.

"Is this the awakening method you were talking about?" Lu Liang asked, his face twitching after hearing Ishihara Sho's words.

If that's the case, then he'd rather not awaken.

He's not a pervert.

“Yes.” Ishihara Akira nodded.

"Do I still have the chance to refuse?" Lü Liang asked again.

"What do you think?" Ishihara Sho asked in a very kind tone.

Lu Liang remained silent for a long while before speaking again: "I can cooperate with you to try to awaken the Dual-Handed Technique, but I promised the acting sect leader to help him complete a certain task, so could we wait until I've finished the task for the acting sect leader before trying?"

"Acting Sect Leader, are you talking about Gong Qing?" Shi Yuanzhang asked with a smile.

"Yes." Lü Liang nodded.

“You can pretend he doesn’t exist now,” Ishihara Sho said calmly.

"Huh?" Lü Liang looked at him with astonishment.

"Because soon I will replace him as the acting leader of Quanxing, naturally you will no longer need to worry about him," Ishihara Akira declared.

“…Alright.” Lü Liang glanced at Ishihara Sho, but did not object and fell silent.

"Of course, I won't ask you to awaken the Dual Hands right now. After all, I have a lot of things to do and I need your cooperation. Also, I need to find a safe place to put you when you awaken. So, before all these preparations are done, you don't have to worry about being turned into a human pig by me." Ishihara Akira smiled at the silent Lü Liang.

Lü Liang remained silent, then gave a slight smirk, indicating that he understood.

……

"It's rare that you would take the initiative to summon us to meet. Is there a problem?" A few days later, in a private room of a Sichuan hot pot restaurant, Shen Chong, who looked like a refined scoundrel, looked at Xia He sitting across the table and chuckled.

"I don't know how to say it either. Let that person talk to you directly," Xia He sighed, responding with a helpless expression.

"Oh?" Shen Chong's face showed a curious expression upon hearing this.

Of course, they were still on high alert.

Although he, Xia He, Lei Yanpao, Gao Ning, and Chuan Changyao Dou Mei were known as the Four Madmen and had a close relationship with each other, he was still wary of the Quanxing members, who were all scoundrels, even though Xia He was the one who invited him.

Who knows if Xia He will one day become like the other members of Quanxing, turning into a smiling tiger and learning to stab people in the back?

Therefore, we should always keep in mind the old saying from our ancestors: "One should not have the heart to harm others, but one should not be without the heart to guard against others."

Then, the previously closed door to the private room opened, and Ishihara Akira slowly walked into the room, walked around the table, and sat down next to Xia He.

"Let me introduce you. This is Ishihara. As for his identity... well, he's my man," Xia He said, somewhat helplessly, yet with barely suppressed resentment.

"Huh? Your man?" Shen Chong asked in astonishment.

"So, Xia, you called us here today just to introduce your man to us?" Dou Mei asked with a look of surprise and gossip.

"Then congratulations, Benefactor Xia." Gao Ning put his hands together and congratulated her with a smile.

“That’s not how it is.” Xia He shook her head and corrected, “It wasn’t me, it was him who needed to talk to you.”

"Oh?" Shen Chong, Gao Ning, and Dou Mei all looked at Ishihara Sho with curious eyes.

"Gentlemen, do you know about Apocalypse?" Ishihara Akira asked the remaining three of the Four Madmen, using the same opening line as before.

"Apocalypse? You mean Emperor Apocalypse, or the mutant Apocalypse from foreign movies?" As expected of a refined scoundrel, a former university teacher, he knew a lot and smoothly picked up where Ishihara Sho left off, asking in return.

“The latter,” Ishihara Akira replied with a smile.

"Apocalypse? What does that have to do with us?" Shen Chong continued to ask with a puzzled tone.

"Yes, because I want to be the Apocalypse in reality," Ishihara Akira said seriously.

"What do you want to do?" Shen Chong pressed.

Because of his extensive knowledge, Shen Chong usually acts as the spokesperson for the four arrogant individuals, responsible for communicating and negotiating with outsiders. Only in private or during individual actions do the others have their own opinions.

For example, when using the Twelve Labors Formation, Gao Ning is the center and Shen Chong is the strategist.

It's a rather unique way of getting along.

“I want to preserve my identity,” Ishihara Sho replied.

"You want to become the leader of Quanxing Sect?" Gao Ning asked, frowning.

"Yes."

"Then do you know how to become the leader of Quanxing?" Shen Chong asked with a smile.

"I've heard Xia He mention this before. First, you need to have unique strength, even the strength to suppress any challenger. Second, you need to have deeds that everyone in Quanxing can recognize. Otherwise, even if you can get the position of sect leader, you can only be the acting sect leader, just like Gong Qing now."

"Do you meet the requirements?" Shen Chong asked.

“I have the ability, but I lack merit. However, if you are willing to cooperate with me, it won’t be too difficult to obtain enough merit,” Ishihara Akira said after thinking for a moment.

"So, the reason you had Xia He invite us here is to ask us for help?" Gao Ning suddenly realized. "Then let's talk about the matter first. If we can do it, considering that you are Xia He's husband, we don't mind lending a hand."

Chapter 287 Compromise

"Then thank you very much, Master Gao Ning," Ishihara Akira said with a smile.

"It's simple that I need your help. Do you remember Apocalypse that I mentioned before? Although my abilities are not exactly the same as Apocalypse's, I can still do the same things as Apocalypse when I meet the right people. And coincidentally, Xia He and you are the superhumans whose abilities are most compatible with mine. Therefore, I want you to become my Four Horsemen of Apocalypse and help me build the Apocalypse Legion."

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"

"The Apocalypse Legion?"

Shen Chong, Gao Ning, and Dou Mei exchanged glances, surprised.

"You want to control us?" Shen Chong then asked, his expression changing.

As a modern person who had seen that movie, he naturally knew what the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse really were. Calling them Four Horsemen was a euphemism; they were really just four brainwashed pawns!

If that's the case, they'd rather not have their abilities enhanced!

"What?" Gao Ning's expression changed upon hearing this, and he glared fiercely at Ishihara Akira.

Although Dou Mei didn't speak, her face darkened.

“If you’re willing to listen to me, I naturally won’t tamper with your consciousness. But if you’re not… then I’ll just have to nip some potential problems in the bud.” Ishihara Akira didn’t refute, and continued to look at the three of them with a calm and composed expression.

"Xia He, what do you have to say about this?" Shen Chong ignored Shi Yuanzhang and instead questioned Xia He, who hadn't said a word since the initial introduction.