Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

The cell phone's glow dimly illuminated the darkness, and the large egg trembled slightly, as if it too were saying "Goodnight."

Japan.

A Maybach stopped on the side of the road next to the Genji Heavy Industries building.

Sakura got out of the passenger seat and opened the door for Genjiro in the back seat.

The crow and the yaksha stood by the carriage door waiting. After Genji got out of the carriage, he handed the spider-cutting and the doji-cutting to the yaksha.

"How has Erii been behaving these past few days? Has she received any serum?" Genji asked.

"Tomorrow is the day for Miss's next serum injection," Crow said softly. "Miss's mood has been very stable these past few days. The head of the family has allowed her to have her own cell phone. Because you were working at the time, Young Master, we didn't notify you immediately."

"A cell phone..." Yuan Zhisheng nodded. "It's good to have a cell phone. What does she play with?"

"QQ is a chat software from China. We do not monitor the chat history of the ladies, as this falls under the scope of personal privacy. However, the data is stored in Kaguya-hime's host computer and can be retrieved at any time if needed."

“No need, don’t check her chat history,” Yuan Zhisheng said. “But keep an eye on her emotions at all times, and also, don’t let her have the opportunity to browse unhealthy websites. Have Kaguya block these websites and harmful information on the internet. We didn’t allow her to have internet access before because there are too many uncertainties on the internet. If she encounters some extreme people who cause her emotional fluctuations, it may cause her to go berserk.”

“If she can maintain a stable mood, perhaps we can consider relaxing the restrictions on her, or observe her for a while longer. If we find that her mood fluctuates, we should immediately disconnect her from the internet and notify me as soon as possible,” Yuan Zhisheng said.

“Yes, young master,” said the crow.

“Also, go and inform the general manager of Chateau Joel Robuchon to reserve a table for tonight,” Yuan Zhisheng said.

The crow noticed Yuan Zhisheng's choice of words, "Young Master, are you sure it's a reservation, not a private event?"

“Yes, reservations. Today I want to try having Erii eat at a place with more people.” Genji nodded. “But not too many people. Have them keep the number of customers under 10, and we will pay for the expenses of these 10 people. Have them prepare enough ingredients, and the standard should be the same as our usual standard.”

“Yes, young master.” Crow nodded.

"I'll go check on her. Sakura, go and rest. Yasha, wash the sword for me." Genji strode into the building, the three following closely behind.

He went straight into the elevator, while the three of them stopped outside and chatted.

“I still think we shouldn’t have given the young lady her phone,” Yaksha said. “Things on the internet are all virtual; the young lady can’t control them.”

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Sakura asked.

“But as you all know, there are all sorts of weirdos online,” Yaksha sighed. “If some idiot gets into a fight with the lady and makes her angry, we’ll be the ones who suffer. It might even lead to the destruction of Tokyo, the sinking of Japan, and everyone going to heaven, all because some fool can’t control his mouth.”

“There is indeed that risk.” Crow nodded. “But Miss is human too. Every time she runs away from home and looks so helpless, it really breaks my heart.”

"Speaking of which, how many times has Miss run away from home?" Sakura asked.

“Eight times. The first time was when she was fifteen, and the last time was last month,” the crow said. “She has improved a lot. The first time she couldn’t even reach the elevator, but last time she reached the lamppost across the zebra crossing.”

"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long." Sakura shook her head.

"Yes, it's a long and arduous journey," the crow chimed in.

Chapter 136 The Story of the Elephant

As night falls, Chateau Joel Robuchon begins serving food to guests who have made reservations for the evening.

This Michelin three-star restaurant has limited seating and usually only accepts reservations a week in advance. It is always packed with guests, and the patrons are all wealthy and powerful. Some of the most influential people in Tokyo have dined here.

But tonight, there are many empty seats, with only a handful of people sitting on the chairs. Waiters are dressed in thick white shirts and suits, and silver carts carrying wine and desserts move silently through the aisles.

The only dining table was placed by the window, while the rest were far away from the window, subtly separated from it.

I could vaguely sense that all the waiters were facing this direction, keeping an eye on the table at all times, but they didn't dare to look directly at it. They held white handkerchiefs in their hands and bowed their heads like servants.

Through the window, you can see more than a dozen black Mercedes-Benz cars parked neatly below. Men in black stand guard on the road like sentinels, and the tattoos on their arms are clearly visible, making it clear that they are gang members.

All pedestrians stay away from here, and cars will detour or cautiously try to slip away from the other side of the road.

However, only the guests by the window could see the scene downstairs. The guests inside were still enjoying their food, holding half a freshly cut lemon in their hands, gently squeezing the lemon juice onto the French foie gras sprinkled with black truffle and caviar, cutting the sweet and delicate foie gras into small pieces with silver knives and forks, and tasting it carefully with their forks.

Tonight, all the ingredients for the dishes are of a higher standard than usual. Each table is also given a complimentary bottle of Château Joel Robuchon's TBA ice wine, a 1990 Margaux, and a 1998 Petrus—all top vintages from top wineries. If you were to calculate the price, it would be more than five times more expensive than the usual menu. However, these lucky guests who won the Château Joel Robuchon "gift" didn't have to pay a single penny.

Genji tried to teach Erii how to cut beef bones. This task was usually done by the waiter, but Genji, who was skilled with a knife, grasped the essence of it after watching a few times. He always ate here by himself. He was not a refined person, but a country boy from the mountains.

He hoped that Erii could also do it herself, and that if she learned how to cut beef bones today, she could learn more in the future.

In the past, they would have the whole restaurant to themselves when they came here to eat, and there would be no outsiders in the entire restaurant. But now, they can see other customers eating next to them with just a slight turn of their head.

They were mostly young people, sitting in pairs. There were no pot-bellied middle-aged people or elderly ladies. They were mostly couples, and they looked to be between 25 and 35 years old. They were wearing designer brands, but not the most expensive ones.

These people were specially selected by Ayumu Higashijo, the general manager of Chateau Joel Robuchon, at the behest of Genjiro. They were all young people who were not very wealthy, and this free dinner would make them happy for a long time.

"Sorry, I've been very busy with work lately, so I probably won't be able to play with you for a while." Yuan Zhisheng picked a piece of meat off the beef bone, dipped it in sauce, and put it in his mouth to chew.

Erii followed suit, cutting off a piece of meat that wasn't perfectly neat, and ate it in small bites.

After finishing her meal, she took out her notebook and wrote, "Brother, shall I tell you a story?"

“Okay.” Genji smiled, picked up his wine glass and clinked it lightly with Erii’s. This child rarely talked to people as actively as she did today. Usually, if Genji didn’t ask her anything, she would just bury her head in her food, and after finishing, she would stare out the window in a daze, or take out her little toys and play with them.

Genji nodded with satisfaction. Perhaps there really is a saying that girls change a lot as they grow up. He thought to himself that he had really not cared enough about Erii in the past. Apart from occasionally playing games with her, he seemed to have done nothing else for her.

"Once upon a time, there was an elephant." Erii started drawing, using a thick pen to draw a cartoon elephant on the first page of her notebook. It looked like the work of a child of a few years old, and it was very childlike.

She drew and wrote words below, her deep rose-red pupils shining with a light different from usual.

"One day, an elephant was pooping." She drew a pile of poop behind the elephant's butt, but Genji didn't know why there was such a strange smile on the poop.

"There was a little white rabbit nearby, and the elephant asked the little white rabbit: Are you afraid of shedding your fur?" A rabbit with long ears made of simple lines appeared next to the father.

"The little white rabbit said: 'I'm not afraid,' and then the little white rabbit was caught and made to wipe its bottom."

"Haha...what a good story." Genji forced a smile, thinking to himself that when he got back he must make Kaguya strictly filter network channels and have those programmers work overtime to create an automatic identification system.

"It's not over yet, brother." Erii turned to the second page of the notebook and drew another elephant.

"The next day, the elephant was eating." Then she drew a little squirrel. "The elephant asked the squirrel: Are you afraid of shedding your fur?"

The little squirrel said: "I'm not afraid."

"Then, the elephant used the little squirrel to wipe its mouth." Erii held up the notebook and looked at Genjiro.

Yuan Zhisheng was immediately embarrassed and didn't know what to say, so he picked up his wine glass and took another sip.

But Erii was still staring at him, her eyes filled with a certain expectation.

She wrote her final words: "In the end, the little squirrel said: I am yesterday's little white rabbit."

Yuan Zhisheng couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of red wine.

Fortunately, their seats were far apart, otherwise the water might have splashed onto Erii's face.

The waiter immediately reacted, quickly clearing away the plates, changing the tablecloth, and cleaning up the area.

Erii's eyes seemed to sparkle, and a slight smile played on her lips as she looked at Genjiro. "Brother, was this story fun?"

"It is quite fun, but where did you hear that from?" Yuan Zhisheng pulled off a napkin to wipe his mouth.

If the story had come from a crow, he wouldn't have been surprised at all. At most, he would have chuckled a few times while drinking and let the crow perform the transformation of a little white rabbit into a squirrel. But to hear it from Erii's mouth, or rather, to draw it, was truly unexpected. He never imagined that such a quiet child would tell such a lame joke. At first, he thought it would be some kind of heartwarming fairy tale.

“Sakura told me these stories!” Erii pulled out her phone from her pocket, opened QQ with a show of bragging rights, and pointed to a friend’s profile picture as she spoke, “Sakura also told me a lot of other stories, I’ll tell them to my brother too!”

For the first time, Genji felt the power of "vitality" emanating from Erii. At that moment, he felt like an old father, with his daughter excitedly telling him what had happened at kindergarten that day, who had written her a love letter, and who had told her jokes to cheer her up.

Why kindergarten? Because Erii's general knowledge level might not be as good as that of a senior kindergarten student, but she is very sensitive to other people's emotions.

For the past ten years or so, it seems that Genji has always ignored Erii as a normal person, treating her only as a secret weapon, a powerful weapon to end everything when necessary.

He once had a younger brother, but his brother died, and without realizing it, Erii took his brother's place.

He couldn't help but wonder if what he had done before was really the right thing to do? Was locking Erii up too heartless?

Erii started drawing cartoons in her notebook again. She stood up and sat down next to Genji, earnestly sharing with him the stories and jokes she found funny and interesting.

Yuan Zhisheng quietly watched her draw, occasionally picking up a pen and sketching a few lines in her little notebook. Although they came to eat, they didn't touch most of the food.

It was as if he had returned to many years ago, when he and his younger brother were poking and drawing randomly on the muddy ground with twigs, getting covered in mud and filthy, and then they would go to the mountain spring to bathe.

He hesitated, wondering if he should loosen the restrictions and let Erii see the outside world.

But this is not a decision he can make alone; even if he and the elders are together, it is difficult to overcome the opinions of the majority.

Besides... the nightmares of the past...

Even after all these years, he is still haunted by nightmares in the dead of night. The line between "ghost" and "human" is very thin, and people who were once familiar become completely strangers.

But he still wanted to believe that the world was a good place.

If even those who champion justice don't believe the world is a good place, then who will?

"Does Erii want to go to school?" Genji rubbed Erii's head.

Erii stopped writing, looked up in confusion, turned to a new sticky note, and wrote, "Can I go to school?"

"I don't know if it's possible," Yuan Zhisheng said. "If it were just for one or two days a month, would you like to experience a new life at a regular high school?"

“I…don’t know…” Erii lowered her head.

Every time she ran away from home, she thought she could go very far, but once she stepped out of that room, left the enclosed house, and was exposed to the vast world and tall buildings, she became very afraid.

As cars roared past and strangers walked by, she longed to curl up in a ball and return to her own secret territory.

Even so, she still ran away from home time and time again.

"Think it over before you tell me." Yuan Zhisheng took out his phone, made a call, and a few minutes later, a waiter wearing glasses came to his table.

These are technicians brought in by the gang, who temporarily changed their clothes to avoid scaring the ordinary people eating here.

"Young Master, what name should we use?" the technician asked.

“Let’s call it Giant Tortoise, and use that as our profile picture,” said Genjiro.

"Yes." The technician nodded, changed the profile picture to a Pinta Island tortoise, returned the phone to Yuan Zhisheng, and then left.

Yuan Zhisheng asked a technician to help him install QQ and register an account.

He and Erii exchanged friend requests, and he said, "If you want to go to school, just type it here and tell me, or you can tell me next time we meet."

"Mm." Erii nodded and put her phone back in her pocket.

“Brother, this is for you.” She handed the notebook to Genjiro, which was filled with cartoon animals and contained jokes and stories she had heard from “sakura”.

"Don't you want it anymore?" Yuan Zhisheng asked.

“I have this.” She opened the QQ chat window and shook her phone.

“Okay.” Yuan Zhisheng put the notebook into his bag and said softly, “I will treasure it.”