157. A Mantis Stalking a Cicada—A Golden Dragon Is Not Meant for a Pond
Inside the “Pleasure Pavilion,” it wasn’t as if “human platters” were the only dining option. After the main purpose was achieved, Fukuizawa still arranged a private room for Hou Longtao, allowing him to have dinner alone with the Star Moon sisters.
“Master,” Zhiji knelt to the man’s right, pouring him a cup of green wine. She shyly presented it with both hands, “Please enjoy.”
Huiji knelt on the left, equally bashful. She picked up a piece of sashimi, dipped it in a small amount of wasabi, and placed it on the bamboo dish in front of the man, “Master, please eat.”
“I don’t eat either of these things.” Hou Longtao sat cross-legged. Although he had taken in these twins, he didn’t seem very enthusiastic. He trusted them even less than Yumi. They might pledge loyalty with their mouths, but who could guarantee they weren’t time bombs planted by Honda?
“Then… then what does Master like to eat?” Perhaps Fang Jie was telling the truth; this was the sisters’ first real experience, and they seemed unnatural.
Hou Longtao couldn’t help but smile slightly. Dressed so seductively, with such fiery figures and alluring looks, and such extraordinary experiences, yet when it came to serving a man, just accompanying him for a meal brought a shy expression to their faces, like the most innocent of girls. Was it an act? Yet there wasn’t a trace of affectation. “Don’t worry about me while eating; just eat your own food.”
“How can we do that? When we’re by Master’s side, we must serve you wholeheartedly.”
“I’m different from the kind of master you have in mind. Just stay close to me while eating, so I can pull you over for a kiss whenever I want.” Hou Longtao’s attitude towards the sisters was neutral, with both sympathy and wariness.
The meal wasn’t relaxing. Zhiji and Huiji remained restrained, and Hou Longtao couldn’t let loose either. The two girls were definitely attractive, but partly due to his own psychological state, and partly because this place couldn’t be considered safe, he believed his actions were likely being monitored. But that didn’t stop him from talking.
“Do you two want to follow me?”
The sisters looked at the man with slight surprise. Eventually, Zhiji spoke, seeming a bit more outgoing than her sister, “This… this has nothing to do with us. Your name is on that paper; we are yours. We have no say in the matter.”
“Don’t you have any thoughts of your own?” Hou Longtao truly admired the Japanese brainwashing techniques, capable of making two living, breathing young women regard themselves as objects, and even think it was natural and right. No wonder they could handle all of Taiwan, let alone a few infants.
“My thoughts?” Zhiji glanced at her sister. “We are very happy. For eighteen years, we have been waiting for this day. All our efforts and suffering have been in preparation for this day. The entire meaning of our lives lies in serving our master. Today, we finally have a master.”
To be honest, Hou Longtao was quite touched, but everything had to be viewed from both sides. He clearly recognized that these two girls would be the same to any “master,” not because he himself had anything worthy of their lifelong devotion. Moreover, after the “Yumi incident,” he was in a state of extreme caution. Even the most sincere emotions had to be verified repeatedly…
“Are you leaving?” Fang Jie saw the twin beauties walking out with Hou Longtao’s arms linked in theirs, and quickly greeted them.
“Where’s President Fukuizawa?”
“He had something to take care of and left first.”
“Is that so?” Hou Longtao smiled slightly. He could understand; the gift had been delivered, so there was no need to stay here and endure the sarcasm of this junior. “Take me back to the hotel.”
“Sure, no problem. The driver is already waiting.” Fang Jie turned to lead the way. When they returned to the underground parking lot, he looked at the three of them suggestively, “Do you need me to accompany you back?”
“No need.” Hou Longtao got into the car that Zhiji opened for him. With two celestial female slaves as companions, what was the point of having an annoying old man around?
Huiji entered from the other side of the car, sandwiching the man between her and her sister.
Fang Jie watched the car drive out of the parking lot, chuckling to himself, “Your luck has run out.”
In the car, the sisters sat very properly, heads lowered, not speaking. Honda had put a lot of effort into them. While training them to be sexually submissive, he hadn’t eliminated their sense of shame; he had even deliberately cultivated it, so they wouldn’t be as forward as prostitutes, appearing very much like girls meeting a man for the first time.
Hou Longtao liked this aspect of women. He wasn’t suited to be a slave owner. He preferred to cultivate feelings before having further physical contact with a woman. He didn’t speak either, just took the sisters’ hands, constantly turning his head from side to side, admiring their identical, beautiful faces, exquisite figures, and the alluring legs revealed by the slits in their cheongsams, causing their ears to turn slightly red…
“They’re here.” The person in the van responsible for surveillance called out. A car stopped in front of the “Westin,” and two women and a man got out.
“Kill!” The car door was suddenly pulled open, and eight masked men in black suits rushed out, wielding Japanese swords [katanas].
Zhiji and Huiji had been on either side of Hou Longtao. Upon hearing the shout, even before they turned around, their bodies began to move towards the center. When they turned completely, they were perfectly positioned to shield the man. Confirming that the attackers’ target was their master, they immediately stepped forward, “Master, run!”
This time was different from the fight on the streets of Beijing. The opponents were clearly aiming for his life. But perhaps because it was on a relatively busy street, and it was all so sudden, Hou Longtao’s mind hadn’t caught up. Moreover, he wasn’t used to women shielding him. Although he had realized the danger, he only took two steps back after turning around, frowning as he observed the situation below the steps.
As passersby began to scream and scatter, the sisters engaged the people in the front.
Zhiji sidestepped, nimbly dodging a slash, and with a swift right hand, she clamped down on the man’s wrist. Following his momentum, she twisted sharply, and her left hand caught the Japanese sword he dropped.
She then stabbed it into his stomach with a backhand motion. The entire process took less than five seconds.
Huiji was even more formidable. She jumped from the third step, clamping her legs around a black suit’s neck. Twisting her upper body, she snapped his neck with a “crack.” Then, she rolled on the ground, picked up the long sword he had dropped, knelt on one knee, gripped the hilt with both hands, and thrust it forward horizontally, splattering blood as she slashed another black suit.
In an instant, three companions had gone to the Yellow Springs [the land of the dead in Chinese mythology]. The attackers were also stunned by the fact that the assailants were two celestial beauties. In that second of hesitation, another one fell. The remaining six then charged forward with strange cries.
Zhiji and Huiji immediately brandished their swords to meet the enemy. Earlier, they had taken advantage of surprise, gaining a significant advantage. Now, in a head-on confrontation, it wasn’t so easy. Although they were still not at a disadvantage, the opponents were clearly not ordinary thugs. Others might not know, but they were experts. The opponents’ offense and defense were well-organized, not just wild hacking.
Four black suits entangled the sisters. Although they noticed the remaining one rushing towards the man on the steps with a surprised expression, they couldn’t spare the effort. “Master, run!”
Running away wasn’t new to Hou Longtao, but the situation was different now. He had never been afraid of a one-on-one fight. Moreover, since the opponents were Japanese, he couldn’t run even more. Even if he hadn’t seen that the assassin was a master, even if he had, he couldn’t retreat a single step.
The grimacing black suit had already rushed up two steps. His body suddenly froze, and a stream of blood shot out from his temple. His eyes wide open, he continued to charge forward two steps, collapsing at the target’s feet, motionless. Within seconds, a large pool of dark red blood had accumulated under his head.
Hou Longtao wasn’t a military expert, nor had he received professional training, but he had watched a lot of TV. He immediately realized that this guy had been shot, and since he hadn’t heard a gunshot, it was likely a sniper. But he didn’t have time to consider these things. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a yellow racing motorcycle rushing towards him. The person on the bike was holding the handlebars with his left hand and drawing a Japanese sword with his right.
Huiji swung her sword, forcing the approaching enemy back a bit. Turning around, she was about to protect Hou Longtao, but this exposed a flaw. The back of her left thigh was lightly slashed. If she had taken the full blow, her entire leg would have been severed. Nevertheless, it still affected her speed, and it was impossible for her to get in front of the motorcycle.
The two black suits seized the opportunity to chase after Huiji and cut her down, but they not only stopped in place but also slowly knelt down. Each of their heads had two more holes.
The motorcyclist saw that Hou Longtao was already prepared to dodge, and someone was coming to rescue him, while his other companions were either dead or injured. Knowing that he had to deliver a fatal blow, he flicked his right hand, and the long Japanese sword, like a flying dart, spun vertically towards the target like lightning.
At the same time as the long sword was released, the motorcycle swerved to the side, and the rider and the bike crashed far away, with blood spurting from two holes in the helmet.
Hou Longtao only blinked, and a circle of white light was already in front of him. He didn’t even have time to react, let alone dodge. “It’s over!”
“Master…” Huiji’s body soared into the air, leaping between the man and the flying knife.
The two could clearly hear a “clang.” The Japanese sword broke into two pieces in the air. The rear half flew in another direction, and the tip was only slightly deflected, piercing through Huiji’s chest, but now it went straight through her upper arm and pinned itself into the man’s shoulder behind her.
The force of the broken knife was extraordinarily strong. Not only did Huiji fall because she couldn’t stop her sideways momentum in the air, but Hou Longtao was also knocked backward.
The only two remaining black suits were already struggling to hold on. At this moment, they had no mood to continue fighting. Leaving Zhiji behind, and ignoring their heavily injured comrades, they fled back to the van and sped away. From the start to the end of the assassination, it took less than three minutes.
Zhiji rushed up the steps, not bothering to look at her sister, and knelt beside Hou Longtao, “Master, Master, how are you?”
“Hiss…” Hou Longtao sat up, pinched the blade, and pulled the knife tip embedded in his left shoulder, “I’m fine, go check on Huiji.”
“I… it’s just a minor injury…” Huiji also got up, but could only kneel on one knee. She had been too anxious to save him just now, not caring about her own injuries. Now that there was no immediate danger, she immediately felt the discomfort in her leg.
“Hmm…” Zhiji suddenly groaned in pain, reaching behind her back, not knowing when she had been grazed by an opponent.
Just then, wailing police cars turned out from the street corner…
“Mr. Hou, I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Fukuizawa personally picked Hou Longtao up from the police station. As the victim, he was treated for his wounds and gave a statement. Although there were many suspicious points about the incident, they couldn’t do anything to him.
“What about the sisters?”
“Our people have already taken them away.” Fang Jie also looked worried.
“Will they be okay?”
“Don’t worry, the president has already spoken to the chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He was also at the place you went to today. He can take care of this kind of thing. Let’s talk in the car.”
“Do you know who it was?” After confirming that the twins were okay, Hou Longtao should also inquire about his own problem.
“I don’t know. None of the dead have a criminal record, and the injured are tight-lipped.”
“If you don’t know who it was, then you don’t know why, right?”
“Maybe it’s related to the negotiations we’re about to start.”
“Hmph, it’s like this before it even starts. If it starts, will I even survive?”
“This is our mistake,” Fukuizawa was also a little scared. If he had really died, he wouldn’t have been able to explain it to IIC [International Industrial Corporation]. “For your future safety, it’s best not to stay in a hotel. I’ve arranged a new residence for you.”
The car drove into a large, detached house on the outskirts of Tokyo. There were guards at the gate, and bodyguards with German Shepherds patrolled the yard. The hall of the huge villa also had a dozen bodyguards with knives.
“This place has the most advanced electronic monitoring equipment. Every corner of the yard and the corridors of the villa are under control, but there are no surveillance cameras in the rooms, so it won’t affect your life. The monitoring room is in the corner of the third floor. They use radios to communicate with the outside world. Unless there’s danger, they usually won’t come out to disturb you. The maids’ rooms are also on the third floor. If you need anything, just let them know.”
“What about the sisters?” Hou Longtao wasn’t very concerned about other things.
“Come with me.” Fang Jie led the way to a room on the second floor. “They’re resting inside. Your bedroom is across from it.”
“Okay, okay, you guys go first. Send someone to pick me up for the negotiations the day after tomorrow.” Hou Longtao gently pushed open the door. Zhiji and Huiji were lying on two beds in the room, both wearing thin nightgowns, chatting by the bedside. Zhiji’s waist, Huiji’s left upper arm, and left thigh were bandaged. Their complexions were still good, so it seemed they had suffered minor external injuries.
As soon as the sisters saw that it was Hou Longtao, they immediately got out of bed, their faces full of concern. Zhiji was a little better, but Huiji limped as she walked over, “Master…”
Hou Longtao quickly greeted them, opened his arms, and pulled the beautiful twins’ slender waists into his embrace. Tilting his head, he kissed Zhiji’s lips, naturally sending his tongue into her mouth. After kissing for a while, he turned to Huiji’s sweet mouth as she buried her face in his neck, panting softly.
“Hmm… Brother Tao, it’s… it’s all my fault that you were injured,” Huiji extended her tender tongue, gently licking the man’s neck, “I didn’t protect you well.”
“Don’t be silly,” Hou Longtao embraced the sisters back onto the bed. For people who could risk their lives to save him, what psychological barriers could he still have? Although there was a chance that they were in cahoots with the mysterious sniper, playing a sympathy trick on him, he wasn’t completely innocent of doing such things himself. But he now subjectively wanted to believe that they were truly loyal to him. “Does your wound still hurt?”
“It’s already fine.” Zhiji and Huiji simultaneously rested their heads on the man’s shoulder, their faces full of happy smiles. The restraint they had at the beginning was swept away. After going through life and death together, everything was so natural.
“I’ll give you a gift.” Hou Longtao got up, took out the “contract of sale” from his pocket, and tore it in half. “From now on, you are no longer anyone’s slaves.”
“Ah!” The sisters didn’t react with the joy that the man had imagined. Instead, they were shocked, and tears welled up in their eyes. With a “thump,” they both knelt at his feet, grabbing his pant legs. “Master, are you still unwilling to take us?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Hou Longtao quickly pulled the women up. “If you want to be with me, I want you because you have feelings for me, not because of a piece of paper. I destroyed it, so you are no longer bound by anything. If you want to stay by my side, then stay. Whenever you want to leave me, you can leave freely.”
“Master,” Huiji looked at the man with tearful eyes. “My sister already said that the entire meaning of our lives lies in serving our master. If we leave you, we will lose our value. If you are good to us, that is our blessing, and we are grateful from the bottom of our hearts. If you like to beat, scold, and abuse us, we will have no complaints and will still be loyal to you, as long as you are willing to let us serve you.”
Hou Longtao gently wiped the cheeks of the two girls with his thumb. “Don’t cry anymore. I will be good to you.”
Zhiji and Huiji both smiled through their tears, wanting to hug the man tightly, but they still didn’t dare to be too presumptuous, only holding his hand.
“Don’t call me Master in the future. I’m not used to it,” Hou Longtao squeezed the girls’ warm hands, suddenly feeling that encountering danger today was still quite worthwhile. “Call me Brother Tao. I don’t treat you as servants, and I don’t want you to treat yourselves as servants.”
“Then… then how can we do that? You and we are, after all, master and servant. How can we directly call you by your name?”
“You’re still loyal to me, and you dare not listen to my first order?”
“Brother Tao,” Zhiji was still a little more flexible than her sister. She shook the man’s arm. “It’s already so late. Let us serve you to rest.”
Hou Longtao watched as two glows climbed onto the girls’ beautiful faces and immediately understood what she meant. “Your sister hasn’t called me yet.”
“Ah! Brother Tao,” Huiji pressed her forehead on the man’s shoulder, her voice also very soft. “I… I’ll help you take off your clothes.”
“Hehe,” Hou Longtao’s hands went around the backs of the two sisters, squeezing their round, upturned buttocks through the thin nightgowns. Then, he pressed Zhiji down on the bed, kissed her forehead, and turned to settle Huiji. “You two go to sleep obediently. We’ll do everything after you’ve recovered from your injuries.”
“Don’t you want us to sleep with you?”
“Hahaha,” Hou Longtao laughed loudly because he saw the same expression on the sisters’ faces as when he first “rejected” Xue Nuo. “You’re anxious now, but there will be times when you’ll be crying and begging me to stop. Hehe, besides, you can’t possibly sleep with me every day, or my dozen tigers at home will tear you alive.”
Zhiji and Huiji looked at each other, not quite understanding what the man meant.
“There are too many things you don’t know. Get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll chat slowly tomorrow.” Hou Longtao finished speaking, turned around, opened the door, and left the room…
At 1:00 AM, Fang Jie drove his car to a railway bridge. After waiting for a few minutes, another car drove under the bridge from the opposite direction. The power window was lowered, revealing a middle-aged Japanese man inside.
“Mikawa-kun, yesterday’s matter… why were so many people involved?”
“That Hua Lang betrayed us. The president is furious about this.”
“Ah? How could that be?”
“I received an email from Hua Lang this afternoon, saying that he would not fulfill the contract. The deposit has been transferred back to the designated account, and he warned us to abandon the plan.”
“Why… why?” This was too unexpected for Fang Jie. It was unbelievable that a world-renowned professional killer would do such a thing.
“He didn’t say why. The president couldn’t tolerate the other party’s breach of contract, let alone his threat, so he decided to proceed as planned. But time didn’t allow for finding a new professional killer, so the president asked me to contact the San Kou Group.”
“The San Kou Group! The president even used the San Kou Group?” Fang Jie knew that it was the strongest underworld organization in the Tokyo area, one of the best in Japan.
“The San Kou Group’s leader, San Kou Longhuang, sent all nine of his bodyguards, but only two returned. The old man is also furious and has already vowed to kill Hua Lang.”
“Whether Hua Lang dies or not doesn’t have much impact on us. The main problem now is to find a way to get rid of Hou Longtao.”
“Doesn’t the president know that? He wants me to ask you, if Hou Longtao dies from exhaustion on a woman, and that woman was found by Honda to relieve his boredom, what would Xu Ruyun’s attitude towards Honda be?”
“Is that possible?”
“Whether it’s possible or not is not your concern. You just need to deduce Xu Ruyun’s reaction.”
“Hahaha.” Fang Jie smiled sinisterly. If it were true, then it would be too good to be true… (A Golden Dragon Is Not Meant for a Pond)