What a miscalculation!

Night was as dark as ink.

On the streets of Sakura Country, hundreds of figures dressed in ninja attire moved swiftly in groups of three or five across multiple directions, as if searching for something.

At that moment, Qin Chuan, who was healing his wounds in a hotel, was unaware that when Yagyu Kōjun had chased after him, he had already reported his coordinates to the family. However, the final location where the signal vanished was none other than that old house.

The Yagyu family ninjas who rushed over failed to find any trace of Yagyu Kōjun. Soon, however, some of them deduced from the scene that their ancestor had engaged in a fierce battle here.

"These sword marks were left by the ancestor's unique killing technique."

"And these broken blades... they look like the ancestor's sword!"

"It really is! In this world, who on earth possesses such strength to snap the ancestor's sword?"

The few ninjas searching the scene all gasped in horror. They could not fathom how their ancestor, hailed as the Sword Saint, had his most cherished treasured blade broken into several pieces. An ominous premonition instantly gripped the hearts of the numerous Yagyu family ninjas.

"Maikawa-kun, we found traces of buried corpses in the backyard, but after digging them up, there are only a few fragments of incomplete bones left."

At that moment, someone ran over to report. The group rushed to the backyard to investigate, but from these few bones, it was impossible to tell whose they were. They could only take the bones to a professional institution for testing. Yet upon discovering this situation, the ominous premonition in everyone's hearts grew even stronger.

After all, the Yagyu family was one of the five top families in Sakura Country. The testing agency rolled out the green carpet for them, and a conclusion was swiftly reached: those bones belonged to Yagyu Kōjun.

In a mere two hours, the news of the Sword Saint's fall swept through the entire martial arts world of Sakura Country. The martial arts families on good terms with the Yagyu family were instantly struck by a sense of impending doom, while those families that had once been bullied by the Yagyu family, or stood as their rivals, clapped their hands in joy, almost wishing to hold a celebratory banquet to mark the occasion.

Naturally, the most devastated of all was the Yagyu family. Having already lost a considerable number of martial arts elites during the guarding of Wei Baochuan, they had now lost Yagyu Kōjun, the spiritual and physical pillar of the entire clan. The members of the Yagyu family felt as though the pillars supporting the heavens had suddenly collapsed. One by one, they wilted like frostbitten eggplants, completely stripped of their former arrogance and overbearing demeanor.

"Baka yaro!"

"Investigate! Search for me!"

"Even if you have to dig Sakura Country three feet deep, find the killer! This seat will skin him, strip his tendons, and grind his bones to ash!"

Yagyu Haodao, the current head of the Yagyu family, roared in fury.

As the great-grandson of Yagyu Kōjun, he knew all too well the terrifying strength of his great-grandfather. Leaving aside Sakura Country, even if one went to the martial arts world of Huaxia, the martial artists capable of slaying his grandfather would certainly not exceed ten. Therefore, that killer must have sustained heavy injuries at the very least.

Thus, Yagyu Haodao was desperate to unearth the killer not only to avenge his great-grandfather, but more importantly out of dread for such a formidable opponent. He believed that if a formidable enemy of this caliber was not eradicated, it would spell endless future trouble for the entire Yagyu family.

Naturally, the killer could not possibly recover to peak condition in such a short time. Yagyu Haodao felt that he must hunt down the culprit before recovery was complete, as ensuring the permanent elimination of future threats would be much more certain if done now.

Consequently, the entire Yagyu family was mobilized in full force, vowing to unearth the true culprit even if they had to turn the ground upside down. That old house had become the most crucial clue, yet no matter how Yagyu Haodao investigated, he could not uncover the true owner of the property.

"Who on earth was it that coordinated from the inside and outside to rescue the hostage?" Yagyu Haodao was utterly baffled.

Just then, a subordinate ran in and reported with a hint of panic: "Reporting to the family head, we have discovered some clues. The final location where that mysterious powerhouse appeared was near the Akita Grand Hotel."

"Very well. Take fifty elite ninjas and come with me. No matter the cost, we must eliminate the true culprit who murdered our ancestor." Yagyu Haodao stood up abruptly, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

Meanwhile.

Inside a room at the Akita Grand Hotel.

Qin Chuan continuously guided the Profound Yin Qi within Lin Wanyu's body into his own. The scorching and restless Nine Yang Qi was finally suppressed, but achieving true recovery to his peak state could not be accomplished in a short time.

A far more direct and effective treatment method would naturally be dual cultivation with Lin Wanyu, but Qin Chuan had slipped up once with lifelong regret, missing the prime opportunity to thoroughly cure the Nine Yang Qi.

Yet, turning back to look at it, even receiving treatment through this method felt immensely blissful to him; otherwise, he truly could not imagine how much longer he could have endured if the previous state had been left unchecked.

As for Lin Wanyu, the initial pain had indeed gradually given way to comfort. She felt as though she were floating among the clouds, wrapped in an indescribable sense of ease and pleasure. Had she not exerted every ounce of self-control, she would have moaned aloud long ago.

"At this rate, in another two hours, the Nine Yang Qi can be firmly sealed. She truly lives up to a Profound Yin Physique!"

Qin Chuan felt an overwhelming wave of emotion. Had he known this earlier, he would never have broken off the engagement in the first place! Yet there was no medicine for regret in this world, and trying to win her back now would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Time slipped away rapidly amidst the healing process. Qin Chuan gathered all his stray thoughts, running his internal cultivation technique at a much faster speed than before. After all, with the Nine Yang Qi in his body preliminarily stabilized, he no longer needed to act with such excessive caution.

However, right at this crucial juncture, Qin Chuan suddenly sensed numerous people rapidly approaching. Among them, the aura closest to the room felt rather familiar.

Chiba Kaoru?

Qin Chuan instantly grew vigilant—not suspecting Chiba Kaoru of harbor malicious intentions toward him, but remaining on guard against the fierce killing intent approaching alongside her.

"Qin-kun, the family has sent word. People from the Yagyu family have arrived near the hotel," Chiba Kaoru's voice echoed from outside the door.

Hearing this, Qin Chuan's gaze narrowed slightly. Previously, his greatest fear was dragging Lin Wanyu into this mess, but right now he was at a critical stage of healing. To halt abruptly might cause all previous efforts to go to waste, yet if he did not stop, Lin Wanyu would likely find it impossible to distance herself from the fallout.

"Leave this place first, lest the Yagyu family discovers you and follows the vine to unearth the melon."

Sensing that Chiba Kaoru still wished to say something, Qin Chuan cut her off preemptively: "I am not discussing this with you; I am ordering you to leave quickly. If it is just me alone, it will be much easier to handle sudden situations."

"Understood, I am leaving now!"

Chiba Kaoru dared not linger any longer and swiftly retreated.

"Has something happened?"

Lin Wanyu's worried voice rang out.

Qin Chuan sighed softly and said, "I never wanted to drag you into this. Now it seems unavoidable. Had I known he wouldn't track us down this quickly, I would have chosen the alternative method to heal with you right from the start. Ah, what a miscalculation!"