Starforce Warriors-Chapter 513: I Don’t Like (2)

Rumor had it that this young master was lazy and indulgent, yet he aspired to become the Shinzu family’s greatest samurai. When Lord Shinzu Ningoka opposed his ambition, he resolutely refused to inherit the family business, emptied the family’s savings, and fled.

The very act of embezzlement had caused Dragon Bloom’s financial chain to collapse, leading to significant losses. Unfortunately, Lord Shinzu’s best efforts to salvage the situation had not been enough. On the brink of bankruptcy, the lady of the house had taken her own life by burning charcoal. The devastating blow left Lord Shinzu bedridden, and within half a month, he passed away in his bedroom.

Most of the workers at Dragon Bloom had left. Only Tanaka Kenichi, a veteran master craftsman and a gold-standard technician, managed to persuade a handful of workers to stay. Over the years, he worked tirelessly to keep Dragon Bloom afloat. No wonder Uncle Tanaka’s smile had vanished the moment he saw this guest. The return of such a prodigal son could spell disaster for Dragon Bloom once again.

If he betrayed them again by embezzling funds and fleeing, it would be a nightmare revisited. This time, it might lead to bankruptcy, and both she, Uncle Tanaka, and the twenty-some workers at the factory would be doomed to ruin and slavery.

Yokan Kasumi was quickly overwhelmed with fear. Though life now was busy and far from comfortable since they never had enough to eat or wear, at least she had a meager income to support her family and keep them from starving. More importantly, she still retained her status as a free citizen. Losing her job would plunge her already impoverished life into the depths of despair.

Li Xiaofei was well aware of this dark history. But he wasn’t actually Shinzu Genshi. The identity was fabricated by the Dragon Group of Great Xia. The real Shinzu Genshi had squandered all his wealth before making a desperate gamble to strike it rich in Great Xia. Instead, he met his end in Haijing City.

The Dragon Group had picked up his identity, refined it, and meticulously maintained the facade for years, ensuring the deceased left behind an enduring shadow in the world. Such covert identities were not uncommon; the Dragon Group maintained at least a hundred of them. Shinzu Genshi’s identity had been activated specifically because his family estate lay within the Tsukiha territory.

After Li Xiaofei killed Aztast, an inspector from the Star Council, the high command of the Dragon Group, along with several Grand Commanders, devised a solution. They would fake Li Xiaofei’s death and send him to the Jiepeng Empire to avoid further trouble.

Thus, under the guise of Shinzu Genshi, Li Xiaofei had traveled to Jiepeng with Tsukiha Yaiba. To make the cover more convincing, he needed to visit Dragon Bloom and reclaim his supposed family business. To be honest, even Li Xiaofei, the imposter, found the actions of the original Shinzu Genshi utterly unforgivable.

“I’ll pay my respects to my parents first,” Li Xiaofei said, walking further inside.

Tanaka Kenichi hesitated for a moment but didn’t stop him. Instead, he instructed Yokan Kasumi to temporarily close the shop and follow. Due to the factory’s poverty, the Dragon Bloom shop was partially on the grounds of the former Shinzu family residence.

They passed through a corridor less than three meters wide and arrived at the original Shinzu family home. The ground floor had been converted into a small parts workshop and storage area.

The second and third floors, once private family spaces, were now employee dormitories. The fourth floor, once a family living area, had become a storage room. The ashes and memorial tablets of Shinzu Ningoka and his wife were placed in the far corner by the window.

“Clean up the fourth floor,” Li Xiaofei said. “From now on, I’ll live here and spend time with my parents.”

Tanaka Kenichi replied indifferently, “Alright.”

Li Xiaofei continued, “Uncle Tanaka, you’ve worked hard all these years. Now that I’ve returned, I’ll do my best to lead everyone in restoring the factory to its former glory and make up for the mistakes I made back then.”

Yokan Kasumi’s eyes lit up. It seemed like the young master had genuinely turned over a new leaf. But Tanaka Kenichi, having witnessed Shinzu Genshi’s past countless promises to revive the family business only to sell off assets and flee with the money, remained unmoved.

Back then, the master and madam were still alive and could exercise some degree of restraint over the young master. Now, with no one left, who among the workers could stop him if he went on another rampage?

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

The thought of losing their hard-earned path to survival left Tanaka Kenichi feeling as if his throat were tightly choked. He couldn’t bring himself to say a single word. He could only let out a heavy sigh and slowly nod.

There was no other choice. In the Jiepeng Empire, where class barriers were like bottomless chasms, the resistance of the lower classes was as futile as striking a stone with an egg. Although they were nominally free citizens, their livelihoods were inextricably tied to Dragon Bloom. Without it, they would have no means to sustain themselves, and in the end, they would inevitably fall into slavery. Even if they knew what the young master intended to do, they had no way to resist.

Yokan Kasumi quickly finished cleaning the cluttered fourth floor. Despite her frail and thin figure, she was fast and efficient. It seemed she had practiced some martial arts, but only just enough to enter the Qi Refining Realm. She hadn’t even reached the first stage.

After tidying up, Yokan Kasumi hurriedly left. Dragon Bloom didn’t support idle workers. As the only salesperson at the storefront, she had to make the most of every moment to sell and earn money to sustain her life.

Li Xiaofei sat alone in the room, pondering his next move. His primary purpose in coming to the Jiepeng Empire was to lay low and avoid trouble. The upper echelon’s plan was for him to focus on advancing his cultivation. After a few decades, once the storm had passed, he could assume a new identity and find a way to return to Great Xia.

By then, even the Star Council might have forgotten the matter, or at least have softened enough for there to be room to negotiate. But how could Li Xiaofei be content with that?

He was on the cusp of entering the Five Spirits Realm and inches away from reuniting with Little Aunt. How could he willingly remain in a foreign land for such an extended period?

If he had to come to Jiepeng, he resolved not to waste the opportunity. If he was here, he would turn this place upside down. Ideally, he would see this nation wholly and irrevocably become part of Great Xia’s territory. That would be the best outcome.

However, Li Xiaofei also understood that this matter would not be simple. The supreme authority in the Jiepeng Empire was the Temple. It was rumored that the Temple had beings known as Supreme Gods, entities surpassing even Saints in strength.

Back at the Grinding Blade Hall, Song Huaiyuan had warned him, “The Supreme Gods are not to be underestimated. Even a Saint Slayer might not be their match.”

“It's a pity there’s only one green strand left... I can’t use it lightly,” Li Xiaofei sighed.

Of course, the Dragon Group had operatives within the Jiepeng Empire. Some were deeply embedded, while others undertook dangerous covert missions. The underground espionage network never ceased its operations.

Many Dragon Group members had spent decades undercover, growing from spirited youths to elderly shadows of their former selves. They could only stare longingly across the sea but never return to their homeland. Others had perished in foreign lands, their souls forever unable to return to Great Xia.

Li Xiaofei hoped his presence in Jiepeng could, in some way, aid these unsung heroes of the Dragon Group.

Tsukiha Yaiba seeks to take control of her family and ascend to the highest echelons of power in the Jiepeng Empire.

This woman, stirred by my ability to slay Saints as though butchering livestock, awakened her latent ambitions. She’s willing to invest everything in me. She is, undoubtedly, a useful ally.

After all, she harbors no national loyalty or patriotic ideals. She holds a deep resentment toward Jiepeng’s ruling class, particularly the Temple, which makes her ripe for exploitation. Then I’ll help her become the ruler of the Sanshang Group first.

As these thoughts coalesced, Li Xiaofei’s plans became increasingly clear. Nevertheless, focusing on cultivation and enhancing one’s strength remained the top priority. Li Xiaofei sat cross-legged and activated the Nine Yang Divine Art to begin cultivating his inner qi.

He had reached the pinnacle of the Meridian Expanding Realm and was on the threshold of the Five Spirits Realm. To compensate for his contributions, the Dragon Group had provided him with several manuals for nurturing the Five Spirits, free of charge.

Among them, he had chosen a manual titled Innate Art. The name seemed rather unremarkable at first glance. But its author was anything but ordinary.

Li Mu. The name had echoed in Li Xiaofei’s ears more than once, a legendary immortal who could stand shoulder to shoulder with figures like Lin Beichen and Ye Qingyu. It was solely because of this name that he chose the manual.

At the time, Li Xiaofei had also browsed the Dragon Group's website for reviews and cultivation records of Innate Art. Unsurprisingly, he had stumbled upon a review by a familiar figure, Bajie.

This technique is... interesting. Hehehehehe. Bajie had written.

The comment had a cryptic air, as if laden with hidden meanings. Li Xiaofei dismissed the distractions and opened the manual in his room, studying it intently as he began practicing the technique.

Soon, his expression started to shift subtly. At first, he was confused, then curious, and finally, faint disbelief crossed his face.

"Radio calisthenics?" exclaimed Li Xiaofei, staring at the foundational movements described in the Innate Art manual, wondering if he had somehow received a counterfeit copy.

What he didn’t know was that Li Mu, the original creator, had also been tormented by the Innate Art of Old Fish Spirit for over a decade. Back before Earth had transformed and the star beasts had invaded, the Innate Art was little more than a regimen for health and fitness, incapable of cultivating inner qi.

It was only after Li Mu was transported to the Ziwei Starfield via the Blood Array by the Old Fish Spirit that the Innate Art and True Martial Fist revealed their true power. These techniques enabled Li Mu to crush his adversaries, paving the path for his legendary, invincible exploits across the stars.

Li Xiaofei finished reading the entire Innate Art manual with a thoughtful expression. Then, he descended the stairs, stepped into the courtyard, and began practicing the so-called radio calisthenics, hopping and jumping according to the described movements.

The moment he started, he noticed something unusual. These seemingly ordinary actions somehow stimulated his inner qi to circulate within his body along strange, intricate pathways in a subtle yet harmonious rhythm.

This microcirculation, in turn, nourished his internal organs. He had studied how it could nourish his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys. Now, he could feel his inner qi begin a microcirculation that nurtured his heart. Finally, he felt as though he had glimpsed the threshold of the Five Spirits Realm.

“Master, what are you doing?” asked Yokan Kasumi as she poked her head out, curiosity evident on her face.

“Cultivating martial arts,” Li Xiaofei replied without turning.

In the distant workshop, the workers who caught sight of him began to murmur amongst themselves. They had never seen such a method of cultivation before. It looked more like a joke.

Tanaka Kenichi’s face darkened as he observed the scene. As expected. Even after five or six years, the wastrel hadn’t changed. He was still frivolous and immature.

Did he think that putting on a show like this would make others believe he was some sort of martial arts master?

As dinnertime approached, the workers began leaving the workshop and heading to the cafeteria. At that moment, a sudden commotion erupted from the storefront. Yokan Kasumi’s sharp scream followed, along with the sound of her crying.

“Uncle Tanaka, something’s wrong! The Yamai Gang is here again to collect protection money!” a panicked worker ran in, his voice trembling.

“Didn’t we just pay them the second half of the year’s protection fee yesterday?” Tanaka Kenichi frowned, leading the workers quickly to the front.

Li Xiaofei’s expression shifted. After a brief moment of thought, he quietly followed behind them.

Yokan Kasumi was leaning against a worker behind the desk. A wound on her forehead bled profusely, covering her face in blood. Inside the shop, over thirty ronin dressed in uniform attire had barged in.

They were led by a man with a scarred face and a mohawk hairstyle. He had a menacing smile on his face.

“Tanaka-kun,” he said mockingly, “we’re going to need you to pay the protection fee again. This time, let’s settle it for next year and the year after that. 2,000,000 Star God Coins in total.”