Xie Jiaxing had been brought here tied up.
As soon as Fujita Kiyono saw him being pushed around by the two ronin he had sent, he immediately scolded them and ordered them to untie him quickly.
With his wife gone, children scattered, and family destroyed, Xie Jiaxing had aged considerably. Though only in his early sixties, he looked like he was in his seventies.
He shook his sleeves and looked defiantly at Fujita Kiyono.
Fujita Kiyono bowed deeply, “I apologize. My men were rude and made you suffer on the journey. Please forgive us.”
Xie Jiaxing naturally knew this was no ordinary Japanese, but he didn’t regard him in the slightest, “Lift up your dog head. I can’t accept such courtesy.”
Fujita Kiyono straightened up and adopted Chinese forms of address, “Father-in-law, please come inside.”
These four words completely enraged Xie Jiaxing, “What did you call me? Father-in-law?” The veins on his neck bulged with anger, “Don’t you dare shorten my life! Even the dogs of our Xie family wouldn’t collaborate with devils!”
Fujita Kiyono let him curse, feeling somewhat uncomfortable inside, but considering he was an elder, he endured this humiliation, “Father-in-law, you needn’t anger me. After we marry, I’ll have to call you father.”
Xie Jiaxing’s expression was extremely ugly. In fact, he had already guessed the situation. Several daughters were dead or married, leaving only one who had been expelled from the family and whose whereabouts were unknown, “Let me see which shameless beast is entangled with you devils!”
“Although you are an elder, please show respect in your words. Little Chi is my unwedded wife. I don’t want to hear anyone speak of her this way, especially you.”
“I knew it was that scandalous creature!” Xie Jiaxing was so angry he took a long breath, “Don’t call me that. She was expelled from the family long ago and has no connection to our Xie family.”
Fujita Kiyono didn’t want to waste words with him and stepped aside, “Please sit inside first. Little Chi and Fifth Sister are both inside.”
Xie Jiaxing entered the main gate and walked toward the villa, shouting up at the building at the top of his lungs, “Xie Yao, get down here!”
Xie Yao and Xie Chi were in the same room and both heard the shout simultaneously.
Though they hadn’t seen each other for years, Xie Chi was all too familiar with his voice—she knew immediately it was Xie Jiaxing.
Xie Yao went to the window and looked down, “Father was captured too.”
Seeing her standing at the window looking out, Xie Jiaxing wished he could immediately drag her down. He raised his hand and pointed directly at her, “What are you still doing there? Aren’t you afraid of dirtying your feet! Have you forgotten how your mother died!”
Xie Yao pulled her head back and said to Xie Chi, who was sitting on the bed, “Seventh Sister, should we go down?”
“You go.”
“Then I’ll go first.” Xie Yao quickly ran out.
As soon as Xie Jiaxing saw her, he went up and delivered a fierce slap, “What are you doing in a devil’s den? Do you have no shame? Does Liu Dengfeng know? If your reputation is ruined, how will your in-laws view you! If you get divorced, see if I don’t beat you to death!”
Xie Yao covered her face, “Father, I didn’t do anything wrong. I just came to keep Seventh Sister company.”
“What are you calling her? I only have six daughters. What is she to me! The Xie family has been a distinguished house for generations. Though it has declined in my hands, we are all upright Chinese! We cannot produce traitors! If I hear you speaking nonsense again, don’t blame me for tearing your mouth apart! Come with me!” Xie Jiaxing grabbed her wrist and dragged her outside, but the two Japanese ronin guarding the courtyard blocked their path.
Xie Jiaxing glared at them viciously, “They say good dogs don’t block the road—get out of the way!”
Xie Yao tugged at his sleeve, “Father, don’t speak carelessly.”
Fujita Kiyono looked helplessly at the old man, his attitude still gentle, “Fifth Sister, please help father-in-law inside.”
Xie Jiaxing turned and pointed at his nose to curse, “Shut your mouth and stop insulting my lifetime of integrity. Damn little devils, don’t think I’m afraid of you just because you have more people. Come on! If you have the guts, kill me!”
“How many evils have you committed! You’ll face retribution sooner or later! We four hundred million Chinese cannot be killed off! As long as there’s still one breathing! We’ll make you pay in blood sooner or later!”
“Even if temporarily fallen under your bandits’ iron hooves, the day will come when we wash away this shame. China will endure for thousands of generations, and we’ve never lacked invasions by Japanese pirates—do we fear your tiny island nation!”
“Get back to your little Japan while you can!”
He was too arrogant. The two Japanese ronin had been in China for years and understood Chinese. Their expressions were now even uglier than Fujita Kiyono’s. If not for their superior officer being present, they would have already cut down this old man.
Xie Jiaxing cursed up at the building, “Xie Wanzhi, you shameless creature, first involved with bandits unclear and ambiguous, now surrendering yourself to devils. If I had known this day would come, I should have thrown you to feed the dogs the moment you were born!”
Xie Yao glanced at Fujita Kiyono’s expression and broke into a cold sweat, constantly tugging at Xie Jiaxing’s sleeve, “Father, stop cursing.”
“Don’t pull me!” Xie Jiaxing shook off Xie Yao, “Since you dare do it, don’t fear people pointing at your spine and cursing! What face do you have left to live? You’ve lost all face for the Chinese people. It’s because of scum like you that we’re bullied by little devils! If you still have Chinese blood flowing in your veins, you should jump down from that building and die clean! Save yourself from leaving a stench for ten thousand years!”
Fujita Kiyono couldn’t stand it anymore. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Xie Jiaxing, “I won’t allow you to curse her like that.”
Xie Jiaxing stepped forward, pressing his forehead against the gun barrel, “Shoot me, shoot me!”
Fujita Kiyono was pushed back two steps by him. He was only trying to scare the old man—how could he be serious?
Xie Chi came out from inside, “Stop cursing for a bit. Aren’t you tired?”
Hearing her voice, Xie Jiaxing looked over, so angry he couldn’t stand steady, supporting himself on Xie Yao’s arm, “What evil! What evil! How could I have given birth to a beast like you! I should never have been soft-hearted back then—I should have shot you!”
Xie Chi didn’t want to explain a single word and said to Fujita Kiyono, “Let them go. You can see he wishes he could stab me to death.”
Just as Fujita Kiyono was about to lower his gun, Xie Jiaxing suddenly grabbed his hand, snatched the gun, and pointed it at Xie Chi. Fujita Kiyono immediately lunged forward to shield her, pressing her down to crouch.
A gunshot rang out. Xie Yao was so frightened she crouched on the ground, covering her head and screaming.
But it was Xie Jiaxing who fell. The ronin behind him, seeing him fire the gun, had drawn his sword and slashed.
Xie Jiaxing took the blade in his back. He stood for a few seconds, coughed up fresh blood, and slowly collapsed.
Xie Yao screamed, “Father!”
Fujita Kiyono stared at him in shock—this wasn’t the result he had wanted. He walked over and slapped the ronin, “Who told you to draw your sword!”
The ronin lowered his head.
Xie Jiaxing glared at Fujita Kiyono through gritted teeth, “Our great nation is humiliated by you little beasts. How I wish I could be twenty years younger, join the army and fight, battling you Japanese invaders to the death.”
Xie Chi rushed forward to frantically press against his wound. Xie Jiaxing used all his strength to push her away, “Get away! Don’t touch me!”
Xie Chi’s hands were covered in blood. She grabbed Fujita Kiyono, “To the hospital, to the hospital!”
Fujita Kiyono immediately shouted to his men, “Bring the car over, quickly!”
The two ronin carried Xie Jiaxing to the car. Fujita Kiyono sat in the passenger seat as the car raced toward the hospital.
Xie Yao cried like a fountain, unable to speak clearly, constantly mumbling “Father.”
Xie Jiaxing gripped Xie Chi’s wrist tightly, “You must change your surname, stop dishonoring my Xie name. Change your surname! Change your surname!”
“I won’t change! I follow my grandfather’s surname!”
“You must change it!” Xie Jiaxing shed tears of pain, “You’re not a member of the Xie family. The Xie family cannot produce traitors, cannot produce sellouts! If you don’t change it, I won’t let you go even as a ghost!”
“I haven’t become a sellout. I have nothing to do with him.” Xie Chi bent down, leaning close to his head. Xie Jiaxing pushed her away with one hand, but Xie Chi moved close again, “I’m fighting against Japan. I’ve killed many devils. Things aren’t as you see them. I’m only using him to obtain intelligence for our army. That bandit you despised back then was also an anti-Japanese hero. I haven’t disgraced your Xie family name. Xie Jiaxing, if you die like this, isn’t that pathetic? Get up and curse at me, get up and beat me.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“If I’m lying to you, may I die without an intact corpse.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Xie Jiaxing’s breathing was weak, his hand reaching toward Xie Yao.
Xie Yao quickly crawled closer, “Father.”
Blood foamed from Xie Jiaxing’s mouth, his breathing growing weaker. He had favored sons over daughters his whole life, never imagining that at his death only two daughters would be by his side. He gripped their hands tightly, “The Japanese invaders seized our ancestral home—drive the devils out.” He looked at Xie Chi, “I’ll trust you for now. Get our ancestral home back, return our ancestors’ tablets to the shrine, the incense line cannot be broken, otherwise… otherwise…”
Before he could finish, Xie Chi quickly agreed, “Alright, I’ll definitely get it back.”
“Blood debts must be repaid!” Xie Jiaxing suddenly stared at her with wide eyes, “Don’t… hate me.”
He died, the strength gradually leaving his wrist.
Xie Yao shook his body and wailed.
Xie Chi felt as if her ears were ringing, staring at him in a daze.
Hearing the sudden collapse into sobbing from behind, Fujita Kiyono had the car stop. He went around to the back, stunned, and suddenly knelt down, his eyes red with guilt, “I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional. I just wanted to invite him to attend our engagement, wanted you to reconcile with your family, wanted your family to accompany you. I never thought it would turn out like this, Little Chi…”
Xie Chi knelt quietly, motionless.
Fujita Kiyono panicked, getting up to embrace Xie Chi, “I’m sorry.”
Xie Chi let him hold her, “Fujita Kiyono, before I had no family. Now, we have both family and national vengeance. You’d better be careful—don’t give me a chance to take your life.”
…
Xie Jiaxing was given an elaborate funeral, and Xie Yao was safely sent home. Because of this incident, Fujita Kiyono didn’t dare see Xie Chi for two days.
Maeda Tsuki returned, bringing a witness. He had gone door to door asking questions and finally found a man who knew He Feng. He reported everything to Fujita Kiyono. That very night, Fujita Kiyono took people to the hospital to make an arrest. This time, they were sending him to the Plum Agency.
He Feng’s old injuries hadn’t healed. Fujita Kiyono didn’t tie him up for more torture, just had him sit in the interrogation room wearing handcuffs.
Fujita Kiyono poured him a cup of tea, “Are your injuries better?”
He Feng was still running a fever, his complexion poor. He drooped his eyelids and laughed coldly, “More than enough to beat you.”
“Young Master He, you have a disabled older brother who comes down the mountain every two months for leg treatment. He’s the real Koike Ryuji, isn’t that right?” Fujita Kiyono looked at the bruises on his face, “At this point, you needn’t deny it completely. I brought you here for questioning because I have solid evidence.” He curved his lips slightly, “You didn’t expect this, did you? Hidden so deep, yet I still dug you out.”
“I’m a bit curious—how did you find out?”
“I have to thank Little Chi’s sister for that. Following the clues step by step, there’s no wall in this world that doesn’t let wind through.”
“The Xie family, ah.” He Feng raised his eyebrows slightly, “I was careless.”
“It wasn’t carelessness—there was no other way.” Fujita Kiyono sipped his tea, “You can seal others’ mouths, but this one wasn’t easy to seal.”
“Yes, the in-laws’ family—not easy to handle.”
“I didn’t expect you to have such a connection with her.”
“So you still won’t give up?” He Feng smiled, “If she could be with you, I’d write my name backwards.”
“I only know you’re the Young Master, the third young master of the bandit den, but I don’t know your name yet. Care to tell me?”
He Feng lightly tapped the table with his finger, “Recording this?”
“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Then record it. Let you all hear about your grandfather’s glorious achievements.” He Feng leaned back, in an extremely relaxed posture, “My name is He Feng, third in the family, from Yanzhou, Shandong, Young Master of Yun Village, born in the second year of the Republic, that is, 1913. Koike Taichi’s brother is my half-brother from the same mother, named He Zhan, killed by devil assassination at the end of 1930. In 1931, I joined the National Revolutionary Army, ordered to infiltrate Japan under my brother’s identity, returned to the country three years later, and served as chamber of commerce president in your so-called Xinjing. To better penetrate the Japanese military and obtain intelligence, I also took a sinecure in the special agency. In 1937 when the war broke out in full, I went to Shanghai to join the army, enlisted in the 36th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, through luck and a tough life worked my way up to battalion commander, later retreated with our army to the capital, survived by chance, continued infiltrating enemy ranks, lurked in Nanjing for a year, then came to Shanghai with Koike Ryoshi and Luo Lingshu. Over all these years, I’ve passed along thirty-six pieces of intelligence, large and small, and countless lives are on my hands. After that…” He spread his hands, “That’s it.”
Fujita Kiyono looked at his relaxed expression and felt unprecedented fear, “It seems you don’t want to live anymore.”
“If not for Little Chi, you might never have been exposed. After all, in these nine years, not one person ever suspected you. Do you regret it?”
“I’ve played the grandson and been on the front lines. I’ve done right by my country and have a clear conscience.” He sighed lightly, “The only thing I regret in this life is letting her down—born at the wrong time, never got to properly cherish her for even a few days.”
“You should know that once Koike Taichi learns you’re not his real brother, what your fate will be?”
He Feng laughed, “Skin me alive, draw out my tendons—bring it on.”
“I’m suddenly starting to like you a bit too.” Fujita Kiyono paused for two seconds, then continued, “But I don’t envy you. You’re still a loser, just like your country.”
“Until the very last moment, who knows who will win or lose.”
“Nothing but futile struggle.” Fujita Kiyono stared into his eyes, “Aren’t you going to ask about Little Chi?”
“My woman would rather die than submit. No matter how long you force her to stay, her heart isn’t yours.” He Feng pointed to himself, “It’s here with me.”
Fujita Kiyono stood up, looking down at him from above. He had been obsessed with wanting him dead, investigating his background, but now that everything was truly clear, he felt no happiness at all, only strange regret and immense inferiority.
Though he was unwilling to admit it, his heart was mad with jealousy. He would rather He Feng had been executed as a traitor to his country.
“You want to die with honor, to be a national hero. I won’t let you have your wish.” He braced his hands against the table and smiled, “I’ll have the name Koike Ryuji carved on your tombstone, let this identity follow you forever, in this world and the next.”