The Restriction!
Ye Ming never imagined that a restriction had been placed on Yamamoto Kawa's consciousness.
What's more, the restriction felt very familiar to him.
It was similar to the ones he had seen on Su Xin and others.
Simply put, it was primarily to prevent leaks.
"Who exactly is this guy?"
Hearing this, Nangong Qianyu, standing beside him, also expressed surprise. "Ye Ming! It seems the situation behind this is not as simple as Yamamoto Kawa described."
Ye Ming was aware of this as well.
"His previous goal was to provoke a conflict between me and Nogawa Sakiya, so that we would both be injured, and he could reap the benefits in the end."
Ye Ming's brows furrowed as he looked at the unconscious man.
"Ye Ming, can you break that restriction?"
At this moment, Nangong Qianyu suddenly asked, "If the restriction can be broken, perhaps we can get more clues."
Upon hearing this, Ye Ming shook his head. "This restriction is not complicated, but it has a 'mutual destruction' effect. If it's forcibly broken, Yamamoto Kawa will die!"
Long Ming's previous case was a living example.
"Of course! If Yamamoto Kawa's safety is truly to be guaranteed while breaking it, it's not impossible. However..." Ye Ming chuckled bitterly at this point. "Even if successful, Yamamoto Kawa will inevitably arouse suspicion from certain individuals. In that case, his usefulness would be greatly diminished."
"Is that so!"
Nangong Qianyu's expression also turned a little dejected upon hearing his reply.
"Mm!" Ye Ming nodded and sighed. "Now that the Dawn Plan has entered its second phase, I have to be extra careful. If any unforeseen accident occurs, all our previous efforts will be in vain. Therefore..."
As he spoke, Ye Ming extended his index finger, a strand of dark, strange energy coiling around its tip. "I cannot take this risk!"
"What are you doing?"
Seeing Ye Ming's action, Nangong Qianyu was puzzled.
"Since I cannot break the restriction, why not add another one!" Ye Ming flicked his index finger, and the dark energy entered Yamamoto Kawa's forehead. "This way, his life and death will also be under my control."
With this restriction in place, Ye Ming was not worried about Yamamoto Kawa disobeying him.
Unless!
The other party was willing to sacrifice his life.
But was Yamamoto Kawa that kind of person?
Even if he was, it wouldn't have much impact on Ye Ming. From beginning to end, he would only be losing a pawn with little utility.
After completing this, Ye Ming planted one foot firmly on the ground.
*Bang!*
"Ah!"
A violent wave of air exploded from Yamamoto Kawa's body, and he was jolted awake in pain.
"No... Don't kill me!"
The moment he regained consciousness, Yamamoto Kawa fell to his knees, his face a mixture of snot, tears, and blood. He trembled uncontrollably, looking utterly pathetic.
Who would have thought that a god-level expert, capable of looking down on the masses in the Land of the East like ants, would display such a terrified expression?
It seemed that in the face of death.
Dignity!
Was worth nothing!
"Don't worry! I don't intend to kill you now!" Ye Ming sat down on a chair, his expression unreadable. "You can carefully feel if something has been added to your body."
Added something?
Hearing this, Yamamoto Kawa's spine chilled, and a bad premonition immediately struck him.
Indeed, after probing, Yamamoto Kawa sensed the restriction Ye Ming had left in his body.
"This... No! Mr. Ye... Mr. Ye, I..."
Now, Yamamoto Kawa was truly terrified.
Because he realized that the young man before him had detected the existence of the restriction in his body and understood its purpose.
"Mr... Mr. Ye, are you... one of *those* people?"
At this moment, Yamamoto Kawa suddenly noticed something.
The restriction on him was definitely not something a god-level expert, as he understood them, could detect. Therefore, it meant that the young man he was facing was very likely... one of *those* people.
"Whether I am one of those people is not important!" Ye Ming narrowed his eyes and looked at Yamamoto Kawa, his tone carrying a hint of coldness. "What's important is that your life is in my hands!"
"I..."
Yamamoto Kawa was not foolish; he immediately grasped the implications.
Unbeknownst to him, the dried bloodstains on his clothes had been melted by fresh cold sweat. His inner fear had magnified countless times.
"Of course! You can also end it yourself and escape my control!" Ye Ming offered a charming, wicked smile. "That way, you can also find release!"
The choice was entirely Yamamoto Kawa's.
But in reality, he had no choice at all.
"Mas... Master!"
After a painful struggle, Yamamoto Kawa knelt on one knee and said respectfully.
Master!
Hearing this title, Nangong Qianyu looked at Yamamoto Kawa with a hint of surprise, not expecting such a drastic change.
"Very good!"
Ye Ming smiled. "I know there are things you cannot say, so I won't force you to reveal them. However, I must know about the movements of the people behind you immediately!"
This was the true purpose of keeping Yamamoto Kawa alive.
Yamamoto Kawa had failed, and the people behind him would not remain indifferent. As long as they dared to act again, Ye Ming was confident they would be caught.
"Yes!"
Yamamoto Kawa did not dare to disobey in the slightest.
"Alright! You may leave!" Ye Ming waved his hand.
After Yamamoto Kawa withdrew, the smile on Ye Ming's face gradually faded, replaced by a somber expression.
"What's wrong?"
Nangong Qianyu massaged his stiff shoulder muscles, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Qianyu! We've encountered such a situation just after arriving in the Land of the East. What about the path ahead..."
Ye Ming trailed off.
Indeed!
As he had said, this was only the first stop of the world tour live broadcast, and they had already been drawn into a meticulously planned scheme. What kind of challenges would they face in the future?
"No matter what the future holds, I will face it with you."
Nangong Qianyu stopped her movements, her arms wrapping around Ye Ming's neck. She gently embraced the young man before her, her eyes sparkling with a radiant glow.
"I know!"
Ye Ming turned his head, and with a gentle pull of his right hand, Nangong Qianyu was lifted into the air by a soft force.
She then landed precisely on Ye Ming's lap.
The soft, yielding curves of Nangong Qianyu's body pressed against Ye Ming's every nerve under the force of gravity. He reached out, gently lifted her delicate chin, and gazed passionately at her fiery red lips, his breathing quickening.
"Didn't you say earlier that you hadn't kissed enough?" Ye Ming asked softly.
"So, now you want to..."
Nangong Qianyu's jade arms entwined around his neck, slowly closing the distance between them.
Thus, as their lips and tongues intertwined, it was as if everything that followed needed no human guidance. Driven by primal instinct, they began to conquer each other's territories.
In less than five minutes, the combatants were already shedding their defenses, each vying for dominance.
Simultaneously, a barrier of white energy formed around them, preventing any outsiders from eavesdropping on their battle.
Seeing this, the female knight engaged in combat gradually let go of her inhibitions, her every move and technique becoming more frenzied.
"Ye Ming, this... I won't let you win this time... Ah!"
And so, in a place unknown to outsiders, an epic battle raged on, escalating with each passing moment.
...
An hour later, the battle concluded.
"You seem to have lost again!"
Looking at Nangong Qianyu, who was lying on him, drenched in sweat and too exhausted to even move her fingers, Ye Ming felt immensely satisfied.
"Hmph! You just love to bully me!"
Nangong Qianyu playfully punched his chest, a hint of grievance in her expression. "Don't get too smug, next... next time, I'll find reinforcements."
Find reinforcements?
Hearing this, Ye Ming's breath hitched. A series of passionate images flashed through his mind. However, he quickly dismissed them, feigning disinterest.
"Tch! Even if you find reinforcements, you still won't be my match."
Nangong Qianyu clearly seemed unconvinced. Biting her jade teeth, she retorted,
"Fine! You just wait and see!"
With that, she got off Ye Ming and began to search for her scattered clothes.
"So dazzling!"
Ye Ming gasped again at the blinding white light before him.
He had almost lost control just now.
"Hmph!"
Nangong Qianyu ignored him and quickly donned her armor.
Three minutes later, they left the private room.
Barely a few steps out, they saw Kimura Kenta rushing towards them, asking anxiously, "Mr. Ye, have things been resolved?"
"Mm!"
Ye Ming nodded, not elaborating.
Kimura Kenta was a smart man and knew what questions were appropriate and which were not.
"Then, what are Mr. Ye's plans next?" he asked cautiously.
"Plans!"
Truth be told, Ye Ming hadn't given it much thought.
After all, he had been focused on how to defeat his "opponent" head-on.
"Ye Ming! How about we attend the opening ceremony of Bushin Mountain!"
At this moment, Nangong Qianyu made a suggestion.
"The opening ceremony of Bushin Mountain?"
Hearing this, Ye Ming's eyes lit up.
From what had happened earlier, he knew that this opening ceremony was personally spearheaded by Nogawa Sakiya.
And!
According to Nogawa Hiroichi, the reason Nogawa Sakiya was doing this was also related to him.
"Good!"
Ye Ming looked at Kimura Kenta and asked, "Lord Kimura, when does the opening ceremony of Bushin Mountain begin?"
Seeing Ye Ming's interest, Kimura Kenta gladly explained the specific details of the ceremony.
The so-called opening ceremony was actually held specifically to select talents for Bushin Mountain.
On Bushin Mountain, besides those who diligently cultivated martial arts, there were naturally other people.
After all, who would manage the daily lives of these important figures?
Thus, the opening ceremony existed for this purpose.
Even if it was just to run errands for the martial gods, it was still a great opportunity that countless people in the Land of the East yearned for.
Being able to learn from the side of a martial god was not something ordinary people had access to.
And the opening ceremony provided them with such an opportunity.
Therefore, every past opening ceremony had been exceptionally lively, with at least a hundred thousand ninja gathered at the foot of Bushin Mountain.
However, ultimately, only a select hundred people were chosen from this vast number to truly step onto Bushin Mountain.
One hundred thousand versus one hundred!
This ratio was ridiculously inhumane.
Yet, despite such an outrageous ratio, there were always many people who flocked to it, passing through various stages to become those... who ascend the mountain.
...
After listening to Kimura Kenta's explanation, Ye Ming somewhat understood Nogawa Sakiya's intentions.
"However, speaking of which, this opening ceremony is a bit strange?"
At this moment, Kimura Kenta sighed softly.
"Oh? What is strange?" Ye Ming's gaze shifted to him.
"Logically speaking, the true opening day should be about a year away. But for some reason, the one organized by Lady Sakiya seems rather rushed?" Kimura Kenta said with a frown.
The opening day had been held every five years since its inception. And now, it had only been four years since the last one.
Even if Nogawa Sakiya had been promoted to the first elder of Bushin Mountain, she couldn't easily change such a date.
It was precisely because of this that Kimura Kenta felt surprised.
However, his doubts were met with a faint smile from Ye Ming.
He knew the reason very well.
"Heh! That woman really treats you well!"
But Ye Ming did not expect that among the three of them, not only he, but Nangong Qianyu could also discern some of it.
"This... This is all a transaction!"
Ye Ming's back twitched, feeling a chill.
Fortunately, Nangong Qianyu did not dwell on it this time.
On the contrary, unknowingly, everything Nogawa Sakiya had done for Ye Ming had already earned her considerable favor in Nangong Qianyu's heart.
Nangong Qianyu was merely teasing him. A sharp tongue and a soft heart, this was likely describing her at this moment.
"Mr. Ye! There are still half an hour before the opening ceremony. If we depart now, we'll be just in time!"
Kimura Kenta reminded them.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Ye Ming's intention in attending the opening ceremony was not simply to witness the grand event. There were some questions he needed to ask Nogawa Sakiya in person.
...
Meanwhile, after Ye Ming and his companions departed, in front of a simple thatched hut on Bushin Mountain, a young man bowed and said,
"Teacher! It's almost time!"
After he spoke, the man did not have to wait long for an extremely indifferent reply.
"I know! Go and prepare!"
It was a woman's voice.
"Yes."
After the man left, a graceful figure in a blood-red gauze dress emerged from the thatched hut.
At this moment, the light around her seemed dim, and the air was filled with a terrifying malevolent energy.
"Since they've arrived, why hide any longer?" the woman snorted, killing intent flashing in her pupils.
"Hahaha! Sakiya! Are you really not considering my suggestion?"