Chapter Twenty-Three: Eliminating the Japanese Lackeys

"Little brother, get out of the way!" Li Shishi called out as she leapt up, pushing Xiao Fei aside.

What the hell is going on here! Xiao Fei was utterly dumbfounded. The scene before his eyes was something he had never anticipated. He’d planned to use Li Shishi to assassinate the Japanese Colonel Yoshihiko Noda, but he hadn’t expected to encounter ninjas here.

In truth, what puzzled Xiao Fei even more was Li Shishi's true identity. Judging by her moves just now, she was clearly far from an ordinary courtesan. But she was obviously the mistress of a Japanese colonel, so why would she be involved with Japanese ninjas?

The term “ninja” could be traced back to Japan’s Edo period. Like the samurai and their bushido, ninjas followed a strict code known as ninjutsu. Contrary to popular belief, most ninjas specialized in espionage rather than assassination.

This was something Xiao Fei had read in books before, but he still couldn’t understand why they would appear here.

While he pondered, the two men before him—a fat one and a thin one—were both significantly shorter than the average Chinese man. Their katana gleamed in their hands as they fought with Li Shishi.

Xiao Fei knew he couldn’t just stand by. Even though he had no martial skills, he was still a man. He charged forward without hesitation. Thankfully, with Xiaoling’s help, he was at least capable of defending himself.

Li Shishi soared through the air, her palms thrusting forward. The move seemed simple, but the force behind it was formidable. Seeing Li Shishi’s intent to kill, the two ninjas dodged as her palm strikes cracked through the air, but the fat one was still a step too slow and was struck on the shoulder.

The thin ninja, forgetting his orders, steeled himself and flicked several tiny, sand-like darts from his sleeve straight at Li Shishi.

Li Shishi flipped in the air, sweeping her palms from left to right. She snatched a silk scarf from the bedside and brandished it, not only knocking the darts aside but sending a wave of force toward the two ninjas. Landing lightly before they could react, she charged again, kicking the fat ninja to the ground—right in front of Xiao Fei, who now wielded a dagger.

The thin one shouted, "No! Get out of the way!"

They hadn’t expected the inconspicuous Xiao Fei to suddenly produce a dagger and strike at the fat ninja.

It happened in a flash. Xiao Fei gave them no chance to catch their breath. Damn it, what he hated most was these Japanese invaders. Now that he had been reborn into the chaos of the Republic era, he would never let these petty island soldiers run wild on his land. If he didn’t beat them until their teeth scattered, he’d be failing his ancestors. Remembering the nation’s humiliation, the killing intent in Xiao Fei’s eyes intensified, and he brought his weapon down hard on the fat one, who hadn’t managed to dodge.

The fat ninja let out a bloodcurdling scream, unable to withstand Xiao Fei’s deadly strike.

Thinking Xiao Fei must be an expert, the fat ninja scrambled to his feet, trying to escape, but was kicked again by Li Shishi.

Why is it always the fat one who gets beaten? Sorry, but your clumsy build and slow pace leave you no chance. Xiao Fei was relentless, not allowing him a moment to recover.

Xiao Fei understood a simple truth: mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. Damn it, did they think this was still the weak, impoverished Qing dynasty where the Japanese could bully them at will?

The thin ninja was about to help the fat one escape when, out of nowhere, Xiao Fei struck again from behind. The ninja never expected that, having come for Li Shishi, he’d suddenly have to face Xiao Fei—whose every move was lethal.

Li Shishi cheered from the side, "Well done, little brother! I didn’t expect such explosive power from you. Kill them for me!"

"Invisibility, body vanishing!" The thin ninja, unable to save the fat one, used a concealment technique from ninjutsu, hiding himself within the fat ninja’s shoe sole. Perhaps out of desperation, he had no choice but to endure the smell of the fat one’s stinky feet.

The ninja’s sudden disappearance startled Xiao Fei. Eastern ninjutsu was truly extraordinary! But no matter how extraordinary, he still had to die!

Xiao Fei kicked the fat ninja, shouting, "Who sent you here? Speak! Otherwise, I’ll send you to hell myself!" He suddenly realized they might not understand Chinese, nor did he know if, after death, they’d answer to the King of Hell. But Xiao Fei had studied Japanese at university, and he could make out the fat ninja’s cries, which roughly meant: "Kurai, kill me! Don’t let me fall into the hands of these Chinese pigs!"

Damn, talking trash even at death’s door! Kurai was probably the thin one—he wondered if his sister was the famous Sora Aoi. Xiao Fei wasn’t stupid; he knew the thin one hadn’t really left, so he stayed vigilant. Even so, he couldn’t anticipate everything. In the blink of an eye, the fat ninja at his feet burst into flames and was reduced to ashes in less than half a minute.

From the air came the voice of a Japanese soldier: "Yamamoto, you sacrificed yourself for the Emperor. We will remember you!"

This was one of the rules of the ninja code: if a mission failed, they’d rather commit suicide than fall into enemy hands. They always carried a special powder for this purpose. However, since the fat ninja was captured and couldn’t do it himself, the thin one, hiding in his shoe, heard his comrade’s call, leapt out, and, compelled by duty, helped the fat ninja complete the act.

Xiao Fei quickly withdrew. Damn, reduced to ashes just like that—he got off easy. If he’d fallen into Xiao Fei’s hands, he would’ve been torn limb from limb.

"Hey, don’t run! Is Sora Aoi really your sister?" Xiao Fei shouted.

"Trying to escape? Not so easy," Li Shishi called out as she flew toward the thin ninja, grabbing his leg.

Quick-witted, Xiao Fei seized the moment, blade in hand, and hacked down. With a shriek, the thin ninja’s thigh was severed, his body falling to the ground in two pieces.

Xiao Fei pressed his blade to the ninja’s throat. "If you want to live, stay quiet!"

"Little brother, I didn’t expect you to be so swift and ruthless. You’ll make something of yourself one day!" Li Shishi said with a laugh.

"Not at all, my skills are nothing compared to yours. Sister, why don’t we just finish him off? He’ll never tell the truth," Xiao Fei replied.

"Alright, but before that, let me borrow something from him," Li Shishi said, bending down to take a whistle-like object from the ninja’s belt. She then cut his finger and pressed it to a letter.

Xiao Fei had no idea what Li Shishi was doing, but the thin ninja understood perfectly. He cursed in rage, "Li Shishi, you filthy whore, I won’t let you get away with this! My master won’t trust you either, ah—"

Before he could finish, Li Shishi’s swift blade sliced out his tongue.

"You know what I hate most? Being insulted. That alone is reason enough for you to die!" With those words, she drove her blade between his thighs.

And so, the ninja became a eunuch.

Xiao Fei stared in amazement.

Damn, Li Shishi was absolutely formidable.

Li Shishi folded the letter, blew the whistle she’d taken from the thin ninja, and soon a pigeon flew in through the window, landing gently on her hand.

She deftly tied the letter to the pigeon’s leg, went to the window, and released it.

The thin ninja, writhing on the ground in agony, gritted his teeth and tried to stop her, but he couldn’t move.

Xiao Fei realized that Li Shishi releasing the pigeon must have been a fatal blow to the ninja.

"Now you can die in peace," Li Shishi said as she brought her blade down, severing the ninja’s throat.

This girl—what an indomitable spirit! Xiao Fei couldn’t help but marvel.

He was filled with curiosity about Li Shishi and couldn’t help but ask, "Sister, who exactly are you?"

She replied with a coquettish smile, "Do you really want to know, little brother?"

"I do. But, sister, could you stop calling me little brother?"

She laughed, "Ahaha, you’re so cute. I like it. But before I answer your question, won’t you answer mine?"

"Hmm? What do you want to know?"

"You and your companion snuck into my place, and you both flew in with wings. How do you explain that?" There was a sly smile on her face.

Her sudden question caught Xiao Fei off guard. He hadn’t realized Li Shishi had been observing his every move. Who was this woman?

For a moment, Xiao Fei didn’t know how to respond or whether to reveal his ultimate secret to her.

At that moment, a knock came at the door. "Miss, Colonel Noda’s motorcade is about to arrive. Please prepare yourself."

"Understood. Send a few people to my room to tidy up in a while," Li Shishi replied calmly.

"Yes, ma’am," the person answered and quickly left.

"Aren’t you here to assassinate the Japanese colonel? He’ll be here soon. If you have the ability, go ahead and kill him," Li Shishi said to Xiao Fei.

He’s coming, finally coming. Trusting his instincts, Xiao Fei chose to believe in Li Shishi. He immediately called Qin Tianxiang inside and made full preparations. Though he was filled with questions, to him, Li Shishi was a woman shrouded in mystery.