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Chapter 76 The Man Behind the Scenes
In the Shogun's Mansion in Kyoto, Japan, it was already late at night, but there was still a faint light coming from the room of the butler Fujiwara Masao.
In this era, the power of the shogun was still at its peak, and Fujiwara Masao, although he had no official position, became the object of many officials' vying to make friends because of his unique status.
The officials hoped that through him, they could convey a few good words to the general and thus advance further in their careers.
But Fujiwara Masao is not someone who can be easily persuaded.
The reason why he was able to sit firmly in the position of steward in the general's mansion and maintain the general's trust for a long time was precisely because he knew how to use the art of conversation.
In this mansion full of intrigues and interests, knowing when to speak and when to remain silent is a science that requires careful consideration.
However, Fujiwara Masao had a problem, which was that he would feel dizzy when exposed to the sun, so the general adjusted Fujiwara Masao's working hours to night time.
There was a sudden gust of wind behind Fujiwara Masao. He did not turn around, but stopped the work in his hands and waited quietly.
A moment later, a man in black ninja clothing appeared in his sight and knelt on one knee in the middle of the room.
"What's the matter?" Fujiwara Masao's tone was very calm, as if he had already anticipated this scene.
He turned around slowly, staring sharply at the ninja in front of him, waiting for his answer.
The ninja kept his head down, his voice low and firm: "Sir, there is urgent information." As he spoke, he handed over a sealed letter.
Fujiwara Masao nodded slightly. This ninja was just one of the many intelligence networks he controlled. They were like ghosts in the night, silently shuttling through the streets of Kyoto, collecting all kinds of intelligence for him and carrying out secret missions.
In this turbulent era, Fujiwara Masao's identity is far more than just a steward in the Shogun's mansion.
He is a thousand-year lurker, a master of disguise that no one can see through.
He once fished by the river as a fisherman, wandered around the market as a commoner, and even spoke in the court as a noble prince.
No matter when or where, he can blend himself in perfectly without revealing any flaws.
As the ninja finished speaking, a blood shadow suddenly flashed in Fujiwara Masao's hand.
The entire room was instantly shrouded in a layer of blood-red light, as if it was dyed with a strange color.
Under the reflection of this light, Fujiwara Masao's face began to change.
His eyes turned blood red, flashing with an eerie light, and his appearance gradually returned from that of an old man to that of a handsome young man.
After opening the envelope and looking at the information inside, Fujiwara Masao nodded. He was not surprised by the result.
"Muzan Kibutsuji died tragically? Who killed him? A pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, or the little demon who was reported to have the Sun Breathing?"
To him, the death of Muzan Kibutsuji seemed like a predetermined ending.
During the Warring States Period, the rampage of Muzan Kibutsuji plunged the whole of Japan into chaos and darkness, and the people suffered.
In order to maintain his normal life, Fujiwara Masao had to secretly support the Demon Slayer Corps, hoping that they could curb the madness of Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Neither. It's a foreigner named Dio Brando." The ninja's voice trembled a little. "According to the information from the evil spirit's spy, the other party's bloodline level seems to be much higher than Muzan Kibutsuji. With just one order, Muzan Kibutsuji couldn't resist the pressure of his bloodline and fell to his knees."
Hearing this, Fujiwara Masao, who was originally leaning on the tatami, suddenly sat up straight, staring at the ninja in front of him, as if he wanted to find out some clues from the other party.
His eyes were like two sharp knives, piercing straight into the ninja's heart, making the latter feel an inexplicable fear.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the whole room became extremely depressing. The ninja felt as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on him. Even breathing became extremely difficult, let alone making any sound.
Fine beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead, slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the ground.
After more than ten seconds, Fujiwara Masao finally looked away, and the invisible pressure disappeared.
The ninja couldn't help but breathe heavily, as if he had just returned from the gates of hell.
He did not dare to be negligent in the slightest and immediately told Fujiwara Masao all the information he knew in detail.
Fujiwara Masao listened in silence, with no expression on his face.
"Very good! The idle chess piece Muzan Kibutsuji has finally played its due role." A sneer appeared on Fujiwara Masao's lips, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
Fujiwara Masao slowly stood up, walked to the closet and opened the door.
Deep in the closet, there was a weathered black robe, and underneath it was a square scarf with only half of it remaining.
These two items are treasures that Fujiwara Masao has treasured for two thousand years and are his only connection with the past.
He gently stroked the black robe, feeling the traces of time with his fingertips.
This robe has witnessed his vicissitudes of life over the past two thousand years. Every time he touches it, it seems to take him back to that distant era.
The pattern on the scarf has become blurred, but Fujiwara Masao can still clearly recall what it looked like.
Two thousand years ago, in pursuit of immortality, Qin Shi Huang sent people to Japan to search for elixirs.
Fujiwara no Masao was the Xu Fu who was sent by Qin Shihuang.
When Xu Fu arrived in the still barren land of Japan, he accidentally discovered a magical race there.
This race possesses an incredibly long lifespan, and their blood contains powerful power, as if it is a gift from nature.
However, this race also has a weakness that they cannot overcome - they cannot face the sun directly.
Sunlight is like a deadly poison to them. Once exposed to the sun, their bodies will quickly collapse and their vitality will quickly fade away.
After Xu Fu discovered the secret of this race, an evil idea arose in his mind.
In Xu Fu's view, the bloodline of this race is the key to immortality.
Thus, a bloody massacre took place in Japan.
Xu Fu hunted down those creatures that could not face the sunlight one by one, and used their flesh, blood and bone marrow to refine the so-called elixir of immortality.
The moment the elixir of immortality was successfully refined, Xu Fu's heart was overwhelmed by greed. Looking at the pill that was shining with mysterious light, Xu Fu's heart was filled with desire for eternal life.
Japan was so far away from the Qin Dynasty that he didn't have to worry about Qin Shihuang sending someone to find him.
So he took the elixir of life himself.
However, Xu Fu did not expect that this pill would bring him not only eternal life, but also the weakness in the bloodline of that race.
This made Xu Fu only able to move around at night and become a being in the dark.
(End of this chapter)