flstandardbreds Chapter 154 The Infighting Phase Among the Powerful
Chapter 154 The Infighting Phase Among the Powerful
The Japanese royal family is not intelligent enough; frankly, they are just there to make it easier for other families and forces to manipulate them. However, they still receive some special treatment.
Now that the Demon Slayer Corps has intervened in the power struggle in Tokyo, Kagaya Ubuyashiki naturally has to stand on the side of the "righteous path," that is, the Taisho faction. This is equivalent to him becoming an outsider, turning from a pawn into a referee!
Muzan's original plan to drag the Demon Slayer Corps into the fray can be considered a failure, as the forces in Tokyo would not target the Imperial Family unless absolutely necessary.
It's a kind of tacit understanding that has developed gradually, and the royal family acts as both a police officer and a referee, so the royal family doesn't lose out no matter what others win or lose!
For a time, only the other forces and the three major families were left to bicker! It seemed like a big commotion, but there was no real struggle at all. It was just the higher-ups arguing with each other, and the common people having a few more words to say to each other.
In other words, Tokyo didn't become as chaotic as Muzan had predicted! At most, there were occasional fights at night, about the size of a village brawl.
There's no way we can just sit back and watch the tigers fight!
If this drags on any longer, Muzan is worried that the Blue Spider Lily might be consumed, which would be troublesome!
Having already tasted success with his covert methods, Muzan was unwilling to engage in direct confrontation for no reason. Such behavior was too crude, lacked sophistication, and was completely unbecoming of his role as the ultimate boss. Moreover, it might not even work. Therefore, he wanted to seek advice from Li Muyang.
He himself definitely wouldn't want to come, so he could only send Nakime over first to test the waters.
Li Muyang had been teasing Naruto for a while, but he wasn't going to keep hiding it any longer. This scoundrel wasn't like Liu Bei, who would visit Zhuge Liang three times to seek out talent and treat scholars with respect. This guy's magnanimity could only be described as tiny. If he kept her in suspense for too long, it would be easier for them to fall out now.
We were hoping this guy could lure out those three old devils, but now that things have fallen out, it's inconvenient to carry out our plans!
Muzan wanted chaos in Tokyo, right? So, Li Muyang gave Muzan a terrible idea!
Let Muzan infect people from other factions, turning them into demons, and then attack the Taisho Empire! Or the three major families! If there's a chance, they could infect each other's families and make them attack one another!
Success or failure doesn't matter, as long as it stirs up trouble!
Upon receiving the advice, Muzan exclaimed, "Sir, you are truly a genius!"
The scumbag boss himself has already figured out what Li Muyang means! No explanation is needed at all!
In fact, Muzan originally had this idea, but he only thought about making the three major families fight amongst themselves, and he didn't expect that he could frame someone else!
Others couldn't tell the difference between the demons infected by Muzan and those infected by the three old demons! They were all demons, so even if the three major families wanted to come forward and testify, they couldn't.
Even if Muzan were to slightly manipulate and modify the methods of the three old demons, it wouldn't be a problem. Don't forget, he is the true Demon King! He doesn't need to fool the three old demons; he can fool everyone else and all the forces!
This identification method can only be used by ghosts. How can the three major families provide evidence to prove that the ghost that attacked them was not from their family? First of all, none of them will admit that their family has a ghost!
Regardless of what circulates in secret or among the common people, the three major families would never admit to having a ghost in their family!
With things having developed to this point, Li Muyang could no longer let the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons remain hidden and inactive. Given Muzan's personality, he certainly wouldn't be able to hold out for long! He had to stir things up completely!
Suddenly, various factions in Tokyo began to take drastic measures!
Today the head of this family is attacked, tomorrow Taisho is assassinated, and the day after tomorrow the two Onmyoji families are fighting again.
This time, someone has really died! And it was a prominent figure in Tokyo! An official was even turned into a demon!
This series of events finally made the royal family restless! They then sent the Demon Slayer Corps to quell the turmoil.
Unfortunately, it's too late to suppress it.
Since someone has resorted to underhanded tactics, trust has been lost. It's impossible for a royal family with only a nominal title to control so many people.
Finally, Taisho himself stepped in, saying that all the victims and participants in this incident should gather together so that we can sit down and have a good talk!
All of you, come here! Anyone who doesn't come will be dealt with! Anyone who dares to cause trouble at this event will be dealt with!
Seeing that their boss was truly enraged, the various factions in Tokyo also backed down a bit. After all, they were used to a life of ease and comfort. They had only started out vying for power and influence, and they hadn't expected things to escalate so much. Now that the situation was getting out of control, they were starting to feel a little regretful.
Taisho, as the leader, still has a lot of say, and with the support of the Demon Slayer Corps, he is probably the strongest in terms of combat power! Just like Li Muyang sensed when he first arrived in Tokyo, some forces may have hidden methods, but their regular combat power is really not as good as the Demon Slayer Corps.
Therefore, under Taisho's auspices, a group of leaders from various factions in Tokyo gathered together to discuss matters! Even the Three Sacred Treasures were brought out in the center of the meeting room.
Of course, it's not Li Muyang's approach.
Unfortunately, those three old ghosts still didn't come out! Instead, they sent puppet patriarchs from three different families.
Seeing this, Kagaya Ubuyashiki whispered a few words in Taisho's ear, and Taisho's expression immediately changed! What! You three really don't respect me?! I already said! Let's sit down and talk! No fighting today!
They immediately began questioning why the three old ghosts weren't there! Did they think they were disrespectful to everyone present? Don't forget! This whole mess was caused by you! Do you really not want to negotiate? Are you planning to keep causing trouble? We specifically wanted to get you out here to sit down and talk, and we even scheduled the meeting for after sunset! How could you be so ungrateful!
Alright! Then we'll take care of you all together!
The existence of the Three Old Ghosts is no longer a secret! With such a huge commotion, they can't hide it anymore!
Faced with Taisho's questioning and the watchful eyes of other forces, the three family heads were sweating profusely. Their old monsters were cowards to death; how could they possibly come? Hadn't they tried to persuade them? They couldn't!
However, to the surprise of the three family heads, after being questioned by Taisho, the three old ghosts actually appeared!
Three elderly men, looking quite frail, bowed deeply to the crowd at a perfect 90-degree angle, saying, "We're so sorry for the trouble we've caused you all these past few days! We're too old and have difficulty moving around, we were late! We were wrong!"
Seeing the three old ghosts in this state, the others were also a little embarrassed. Even Da Zheng was a little scared. If the three old ghosts suddenly died here without him noticing, that would be a big mess!
Only a few individuals with special abilities, including Kagaya Ubuyashiki, were dismissive of the three old devils' clumsy acting! What are you pretending for? The aura you exude right now is stronger than most of the people here!
Just after the three old ghosts took their seats, something unexpected happened.
Muzan has even shown up!
Taisho was momentarily stunned when faced with the person who strolled in leisurely: "Who are you...?"
"Muzan!" Kagaya Ubuyashiki slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily: "What did you do to Mr. Lee?!"
Muzan, who had been quite confident just moments before, almost stumbled and fell. He calmly adjusted his posture and said in a cold voice, "Master of the Demon Slayer Corps, humph, you should worry more about your own problems!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki showed no mercy, smiling slightly: "Hahaha! No need for you to trouble yourself! Mr. Li cured my illness! I think I'll definitely outlive you!"
Muzan's face darkened upon hearing this. He truly had no idea that Li Muyang had cured Ubuyashiki Kagaya's body! That was a curse upon the world! At least he himself had no way to cure that curse!
Sure enough! This doctor from the Central Plains is truly strange!
However, the matter at hand is more important!
Muzan turned to Taisho: "Your Majesty, I am also one of the participants who stirred up this trouble. May I join the meeting? Don't worry! I have come alone today!"
Taisho turned to look at the others around him. Hmm, even the Demon Slayer Corps members were silent. It was clear that everyone respected him as their leader. Taisho suddenly felt powerful again. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Of course! Our meeting today is to lay down our swords and negotiate peacefully!"
Muzan was quite polite; he bowed, offered a casual thank you, and then took his seat.
With everyone present, Taisho, as the initiator of the meeting, began by saying, "Ahem! Everyone, please speak freely!"
As soon as they finished speaking, the three old ghosts started wailing and crying, claiming that they were innocent. Now that their existence had been exposed, they could no longer stay in the shadows. They wanted to get rid of as much of the blame as possible.
They even explained their actions as a study of the evolution of life! The subjects they used were all death row inmates; they never touched ordinary citizens! They also controlled their subordinates to prevent any trouble! These evil spirits who unleashed the Tokyo catastrophe are definitely not their people! Your Majesty, please see the truth!
Regarding other crimes, the three old ghosts still refused to admit them!
Da Zheng waved his hand coldly, "You three, don't get agitated! Calm down, we certainly won't wrong any innocent person, nor will we let any bad person go unpunished!"
Even though they were disdainful in their hearts, the three old ghosts still put on a humble and apprehensive appearance, as if they were thanking the emperor for his great favor.
"Enough nonsense! I only want one thing: the Blue Spider Lily! Once I have it, I'll leave Japan!" Muzan had no interest in playing power games with a group of nobles. He coldly interrupted their bickering and said, "Also, I know everything about all the mess you've been making over the years! What are you pretending to be innocent about?"
"As a near-perfect being, I am truly disgusted by the hypocritical and ugly faces of you humans!"
The three old ghosts were clearly embarrassed. To be honest, they never expected that Muzan, this reckless man who never played by the rules, would actually come to listen to their bickering and meeting today, which completely disrupted their plans!
At this moment, Tamamo-no-Mae, who was serving as a shrine maiden at Ise Shrine under the name Ise-tama, produced a document containing evidence of all the evil deeds committed by the three old demons, which had been thoroughly investigated.