Stretching, Li Su rolled over from the bed, took care of his unkempt self, and left the suite. After a while he returned, with an extra black box in his hand.

"Good morning." Breakfast had already been pushed in, and the three people who were eating looked up and greeted him.

"Early." Li Su answered the call and sat down at the table and began to eat breakfast, chewing while looking at the today's itinerary listed by the Japanese branch in his hand.

A busy day.

After breakfast, I got into the car that had been waiting downstairs for a long time, and the black car drove straight for Genji Heavy Industries, merging in the endless traffic.

Li Su lowered the car window, and the morning breeze mixed with the smell of seaweed came in, not because of the overnight rain, the air was very fresh. It's clearly sitting in the car, but there is an illusion of taking a nap in the forest.

The reorganized city outside the window has been adjusted by the single-sided glass, and the originally elegant high-rise buildings appear darker, as if shrouded in misty shadows. The pedestrians who occasionally pass by the car while waiting for the red light look hurried and have no distractions, just like the city they live in. Or rather, they are the very units that make up the city.

"It's a country bound by the rules. The whole country is a complex machine, and everyone is a part of this machine, bound by rules to run at high speed. It's scary to think about...... Are you thinking about this too? ”

Li Su turned his head in surprise and looked at Chu Zihang who was sitting beside him. The four people in Caesar's group were divided into two cars, Caesar and Lu Mingfei were in one car, and he was in one car with Chu Zihang. I didn't expect this guy to take the initiative to talk.

"Nope." Li Su shook his head. "At the same time, they also enjoy high benefits, and it is just a personal choice."

After being silent for a long time, Chu Zihang nodded slowly. "You're right."

When I arrived, the car slowly stopped in front of an iron-black building. The girl in a black suit pulled the car door and bowed deeply with her hands on the trouser line: "Welcome to the Japanese branch with the commissioner of the headquarters." ”

It was Sakura, and she combed her long black hair into a high ponytail like a kendo girl, and her whole person looked even more erect.

"I was expecting a man in black to bow in the middle of the road." Caesar got out of the car and looked up at the black skyscraper.

"If you visit a family shrine, they still maintain the tradition of welcoming people in the middle of the road, but in the city of Tokyo, you have to keep a low profile so as not to disturb the neighbors, so please forgive me." Sakura stepped aside and made a welcoming gesture. "Because of the traffic jam, you are already four minutes behind schedule, but it doesn't matter, we have checked the traffic conditions along the way beforehand, so the meeting between you and the family heads was delayed by fifteen minutes. Let me show you around the office area. ”

In a sense, this is just a common commercial company in modern society, and there is not much difference in departments and functions, but the business handled is somewhat special. Li Su put his palm on the tempered glass of the sightseeing elevator and watched the city under his feet gradually move away.

The attention seemed to be away from the ground, and Lu Mingfei's complaints behind him gradually became distant, hazy with some unreal meaning. seems to be independent of this world, and I am not happy or sad in my heart.

It wasn't until the "ding" sound of the elevator arrived that he came back to his senses, and Sakura's voice came from behind him. Li Su turned around and followed everyone through the 28th, 29th and 30th floors, Sakura opened a hidden sliding door, the sunlight came in, there was actually a spacious terrace on this floor, it was hidden in a corner of the building, it was not easy to detect from the ground and the sky, only by opening this sliding door, could you step into this cave.

"The Temple of the Awakening? Awakening the spirit or awakening the spirit? Li Su looked up at the small and delicate torii gate in front of him, and the scroll of gods and ghosts painted on the granite wall later.

"I don't know, but you can ask Mr. Masamune in person when you see him, and the Awakening Temple is the name given by Mr." Sakura, who disappeared for a moment, walked over with a copper basin in her hand, and the three of them followed Lu Mingfei's movements to wash their hands and rinse their mouths, which is the so-called "hand water ceremony".

The black and white stone table is put together in a circular Tai Chi pattern, and the six people waiting at the table all stand up and bow.

"You've already seen it, Mr. Genji, the head of the Gen family......" Sakura introduced one by one. The head of the Ryoma family, Mr. Ryoma Shoichiro, is the current head of the Japan Division. ”

The four of them nodded slightly, showing their respect for the middle-aged man with meticulous hair and a neat suit.

"The head of the Inuyama family, Mr. Inuyama. Mr. Inuyama was the first branch minister and an old friend of President Angers. ”

The head of the Inuyama family smiled like the sun, he scratched his head and said with a smile: "Oh, yes, because I can't kill Ange, I have to be friends with him." What a pity! ”

It seems that because of official business, he did not ask Li Su to say a few words alone, and Li Su also pretended not to know that this old gentleman was his father-in-law, and also paid tribute.

"The head of the Sakurai family, Ms. Nanami Sakurai, who also serves as the inspector of the Japanese branch."

Although she is a beautiful woman, Caesar, who also has a clear distinction between public and private, also restrained herself and did not show her style, but her face was expressionless.

"Mr. Kotaro, the head of the Wind Demon family, the 'Wakatou' of the Eight Snake Clans, when the eldest patriarch is away, the affairs of the family are decided by Mr. Wind Demon. Mr. Wind Demon does not work in the Japanese branch, but we borrowed the Ninja Team of the Wind Demon Family for this mission, so Mr. Wind Demon is also present at today's meeting. ”

This one is much more concise and lean, and it feels like you can slip out of the wide cuffs of your kimono at any moment.

"In the end, this is Mr. Tachibana Masamune, the head of the Tachibana family, and the head of the Eight Snake Families."

"Didn't you think that the so-called underworld elements were people like us?" Tachibana Masamune, dressed in white linen, smiled and shook hands with Caesar's group one by one, "Actually, we didn't expect the ace commissioner of the academy headquarters to be such an excellent young man." ”

Li Su shook hands with him at the end, also smiling. Suddenly, he wanted to strangle this guy here, but he thought about it. But who knows if this is his real body? It's just that the smile on his face is more eager, and he can be regarded as returning the gift of Mr. Tachibana Masamune, so that he can feel more at ease when he stabs the knife in the future.

"The head of the Miyamoto family is making some preparations, and you will see you in a moment. As for the head of the Uesugi family, she is not in good health, and she has a condition in the second half of last night, and she is still recuperating in bed, and I ask you to forgive her for her faux pas. Tachibana Masamune said.

"I can't be present at the high-level meeting, so I'll quit." Sakura bows deeply.

"Don't worry, wait for me and Mr. Inuyama and Mr. Wind Demon, Mr. Wind Demon and I are not from the Japanese branch, we just need to help with the task of the academy with all our heart. As for Inuyama-kun, although he used to be the head of the Japanese branch, now that he is retired, it is inconvenient for him to attend such a confidential meeting. We met up with the talented young people of the academy to talk about family life, and then we could go to tea with the old immortals in the strategy department. Tachibana Masamune smiled.

"The tea is fragrant." Caesar said casually.

The crimson teapot on the round table and the blue sea outside the window form a vivid contrast, quite similar to Cao Liu, who "cooks wine and talks about heroes".

"It's a blessing to have the approval of the heir of the Gattuso family." Tachibana Masamune said, "There's nothing to entertain you, so let's use this Japanese tea ceremony." ”

"Are you Japanese?" Caesar looked at Tachibana Masamune with a scrutinizing gaze.

"I'm only half Japanese, and the other half Russian." Tachibana Masamune said.

Caesar frowned.

"I've been in Japan for many years, and many people can't tell that I still have half Russian blood, Mr. Gattuso, how do you see that?" Tachibana asked.

"Accent, your accent has the characteristics of a Slavic language. You will distinguish between hard and soft palate sounds, which are typical Russian pronunciations. Caesar said, "You are not only of Russian descent, you have lived in Russia." ”

Among the people present, even Kotaro Kazema and Gen Zhisheng showed surprised expressions, and it was obvious that the other family heads didn't know about it.

"I can't imagine that after all these years, I still can't hide this from people," Masamune Tachibana smiled, "Yes, I lived in Russia for about 30 years, and it was the Soviet era, everyone ate rationed food, and the children were proud to wear military uniforms." ”

Caesar hesitated for a moment, but did not continue to ask.

When the water boiled, Tachibana Masamune lifted the iron kettle, poured the boiling water into the tea bowl, and poured the water out again. This is the procedure of the standard Japanese tea ceremony, where the first hot water is simply used to heat the tea bowl. Then he used a wooden teaspoon to pick out two spoonfuls of tea powder and put them into the tea bowl, then took a large spoonful of hot water from the iron kettle and poured it into the tea bowl, stirring gently with the tea whisk. The real fragrance of tea spread, everyone's expressions relaxed a little, and the originally somewhat serious scene became easy-going. The aroma of tea powder is still much stronger than that of tea, and Li Su still feels a pity when he thinks that China abandoned this technology after the Song Dynasty.

"Check the reference book, how to break this road?" Caesar leaned closer to Lu Mingfei's ear and lowered his voice.

"Yes, yes! The appendix to my book "100 Lectures on Japanese Mythology and History" contains tea ceremony etiquette! Lu Mingfei flipped through the book under the table.

"There it is! The person who makes the tea will turn the patterned side of the bowl towards the person drinking the tea...... And then...... We have to take the ancient silk yarn and rotate it twice clockwise, showing respect to the person who makes the tea...... Then, well, drink the tea soup, rotate the tea bowl counterclockwise twice, look down and admire the pattern of the tea bowl, show that you are appreciative, and you can also praise twice. Lu Mingfei whispered. Fortunately, the table was wide and big enough, and the person on the other side of them probably couldn't hear what they were saying, and only saw the three of them talking to each other.

Caesar and Chu Zihang didn't say a word, and they both memorized the process in their hearts. The same community leaders, they have no reason to bow their heads in front of each other.

Tachibana Masamune really pulled out the golden ancient silk yarn around his waist and padded the tea bowl, gently rotated it in his hand, and turned the side with the bamboo finch pattern towards Caesar, and bent down to serve tea. Caesar had already noticed that there was also a golden ancient silk yarn in front of him, and he bent down to take the tea bowl with an immovable expression, and also used the ancient silk yarn to cushion it, and rotated it twice clockwise in the palm of his hand, pointing the bamboo finch pattern at Tachibana Masamune, which Lu Mingfei said in the booklet was a respect for the tea maker. Caesar was meticulous, and he also knew that in Japan the tea ceremony was a solemn etiquette, and it was a shame to make mistakes.

Tachibana Masamune also served tea to Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei, and these two people also meticulously copied Caesar's approach.

The three of them raised their heads at the same time and drank the tea soup, their movements paused slightly, and then their bodies slowly reset, rotated the tea bowl twice counterclockwise, re-aligned the bamboo finch pattern at themselves, and looked down to admire the pattern of the tea bowl, with a look of admiration on their faces.

The only difference is Li Su. He took the bowl and didn't drink it, but set it aside, and then put the black box next to him on the table, which he carried with him all the way.

Slowly opening the lid of the box, there are eight black soup cups inside, and the lids of the same color tightly seal the contents inside, making it impossible to guess. Li Su handed the soup cup to Sakura, who was stunned for a moment and then placed the soup cup in front of each family master.

The six heads of the family lifted the lid and the scent of chili peppers and soybeans filled the temple. The original atmosphere of solemnity and compassion was washed away, and the leisurely pace of the market occupied the place.

"I hope you enjoy it. Oh, I forgot about that. Li Su opened the last layer of the food box, and inside were eight neatly placed spoons, which were also delivered by Sakura. Then Li Su closed the lid and handed the food box to Sakura and spoke. "Since there are still two heads of the family who haven't arrived, I'll trouble Mr. Masamune to transfer them."

Tachibana Masamune nodded, and then the heads of the family slowly spooned. His work this time is far better than last year's, after Li Su's countless improvements, it can be said that the color and flavor are complete, the deep spicy of oil and spicy seeds, the faint saltiness of mustard shreds and the fragrant fragrance of green onions stir people's olfactory nerves, white, red and green are also bright and bright. After taking a bite, the whole person was awakened by the smooth tofu brain and the chili pepper that flowed into the bottom of my heart, and the fatigue that originally belonged to the morning was swept away.

The soup cup was not large and was eaten quickly. The heads of the house all looked surprised. It's not that they haven't tasted this kind of food made with soybeans, but the condiments used to be metaphytes, taro balls, and syrup, but this style is the first time they have encountered this style, and what surprised them even more is that this small bowl of tofu brain is actually made by students in the main department, and it seems that there are people in the main department who study it. They couldn't help but put away a little bit of their shallow glance at the headquarters.

Seeing the reaction of everyone in front of him, Li Su nodded with satisfaction and began to drink tea, the tea was cooled just right, slightly bitter but calming.

"Boiling tea is my little specialty, and when you visit, you pay respect, but I didn't expect you to have more outstanding works." Tachibana Masamune smiled heartily. "Don't waste everyone's precious time, I will say goodbye to Mr. Wind Demon and Inuyama-kun first, and the affairs of the academy will be taken care of by Nakashi, Ms. Sakurai, and Ryoma-kun." Tachibana Masamune stood up and took his leave, "I hope you all have a happy time in Japan and a smooth mission." ”

Caesar's group stood up to return the salute, and Tachibana Masamune left the terrace with Kotaro Kazema and Inuyama Kazuka.

The sliding door closed behind him, and Wind Demon Kotaro stepped forward and lowered his voice: "Mr. Masamune, are they up to the task?" ”

"Although the children say that they are unreliable children, I believe that they are excellent, and Caesar's bloodline is in." A' rank is also super first-class, he is valued so much by Ange is not only because he is a child of the Gattuso family, and Chu Zihang is not as uncontrollable as said in the file, I can't feel that he has a murderous aura leaking out from him, which shows that although he has a high proportion of dragon blood, his self-control ability is stronger, and he can restrain dragon blood, this quality is very rare; Li Su is also, impatient people can't do this kind of thing, although his eyes have been wandering, but the things under his eyes are as heavy as mountains;The only thing I can't be sure of is Lu Mingfei, but HilbertWhoever Jean Angers believes, the whole world must believe! Tachibana Masamune said in a deep voice, "Their arrival is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, and we must not miss it!" ”

"I also have a similar feeling, they know that we are underworld, but they are not afraid in their attitude, they deal with it in a certain way, and they even understand the etiquette of the tea ceremony," Wind Demon Kotaro licked his lips and teeth that left a little fragrance, "I don't know about Li Su's situation, but Mr. Masamune, you used boiling water to make tea and they drank it all, right...... Isn't it hot? ”