Kalen looked at Kujo Kazuya with a suspicious expression.

"How can you be so certain?"

Kujo Kazuya's expression was complex, filled with both fear and awe.

"Because I once heard my father mention a matter regarding my uncle, Kujo Koji, when he was young."

Kalen frowned, not interested in listening to stories.

"What time is it, and you're still talking about these old matters from years ago."

"Don't keep us in suspense, get straight to the point."

Polina stopped him instead, signaling Kujo Kazuya to continue.

"Let him speak."

"Sometimes, a person's past can best determine their future choices."

Kujo Kazuya gave Polina a grateful look, took a deep breath, and began.

"That was a matter from more than forty years ago."

"At that time, my uncle had just changed jobs. Although his talent was exceptional, he was still just a young man in his early twenties."

"My grandfather, who was the head of the Kujo Family at the time, held high hopes for him, but he also felt deep worry about that arrogance and conceit deeply ingrained in his bones."

Zhou Huai stood at the door listening, knowing that this might be the key.

Kujo Kazuya continued, "In order to temper his mental state, Grandfather issued an order."

"All young disciples of the Kujo Family must conceal their names and go out to temper themselves for three years like ordinary people."

"They are not allowed to use any resources of the Clan, not allowed to expose their identity, and must rely entirely on themselves."

"Grandfather said that only after truly witnessing the mire of the bottom can one stand better on the clouds."

Kalen curled his lips.

"That sounds like a pretty good method of education."

Kujo Kazuya gave a bitter smile.

"But my uncle was born not to be someone who could associate with the mire."

"He was too proud."

"Even if wearing coarse linen clothes, it couldn't cover up that gaze that viewed all living beings as ants."

"He went to many places and caused quite a bit of trouble, but he resolved it all relying on his strength."

"Until he went to Lake Kawaguchi."

Speaking of this place name, Kujo Kazuya sighed.

"Lake Kawaguchi at that time was a place where fish and Dragons mingled, with adventurers, peddlers, ruffians, and all sorts of people."

"My uncle offended a rather influential Gang there."

"Uncle originally wanted to resolve it with force, but the other side was numerous and their methods were extremely despicable."

"They used poison, traps, and even captured innocent civilians as hostages."

"In the end, my uncle was outnumbered and captured by them."

Kalen also put away his impatient expression and listened with a frown.

Kujo Kazuya swallowed, and his voice became even lower.

"To stay alive, my uncle... he compromised."

"In order to humiliate him publicly, that Gang leader forced him to crawl between his legs in the most bustling square of the town."

"At that time, there were hundreds of people watching."

"Those people were all mocking him, pointing at him, and throwing rotten vegetable leaves and stones."

Kalen widened his eyes. He could imagine that scene; for a person as proud as Kujo Koji, this was more painful than killing him.

"And then?" Polina asked softly.

Kujo Kazuya's complexion turned pale.

"Later, my uncle escaped."

"That matter became the only stain in his life, a taboo that he would never allow anyone to mention."

"One year later, he returned to Lake Kawaguchi and slaughtered everyone who was present at that time."

"The entire Gang was massacred by him."

After Kujo Kazuya finished speaking, he let out a long breath, as if putting down a heavy burden.

Kalen opened his mouth, unable to say a single word. He originally thought Kujo Koji was just an ambitious person, but he didn't expect him to be such a ruthless lunatic.

Polina's gaze also turned solemn. She finally understood why Kujo Kazuya was so certain.

Kujo Kazuya raised his head to look at everyone, and said with a very certain tone:

"My uncle is such a person."

"He seeks vengeance for every slight, and Lake Kawaguchi left him with embarrassing memories."

"Now that there is a chance, there is a high probability he will wipe this city off the map."

After hearing this, Kalen curled his lips disdainfully.

"Speaking so certainly."

"In the end, it's merely just a guess."

He looked at Polina, spread his hands, and his face was full of disapproval.

"Just because he lost face there more than forty years ago, he has to choose that place? What kind of reason is that?"

Polina gently shook her head; those charming eyes of hers were much deeper than Kalen's.

"No, Kalen, you are wrong."

"For a person like Kujo Koji, dignity and pride are his everything."

"The more powerful and conceited a person is, the more unable they are to tolerate any stains existing in their life."

"Lake Kawaguchi is the only stain in his life, the place he most wants to completely erase from his memory and from the map."

"Therefore, although this is also a guess, it indeed gives us a direction for judgment."

Zhou Huai, who had been silent all along, also nodded along.

He agreed with Polina's view.

Rather than acting like headless flies and scattering power to four places to gamble on luck,

it is better to concentrate all energy and tightly watch the target with the highest possibility.

"Since we are headless flies anyway, we might as well focus on this Lake Kawaguchi."

After he finished speaking, his gaze swept across the crowd.

"You two, we have to go."

After all, the villa of the Kujo Family is not a place where one can come and go as they please.

Staying one more minute means one more minute of risk of exposure.

Kalen curled his lips disdainfully once more.

"Easier said than done."

He pointed at Insect Emperor Caesar, and then pointed at himself and Polina.

"You can disguise yourself as someone else, but we don't have such methods."

"Now the guards outside are strict, with patrol teams having a post every three steps and a sentry every five steps. How are we going to get out?"

A trace of a smile appeared on Zhou Huai's face. On that ordinary face belonging to Matsutake Gen, a confidence completely inconsistent with his appearance emerged.

"Rest assured."

"I guarantee I can safely take you out."

Just as he finished speaking.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone, Zhou Huai's body began to change.

His bones made subtle, teeth-aching crisp sounds, and his height, body shape, and face were all reshaping at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just a few short seconds.

That gentle-tempered floral artist Matsutake Gen disappeared.

Replaced in his stead was a middle-aged man with a tall and straight figure, a disdainful gaze, and the majesty of a superior radiating from his whole body who held the power of life and death.

It was precisely the head of the Kujo Family—Kujo Koji!

Kujo Kazuya, who was standing to the side, instantly turned pale, even though he knew the other person was not his uncle.

But rather disguised, it still made him feel incomparably panicked.

Polina was somewhat surprised at first.

But immediately after, in those charming eyes of hers, an unmasked light of appreciation lit up.

She couldn't help laughing, laughing so hard that her body trembled, and the fullness on her chest rose and fell accordingly.

"Indeed."

There was a bit of amazement in her voice, as well as a bit of playfulness.

"No one would think that someone would dare to impersonate the head of the Clan himself inside the villa of the Kujo Family."

"Your Excellency Ever-changing Star Lord, I really appreciate your boldness and meticulousness more and more."

Zhou Huai had already completely entered the role of Kujo Koji.

Whether it was his gaze, his standing posture, or that inadvertent arrogance of viewing all things as stray dogs, he imitated them vividly.

He only coldly glanced at Kujo Kazuya, who was so frightened that his face lost all color, and spoke lightly in an unquestionable, majestic tone belonging to the head of the Clan.

"What are you still standing there stupidly for?"

"Lead the way."