Chapter 1707: 1707: A Woman's Heart Is Even More Ruthless

Chapter 1707: Chapter 1707: A Woman’s Heart Is Even More Ruthless

Ouyang Feifei arrived at the hotel just as Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan were about to attend the embassy banquet.

The injured Ishihara Naka appeared in a wheelchair following Ouyang Feifei, in front of Luo Ziling.

“Mr. Ishihara, we were surprised to hear about your injury,” Luo Ziling stepped forward to greet him, “What exactly happened?”

“It seems someone intentionally wants to frame Mr. Luo, or they are dissatisfied with my grandfather’s actions, so they targeted me,” Ishihara Naka promptly stated his hypothesis, then smiled wryly, “I was shot in the thigh, a penetrating wound, so I won’t be able to walk for a while. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see your heroic display yesterday.”

As he spoke, Ishihara Naka gave a thumbs up, repeatedly praising, “Seeing your quick acupuncture was an eye-opener for me. I didn’t expect that your deeply skilled Taiyi Divine Needle could be wielded so swiftly, truly impressive.”

“I’m also impressed by you, being able to speak Huaxia so fluently, even better than many of our compatriots,” seeing Ishihara Naka’s resilience and lack of self-pity despite his injury, and talking about this morning’s events, Luo Ziling felt quite cheerful and couldn’t help but tease, “If you go to Huaxia, speaking such fluent Chinese, no one would mistake you for a Japanese.”

Ishihara Naka immediately looked awkward, casting a mournful glance at Luo Ziling, “Please don’t say that about me, will you? I’m not a Japanese soldier; the Ishihara Family has always been anti-war. My great-grandfather resigned from his position as Imperial Physician due to dissatisfaction with Japan’s invasion of Huaxia, and our family never served the military. Many people in Japan are descendants of Japanese soldiers, but I’m not. If I visit the Massacre Memorial Hall or pay respects at Lugou Bridge, I won’t feel guilty because of my ancestors’ involvement in that unjust war.”

“I’m sorry,” Luo Ziling immediately apologized, “I didn’t mean to belittle you, I was just joking. You have to understand, in the eyes of many Huaxia people, Japanese are all ‘Japanese soldiers,’ they can’t distinguish whose ancestors invaded Huaxia or who committed crimes in Huaxia. Often, people from a certain country are seen as representatives of their country by others.”

“Let’s not stray from the topic, let’s talk about the main thing first,” it was still Ouyang Feifei who mediated, her captivating eyes darting at Luo Ziling, “Ishihara Naka came with me to Seoul today for something important to discuss with you.”

“What important thing?” Luo Ziling looked at Ouyang Feifei, then at Ishihara Naka.

After Ouyang Feifei and Ishihara Naka came in, Ling Ruonan hadn’t said much, just sat quietly listening to them.

Hearing Ouyang Feifei say this, she stood up, walked over to them, and said softly, “A little while ago, Xu Zhiyuan came, under Xu Chongzhi’s instruction, to perform the apprenticeship ceremony. Mr. Ishihara, isn’t this your intention as well?”

“That’s precisely the intention,” Ishihara Naka was somewhat embarrassed, not expecting to be outpaced by the Korean. Grandfather Ishihara Tarou had thought of this and asked him to hurry to Huaxia to request formally from Luo Ziling, not expecting the Korean to beat him to it.

“If that’s the intention, I want to communicate directly with Mr. Ishihara Tarou to understand the meaning before I agree,” Ling Ruonan’s tone left no room for negotiation, nor did she seek the opinions of Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei.

Seeing Ling Ruonan’s stance, Luo Ziling and Ouyang Feifei had nothing to say.

Ishihara Naka felt a bit awkward, not expecting Ling Ruonan to tactfully reject his apprenticeship request, but he understood the implications of Ling Ruonan’s words and quickly said, “Madame Luo, my grandfather entrusted me with a letter for you and some items he thought might interest you. He said once you read the letter and saw those things, you’ll understand his intentions.”

He then instructed his people to hand the letter and other items to Ling Ruonan.

Ling Ruonan was not surprised, and after receiving the letter, she read it in front of everyone. After reading, she looked at the few items Ishihara Tarou had Ishihara Naka deliver. The items were some video and audio materials, essentially evidence proving that the Ishihara Family had not participated in any conspiracy activities. After reviewing them, Ling Ruonan did not immediately express an opinion.

“Tomorrow morning, I will go to Tokyo, and Feifei will accompany me,” after a moment, Ling Ruonan made a decision, “I will meet with Mr. Ishihara Tarou face-to-face. The matter of our cooperation is still unfinished. As for the apprenticeship, there’s no rush. Mr. Ishihara Naka can go to Huaxia first and meet Ziling’s grandfather.”

Ishihara Naka was startled for a moment, then he understood, quickly nodding, “I understand, Madame Luo. I will accompany Mr. Luo or you to Huaxia. I believe with Mr. Luo’s treatment, my leg injury will heal quickly.”

“You can treat your own injury; it’s just a bullet hole, nothing insurmountable.” Luo Ziling was clear that Ling Ruonan already believed the Ishihara Family had not been involved in the recent incidents against him and also believed Ishihara Tarou’s family simply wanted the acupuncture bronze man and Taiyi Divine Needle, intending to bait a bigger catch for greater interests from the Ishihara Family.

Last night, Ling Ruonan mentioned planning to cooperate with the Ishihara Family, as it could yield significant profits with a great return on investment. The Ishihara Family wants only the national treasure of the acupuncture bronze man and the intangible cultural heritage of the Taiyi Divine Needle. As long as this treasure is well-guarded, it’s impossible for the Ishihara Family to obtain it.

Today’s visit by Xu Zhiyuan certainly bore similar intentions, but Ling Ruonan knows achieving their goal is as hard as reaching the heavens.

Investments have risks, but if the returns are substantial, it’s worth the gamble. There’s a chance to catch the Ishihara Family or Xu Family in a compromising situation, or use other means to coerce them, potentially achieving deeper objectives.

Therefore, Ling Ruonan plans to fly again to Tokyo to talk with Ishihara Tarou face-to-face, hoping to extract further concessions.

Ling Ruonan knows this could be akin to negotiating with a tiger, but she fears no engagement with various cunning adversaries.

Both opposing families are foreign, so she employs tactics without concern.

Therefore, she has decided to allow Ishihara Naka and Xu Zhiyuan to apprentice under Luo Ziling.

Tomorrow morning, she intends to visit Xu Chongzhi with Ouyang Feifei, to exert some pressure on Elder Xu.

Ouyang Feifei well understands Ling Ruonan’s intentions, though she feels Ling Ruonan is a bit too bold, she, too, enjoys adventure and agrees with Ling Ruonan’s plan. Thus, she is willing to coordinate well with Ling Ruonan to play this game skillfully.

In any case, both the Ishihara Family and Xu Family harbor unspeakable motives, and they can easily be taken advantage of when the time comes.