The Flying Flower Gu sped through the air.
Zhou Ming sat comfortably in the center of the flower, while Kaka huddled nervously along the edge.
"Hey, why don't you move a little closer? Aren't you afraid of falling sitting there?"
Zhou Ming waved at Kaka, a warm smile on his face: "Come sit here."
Kaka swallowed, shook his head, and directed his gaze to the distant scenery, not daring to look at Zhou Ming.
"No, no, I get motion sickness. It's fine for me to enjoy the breeze and the view here."
Just imagine, a beautiful young woman who makes your heart flutter at first glance is sitting opposite you, just the two of you alone, and she waves you over. Then you remember that she's actually a man, just in a woman's body right now... 'Why on earth did this have to happen to me!' Kaka wailed in his heart.
"Boss Zhou, why did you have to call me? I saw Miss Qin's eyes welling up when she parted ways with you. How could you bear to neglect such a beauty?" Kaka couldn't help but ask.
"Tsk, you're too attached to appearances. Soft jade and warm fragrance are but painted skeletons. What does gender matter? Or age? Or beauty? The outside isn't important; what matters is the essence. Look at me, I can be a man if I want to be a man, and a woman if I want to be a woman. You're a veteran of an eight-star team, your mindset still needs more tempering!"
Zhou Ming said earnestly.
"..." Kaka was speechless.
"As for why I looked for you..." Zhou Ming suddenly smiled, "Why don't you guess?"
Kaka awkwardly shifted his gaze away from Zhou Ming's radiant, smiling face again, forcing himself to think about something else.
Soon, he found a clue and suddenly looked up into the distance.
"Your goal is to find Yagyu Killing God, but Yagyu Killing God will definitely hide in a very secluded place. It's too difficult to find him."
"If you can't find him, then change your approach. For example, force him to show himself! What method can force him out? Of course, it's to find someone he cares about!"
"We're heading east... You want to go out to sea, directly to Dongying! You want to use the Yanagyu Family to threaten Yagyu Killing God and force him to appear, right?"
Kaka stated his guess and saw Zhou Ming nod with a smile, which greatly encouraged him. He clapped his hands excitedly.
"Yagyu Ichinyo, the Great Shogun of the Dongying Shogunate, is a good target! Once we capture Yagyu Ichinyo, Yagyu Killing God will surely appear!"
"I understand, you want me to come with you because you want me to help you find Yagyu Ichinyo, right? Infiltration, searching, monitoring—these are all my specialties!"
"Boss Zhou, your plan is good, really good!"
Kaka said, giving Zhou Ming a thumbs up.
"You're quite quick-witted." Zhou Ming nodded, "Actually, with your intelligence, you should have figured it out earlier, without me needing to remind you."
"Now that you've filtered out your prejudice against my gender change and stopped wasting your thoughts on unnecessary things, hasn't your intelligence suddenly soared? Am I right?"
"Ah, this..." Kaka was speechless again.
The Flying Flower Gu crossed mountains and seas, arriving at Dongying Island as the sun was setting.
"The terrain of Dongying is somewhat different from the island nations on Earth."
Kaka looked at the satellite images of Dongying Island on his computer, scratching his head in frustration.
"In that case, history doesn't match up, maps don't match up, and the locations of some major cities aren't accurate. Finding Yagyu Ichinyo won't be so easy."
"No rush, it's almost dark. Let's find a nearby city and rest for the night first."
Zhou Ming looked at the undulating mountains and forests below, saying with a smile.
Kaka didn't dare to look at him. He lowered his head and quickly operated on the computer, confirming their location, then handed the computer over.
"One hundred and twenty li to the east, there's a city of about 50,000 people. In Dongying, that's considered a decent size. The environment should be acceptable; at least it won't be covered in feces."
Kaka said helplessly: "That's the downside of story worlds with an ancient setting; living conditions just don't meet the standard."
"Comrade, your ideological awareness needs improvement! What's wrong with harsh conditions? Can't you overcome them yourself? The Main God gave you a job opportunity, how can you still demand this and that? People should learn to be grateful!"
Kaka: "??? Are you going crazy here?"
...Odawara Ikegami, the lord of Odawara Castle, was a middle-aged man in his forties. He had one main wife, three concubines, three sons, and four daughters.
Odawara Ikegami loved war and showing off his military might, but now that the world was unified, he could only change his interests. He turned his passion to fishing, and secondly, enjoying good food.
As the sun set, Odawara Ikegami sat by the artificial lake, fishing, and listening to his chef report the evening's menu.
As he listened, a hint of impatience rose in Odawara Ikegami's heart.
'The dishes aren't new, fishing is getting boring, and I can't go hunting every day.'
'When will these boring days end? I long to be on the battlefield again, to experience the thrill of galloping, fighting, and conquering!'
'I heard that the Great Shogun is already preparing to invade the Central Plains. That vast land truly fills me with longing!'
Although the Emperor still sat firmly on his throne, even Odawara Ikegami's youngest son knew that the true ruler of the country was now the Great Shogun, Yagyu Ichinyo.
He was an aggressive, ever-progressive man, and his demeanor had so captivated Odawara Ikegami upon their first meeting that he swore to follow him for life.
'Perhaps I should go to Kyoto and meet the Great Shogun once, to ask him about his plans? If he is willing, I could fully serve as the vanguard, embarking on the journey to conquer that land!'
Odawara Ikegami thought to himself.
Just then, a cry of surprise suddenly came from beside him.
Odawara Ikegami frowned, looking at the chef who had made the sound, but saw him looking up at the sky, mouth agape, as if he had seen something incredible.
Odawara Ikegami couldn't help but follow his gaze upwards. Then he saw a giant flower slowly descending from the sky.
As it got closer to the ground, Odawara Ikegami saw two people sitting on the flower, a man and a woman, though he completely ignored the man.
Because the moment he saw the woman, Odawara Ikegami's eyes were filled with only her, and the entire world had faded from his sight.
"Such a beauty, sacred and ethereal, truly the most exquisite I have ever seen in my life. Are you a goddess who has descended to the mortal realm?"
Odawara Ikegami murmured obsessively, reaching out to touch the woman's clothes.
The woman smiled at him, a smile that could topple kingdoms, and extended her slender, jade-like hand, gently placing it on his bald forehead.
"An Immortal caresses my crown, granting me eternal life."
For some reason, this line of poetry from the Central Plains suddenly popped into Odawara Ikegami's mind.
Then, he lost all consciousness.
"What a piece of trash."
Zhou Ming grabbed Odawara Ikegami's head, devoured his soul, and after sifting through his memories, he flung Odawara Ikegami's corpse into the artificial lake with a look of disgust.