150: win over

"Lord Xiao, we will be working together from now on. For His Majesty the Emperor!" That night, Tanaka Mori hosted a private dinner at his home and invited Xiao Xu over.

"For His Majesty the Emperor!" Xiao Xu also raised his wine glass and echoed.

Earlier today, Xiao Xu had been appointed as the new General Commander of the Fusang Dark Guards through a direct appointment by Emperor Meiji.

Right after his appointment concluded, Tanaka Mori invited him to his home.

The purpose was self-evident; after losing a divine artifact, he had to win over Xiao Xu if he wanted to continue contending with Zaraki Kenpachi.

"Lord Xiao, I heard you and my son are old acquaintances. I specifically called him back today to keep you company."

Beside Tanaka Mori, the middle-aged man with an unnatural expression was Tanaka Katsuya, the Fusang Dark Guards captain who had once met Xiao Xu at night in Beishan City.

At that time, in a sense, he could still be considered Xiao Xu's direct superior.

But now, he was still a captain, while Xiao Xu had become one of the only three General Commanders.

What's more... "Katsuya, why are you dazing?! Hurry up and call him Uncle Xiao!" Tanaka Mori urged impatiently from the side.

One should know that not long ago, the Great Xia Spirit Guards had caused a massive scene in Fusang to avenge Lin Xi, directly wounding the vitality of the Fusang Dark Guards.

Now, at a time when schedules were tight and tasks were heavy, Tanaka Mori had his son drop all his work just to keep Xiao Xu company.

He was banking on the fact that the two had known each other before, hoping to further win Xiao Xu's favor.

He didn't expect Tanaka Katsuya to sit there like a log, not even having helped him strike up a conversation with Xiao Xu until now.

"Hello... Uncle... Xiao..." Tanaka Katsuya bowed to Xiao Xu, looking like he wanted to cry but had no tears.

Xiao Xu raised an eyebrow. He didn't lower his glass immediately, only speaking after finishing his wine, "There's no need to be so formal, Katsuya-kun. We'll each have our own way of addressing one another. I'm only a few years older than you; you can just call me 'big brother'."

"Yes, Big Brother Xiao Xu!" Although he was still a bit disgruntled, it was better than being lowered a whole generation.

Seeing this, Tanaka Mori cheered up and continued, "Good. In our Fusang Dark Guards, each of the three General Commanders has four squads under them."

"However, the position you are taking over suffered the most severe losses, with only two squads remaining."

"So, I want to hand over the squad my son is responsible for to you. What do you think, Lord Xiao?"

Xiao Xu's eyes widened, looking very surprised as he said, "Commander Tanaka, this absolutely won't do. A military transfer of this level must require His Majesty the Emperor's approval, right?"

"This wouldn't be appropriate for us!"

Although Xiao Xu didn't accept directly, he didn't refuse either; he merely stated his stance.

It signified that he was an outsider after all and needed to be cautious in word and deed. Everything had to go through His Majesty the Emperor's approval; he couldn't act arbitrarily.

Only this way would he be safe!

Tanaka Mori wasn't surprised by his reaction. If Xiao Xu had accepted without question, he would have doubted Xiao Xu's ability and value.

He then explained with a smile, "Don't worry, Lord Xiao. I have certainly obtained His Majesty the Emperor's consent beforehand. Now, you only need to nod and agree."

Xiao Xu wasn't actually surprised by this. Under the guise of adding a squad to his command, wasn't it also a way to monitor him?

Taking another sip of wine, he said, "But I am an outsider after all. If Katsuya-kun stays with me, aren't you afraid he'll be mistreated along with me?"

Tanaka Mori shook his head. "What are you saying, Lord Xiao? You are a General Commander of our Fusang Dark Guards. Who could possibly mistreat you?"

Then, he changed the subject. "However, there is indeed one person you need to be careful of."

"Oh? Who?"

"Zaraki Kenpachi!"

Xiao Xu feigned surprise. "General Commander Zaraki? We are all colleagues serving His Majesty the Emperor. Surely he won't make things difficult..."

Tanaka Mori said, speaking faster, "Lord Xiao, you don't understand. Zaraki Kenpachi has always wanted to control the entire Fusang Dark Guards by himself."

"Before this, the three of us kept each other in check. Although you have now filled the vacant position..."

"...of the three divine artifacts, one was destroyed and one was traded away; only his yata no kagami remains."

"His own strength is already the greatest, and he even used the yata no kagami to control that Su Ze."

"Oh? What happened to Su Ze?" Xiao Xu raised an eyebrow. "Although his potential is extraordinary, he shouldn't be a threat to you for the time being, Commander Tanaka, right?"

Tanaka Mori sighed and said, "Indeed, geniuses are not worth worrying about. There have been many geniuses since ancient times, but how many have actually grown up?"

Xiao Xu smiled and didn't answer.

Tanaka Mori was naturally qualified to say such things. Every year, Great Xia produced many geniuses, given its large population base.

But how many could truly grow up?

Aside from Xiao Sheng, many other geniuses had met with foul play.

Tanaka Mori continued, "But Su Ze is different in one aspect—he has a Divine Beast! Not only does he have a Divine Beast, but the Yamata no Orochi Great God has taken an interest in it!"

"The Yamata no Orochi Great God and His Majesty the Emperor are one. To receive the favor of the Yamata no Orochi Great God is to receive the recognition of His Majesty the Emperor."

"And Zaraki Kenpachi, who controls Su Ze, will also be more highly valued by His Majesty the Emperor because of this!"

Xiao Xu's expression became solemn. "So, we must work together with one heart!"

Seeing that Xiao Xu finally understood, Tanaka Mori smiled and said, "Exactly!"

Xiao Xu continued, "Since Commander Tanaka has put it that way, what reason do I have not to cooperate?"

"I promise you, from now on, Katsuya-kun will be my second-in-command. If anything happens to me, this position will be his!"

Tanaka Mori waved his hand. "Lord Xiao, you're being too formal. Just treat the boy Katsuya as a normal subordinate and give him orders."

The three of them continued to drink and toast, though Tanaka Katsuya acted more as the one pouring the wine.

When the drinking was in full swing, Xiao Xu used the influence of the alcohol to ask, "By the way, from what I've observed, Su Ze's Golden Feather Phoenix Bird will break through to a Divine Beast in the next few days. With this portion of Divine Blood, has the Yamata no Orochi Great God's requirement for eight types of Divine Beast Essence Blood been met?"

Perhaps because they had just reached a deal, Tanaka Mori spoke without concealment, "Eight types of Divine Beast Essence Blood are not that easy to find. Otherwise, we wouldn't have sacrificed so much for the Divine Blood that might exist at Great Xia's Azure Dragon Beast Taming University."

"But fortunately, after a long time searching all over the world and with the help of some allies..."

"...including the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird, we have gathered them all. Only one last type remains to restore the divine light of the Yamata no Orochi Great God!"

"By then, Great Xia will also be conquered by us!"