A Humiliating Disgrace

If we deduct one-tenth, there's a lot we can do with this!

The Grand Master said he would deduct one-tenth, so if it didn't go through his own pockets, how could he be worthy of his position as Finance Minister?

After all, there are so many colleagues; you have to make some connections, right?

However, when he returned home in high spirits, took off his official robes, took a bath and changed his clothes, and went to his bedroom to take a short rest,

I then realized that there was already someone else in my room.

"Who are you!!!"

The Finance Minister immediately roared in anger and was about to call for the guards.

Suddenly, another man in black appeared behind him, holding a knife to his neck, forcing him to shut his mouth immediately!

That wasn't the end of it. The moment he closed his mouth, the man in black stuffed a wad of burlap into his mouth and sealed it shut with a long cloth!

Completely unable to make a sound.

"You don't need to ask us what we do. You just need to know that we're here to talk to you about business!"

The black-clad man sitting in front of him had a deep, hoarse voice, like the friction of metal.

"There is something here that requires your personal signature!"

As he spoke, he took out a sealing scroll from his person.

Then, with a bang, the seal was broken, revealing an exquisite box inside.

The Finance Minister immediately looked over, somewhat curious!

The man in black immediately opened it, revealing a bloody finger inside.

The Finance Minister immediately widened his eyes, his expression one of disbelief and fear.

His throat bobbed, and he broke out in a cold sweat, feeling uneasy.

He wanted to know why the man in black had shown him a bloody finger!

Should we take one of his fingers? Or should we kill him?

Thinking of this, he immediately showed a pleading expression, signaling to the man in black not to hurt him.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you!"

Seeing this, the man in black chuckled and said with a playful tone, "Do you know whose finger this is?"

The Finance Minister shook his head, looking visibly resistant.

"No, no, no, you should recognize it. Look carefully!"

"Here's a hint: you sent one of your sons to Kirigakure, right?"

The man in black spoke with a smile, his face full of mockery.

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, the Finance Minister became agitated, and his eyes sharpened.

But being controlled by the men in black behind him, he really couldn't move around.

He looked again immediately and saw a jade ring on the finger.

That was definitely the birthday gift he gave to his son; there's no mistake.

In other words, just as he guessed, it was his son's finger.

"He said something inappropriate, so our family cut off one of his fingers as punishment!"

"And they sent us here to tell you that a ransom of 500 million is required in exchange for your son's temporary safety!"

The man in black remained completely calm and composed, showing no concern whatsoever that the Finance Minister would object.

At that moment, a rather powerful-looking samurai walked over, his hand resting on the sword at his waist.

He glanced toward the Finance Minister's bedroom, frowning slightly; he sensed something was amiss.

Then, it accelerated straight towards here.

Upon hearing the sound, the Finance Minister was overjoyed and was about to rush out to speak when...

The man in black who had been standing behind him immediately pressed a knife against his neck, rendering him unable to move.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!!"

The Yin Yue closer, and the two men in black felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Finally, the person arrived at the door and stopped!

Immediately, the two men in black tensed up, ready to run away if they were discovered.

"Gurgle!"

Both of them swallowed hard, their expressions extremely solemn.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

One second!

Two seconds!

Three seconds!

Suddenly, the person outside the door moved again, and the two men in black instantly tensed up.

But just as the man reached out to push the door open, a voice suddenly came from outside. "Denjiro, so you're here! The Daimyo is looking for you!"

The man responded and left. The two men in black exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

However, they did not act rashly for the time being. Instead, they waited for a full two minutes and used their senses to confirm that the man named Denjiro had left before they relaxed their vigilance.

"Your Finance Minister, please prepare the ransom. Please make sure you pay exactly what you owe!"

"Remember, deliver it to Yachi Town this afternoon, or you'll continue to receive your son's fingers, or even his life!"

"Of course, you can make a fuss all you want, as long as you're not afraid of dying, or at least not afraid of your son dying a violent death!"

After saying that, one of the men in black slapped the Finance Minister with his palm, casting a binding spell on him.

Then, he left in a perfectly legitimate manner!

"Hmm!"

"Waaah!"

"Hmm!"

Seeing them leave and that they had bound him, the Finance Minister became anxious and kept making noises, trying to attract the attention of the guards outside.

But--

The Finance Minister heard the two men's voices again. They said, "The Finance Minister is resting. You should not come up to him to curry favor if you have nothing to do with him."

"You can't afford to offend the adults if we disturb their rest."

"Don't blame us for not warning you, several people have already lost their lives because of this."

Upon hearing this, the Finance Minister became even more anxious!

In that case, he really wouldn't be able to escape!

By the time he was discovered, those two men in black had vanished!

At the same time, in the area where Daimyo Port is located!

"Charge! The day has come for justice to be served!"

A group of pirates actually invaded, numbering at least five hundred, and they were quite fierce.

The warships were sturdy and had powerful cannons; a single shot could destroy an entire area of land.

If it were just powerful artillery, that would be one thing, but the most crucial point is that the pirates were also very strong.

Their advance was unstoppable; the city guards of Daimyo City were no match for them and could not hold them off at all.

They were able to break into Daimyo City in a very short time, and several high-ranking officials were captured.

The entire Daimyo City was in chaos, with panicked shouts echoing one after another.

However, when the daimyo learned of this, he sent his elite troops to pursue and suppress the attack.

These people then quickly retreated, returning empty-handed.

It's like they're just here to take advantage of the situation!

"This is outrageous! Gather the army and find their trail! Wipe them out!"

"Chase him! Minister of War, if you don't complete this mission, don't come back to see me!"

When the daimyo of the Land of Water heard that the elite troops he had sent out hadn't even seen what the enemy looked like, he was absolutely furious!

Isn't this a blatant provocation against his authority?

If he can't catch these people, wouldn't he completely lose face for his reputation?

He was furious, and the consequences were severe.