Ugaki Goro showed an exaggerated expression of regret, then straightened his back, left the elbowrest, and sat upright.

"With the smoke in my stomach, I feel more energetic! Even if I can chat with you all day and all night, it won't be a problem! Where were we talking just now? Oh! That's right! Why did Takashi want to borrow such a large sum of money from me? In fact,

It’s nothing, he just used the money to bribe others.”

Bribery - upon hearing this word, Qingden's eyebrows twitched at the corners of his eyes. He immediately cheered up and listened carefully.

At this moment, Ugaki Goro changed into a strange tone.

"Nioh, what follows...are all my own words."

"No matter what I say next is right or wrong, you can just turn a deaf ear to it. It goes in one ear and goes out the other."

"If my guess is correct... you are currently investigating the case where Takashi did not hesitate to sacrifice his life and honor to get to the bottom of it, but in the end he failed."

"You learned through a certain channel that I have a close bond with Long Zhi, so you came here specifically to collect information related to Long Zhi from me."

"If this were not the case, I really can't think of any reason why the famous benevolent king would take the trouble to visit my residence."

"Of course, as I just said - everything I just said is all my own words."

"Whether what I say is right or wrong, you need to keep it in mind. I have no intention of inquiring into your secrets or inside stories."

Aoto's expression remained expressionless throughout the whole process, as if he was unmoved by Goro Ugaki's remarks just now.

But in fact, these are all the result of the "Emperor's Art". He almost showed a look of astonishment, relying entirely on the "Emperor's Art" to keep his face straight and not reveal any emotion.

Goro Ugaki's speculation is basically correct.

Qingdeng was very surprised by this.

At the same time, he gained a new understanding of Ugaki Goro.

Although he is called a "rabid dog" and his actions are far from ordinary people, his thoughts are surprisingly delicate.

Since there was no need to explain so much to the other party, Qingdeng did not speak.

He neither agreed nor objected to Ugaki Goro's "self-talk" just now.

"Until after Longzhi died, I didn't know what he was searching for while running around in spite of the wind and rain."

"Longzhi didn't say much to me, and I didn't ask much."

"I only know that the case investigated by Takashi involves the Qingshui clan."

"In order to further collect intelligence, he made a bold and careful plan."

"First of all, he pretended to be addicted to gambling and visited major casinos owned by the Qingshui family all day long."

"Casinos are the core industry of the Qingshui clan."

"It is no exaggeration to say that 'gambling' is the foundation of the Qingshui clan."

"The casino's turnover alone accounts for 60% of the Qingshui family's total income."

"Therefore, if you want to collect information related to the Qingshui Clan, it is the most appropriate choice to set the major casinos with the Qingshui Clan's name as the core areas of focus for investigation."

"Furthermore, every large casino owned by the Qingshui Clan will have cadre-level dignitaries in charge."

"Takazhi's goal is to collect intelligence while identifying cadre-level figures from the Qingshui clan that he can win over, bribe them with money, and extract clues and information from them."

"The 5,000 taels of gold that Longzhi borrowed from me will be used for this purpose."

Speaking of this, Goro Ugaki put on an expression full of emotion.

"That boy Takahiro... appears to be full of righteousness, but he is not the kind of person who only knows how to act recklessly."

"His thoughts and methods are very slippery!"

"As expected of a 'Three Chapters' samurai who often deals with people from three religions and nine schools, he is well versed in the principle that 'money can make the world go round'!"

"Except for a few exceptions, most Yakuza are the embodiment of words such as 'lawless', 'domineering', 'cruel', and 'violent and unruly'."

"Unless his head is broken, no common man with a flat head would dare to provoke Yakuza casually."

"Over time, the general public has an unrealistic understanding of the Yakuza group."

"The Yakuza seem to be very majestic. Even when they walk, they look swaggering and full of air."

"But... to be honest, in the world of Yakuza, everyone from the leader of the clan to the ordinary younger brother is walking on thin ice."

As soon as he finished speaking, a look of helplessness mixed with a hint of reminiscence came to Ugaki Goro's cheeks.

Such words could not be more convincing when said by Goro Ugaki.

Before going out on his own and opening a sunroom, Goro Ugaki was a junior member of a certain Yakuza group.

The Yakuza forces in Japan adopt a family system of management.

Therefore, the Yakuza Group is one of the few organizations that places the most emphasis on seniority and seniority.

Any group that attaches great importance to seniority and seniority will inevitably have an extremely depressing atmosphere that makes it difficult to breathe.

“Yakuza people always talk about ‘Ren Xia’ and ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’.”

"Hmph! That bullshit 'Ren Xia' and 'Renyi'!"

Ugaki Goro sneered heavily, his expression and tone full of disdain.

"Every bustle in the world is for benefit; the bustling world is for benefit."

"Keeping saying 'Ren Xia' and 'Ren Yi' is just to steal and deceive money in a more beautiful way."

"As long as you get a tattoo on your body, you will be treated differently by others - this is a truth that everyone understands."

"Tattooing is very painful. Even though you are as tough as me, I shouted 'pause' several times during the tattooing process."

"The reason why the Yakuza are willing to endure this unspeakable pain is to make a lot of money that they would not be able to make in a lifetime or even several lifetimes in the 'normal world.'"

The ancient method of tattooing involves coating a long needle with pigment and then inserting it deep into the skin - hence the term "tattoo".

Tattoo artists often need thousands or even tens of thousands of needles to complete a tattoo. The whole process is extremely painful.

In addition to proving that they are no longer ordinary people, another common meaning of tattoos among Yakuza people is to express their courage to endure severe pain and their determination to break away from the "normal world" even if they are in extreme pain.

"After all, it's all about the word 'money'."

"When you make money, there is harmony and we call each other brothers. 'Your business is my business', 'If any blind beast dares to harm you, I will rush to block the knife for you as soon as possible'...

All kinds of cowhide are blowing loudly."

"When you have no money to make, let alone your 'adopted brother' or 'adopted brother', even your biological mother can be stabbed to death."

"Died unexpectedly after not earning a few taels of money - this is really common in the world of Yakuza."

"Or he was attacked by a hostile gang and died tragically on the street."

"Or be betrayed by one of your own, and die cowardly in a woman's bed, or in some inconspicuous corner."

"5,000 taels of gold - even a cadre of the Qingshui clan cannot treat such a heavy sum of money with a normal heart."

"If you spend such a large sum of money, you really have a chance to bribe the officials of the Qingshui clan."

"Longzhi and I have no old friendship."

"A stranger suddenly asked me to borrow such a huge amount of money, and he couldn't even provide a decent collateral. It was impossible for me to lend him money."

"But... I don't know if Longzhi had a good idea of ​​my temper, or if he simply wanted to treat me with emotion and reason. In short, he told me directly: he was investigating a related matter.

The Qingshui Clan’s major case requires a huge sum of money to be used to bribe the Qingshui Clan’s cadres.”

"Heh... a mere 'three times' samurai actually dares to bring bad luck to the Qingshui clan..."

"Nioh, I won't hide it from you. After hearing Takahiro's words, my first reaction was that this guy was a lunatic."

"You only weigh a few pounds? How dare you challenge the Shimizu clan? Do you think you are unparalleled in the world and can cut down Ogata Ittousai without fail even if the shogunate's tens of thousands of troops are there?"

"However, although I think Longzhi is stupid, I also think he is very brave."

"Not afraid of power, not afraid of hardships, and dare to fight against the Qingshui clan who covers the sky with one hand... He is truly a brave person!"

"So, I deeply admired Longzhi's courage and gave him 5,000 taels of gold and a penny."

"Anyway, 5,000 taels of gold is not a big deal to me, so I'll just give it away."

"What's more, I also want to see how far Takashi can go."

"Originally, when I lent money to Takashi, I had a mentality of 'sprinkling money into Edo Bay' without expecting anything in return."

"Unexpectedly, Longzhi actually opened up the situation with this huge sum of money I gave him."

"After a long period of lurking in the casino, he found a cadre who was eager for money and successfully won over him with a money offensive."

"However... it wasn't long before Takashi got sick and died."

"Whether Longzhi's sudden illness was caused by God's will or manpower... I have no way of knowing."

After saying that, Ugaki Goro smiled bitterly and sighed heavily.

As Goro Ugaki finished speaking, there was silence everywhere.

Zuo Nazi and Souji turned their beautiful eyes and stared at Qingdeng's back, waiting for Qingdeng's reaction.

Under the gazes of the two girls and Goro Ugaki, Aomori lowered his head slightly and silently digested the amount of information.
To be continued...