When Chongzong thought that the remaining problem was only external conditions,

His body had an issue.

The initial sign was a slight headache on the way home.

Faint waves of pain, barely there, like the elusive shadows swaying in the darkness after closing one's eyes.

But these pains quickly dissipated, and Chongzong didn't have the spare energy to deal with them.

So, they disappeared along with them.

The moment that made him truly realize that this could be a problem was when he finished eating at home, returned to his room, and closed the door.

At the same time as the sound of the door closing, it felt as if something in Chongzong's mind had cracked open, causing intense pain.

The pain made him lose control of his body, convulsing and falling to the ground.

His limbs twitched as if being shocked, constantly spasming.

Breathing became intense and rapid, as the body instinctively sought more oxygen.

The heart pounded forcefully, beating against the chest, sending more blood to all parts of the body.

But none of this helped Chongzong escape from the pain.

He was tormented like this, tortured.

He didn't even have the strength to shout for help.

Until the pain gradually subsided.

Chongzong's movements, heartbeat, and breathing gradually slowed down.

He took deep breaths, panting heavily.

His back was soaked in sweat.

His hair was damp with sweat, which flowed into his eyes, causing a sour sensation but without the usual pain.

The sense of pain had numbed.

"What... what happened to me?"

Struggling to sit up against the wall.

Chongzong was well aware that he had almost lost consciousness just now.

On the verge of collapse.

Could it be that the sequelae of the head injury he suffered during the fight before had acted up?

Why would it happen at such a critical moment?

"Ah..."

Chongzong let out a long sigh.

This can't happen now.

I have to hold on.

Deal with the rest after it's over.

When Manranyama Souren learned of Ito Yunai's failure, she wasn't surprised.

Chongzong is so difficult to deal with, and Ito Yunai is so inexperienced.

It would be strange if they succeeded.

When she learned that Ito Shinran had entrusted this task to his daughter, she already guessed the result.

But she didn't try to stop it.

If it failed, it failed. It's not a big deal.

It was worth it to let Ito Yunai, this chess piece, regain some vitality from the state of disappointment.

As for Chongzong's side, she had her own plans.

With Chongzong's current strength, the probability of facing Bai Yaxin alone and failing is too high, to the extent that Manranyama Souren didn't want to startle the snake now.

"Van."

Manranyama Souren softly opened her lips, and Van appeared silently by her side.

Of course, Van wasn't a ninja and didn't possess any inhuman abilities like teleportation.

She just lowered her breath and heartbeat to the minimum, hiding her presence when Manranyama Souren didn't need her and she had no tasks at hand, waiting by the side.

Then, when Manranyama Souren needed her, she appeared quickly by his side.

"According to what was said earlier, check Chongzong's whereabouts and let's coincidently meet him tomorrow."

Just as mentioned earlier, Manranyama Souren was prepared from the beginning and didn't expect Ito Yunai to succeed.

"Understood, I will report the plan to you in two hours."

"Mm, go ahead."

As soon as he finished speaking, Van deftly opened the door and left.