In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

Shuixinzi swung his forging hammer, glaring at Yugang through gritted teeth.

He was the only spectator besides Ryoma during the battle outside Nagoya Castle a couple of days ago.

Although he noticed many oddities in the battle, Mizushinko Masaji chose to put them all out of his mind.

He focused solely on the original feelings and sensations that the battle evoked in him.

Shocked.

Although Mizushinko Masaji is a famous swordsmith, he rarely sees the killing tools he made used in battle.

He adopted the surname Shuixinzi, but his skills were nowhere near those of the first master.

But that morning, he simply went out to retrieve Tamahagane, and while passing through the woods, he happened to witness the battle between Anno Satomura and Miss Aryū.

Zuo Cun's incredibly fierce slashes and Miss A Long's furious black lightning both left a deep impression on Mizushinko Masaji.

It also made him understand why he had been unable to make any further progress for so long.

Spending all his time holed up in his room forging swords, he certainly developed a solid foundation in the craft, but it also caused Shui Xinzi to lose his passion for sword forging.

That day, Ryoma carried Samura on his back and left with Miss Ryoma. Mizushinko Masaji knelt in the woods, tears streaming down her face.

He finally found what he was looking for.

Finally, he gained some confidence in forging a renowned sword that could rival the Azure Wolf's Gratitude Blade.

......

Zuocun stood at the entrance of Shuixinzi's house, looking at the Shuixinzi hanging at the entrance and the clanging sound of forging iron inside.

"That's it, this is the place."

Ryoma and Miss Aryu followed behind Samura, their expressions showing interest.

While the name Suishinko Masahide isn't widely known, he is quite famous among swordsmiths and samurai.

Zuo Cun stepped onto the steps, his eyes slightly narrowed.

knock knock knock.

Zuocun stood still, waiting for the door to open.

But after waiting for a while, no one opened the door.

Zuo Cun frowned slightly. The door wasn't locked from the outside, which meant someone was home.

knock knock!

Zuocun knocked on the door harder.

After waiting a little while longer, someone finally came to open the door.

A middle-aged woman dressed in plain Wu-style clothing opened the door.

"I'm so sorry, the knocking noises drowned out the door knocking, so I didn't notice you all." The middle-aged woman bowed in apology.

"Please rise, madam." This must be the wife of Shuixinzi Zhengxiu.

In Japan, unmarried women do not wear plain-colored kimono. Only married women take off their brightly colored kimono and put on plain-colored kimono, which is reserved for married women.

"I come from Kyoto, specifically to visit Mr. Mizushinko Masahide." Samura bowed slightly. "My name is Samura Anno."

"Ah, is that so..." Lady Mizushinko was not surprised. As the current Mizushinko Masahide, she often encountered people asking her husband for a knife. "Please come in, gentlemen. Please wait in the main hall while I inform Masahide."

After leading Zuo Cun, Long Ma, and the other two to the living room, Lady Shuixinzi withdrew.

The three from the left village sat on the tatami mats, waiting attentively for the arrival of Mizushinko Masahide.

"The life of the famous Shuixinzi Zhengxiu seems quite simple," Longma remarked, looking at the unpretentious furnishings.

"We didn't see any servants either." Since entering the room, the group hadn't seen anyone except for Madam Shuixinzi. The only sound was the clanging of blacksmithing coming from a room on the side.

The three waited for a while, and Miss A-Long, having lost all composure, lay on Ryoma's lap: "Ryoma, I'm hungry."

"Alright, alright, let's wait a little longer." Ryoma said helplessly, stroking Miss Ryoma's soft hair.

Zuocun glanced at the sunlight outside the house and frowned.

The three of them had been waiting in the front hall for almost an hour. It was nearly noon, but neither Shui Xinzi Zhengxiu nor Shui Xinzi's wife had come over.

"Sakamoto-kun, what do you think?"

“Well, it’s a bit unreasonable, but you did say it, right?” Ryoma smiled. “This generation’s Mizushinko Masahide is an oddball.”

"I heard the sound of blacksmithing never stop; perhaps Mr. Shuixinzi has something on his mind."

Zuo Cun lowered his head and pondered for two seconds, then stood up and patted the hem of his Wu-style clothing.

"Let's go take a look, Sakamoto-kun."

“I have no objection,” Ryoma replied.

No matter how strange it may seem, guests should be treated with courtesy. Mizushinko Masahide's behavior has offended Ryoma, Samura, and Miss Aryo.

Zuocun and Ryoma walked side by side, with Miss A-Long following behind Ryoma. Following the clanging sound of blacksmithing, they found the room where Mizushinko Masahide was.

The door was open, so the group could see directly into the room.

The two men, who were initially dissatisfied, chose to remain silent after seeing this scene.

A tall, burly man with gray hair, his back to the door, shirtless, was swinging a forging hammer repeatedly.

Ding!

Ding!

Sparks flew and sweat poured out.

A beauty that exudes power.

Lady Shuixinzi was sweating profusely with anxiety. When she saw the three people who came to the door, she hurriedly ran over and said, "I'm so sorry, gentlemen. Shuixinzi always enters this state when he forges knives. I'm so sorry. I thought I could wake him up, but this time... I don't know why, I just can't get him out of this state."

"Madam, it's alright." All of Zuo Cun's dissatisfaction had been shattered by this heart-wrenching scene.

"Right now, the blade blank in Mr. Shuixinzi Zhengxiu's hands is far more important than me."

------------

Chapter 299 Sword and Man

Mrs. Shuixinzi was very embarrassed.

They came here specifically to ask for a knife, and yet they ended up in this mess.

She hurried off to prepare the food.

Zuo Cun and Ryoma stood at the doorway, watching that broad and powerful figure swing his forging hammer, hammer blow after blow.

Shui Xinzi was focused on forging steel and didn't notice anything behind him.

Lady Mizushinko brought over some food, but Zuocun and Ryoma, like Mizushinko Masahide, were completely absorbed in the scene.

Then Miss Ah Long ate all of these foods.

Mizushinko Masaji just did that, completely ignoring everything else.

He devoted himself entirely to swinging the forging hammer, occasionally pausing to continue heating the tamahagane before continuing to swing the hammer.

Miss A-Long fell asleep clinging to Ryoma's back, while Samura and Ryoma stood behind Mizushinko Masatsugu.

It was already getting dark, and my legs were starting to feel numb from standing.

Looking at Mizushinko Masaji, who was still wielding the forging hammer, Zuocun exclaimed, "Such strong physical strength and willpower."

Forging swords is definitely a physically demanding job; you can tell just by looking at the muscles on Mizushinko Masaji's body.

After all, the forging hammer must be folded and struck countless times, so its weight is definitely not light.

Lady Shuixinzi stood beside Shuixinzi Zhengci, her eyes filled with worry and a slight smile on her lips.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since Masaji has forged a sword with such focus." The Mizushinko couple are not young, but they are still quite energetic.

She sighed as she looked at her husband's focused gaze and the consistent force of his blows.

She was very worried about his condition, but she couldn't bear to disturb him.

Having spent many years with Shui Xinzi, she knew very well how rare and precious it was for a swordsmith to be able to enter such a state.

The occurrence of this situation often means that a famous sword is about to be created.

Lady Shuixinzi knew that her husband had been forging knives for years, always seeking to bring a famous sword to life in his own hands.

She sighed and turned to leave.

"Gentlemen, perhaps you could come again tomorrow? It's getting late. I'll make the introductions tomorrow." Madam Shuixin bowed deeply to the three from Zuo Village. "I'm sorry..."

Sakamoto Ryoma helped Mrs. Mizushinko up, smiling, "Madam, you have absolutely no need to apologize to us. On the contrary, we should thank you for showing us this scene."

"To be honest," Zuo Cun said, staring intently at Mizuki Masaji's retreating figure, with a slight sigh, "I feel a little guilty now."

"When I was honing my skills, I used to practice by striking large rocks with my katana, resulting in the deaths of dozens of swords." Zuocun stroked the pheasant feathers at his waist. "That's how swords are forged, and yet I've killed countless swords..."

"That's wrong!" Shui Xinzi Zhengci's powerful voice suddenly rang out.

Apart from the sleeping Miss Ah Long, the other three all looked at the figure wielding the hammer.

“Swords have emotions!” He didn’t stop swinging his hammer, but with his back to the crowd, he refuted Zuo Cun’s words, “So, if you are a strong master who loves to hone your skills, even if the sword dies in your hand, it will be overjoyed!”

"If a person is bad and weak, even a famous sword will weep bitterly in the hands of such a person."

"Do not feel guilty about the sword that dies in your hand!"

"That's disrespectful to the knife!"

"A sword is forged to be held in the hands of a powerful swordsman in a certain place, by a certain person, and whether it accompanies him or leads to his death, it will feel immense joy."

"The knife is the man!"

"Humans are born only to die, but the process in between is what truly deserves embellishment and pride!"

Ding!

"The same principle applies to knives!"

"Therefore, do not mourn the dead sword, but instead use the sword's power to hone yourself into the sharpest sword!"