I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Come in."

Yataro Iwasaki opened the door and entered.

"Mitaro, is something the matter?"

Qing Deng asked directly.

As a staunch supporter and close confidant of Aoto, Yataro Iwasaki doesn't adhere to formalities when he's alone with Aoto; he's more natural and casual.

When Qingdeng asked him, he looked bitter and said bluntly:

"My lord, I regret to inform you that I still have not been able to find 'Ten Thousand Refined Steel'..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng raised an eyebrow, a look of helplessness appearing on his face.

"I see..."

As he spoke, he walked to the sword rack not far away, picked up the Vairocana sword, and drew it from its sheath with a "whoosh".

A dazzling purple blade of light danced in the air.

The once pristine blade was now covered with countless nicks and slits, like a saw!

Its density is enough to give goosebumps to people with trypophobia!

The epic battle between Qingdeng and Keji caused extremely serious damage to Vairocana.

There were 16 major wounds and 81 minor wounds... Fortunately, the Vairocana sword was a rare and precious treasure.

If it were an ordinary sword, it would have broken long ago after suffering such great damage.

In fact, this also proves the superior quality of Vairocana, who was able to fight against the "most supreme karmic weapon" Nagasone Kotetsu without being at a disadvantage.

After a thorough examination, the swordsmiths reached a unanimous conclusion: this sword is beyond repair! Either the blade needs to be reforged, or the sword needs to be replaced altogether!

Changing the knife is impossible.

Vairocana is a precious sword that Kiryu entrusted to Aoto, and it is of great significance. Aoto would never replace Vairocana.

Therefore, the only option left is to reforge the blade.

It is indeed a pity that Vairocana was severely damaged.

But if you look at it from another angle, this might be a valuable opportunity!

If you want to recast the blade, you need to find suitable steel.

Recasting the blade of Vairocana's sword with ordinary steel would definitely lower its quality.

Conversely, if the blade of Vairocana is reforged with top-quality steel, it can be restored to its original level, and its quality may even be improved to a higher level!

When it comes to top-quality steel, one name immediately comes to mind: Wanlian Steel!

According to Mr. Kiryu, the Wanlian Steel is a top-grade steel that is extremely rare and can only be found once in a lifetime. Its rarity is so great that it is even worthy of being called "legendary".

Swords forged from "ten-thousand-times-refined steel" will have a jet-black blade, and their sharpness and toughness are unmatched by ordinary swords.

Without a doubt, if the blade of Vairocana were reforged with tempered steel, it would be reborn from the ashes and its quality would be greatly improved!

Therefore, Qing Deng entrusted Kinoshita Rin with the task of finding "Ten Thousand Refined Steel" while simultaneously ordering Iwasaki Yataro to gather as much information as possible about "Ten Thousand Refined Steel".

Although Qing Deng had long anticipated that the legendary steel would not be easy to find, the result he was faced with still made him feel disheartened.

Whether it was Kinoshita Rin or Iwasaki Yataro, they all worked hard but to no avail.

In fact, long ago, Kinoshita Rin had been trying to find this legendary steel.

However, over the years, let alone finding "Ten Thousand Steel Refined", they haven't received even the slightest news or intelligence.

This made Qingdeng wonder: Could it be that "ten thousand-times-refined steel" is just a product of people's imagination?

In conclusion, although unwilling to give up so quickly, the inability to find "ten-thousand-times-refined steel" has forced Qingdeng to start considering backup plans:

—Let's just settle for second best and recast Vairocana with the best steel available on the market...

……

……

Tosa Domain, Kochi Castle (the domain headquarters of Tosa Domain), Prison —

"Aa ...

Okada Izo, once known as "Izo the Man-Slayer," let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Okada Izo, who was subjected to the "stone-hugging punishment," had two large stones pressed on his legs.

Under the pressure of the heavy stones, he felt as if the muscles in his legs were about to tear and his leg bones were about to break.

Such excruciating pain is truly indescribable.

Okada Izo shouted until his voice was hoarse, as if his vocal cords were about to tear apart at any moment.

After the sound subsided, the executioner immediately questioned in a fierce tone:

"Speak quickly! Did Takechi Hanpeita order the assassin to kill Yoshida Toyo?!"

Yoshida Toyo – former chief retainer of the Tosa Domain, a very famous and capable retainer.

Yoshida Toyo's feud with the Tosa Loyalist Party had a long history.

In short, Yoshida Toyo believed that the "respect for the barbarians" was absurd and unsettling, not worth refuting, and therefore he greatly disliked the Tosa loyalist party.

Due to his exceptional talent, Yoshida Toyo was deeply trusted by Yamanouchi Yodo, the former lord of the Tosa Domain, and Yamanouchi Toyofumi, the current lord.

With the strong support of the two feudal lords, Yoshida Toyo seized power in governing the Tosa Domain, launched a series of sweeping reforms that greatly increased Tosa's national strength, and vigorously suppressed the Tosa loyalist party.

On April 8, 1862, Yoshida Toyo was assassinated on his way home, and his head was cut off.

The power vacuum created by Yoshida Toyo's death was quickly filled by the Tosa Loyalist Party, whose leader, Takechi Hanpeita, seized the opportunity to rise to power.

Therefore, anyone would think that Takechi Hanpeita was the culprit who murdered Yoshida Toyo.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of evidence, they could only let Takeshi Hanpeita go unpunished.

It wasn't until the "August 18th Coup" a year ago, which severely impacted the Respect for the Nation movement, that it finally saw a turning point.

After Yoshida Toyo's death, the Tosa Loyalist Party, which was at its zenith in Tosa, lost power almost overnight.

Under Aoto's personal leadership, the Shinsengumi conducted a thorough search of Kyoto, arresting members of the Tosa Loyalist Party.

Core members of the Tosa Loyalist Party, including Takeichi Hanpeita and Okada Izo, were arrested and sent to the Tosa Domain for trial.

With the downfall of the Tosa Loyalist Party, the person who now holds power in the Tosa Domain is named Goto Shojiro.

This man is Yoshida Toyo's nephew... It's easy to imagine his attitude towards the Tosa Loyalists who might have killed his uncle.

The Tosa Domain was the domain with the strictest hierarchical order among all the domains, almost without exception.

Samurai were divided into three ranks: "Superior Samurai", "White-Clothed Village Samurai", and "Village Samurai".

Takeshi Hanpei Taiyuan was a "Shiratsu-koshi" (a local gentry). After the Tosa Kinno Party rose to power, he was promoted to "Shoshi" (a high-ranking gentry).

According to the laws of the Tosa Domain, "senior officers" had the privilege of being "exempt from punishment".

Therefore, after Takechi Hanpeita was taken back to the Tosa Domain, he was imprisoned and, apart from losing his personal freedom, was not tortured at all.

On the other hand, the other members of the Tosa Loyalist Party... suffered greatly.

Shojiro Goto was determined to find the real culprit who killed his uncle (Toyo Yoshida), so he gave a death order: use any means necessary to pry the evidence out of these scoundrels!

Among them, Okada Izo, known as "Hitsugi Izo", became the most "targeted".

Okada Izō used so many foul words for Takeshi Hanpeita, so he is most likely to know about the dark history of the Tosa Loyalist Party!

If Okada Izo reveals even the slightest bit of the truth, it would be enough to condemn Takechi Hanpeita to death!

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Chapter 871 A New Look for Tosa: Searching for Sakamoto Ryoma [5100]

"Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...!"

The hoarse and weak groans sent chills down the spines of those who heard them.

Being forced to kneel is already very painful, but having heavy stones pressing on your legs... Because it causes great pain to the victim, "stone hug" has always been one of the most favored punishments by executioners.

Okada Izo slumped forward, the two huge rocks pressing on his legs providing him with support.

He used a stone as a pillow and was panting heavily.

However, before he could catch his breath, the executioner grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up.

"Hey! Who said you could rest!"

Okada Izo's face was exposed to the sun as the executioners roughly dragged him along.

His face, unwashed for who knows how long, was covered in a thick layer of grime, smeared with blood. With just a gentle rub, he could create a ball of mud the size of a finger.

His hair was tangled, his eyes were bloodshot, his expression was numb, and his eyes were lifeless... At first glance, he looked like a half-dead person.

Under the instructions of Goto Shojiro, Okada Izo became a "key target of attention".

Stone hugs, sea urchins, whippings... all sorts of tortures were inflicted on him in turn.

After more than a year of repeated torment, the once-powerful "Man-Cut-I-Hou" has become a pitiful sight, neither human nor ghost.

Fortunately, Okada Izo was a martial artist with a strong physique, and his ability to withstand blows and recover was top-notch.

Otherwise, an ordinary person would absolutely not be able to endure such torment.

At this moment, another executioner stepped forward and began to play the good cop:

"Okada Izou, you can rest if you want."

"As long as you expose all the filthy things your master, Takechi Hanpeita, has done, you won't have to suffer anymore."

"Not only that, but just recently, Mr. Goto personally promised that as long as you are willing to identify Takechi Hanpeita, it will be considered as redeeming yourself through meritorious service."

"Afterwards, he will promote you to 'Bai Zha Xiang Shi'."