Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

But soon, the middle-aged woman came to her senses, picked up the hoe from the ground, and put it back on her shoulder: "Forget it, I lost, so what? It's none of my business anyway."

Li Xin: "..."

What the hell is all this?!

Then Hayabusa started chatting with the middle-aged woman.

Despite his quiet nature, Hayabusa is a ninja who is skilled at gathering intelligence, and his ability to extract information from others is naturally above average.

From the snippets of conversation between Hayabusa and the middle-aged woman, Li Xin learned that this village was established more than fifty years ago by a group of Japanese people who were fleeing when the American army attacked the Japanese mainland.

They were afraid of both American bombing and being conscripted by the Japanese army, so they lived here for more than 50 years without ever leaving.

Living in such deep mountains and forests, life was tough, but it was enough to be self-sufficient. There was no need to worry about bombing or the army looting supplies, so it was still acceptable.

After hearing this, Li Xin couldn't help but recall an article he had studied in his textbook before, "The Peach Blossom Spring".

"They said that their ancestors fled the chaos of the Qin Dynasty, leading their wives, children, and fellow villagers to this secluded place, never to leave again, thus becoming isolated from the outside world. When asked what dynasty it was, they knew nothing of the Han Dynasty, let alone the Wei and Jin Dynasties."

The origin and current state of this village are exactly the same as the idyllic paradise described in the Peach Blossom Spring.

But is this really the case?

Li Xin silently watched the middle-aged woman chatting and laughing happily with Hayabusa...

Chapter 731 Boys must know how to protect themselves when they are out and about.

Li Xin and Hayabusa were warmly received by the villagers of this nameless mountain village. They pulled Li Xin and Hayabusa aside and asked them all sorts of questions about the outside world. Li Xin was afraid that his answers would not match Hayabusa's, so he just mumbled "uh-huh" to appease them, leaving Hayabusa to deal with the villagers all by himself.

The US military is rampant in Tokyo, Japanese officials are sending civilian women to the US military for rape out of fear of their wives and daughters being abused, and the Emperor has publicly declared that he is not a "god on earth" but a human being, and that the real Emperor of Japan is now the Five-Star Emperor...

Hayabusa solemnly recounted the outside world to the villagers of those nameless mountain villages, frightening them into exclaiming how lucky they were that they had hidden in the mountains before Japan surrendered, otherwise they would be second-class citizens now.

I never realized Ah Long was such a good storyteller!

Li Xin muttered to himself while sipping tea, then quickly realized that what Hayabusa was talking about, although many years had passed, were indeed things that had happened in Japan. It was just that the Japanese people of today were unwilling to mention them, but being unwilling to mention them did not mean that they had not happened.

"Oh, the outside world is so harsh, you shouldn't leave. Just stay here and live with us!"

The middle-aged woman that Li Xin and Hayabusa had met at the village entrance earlier looked at them with a pained expression and said something.

"Thank you so much, auntie."

Hayabusa said to the middle-aged woman.

That evening, the villagers held a very lively welcome party for Li Xin and Hayabusa.

During the day, because many villagers were still working in the fields, only a few villagers entertained Li Xin and his companions. But in the evening, almost all the villagers gathered together to celebrate Li Xin and Hayabusa joining their big family.

"Come on, cheers!"

The village chief of the nameless mountain village raised his wine glass and urged Li Xin and Hayabusa to drink. Li Xin declined, claiming to be allergic to alcohol, but Hayabusa drank the wine without hesitation.

"Ah-Xin, if you don't drink alcohol, then you should eat more food!"

The village chief of the nameless mountain village persuaded Li Xin to believe again, and this time Li Xin could not refuse and ate a few bites of the dishes prepared for the welcome party.

Seeing Li Xin pick up his chopsticks, the village chief of the nameless mountain village was very pleased. He smiled and said, "How is it? The meal is quite sumptuous, isn't it? We've brought out our best dishes to welcome you. We haven't even had such a lively atmosphere during the New Year!"

Li Xin glanced at the dishes at the welcome party. The mountain village dishes were naturally not luxurious, but they included both meat and vegetables. In addition to some common homegrown vegetables, there were also some wild vegetables that Li Xin could not name. They looked inconspicuous, but they tasted exceptionally delicious.

Aside from common meats like chicken, duck, and fish, there was also a small wild boar, which the village's only hunter uncle reportedly hunted in the mountains after learning that outsiders had come.

Such hospitable hospitality is a testament to the other party's enthusiasm.

Li Xin glanced at the villagers attending the welcome party at the village chief's house in the nameless mountain village. There were at least a hundred people. However, there was something that caught Li Xin's attention: the villagers seemed to be quite old. Not to mention the village chief who was in his seventies or eighties, even the only hunter in the village looked to be in his sixties. It was really hard to believe that someone his age could still go hunting in the mountains.

Most of the other villagers are around the same age, so by that calculation, the woman who is already in her forties is actually considered young here.

However, Li Xin didn't ask where the young people in the village had gone, but instead silently ate his food.

The welcome party lasted a long time, perhaps because the villagers hadn't had such a celebration in a long time, or perhaps the so-called welcome for Li Xin and Hayabusa was just an excuse, and they just wanted to have a feast. In any case, not long after the welcome party started, the two main characters, Li Xin and Hayabusa, were left aside by the villagers. They gathered in groups of three or five, some drinking, some chatting, and there was even an old man in his seventies who took off his clothes and was only wearing a loincloth, dancing a hip-shaking dance in the middle of the crowd, with the surrounding villagers cheering. Among them were a group of women in their forties and fifties.

Li Xin couldn't help but ask Hayabusa in a low voice, "Is this how you usually entertain yourselves in the mountain villages of Japan?"

Ryu Hayabusa said expressionlessly, "Don't ask me, I don't know."

Although Hayabusa is also a mountain village, it has never had such "entertainment programs" to entertain guests.

The welcome party went on until late at night. The elderly villagers, being of advanced age and with limited energy, eventually lay sprawled out on the tatami mats and fell asleep after playing for a long time.

Perhaps because she was the youngest, the middle-aged woman, though yawning constantly, did not fall asleep with the others. She forced herself to stay awake and said to Li Xin and Hayabusa, "Please come with me, I will take you to a place to rest."

Li Xin and Hayabusa followed the middle-aged woman to a thatched hut in the corner of the village. The woman said to them, "No one lives in this hut usually. I've cleaned it up for you. If you don't mind, you can stay here for now."

"Thank you, auntie."

Li Xin thanked the aunt.

The woman smiled and said, "No need to thank me, no need to thank me. I need your help with something later."

"?"

Just as Li Xin was wondering what was going on, two young and beautiful women dressed in yukatas walked in and bowed gracefully to Li Xin and Hayabusa.

The auntie smiled broadly and said, "Ah Xin, Ah Long, there's something I need to tell you. Perhaps it's due to the soil and water, or some other reason, but since the people of our village settled here, they can only have girls, not boys. The men in the village now are all people who came from outside during the refugee period, but as you can see, they're all quite old and can no longer reproduce. The village is worried about this, and then you two strong young men came here. Perhaps it's fate! Please, you can continue our village's bloodline, I beg you!"

"My lords, I beg you!"

The two young and beautiful women also bowed to Li Xin and Hayabusa.

"Sorry, no."

Ryu Hayabusa refused outright, saying, "I'm too tired today, I can't get it up."

These words stunned not only the aunt but also Li Xin, who was trying to find a way to refuse.

No, Ah Long, are you really that ruthless?

However, for the time being, this seemed to be the best way to refuse, so Li Xin could only bite the bullet and say, "Yes, we've been walking on mountain roads all day and we're too tired. Please talk about it tomorrow."

The woman's lips twitched a few times, but since Hayabusa had said so, she couldn't force him. She couldn't exactly tell him to give it a try, could she?

She could only say, "Then let's do it tomorrow. You all get a good rest tonight and conserve your energy so that we can continue the bloodline of our village tomorrow."

The two young and beautiful women gave Li Xin and Hayabusa a resentful look, then followed the older woman away slowly.

After the three left, Hayabusa said to Li Xin, "You're not angry that I ruined your plans, are you?"

Li Xin rolled his eyes: "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"That's good."

Hayabusa nodded, then said bluntly, "There's something wrong with this village."

Li Xin nodded slightly in agreement, saying, "I think so too."

Although the people in this village seemed to be ordinary people in terms of their gait, breathing, and expressions, and there was nothing suspicious about the village, Li Xin and Hayabusa were not inexperienced youngsters, and they quickly discovered the problem with the village.

"Salt."

Hayabusa was the first to point out what he found suspicious: "The dishes in this village use rock salt."

"Although it's not impossible to collect rock salt in the deep mountains, the rock salt used in those dishes has a very pure taste and no bitterness. It is definitely refined rock salt. If they really haven't communicated with the outside world for more than 50 years, as they say, then it's impossible for them to have this kind of salt."

Every so often, the people of "Hayabusa" have to go out to buy things, and seasonings like salt are of utmost importance.

This is not to say that "Hayabusa no Sato" cannot produce salt. They can still mine and produce rock salt, but it is time-consuming and laborious to produce, and the taste is not good. It is better to buy it from outside.

In fact, at the beginning, Ryu Hayabusa really thought this was an ordinary mountain village. After all, the living environment here was not much different from "Hayabusa no Sato". Even with Ryu Hayabusa's "veteran mountain dweller" perspective, he could not find any flaws in the village. It was not until he tasted the village's cuisine that he discovered the flaw in the seasoning.

"Oh, I didn't taste that."

Li Xin shook his head slightly.

Hayabusa asked curiously, "So how did you notice the strangeness of this village?"

"That's easy."

Li Xin looked at Hayabusa and said, "You're dressed strangely, with your face covered and a samurai sword on your back. You look so suspicious, yet these people didn't point pitchforks at you and even treated you warmly. Isn't that a big enough problem?"

Ryu Hayabusa: "..."

Holy crap, you can do that? How come I didn't think of that!

"So you guessed from the beginning that there was something wrong with this village?"

"Ah."

Li Xin nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for!"

Hayabusa drew his sword, ready to unleash a massacre—he hadn't been sure about the village's problems before, so he wanted to compare his answers with Li Xin's. Now that they were on the same page, and Li Xin also felt that the village had a problem, and a very big one at that, what else was there to say? Time to get to work!

"Wait a minute."

Li Xin said to Hayabusa, "I used my mental power to investigate before. Within a ten-mile radius of this village, there is no one else besides the villagers, let alone those kidnapped children. I suspect they have a base outside the village."

Since he had guessed early on that there was something wrong with this village, Li Xin naturally couldn't just play along with their act. He had already used his mental power to thoroughly search the village and the surrounding area, but he hadn't found a single child. Li Xin reasonably suspected that the village chief was just a cover, and that there was a real "Dark Eagle Village" in another place.

Hayabusa also thought Li Xin's words made sense, and said, "Then let's find the real 'Dark Owl Village' first?"

"Ah."

Li Xin nodded: "I have already informed Ayane and Kasumi that they will be searching for the real 'Dark Eagle Village' nearby. What we need to do now is to stall them."

In this operation, Li Xin and his team split into two groups. Li Xin and Hayabusa were the vanguard, and also used to draw the enemy's attention, while Ayane and Kasumi acted in the shadows, with Angel providing support.

Li Xin had just used his mental power to notify Ayane and Kasumi outside the village, instructing them to search for the real "Dark Eagle Village." Only after they found it would it be time for Li Xin and the others to make their move.

In fact, Li Xin had considered capturing the villagers and interrogating them, but he knew that ninjas were very resistant to torture and that even severe torture wouldn't yield any results. Li Xin also really didn't want to do that, so he had to resort to a more complicated method.

After thinking for a moment, Li Xin added, "Actually, I have another problem..."

"What's the problem?"

"Forget it, there's no evidence, so I'll leave it at that for now."

Li Xin suddenly stopped talking.

Hayabusa shook his head. Although he wanted to ask Li Xin what the question was, since Li Xin didn't want to say, he didn't ask.

Li Xin and Hayabusa fell asleep fully clothed in the house. Although they were living in the same room, their sleeping areas were separated by a screen.

Not long after he lay down, Li Xin suddenly heard a noise. Just as he was about to get up, a soft body pressed down on him.

Li Xin sidestepped the body. Although the room was pitch black, Li Xin's eyesight was already at the level of seeing in the dark as if it were daytime. He immediately recognized the body that was pressing down on him as one of the two young women who had left with the old woman earlier, and she was completely naked.

The young woman, having missed her target, let out a soft cry of pain. She looked up at Li Xin with resentful eyes, her voice soft and alluring: "My lord..."

Just as Li Xin was about to deal with the woman, he suddenly heard the sound of clothes rustling from the other side of the screen. The woman smiled and said, "My lord, your friends have already started. Aren't you going to join them? It can't be you... I'm sorry, I misspoke!"

That last sentence was rather mischievous, yet subtly alluring; any man who heard it would feel his blood boil and want to stand up and prove it.

Li Xin remained calm, rolled the woman up in a blanket, wrapped her up like "sushi," and then threw her out the window.

The woman who was thrown out cried out in pain. Before she could even get out of bed, another piece of "sushi" flew out and landed on her.

Li Xin patted non-existent dust off his hands and said to the two stacked "sushi" pieces, "Spring has only just begun, and the weather is still a bit chilly. You two ladies should hurry back, or you might catch a cold."

After closing the window, Li Xin teased Hayabusa, "Hey Hayabusa, is it because I'm having trouble moving around, or...?"

Hayabusa rolled his eyes at Li Xin: "What are you talking about? I have Wu Ye, how could I do anything to betray her! But you, why don't you take this opportunity to have some fun?"

Li Xin raised an eyebrow: "I'm not a casual person."

Although he was too ashamed to call himself a faithful man, Li Xin felt it was still necessary for him to be faithful to two men.

Of course, Li Xin didn't know at this time that he wasn't even a second-year graduate student anymore, and might not even reach the third-year level in the future...

Huh? He's already "three," can he still be called a specialist?

Chapter 732 "Tongue"

The middle-aged woman who had previously entertained Li Xin and Hayabusa hurried to a secluded thatched hut near the village. Several elderly men sat quietly inside the hut, and they looked at the middle-aged woman: "How is the matter progressing?"

The middle-aged woman knelt on one knee before the elderly men and said in a very youthful voice, "My lords, the mission has failed, and the female ninja we sent out was thrown out."

"Damn it, is it because I'm not pretty enough?"

"But that was already the most beautiful and skilled female ninja in our 'Dark Eagle Clan.' Apart from the deceased Jingyu, there was no one else like her..."

"Don't mention that woman's name! That woman who betrayed her clan!"