Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

After putting away the scroll, Li Xin asked Zhen Yuanzhai, "Master Yuanzhai, do you know that old witch?"

"We're old acquaintances; we had a fight when we were young."

Zhen Yuanzhai replied.

"Oh? Such a thing actually happened?"

Li Xin, curious, pressed on, "When did this happen? What was the outcome?"

Zhen Yuanzhai stroked his beard, lost in thought, and said, "That was all many years ago, why bring it up again?"

Zhen Yuanzhai was unwilling to talk about it, which made Li Xin even more curious.

Rural people have limited entertainment options, and gossiping is arguably their most popular form of entertainment. Li Xin himself wasn't a gossip enthusiast, but he had been exposed to it from a young age, and since the gossip was about Zhen Yuanzhai, he was naturally extremely interested.

"Master Genzhai, tell me, or is it that you lost to that Hino Shrine Maiden back then?"

Li Xin even resorted to provocation, a rare occurrence, when speaking to Zhen Yuanzhai.

"Who said I lost!"

As expected, "it's better to provoke than to ask." Upon hearing Li Xin's words, Zhen Yuanzhai immediately retorted. He stroked his beard, seemingly hesitant to speak, but finally nodded and said, "Alright, it's nothing to tell you. It's just that when I was young… back then, there was a war, and I saw my country being invaded by the Japanese. Filled with righteous indignation, I ran to Tokyo, wanting to avenge what they had done to our Chinese compatriots against the Japanese, to make them feel the pain. But I was stopped by that woman on the outskirts of Tokyo, and we fought a fierce battle to a draw. Later…"

What happened next?

Li Xin quickly pressed for an answer.

Zhen Yuanzhai smiled and then said, "She pointed to the location of the Tokyo military headquarters and told me to settle scores with the right people and to go there to kill people, instead of being a coward and only daring to attack the old, weak, women and children. I was so angry that I ran in the direction she pointed and went to the army to kill people. But I didn't kill many before I was surrounded by experts and almost died. In the end, it was that woman who secretly intervened and I was able to escape. It was from that time that I became friends with her."

After a pause, Zhen Yuanzhai added, "Just friends."

Li Xin nodded and said, "I know, you don't need to emphasize it."

"Haha, did I emphasize that? Ashin, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Zhen Yuanzhai chuckled and said.

Li Xin always felt that there were still many untold stories between Zhen Yuanzhai and the old witch, but Zhen Yuanzhai refused to speak, and Li Xin couldn't pry open Zhen Yuanzhai's mouth to force him to tell. After thinking for a while, he asked Zhen Yuanzhai, "Master Yuanzhai, I recently learned a new sword technique, this sword technique..."

"How you learned it isn't important, let's skip that part and talk about something else."

Zhen Yuanzhai said with a smile,

He's in a good mood right now and doesn't want to hear anything that might upset him.

Li Xin listened to Zhen Yuanzhai's words and said to him, "In short, I have learned a new sword technique, but I don't have a suitable weapon. Do you know any skilled swordsmiths? I would like to commission a fine sword."

There is probably no other soft sword in the world suitable for the "Water-Splitting Sword Technique" besides the Water-Splitting Sword. Therefore, Li Xin can only ask someone to make one. However, it is probably not something that an ordinary blacksmith can do to forge a soft sword that perfectly meets Li Xin's requirements. So Li Xin can only ask Zhen Yuanzhai if he has any connections.

"Weapons... I can't do anything about that..."

Chin Gentsai stroked his chin and said, “I’ve heard that there’s a guy in Japan named Hattori Hanzo who is very skilled at forging weapons, but he seems to have retired. You probably won’t be able to find him. Even if you do, he seems to only be good at forging samurai swords, which may not meet your requirements.”

"I see..."

Li Xin was somewhat disappointed. If even Zhen Yuanzhai couldn't find a suitable weapon, then there was no hope for him to find one.

Seeing Li Xin's disappointed look, Zhen Yuanzhai smiled and said, "Xin, don't be so rigid. Don't just think about finding a blacksmith. You can also try to forge a sword using other methods. Technology is very advanced now. Some steels that are readily available would have been incredible treasures in ancient times, not to mention alloys. I've heard that the alloy technology now is very advanced. Its strength and toughness are incomparable to traditional materials. Weapons forged with those alloys would probably be no worse than the divine weapons of ancient times. That should be enough for you."

"But I once saw a sword that could easily break through my protective aura. Weapons made like that wouldn't have that ability, would they?"

Li Xin said to Zhen Yuanzhai.

“That’s called ‘Breaking the Qi’!” Zhen Yuanzhai rolled his eyes. “Even if you find the best blacksmith to forge it, you might not be able to create a weapon with the ‘Breaking the Qi’ effect!”

"Is that called 'Breaking the Gang'?"

Li Xin asked.

Zhen Yuanzhai nodded: "That's right. When a weapon is used by a master for many years and constantly infused with internal energy, the weapon will gradually undergo some strange changes, and it can easily pierce through the protective energy. This is generally called 'breaking the protective energy'. If you have a weapon and use it for a long time, you will also have the effect of 'breaking the protective energy'. Of course, I can't say exactly how long it will take. Some people use it for a few years, some for more than ten or even several decades, or even several generations. It's all uncertain. It depends on fate."

This was the first time Li Xin had ever heard of such a thing. Indeed, before the age of nineteen, he was just a country boy with little experience. He had no master to teach him martial arts and was a novice in many aspects, needing guidance from seniors.

Long Wu had already answered Li Xin's questions about the matters of the underworld, and Zhen Yuanzhai and Gui Wangda had taken turns teaching him about martial arts. As for the matters of supernatural arts, Li Xin touched the scroll in his pocket and felt that this was also settled. His shortcomings were being constantly repaired, and he could feel his progress every day, which was quite exhilarating.

"Okay, Master Yuanzhai, I understand. Thank you for your guidance!"

Li Xin expressed his gratitude.

After leaving Zhen Yuanzhai's house, Li Xin went to Cat's Eye Cafe to see if there were any requests today, but he was disappointed again.

It seems that increasing my reputation is an urgent matter!

Li Xin thought to himself.

"Hey, you're back alive!"

Before Li Xin could even order a cup of hot water, an uninvited guest appeared – it was none other than the female fox, Nogami Saeko.

Looking at Saeko Nogami's smug smile, Li Xin's eye twitched involuntarily.

Well, how dare this woman show her face in front of me again?

Li Xin glared at Nogami Saeko and said

Saeko Nogami said to Li Xin, "If you keep looking at me like that, I might start charging you!"

Li Xin withdrew his gaze and said to Nogami Saeko, "Is there anything else you need? If not, please leave."

Saeko Nogami smiled and said to Li Xin, "It's really rare that you actually want to take a commission from me. Most people would avoid me at this time."

What she said wasn't wrong. Most people who had been tricked by this cunning woman would avoid her. It was rare to see someone as straightforward as Li Xin.

"However, I don't have any requests right now. I just wanted to come and see you. I heard the battle last night was fierce, and I was wondering how you were doing. Seeing that you're not missing any limbs, I'm relieved. Let's work together again next time!"

Saeko Nogami said with a smile.

She had actually received news about what happened last night.

Although there were only the old shrine maiden, her granddaughter, and Li Xin inside the shrine at the time, many masters of Japanese sorcery were actually secretly watching the place. As for their motives, that's something each of them knew.

They originally thought they would witness the end of a legendary witch, but what they saw instead was that the old witch overturned the common sense of the magic world. In addition to passing on spiritual power, she was also able to kill three top evil sorcerers, which was truly shocking.

It's important to understand that, unless the body has undergone modification or mutation, spiritual cultivation doesn't make a sorcerer much stronger than an ordinary person. In fact, due to the nature of spiritual energy, sorcerers age faster than ordinary people once they pass their prime, and their lifespans are also shorter.

The old witch was over seventy years old, which was considered a long life in the world of sorcery. She had hardly ever made a move since she was sixty, so many people had forgotten how terrifying she was and only regarded her as a frail old woman. In fact, many young people in the world of sorcery had never even heard of her.

It was because the old shrine maiden hadn't made a move in a long time, and seemed much more amiable than when she was younger, that Meiji Shrine set its sights on her.

This time, she swiftly eliminated three evil masters, shattering the common sense of the supernatural world and making people in the Japanese supernatural world quickly recall the terrifying nature of the old witch who had been silent for many years.

The three young men who protected the old witch that night also suddenly came into the view of many people.

Needless to say, Isayama Yomi and Kijuu Arashi were already famous child prodigies in the world of Japanese sorcery. Li Xin, as a martial artist, was implicated in the affairs of the sorcery world. He even showed remarkable strength while protecting the old shrine maiden, which attracted the attention of many important figures in the world of Japanese sorcery.

Therefore, without Li Xin's own knowledge, he had already become famous.

As for Nogami Saeko, Li Xin proved his strength through yesterday's request, showing that he was no weaker than Isayama Yomi and Oniju Arashi, two super rookies in the world of supernatural arts, and had enormous potential (value to be exploited). Therefore, she paid even more attention to Li Xin.

Next time we work together, I will definitely ask about the details of the commission.

Li Xin thought to himself.

Although yesterday's commission was quite fruitful and not particularly dangerous, the difficulty of the work definitely exceeded the commission fee Li Xin received. Now that the commission is over, it's not that he's willing to lose face by asking Nogami Saeko for an additional commission fee, but he's certain that Nogami Saeko will definitely not admit it—that cunning woman!

After Saeko Nogami left, Ai Kisugi approached and asked Li Xin, "Brother Xin, that woman..."

Before Ai could finish her question, Li Xin, who seemed to be deep in thought, suddenly asked, "Ai, do you know where we can make weapons out of titanium alloy?"

"Titanium alloy? Forging weapons? What are you doing, Ashin?"

When Ai heard Li Xin ask her this question, she immediately forgot to ask Li Xin about Nogami Saeko.

"I've learned a new sword technique and need a matching weapon. I've heard that titanium alloy is currently the most powerful alloy, so I want to have a soft sword made of titanium alloy. Do you know where I can find one that meets my needs?"

Li Xin spoke of his love for the next life.

"Make weapons? Then why are you asking me, Ah-Xin-ge, instead of asking anyone else!"

Lai Sheng Ai said excitedly, "It's just making weapons, I can do that too! Brother A Xin, you can tell me what you need for the soft sword, and I will definitely meet your requirements!"

It was such a rare opportunity that she finally got a chance to help Li Xin, which made Lai Sheng Ai very excited.

She was the one among the three sisters who was in charge of equipment research and development, and she also had a lot of knowledge about materials. She said very seriously, "However, it is probably not feasible to make a flexible sword with titanium alloy. The elastic modulus of titanium alloy is only half that of steel, so I would recommend using chromium steel to forge a flexible sword. Only in this way can the flexible sword be flexible enough to be bent at will."

When it came to her profession, Lai Sheng Ai spoke fluently and knowledgeably, which amazed Li Xin. Was this the same Ai who seemed a little dim-witted before?

"Then, Xiao Ai, I'll leave my weapon to you."

Li Xin spoke of his love for the next life.

"Don't worry, Brother Xin, I'll definitely deliver the finished soft sword to you in three days at most!"

"I'll love you in the next life," he said, patting his chest.

Girls her age are at the age when they most crave recognition from others. She joined the Shiranui school and endured the shameful uniform so that she could help her older sisters. Now that she has the opportunity to help Li Xin, she is even more concerned than Li Xin himself and has decided to spare no effort to forge a weapon that will satisfy him.

Chapter 81 There's some juicy gossip!

A few days later, in the afternoon, Li Xin arrived at Cat's Eye Cafe. As soon as Kiyosa Ai saw Li Xin, she excitedly pulled him to the basement of Cat's Eye Cafe.

The basement of Cat's Eye Cafe is called a basement, but it is actually an underground base where the three sisters usually store their father's collection and various items related to "Cat's Eye". Besides the three sisters, Li Xin was the first person to enter this place.

"Brother Ashin, here you go!"

In a high-tech laboratory, Kiyoshi Ai handed a black leather belt to Li Xin. Li Xin looked at the belt in Kiyoshi Ai's hand with some suspicion, then asked, "Is this the soft sword you made for me?"

Lai Sheng Ai smiled and said, "Brother A-Xin, you're so clever! I thought I could play a trick on you!"

The buckle on this belt was quite long, about ten centimeters long and four centimeters wide, just the right size to hold in one hand. Lai Sheng Ai grabbed the buckle and pulled out a black soft sword from the belt, handing it to Li Xin as if to show off: "Brother Xin, give it a try!"

Li Xin took the soft sword, swung it lightly, and felt its texture.

The sword is flexible and can be bent easily, but it also has great toughness. Once released, it will quickly spring back. At the same time, because the blade is extremely thin, this soft sword is also extremely sharp. Li Xin only touched the blade slightly and his finger was cut.

At the same time, while possessing both softness and elasticity, Li Xin could tell that the sword was quite strong by lightly flicking it and hearing the crisp sound it emitted.

Li Xin used this soft sword to perform a few moves of the "Water-Splitting Sword Technique." Although it was still slightly inferior to the Water-Splitting Sword, the difference was not enough to prevent Li Xin from performing the "Water-Splitting Sword Technique." This greatly exceeded Li Xin's expectations, and he couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "It feels great! Little Ai did a fantastic job!"

Receiving Li Xin's praise made Lai Sheng Ai even happier than Li Xin, who had received the sword, thinking to herself that her efforts over the past few days had finally paid off.

You should know that Ai Kiyoshi put in a lot of effort to forge such a soft sword.

Although Li Xin always talked about forging a soft sword, the Bishui Sword is not a soft sword in the general sense. A true soft sword is not suitable for slashing or stabbing. Its strength lies in its ability to cut, easily severing blood vessels and ligaments at joints, displaying whip-like dexterity. Such a soft sword is naturally not very strong and cannot be used to parry other weapons.

However, in addition to its extremely high toughness and elasticity, the Bishui Sword also possesses considerable strength, which can be used to parry other people's weapons. In fact, many moves of the "Bishui Sword Technique" are designed to force the opponent to parry the Bishui Sword, and then use the Bishui Sword's ability to bend with internal force to unexpectedly stab the opponent's vital points.

Previously, Li Xin was wary of the power of the Bishui Sword and chose to fight his first love in close combat, hoping to limit the changes of the Bishui Sword. However, using this approach to deal with the "Bishui Sword Technique" was actually wrong, and a big mistake at that.

Because close combat is where the Bi Shui Sword truly shines, but Chu Lian's inner strength was too shallow to wield the Bi Shui Sword with complete control. Therefore, the most powerful part of the Bi Shui Sword became her weak point in swordsmanship, leading to her defeat against Li Xin.

To fully unleash the power of the "Water-Splitting Sword Technique," Li Xin needed a soft sword, just like the Water-Splitting Sword, that was both flexible and possessed considerable strength. Li Xin had previously explained the various specifications of the Water-Splitting Sword to Lai Sheng Ai. After hearing Li Xin's requirements, Lai Sheng Ai went to the underground base and worked diligently. She hadn't even attended school for the past few days and had specifically asked for three days off.

(Lai Sheng Ai said to Lai Sheng Lei, "Big sister, I asked for leave because I need to make weapons for Brother A Xin!" Hey, this is the first time in my life I've asked for leave so confidently!)

If it were a traditional soft sword, then chromium steel would naturally suffice. However, the problem is that the soft sword Li Xin wanted not only needed to be soft but also required sufficient strength, which was quite troublesome. Moreover, since Lai Sheng Ai and Li Xin had agreed that the finished product could be delivered to him in three days, there wasn't much time for testing. They could only develop several sets of experimental alloy formulas at the same time.

However, her efforts over the past few days were not in vain. Although she spent a lot of energy and tested many sets of materials, she finally found the set with the most suitable performance from the many combinations of metals. Then, she made the soft sword that Li Xin was holding now according to this formula.

After putting away his soft sword and replacing his old belt, Li Xin felt no discomfort at all with the new belt. On the contrary, he found it very comfortable. He also tried to draw the soft sword from the belt, and it was very easy to handle. Moreover, even though it had been bent so much, the soft sword did not bend at all after being drawn. It perfectly met all his requirements. Except for the "breaking the qi" attribute mentioned by Zhen Yuanzhai, it was almost no different from the Bishui sword.

Li Xin then used the soft sword to perform a few more moves of the "Water-Splitting Sword Technique." The more he used it, the more satisfied he became, to the point that he couldn't put it down. He said to Lai Sheng'ai, "Thank you, Xiao Ai. You are really capable. This sword has far exceeded my expectations. I like it very much!"

Lai Sheng Ai was overjoyed to hear Li Xin's praise, and then boasted to Li Xin, "Brother Xin, I specially incorporated a newly discovered ore into this soft sword. It can shield electronic signals, so you can even carry this soft sword through a metal detector without any problem!"

The ore that can shield electronic signals was mined in a small country in Europe. Once discovered, it was strictly controlled, and only a very small amount of ore has been leaked outside. On the black market, it has long been sold for a price higher than gold. After all, in this modern world where electronic devices are everywhere, the use of this ore is truly immense.

The piece that Kisugi Ai had was obtained through great difficulty by Kisugi's butler, Uncle Nagaishi, who was given it to Kisugi Ai to make props that might be useful in future operations. However, Kisugi Ai used it to make Li Xin's soft sword. I wonder if Kisugi Rui would say something like "girls should look outwards" if she found out.

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Li Xin liked this soft sword even more. It could be carried into any place at any time, which was a very useful attribute for Li Xin. It might even be more useful than the "breaking the aura" ability of the Water-Splitting Sword.

"Xiao Ai, I love this sword so much! How can I possibly thank you enough!"

Li Xin sighed as he looked at Lai Sheng Ai.

Lai Sheng Ai helped him make such a good weapon, and it would be too inadequate to just express his gratitude verbally. Li Xin asked Lai Sheng Ai, "Tell me, Xiao Ai, what do you want me to help you with? As long as it's within my power, I will definitely not refuse."

He stopped mentioning money. Lai Sheng Lei was so rich and doted on Lai Sheng Ai so much that Lai Sheng Ai's secret stash might be more than all of his wealth. Mentioning money would be an insult to Lai Sheng Ai, so Li Xin felt it was more appropriate to contribute his efforts.

Yes, this is definitely not because Li Xin is unwilling to give money.

"Well……"

Li Xin said he was willing to do something to help Lai Sheng Ai, but Lai Sheng Ai had never thought of asking Li Xin for anything beforehand. She just helped him because he said he wanted to. When asked to make a request, she couldn't think of anything she wanted Li Xin to do for her and was in a dilemma.