Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

In a secluded house somewhere in Tokyo, Yi Tianxun struggled to carry the heavy safety box, taking a circuitous route, until he finally returned to his dwelling.

Although it was hard work, the thought of finding another precious sword made Yi Tianxun feel no fatigue at all; on the contrary, he was full of energy.

He took out the Azure Destiny sword, one of the eight treasured swords he had found earlier, and with one stroke, easily broke open the safety case made of high-strength titanium alloy. He excitedly opened the safety case and found the rapier lying inside. The joyful expression on his face instantly froze.

What the hell is this thing? Where's my jade sword?!

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With such a major incident at the exhibition, even the floorboards were torn up, the sword exhibition had to be temporarily suspended. Because some exhibits were stolen, the museums and private collectors who lent the exhibits were afraid that their own collections would also be affected, so they all took back the items they had lent to the exhibition. Therefore, it is very likely that this exhibition will not be temporarily suspended, but will be permanently terminated.

"Although the exhibition has ended, it's alright. The current owner of the rapier, the Frenchman, is not planning to return to his country immediately. He will stay in Tokyo for a while, so we still have a chance to get the sword back from him."

On the second floor of Cat's Eye Cafe, Lai Sheng Lei was not angry because her plan had failed, but instead thought about how to get the rapier back.

"That older sister..."

At this moment, Kisugi Ai timidly raised her hand, and Kisugi Rui, seeing this, couldn't help but ask, "Ai, what's wrong?"

"that is……"

Lai Sheng Ai poked her two index fingers together and said with a very indescribable expression, "Didn't your original plan say that you would swap the serial numbers of the safety cases for the white jade sword and the Western sword and take the Western sword in exchange?"

"Yes, that's right, but wasn't this done on the last day?"

Lai Sheng Lei nodded, then widened her eyes and said, "Xiao Ai, could it be that you..."

"I've already changed it. I wanted to surprise you, but..."

In the next life, I'll love the awkwardness of the place.

Originally, Kisugi Rui planned to act on the last day, wanting to conduct more detailed investigations first to ensure everything went smoothly. However, Kisugi Ai had been studying with Shiranui Mai for a while and felt her skills had greatly improved. Moreover, although the "Shiranui-ryu Ninjutsu" was somewhat unorthodox, it was still a ninja style, and she was quite adept at sneaky activities. Kisugi Ai put her knowledge to good use and switched the numbers on the two safety boxes without Kisugi Rui and Kisugi Hitomi noticing. And this happened yesterday, under the watchful eyes of so many JACES members.

Lai Sheng Lei patted her head. "Xiao Ai, you've really given me a huge surprise!"

If the rapier were still in that Frenchman's hands, Lai Sheng Lei wouldn't be afraid. She had plenty of ways to steal it back. At most, it would just cost her more money and effort, which wouldn't be difficult for Lai Sheng Lei.

The problem is that the rapier has been intercepted by an unidentified expert. They don't even know who that person is or where he is, so how can they get the rapier back from him?

Lai Sheng Lei felt a sudden headache and realized that someone seemed to be missing. She couldn't help but ask, "Where's A-Xin? Where did he go?"

Lai Sheng Lei remembered that Li Xin had just returned with her.

"You mean Brother Ashin? Brother Ashin said he was going to visit an old master to ask him for information about that masked man."

Love in the next life will face tears in the next life.

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"This is……"

Meanwhile, at Athena Asamiya's house, Chin Gentsai lifted his bangs and carefully examined a section of steel pipe.

The steel pipe was a wreckage that Li Xin found at the exhibition and secretly brought out with him.

Zhen Yuanzhai stared at the broken end of the steel pipe for a long time before finally putting it down and letting out a deep sigh.

"Master Yuanzhai, have you noticed anything?"

Li Xin asked Zhen Yuanzhai about the Dao.

The cut on this steel pipe was extremely neat—no, it couldn't even be described as neat; it was as smooth as a mirror. If Li Xin hadn't personally witnessed that this steel pipe was a part of something that the masked man who fought him had cut off with his sword energy, even he would have thought that the steel pipe was originally like this and hadn't been cut off later.

This is definitely not something that ordinary swordsmanship can achieve; it must have a very profound origin.

With this in mind, Li Xin approached Zhen Yuanzhai, wanting to ask him about the origins of the masked man.

They actually dared to snatch something from Li Xin; this matter won't end so easily.

Faced with Li Xin's question, Zhen Yuanzhai finally spoke slowly after a long pause: "This is the sword energy of Mingjian Villa."

"Famous Sword Manor? What's that?"

Li Xin couldn't help but ask.

Zhen Yuanzhai replied, "More than a thousand years ago, during the Song Dynasty, there was a famous swordsmanship family in the Central Plains called 'Famous Sword Manor'. The swordsmanship of Famous Sword Manor was unfathomable, especially its sword energy, which was unparalleled in the world. The manor master of Famous Sword Manor was elected as the leader of the martial arts alliance for several consecutive terms, commanding the heroes of the Central Plains martial arts world, and its prestige was unmatched for a time."

Although Zhen Yuanzhai did not give a long speech, just a few words were enough to make Li Xin feel the prestige of Mingjian Villa. Putting aside everything else, several consecutive villa masters were elected as the leader of the martial arts alliance. How many families in the history of the martial arts world can achieve such an honor?

After a pause, Zhen Yuanzhai sighed and said, "Later, Mingjian Manor suffered a great change and declined. The eight treasured swords passed down through generations were scattered throughout the martial world, causing countless disputes. Later, the surviving descendants of Mingjian Manor found the eight treasured swords one by one and then retired from the martial world, claiming that they would no longer concern themselves with worldly affairs."

"Until more than fifty years ago, when Japan launched a full-scale invasion of the Central Plains, the Battle of Nanjing shocked the world. I heard that a young swordsman, carrying eight precious swords, stormed into Nanjing to rescue people, but was defeated and died."

At this point, Zhen Yuanzhai said to Li Xin, "Although no one ever found out the young swordsman's real name, I speculate that he was the successor of the Famous Sword Manor... and the masked man you just mentioned is most likely a descendant of that young swordsman."

"Liuli, Baiyu, Zidian, Qingming, Mutie, Wuming, Jueming, Xuanwu... These eight swords originally belonged to the Famous Sword Manor. Later, they were confiscated as spoils of war by the Japanese officers who were present at the time. Now that a descendant of the Famous Sword Manor has suddenly appeared, I think he must be here to retrieve his family's heirloom sword."

Zhen Yuanzhai sighed.

Although Zhen Yuanzhai didn't say it, Li Xin knew what Zhen Yuanzhai wanted to say. He pondered for a moment and said, "Master Yuanzhai, I know what to do."

Li Xin returned to Cat's Eye Cafe and told Lai Sheng Lei about Zhen Yuanzhai's speculation about the masked man's identity and what he wanted.

"Little Tears..."

Li Xin swallowed hard, trying to moisten his dry mouth, feeling that only then could he speak.

“I know you’re going to say that since the White Jade Sword and the Purple Lightning Sword belong to his family, then of course I’m happy to grant his wish and return those two swords to him.”

Lai Sheng Lei smiled and said.

When it comes to the pain of losing family heirlooms, no one understands it better than Rui Kisugi. People are naturally sympathetic to those in similar circumstances; this is what we call empathy. If Rui Kisugi were to steal her own father's collection while appropriating other people's family heirlooms, then all her actions would lose their legitimacy and righteousness, and she, "Cat's Eye," would simply be considered an ordinary thief.

"only……"

Lai Shenglei frowned: "We don't even know what he looks like or where he is, so how are we supposed to return those two swords to him?"

Li Xin thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps we can hold a swordsmanship competition and display the Purple Lightning Sword as the prize. This might attract the descendants of that famous sword manor, and then we can make a deal with them, exchanging the White Jade Sword for that Western sword."

"A swordsmanship competition?"

Lai Sheng Lei was stunned for a moment.

"Yes."

Li Xin nodded: "His swordsmanship is extremely special. As long as I see him make a move, I can confirm his identity. This is the most effective way I can think of to find him."

"Brother Ashin, this is even less reliable than a prince finding Cinderella with a glass slipper!"

Laisheng Ai muttered something under her breath, then received a sidelong glare from Laisheng Rui.

In the next life, I'll love you looking all wronged. Big sister, you've changed. Since you met Ah-Xin, you've only known how to protect him. You've even become fierce towards your most beloved little sister.

"Xiao Ai, if you keep talking bad about me in your heart, your allowance will be halved next month."

"Tears of the Next Life," she said softly.

Lai Sheng Ai exclaimed in surprise: "How did you know that?!"

"So you were talking bad about me, huh? Well then, I'll cut your allowance in half next month."

Laisheng Lei looked at Laisheng Ai with a gloomy gaze.

Lai Sheng Ai was on the verge of a breakdown. Looking at her second sister, who was gloating and had no intention of speaking up for her, Lai Sheng Ai suddenly threw herself into Li Xin's arms: "Brother Xin, my eldest sister bullied me, you have to stand up for me!"

Li Xin looked at Lai Sheng Lei, who said helplessly, "Alright, I won't deduct your allowance. Get up and stop bothering me, A Xin!"

Lai Sheng Ai stuck out her tongue in Li Xin's arms, a smug smile on her face.

Hehe, now I know my older sister's weakness, yay!

Just then, Lai Shenglei received a phone call. She told Li Xin, "Xin, it's from JACES. After they opened those security boxes, they found a white jade sword in the box that was supposed to contain the rapiers. They want us to come and get it, but I won't go. You should go."

Li Xin nodded, then bid farewell to Lai Sheng Lei and the others, and returned to the exhibition hall.

The person in charge of handing over to Li Xin was Otsuka. At this moment, he looked to be in very poor spirits. Upon seeing Li Xin, he barely managed to muster some energy and handed Li Xin a sword box. This was brought over by Kisugi Rui earlier, and it contained a white jade sword and "Kikuchiyo". Of course, "Kikuchiyo" was just an extra. Neither Li Xin nor Kisugi Rui cared much about "Kikuchiyo".

Well, Li Xin was actually a little concerned, after all, this thing was worth ten million yen.

After handing the sword case to Li Xin, Otsuka said to Li Xin, "Mr. Otsuka, please apologize to Ms. Yoshikawa for causing her so much worry. This is all because we did not do a good job of security."

Li Xin felt somewhat ashamed. He was actually on the thief's side. Even without the masked man causing that scene, the exhibition would still have been thrown into chaos.

However, Li Xin certainly couldn't say that. He could only say, "Mr. Otsuka, it was my fault that I failed to stop that masked man."

Otsuka shook his head. The biggest problem with the theft of the exhibit was that JACES' security system malfunctioned. The exhibit was not moved to the explosion-proof vault in time, otherwise the masked man would not have had the opportunity to steal the safe containing the rapier.

Seriously, they even got the serial number wrong. Is JACES's security system, which they're so proud of, really riddled with errors?

Otsuka's mind was no longer on the exhibition; he wanted to get back to headquarters as soon as possible to report the errors and omissions in the security system and have the higher-ups conduct a thorough investigation of the system.

He said to Li Xin, "If Mr. Li Xin has nothing else to say, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

He retrieved the security boxes stuck in the teleportation channel one by one, opened them to confirm their contents, and then returned the exhibits inside to their original owners. He still had a lot of work to do.

Li Xin sighed and walked out of the exhibition hall.

As soon as Li Xin stepped out of the exhibition hall, he felt a strong sword aura. He looked up and saw a masked man in black holding a rapier looking at him from the opposite building.

Just as Li Xin was about to give chase, the masked man in black threw the rapier in his hand at Li Xin. Li Xin had no choice but to catch the sword first. After catching the rapier, the masked man in black had already disappeared, causing Li Xin to stop in his tracks.

No, I'm returning the sword to you, why are you running away!

Chapter Ninety-Seven Swordplay Competition

Of course, Li Xin also knew that the other party wasn't a mind reader, so how could they possibly know what he was thinking? In the other party's eyes, he might even be an enemy.

He weighed the rapier in his hand, and seeing that no one was watching, Li Xin quickly put the rapier into the sword case, letting it squeeze in with the white jade sword and "Kikuchiyo" for a while.

Li Xin never expected that the target of the operation would fall into his hands in this way. Without lingering, he went straight back to Cat's Eye Cafe.

On the second floor of Cat's Eye Cafe, Li Xin seemed to be a regular here, able to appear naturally in this "mysterious garden" that countless male police officers of the Metropolitan Police Department could only set foot in in their dreams. He handed the rapier to Lai Sheng Rui and told Lai Sheng Rui about how the masked man returned the rapier.

Lai Sheng Rui, who had already arranged the sword fighting competition, was somewhat bewildered when she saw the rapier that Li Xin had brought back.

I spent so much time, effort, and money, and yet the goal fell into my hands in a way I never expected. I…

Lai Sheng Lei, who has been the chief planner of the "Cat's Eye" campaign, felt like she was punching cotton.

"It must be because the rapier wasn't his own, so he returned it."

Li Xin sighed deeply.

Although this rapier wasn't one of the eight treasured swords of the Famous Sword Manor, it was still a valuable item. Putting aside everything else, the gemstone inlaid on it alone was worth a fortune. Yet, the person was returned just like that. Li Xin finally personally experienced the weight of the words "Famous Sword Manor".

The sword is the gentleman among weapons, and the people of Sword Manor also possess the pride of a gentleman.

He stole the white jade sword because it originally belonged to him, and he returned the Western sword because it did not belong to him.

"Xiao Lei, are we still going to hold this swordsmanship competition?"

Li Xin asked about the next life, tears welling up in his eyes.

The purpose of holding the sword fighting competition was to lure out the masked man, and the purpose of luring out the masked man was to get the rapier back from him. But now that the rapier has been obtained, is it still necessary to find the masked man?

"Do it! Of course we have to do it! Get him done!"

Tears of the Next Life firmly proclaimed.

She'd already made all the arrangements, and now you want her to cancel them? Are you kidding me!

"Yes, deal with him!"

Lai Sheng Ai also jumped in to chime in.

This is outrageous! How can they, the "cat's eye" workers, accept favors like this for nothing? We can't accept this! We must take them down!

Li Xin pondered Lai Shenglei's tone for a moment, unsure of who she meant by "organize"—a competition or the descendants of the Famous Sword Manor?

Never mind that, the key is to lure out the descendant of that Famous Sword Manor and then return those two precious swords to him.

Sigh, I just wanted to do a good deed, why is it so difficult...?

Li Xin sighed.

"By the way, Ah Xin, isn't that glass sword also a treasured sword that was lost from the Famous Sword Manor?"

In the next life, I will ask Li Xin about his faith with tears in my eyes.

Li Xin nodded, and Lai Shenglei said without any hesitation, "Okay, I'll go buy it right now, and return all three swords to him together. Let's see what he has to say then!"

Li Xin: "..."

Xiao Lei, can we stop being so competitive about things like this?

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