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Inside the carriage, Kamihane spoke seriously:
"In their eyes, your 'Bladesmith Pavilion' is now a piece of fat meat, and anyone who gets a hold of it wants to take a slice. Your Uncle Tsubame is holding this martial arts competition to turn the spearhead, letting the nobles kill each other first. The losers will retreat in disgrace, while the winner will seize the fruit. This way, the guild's losses will be minimized…"
"Although it still won't change the final outcome, it's just a matter of changing the name of the 'Bladesmith Pavilion.' With the backing of the nobles, you won't go bankrupt…"
Shoko suddenly became agitated, standing up abruptly. "But what about Yukino? Does no one care about her? Are we women supposed to sacrifice our happiness just to save the guild?"
"Calm down, let me finish."
Kamihane waved his hand calmly. "Why do you think your guild was smooth sailing before, with no nobles daring to mess with you?"
A flash of resentment crossed Shoko's face. "Of course, it's because my father and Uncle Igarashi were there. They were not only the most famous swordsmiths in the Land of Iron but also first-class samurai! The three families stood united, so of course, no one dared to cause trouble."
"Mm, finally getting to the point." Kamihane smiled slightly. "The nobles are skilled in schemes, and there's too much interest involved here. I'm not good at political intrigue, but I'm willing to speak up for you."
He changed his tone, "Of course, if someone doesn't listen, I'm also somewhat skilled in martial arts."
His gaze was cold and commanding. Having been by Madara's side for years, he had picked up a bit of that domineering aura, which made Shoko's heart tremble.
Kamihane studied the girl's eyes, thinking to himself: I might have been a bit too subtle. Does she not understand?
It means: If anyone dares to mess with you, I'll take them down!
"You… are willing to help us?" Shoko, of course, caught the underlying meaning in Kamihane's words. A warm feeling surged in her heart, but it cooled in the next second as she hesitated and asked, "What do you want? What… are you after?"
What am I after? Money, of course. What else? Your beauty?
Kamihane remained composed and got straight to the point: "Transfer 30% of your guild's shares to me, and I'll stand guard for you. Whoever causes trouble for you, I'll take them out."
"This…" Shoko hesitated. "The Sugawara family originally held 40% of the guild's shares, but… after the incident, my personal share is only 10%. If you can really save us from this dire situation, I can transfer all my shares to you…"
"30%, not a single percent less."
Kamihane leisurely pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands. "I have no money, no power, and I'm even a foreigner—a lone wolf. That's precisely why I won't put those damn nobles in my eyes. When the time comes, even your daimyo, I'll take him down for you."
He said this with a calm expression and tone, but the confidence in his words was unmistakable, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
Shoko's heart shook as she stared at the young man before her. If you only looked at his face, he seemed like a sunny, harmless neighbor's little brother. But this seemingly harmless guy had just casually taken down dozens of people.
She knew he could absolutely do it.
…
When the caravan arrived at the capital, under Shoko's guidance, Kamihane swaggered into the gates of the "Bladesmith Pavilion" with an air of indifference.
Soon, he finally met the current guild leader, the head of the "Single Heart Tradition," Tsubame Shin'ya.
"You must be the savior of Shoko and the others."
He was a tall, middle-aged man with neatly trimmed facial hair and a thin, sickly pale face. His broad frame hinted at his once robust physique.
Leaning on a cane, he shakily entered the guest room, supported by a stunningly beautiful woman.
The woman wore an elegant white dress, her face veiled with a light gauze, but her sparkling eyes were enough to reveal her extraordinary beauty.
"Yukino!" Shoko happily walked over and warmly linked arms with the woman.
Kamihane glanced over and saw two young men behind Shin'ya. One was tall with sharp features and a shiny bald head that exuded toughness; the other was handsome but had a lazy gaze, as if his mind was wandering.
"These are Uncle Tsubame's two disciples: the senior disciple Ryūnosuke and the junior disciple Tetsuya," Shoko introduced.
When Kamihane saw Tetsuya, a faint glimmer flashed in his eyes, and a certain power within him stirred.
"Strange, this guy's body…"
After learning that Kamihane was the savior of the caravan, Tsubame Shin'ya immediately treated him with courtesy, offering him good food and drink.
After some pleasantries, Shoko spoke up: "Uncle Tsubame, this Kamihane-sama said he could…"
Tsubame Shin'ya immediately noticed her hesitant expression and raised his hand to interrupt:
"Having a distinguished guest arrive without us greeting them from afar is already a grave offense. How can we disturb their rest? Let us withdraw and allow the guest to rest properly!" He instructed, "Ryūnosuke, prepare fine wine and dishes, and ensure that the gifts and monetary thanks are all in place. Do not neglect anything!"
After saying this, he led the group out of the guest room, leaving only his two disciples to accompany Kamihane, who nodded with a smile—though the smile was somewhat subtle.
Ryūnosuke rubbed his bald head and leaned in to ask, "Shoko mentioned that you single-handedly took down all the bandits?"
Kamihane glanced at him, "You don't believe it?"
"Of course, I believe Shoko," Ryūnosuke said. "I'm just amazed that the Land of Iron has produced such a master as you. Truly, heroes emerge from the young."
Beside them, Tetsuya suddenly yawned, "Senior Brother, I'll leave this distinguished guest to you. There's no need for me here, so I'll go back and prepare for the competition."
"You!" Ryūnosuke glared, but he couldn't make a scene in front of Kamihane, so he simply waved his hand and let him leave.
"Competition?" Kamihane tilted his head and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, is this competition the martial arts contest for marriage tomorrow?"
"Ah, my junior brother has been childhood friends with Yukino. When he heard that Master was going to marry her off, he made quite a fuss."
Ryūnosuke said helplessly, "Don't let his lazy appearance fool you. He cares deeply about Yukino. No matter how much I tried to persuade him, I couldn't stop him from joining this martial arts tournament."
Kamihane narrowed his eyes slightly, muttering to himself, "Interesting."
The guest room was not only prepared with delicious food but also had a long divine sword placed horizontally on a sword rack.
The scabbard was pale blue, with a slight curve along its length. It lacked a handguard, but the hilt was exquisitely crafted, with a rustic wooden color and finely wrapped dual-colored cord.
Kamihane walked over with interest, grasped the hilt, and drew the blade three inches out. The blade was smooth as a mirror, with a cold, sharp light flowing along its length. Just looking at it gave off a chilling sensation.
He looked at the sharp edge, pressed a finger deeply against it, and then forcefully wiped it.
Nothing happened. His finger remained as it was, without even a trace of a mark.
Kamihane frowned, and a blue light emerged from his palm. He wrapped the blade of "Leaf on Autumn Dew" with chakra, then wiped the blade again.
A faint white mark appeared on his fingertip, extremely subtle and vanishing in an instant. If not for Kamihane's top-tier eyesight, it would have been almost imperceptible.
"The sharpness is decent," Kamihane nodded.
Ryūnosuke, who had been stunned by the scene, snapped out of it, breaking into a cold sweat. He stepped forward and introduced, "This sword is called 'Frostfall's Single Heart.' It was forged from celestial iron and crafted by Master himself. It was originally meant to be enshrined at a shrine, but if you like it, feel free to take it."
"Really?" Kamihane asked.
"Of course," Ryūnosuke said, then waved towards the door.
Two servants walked in, bowing with trays in their hands. On one tray, neatly arranged clothes were placed.
Kamihane glanced at his somewhat shabby straw cloak, put down the divine sword, and with a flick of his hand, took the robe.
It was a black brocade robe, styled in the manner of a samurai. The lapels were embroidered with violet patterns, and a light purple shimenawa was tied around the waist.
The style and size of the clothing fit his body perfectly…
Well, well… a wandering samurai…
"Was all this Master Tsubame's idea?" he turned and asked.
"Of course, Master instructed that the gifts and monetary thanks must not be lacking," Ryūnosuke pointed to the other tray. "Here is 30 million ryo in cash, simply as a token of Master's gratitude."
Tsubame Shin'ya, who had led the "Bladesmith Pavilion" for decades, was indeed remarkable. Even while bedridden, he managed to maintain the guild's operations smoothly, handling both major and minor matters with precision.
Kamihane asked curiously, "You seem to have plenty of money. Why did you only hire two samurai for such an important task as escorting the caravan?"
Ryūnosuke sighed, "Since the guild's troubles began, the shogunate has limited the number of samurai we can hire and forbade us from training our own. That's how we ended up in this situation."
"I see," Kamihane's face showed understanding, and he waved his hand without hesitation.
"Then please convey my thanks to your Master for his generosity."
Ryūnosuke bowed, "Very well, I'll take my leave now."
"Wait."
Kamihane suddenly called him back, the corner of his mouth curling slightly, "Take a message to your Master for me…"
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