Arima Jiro (Third Update)

Inside the ship's cabin.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi sat facing each other, with a Japanese sword lying horizontally in front of them.

"What a pity. I thought I could snatch the Mysterious Short Sword that stabbed Yu Dayou from Maeda, but it turned out to be just a katana by Matsuura Shin Kuro," Li Shuyi said.

According to Yu Dayou's description, the short sword that stabbed him was a straight sword without a hilt, shaped like bamboo joints, which was very different from the Japanese sword he was using, and therefore not the same one.

"I was mistaken," Bai Xiaowen said. "Matsuura Shin Kuro values that Mysterious Short Sword highly, regarding it as a divine weapon. He wouldn't allow his servants to handle it casually."

"I thought I could just steal the Mysterious Short Sword and cleverly complete this Search for the Sword mission," Li Shuyi said with a smile.

"No, even if we stole that Mysterious Short Sword instead of the Japanese sword, we still wouldn't have completed our mission. We still have to kill Matsuura Shin Kuro in the end. Don't forget, the Spirit Realm Rules require that equipment be acquired legally through the resonance of Psionic Particles. Weapons stolen like this cannot be used."

Bai Xiaowen drew his katana from its sheath, examined its smooth blade and cold, hard surface, made a few feints, and finally slammed the last strike into the table.

With a dull thud, only a slight dent appeared on the tabletop; it didn't crack. The katana was quite different from its apparent sharpness.

This katana should be a rare weapon, at least Heroic Tier (gold) piece of equipment.

However, Bai Xiaowen seized this sword by exploiting a loophole, killing Maeda, the servant who maintained Matsuura Shin Kuro's treasured sword, and stealing it from him. Bai Xiaowen did not have the "legal" authority to possess this sword; the Psionic Particles did not resonate with it, and in Bai Xiaowen's hands, it was not even worth a fire poker.

Furthermore, Bai Xiaowen was also unable to take the knife out of the Jiajing Plane World.

Bai Xiaowen continued, "I controlled the Shadow Assassin to find out the Wokou Pirates who were helping Matsuura Shin Kuro maintain his sword in the inner circle of dormitories. Killing him and taking the sword was mainly to weaken Matsuura Shin Kuro's combat power. After all, he was a Boss Tier who could defeat Yu Dayou. Although he used underhanded methods, his strength was undeniable. What we needed to guard against most was the kind of 'evil magic' he used."

That kind of evil magic that sacrifices one's own lifespan is something even Rare Boss like Yu Dayou, a powerful general known for his personal strength, couldn't withstand. It might even have an Instant-Death Check. Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi are much weaker than Yu Dayou, and if they were to be hit, they would be badly injured even if they didn't die.

Bai Xiaowen cleverly seized the Mysterious Short Sword, weakening Matsuura Shin Kuro Matsuura Shin Kuro on one hand and forcing him to chase after him relentlessly before eliminating him. In this way, he could gain "ownership" of the Mysterious Short Sword.

However, the plan went slightly astray; instead of seizing the Mysterious Short Sword, they instead seized Matsuura Shin Kuro's Japanese sword.

"Will Matsuura Shin Kuro still catch up?"

"Probably," Bai Xiaowen sheathed his sword. "First of all, the level of cherishing that Japan ronin samurai have for their katana is beyond our imagination. In their hearts, the katana is almost more important than life itself. Why do they need a specialist to maintain it? It's because the process of maintaining a katana is extremely complicated, involving many steps such as removing the hilt, dusting and wiping it twice, admiring the sword, and oiling it."

"For many Japan ronin samurai, a famous sword is almost a treasure passed down through generations, a testament to the honor of their family name."

Bai Xiaowen concluded, "So, although the plan deviated slightly, it didn't affect the outcome. As long as we're certain there are no traps, Matsuura Shin Kuro will definitely catch up and is determined to kill us and retrieve the treasured sword."

After Matsuura Shin Kuro shouted "Chase!", he was stopped by Matsuura Shisuke.

"Sir, be careful, this might be a trap."

"What can a pack of stray dogs accomplish?" Matsuura Shin Kuro scoffed.

"What if they collude with the government troops?" Matsuura Shisuke asked.

Although Matsuura Shin Kuro was furious, he couldn't ignore the danger Matsuura Shisuke had mentioned. At that moment, he hesitated; giving up the treasured sword was out of the question.

At that moment, amidst a commotion, a group of Wokou Pirates escorted a man to Matsuura Shin Kuro.

"Boss Tier Shin Kuro, this man secretly slipped ashore from a Ming ship and insists on seeing you!"

Matsuura Shin Kuro scrutinized the man, and surprisingly found him somewhat familiar. Pointing at him, he said, "You... you're... a retainer of the Arima Clan who follows Ma Ye, aren't you?"

The man knelt down with a thud. "Lord Shin Kuro, I am Arima Jiro, a steward under Boss Tier Ma Ye. I barely managed to escape from those Ming people."

"Hmm? Who exactly are those Ming people? They claim to be Ma Ye's men, Breakout the siege and came to me for help. Is that true or false?"

Arima Jiro: "Sir, they only told half the truth! It's true that they were Boss Tier Ma Ye's men, but when Boss Tier Ma Ye was in danger, their two ships weren't on Kinmen Island, so the idea of Breakout out is completely unfounded! I asked them to go back and rescue Boss Tier Ma Ye, but they were cowards and refused outright."

After a pause, Arima Jiro continued slowly, "I reprimanded them severely, but these Ming pirates were so ruthless that they actually tied me up. Makita, being cowardly and weak, was frightened by the Ming pirates and revealed the true identity of Boss Tier Ma Ye and your whereabouts. So they came here, saying they wanted to see how strong you are and whether you are worth surrendering to."

Matsuura Shin Kuro's face darkened. "They had no sincerity in pledging allegiance to me at all; they even killed my followers and stole my treasured sword!"

Arima Jiro said, "Those arrogant Ming people plan to establish their own independent state. They seem to have a lot of grievances against you, saying that you are just Wokou Pirates from a small country like Japan, yet you dare to use them, the pirates of the Celestial Empire, as cannon fodder. They are plotting revenge before they leave... I saw with my own eyes that after they got your sword, they actually... they actually..."

Despite Arima Jiro's slow pace and somewhat flat, emotionless delivery, the furious Matsuura Shin Kuro paid no heed and, suppressing his anger, pressed on, "How are they?"

"You actually used your precious sword to chop firewood and kill fish, and then complained that the blade wasn't sharp enough, only fit to be used as a latrine stirrer..."

"Baka!"

Matsuura Shin Kuro roared, grabbed a katana from a nearby samurai, and with a swift and clean slash, severed Arima Jiro's head, causing blood to gush out!

"Get on the ship, raise the sails, and give chase! I'll tear those despicable Ming people to pieces!"

Matsuura Shisuke wanted to offer some advice, but seeing that Matsuura Shin Kuro wouldn't listen to anything, he sighed and remained silent. In any case, judging from Arima Jiro's description, these Ming pirates weren't colluding with the government troops, so Matsuura Shin Kuro's pursuit wouldn't be dangerous.