Recasting Samehada

The swordsmith refused to give his full name, saying only that he had spent his entire life forging blades and was now old, so it was enough to just call him Blade Master.

Lin Qing asked, "And what about when you were young?"

"When I'm old, I'm Blade Master. When I was young, back when I was just a lad, of course, I was called Blade Lad."

Lin Qing's lips twitched slightly, but in the end, he decided not to make a snide remark.

Blade Master was quite tall; even with a slight hunch from his age, he stood over 1.8 meters when straightened, and his arms were thicker than Lin Qing's thighs.

He wore his graying hair in a buzz cut, and with his high bridge of nose and rugged features, he bore a striking resemblance to Hiroshi Abe.

There was a hideous scar on Blade Master's right arm, stretching from his wrist all the way to his elbow.

It seemed that because of this wound, whether he was eating a rice ball earlier or taking the Samehada from Lin Qing just now, Blade Master used only his left hand.

"How do you want to reforge it?" Blade Master asked.

"Is there a specific way to do it?"

"Of course there is."

Blade Master began to unwrap the bandages covering the Samehada bit by bit: "The Samehada is a very special blade; it is layered."

He tapped the Samehada lightly, indicating the dense, shark-tooth-like blades.

"The outermost layer is the teeth, further in is the flesh, and the deepest layer is the bone and soul."

"If you feel its 'teeth' aren't to your liking, I can help you replace them with other blades, or even modify it into a standard greatsword with a single, straight edge."

"If you feel it is too bloated, I can trim away the excess 'flesh' to make it lighter and more agile to wield."

"But if you feel you cannot get along with it..."

Blade Master looked at the blade in his hands with a complex expression, "Then I can only shatter its bones and reshape its soul."

"But I don't recommend you do that. Once you do, it's no different from forging a brand-new blade, so you might as well not torture it."

Lin Qing hadn't expected the modification of a blade to be so complex, but having come from a technical background in his previous life, he understood that as any field develops, it inevitably branches into countless theoretical systems.

Blade Master was even more professional than Lin Qing had imagined.

Lin Qing stated his requirements: "I don't know which layer needs adjusting. My power seems to be the opposite of the Samehada's nature, and it causes it severe trauma."

"What is your chakra affinity? Fire?"

"It's not chakra."

"Hmm?"

Blade Master looked up, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"A samurai?"

"Not that either."

Blade Master's curiosity was piqued. He stared at Lin Qing for a long while before turning around in silence to retrieve a pitch-black, unsharpened blade blank from the bottom of a cabinet and handing it to Lin Qing.

"Channel your power into this and let me see."

Lin Qing took the black blade, and the Ripple energy flowed into it.

A streak of golden lightning flashed, and a silvery-white sheen appeared on the edge of the black blade, making it sharper. Accompanied by a faint, high-pitched hum, a scorching, searing heat radiated from the blade.

This sight made Blade Master's eyes widen.

He had spent his life forging blades and had seen countless ninjas and samurai, but he had never seen such a unique phenomenon.

Blade Master pulled Lin Qing to sit down, took out paper and pen, and began asking for details, one by one.

The old man and the young man chatted from morning until noon, and it wasn't until their stomachs were growling with hunger that they finally snapped out of their work mode.

Blade Master patted the thick stack of draft paper on the table and sighed, "With such unconstrained imagination and clear logic, you're more of a craftsman than I am."

After a morning of discussion, the two agreed on the best modification plan for the Samehada.

They would remove the "teeth" and "flesh," and on the foundation of the "bone and soul," they would select materials compatible with the Ripple to reshape the Samehada's body, while reserving meridians within it.

When Lin Qing fought, using his breathing technique would mean he and the blade were breathing in unison, allowing the power of the Ripple to be transmitted far more effectively than with an ordinary weapon.

With the theory established, the next step was the process of practice.

"Leave the rest of the work to me."

Blade Master clapped his hands and stood up: "Give me a two-week lead time. Come back to get the blade in half a month. It's best if you don't leave the village in the meantime; I may need you to help me test it occasionally."

"Understood."

"Also."

Blade Master grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: "My fees aren't cheap."

"Since you're familiar with Kamihara, you should know that."

Lin Qing smiled back:

"I'm not short on money."

Lin Qing left Blade Master's house, leaving the space to the expert, and as soon as he stepped out, he saw Mei Terumi leaning against the wall.

"Are you eavesdropping?"

"What do you mean eavesdropping? I'm standing here in plain sight, with plenty of people watching."

Mei Terumi said this while handing over a steaming rice ball.

"For me?"

"That's right. I need to observe you; if you starve to death, I'll lose my subject of observation."

"No need."

Lin Qing had no intention of having too much contact with Mei Terumi.

"Right, the man who said—"

Mei Terumi tilted her chin slightly, brushed her bangs back, raised an eyebrow, and said in a low voice: "I'm not short on money."

"How could you possibly look down on my shabby rice ball?"

Lin Qing: "..."

He couldn't be bothered to address Mei Terumi's sarcasm.

With Aero Smith, Lin Qing had long since noticed Mei Terumi eavesdropping outside. The reason he didn't chase her away was that he felt it was unnecessary.

If she didn't listen now, she would just return to interrogate Blade Master after Lin Qing left.

Even if Blade Master told her everything, given the suspicious nature of ninjas, he might end up suffering some physical pain.

Rather than adding an extra step and letting Blade Master suffer, it was better this way—it saved everyone trouble.

After all, information like the Ripple or Breathing Styles, much like how Lin Qing knew ninjas used chakra, had no impact on combat; it didn't matter if Mei Terumi knew.

Lin Qing turned and walked away, but Mei Terumi didn't want to let him off. She took a bite of the rice ball and followed him with a swaggering, arrogant gait, asking:

"You let those two samurai go; aren't you afraid the local magistrate will come looking for you?"

Lin Qing glanced at the rice ball in her hand. It was stuffed with peanuts, beef, and cucumber. The aroma of meat mixed with the freshness of cucumber and the mellow scent of rice drifted toward him. He turned his head away and said:

"If I killed them, wouldn't the magistrate come looking for me anyway?"

Every samurai had a designated tax collection zone.

If he broke their legs and sent them back, the magistrate would think they were useless and had run into a tough opponent. But Snowfall Village was already poor; would he really go to such great lengths over this little bit of tax revenue?

Lin Qing didn't think it was worth it.

But if he had slaughtered them on the spot, the nature of the situation would have changed.

The villagers couldn't be silenced, and before long, the news would spread. When that happened, it would be the magistrate's samurai army and ninjas coming for him.

Mei Terumi was exceptionally clever and naturally understood this point. That wasn't what she meant by her question; rather—

"You could have just not intervened and paid the money instead."

Lin Qing shook his head.

If it were just him alone, he would have been happy to pay.

But.

Lin Qing looked at Xiaotao, who stood silently by his side, having not said a word from the very beginning.

If he paid the money, the seeds of fear would take root in her heart forever.

Lin Qing wanted to show her through his actions that in this world, no one would ever be able to treat her like merchandise again, and anyone who dared to lay a hand on her would pay the price.

Mei Terumi saw the concern in Lin Qing's eyes, and a glimmer flashed through her beautiful eyes.

The two had only known each other for a day, but she was gradually seeing through the underlying nature of Lin Qing's character.

"A gentle, tough, and principled man... he really is a rare find."