A Willing Embrace

"Mr. Lin, the children are asleep. Would you mind having a chat?"

Haku's mother tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Lin Qing glanced at the sleeping Xiaotao and Sasuke, then gestured for them to step outside.

They arrived in the living room, where tea and snacks had been prepared in advance.

Haku's mother invited Lin Qing to sit, then took a seat beside him, pouring him a cup of tea and offering it to him.

The distance between them, however...

It was perhaps a bit too close.

Haku's mother was only twenty-nine, still in the most lush and beautiful age for a woman. She seemed to have just bathed before coming over; her hair tips were still slightly damp, and a faint, delicate fragrance drifted from her. Looking at her fair face, flushed with a rosy hue, she was like a ripened peach, possessing a thick, alluring charm.

As he looked at the teacup she held out, Lin Qing felt as if he heard a voice in a trance:

"If you have the heart, then drink the half-cup of wine I have left."

"Ha—"

Lin Qing chuckled softly.

Haku's mother asked, "Sir, why do you laugh?"

Lin Qing waved his hand, took the tea she offered, but did not drink it, setting it on the table instead as he asked, "Whatever you have to say, just say it directly. There is no need for this."

The two were very close, but when Haku's mother met Lin Qing's clear eyes, the slight romantic tension she had cultivated dissipated quietly, like the steam rising from the tea, leaving no trace behind.

She stared blankly at the man before her, feeling that her previous thoughts were incredibly base and childish.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, I thought..."

She had thought that to rely on Lin Qing and gain his protection, this kind of sacrifice was expected.

But now, Haku's mother finally understood.

Her actions were an insult to Lin Qing's character.

Mr. Lin is not like other men; how could I have thought of him that way!

Noticing the reverence in the woman's eyes, Lin Qing awkwardly scratched his cheek and looked away.

Haku's mother remained in a kneeling position, took a letter from her bosom, and respectfully offered it to Lin Qing with both hands.

"This is?"

Haku's mother did not explain, simply pushing it forward a little further.

Lin Qing took it and tore it open; the letter was filled with dense, small characters.

At the very top was her name: Mayuri.

Below, it detailed the history of her ancestors, the process of how they came to Snowfall Village to escape the chaos of war, the work she excelled at, and a detailed description of the Kekkei Genkai she possessed.

Mayuri placed her hands in front of her:

"Mr. Lin, from today on, my children and I will follow in your footsteps and serve your life. You may make any request of me."

Having said this, Mayuri bowed deeply.

Lin Qing looked at the resume in his hand, then at the kneeling, bowing Mayuri, feeling momentarily dazed.

So, the job market in both his past life and this one was equally dire.

Lin Qing closed the letter.

"I am merely taking you all to a new village; there is no need to be so... formal."

Mayuri looked up and offered a faint smile.

"Perhaps it is a woman's intuition, but I feel that I will be troubling Mr. Lin for a long time to come."

Lin Qing smiled, poured her a cup of tea as well, and lightly tapped his cup against hers.

"Then, the days ahead are long; let us look after one another."

After seeing Mayuri off, Lin Qing breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and walked out of the house, speaking toward a patch of shadow: "Stop hiding, come out."

"Hehehe..."

Blade Master stepped out from the shadows of the corner, saying awkwardly, "I don't think I came at a good time."

"No, you came at exactly the right time."

Lin Qing had intended to visit Blade Master before leaving tomorrow anyway.

Now that he was here, it saved him from delaying his departure.

"Are you here for those two broken ninja blades?" Lin Qing asked.

Blade Master nodded.

To Blade Master, famous blades were more attractive than beauty, wealth, or power.

He had tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, so he simply gritted his teeth and came over.

"However."

Blade Master scratched his head: "I didn't expect to hear your conversation the moment I arrived, and I certainly didn't expect you to refuse her service."

Just a moment ago, Mayuri had practically gift-wrapped herself and delivered her to Lin Qing's lips; all he had to do was open his mouth to take a bite.

They say a son takes after his mother, and looking at the appearance of the white-haired girl, one could tell just how beautiful and moving Mayuri was.

Lin Qing asked: "What do you take me for?"

"A normal man."

Men trade secrets for trust.

Women trade their bodies to express loyalty.

In this wretched world, that is a well-known unspoken rule.

Lin Qing was willing to ensure the safety of a mother and daughter; for the mother to offer her body in exchange as a gesture of gratitude and loyalty was truly commonplace.

Lin Qing chuckled: "And now?"

Blade Master patted his chest: "Like me, a man of iron-willed integrity, unswayed by feminine charms."

Lin Qing shook his head.

It wasn't that he was uninterested in women.

It was simply that he could not accept the logic behind this particular situation.

Besides, the woman's husband—or rather, her ex-husband—was still sleeping in the next room. Lin Qing knew the Naruto world had a Japanese-style background, but this...

This was just too Japanese.

Lin Qing returned to the room and handed two broken blades to Blade Master.

Blade Master caressed the two legendary ninja swords, his eyes complex, and after a long while, he let out a sigh:

"My old man spent his whole life forging blades, wanting nothing more than to create a sword that could surpass the Seven Ninja Swords, only to die with that regret.

In my generation, I've also spent my whole life forging, and at this age, I thought the dream passed down through two generations would follow me into the grave..."

"Thanks to you, I can finally forge a blade capable of severing the Seven Ninja Swords."

Lin Qing smiled.

The Seven Ninja Swords had indeed reached the limit within the field of ninja weaponry.

But when you can't beat established powerhouses in a traditional field, switching to a new, niche track to overtake them on a curve is a proven, effective method.

"I'll leave the swords for Sasuke and Xiaotao to you. I'll come back to collect them in a while."

Blade Master grinned.

"Of course, leave it to me with peace of mind!"

After Blade Master left, Lin Qing summoned Aero Smith to circle the area. Once he confirmed no one else was looking for him, he returned inside, cradling his unfinished cup of tea, and sat back down before his draft paper to calculate his gains:

"Before arriving at Snowfall Village, I had 310 Soul Shards."

Lin Qing wrote 310 on the paper.

"Killing the Second Brother, Third, Fourth, and Fifth of the Dire Wolf Squad earned me 270."

"Killing the Dire Wolf earned me 240."

"Killing Biwa Juzo earned me 480."

"Killing Raiga Kurosuki earned me 460."

Current total Soul Shards...

1,760.

Converted into pulls, that was 176 pulls!

As long as Lin Qing wasn't too unlucky, that was enough to pull a new five-star Stand.

"Should I pull?"

This time, Lin Qing had been nearly pushed into a desperate situation by the combined efforts of Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki.

As news of him killing two of the Seven Ninja Swords spread, the enemies who dared to hunt him in the future would only become more troublesome, cautious, and capable of making tactical arrangements specifically targeting his every ability.

If he had a new Stand, it would definitely become a trump card for Lin Qing.

If he could pull Death Thirteen, Whitesnake, or something similar, he could even resist genjutsu.

However...

Lin Qing summoned Star Platinum.

A level two Star Platinum, having lost the element of surprise and the advantage of hidden information, could no longer achieve a crushing victory against ninjas of the Seven Ninja Swords' caliber.

Once the enemy operated in a squad and Star Platinum was tied down, Lin Qing would have to face the enemies alone.

"Upgrading Star Platinum to level three would significantly boost its frontal combat power."

Furthermore, if the JOJO System was designed according to the original manga, then the prerequisite for Star Platinum to possess "Time Stop" was, in all likelihood, upgrading it to the maximum level (level five).

Should he pull for a new five-star, or strengthen Star Platinum?

Lin Qing scratched his head.

"What a happy dilemma to have."

After much deliberation, he made his decision—

"Upgrade Star Platinum!"

There was too much uncertainty in pulling for a new five-star Stand.

If he were to pull a Stand with overlapping functions, or a support-oriented one like Aero Smith, it wouldn't be of much significance to Lin Qing at his current stage.

Lin Qing intended to first raise the high-potential Star Platinum to level three.

The Soul Shards scattered with a clatter, and countless fragments shimmering with seven-colored light sprinkled over the body of Star Platinum.

Originally, raising Star Platinum from level 2 at 0% to level 3 at 0% would have required 1,000 Soul Shards.

However, having "padded the pool" previously, he had accumulated quite a bit of incidental experience, and in the end, he spent 830 Soul Shards to bring Star Platinum to level 3.

It became more burly, the sharpness between its brows grew increasingly fierce, and its already terrifying power, speed, reaction, and precision were all enhanced in every aspect.

What surprised Lin Qing even more was that Star Platinum had gained a new ability.

"Platinum Skin: Hardens Star Platinum's skin to the limit, allowing it to withstand enemy attacks to the greatest extent."

Against ordinary sword slashes, axe blows, flames, or wind blades, Lin Qing previously had to maneuver Star Platinum to dodge or block them with its fists, which delayed his momentum in a charge.

With Platinum Skin, he could ignore most attacks, charge directly in front of the enemy, and beat them to death with a flurry of punches.

"Level two to level three costs 1,000 shards, and level three to level four is 2,000... how expensive!"

But it was worth it.

Whether for the direct increase in combat power or for the sake of obtaining the Time Stop ability in the future, these 1,000 shards were well spent.

He had 930 Soul Shards remaining.

Lin Qing decided to keep them as a strategic reserve.

If he encountered a thorny enemy in the future and urgently needed a boost in power, he would pull cards.

If there was no rush, he would slowly save up to upgrade Star Platinum, striving to obtain the Time Stop ability as soon as possible.

Early the next morning.

Lin Qing, Sasuke, Xiaotao, Mayuri, and Haku, a group of five, embarked on their journey toward the survivor village.

There were not many villagers there to see them off, only a handful, and Haku's father did not come.

Lin Qing waved to Blade Master, the village chief, and the others, then flicked the reins, and the carriage slowly pulled away.

Watching the carriage gradually disappear from sight, the village chief lowered his hand, when suddenly, he heard a cry of alarm from behind:

"Oh no! Haku's old man has hanged himself!"

The villagers rushed over in a hurry, only to find a corpse that had already stopped breathing.

The old village chief sighed:

"He brought this upon himself."