“Grass Red…” Su Mu muttered to himself.
It wasn’t that he looked down on the guy’s name, but honestly… understanding it from a Chinese perspective felt a bit… awkward, to say the least.
“Come on, Grass Red, that’s enough. You’re almost thirty, and you’re here trying to flirt with Chiba?” Sakurai Mii grabbed Su Mu’s hand, positioning herself half a step ahead like a protective mother hen.
Grass Red curled his lip. “You think everyone’s like you, into young, cute, puppy-like guys? Young girls these days prefer the tough, wolfish type.”
In the span of a single sentence, he’d already reached them.
Gracefully, Grass Red extended his right hand toward Su Mu. “Miss Chiba, would I have the pleasure of making your acquaintance?”
Su Mu ducked his head, hiding behind Sakurai Mii’s back.
“Get lost!” Sakurai Mii slapped his hand away.
But surprisingly, he didn’t seem angry. Instead, he flashed a mischievous grin. “Well, I guess I can’t wash this hand now…”
“Pervert!” Sakurai Mii muttered under her breath, pulling Su Mu along as they walked further in. “Let’s just ignore him.”
Feeling the warmth of her palm, a strange sensation stirred within Su Mu.
Why was Sakurai Mii’s demeanor so different now?
When she wasn’t sure if he was on their side, she could be gently courteous, but at a critical moment, she could be fiercely decisive without hesitation. Once she confirmed he was ‘one of us,’ she instantly transformed into a caring, warm older sister. It felt like this was her true nature all along.
They headed deeper into the armory, ignoring Grass Red behind them. However, other female members of the organization who saw him seemed captivated at first glance, particularly enjoying his flirtatious expressions and words…
“From what I know, your swordsmanship leans towards powerful, sweeping movements – kind of has a masculine feel to it. So, are you thinking of choosing a male-oriented sword?”
Su Mu nodded. “That’s probably because you’ve never lived in China. For girls my age practicing swordsmanship back home, choosing bold, open styles is the first choice. After all, Ye Qingyu is just too dazzling; she’s practically a goddess in our hearts!”
This truthful statement explained the similarities between himself and Ye Qingyi in a reasonable and clear way.
Sakurai Mii let out an “Oh.” “Although I’m a bit older than her, I really admire her too. And you might not know this, but she has fans almost everywhere, not just in China.”
Su Mu displayed the perfect expression of a devoted fan being praised for their idol.
They arrived at the sword section, and Su Mu noticed quite a few Chinese-style blades here. Maybe this was the influence of culture.
He stopped in front of a tachi (long sword) displayed alone.
This tachi not only looked somewhat similar to the Xiuchun Dao (a type of Chinese saber), but it also bore an extremely elegant Chinese-style name: Tao Yao (Peach Beauty).
The peach tree stands graceful, its blossoms radiant and bright.
Its appearance was as beautiful as its name.
“Sister Mii, does this sword have any special history?” Su Mu’s actions showed his intense interest in this particular blade.
Sakurai Mii’s eyes lit up. “Wow, your taste is something else! You picked this one right away?”
Su Mu tilted his head, feigning confusion.
“This Tao Yao was brought back from China by a senior practitioner over a hundred years ago.”
Su Mu mused inwardly: So, it’s originally a Chinese sword.
Then Sakurai Mii continued, “This blade was forged by a master craftsman. He combined elements of our country’s katana with China’s famous Xiuchun Dao to create this treasured blade, prized for both its power and agility. However, after appraisal by our experts, it contains more of our country’s elements, so essentially, it’s considered one of ours.”
Su Mu kept his face expressionless, but inwardly, he was cursing those ‘experts” ancestors… wait, can’t curse my own people.
Su Mu was puzzled. “If that’s the case, it should be highly sought after. Why is it here gathering dust?”
“Gathering dust?” Sakurai Mii’s brain short-circuited for a second, then she got it and rolled her eyes. “I refuse to believe you can’t see that this is just an ordinary sword, not a magical artifact.”
“So what? A truly skilled swordsman isn’t defined by their weapon, anyway.”
As he spoke, he picked up this treasured blade that had lain dormant for a century. An unprecedented wave of emotion washed over him. They made you leave home for a hundred years? Then let me be the one to bring you back.
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” Sakurai Mii still felt Su Mu was just drawn to the sword’s beautiful appearance.
Su Mu nodded firmly. “This is the one. It’s like me – born in a foreign land, destined to eventually return to its native soil. Maybe this is fate.”
“Even though what you’re saying sounds a bit random, it somehow feels… kinda right?”
Su Mu gently infused it with spiritual energy, and the dust on the blade instantly vanished, making it even more beautiful.
With a sharp clang, the treasured blade was drawn. There wasn’t a single trace of rust – a stark contrast to the Tetanus Blade.
Of course, the Tetanus Blade had endured a millennium; being rusty like that was normal. The only puzzling thing was that its rust couldn’t be removed, hiding its original form. And so, the name “Tetanus Blade” was cemented.
“Must say, this sword really suits you. A beautiful woman with a fine blade.”
Su Mu chuckled lightly upon hearing this. Good thing I haven’t revealed my true appearance, he thought, or else countless boys and girls would be swooning.
With his equipment chosen, Su Mu had finally finished his business for now. He headed home, but the moment he arrived, his aunt said, “Zhen Xiang, you got a package.”
Curious, Su Mu opened it to find a card.
At the same time, he received a message from Sakurai Mii: “Got the card? The reward for your mission is inside – ten million in total. Your future salary and bonuses will also be deposited into this card, okay?”
“Thank you, Sister Mii.”
“What are you thanking me for? You earned it. (*´・ｖ・)”
Su Mu looked at the card, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth. Finally, I have a pretty decent sum of money.
“Zhen Xiang?” His aunt waved a hand in front of his face, suspicious. “If you’re short on money, just tell your aunt. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
Su Mu knew she misunderstood and quickly explained. “Yesterday I told you about that special mission for the Samurai Sect, right? Well, this is the bonus.”
“Why would they come to you? You’re not a Supernatural.”
Su Mu continued weaving his story. “Actually, I kind of am a Supernatural, just a very low-level one. Maybe they wouldn’t have come for me if this mission didn’t specifically need someone like me.”
His aunt suddenly understood. “No wonder you said you’d learned martial arts. So that’s what it meant.”
Su Mu could tell she was a bit put out by him hiding his abilities. So, steeling himself, he pouted and put on a pleading expression. “Auntie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have deceived you all. I was just afraid that if I told you I was a Supernatural, you might not accept me…”
Think about it: who can resist a cute girl this beautiful pouting like that?
His aunt certainly couldn’t.
She smiled helplessly. “I’m not blaming you. It’s just that your uncle…”
Bam! The door swung open, and Chiba Sankai walked in.
He came and sat opposite Su Mu, speaking earnestly. “Zhen Xiang, you don’t need to blame yourself. Everyone has their own secrets and the right to keep them. What your aunt and I mean is, this will always be your home, and we will always be your family. If you ever encounter any problems you can’t solve, just tell us.”
Following her husband’s lead, Li added, “That’s right. And if we can’t help, there’s always Keiko.”
No sooner had she spoken than the sound of Chiba Keiko arriving home came from outside.
Su Mu took a deep breath. Time to test my acting skills!