At the end of the day, Haganezuka walked out of Xia Feng's workshop.
His body swayed slightly. His eyes were empty.
In his mind, several scenes kept replaying over and over.
The First Scene
Xia Feng forging.
His movements flowed like water.
Each hammer strike rang out with a rhythm almost like music.
To Haganezuka, it felt as if he had stepped into a dream.
According to Xia Feng, this technique was called—
"Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique."
Xia Feng had explained that the technique should ideally be performed with something called a Clear Sky Hammer to reach perfection.
What he had used today was merely the "basic version."
But even that so-called basic version was enough to leave Haganezuka completely mesmerized.
The Second Scene
The Nichirin Blade Xia Feng had forged.
A faint silver glow shimmered along the blade.
The moment Haganezuka saw that glow, he felt he was looking at a priceless treasure.
In his entire life, he had never seen anyone forge a Nichirin sword like this.
Xia Feng examined the blade and commented:
"Hm. No extra attributes… just slightly improved corrosion resistance."
Then he showed a look of mild disappointment.
The Third Scene
Xia Feng casually snapped the newly forged sword in half.
Haganezuka had screamed immediately.
"Y-Y-YOU! Why would you break this blade?! This masterpiece!!"
He looked at Xia Feng like his heart had been torn apart.
Xia Feng scratched his ear casually.
"I'm testing its durability."
"I need to know how much force the sword can withstand. Otherwise, if someone breaks my sword during battle and I didn't test it beforehand, I'd regret it."
Haganezuka froze.
Testing durability…
That logic wasn't wrong.
But…
Using that sword for testing felt incredibly wrong somehow!
His face twisted violently as countless complaints rose to his throat.
Yet somehow, he couldn't say anything.
In the end, he walked out of the workshop like a man who had lost his soul.
Inside the workshop, Xia Feng closed his eyes.
He reviewed the entire forging process in his mind.
After summarizing the mistakes and improvements, he left the workshop and walked back.
When he returned to the residence, he saw Shinobu Kocho standing in the courtyard.
The girl stood quietly under the night sky.
Moonlight illuminated her small figure, making her look like a forest spirit.
Xia Feng stood at the doorway silently.
He didn't want to disturb the peaceful moment.
But Shinobu had already noticed him.
She turned and gently brushed her hair behind her ear with a smile.
"You're back?"
Xia Feng nodded.
He slowly walked closer.
"You look like something's on your mind."
Shinobu smiled faintly.
"It's not really a worry."
She glanced at the Nichirin blade at her waist.
With a small push of her left hand, she drew the sword smoothly with her right.
"Come to think of it, I don't think you've ever seen my sword before. Here—take a look."
She extended the blade toward him.
Xia Feng examined it.
Just like in the anime—
Shinobu's Nichirin sword only had a complete blade near the tip and base.
Most of the blade was missing, giving it the appearance of a slender rapier with barbs.
"Looks strange, right?" she asked with a smile.
Xia Feng's expression didn't change.
"It's a well-designed sword."
"It minimizes weight while maintaining combat capability. Perfect for using Insect Breathing."
"But it lacks slashing capability. That means it can't decapitate demons. Fighting demons with it must be difficult."
Shinobu froze slightly.
Most people reacted to her sword with surprise, confusion, or even amusement.
Xia Feng had shown none of those reactions.
Instead, he calmly analyzed its strengths and weaknesses.
For some reason…
That made her feel happy.
She nodded.
"Yes. This sword can't cut off a demon's head."
"So I create poisons that kill demons, coat the blade with them, and stab the poison into the demon's body as quickly as possible."
She gave a small bitter smile.
"Today I spoke with the village chief about improving the design."
"I hoped we could add new attack methods without increasing the sword's weight."
"But even the chief couldn't come up with a better solution."
Realizing her words sounded a bit negative, Shinobu quickly corrected herself.
She sheathed the blade and smiled brightly.
"But I've already accepted that."
"Being small and weak is just how I was born. That can't be changed."
Xia Feng fell silent.
In such a cruel world…
This girl had reached the rank of Hashira with a body too weak to even cut off a demon's head.
Yet she never complained.
What kind of angel was she?
Under Shinobu's surprised gaze, Xia Feng stepped forward and gently hugged her.
"Don't worry."
"As long as I'm here, I won't let regrets happen around you again."
"The things you can't do—leave them to me."
Shinobu froze for several seconds.
Then tears began to fall.
A small sob escaped her lips, gradually turning into quiet crying.
She buried her face in Xia Feng's shoulder as her body trembled slightly.
Xia Feng simply patted her back gently.
He said nothing.
After a while, Shinobu raised her head.
She pressed her lips together.
Then—
She showed her usual soft, mischievous smile.
"Xia Feng… are you confessing to me?"
The sudden emotional shift made Xia Feng wonder if the previous moment had been an illusion.
He coughed awkwardly.
"You could think of it that way."
Shinobu laughed.
"If you want to win my heart, you'll have to train a lot longer."
Xia Feng snorted, preparing to argue back and save some pride.
But suddenly—
Shinobu leaned closer.
He felt something lightly touch his cheek.
Before he could react, her figure had already vanished into the distance.
A system notification seemed to ring in his ear.
But Xia Feng didn't hear it at all.
He touched his cheek.
After a long silence, he fell into deep thought.
For some reason…
He felt like the shy girl in a romance story who had just been taken advantage of by a domineering CEO.
Something about this script felt wrong.
Coach…
I want to change the script.
Xia Feng shook his head with a laugh and walked back inside.
Meanwhile—
From the wooden corridor outside a third-floor window, Kanao had been quietly watching everything.
The girl's lips pressed together slightly.
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