Chapter 7

Xunxin had quite good luck; after being hit head-on by Sasaki Kojiro's Heavenly Soaring Dragon Flash, he was back on his feet and lively again after not too long. Sasaki himself also showed great interest in Xunxin's windbreaker. The cloak passed down through generations of the Flying Heaven Swordsmanship School, which Sasaki wore, weighed ten kan and was equipped with springs that could restrict muscle movement, making it a good tool for physical training. However, even as one of the symbols of the Flying Heaven Swordsmanship School, this cloak could not withstand an attack of the secret technique level without any damage. Xunxin's windbreaker, on the other hand, made Sasaki extremely envious.

Of course, Sasaki would not forcibly take Xunxin's windbreaker. After all, he was a grandmaster and had his principles. Xunxin, naturally, was not stingy in this regard. Daily necessities were now free in the Infinite Heart. So, after bidding farewell to Sasaki, Xunxin returned to his cabin and exchanged for clothes similar in style to what Sasaki wore, but with the strength enhanced to be on par with his windbreaker. However, due to the difference in thickness, the protective power naturally could not match Xunxin's windbreaker, but it could still withstand the first strike of the Heavenly Soaring Dragon Flash.

Half a month later, Xunxin handed over the modified clothes to Sasaki, who expressed his gratitude on the spot. After all, this set of clothes could potentially save a life in dangerous situations, being impervious to blades and allowing one to maintain their full strength. It was something countless warriors dreamed of.

Even with his high strength, Sasaki could not guarantee that he would never be injured. It was always easier to avoid overt attacks than covert ones, a universal truth. Wearing Xunxin's modified clothes, Sasaki's strength could be said to have increased significantly. After all, being able to ignore many attacks allowed him to force moves and defeat opponents of similar strength. Xunxin left his mark on the clothes, placing two blood-red "heart" characters on the left chest of the shirt and the right knee of the pants, indicating that it was a product of Xunxin, a mark of quality. Sasaki also agreed with these characters, saying:

"This heart character can show how profound the thoughts of this genius are. Why not use it?" Xunxin almost spat out a mouthful of blood at this.

'Even if you're narcissistic, there should be a limit, damn it!!!'

After meeting Sasaki Kojiro, Xunxin's life changed a lot. Since Sasaki's house was only a half-hour walk from Xunxin's cabin, Xunxin often went to Sasaki's place under the pretext of exchanging sword techniques to practice with him. Of course, most of the time, Xunxin was the one getting cut, barely managing to graze Sasaki with his sword's aura. The Flying Heaven Swordsmanship School's cloak, passed down through generations, was also slightly damaged by Xunxin. If Xunxin couldn't help Sasaki repair this cloak, he would probably have been beaten up by Sasaki under the guise of practice.

To prevent this from happening again, Xunxin reinforced the cloak and added a layer of stain-resistant film, keeping it spotless and waterproof. 'This is why Sasaki's cloak doesn't get dirty even if it's thrown on the ground or in water.' (Actually, that's probably the manga author's oversight...)

During this time, which was the end of the shogunate, society was quite turbulent, with human traffickers and thieves as numerous as locusts, impossible to eliminate. In addition to practicing sword techniques, Xunxin also improved his forging skills, now able to craft some low-grade samurai swords. However, they were still just low-grade, and compared to the Kikyo Sen no Mikkazuki in his hand, they were no different from wooden sticks.

Just like how Kenshin could cut through several low-grade samurai swords with one strike at the Kamiya Dojo, using such swords against a master was no different from suicide. This is why samurai pursued good swords; no one wanted to risk their life on the quality of their opponent's weapon. Xunxin also significantly improved his tofu-making skills. According to the data in the Infinite Heart, Xunxin's tofu, while not the best in all of Japan, was at least in the top three. Just like his sword techniques, he couldn't beat the strongest Sasaki, but no one else could touch him except Sasaki.

Xunxin's physical strength was now six to nearly seven times that of an ordinary person. His potential was gradually being developed, though only a little. His sword techniques, except for the secret techniques, were basically mastered. When encountering bandits, Xunxin could take care of them with just four or five strikes. Like the Flying Heaven Swordsmanship School, the Aura Swordsmanship School was also very adept at fighting multiple opponents, and with one strike, he could kill nearly ten people, making it no different from mowing down a field of grass. One sweep, and a large area was cleared.

During this time, Sasaki often went out to rescue people, sending them to nearby villages. Naturally, to rescue these people, Sasaki had at least a thousand lives on his hands. Once his aura was released, ordinary people would probably faint from fear. Even Kenshin, who had killed a thousand people, was so frightened by Sasaki's aura when he released it during his secret technique training that his hands trembled. Compared to Sasaki, Tsuburaya Zanza's Heart of One was nothing. Xunxin occasionally encountered Sasaki Kojiro on his rescue missions, watching him charge into a crowd, blood flying, and seeing that two or three dozen people couldn't last ten seconds against him. The title of "Black Ship on Land" was indeed well-deserved.

However, Sasaki's path was semi-reclusive, not affecting the political situation. Xunxin, on the other hand, spent a lot of time gathering information to prevent unexpected situations in this world. This also attracted the attention of some people. To ensure his safety, Xunxin had to be ruthless with these people and clean up any traces they left behind, which was much more troublesome than just killing them. Xunxin understood why Sasaki chose a semi-reclusive life. Once a swordsman as powerful as Sasaki or Xunxin was discovered, countless troubles would follow. Kenshin was the same; after wandering for ten years and finally settling down at the Kamiya Dojo, he still had to face numerous challenges and government demands, which left him in a bind. So, the master was quite wise.

Thus, time gradually passed. It was now October 1859 (Ansei 6), the beginning of fate.

PS: It seems that the site is having another draw today, so I might be able to update again. If you have recommendation tickets, please don't hesitate to vote. Every vote is a great support for me. Of course, more collections are always welcome.