Chapter 631 Ask Ogata to be the guest of the swordsmanship competition? 【5600】
The three Ogata people and Naoshu, who had not seen each other for a while, looked at each other with big eyes. The scene had a somewhat comical atmosphere for a moment.
If anyone at the scene had the most exaggerated expression, it was definitely Zhi Zhou.
Although Ogata is now wearing a hijab and a hat, Ogata's figure, the sword at his waist, and the two kunoichi standing on his left and right, still made Naoshu immediately recognize that this person was
The man he had previously wanted to kill and wanted to make join their "causing downfall".
"O, Ogata..." Naoshu's tongue seemed to be paralyzed, twisting stiffly.
As soon as he said the surname "Ogata", Naoshu finally came to his senses and realized that this was not a convenient place to pronounce Ogata's name, so he quickly shut up and changed his name to Majima.
"Mashima-sama, why are you here...?"
"I also want to ask you this question..."
Is Osaka really a big city with a population of one million...
Ogata couldn't help complaining in his heart.
At this time, Ogata suddenly discovered that since he came to Osaka, he seemed to be meeting acquaintances and people he knew frequently...
After suppressing the urge to continue complaining, Ogata raised his eyes and looked at the small shabby house behind Naoshu: "Mr. Isshiki, I would like to ask: Is this the residence of Master Yuji?"
Hearing Ogata's words, Naoshu suddenly realized the reason why Ogata appeared here, and hurriedly asked Ogata:
"Master Zhen Dao, are you here to see Master Yu Er?"
"Yes." Ogata didn't hide anything. After all, this was nothing worth concealing. "I heard that Master Yu's sword-repairing skills are at the pinnacle, so I came here specially to entrust Master Yu to repair my sword."
"Are you here to see Master Yu Er to repair your sword..." Zhi Zhou stood aside and made way for him, "Master Yu Er happens to be at home right now, please come in."
"Mr. Naoshu, are you friends with Master Yuji?" Ogata asked Naoshu as he followed the path that Naoshu left and entered the small shabby house.
"We have been old friends for many years." Naoshu chuckled, "Our Isshiki family has always asked Master Yu Er to help make swords. If the knife is damaged, we also entrust Master Yu Er to help repair it."
"I don't have anything important to do today, so I thought I'd come and have a chat with this old friend and check on the progress of the knife I entrusted him to repair before."
"I didn't expect to meet you again here. Things are so unpredictable."
Feeling once again in his heart that Osaka was truly a small queen, Ogata untied the Daishiten from his left waist and held it up with his right hand while roughly looking at the scene inside this small shabby house.
The appearance of this small shabby house is shabby, but the inside is not much different.
After passing through the door of the house, you will go straight to a slightly cramped living room. There is almost no decent furniture in the living room, only a few tattered and old cushions.
The corridor was relatively complete, but the ceiling was a bit miserable. When I looked up, there were three large or small holes in the ceiling of the living room alone.
However, although the situation inside the house is simple and dilapidated, it is still clean, and the corridors and walls have been well cleaned.
Ogata sniffed. Just when he was outside the house, he smelled a very strong smell that was mixed with the smell of iron, charcoal, and the smell of something being burned.
After entering the house, the smell immediately became much stronger.
Ogata noticed that the peculiar smell seemed to come from a room with a thick curtain deep in the house.
In addition to the smell, there was also the sound of sharpening a knife coming from the room.
"Zhi Zhou."
At this time, a hoarse middle-aged male voice came from the room.
"Who's coming?"
"Master Yu Er!" Naozhou shouted in the direction from which the voice just came, "There is... an old friend of mine who wants to ask you to repair his sword! Please stop what you are doing first."
"Your old friend? Bring him in."
This brief conversation ended with these cold words.
"Mashima-sama." Naoshu, who is old enough to be Ogata's grandfather, respectfully made a gesture of "please" towards Ogata. This scene seemed inconsistent, "Please come with me. I will take you to Yu.
The second master’s place where he works.”
After saying that, Zhizhou strode straight towards what he called "Master Yu Er's workshop", which was the room where there was constant smell and noise.
After following closely behind Naoshu and opening the door curtain of the room, Ogata's eyes couldn't help but light up at the scene behind the curtain.
Behind the door curtain is a blacksmith shop.
In the southeast corner of the blacksmith shop, there are pieces of unbeaten pig iron and a hill made of coal.
In the northeast corner is the smelting platform responsible for blacksmithing. Facilities such as pallets, horizontal stands, and fire beds are all available.
In the northwest corner, I leaned against a pole and felt that with just one swing, it could hit an adult's head as hard as a watermelon dropped from a tall building.
The southwest corner of the room is the only area covered with tatami mats. A very strong middle-aged man is squatting here, stepping on a whetstone with his feet, and moving the knife held by his hands in a specific rhythm.
A knife is sharpened against the whetstone beneath his feet.
This middle-aged man seemed to be around 40 years old, with dark skin, a short haircut that was extremely rare in this era, and short hair that stood up like steel needles.
Wearing only this thin gray yukata, her figure is quite strong, especially her arms. The muscles in both arms are as tight as granite and full of strength.
The reason why Ogata's eyes lit up after entering this blacksmith shop was precisely because of this middle-aged man... to be precise, it was because of the knife sharpened in this middle-aged man's hand.
This middle-aged man is currently sharpening a very broken knife.
Not only is the blade full of gaps, but the blade is bent almost 10 degrees to the right.
If such a broken sword was given to Ogata and Ogata tried to repair it, Ogata could not think of any way to repair such a severely damaged sword even if he racked his brains.
However, the scene that appeared in front of Ogata at this time clearly told Ogata: Someone really has a way to repair this sword.
This broken knife is now in an extremely strange state.
This knife is bounded by the center of the blade. From the center of the blade to the tip, the blade is full of gaps and bends.
From the center of the blade to the root of the blade, the blade is straight and has no gaps, just like a new knife.
A knife has two states: broken and brand new... its appearance is indescribably weird. To use a similar metaphor... it is like grafting a branch of a peach tree onto a banana tree.
The reason why this sword is in such a strange state is because this middle-aged man started to repair it from the root of the blade.
At this time, the middle-aged man had been sharpening the root of the blade with a whetstone. Until Ogata and the others came in, he did not put down his work or raise his head to look at Ogata and the others.
"Mashima-sama." Naoshu promptly introduced to Ogata and the others, "This is Master Yuji."
"Master Yu! This is my old friend Majima Goro."
"First meeting, Master Yuer." After Naoshu's voice fell, Ogata immediately bowed slightly and introduced himself, "I am Majima Goro."
The sound of sharpening the knife finally stopped.
The middle-aged man...that is, Yuji finally stopped sharpening his knife at this time and looked up at Ogata and others.
"...Hello, I'm Yuji. Please find a place to sit."
Yuji's self-introduction was very brief, and he did not exchange too many pleasantries with Ogata.
After putting aside the half-repaired sword in his hand, Yuji crossed his hands and reached into the wide sleeves of his yukata.
"Let me see the sword you want to entrust me to repair."
Yuji's style of talking without any nonsense and getting straight to the point is quite to Ogata's liking.
Since Yu Er was so straightforward, Ogata didn't waste much time, pulled out Da Shi Tian and Da Zi Zai, and handed the two swords towards Yu Er.
"I would like to entrust you to repair these two knives."
Yu Er took the knife with both hands.
Looking at the notched blades of Da Shi Tian and Da Zi Zai, Yu Er looked unfazed and expressionless.
He moved his eyes, took a rough look behind the sword, raised his eyebrows vigorously, and whispered with a hint of surprise:
"This type of knife-making method...is this a knife made by a monk from the Tianxiang Sect?"
Yuji actually recognized who made these two swords just by looking at the blades, which surprised and surprised Ogata.
"Exactly." Ogata said.
"Is it the work of a monk from the Tianxiang Sect..." Yu Er murmured, "I haven't seen the works of those bald donkeys for a long time... What are the names of these two knives?"
"Strike with the sword to release the heavens, and use the sword to create great freedom..."
Bald donkey?
After hearing the name "bald donkey" from Yuji, Ogata felt an ominous premonition for some reason...
"Using Buddhist terms to name swords...Huh, it's indeed the style of those bald donkeys."
"These two knives seem to have used some southern barbarian casting techniques...but they are mainly based on the Tianxiang Sect's unique sword-making technique."
Speaking of this, Yu Er glanced at the Da Shi Tian and Da Zi Zi held in his hands a few more times, and then nodded gently.
"A good knife, both tough and sharp. I have seen countless precious knives of all kinds, and there are only a handful of them that can surpass your two knives in terms of quality."
"Can these two swords be kept intact?" Ogata asked.
"...Have you seen this sword?" Yuji did not respond directly to Ogata's question, but suddenly pointed at the half-repaired broken sword with "blade side bend" that he had just put aside.
Nuzzled, "I can even repair a knife that's damaged like this, let alone your knife?"
Yu Er looked at the pits of Da Shi Tian and Da Zi where they had been chopped, like saw-like blades.
"Although your sword is badly damaged, it is not difficult to repair it to be as good as ever."
Hearing Yuji's words, Ogata's face involuntarily showed a happy smile.
"Then, I'll leave it to you, the price..."
Before Ogata could finish his words, he suddenly saw Yuji in front of him handing back the two swords he was holding.
Then he said something that made Ogata's expression freeze.
"But I don't want to help you repair your knife."
As soon as Yu Er said this, the blacksmith shop was silent for several seconds.
After a few seconds, Azhu, who always had a lively temper, was the first to break the silence.
"Why?" Ashuku asked anxiously, "Didn't you say that it's not difficult to repair Majima-sama's sword?"
"Yes, I did." Yu Er nodded seriously.
"Will it be expensive to repair the sword?" A-Machi also asked at this time, "If you are worried that we can't afford it..."
Before Atachi finished speaking, Yuji interrupted:
"It's not about money. I simply don't want to help you repair the knife. No matter how much money you give me, I won't help you repair it."
At this time, Ogata suddenly recalled that Yuji had just called the monks of Tianxiang Sect "bald donkeys".
"...Master Yu Er." Ogata said in a deep voice, "Did you ever...have any issues with the monks of Tianxiang Sect before?"
"...You are both right and wrong." Yu Er closed his eyes, raised his head, and took a deep breath, "I don't have issues with the monks of Tianxiang Sect, I have issues with all the monks in the world!"
After finishing speaking, Yu Er, who had his eyes closed suddenly opened them.
His eyes were filled with strong resentment.
He muttered:
"Twenty-five years ago, a girl I had a crush on eloped with a smelly monk."
"Since then, I have made up my mind that Buddhism and I are incompatible!"
"Your sword is a sword made by a monk, which makes me feel very uncomfortable. I don't want to touch such a sword made by the hands of a monk."
"Please come back."
…quiet…
…quiet…
…quiet…
Ogata's brain stopped working for a long time.
It's not just Ogata.
A-Machi and A-Zhu both looked like their brains had stopped working.
As for Naoshu, who was sitting behind Ogata and the others, he showed a helpless expression.
After a long while, Ogata's brain finally started functioning again.
After his brain resumed functioning, the first words that came out of Ogata's mind were:
ha?
Is it because of this?!
Yuji, who had been expressionless just now, looking like a master, now crossed his arms across his chest with an angry look on his face, like a little boy who had his snacks stolen.
Ogata didn't know what kind of expression he should make when he refused to help him repair his sword for this reason.
Yuji's expression just now made Ogata think that there was some undying blood feud between him and the monk...
There is no point in delving into why Yuji refused to help him repair his sword. It would be better to quickly find a way to persuade Yuji to help him repair his sword. So Ogata put aside his complaints about Yuji and said quickly:
"Can you please be accommodating? I'm willing to pay double the price."
"As I said, this is not a question of money." Yu Er replied without hesitation, "I said I won't cultivate, I won't cultivate."
"And I'm still busy right now."
Yu Er pursed his lips towards the "side-curved" knife at his side.
"I'm busy repairing Zhizhou's knife right now. It will take at least another month for his knife to be completely repaired. I don't have time to repair your knife now."
"This sword belongs to my nephew." Naoshu said while smiling at Ogata at this time, "I don't know what's wrong with my stupid nephew's head. He suddenly shouted that he wanted to study a knife that can split stones.
Swordsmanship."
"I took my knife and slashed at a huge boulder, and then the knife split like this."
Ogata's face couldn't help but darken at this moment.
Whether he is able to repair a sword with such a serious "bend" as if it were new, or he can tell at a glance that Ogata's sword was made by a monk from the Tenxiang Sect, these all mean that Yuji is an extremely skilled swordsman.
.
After finally finding such a craftsman with such outstanding skills, Ogata really didn't want to miss it.
If you miss Yu Er, God knows how long it will take to find such a powerful swordsman again.
And for Ogata now, the best place to repair his sword is Osaka.
Because this is the closest to Mount Koya, the straight-line distance between the two places is only 50 kilometers.
After repairing the knife, I could just go straight to Mount Koya to find a way to remove the "immortal poison" from my body.
Ogata, who was not willing to leave disappointed, cleared his throat and prepared to continue trying to persuade Yuji.
But just then
"To the Second Master."
Naoshu, who had been sitting behind Ogata and the others just now, spoke.
After everyone's doubtful eyes focused on Zhi Zhou, Zhi Zhou continued to speak loudly:
"Could you please help Majima-sama repair his sword for the sake of us being old friends?"
As soon as Zhizhou said this, Yu Er, who had looked firm just now, finally changed his expression.
Yu Er: "Zhi Zhou?"
"The repair of my nephew's sword can be postponed for a while." Naoshu glanced at the "curved sword" and said, "You can give priority to repairing Majima-sama's sword first."
"After you repair Majima-sama's sword, it won't be too late to repair my nephew's sword."
"Zhizhou, are you serious?" Yu Er asked with a frown.
"Of course I am serious." Naoshu's tone became more serious at this time, "Mashima-sama is... my very important old friend. Please, please treat it as a favor to me, make an exception and help Mashima."
Mr. Dao, please repair your sword."
After saying that, Zhizhou bent down, kneeling on the ground, and bowed to Zhizhou opposite.
"Mr. Isshiki..." Looking at Naoshu who was helping him fight for the opportunity to repair his sword, Ogata's eyes shone with surprise and joy.
Yu Er's expression was complicated at this time.
He looked at Ogata, then at Yuji.
Finally he let out a long sigh.
"...Since you have mentioned this, Yuji...then okay."
I asked Ogata to spread his hands.
"Give me your knife."
Yuji, who had just been calm, finally changed his mind at this time. Ogata, who could not hide the joy on his face, handed the swords of Da Shiten and Da Zizai to Yuji again with their sheaths.
After receiving Da Shi Tian and Da Zi Zai, Yu Er slowly said:
"It will take seven days for your knife to be repaired."
"Come back to me in 7 days to pick up the knife."
"The total cost of repairing your two knives is 12 taels. You have to pay me half of the money as a deposit first, and the remaining money will be paid in full after the repaired knives are returned to you."
…
…
"Mr. Isshiki, thank you very much for your help."
After leaving Yuji's workshop and returning to the empty hall of this shabby house, Oufang immediately saluted Naoshu and thanked him.
"Hahaha, it's okay." Zhizhou smiled, "It's just a little effort."
After delivering Da Shi Tian and Da Zi Zi, Ogata's waist now becomes empty.
For a long time, Ogata has been accustomed to the feeling of heavy objects hanging on his left waist. When walking, he is also used to stepping deeper with his left foot and stepping shallower with his right foot...
Now that there is no knife hanging on his left waist, Ogata is very unaccustomed to it, and even walking becomes awkward.
"You have really helped me a lot." Ogata continued to salute Naoshu to express his gratitude, "I really don't know how to thank you."
"There's no need to thank you or anything like that. I said it too, but it's just a small effort." Naoshu continued to laugh, "Mashima-sama, the reason why you came to Osaka is to come to Master Yu Er to repair your sword?"
"Well, that's right." Ogata nodded, "If I hadn't asked Master Yuji, who is said to be very powerful, to help me repair my sword, I probably wouldn't have come to Osaka."
A thoughtful look appeared on Zhizhou's face at this time.
"Mashima-sama, I wonder if you have any free time in the future?"
"The day after tomorrow? Well... I should be quite free until my sword is repaired." Ogata answered honestly.
While waiting for the sword to be repaired, Ogata planned to accompany Amachi and the others to leisurely play in the bustling Osaka Castle until the sword was repaired.
"That's it..."
At this time, Zhizhou's eyes flashed with the light of "planning."
"In that case...Mashima-sama, I have a heartfelt request."
"I wonder, Majima-sama, if you can come to my sword hall in the future to watch the 'grand trial' between our Isshiki sword hall and other sword halls?"
*******
*******
In fact, the author also wants to know how those awesome knife makers repaired such badly damaged knives to look like new... Just reading the book "Life on the Blade", I can't understand the principle at all.