An hour passed.
Xia Yu didn't catch a single fish.
Bored out of his mind, he found a comfortable spot… and went right back to sleep.
When he woke up again, it was already evening.
"It's already evening?"
Seeing the sky beginning to darken, Xia Yu quickly ran toward the fishing rod.
"...What?"
When he arrived at the spot where he had been fishing before falling asleep, Xia Yu stood there in complete confusion as he looked at the empty shoreline.
"Where the hell is my fishing rod?!"
Seeing that his fishing rod had mysteriously disappeared, Xia Yu nearly exploded on the spot.
Without a fishing rod, how am I supposed to fish?!
"Did some giant fish drag it away or something?"
Xia Yu looked around. When he noticed there were no footprints on the sand, he slumped onto a rock, looking utterly defeated.
"Well… this whole day was wasted."
Feeling unlucky, Xia Yu turned around and headed back to the dojo.
"Fine. I'll borrow another fishing rod from Koushirou tomorrow. No—borrow several! I'll make more myself. I'll make a hundred damn fishing rods and finish this mission in one go!"
With nothing but fishing rods and the mission on his mind, before he knew it, Xia Yu had arrived at the dojo.
However, just as he was about to step inside, two figures suddenly flashed out from the dojo, blocking his path.
"Stop right there!"
Seeing the two men who had suddenly appeared, Xia Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What's going on? Did someone rob the place?"
"This place is closed today. Go somewhere else."
Before Xia Yu could even react, one of the men—who was over two meters tall—stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice.
"For the next period of time, unrelated people are not allowed to approach this dojo. Understood?"
What the hell?
Robbing the place is one thing—but now they're even occupying someone else's property?
Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed across Xia Yu's eyes.
"And what if I insist on going in?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Yu calmly stepped one foot through the gate.
"You're courting death!"
Seeing this, the tall man shouted angrily and threw a heavy punch straight at Xia Yu.
Facing the incoming punch, Xia Yu didn't retreat at all. Instead, he calmly stepped both feet into the doorway.
At the exact moment he crossed the threshold, the other man also attacked—swinging a long sword toward him.
"Armament."
Just as the two attacks were about to hit him, Xia Yu suddenly bent forward and hardened both fists with Armament Haki.
One fist collided head-on with the tall man's punch.
The other fist struck the incoming sword directly—without any attempt to dodge.
Bang!
Clang!
Two completely different collision sounds rang out almost simultaneously, followed by a violent shockwave that burst outward in all directions.
Before the two men could even react, they felt a crushing force rushing toward them like a tidal wave.
In the next second, both of them were sent flying backward uncontrollably. The swordsman's blade was knocked from his hand and sent flying high into the air.
"With strength like that… you're trying to rob a place?"
Xia Yu leapt up and caught the flying sword midair as LV6 swordsmanship activated instantly.
Slash! Slash!
Two lightning-fast slashes tore through the air, accompanied by faint whistling sounds.
Immediately afterward, two sprays of blood burst from the bodies of the men who had just been blown back.
"So… so fast!"
"What terrifying strength!"
The two men stared at Xia Yu in horror as blood mist rose from their wounds. They hadn't even seen him swing the sword.
Hmm?
They're still standing?
Seeing that both men had been struck but hadn't collapsed, Xia Yu frowned slightly.
Meanwhile—
Inside the dojo, Dragon and Koushirou had been drinking tea and chatting casually. But the moment the terrifying aura swept past them, both men were shocked and immediately looked toward the front gate.
That sudden presence, which had flashed past them in an instant, forced both of them to stand up at the same time.
"What powerful Sword Intent…!"
"How is that possible?!"
Looking toward the dojo entrance, Koushirou spoke with a shocked expression.
"There's no way a swordsman like that exists in Shimotsuki Village! "This is bad… your location might have been exposed!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Dragon and Koushirou dashed out simultaneously, rushing from the backyard to the front courtyard in an instant.
In the courtyard stood Xia Yu, wearing a straw hat and holding a long sword casually.
Surrounding him were Revolutionary Army members who had rushed over the moment the commotion started.
Directly in front of Xia Yu stood the two injured men, covered in blood, their wounds clearly severe.
"Mr. Xia Yu?!"
When Koushirou arrived and saw the scene, he immediately understood what had happened.
"Everyone, stop! Mr. Xia Yu is a guest of my dojo!"
Hearing Koushirou's words, the dozen or so men surrounding Xia Yu all raised their heads in surprise.
When they noticed that Dragon had also appeared, they immediately stepped back and bowed in respect.
"Leader!"
"What exactly is going on here?"
Dragon stepped forward, his fierce gaze sweeping across the group.
"How dare you show disrespect to a guest of this dojo! Have you all forgotten my orders?"
When Xia Yu saw Dragon appear, he quickly understood what was going on.
Clearly, Dragon had come to Shimotsuki Village to resupply.
In the original story, Dragon had indeed appeared here around this time and was an old acquaintance of Koushirou.
"Mr. Xia Yu!"
After hearing the injured Revolutionary Army members explain what had happened, Koushirou quickly walked over.
"You weren't hurt, were you?"
"I'm fine."
Xia Yu casually tossed the sword aside and shrugged.
"But those two… Revolutionary Army brothers might need some proper bandaging."
Whoosh—
The moment Xia Yu said those words, everyone present—including Dragon—turned to look at him.
The Revolutionary Army members who had already stepped back tightened their grip on their weapons again.
If Dragon gave the order at this moment, they would attack Xia Yu without hesitation—even at the cost of their lives.
After all, their mission here was completely confidential.
Yet Xia Yu had identified them instantly.
How could they not be cautious?
"You know who we are?"
Although Dragon was surprised, his confidence remained unshaken. He wasn't worried that Xia Yu alone could defeat all of them.
More importantly, he hadn't sensed any hostility from Xia Yu.
"Leader of the Revolutionary Army—Dragon."
Xia Yu smiled and cupped his hands politely.
"I've heard your great name long ago. Your name is like thunder to the ears.""
Dragon nodded slightly in return before asking,
"And you are…?"
"My name is Xia Yu. Just a traveler. I just arrived here from Windmill Village."
"Windmill Village?"
Dragon's eyes narrowed slightly.
But after remembering that he had just passed by Windmill Village recently and saw that everything there was peaceful, he relaxed.
Turning to Koushirou beside him, Dragon said,
"Koushirou, drinking tea alone is rather boring. Why not invite your guest to share a drink with us?"
"That would be even better."
Koushirou smiled, then bowed slightly toward Xia Yu.
"Mr. Xia Yu, please."