Chapter 150 Protection

Jiang Xiaotian's current strength could be said to be invincible below the Divine Realm. If he were to truly unleash that formidable Lightning Flash, virtually no one in the Inner Strength stage could block it; only someone who had reached the Divine Realm could possibly withstand it.

With Linger's strength, she naturally wouldn't be injured and could easily block it. She did this for two reasons: first, to let Jiang Xiaotian put his mind at ease and give it his all, and second, to avoid getting her clothes dirty.

At first, Jiang Xiaotian was a bit worried, but seeing how serious Linger was, he naturally set his mind at ease. Soon, he realized how foolish he had been—with his amateurish skills, could he possibly hurt Sister Linger?

Thus, he calmed down and wholeheartedly gathered spiritual energy. Sparks of electricity flickered around him; although small, they were well-shaped and actually looked quite impressive.

However, just as Jiang Xiaotian prepared to swing his sword, a crisp cracking sound rang out, and the wooden sword directly shattered into pieces. The power he had managed to gather with such difficulty instantly dissipated in a loud bang.

Everything he had just done was in vain.

He blinked, and before he even had time to feel dejected, Linger let out a chuckle. She retracted her tail and ears, perhaps still finding the scene amusing, and sat nearby laughing heartily.

Jiang Xiaotian's face flushed red, and he scoffed, "It's not my fault!" He hadn't expected such a grandiose buildup to end up like a muffled fart.

Come to think of it, how much durability could an online-purchased wooden sword possibly have? If it weren't for Jiang Xiaotian's spiritual energy bolstering it, it probably would have cracked right at the start.

It seemed that if he wanted to practice swordsmanship, he would eventually need to use a real sword.

Having laughed her fill, Linger walked up to him and flicked his forehead with her finger. "Fool, your mastery over power is still far from proficient. If you were facing a genuine Divine Realm expert, a wooden sword could kill you just as easily. Remember, you are the one wielding the weapon, not relying on it!"

Jiang Xiaotian nodded. Although he understood the logic, it was still rather difficult to achieve for the time being.

In the following days, the fate of several wooden swords was identical—they shattered into utter dust. It seemed he still lacked the ability to control them, leaving him no choice but to give up for now.

After all this tossing and turning, another entire day had passed.

For the past few nights, Jiang Xiaotian had been practicing the Flowing Flower Technique in the small garden. Unlike ordinary attacking martial arts such as Lightning Flash—where the moment you could execute the strike meant you had learned it, followed by slow practice to increase speed and power—the Flowing Flower Technique was like a long, steady stream. It had no definitive boundary; whether you had truly mastered it wasn't up to others to decide. Only when you felt that you could not live without it could you truly be considered to have mastered it.

At the very least, Jiang Xiaotian still had no such feeling yet.

Just as he was delving into the Flowing Flower Technique, a familiar fluctuation suddenly broke into his perception.

Jiang Xiaotian was taken aback, then looked up toward the rooftop. "Hey! You didn't leave? Did the Ito family give you a hard time?"

That tiny figure was naturally Furukawa Yu. When Jiang Xiaotian had returned earlier, he hadn't been able to find her and assumed she had left; he never expected her to come running back now.

Furukawa Yu leaped down, a small backpack still slung over her shoulders.

"I've been put on the wanted list by the Ito family. I only went back to relocate my mother. You saved me, and to repay your kindness, I will stay around you to keep you safe. You... just need to pay me a salary..." As she went on, Furukawa Yu's voice grew softer and softer, and she looked rather embarrassed.

Because of Jiang Xiaotian's formidable strength, as well as the might of the person who came to his rescue, deep impressions had been left in Furukawa Yu's mind. Furthermore, Jiang Xiaotian was genuinely her savior.

Therefore, having nowhere else to go, she could only think of turning to Jiang Xiaotian. Although it sounded somewhat shameless, she truly had no other choice. If she were left all alone, the Ito family would relentlessly hunt her down, unless she had a truly powerful backer to rely on.

Jiang Xiaotian was no fool; right now, he was shrewder than anyone. Coupled with the fact that this girl was incapable of lying, whatever motives she might have were instantly transparent at a glance.

Before he could even speak, Linger had already walked out of the house, quietly watching from the side.

Jiang Xiaotian had previously told Linger about Furukawa Yu's plight. Linger had a soft heart and therefore considered the girl pitiful; otherwise, Furukawa Yu wouldn't have been able to enter this household so easily.

Upon seeing Linger, Furukawa Yu froze in her tracks, lowering her head at a complete loss.

Linger was too strong. Even if she remained on high alert, it would be useless—if Linger wanted to kill her, there was no way she could stop her.

However, Linger remained very calm, not showing a shred of murderous intent.

After giving the girl a couple of glances, she turned back into the house. The message was quite clear: she was leaving it to Jiang Xiaotian to make his own judgment.

"Well... fine then... Since you're skilled in assassination, you can track from the shadows, stay by my side, and protect my safety. I'll pay you a monthly salary." Jiang Xiaotian was still soft-hearted; seeing how pitiful she was, he agreed.

Besides, if he didn't help her out now, the Ito family would still cause her trouble, rendering everything he had done before utterly pointless. He might as well see a good deed through to the end.

Moreover, having a personal bodyguard sounded pretty cool.

Furukawa Yu instantly looked up, her eyes filled with surprise, though she still hesitated slightly. "Really? You're not tricking me..."

Jiang Xiaotian scratched his head and smiled. "You don't even have anything on you, why would I trick you? Is ten thousand a month enough?"

Furukawa Yu was utterly stunned! She had to know that back at the Ito family, she practically received no salary at all, occasionally getting a red envelope during major holidays!

Her initial expectation was that getting five or six thousand would already be pretty good, but Jiang Xiaotian casually threw out a five-figure sum right off the bat!

"I will definitely protect you well! Don't worry!" Although she wasn't a match for Jiang Xiaotian, when it came to covert assassination and protection, that was a different story—after all, she had been trained since childhood and was a professional.

Furukawa Yu was overjoyed. She rubbed her cloth-covered eye, bowed deeply to Jiang Xiaotian, and said, "Thank you! Thank you! I will definitely risk my all to keep you safe, Master!"

Jiang Xiaotian broke out in goosebumps. Having such a young child call him "Master" felt rather weird. "No, no, no! Just call me Brother Tian. So, where do you plan to live?"

He needed to find her a room.

"No trouble at all, I can handle that myself. I'll be by your side twenty-four hours a day!" Furukawa Yu's tone was excited and no longer gloomy; she finally sounded a bit like a young girl.

Jiang Xiaotian smiled and beckoned to her. "Come here."

Furukawa Yu obediently walked over, lifting her head, her clothes still battered and ragged.

Jiang Xiaotian directly removed the tattered piece of cloth covering her eye. "From now on, don't cover up such beautiful eyes anymore."

Subconsciously, Furukawa Yu moved to cover her face with her hand, but hearing Jiang Xiaotian's words, she couldn't help leaving a small gap, looking at the young man with emotions she couldn't quite put into words.

"Yeah! I'm starting work now!" Furukawa Yu suddenly felt her face burning and couldn't help crying out, diving into the bushes like a rabbit.

Though he couldn't find her anymore, Jiang Xiaotian knew very well that this fellow was right around him.

Only this time, he didn't need to worry anymore and could sleep with peace of mind.

This little interlude failed to interrupt Jiang Xiaotian. He continued to delve into the Flowing Flower Technique in the garden, until suddenly seeming to remember something, he called out toward the sky, "Furukawa!"

The next second, the young girl suddenly appeared before him, revealing those large, beautiful eyes that were truly striking.

Jiang Xiaotian lingered on her for a couple of extra moments, making Furukawa Yu feel embarrassed as she averted her gaze. "Mas... Brother Tian, is something wrong? By the way, just call me Wei..."

Call her whatever she liked; Jiang Xiaotian was somewhat devoid of romantic sensibilities, completely failing to understand or pay attention to such nuances.

"Here, take this and practice it. Once you've mastered it, it might just come in handy to protect me." Jiang Xiaotian directly pulled the Lightning Flash manual out of his pocket.

Anyway, until he found a suitable sword, he couldn't practice this trick. Rather than letting it gather dust on his person, he might as well hand it over to Furukawa Yu to practice. After all, she was also of Eastern origin and might have her own unique understanding of this move.

However, Furukawa Yu stood there dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe. She reached out, then pulled her hand back, not daring to touch it. "This... can you really give this to me? But Shadow Guards are forbidden from learning other martial paths for life..."

At this thought, Furukawa Yu's expression dimmed again.

Jiang Xiaotian patted her shoulder. "What's wrong with you? You aren't a Shadow Guard anymore; you're on my, Jiang Xiaotian's, side. If I ever start a sect in the future, I'll make you a grandmaster. You're my companion—learn whatever you want, take it!"

He directly shoved the manual into Furukawa Yu's hands. She stared blankly at him, and then bowed again! Even though she didn't fully understand what setting up a sect meant, Jiang Xiaotian was a good person! She truly felt like a living, breathing human being here.

"Yeah!" Furukawa Yu nodded heavily.

In the past, she had felt destined to spend her entire life forced to protect that young master who constantly tormented her.

Yet now, she had a new purpose: she would become a Black Samurai, catch up to Jiang Xiaotian, and acquire the genuine ability to protect him!