It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

At this point, Hanako obviously changed the subject. Bai Lin also returned to her calm expression. She said lightly,

"Could it be that Miss Hua Yin is so kind to me that she wants to lend us a helping hand?"

The olive branch was thrown directly in front of Bai Lin. Yamashita Kanon smiled lightly, raised the teacup in front of her, and leaned forward a little.

"Miss Bai Lin is so young and promising, and she's also so polite and courteous. You can obviously accomplish great things. I happen to have a position here that would allow you to continue doing the work you love while also allowing some of the adventurers in Sakura to support you. What do you think?"

When Bai Lin heard the words "respectful and polite," Yamashita Kanon remained calm. Bai Lin was a little surprised. Is this the superficial composure of a politician? However, this olive branch was far less generous than Bai Lin had imagined. This Yamashita Kanon...

Maybe you look down on yourself a bit.

What she meant was simply to give Bai Lin a say in the adventurers on Sakura's side. In reality, those adventurers couldn't do anything for Bai Lin, and it was absolutely impossible for them to become a private armed force. In other words, their actual power was very limited.

"Miss Bai Lin, are you still hesitant? What a pity! I would really like to be friends with such a young and promising hero..."

Hanane revealed a trace of regret, and slowly withdrew her outstretched hand. Bai Lin immediately put on a smile, raised the teacup, and reached into the air in front of him and said,

"Hey... fame and fortune are very important. I, Bai Lin, am just an ordinary person. Even if I don't care about this, my teammates still need it."

Bai Lin's change of attitude made Hua Yin's hand, which had been slowly withdrawing, reach forward again.

"In that case..."

"But if you want to be my friend, as an adventurer, I would rather show you my skills instead of gifts."

Bai Lin smiled and stretched out her hand to stop Hana from clinking glasses. Hana put on a very curious expression and asked Bai Lin,

"Oh? Miss Bai Lin, what do you want to show?"

"Poetry is one of my few hobbies besides adventure. Please give me the topic, and I will compose a poem. I am happy to express my gratitude for your grand welcome."

The wind on the candlestick deflected a little, and the shadow under Hanako trembled vaguely. But in contrast, she herself was very calm, carefully looking around, and then said her response to Bai Lin,

"If I were to pick a topic randomly... I think there should be cherry blossoms, there should be adventurers. There should also be beauties and heroes."

Bai Lin smiled slightly. She waved the sleeve of the hand that was not holding the teacup, and then placed it neatly on her knees. She looked out the window, as if she had caught something, and then slowly uttered a few lines of poetry.

"Kill one person every ten steps, and leave no trace in a thousand miles. When the work is done, leave, leaving all merit and fame behind."

"What a poem, what a poem!"

Hanane praised repeatedly, and just as she was about to raise her glass, she was about to clink glasses with Bai Lin. Bai Lin, on the other hand, withdrew his hand, took a swig of tea, and wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth with the sleeve of his kimono, and said proudly,

"I don't deserve it. It's a good poem, but it might not be so good when it comes out of my mouth. After all, I'm just a stinky adventure worker."

Bai Lin said this while staring at Hua Yin. Hua Yin's expression became dim and bright, and she put the teacup down heavily with a "bang", and then said,

"Young people are chivalrous. Okay, I admire you!"

Hanako's tone was clearly showing signs of losing her composure. Bai Zi, who had been yielding at every turn, finally showed signs of launching an offensive. A gust of wind blew, and the candlesticks went out. Bai Lin's expression had grown gloomy, and she said,

"You're too kind. I'm just doing what's right as a human being."

Hanane responded to Bai Lin's words with a serious face. The sunlight still shone on her cheeks, allowing Bai Lin to see her face clearly, but her body was shrouded in darkness.

"Then I'd like to ask Miss Bai Lin, which do you think is more important, life or morality? If a person dies, can morality still be exercised?"

This sentence can be said to be very straightforward. Bai Lin thought so. However, Bai Lin never thought that with so many envoys from all over the world gathered here, this guy would dare to threaten his life.

Isn't that a bit too arrogant, Sakura?

The more he thought about it, the more curious Bai Lin became about what they had the capital to be so arrogant. However, Bai Lin still replied calmly,

"I wonder if Miss Hanane has ever heard of a criminal from Sakura who, in order to save his own skin, was willing to confess all his crimes. Life is naturally precious. Human life is fleeting... but righteousness endures forever. What are your thoughts on this story, Miss Hanane?"

The light coming in through the window suddenly dimmed. It was obvious that Bai Lin was narrating, and she already had a very solid confession. She was forcing Hanane to take an extreme path, or even confess her crime on the verge of danger.

"It seems that Miss Bai Lin really values ​​morality. However, although human life is short, it is also the most precious thing in the world."

"Although I haven't heard that story and I don't know whether it's true or not, I think you should be familiar with this principle."

Chapter 363: Pressing Forward

Although Bai Lin could clearly see Hanane's expression, the only part of her face exposed to the sun was the darkest. A surge of murderous intent swept over Bai Lin. Even if Bai Lin had anticipated the possibility of attacking him, he hadn't expected it to be so direct, so swift.

So, this Hanane is quite confident in her own abilities. She knows I'm an adventurer, yet she dares to threaten me directly indoors. Or perhaps, she looks down on me and thinks I wouldn't dare to make a move?

A chill like a thousand sharp knives hung in Bai Lin's heart. And all of this was the oppressive force emanating from Hanane alone. Based on this pressure alone, Bai Lin believed that this guy wanted to finish him off alone.

"Miss Hanane, you're joking. I do know about this kind of thing. And I also have something to say to Miss Hanane."

Bai Lin still used a calm tone and reached into his arms. Yamashita Kanon tensed all her muscles, truly entering a state of being ready to take action at any time.

Although Hanane herself was willing to take action, her primary purpose was to coerce Bai Lin, as bribery wasn't working. She wasn't entirely confident of the aftermath if she killed him. So, Bai Lin's movement, reaching into his arms as if to draw a weapon, truly put her in combat mode.

Could it be that this adventurer is really that powerful and is fully prepared to fight me?

Bai Lin took out a large box that looked like it couldn't fit in her arms. It was an exquisite gift box, and it was sprayed with a lot of perfume. She smiled and pushed it in front of Yamashita Kanon.

"If you don't mind, please open it and take a look, Miss Hanane. My sincerity is fully expressed in it."

Is it a gift? Then why go to all this trouble to create such misunderstandings? Could it be... a bomb or something? No, at this close, she'd definitely be affected. If it's an illusion, I have a countermeasure... If it's meant to harm, I can strike it down openly.

After a tense and rapid weighing of the pros and cons, Hanako temporarily put aside her hostility and reached for the gift box. As the box, which appeared somewhat dim inside, was slowly opened, Bai Lin's mouth curled up completely.

This is her "malice" as a hero.

"Sometimes, the dead are more useful than the living. That's what I want to say to you, Miss Hanane."

Inside the box, Yamamoto's already decaying head was revealed. The gruesome sight of him, his eyes wide open after being specially made up by Chihong, was instantly etched in Kanon's mind. Even she felt a surge of nausea and panic rising in her chest.

Feelings have their own limits. Bai Lin believes that only those emotions that are constantly fluctuating are truly real. If someone is constantly happy, then they will inevitably be unaware of their blessings. Happiness comes from suffering, and fear and other emotions are inherent in life.

Nature is also like this.

Unsettled, Hana's movements became more frantic. A warning bell rang in her heart about Bai Lin, and her body began to move. By the time she came to her senses, the knife-like murderous intent had already been completely locked onto Bai Lin.

Hanane's eerie red eyes became even more conspicuous in the darkness. The next moment, the sword and its sheath, which had been placed beside her, appeared in her hand.

Although I was genuinely startled, brave man, you are overconfident. My slashing blows are so fast that they can cut through thousands of fallen leaves in an instant. Removing your defenseless head is as easy as taking something out of a bag!

This was the last thing Hanane thought of before she lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was Bai Lin's unbridled smile, which was completely inconsistent with his appearance.

With a loud bang, the house collapsed. The huge wooden house was instantly reduced to ruins amidst the explosion. Bai Lin calmly brushed off the dust on his body and stood up from the ruins, breathing in the fresh air with a sense of relief and joy, as if a great achievement had been made.

As a geek with a passion for martial arts, how could Bai Lin not know the significance of having two katanas in his room? Looking back at this ethnic group's history, these two swords were actually used for sneak attacks. For this reason, some people would specifically practice drawing and striking quickly, essentially using them for sneak attacks.

Iai, or "Iai," involves launching an unexpected, almost impossible-to-dodge attack in a confined space. This later evolved into styles like concealing the full length of the blade within the sheath, making the initial strike unpredictable, or into games that utilize Iai to unleash sword energy. However, its core principle remains the sneak attack.

Bai Lin had judged that Hanane, being so confident, must be very good at sneak attacks. So, while she was disturbing Hanane, she also did...

Smash the floor.

The negotiation table was completely destroyed by Bai Lin's deliberate punch. Her force directly shook the foundation, directly affecting the entire structure of the house. Even this specially reinforced house was successfully destroyed by her.

Even though she wasn't as fast, her target was different, and Bai Lin managed to escape. Wearing a somewhat dusty kimono, standing beside the ruins of the Japanese-style house, Bai Lin still smiled happily. She seemed to be completely desecrating the culture of Sakura.

The next moment, Bai Lin suddenly possessed a mid-length sword, spurting forth blazing flames, and thrust it directly behind him. With a clang, the long sword attack was blocked by Bai Lin. The opponent, after striking him, retreated to an open space not far from Bai Lin.

"Oh? I didn't expect Miss Hanane to come out so soon. It's a bit beyond my expectations."

Bai Lin tilted his head, holding the sword he'd "borrowed" from Leah, and boldly challenged Kanon with a look of despair. Unlike Bai Lin, Yamashita Kanon wasn't covered in dust. With a katana slung at her waist, she exuded a certain demeanor simply by standing there.

It felt like... an incredibly powerful monster had locked onto its target. Like a fiercely devoted and powerful demon that wouldn't give up until it killed someone. Bai Lin felt like if she moved, it would immediately attack and decapitate her, leaving her no chance to react.

Chapter 364 Sword and Martial Arts

"You... you came here for this in the first place, didn't you? You didn't think you could get away alive by doing things like this on Sakura's territory?"

Hanane's pronunciation was extremely heavy. Every word she said was putting invisible pressure on Bai Lin. Bai Lin, on the other hand, pretended to be indifferent and shrugged her shoulders, and replied,

"Who knows? But considering that Miss Kanon has endured for so long, I'll give you a warning. Even if you kill me here, it won't make a difference. The content of our conversation just now, and your act of taking the initiative, have already spread to others. But... you should know it too."

This was a lie. However, it was true that killing Bai Lin wouldn't solve the problem. After all, even if she died, she would just pop back to life in the empty ancestral hall. Although Bai Lin had mentally prepared herself for death, she still wanted to avoid it if she could.

Bai Lin weighed the sword in her hand, as if it were a toy. She appeared extremely relaxed, which made her words more persuasive. Seeing this, Hanako did not relax at all and continued to put pressure on Bai Lin.

"Don't you want to live?! What's the point of doing this?"

Bai Lin glanced at Hanane, and at the same time, he gripped the sword tightly with one hand and said to her,

"I've told you, Miss Hanane. Sometimes, the dead are more useful than the living. Besides..."

"It doesn't mean you can save my life."

The wind roared, and Bai Lin stood still without reservation, her murderous intent locked onto Hanane. However...

The first to take action was still Yamashita Kanon.

A sword swung out, a flash of red light. Bai Lin guarded his sword and took a step back. Yamashita Kanon's initial strike nearly knocked Bai Lin off his sword grip. He had to admit, this seemingly young ruler was quite capable. Even though Bai Lin had closed the distance to a point where Iai wasn't easily deployed, he still missed by a hair's breadth.

Bai Lin's composure, which was perfectly composed, completely vanished. She raised her sword horizontally and, before Yamashita Kanon could enter her attack range, swung it recklessly. The heat of the flames instantly spread to the nearby ruins. The shockwaves of the explosion caused Yamashita Kanon to lose her balance, preventing her from successfully pursuing Bai Lin.

Meanwhile, Bai Lin, amidst the rising smoke, raised her usual shield and equipped herself with armor. In a flash, she jumped off the ground and charged towards Hanane, shield raised. However, her charge was quickly interrupted.

The slash accurately hit the side of Bai Lin's shield. Obviously, the smoke from the explosion could not prevent Yamashita Kanon from locking onto Bai Lin's position. The long red blade was filled with the breath of a large number of lives, which made Bai Lin's spine shiver at the sight of it. She could not help but sigh in her heart.

What a nice knife! I wish I could use it.

In the blink of an eye, the sound of a human body being torn open could be heard. Bai Lin retreated a long way, sweating profusely as she stared at her left shoulder. Behind her, a cherry tree had already been pierced through by the cup and collapsed to the ground with a loud bang.

"Surprised, adventurer. Your armor may not be able to protect you."

Hanane didn't seem to be in a hurry to chase Bai Lin, but just walked slowly and gracefully while saying this. Bai Lin's eyes widened. His armor was obviously intact, so why was he injured?

The katana is a weapon that is extremely unsuitable for breaking armor. Bai Lin originally planned to fight with Hanane for a while relying on the armor, but now it seems that this is not the case.

Could it be that the demon sword ignores armor? That's really cliché. Bai Lin shed his armor and stared at Yamashita Kanon, not even having the strength to utter another word.

Seriously, another opponent who is faster and stronger than me.

The demonic sword was unsheathed once more. Bai Lin's eyes focused, catching the trajectory of the slash from the smoke. The blade in his hand immediately swept across the shield, neutralizing Hanane's fatal horizontal slash with an upward thrust. Then, he quickly grasped the long sword with both hands, turned it to his side, attacked forward, and leaped backward.

Really... I'm almost giving up trying. Even if I put all my efforts into killing her, there's no way I can escape from this territory. After gaining immortality, I've become less and less appreciative of my own life.

Especially when the few people who made her cherish her life were not around, Bai Lin would occasionally have the thought of giving up. But even though she thought so, she still held her long sword tightly in her hand.

The flames burned even more fiercely. Bai Lin stared intently at Yamashita Kanon, who was approaching slowly again, without a flicker of giving up in his eyes.

With her hair disheveled, her kimono frayed, and her body covered in dust, Bai Lin was like a warrior cornered at the end of her rope, the only thing she could trust was the blade in her hand.

But even so, what does it matter? If I don't fight for it—

Isn't this a waste of opportunity to fight against the Sakura nation?

It wasn't just Bai Lin's refusal to give up that was causing this strange feeling; it was also a sense of a sense of being in another world. The warriors, dressed as guards, rushed out of the house behind them, each with their blades drawn against Bai Lin. In a foreign land, even under attack from both sides, Bai Lin felt the sense of being close to home.

In this extremely tense situation, Bai Lin sneered twice.

The first laugh was a laugh at her own momentary weakness. Her hesitation and fear made her feel dissatisfied. She was clearly a person who was supposed to enforce justice, so why did she look so timid?

As for the second sound, it was naturally a laugh at the group of Sakura people. She despised this land, and even more so, despised their despicable behavior.

Fight to the death. I'll never have the chance to step onto that battlefield again in this lifetime, at least in this other world...

Don’t leave any regrets!

Bai Lin did not rush towards the surrounding warriors, even though Hanane seemed to be a much greater threat than their encirclement. However, she still challenged Hanane, who was in the center, and confronted her head-on.

At least, there is still a slight advantage in weapon length, so there is not no chance of winning.

Locking his waist and spinning sideways, he slashed with his sword, and Bai Lin's flaming long sword was quickly deflected by Hua Yin. But Bai Lin seemed to have anticipated this outcome. Instead of retreating, he advanced, unleashing the power stored in his center of gravity, and the blade quickly deflected. With another blow, he also blocked Hua Yin's possibility of counterattack.

Chapter 365: A Small Home

Hanane blocked with her sword and immediately took a step forward, pressing towards Bai Lin. Then, with a speed that Bai Lin couldn't react in time, she swung the sword back to her shoulder and slashed again. Although Bai Lin had tried his best to roll in the opposite direction, a deep bloody wound was still left between his ribs.

Bai Lin half-knelt on the ground. On this burning battlefield, everyone could clearly hear the sound of her blood dripping. Hua Yin put the knife back into her sheath and said,

"If you think I only know Iai, you're totally wrong. Whether it's strength or anything else, you've already completely lost."

The mud- and blood-stained hilt was already stained, and Bai Lin's knuckles felt like they were about to split open due to the opponent's immense force. But in this desperate situation, she still managed to smile at Yamashita Kanon's words.

"I've tasted it before. Miss Hanane, as the leader of a region, is really good at joking. What do you mean by not caring about strength or anything else? Just in terms of being a human being..."

Bai Lin raised his head slightly, tightened his grip on the sharp blade in his hand again, and said in an extremely cold voice,

"You can't even catch up to the little bit of mud under my fingers."

Hana's eyes flashed with coldness. She stepped forward, her hands on her waist, and said with great authority,

"It seems you are in a hurry to get on the road!"

The moment she opened her mouth, Bai Lin had already flashed in front of her. Yamashita Kanon's eyes met Bai Lin's once again. She saw a pair of eyes filled with an inexplicable hatred that came from nowhere, and... a light that even Kanon couldn't help but waver a little.

The light that guides the way forward, the light that illuminates the world, is nothing more than the light that humans can emit, yet it makes Yamashita Kanon dazed for a moment. At this moment, she even clearly caught the sound of Bai Lin's breathing in her ears, turning it into an invisible chill... Or perhaps,

It was Yamashita Kanon, whose doubts about herself reflected the chill.