In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged more than a dozen blows, and Akane took five steps back. While Akane was still fearless, the worry in Chiyo's eyes grew stronger. She looked around for help, but most of them were unarmed civilians. Even if they wanted to help, they were powerless. In the end, her eyes fell on the ronin, Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng, however, was indifferent.
Zhang Heng could see that Yamada was about to lose in another ten moves. Since he was unable to take down Nvliu after such a long time, he was getting more and more impatient. Perhaps he felt that it was embarrassing for him to not be able to take down Nvliu after such a long time. However, it was a taboo for a fast swordsman to be impatient. His movements were starting to change. In game terms, although his APM was increasing, his EAPM was decreasing instead of increasing.
Zhang Heng, of course, would not be a busybody at a time like this. Ignoring Chiyo's pleading eyes, he stood still and watched Matsuo and Takahashi.
In fact, although Akane and Yamada's swordsmanship was not as good as his, their battle was not entirely without merit. Japan's swordsmanship came into existence relatively late, and the Tachi was inspired by the Tang Dao. (However, the craftsmanship of the two was different. The Tang Dao used a high-temperature carbon removal technique and was carburized at the end of the forging process. Japan lacked high-quality coal, so it could only be smelted at low temperatures. Unfortunately, the forging technique of the Tang Dao was lost, and the quality of the Song and Ming Dynasty swords declined. The Tang Dao was heavier and heavier, while the Tachi was slender and long.
Of course, this is a story for the future. Speaking of swordsmanship, scholars also practiced martial arts during the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period. The so-called Six Arts of a Gentleman included riding and shooting. When people traveled the world, they would use their fists if they could not reason with them. Later on, for the sake of the various dynasties and generations of rulers, the Confucian scholars were the only ones left. The Six Arts of a Gentleman became a gentleman who used his mouth instead of his fists. On the other hand, due to the prevalence of samurai culture in Japan, samurai were part of the ruling class. The people were always enthusiastic about practicing martial arts, and they were also willing to spend time honing their swordsmanship. That was why before the Abolition Order, there were many dojos all over the country, and all kinds of swordsmanship schools blossomed.
These sects each had their own unique characteristics, or rather, their own Dao. These Dao might not all be correct, but to Zhang Heng, it was indeed something very new. It was hard to evaluate its reference value at the moment, but Zhang Heng already had the idea of observing the various sects' saber techniques.
Scarlet had once said that the dungeon would be created based on the player's characteristics.
Therefore, there was a reason why Zhang Heng entered the Bakumatsu Kyoto quest. Now that he was watching Yamada and Akane fight, he could feel that he had learned something. Although it was only a small gain, it was precious to him since he had not improved himself in a long time. Now that Kyoto was a gathering of experts from all over the world, it indirectly provided him with more opportunities to improve himself.
While Zhang Heng was thinking about where to start, Yamada and Akane Koyama had already decided the winner.
Akane Koyama took advantage of Yamada's first wave of attacks. Before he could pull back his katana, she switched to a defensive stance and slashed at Yamada's katana-wielding hand. The latter could only let go of the Tachi in pain.
Akane Koyama did not pursue him. "You've lost," she said.
"What the hell are you talking about? How could I lose?!" Yamada flew into a rage out of humiliation. Although he had lost his katana, he still had a katana on his waist. Other than those who practiced dual katana, the samurai of the Edo period would only use the katana as a backup katana if they lost their main katana or katana.
Yamada was now ready to take out his katana and fight Akane Koyama again. His defeat was a little embarrassing. His opponent was clearly weaker than him, but he lost his weapon because he was drunk. Not to mention, he had made it sound like this was a matter of honor for the Choshu Domain's samurai. Now, he had to win.
But Akane Koyama had already put away her katana and shook her head. "I'm not fighting anymore. I'm just trying to save someone. If you really want to fight, you can find me at the dojo. I'll take you on anytime." After a pause, she added, "And now you have a weapon, and I only have a katana. This is too unfair."
Yamada almost fainted from anger at her last sentence. How dare that despicable woman talk about fairness? If he hadn't drunk too much tonight, even three, no, two Akane Koyama would have been slashed to the ground by him.
Yamada felt a surge of heat rushing to his head. He was so angry that he almost had a cerebral hemorrhage. His nostrils were huffing and puffing, but the next moment, his arm was held by someone. It was Matsuo and Takahashi. Seeing that Yamada had lost his weapon, they finally dared to step forward and stop him.
"My friend is drunk today, so this battle doesn't count. We'll definitely come to your dojo another day to spar with you again," Matsuo shouted as he left some harsh words. After that, the three of them fled before the patrolling guards arrived.
Akane Koyama did not stop them. Instead, she bent down to pick up the tuna that she had placed on the ground. After that, she walked up to Chiyo and her friend and asked, "Are you guys okay?"
The two girls shook their heads. After thanking Akane Koyama, they bent down to pick up the grilled eel skewers that had fallen to the ground. They were the children of fishermen and craftsmen, and they had learned to be diligent and thrifty from an early age. Although these eel skewers could not be sold, they could still be eaten after washing them.
He did not know if it was an illusion, but Akane Koyama seemed to look at him. She then reached into her pocket, took out about fifteen coins, and handed them to the two girls in front of her. "I left in a hurry today, so I only brought this much money. But I think it should make up for your loss," she said apologetically.
Chiyo and her friend, however, did not take the money. It was all thanks to Akane Koyama that they survived Yamada's attack. They were worried about how to repay the benefactor in front of them, and there was no way they would take her money.
Then, Akane Koyama looked at Zhang Heng again. This time, the latter was sure that the swordswoman from Koyama dojo was looking at him. Then, Zhang Heng heard Akane Koyama mutter, "They almost died because of you. Not only did you leave them be, but you're not even willing to give them some money?"
Akane's voice wasn't loud enough for Zhang Heng to hear her, but at the same time, he couldn't hear her too clearly. By the time Zhang Heng realized what she said, Akane had already stroked the two girls' heads and left.
Zhang Heng was speechless. At that time, neither of them knew that this was not the last time they met. In fact, not long after, the two met again.
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