The first day's work wasn't difficult. As Gabriel said, they just had to eat and have fun. The two walked around Kyoto, and basically, they went wherever the merriment was. Before nightfall, the French businessman told Zhang Heng that they could leave. Zhang Heng could sense that there were people following them sneakily along the way.
However, he was only getting the translator's salary, and it did not include the bodyguard's salary. Unless the little spies behind him suddenly attacked the French businessman and caused him to lose his salary, he had no intention of dealing with them.
What's more, although Gabriel looked cheerful, he might have known that he was being followed. Otherwise, who would he be fooling around for the whole day instead of doing anything proper?
Zhang Heng had no interest in these two groups of people who had their own agendas. He did whatever Gabriel told him to do, and he didn't ask or care about the rest. When the work was over, he returned to the small courtyard he had just rented, scooped a ladle of water from the well, and gulped it down.
The cold well water was the best thirst-quenching drink in this era. Zhang Heng wiped his mouth with his sleeve. At this time, he heard sparse shouts coming from the Koyama dojo across the wall. There was also the sound of wooden swords hitting each other.
Zhang Heng remembered Akane Koyama's invitation last night, and he happened to have something to ask her. Since it was still early, he put down the wooden ladle in his hand and went next door.
There was a plaque hanging outside the main entrance of the dojo, with the words "Koyama Myoshin-ryū" written on it. Zhang Heng searched his memory, but he couldn't remember this sect. But that was normal. Bakumatsu was the last glory of Japan's swordsmanship. There were more than two hundred recorded sects, and there were even more that weren't.
However, most of them were later lost, and only the most famous ones were passed down.
During the era of Heisei, Rei, and Macho, there were even fewer people who still learned swordsmanship. Each sect also emphasized self-cultivation, and swordsmanship was no longer a killing technique.
Koyama Myoshin-ryū must have been drowned in the torrent of history like other small sects.
Zhang Heng didn't think too much about it and walked straight into the dojo.
The first thing that came into view was a green grape trellis covered with vines. However, it was not the time for the grapes to ripen yet, so there were only some sparse flower buds among the green leaves. Next to the grape trellis was a maple tree. The trunk of the tree was about the circumference of a person, and the bottom of the tree was fenced with three hens. On the right side of the chicken coop, there was a small vegetable field with some green vegetables growing well.
Zhang Heng's expression was a little strange. This place did not look like a dojo at all. Instead, it looked more like a small farmyard. Fortunately, the main house after the courtyard was very neat and tidy. There were racks for bamboo swords and breastplates, as well as small wooden tablets with each person's name written on them, arranged according to the order of their master and disciple.
At this time, the dojo was very lively. Akane Koyama was teaching, but her students were on the younger side. The oldest was estimated to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, and the youngest was as young as seven or eight. They were clearly a group of children, but they were very serious about their training. Wearing protective gear, they swung their swords at each other. Akane Koyama walked among the crowd, correcting the children's movements and encouraging them at the same time.
When she saw Zhang Heng, she nodded at him. After learning about Zhang Heng's experience of traveling to the West, she finally no longer regarded him as a troublemaker.
After arranging the training, Akane Koyama walked out of the main house and asked Zhang Heng, "Are you here to practice your swordsmanship?"
"No, no. I want to ask about the famous dojos in Kyoto," Zhang Heng said.
Akane Koyama was stunned when she heard that, and then a look of shame and indignation appeared on her face.
Zhang Heng realized that she had misunderstood something and quickly added, "I'm not looking for a dojo to learn from. In fact … I came to Kyoto to meet the masters here."
"Hey, what did you say you came to Kyoto for?" Akane Koyama's eyes widened as if she had heard something unbelievable. Although she did not finish her sentence, the way she looked at Zhang Heng said it all.
Her impression of Zhang Heng had improved. However, she remembered clearly that he was just a bystander at the market, not daring to make a move to save her. It was hard to imagine that such a person would say that his purpose in coming to Kyoto was to meet the world's masters.
However, Akane Koyama still liked to think positively of people. Perhaps it was because Zhang Heng had been traveling abroad for too long that he didn't know much about the situation in the country after returning to the country. He still had a certain illusion that he was a master. But then again, if this guy thought that he was a master, why didn't he make a move earlier?
While Akane Koyama was thinking about this question, she suddenly saw the middleman who brought Zhang Heng to look at the dojo last night running in again, shouting, "Oh no, oh no! Run for your life! A group of samurais are asking about your dojo. They look aggressive. I think they are your father's enemies. I gave them a random direction, but I don't think it will be long before they find their way back."
"Enemies? But when my father was alive, he never fought with anyone. I've never heard of him making enemies with anyone. "Akane Koyama shook her head.
Zhang Heng's expression changed. He remembered a group of people. The three Choshu Domain samurais last night, and they lost terribly. In fact, in terms of strength, the guy who drew the katana was stronger than Akane Koyama. Coupled with the fact that the Choshu Domain's honor was at stake, it would be difficult for them to swallow their pride.
The middleman was anxious. "What's the use of talking about this kind of thing at a time like this? Let's get out of here and avoid trouble."
"You want me to abandon the dojo and hide alone?" Akane Koyama frowned.
"Do you think you can bring the dojo with you?" The middleman rolled his eyes.
What he did not expect was that the samurais came faster than he expected. Before the two of them could come to a conclusion, the other party had already arrived. There were five of them.
Other than Yamada, who fought with Akane Koyama at the market, Matsuo, Takahashi, and two other unfamiliar faces were present.
Yamada's face was gloomy. Last night's defeat was too humiliating for him. After he sobered up, he immediately came to avenge himself. Alas, he was too late. After all, they fought on the street last night, and some of the samurais from the Tobaku faction had already caught wind of it.
What's more, it was Shinji Takeuchi, whom he did not have a good relationship with. Takeuchi was also from the Choshu Domain, and like Yamada, he was a famous samurai in the Tobaku faction. It was inevitable that they would be compared to each other, and as time went by, they did not see eye to eye.
About half a year ago, Takeuchi challenged Yamada to a duel. Originally, Takeuchi thought that it would be an evenly matched battle between dragons and tigers. However, the result was Yamada's defeat. The two of them had only exchanged a dozen moves, yet Yamada was completely suppressed. In addition to the difference in strength, the style of Yamada's swordsmanship was also restrained by Takeuchi. This was the real reason why he lost so miserably.
After that battle, Takeuchi's reputation among the Tobaku faction grew, while Yamada showed signs of going downhill. Because of this, the two became enemies. The last thing Yamada wanted was for Takeuchi to find out about what happened last night. However, things did not go according to his wishes. Takeuchi and Takahashi were very close, and Yamada suspected that Takahashi was the one who leaked the news to Takeuchi. Takeuchi came to him early in the morning, expressing his doubts about Yamada's strength. He insisted that Yamada come with him, or else he would tell more people about what happened last night.
Yamada had no choice but to agree to the other party's request. So, not only did he want to win today's duel, he wanted to win beautifully, leaving Takeuchi speechless.
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