Everything happened too fast. Matsuo, Takahashi, and the others were still standing on their tiptoes, admiring Yamada's exquisite swordsmanship.
He didn't expect the situation to take a sudden turn without any warning. There wasn't even a transition in the middle. Yamada, a samurai with a small reputation among the Tobaku faction, had his left hand chopped off.
Blood spurted from the wound and splashed on Zhang Heng's haori that had not been washed for a long time, making his unusually tall figure look even more terrifying.
Matsuo and Takahashi were so shocked that they took two steps back. They only stopped when their backs hit the wooden railing. However, their small eyes could not help but look around. Obviously, they were ready to escape.
On the other side, Takeuchi's pupils shrank suddenly.
Even Yamada, who had lost his left hand, did not understand what had happened at that moment. From the astonished expression on his face, it was obvious that he could not understand how he had lost so easily when he clearly had the upper hand.
Only Takeuchi, a master swordsman and a bystander, managed to keep up with Zhang Heng's last attack.
Because of this, he could more deeply understand the power of Yamada's attack.
Zhang Heng seized the opportunity when Yamada changed his attack from the first to the second. He moved his body to Yamada's chest, and at the same time, he quickly shook his wrist, making the tip of the katana draw an arc in the air, avoiding Yamada's Tachi. Because Yamada was swinging his katana, from Takeuchi's perspective, it looked like Yamada deliberately moved his wrist toward Yamada's blade.
Takeuchi took a deep breath. What a fast sword! What a terrifying calculation! Why does everyone I meet today seem to be more insidious than me?
It was not until the severed hand fell to the ground that Yamada realized what had happened. The sharp pain from his left wrist caused his forehead to be covered with beads of sweat. However, his pride as a samurai prevented him from crying. He straightened his neck and half-knelt on the ground. His chest was heaving up and down violently, and his face was pale.
The Koyama dojo became unprecedentedly quiet at this moment. One could hear a pin drop on the ground.
Akane Koyama's mouth was wide open, and she stood there in a daze. She felt that her brain was a little inadequate.
Not long ago, she was still worried about Ronin, but the next moment, Zhang Heng had defeated the powerful enemy in front of her. As someone who had fought with Yamada twice, Akane Koyama was probably the one who had the most right to speak about Yamada's true strength. While this samurai from the Choshu Domain might not be as strong as her father, he wasn't too far behind.
With such skills, she could be considered an expert no matter which faction she belonged to. Therefore, her defeat in the previous battle was not undeserved.
However, such an expert could not even withstand three moves from this wanderer who stayed in the ocean.
Akane Koyama almost missed the turn.
The guy in front of her, whom she had once despised mercilessly and thought was boasting, was actually … was actually really a peerless master?
After three moves, Zhang Heng no longer looked at Yamada and sheathed his saber.
He then turned to Akane Koyama and said, "I'm sorry."
"Hmm? What? Sorry for what? "Akane Koyama asked dumbly.
"I'm sorry for dirtying the floor of your dojo." Zhang Heng pointed to the blood on the ground. As he spoke, he glanced at Matsuo, Takahashi, and the others. When he looked at them, they wished they could turn into earthworms and crawl into the ground.
The other Choshu Domain samurai who stood with Takeuchi, although not as bad as Akane Koyama, looked horrified.
Zhang Heng's eyes finally stopped on Takeuchi. He could see that the guy in front of him was probably the leader of this group. He seemed to have encountered some kind of problem, standing there with his arms crossed, thinking hard.
Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean? Do you want to fight again? "
"I realized … I don't think I'm your opponent." Takeuchi looked very distressed. "But that idiot kept shouting about insulting the Choshu Domain samurai. I don't think it's a good idea to just leave like that."
Hearing what he said, Matsuo and Takahashi could not help but feel even more disheartened. The only thing that kept them standing there was the belief that Takeuchi was better than Yamada. Although Takeuchi was not as terrifying as Zhang Heng, he had defeated Yamada easily before. Maybe, maybe, they could fight again?
However, now that Takeuchi admitted that he was not as good as Zhang Heng, it shattered the last glimmer of hope in their hearts.
"Oh, are there any other masters in the Choshu Domain?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Of course. Although Yamada is a little famous, he is not as strong as me," Takeuchi said, counting with his fingers. "I'm not bad, but there are many people who are better than me."
"Are those guys in Kyoto now?" Zhang Heng seemed to be interested when he heard that.
"Well … although most of them are still in the Choshu Domain, in these troubled times, the world's heroes have gathered in Kyoto. As a man, it's natural for him to do great things. There are indeed many people in Kyoto or on their way here." Takeuchi nodded.
"That's great. Go back and tell those guys that if they want to avenge this guy, come to Koyama Dojo and find me. I will wait for them here," Zhang Heng said.
"Great!" Takeuchi slapped his thigh. "I was right about you. You are a true hero! In that case, let's meet again another day. "
After saying that, he gave Matsuo and Takahashi a look, signaling them to leave with the injured Yamada.
After leaving the dojo, Takeuchi asked Matsuo and Takahashi to send Yamada to the medical center for treatment, while he and another person hurried to Kyoto to find the person in charge of the Choshu Domain.
Yamada and his men came with great vigor, but when they left, they left with their tails between their legs.
When the group of people left Koyama Dojo, Akane finally realized that something was amiss. "Hey, why did you mention my dojo's name just now? Don't you think my dojo is declining fast enough?" Zhang Heng spread his hands.
"I can't help it. I live here, and you don't have to worry. Since I have decided to take care of this matter, of course, I will see it through to the end. No matter who comes after me, I will take them on. And you don't have to be so pessimistic. Your dojo is already in dire straits, and it can't get any worse. Maybe you can even become famous in Kyoto because of this."
Zhang Heng didn't care about it. After all, he was here to challenge the world's masters and find the whereabouts of the famed katana. Putting up the sign of Koyama Dojo was just a matter of convenience.
"… But you are not from Koyama Dojo at all," Akane said helplessly. "This is a separate matter. I am very grateful that you saved me this time, and I will find a way to repay you. Well, how about this, I will waive your rent for now … Although Koyama Myoshin-ryū is only a small sect and not eye-catching in Kyoto, I will not rely on outsiders to boost the dojo's reputation. It may seem silly to outsiders, but this is my insistence. I will not pursue the matter of you pretending to be a guest of the dojo. Besides, your sect is so powerful, and your master must be a big shot, right? Will he let you hang up the name of another sect?"
"Her? She shouldn't have any objections, right? " Zhang Heng thought about it carefully. His swordsmanship was originally honed by actual combat in the Black Sail quest. Annie could probably be considered as his master. After all, Zhang Heng had learned from Annie for a period of time in the early stages of the game. After that, the two often practiced together. However, the red-haired female pirate did not care about the difference between them at all. In her eyes, swordsmanship that could slash people was a good swordsmanship.
"If you really care about this kind of thing, then I might as well join your sect." Zhang Heng proposed a solution.
"Huh?"
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