It only took Zhang Heng five days to get the Koyama Myoshin-ryū's exemption certificate. His speed left Akane speechless, but from a skill point of view, she had no reason not to grant Zhang Heng the certificate.
From today onwards, Zhang Heng could claim that he was a disciple of Koyama Myoshin-ryū.
He was in a good mood, and it just so happened that Gabriel was holding a group operation today. Zhang Heng had a whole day of free time.
Recently, whether it was the Choshu Domain samurai or the Shinsengumi, there had been no movement. It was hard to figure out what they were busy with.
No one came to cause trouble. Although the dojo was still not doing well, Akane Koyama was very satisfied with her current life as the dojo's owner.
However, for Zhang Heng, the current situation was a little different from what he had planned.
But it didn't matter. If no one came to cause trouble, he could still take the initiative.
In fact, Zhang Heng had been inquiring about the whereabouts of the famous katana recently. He also followed Akane Koyama, a native of Kyoto, to learn more about the dojos in Kyoto.
In the end, he set his sights on a dojo called Suzaku Dojo.
This was a dojo that opened in Kyoto in recent years, but it was not a small one. When the dojo's owner, Sugawara Saemon, was young, he traveled around the world, learning from the strengths of various schools. Finally, he came up with Shigen Shinkai – Ryu and defeated several famous swordsmen at that time. Rumor had it that he even fought with the former director of the Shinsengumi, Serizawa Duck. Although no one knew the result, the fact that he managed to survive the grumpy Serizawa Duck spoke volumes.
After Serizawa Duck was eliminated by Kondo Isami, Hijikata, and others, Sugawara Saemon established Suzaku Dojo in Kyoto. The dojo immediately welcomed many disciples, and it was currently developing well.
Then, Zhang Heng came looking for him.
…
"Koyama Myoshin-ryū? Is there such a sect in Kyoto? "
Zhang Heng could hear a touch of disdain in his tone. However, there was a reason for his attitude. When Sugawara Saemon came to Kyoto to challenge masters to make a name for himself, he had a lot of fun. However, when he built up his own reputation and opened a dojo, others came to challenge him, wanting to make a name for themselves.
It would be fine if they were really powerful, but some small sects that no one had ever heard of also came to take advantage of their popularity. After all, Sugawara Saemon had used this trick before. As long as he fought with the person who came, no matter whether he won or lost, the other party could boast about how many times they used to defeat Sugawara Saemon.
It was just like the time when he had sparred with the Celeste Duck. The Celeste Duck had been looking for a sparring partner, and he had been chosen. In the end, it was said that the Celeste Duck had tried to kill him but failed.
Therefore, when the disciples of the Vermilion Bird Dojo saw Zhang Heng, they thought that he was the same as those nameless people who came here to scam them until Zhang Heng explained his purpose.
"I heard that the master of your dojo has a famous sword forged by Miike Noritaka Mitsuyo. I would like to borrow it to take a look."
The disciple in charge of reception immediately changed his expression when he heard what Zhang Heng said. The next moment, an angry shout came from behind Zhang Heng. "How dare you!"
Noritaka Mitsuyo was a famous forging master in the history of swords in Japan. At the end of the Heian period, he was active in the Miike region of Tsukugo. Each of his works was invaluable. Of course, the most famous of them all was Noritaka Mitsuyo, one of the "Five Swords in the World" during the Muromachi shogunate period.
Zhang Heng came to the Vermilion Bird Dojo first because there was a rumor that Sugawara Saemon had a work by Noritaka Mitsuyo.
However, what he said just now had obviously angered the people in the Vermilion Bird Dojo.
Warriors attached great importance to their most loyal companions, their sabers. Although most of them could not reach the state where their sabers were still with them, they would not casually lend their treasured sabers to others, let alone to a stranger.
Zhang Heng's request could be said to be very rude. Of course, what was even more rude had yet to come. If Sugawara Saemon really had a famous katana of the same level, Zhang Heng would never return it to Sugawara Saemon.
"Let me experience your Koyama Myoshin-ryū!" Immediately, a disciple of the Vermilion Bird Dojo jumped out and said.
Zhang Heng nodded as if he did not see the hostile eyes around him. He took the wooden sword handed to him and said indifferently, "Please enlighten me."
Because he was angry at Zhang Heng's previous disrespectful words, the person rushed up to him without even saluting. Zhang Heng was not in a hurry. He assumed the stance of Koyama Myoshin-ryū, raised the tip of the sword slightly, and leaned slightly to the left in a defensive posture, allowing the opponent to attack.
Naturally, the person was not going to be polite, and he immediately swung his sword.
However, with a loud bang, the wooden sword in Zhang Heng's hand firmly blocked his downward slash.
The person seemed to be dissatisfied, and he shouted, "Again!" After that, he immediately pulled out the sword and slashed again. This time, the target was Zhang Heng's right shoulder.
But the result was the same. The wooden sword in his opponent's hand intercepted his attack halfway.
He did not believe that Zhang Heng would be able to defeat him. He kept making strange noises, and he kept swinging the wooden sword in his hand. However, no matter which direction he slashed, his attack was easily blocked by Zhang Heng. He could not even touch the corner of Zhang Heng's clothes.
Zhang Heng stood in the same place, not even moving his feet. He watched his opponent jumping up and down anxiously.
It had to be said that Zhang Heng did not pay much attention to Koyama Myoshin-ryū's moves at first, but the effect was surprisingly good this time. Although he mainly relied on his speed, strength, and well-trained combat sense to bully his opponent, Koyama Myoshin-ryū's moves did make the process a little easier. For example, when it came to the stance, no matter where the opponent attacked from, he could use the fastest speed to defend himself with the wooden sword.
Pirates' swordsmanship was big and bold, and they did not pay much attention to the details. On the other hand, Japan's swordsmanship had been passed down for hundreds of years, and naturally, it had its merits.
For Zhang Heng, this quest was not only a journey to find his swordsmanship, but also a great opportunity to hone his swordsmanship. Although he had countless opportunities, he was not in a hurry to defeat the opponent in front of him. Instead, he planned to use the opponent's swordsmanship to study Shigen Shinkai – Ryu.
However, he did not get to study for long before the match was stopped.
"Stand down!" a low voice shouted, "You are no match for him."
Zhang Heng's opponent, a teenager with fluff at the corner of his mouth, blushed, but he did not dare to refute. He stopped what he was doing and stepped aside obediently.
The person who spoke was a middle-aged man, but he did not seem to be Sugawara Saemon (Zhang Heng had asked about Sugawara's appearance when he came here).
"I am Suzaku Dojo's chief disciple, Shimizu Isshin. Please advise me," the man said.
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