Akane Koyama only heard about the battle that took place in Gion at noon the next day, and it was the guy named Takizawa Shota who had been loitering outside the dojo who came to tell her about it. The latter's face was filled with excitement and admiration. According to him, Zhang Heng and Okita Soki single-handedly fought hundreds of people last night, killing more than two hundred Tobaku supporters. Not only did Kirino Toshiaki fail to stop them, but it was also rumored that some important figures were killed in the battle.
His spittle flew everywhere as he spoke, as if he had been at the scene that night.
Akane Koyama had heard from Takizawa Shota that Zhang Heng challenged various dojos. When they first met, Zhang Heng mentioned that he wanted to see the major sects in Kyoto. At that time, Akane Koyama thought that he was just bragging, but now it seemed that he was telling the truth.
That guy was really eager to see the world in chaos. He had quietly challenged many famous dojos under the name of Koyama Dojo. It was no wonder Takizawa Shota was so excited to learn from him. In fact, it wasn't just Takizawa Shota. This morning, Akane Koyama met six or seven people who came to learn from her, forcing her to postpone her plan to ask Zhang Heng about it. As time passed, the incident at Gion last night would only get worse, and more people would come to learn from her.
Akane Koyama had no choice but to temporarily close the dojo and ask everyone, including Takizawa Shota, to come back tomorrow.
After that, she knocked on the door next door, but no one answered.
Akane Koyama initially wanted to confront Zhang Heng, questioning why he was causing trouble everywhere and even getting involved in the battle between the Shinsengumi and the Tobaku supporters. However, when she saw that there was no response from Takizawa Shota, she began to worry about Zhang Heng again. She did not believe that Takizawa Shota could fight a hundred people alone. No matter how powerful an expert was, there was a limit to how powerful they could be. Even if a hundred people just stood there and let Zhang Heng hack at them, their hands would go numb.
Zhang Heng and Okita Soki were alone. God knew how they managed to fend off the siege of so many people, not to mention winning the battle in the end. Takizawa Shota only described how invincible the two were. He did not mention if they were injured or not, or if their injuries were serious.
After some hesitation, Akane climbed over the dojo's wall and entered Zhang Heng's courtyard.
Fortunately, Akane Koyama did not see Zhang Heng lying on the ground in the yard. But she couldn't care less now. She pushed open the door of Zhang Heng's room, only to see someone sleeping soundly on the bed.
Last night, Zhang Heng went to see a doctor first before returning to his residence. His wounds had been treated and applied with herbs. Fortunately, they were only superficial wounds. The deepest wound was left by Kirino Toshiaki. After fighting for so long, the adrenaline had worn off, and he was exhausted. Zhang Heng did not even have breakfast and slept until the sun was high up in the sky.
When Akane Koyama saw that everything was normal in the house, she looked embarrassed. It was rude of her to barge in without knocking on the door, not to mention the possibility of being misunderstood.
Fortunately, Zhang Heng was still asleep, and Akane wanted to sneak out of the room.
But the next moment, she heard a familiar voice, "Miss Qian? Can you get me a glass of water? "
"No, don't get me wrong … I didn't mean that." Shocked, Akane Koyama quickly tried to explain herself.
"I know. You are just worried about my injury," Zhang Heng said. He opened his eyes and smiled helplessly at Akane Koyama. "It's not convenient for me to move in my current condition. That's why I'm sorry to trouble you …"
"Oh, oh, oh." Akane Koyama picked up the copper pot and hurriedly poured a glass of water for Zhang Heng. She was so nervous that she even forgot the purpose of her trip. She stood there, not knowing what to do, watching Zhang Heng drink the water.
"Thank you," Zhang Heng thanked her. After a pause, he said, "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."
"It's okay. As long as you are fine," Akane Koyama said subconsciously. Akane Koyama said subconsciously, but halfway through, she realized something was wrong. Initially, she wanted to ask Zhang Heng when he became so close to the Shinsengumi, but if she were to continue with the current topic, she would not be able to ask the question.
Fortunately, Zhang Heng seemed to know what was bothering her. "I have nothing to do with the Shinsengumi. Don't get me wrong. Last night, I met Okita Okita by chance."
"By chance? In the territory of Choshu and Satsuma Domain samurai? "Akane Koyama blurted out.
"Well …" Zhang Heng thought about it and decided not to tell Akane Koyama about the French businessman's conspiracy with Shinsaku Takasugi. Even if the Tokugawa Yoshinobu failed this time, it would not affect the overall situation. If everything went well, Tokugawa Yoshinobu would return power to the emperor in a few months, and the Battle of Toba Fushimi would still take place in January of the following year.
In the end, the shogunate would be utterly defeated and a new government would be established. Zhang Heng did not want to get too close to the Shinsengumi, which was destined to go to the end of the world. He did not want to implicate Akane Koyama either. So, after last night's incident, Zhang Heng was actually thinking about going to the Tokugawa Tobaku Faction when he had the time.
He could forget about Saigo Takamori. In the Southwestern War, he sided with the remaining samurai and was eventually defeated by the new government. Okubo Toshimichi died too early. Maybe Ito Hirobumi would be a good choice?
Zhang Heng did not tell Akane Koyama about his plan. He just smiled and said, "I was there for some other reasons."
"Is it because of that?" Akane Koyama pointed at the Juzumaru on the table.
She had also heard about Zhang Heng's' borrowing 'katana. Now that she had the chance, she could not help but advise him, "A good katana is important to a samurai, but if you are too obsessed with it, it will affect your training. You should know when to stop."
"Thank you for your advice. I will return the rest of the katana another day." Zhang Heng nodded.
Akane Koyama was not used to someone being so easy to talk to. For a moment, she did not know what else to say.
As for Zhang Heng, since he already had the Juzumaru, the rest of the katana did not interest him. Unless he had the Tenkō Five or a higher-level katana, he might not be willing to accept it even if Akane Koyama gave it to him.
After talking about business, the atmosphere in the room became awkward again.
Akane Koyama did not know what to say next. Should she ask Zhang Heng to recuperate? Or should she ask him to stay out of trouble in the future?
In the end, Zhang Heng spoke up again, "I heard that the maple leaves at Kiyomizu-dera are very beautiful. Let's go together in autumn."
"Well … okay."
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