Tang Xin nodded, staring intently into Chen Xiao's eyes: "That's right, it's the Chrysanthemum Leaf Embroidery! It's the famous blade that Master Jingu Naoyu used when he was defeated by General Tian! It's a family heirloom of my Shangchen family!"
After she finished speaking, she gently opened the box. As soon as it was opened a crack, Chen Xiao felt a flash before his eyes and a gleaming, sharp light spilled out from inside the box!
Chapter 188 of the main text: [The Great Building Is About to Collapse!]
Chrysanthemum leaf tattoo, a famous blade passed down through generations of the Kamishin Itto-ryu school!
It was also a treasure passed down through generations of the Shangchen Yidao School.
In the world of Japanese martial arts, this blade is also a renowned sword.
Unfortunately, in a battle with General Wada in the past, General Wada used a "short-range" technique to close in on Jingu Naoyu, delivering twenty-six consecutive blows that struck the spine of the sword, breaking this famous sword, which had been passed down from the Edo period, into two pieces.
But when the sword case was gently opened, a chill and sharpness emanated from it, which still moved people with the sharpness of this famous blade!
A sharp glint shone on Chen Xiao's face. He subconsciously tilted his head slightly to avoid the blinding sword light. After the box was fully opened, Chen Xiao turned back and saw a sharp blade lying quietly inside.
This sharp blade has a long, thin spine and a gleaming edge with fine metallic patterns on the sides, resembling a chrysanthemum.
This famous blade, which was broken years ago, has been reforged and re-forged by a master craftsman. Now, only the spine of the sword shows any trace of the original breakage.
only……
Chrysanthemum leaf barbs?
Chen Xiao knew this. This was a treasured artifact passed down through generations of the Shangchen family! Only the heirs of the main branch of the family were qualified to inherit this famous sword! And this Tang Xin in front of him?
Not only is she the acting head of the family appointed by Takeuchi Bunzan, but she has also been regarded by Takeuchi Bunzan as his successor?!
How skilled could a delicate girl like her be in kendo?
"The way of the sword. The way of martial arts. It all depends on talent." Tang Xin gently took the chrysanthemum-patterned sword from its case, held it in her palm, then placed the case on the ground and flicked the spine of the sword with her finger. A long, clear hum rang out.
She said softly, "My grandfather told me that in that battle with General Tian back then, what our Shangchen family lost was not just our reputation in Japan, nor just the lifelong illustrious name of Master Jingu Naoyu. What we truly lost was the dignity of the entire Shangchen family in the way of the sword and the confidence of a martial artist!"
Chen Xiao frowned: "What do you mean?"
Tang Xin held the sword, her posture even appearing somewhat clumsy. She didn't resemble a swordsman at all; it was as if she were lightly holding a bouquet of flowers rather than a deadly weapon.
She walked away lightly in the courtyard, sword in hand, and said leisurely, "After the defeat in the past, my Shangchen family was stabbed by that crushing defeat. Everyone in the Shangchen One-Sword School thought about avenging the humiliation day and night! It's just a pity that we went astray."
As she spoke, she turned back and smiled at Chen Xiao: "You probably already know that the Shangchen family collected all the techniques General Tian used to defeat Master Jingu Naoyuki. They drew diagrams and then sent people out to gather as much information as possible about General Tian's matches with various sword masters in Japan. In the end, they barely managed to deduce a set of martial arts routines for General Tian. In the years that followed, countless masters throughout the Shangchen family painstakingly studied and researched these techniques day and night. But they no longer focused on swordplay; instead, they devoted themselves to studying the martial arts of General Tian that they had collected and summarized!"
Her smile held a hint of disdain and mockery: "Just General Tian's set of magical moves, his mysterious footwork, took so much effort from countless experts in our Shangchen family to crack! We wished we could meticulously study every single step he took to find a flaw. Don't laugh at me, but we've devised at least dozens of ways to counter that one set of moves!"
The masters of these schools of martial arts, day and night, ponder how to defend against General Tian's attack, or how to neutralize his move… but they have gone astray, putting the cart before the horse!
Tang Xin's expression gradually turned cold, and her tone became even more impolite: "Even if I truly mastered it, dissected and deciphered General Tian's techniques, and created a sword technique specifically to counter him, what would be the point? Does the purpose of my Shangchen Itto-ryu school, which has held the reins of Japanese swordsmanship for hundreds of years, simply to deal with a mere General Tian?!"
Chen Xiao was deeply moved!
This woman has such a grand vision! With such insight and understanding, it's no wonder she was able to inherit the chrysanthemum leaf tattooing technique!
"It's a pity! Those who went astray in their cultivation included my grandfather, Takeuchi Bunzan! Although he later achieved great success in swordsmanship and his vision and temperament gradually broadened, he finally realized that the sect had gone astray, but it had already delayed an entire generation!"
Tang Xin sighed, her voice full of regret: "So, the result of General Tian's sweeping conquest of Japan back then was far more than just defeating a dozen or so masters! That event almost influenced an entire generation of the Japanese martial arts world! It even... set back the development of martial arts by at least ten years! As a result, even though they seemed to have thoroughly mastered General Tian's martial arts and created several strange sword techniques, they were all a bunch of freaks with congenital deficiencies!"
"A freak?" Chen Xiao frowned.
"He's a freak." Tang Xin's tone was deeply sarcastic: "Someone spent years creating a sword technique specifically to counter General Tian's martial arts. Upon testing, it was indeed effective in every move. However, while the technique seemed to counter General Tian's moves, when used against others, he was defeated in less than three moves! Tell me, what else is this but a freak?"
Chen Xiao immediately understood!
Just like Lin Chaoying, the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect in The Return of the Condor Heroes, who created the Jade Maiden Swordplay to counter the Quanzhen Swordplay. Although it seemed to counter the Quanzhen Swordplay, the Jade Maiden Swordplay itself wasn't actually that sophisticated. It certainly had a great advantage against the Quanzhen Swordplay, but it was useless against other schools.
"My grandfather understood this principle, but it was too late! My father's generation, an entire generation, had already passed their prime." Tang Xin said, bowing her head with deep regret.
Chen Xiao smiled slightly: "So, you were chosen by Takeuchi Bunzan?"
Tang Xin raised her head, her bright eyes fixed on Chen Xiao, but there was a hint of loneliness in her gaze: "This is not a fortunate thing."
She suddenly raised the chrysanthemum-patterned sword with a flat motion. Her sword-wielding posture was still excessively light, and her movements were not sharp or nimble enough. It was as if she had no strength at all—like a complete novice who knew nothing about swordsmanship.
“The Takeuchi family has no male heirs left in our generation. There are three sisters in the family, and Takeuchi Yako is the eldest. Unfortunately, my grandfather said that Yako was too sharp and lacked poise from a young age. Although she improved her strength the fastest when she was young, it was difficult for her to make further progress as she got older. By the time she was thirty, she could no longer take another step forward! It was difficult for her to achieve great things in her life.”
Chen Xiao smiled slightly, recalling Takeuchi Yako, whose face was as sharp as a widow's.
“My younger sister, Miki, is the most innocent-minded. Originally, with such a pure heart, she was the easiest to enter the Dao! My grandfather originally had high hopes for her, but unfortunately, she was too timid by nature. Although she was forced to cultivate from a young age, a person's nature can only be somewhat repaired by external influences, but it cannot be completely eradicated! In the end, my grandfather had no choice but to give up. Tang Ying is innocent and weak-willed, but she lacks decisiveness. To reach a high level, one must break through one's own realm and sever one's own root of desires! Tang Ying does not have this perseverance! In this life, it will be difficult for her to reach the master level in the sword path.”
"Oh? And what about you?" Chen Xiao looked at Tang Xin.
Tang Xin didn't answer. Instead, she slowly walked around the courtyard with her sword in hand before finally stopping and turning to look at Chen Xiao: "Chen Xiaojun, what do you think of my situation with the Chen family now?"
"They must be very strong." Chen Xiao smiled. "Old man Takeuchi is a master of the Imperial Swordsmanship, and your Kamishin Itto-ryu has countless disciples serving various powerful families. You have considerable influence. I saw some underworld tyrants at the foot of the mountain, and when they saw Ito Kyo from your sect, they were like mice before a cat. Such influence is not small in Japan, is it?"
Tang Xin nodded, and after what seemed like an eternity, she softly uttered a sentence:
"What a pity. There's no one to carry on the legacy!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiao frowned.
"Chen Xiaojun doesn't believe me?" A hint of weariness finally flashed in Tang Xin's eyes.
"I'm from the Tatsumi family. We have over six hundred dojos throughout Japan, and nearly a thousand at our peak. We have no fewer than two hundred thousand registered disciples. And the number of unregistered disciples is countless." Tang Xin seemed to be talking to herself: "You must be thinking, with so many disciples, how could there be no successors? Right?"
Chen Xiao didn't say anything.
"Unfortunately, all this illustrious reputation and boundless power are entrusted to only one person, namely my grandfather, the current head of the main family, Master Takeuchi Bunzan!"