When Chen Xiao entered the courtyard, the middle-aged martial artists on both sides stared at him, but no one spoke. They sat upright, their eyes involuntarily following Chen Xiao. Feeling somewhat bewildered, Chen Xiao then saw Tang Xin sitting on the soft mat to the left of the main seat in the center, smiling at him.
Tang Xin was dressed in white, her clothes as white as snow, with a wide belt around her waist that accentuated her slender figure. Her eyes and brows remained serene and gentle, and she wore a long shawl. In front of her lay a long box, containing chrysanthemum leaf tattoos!
Tang Xin looked at Chen Xiao with gentle eyes, and surprisingly, in front of everyone, she raised her delicate hand and beckoned to Chen Xiao, speaking softly and gently, "Mr. Chen Xiao, please come and sit down."
Chen Xiao didn't understand what Tang Xin meant, but Tang Xin's words moved everyone else present!
As Chen Xiao strode into the inner hall, Tang Xin turned and gave an order, placing a prayer mat beside her. Everyone's expression changed! Only Ito Kyo remained calm, as if he had known all along.
Chen Xiao frowned, hesitated for a moment, but knew that now was not the time to speak, so he forced himself to sit down.
You see, at this moment, for an outsider like myself to sit in the inner hall of someone else's sect is, in the eyes of others, quite significant!
He had originally intended to refuse, but when he looked at Tang Xin in front of everyone, a hint of pleading flickered in her eyes, and he suddenly remembered the girl's pitiful background. Coupled with her forlorn gaze, frail body, flushed face, and rapid breathing in the courtyard last night, he couldn't help but soften his heart.
As soon as Chen Xiao sat down, the expressions of everyone outside changed, though the others remained relatively calm. Jingu Heihachiro, however, looked thoughtful and lowered his head.
"What are you up to?" Chen Xiao asked in a low voice after sitting down. Tang Xin smiled slightly, not in a hurry to answer, but suddenly reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of Chen Xiao's hand.
This gesture seemed a bit too intimate and inappropriate. Tang Xin, however, remained completely calm. Not even a flicker of her brow wavered, and she simply said softly, "I'm asking for your help. I'm using this opportunity! Please bear with me!"
Soft, smooth little hands pressed against the back of his own. Tang Xin's little hands, however, were icy cold. Chen Xiao saw a hint of pleading in her eyes, finally sighed, and shut his mouth.
Then, the sound of a wheelchair rolling came from the back of the inner room, and Ito Taio came out from inside.
Although he wasn't from the Daizong family, he was currently the most senior member of the Shangchen Itto-ryu school, even a generation higher than Takeuchi Bunzan. His appearance immediately caused everyone sitting on the prayer mats to stand up and bow towards the inner hall; even Tang Xin rose and nodded. Only Chen Xiao remained seated, frowning, wondering what Tang Xin was up to.
Despite his extremely high seniority, it seemed that Ito Taio didn't even have a seat in the inner hall. His wheelchair was pushed to the entrance of the inner hall, where he sat down.
In this way, the seating arrangement already reflects the current ranking of the upper echelons of the Shangchen family.
The central seat was reserved for Takeuchi Bunzan, the head of the main family. Even though he wasn't there, the seat was left empty for him, and no one could sit there. Tang Xin, as the acting head of the main family, could only sit on the left side of the center, while the right side was empty, but it was unclear who it was reserved for.
Although Ito Taio was of a higher generation, he wasn't entitled to sit in the middle and was instead placed on the edge of the inner hall. However, he was still a head taller than those sitting in the courtyard.
During breakfast, Ito Kyo seemed to intentionally or unintentionally tell Chen Xiao about the factional divisions within the Kamishin Ittō-ryū school.
Within the Kamishin Ittō-ryū school, there are now four factions. Takeuchi Bunzan is the current head of the family, and the Takeuchi lineage naturally holds the highest position within the Sekiryu-gū school. The elder Takeuchi is the head of the family and also a master swordsman of the Imperial Household, considered the greatest swordsman in Japan. Tang Xin has become the acting head of the family, Takeuchi Yako serves a prince of the Imperial Household, and Tang Ying is a secret disciple of the Inner Court. It's a pity the Takeuchi family has no male heirs; otherwise, they would be even more illustrious.
Besides the Takeuchi family, there's the Ito family. Ito Taio is a respected elder, his seniority goes without saying. Ito Kyo is also a rising star among the younger generation. However, when introducing himself that morning, Ito Kyo frankly admitted that his "rising star" status should be put in quotes. He confessed that his swordsmanship wasn't particularly good, and his talent was only average. In terms of martial arts skill alone, he wouldn't be considered outstanding among the younger generation of disciples at Sennyu-gyu. However, he was adept at cultivating relationships, maintaining good relations with many scions of wealthy and powerful families who were nominally studying under Sennyu-gyu, effectively making him the de facto head of diplomacy and public relations for the sect.
Thirdly, there's the Jingu family. Before Takeuchi Bunzan, the head of the Kamitatsu family was Jingu Naoyu, who was once Japan's greatest swordsman. Therefore, the Jingu Naoyu lineage still wielded considerable power. Although it has gradually declined, its influence remains. Takeuchi Bunzan treated his teacher's descendants very well. Jingu Heihachiro is now considered the second-best swordsman in the Kamitatsu family, second only to Takeuchi Bunzan—although in all of Japan, Jingu Heihachiro's swordsmanship isn't even considered top-tier. However, within the Kamitatsu family, he firmly holds second place—this also shows that the Kamitatsu Itto-ryu style truly lacks successors. Although there's a top-tier master like Takeuchi Bunzan, none of the lower-ranking members have reached the top-tier level.
As for the fourth faction, it consists of a group of neutrals. The Shangchen One-Sword Style has been established for hundreds of years, and many masters have emerged from its ranks throughout the ages. Naturally, it has descendants, most of whom have declined due to the passage of time. However, some of these individuals can be considered descendants of the elders of the Shangchen family. If one were to trace their lineage carefully, one could probably pick any surname and go back several hundred years to find that they are descendants of some ancient master. There are no outstanding talents among this group, but they still wield considerable influence within the Shangchen family.
Currently, besides Takeuchi Bunzan, among the second-generation masters of the Kamitatsu family, there are eight qualified to enter the inner hall, known externally as the "Eight Heroes of Izumiryu Palace." Jingu Heihachiro is the leader of the eight. These eight are responsible for teaching disciples. Of the eight, two are surnamed Jingu, two are surnamed Ito, and the other four are descendants of other declining factions with different surnames.
After listening to Ito Kyo's introduction in the morning, Chen Xiao recalled Tang Xin's request from last night, and a thought suddenly came to mind...
Tang Xin's proposed deal with me might not be entirely for the sake of the Shangchen family! There's probably also a lot of self-interest involved for her Takeuchi family! According to the current internal power structure of the Izumiryu Palace, although the Takeuchi family holds the highest position, it's only built on the foundation of Takeuchi Fumiyama! Once Takeuchi Fumiyama is gone, the Takeuchi lineage will have no male heirs and no capable experts to show for themselves. They'll likely fall immediately! Her desire to bring me into the Izumiryu Palace is probably also to leave the Takeuchi family with a powerful ally.
Thinking of this, Chen Xiao couldn't help but steal a glance at Tang Xin. He was startled by what he saw. It turned out that Tang Xin's eyes seemed to be quietly observing him as well. Her eyes appeared clear, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking…
The key figures of the Izumiryu Palace were all gathered here, and Tang Xin nodded. Everyone looked at her as she gave orders. Tang Xin glanced at Ito Kyo and slowly said, "Welcome the guests."
Ito Kyo smiled, turned around, and stood on the steps of the inner hall, shouting something loudly.
Chen Xiao was taken aback upon hearing this.
Welcoming guests?
What kind of guests are we welcoming?
"His Highness Prince Hirohito of the Imperial Family. Also, Nishihira Kojiro of the Hidgetsu-ryu main family, Miyazawa Shimoki, the swordsman of the Chiba-ryu, and Takamoto Itto, the swordsman of the Yuukumu-ryu..."
Tang Xin's low voice came from beside him. Chen Xiao turned his head and glanced at Tang Xin: "What are these people doing at Quanliu Palace? You're entertaining guests, why did you invite me here..."
"These people came, naturally to challenge us." Tang Xin sighed, speaking bluntly: "As for keeping you here... it's to keep things under control!"
Chen Xiao understood, glanced at Tang Xin, and said in a strange tone, "You want me to be your thug? But I haven't agreed to what happened last night."
Tang Xin smiled slightly, not in a hurry, her expression calm.
Seeing Tang Xin's confident demeanor, Chen Xiao couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He frowned and said, "Aren't you afraid that I won't cooperate with you later by acting first and asking for permission later?"
Tang Xin then looked at Chen Xiao seriously: "Can you do it?"
Chen Xiao felt a sudden softening in his heart as Tang Xin stared into his eyes.
Then Tang Xin continued, "This matter will not harm you in any way. On the contrary, it will only benefit you. I don't think you have any reason to refuse. Besides, my Shangchen family is considered a powerful family in Japan. If you agree, you will gain the friendship of my Shangchen family. Why not?" These words were spoken calmly. But the last sentence suddenly revealed a hint of gentleness, and she smiled softly: "Besides, I think Chen Xiaojun is quite chivalrous. I heard that you were willing to stand up for a complete stranger at the Zhuquan Tavern. In this situation today, can you bear to watch a weak woman like me be bullied by outsiders?"
Chen Xiao frowned, but finally sighed: "We'll talk about this later... But... someone's come to challenge us? Are these people looking for death? Takeuchi Bunzan is the number one martial artist in Japan. Aren't these people afraid of humiliating themselves?"
“Of course, we’re not here to challenge my grandfather,” Tang Xin said in a low voice. “Grandfather is of such status. How could he just start a fight whenever he wants? These people are here under the guise of a sparring match between second-generation disciples. The main family cannot participate in such a match. It can only be a second-generation disciple against themselves. Originally, my Quanliu Palace would have Uncle Heihachiro from the Divine Palace participate in such sparring matches. However, Uncle Heihachiro was injured by you yesterday. Now he cannot fight. He was injured by you, which leaves us with no one to fight. You can’t just stand by and watch today, can you?”
Chen Xiao opened his mouth. He glanced at Tang Xin, saw a hint of weak pleading in her serene eyes, and finally sighed, "Alright. I'll help you this time. But... I didn't agree to what happened last night!"
Tang Xin smiled, but then sighed softly, "I know it's not the right thing to do to force you to help. But my health... sigh. If it were me... would I just stand by and let these clowns come to my door!"
Chapter 192 [Inner Hall Disciple, Royal Swordsman]
Kyo Ito, acting as a greeter, stood at the edge of the steps in the inner hall.
With a few loud shouts from him, two warriors with white headscarves on their heads gently struck leather drums on the corner towers on both sides of the courtyard. After about a dozen deep and resonant drumbeats, a group of people stepped into the courtyard from outside.
Chen Xiao noticed that the person walking at the front was a young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old. He wasn't tall, and was even slightly thin. His face was very pale... but it didn't seem to be a normal paleness; rather, it was a paleness that carried a slightly sickly tinge. This young man walked with his chest held high, and his expression carried a hint of arrogance. However, his eyes seemed a little too sharp, making him appear somewhat lacking in gravitas.
The young man was also dressed in a men's kimono, with a dark black outer robe and a crimson sash around his waist, about four fingers wide. His appearance was fairly decent, but his sharp eyes gave him a somewhat frivolous air. This made his deliberately slow steps and affected arrogance seem somewhat artificial.