Behind the young man were three martial artists, all appearing to be around thirty or forty years old. Each was dressed in a martial arts robe. The shortest of them all had a parted hairstyle and a bald chin, but his gait was the most steady. Chen Xiao immediately recognized him. This short man was probably the most skilled of the three martial artists.
The other two martial artists were quite different. One was tall and imposing, the other short and stout. The tall man had a fierce appearance, a thick beard, and sharp eyes. The short and stout man, on the other hand, wore a friendly smile and had no trace of martial prowess. His smile made him look like a shrewd businessman, while his eyes were full of alertness and caution.
As they walked in, the first young man was arrogant, and the swordsmen from the Shangchen family sitting on either side rose to bow in greeting. The young man, however, simply held his head high, and the short man behind him was equally arrogant, not even glancing at them. The tall, imposing man merely nodded slightly in return. This behavior was truly arrogant.
The short, stout fellow, however, walked at the very back after entering, following behind us the whole way. He bowed repeatedly to the swordsmen of the Shangchen family on both sides, displaying the most courteous manners.
When Ito Kyo loudly welcomed them earlier, he spoke in Japanese, which Chen Xiao didn't understand. After the four people entered, Tang Xin lowered her voice and introduced the three of them.
When Chen Xiao heard that the young man walking at the front was actually a member of the royal family, and even a prince, his heart stirred slightly.
They came to challenge us, and they even brought a prince with them. Clearly, this young prince is on the opposite side of the Shangchen family.
“His Highness Hirohito is His Majesty the Emperor’s grand-nephew…and holds the title of Prince.” Tang Xin lowered her voice and spoke quickly, “Currently, His Highness the Crown Prince has no son, and both the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince are getting older. The Crown Prince will naturally inherit the throne in the future. However, since the Crown Prince has not produced a son, the question of who will succeed him becomes very sensitive. His Highness Hirohito’s identity has become quite delicate…”
These words were spoken so quickly that Chen Xiao hadn't even had time to react before Prince Boren had already reached the inner hall. Tang Xin quickly stopped talking, stood up gracefully, stepped forward, and then performed a deep bow, slowly kneeling down.
Prince Boren remained haughty, but when his gaze swept over Tang Xin, a strange glint flashed in his eyes. Chen Xiao caught this glint… and as a man, he immediately understood the meaning behind that look: possessiveness!
This Prince Boren seems to have some ulterior motive towards... Tang Xin?
After all, he was a royal prince. Tang Xin stood up to greet him, so Chen Xiao couldn't just sit there. He could only pretend to follow and stand behind Tang Xin, bowing reluctantly in his heart, thinking to himself: I'll just treat this as a greeting to a dead man.
Chen Xiao noticed that when Tang Xin bowed, several warriors behind Prince Hirohito immediately and carefully stepped aside, indicating that they dared not accept such a grand ceremony with His Highness the Prince. After all, Japan still had the Imperial Family. Although it was a constitutional monarchy, the remnants of this rigid feudal hierarchy were much stronger than in Western countries.
Hirohito clearly possessed some royal bearing. Tang Xin led him to the inner hall's main seat, where he sat on the right-hand side—the central seat, which belonged to Takeuchi Bunzan, remained empty. It seemed that even a prince of such high status shouldn't sit on the throne symbolizing the greatest master in all of Japan.
After Bo Ren sat down, he said a few words to Tang Xin in a very amicable manner. Tang Xin answered cautiously, but Chen Xiao couldn't understand the Japanese they were speaking. Just as he was feeling troubled, Ito Kyo walked over. He was a third-generation disciple and originally had no status in the Heart Sword Sect. However, he held a special and transcendent position in the Shangchen family and had good relationships with the young scions of various powerful families. He was the person in charge of diplomacy and public relations between the Shangchen family and the younger generation of various powerful families. In addition, he was a rising star in the Ito lineage, which gave him the right to stand in the inner hall.
Normally, he should have stood behind Ito Daio, but this time he stood behind Chen Xiao, which must have been arranged by Tang Xin.
"That short guy is Nishihira Kojiro, the head of the Hidden Moon School; the tall guy is Miyazawa Shimoki, a swordsman of the Chiba School; and the chubby one is Takamoto Itto, a swordsman of the Yuukumi School..." Ito Kyo quickly whispered the introductions to Chen Xiao, covering his mouth with his folding fan as he spoke. This action, though initially somewhat furtive, was ironically made more sophisticated by his excellent manners, giving him a carefree air. "That short guy, Nishihira Kojiro, is the best; he's already the top swordsman in Kansai. I heard that last year, Uncle Heihachiro sparred with him privately after a party, and apparently lost..."
Chen Xiao nodded. Sure enough, it seemed his judgment was correct; he had immediately recognized that the short man was the one with the best kung fu.
Tang Xin was talking quietly with Bo Ren, while the three martial artists below waited silently. The short, stout Takamoto Itto still had a friendly smile on his face, while the tall Miyazawa Shimoki stared around with wide eyes. The short Nishihira Kojiro had his eyes half-closed, and a glint of shrewdness occasionally flashed beneath his half-open eyelids.
After exchanging a few words with Prince Boren, Tang Xin's expression gradually became serious. She said a couple more words, but Prince Boren's subsequent tone was very firm. Tang Xin finally sighed and nodded in agreement.
Then, Nishihira Kojiro opened his eyes and spoke. Chen Xiao naturally couldn't understand what he was saying—Ito Kyoya couldn't possibly translate every word, after all, it wasn't possible to whisper among oneself all the time in the main hall.
When Nishihira Kojiro spoke, Chen Xiao was startled—this guy looked short, but his voice was loud and clear like a striking bell, powerful and resonant, with a hint of metallic quality.
Finally, Nishihira Kojiro took out a scroll from his pocket, a solemn expression on his face, and slowly stepped forward, handing the scroll over with both hands.
Tang Xin dared not delay, stood up and took it with both hands, slowly unfolded it, and carefully looked at it.
Chen Xiao sat to the side and saw that the scroll was written with a brush, the ink dripping. Although it was all in Japanese, there were a few Chinese characters mixed in. After a quick glance, he could guess what it was.
Sure enough, Ito Kyo whispered in his ear, "This is a challenge."
After carefully examining the document in her hand, Tang Xin took two steps forward, her gaze sweeping over the swordsmen of the Shangchen family sitting in the courtyard outside. Then, she began to recite the tactics, word by word, in her delicate and clear voice.
As she read aloud, the swordsmen of the Shangchen family sitting on the prayer mats outside all revealed a hint of anger on their faces. Chen Xiao sighed inwardly. This Tang Xin was indeed worthy of being the head of the family; with just one move, she easily stirred up the sense of shared hatred among the various factions within his family.
Jingu Heihachiro, however, wore the most intense anger. He had always held the position of the second-best swordsman in the Tatsumi family. Someone had come to challenge them. Takeuchi Bunzan, being a Grandmaster, naturally wouldn't easily intervene. Therefore, he was usually the one to step in on such occasions—those who dared to challenge the Tatsumi family were all renowned master swordsmen in Japan. As for ordinary nobodys, they wouldn't even get through the door.
Upon hearing this, Heihachiro Jingu slowly stood up, about to speak, when Tang Xin smiled slightly, closed the tactical scroll in her hand, and gave Heihachiro Jingu a look, signaling him to remain silent.
"Your Highness."
Tang Xin turned to look at Bo Ren: "Martial arts sparring is not uncommon among different schools, but it is rather improper for Your Highness, as a prince, to participate in such mundane matters as sectarian disputes and for this to spread to the palace."
The Imperial Household Agency is the administrative body of the Japanese Imperial Family, and is somewhat similar to the Imperial Household Department or the Imperial Clan Court in the Qing Dynasty of China.
Bo Ren smiled slightly upon hearing this, not taking Tang Xin's implicit sarcasm about his neglect of his duties seriously. He simply said with a smile, "I just happened to be passing through Kobe and met a few swordsmen by chance. Knowing about this grand event, I came to observe."
Tang Xin was secretly furious upon hearing this.
Others were one thing, but this short man, Nishihira Kojiro, was the current head of the Ingetsu-ryu school, a renowned first-rate swordsman throughout Japan. He also held another important position: he was a kendo instructor personally hired by Prince Hirohito—a rare exception within the Imperial Family. All male members of the Imperial Family were required to learn kendo to maintain the martial spirit of the Imperial men. However, Takeuchi Bunzan was the Imperial Family's appointed master of kendo, and the instruction of the Imperial Family members in kendo had always been his responsibility. Therefore, most Imperial Family members studied under the Kamishin family as nominal disciples.
But for some reason, this Bo Ren always looked down on the Shang Chen family and found a swordsmanship teacher on his own, becoming a disciple of the Hidden Moon School.
Your own teacher comes to challenge you, and you, as the disciple, claim you're just passing by... That's a shameless lie.
However, since the other party was a prince, even if he glared and lied, Tang Xin could not refute him to his face. She could only smile and say, "In that case, Your Highness, please sit down and let's observe together."
Tang Xin then looked at Nishihira Kojiro and bowed. Although Nishihira Kojiro was arrogant, he couldn't be presumptuous as the head of the prestigious Shangchen family was bowing to him. After returning the bow, he heard Tang Xin say, "Master Nishihira is renowned in Kansai. It is naturally a wonderful thing for him to come to my Shangchen family for martial arts exchange and sparring. My grandfather once said that we should not be bound by the differences between schools. My Shangchen family is extremely happy to have a master of swordsmanship like Master Nishihira come to our door to teach us."
She paused, then looked at the other two swordsmen beside her, Miyazawa and Takamoto, and smiled as well: "The same goes for you two masters."
Nishihira Kojiro forced a cold smile; he was naturally dark-skinned. For him to manage even a smile was a rare feat. He said coldly, "I met with Brother Jingu Heihachiro last year. We exchanged ideas privately, mutually verifying what we had learned, and I gained considerable insight afterward. Exchanges are indeed a good thing; I feel we should exchange ideas more extensively! That's why I've come to bother you this time. I humbly request Brother Jingu Heihachiro's guidance!"
However, a thought lingered in his mind: In the Shangchen family, the number one master, Takeuchi Bunzan, was a god-like figure in Japanese martial arts. Although Nishihira Kojiro was extremely confident, he knew he couldn't defeat this grandmaster. However, after his last encounter with Jingu Heihachiro, he had gained the upper hand. Coupled with a year of continued arduous training, his strength had greatly increased. He was absolutely confident of defeating Jingu Heihachiro!
Although he couldn't defeat Takeuchi Bunzan, defeating the second-best fighter in the Kamishin family would be a remarkable achievement if word got out. He was only forty years old, ambitious, and had gained the favor of Prince Hirohito. Prince Hirohito's position in the Imperial Family was delicate; the current Crown Prince had no son, and upon his ascension, according to the order of succession, he would likely have no choice but to appoint Prince Hirohito as his heir… In that case, he would be the future Emperor's swordsmanship teacher!
Whenever I think of this, I feel a surge of fervor, as if the destiny to revitalize the Hidgetsu-ryu style has fallen upon my shoulders! As long as I am careful and attentive, I might one day replace Takeuchi Bunzan as the Imperial Sword Master and make the Hidgetsu-ryu style the number one sword style in Japan, surpassing the Kamitatsu family!
Of course… all of this will only happen after that old man, Takeuchi Bunzan, dies. Nishihira Kojiro knew very well that he was no match for Takeuchi Bunzan.
Fortunately, he was a generation younger than Takeuchi Fumio, so no matter how much he bullied the swordsmen of the Tatsumi family, Takeuchi Fumio couldn't directly punish him. This was something he could make good use of!
As long as he defeats the next generation of experts in the Shangchen family one by one, and Takeuchi Fumio cannot attack him, then once he has accumulated enough fame and prestige, taking over from Takeuchi Fumio after he grows old and dies will be a natural progression...
"My family naturally welcomes such martial arts exchanges and sparring, but it is a pity that swordsman Jingu Heihachiro has recently fallen ill and may not be able to personally spar with Master Xiping." Tang Xin shut down Xiping's words with one sentence. She knew very well that this guy was very confident in targeting Jingu Heihachiro. Since he knew he would lose, it was better to skip it.
Nishihira Kojiro frowned and sneered, "Oh? I came to challenge you, and then Jingu-kun fell ill? What a coincidence!"