"Huh?" Chen Xiao was a little confused.
Tang Xin remained kneeling, her sleeves gathered in front of her. She smiled and said, “Your friend, Miss Zhang Xiaotao, is currently returning to Kyoto with His Highness the Prince, and Tang Ying is with her as well. The Prince and I, the Takeuchi family, owe you a favor, so your friend will naturally be treated well there; you need not worry. I only ask that you stay here for two days. After two days, I will naturally send someone to escort you to Kyoto…”
"Let me stay as a guest?" Chen Xiao snorted, staring into Tang Xin's eyes: "Right now, from that old man in the wheelchair down, I'm afraid not a single one of you in the Shangchen Itto-ryu group doesn't hate me to the bone. Why would they kindly ask me to stay?"
Tang Xin smiled lightly, her smile seemingly nonchalant, but her words startled Chen Xiao!
“Although Grandpa Ito is of a high generation, my Kamishin Itto-ryu is divided into two schools, the Outer School and the Inner School. The Outer School at the foot of the mountain is naturally headed by Grandpa Ito, but the Inner School on the mountain was entrusted to me by my grandfather. Even if Grandpa Ito knew that I invited you to be a guest, he wouldn’t say anything.”
She spoke these words casually, but they meant very different things to Chen Xiao!
Judging from her words, this seemingly delicate and charming young woman is actually the real person in charge of the Shangchen Itto-ryu school?!
However, Chen Xiao became increasingly suspicious.
"Why did you leave me here?" Chen Xiao chuckled softly. "It can't be that the disciples of the Shangchen Itto-ryu are simply being hospitable, can it?"
Tang Xin smiled slightly: "Of course there are some things, but I wouldn't dare to force a distinguished guest like you to do anything. Whether you choose to observe or intervene is entirely up to you. I would be extremely grateful if you would stay here for two days."
Although she spoke lightly, Chen Xiao already had a vague feeling that the other party's purpose in keeping him here was definitely not pure.
Chen Xiao was about to refuse, but when he saw Tang Xin's pleading eyes, he had a change of heart. Anyway, he didn't have anything else to do, so staying here for a couple more days wouldn't be a big deal.
If this girl really wants to cause trouble for me, I can just ruthlessly stand by and watch.
Of course, it's also possible that when he was down the mountain, he attacked that Jingu Heihachiro, and the members of the Kamishin Itto-ryu were not satisfied and tried to stall him here, giving them time to find a more powerful opponent to settle the score.
In that case, Chen Xiao wouldn't be afraid, unless he could bring Takeuchi Bunzan back.
Moreover, if they really wanted to settle scores, he couldn't leave; otherwise, wouldn't he lose face?
Thinking of this, Chen Xiao simply laughed and said, "Alright! I'll stay here for two days!"
Tang Xin smiled slightly: "Although Kobe can't compare to Kyoto in terms of famous historical sites, it still has many nice sights. If Chen Xiaojun is interested, I will send someone to accompany you to explore it properly."
"Oh? Don't you expect me to stay on the mountain?" Chen Xiao smiled deliberately. "I thought I'd be under house arrest."
"You flatter me." Tang Xin's expression remained calm and composed, displaying a remarkable air of composure. "How could I possibly restrict your movements? I have already arranged your accommodations. If you don't mind, please stay at the Heart Sword Pavilion's villa on this mountain tonight."
After saying that, she shut her mouth, gathered her sleeves, and gave a slight bow, which meant that she was seeing the guest off.
Chen Xiao stood up, nodded, and quietly walked away despite having a lot of questions.
Following the path I had come from, I emerged from the mountain trail and returned to the steps leading uphill. There, I saw the young man still standing there, leisurely waving his small folding fan.
As Chen Xiao approached, the young man folded his fan with a swift motion, smiled slightly, and glanced at Chen Xiao, as if to say: "Is the conversation over?"
Chen Xiao stared at the smiling young man as he slowly walked over, then suddenly asked, "What's your name?"
“Ito Kyo.” The young man replied casually, “You don’t need to worry about my name, which is a low-ranking disciple. But your residence is in the Shinkensai Annex. That place was once the sword hut where Master Jingu Naoyu lived alone in his youth.”
Chen Xiao snorted and looked at the young man named Ito Kyo: "Are you so sure that I agreed to stay for two days with Miss Tang Xin?"
Ito Kyo didn't hide anything, and smiled frankly: "There are probably very few men in the world who can refuse Miss Tang Xin's request to her face."
Then, Ito Kyo casually shared some information with Chen Xiao.
Only then did Chen Xiao realize that the most senior member of the Shangchen Itto-ryu school was the elderly man in the wheelchair he had met earlier that day, named Ito Taio. This young man, Ito Kyo, was a rising star among the younger generation of the Ito lineage.
The Jingu Heihachiro who fought him was a descendant of Jingu Naoyu, who had lost to General Ta in the past.
Currently, the current head of the Kamishin Ittō-ryū school is none other than Takeuchi Bunzan, Japan's number one swordsmanship master. However, as the master swordsmanship master of the Imperial Family, Takeuchi Bunzan naturally has to devote some of his energy to teaching the Imperial Family disciples. Moreover, as a swordsmanship master, if he is distracted too much by worldly affairs, he will inevitably be unable to maintain sufficient energy to practice swordsmanship.
Therefore, in ordinary times, the real management of the Kamishin Itto-ryu is left to others.
However, it was not handed over to Itō Daiō, the elder of that school.
Within the Upper Rank Itto-ryu school, the inner and outer quarters are clearly distinguished. The inner quarters are located on the mountain, which is the true sacred ground of the school, and the status of the inner hall is far higher than that of the outer hall. It is unknown why Takeuchi Bunzan would make such an arrangement, allowing Tang Xin, a delicate young woman, to lead the inner quarters, and her status is even above that of a veteran like Ito Taisuke.
“Takeuchi Bunzan is quite strange. Why would he entrust such a large school like Kamishū Ittō-ryū to a girl who is not even twenty years old, instead of his own martial uncle?”
Chen Xiao deliberately talked to himself, but found that Ito Kyo next to him looked calm and did not answer.
Chapter 185 of the main text [Bamboo Spring House]
Although Ito Kyo always waved a fan in his hand, which seemed a bit pretentious, Chen Xiao could sense that he was not the kind of naive spoiled brat from a wealthy family. There was always a hint of cunning in the young man's eyes from time to time, but he just concealed it very carefully.
After descending the mountain, Chen Xiao looked at Ito Kyo and said, "I have some things to take care of outside."
Ito Kyo immediately laughed and said, "Anyway, I don't have anything to do, so I'll go with Chen Xiaojun. I grew up in Kobe and I'm familiar with all the places here. I can accompany you to tour around."
Chen Xiao initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought, "I'm going to see the Sea God. If you cause trouble for yourself, you won't blame me."
As expected, the Kamishin Ittō-ryū is a prestigious school in Japan. After giving a few instructions, Ito Kyo and the two arrived at the main gate of the official residence. A black luxury car was already waiting outside, and several young disciples, dressed in black suits, stood at the gate, waiting for the two to come out. They immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Chen Xiao couldn't help but chuckle: "Do all you Japanese people like to put on such a show? This doesn't look like the Ittō-ryū style, but more like the Yamaguchi-gumi."
Ito Kyo pursed his lips: "You flatter me... But how can something like the Yamaguchi-gumi compare to my Kamishita family?"
As he spoke, he invited Chen Xiao into the car.
It was still early before sunset, so Ito Kyo simply acted as a tour guide, leading Chen Xiao on a bus tour around Kobe. To Chen Xiao, Japan's so-called historical sites were rather ordinary. Having grown accustomed to the grandeur and magnificence of ancient architecture in China, seeing Japan's so-called historical sites was hardly impressive.
However, Ito Kyo was extremely intelligent, witty, and had an extraordinary demeanor, and he deliberately tried to please Chen Xiao. He was also very tactful in his actions, not only avoiding annoyance but also making people feel comfortable and at ease.
As time went on, Chen Xiao gradually grew to like him a little more. However, it was somewhat amusing that he would occasionally take out his fan and wave it around.
Accompanied by Ito Kyo, Chen Xiao finally got to eat authentic Kobe beef, though he wasn't exactly a gourmet and didn't have much of a discerning palate. He simply felt that, apart from being slightly more tender and flavorful, it wasn't much different from other beef he'd eaten before.