The implication was that the Shangchen family was afraid to fight.
Tang Xin smiled faintly: "My Shangchen family has many disciples, and all the swordsmen present have their own skills. If Master Xiping wants to spar, there will naturally be others to take over."
Nishihira Kojiro pondered for a moment. Besides Takeuchi Bunzan, the only other member of the Kamishin family was Jingu Heihachiro. Even Jingu Heihachiro wasn't his match, so the others were even less of a threat. Although Jingu Heihachiro refused to fight, defeating someone else would still be a respectable achievement. Moreover, if he defeated all the second-generation masters of the Kamishin family, he could secretly spread rumors afterward that Jingu Heihachiro was cowardly and deliberately avoiding battle. This might be even more effective than defeating him outright!
Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he deliberately shook his head and sighed, "It's a pity that I have long admired the swordsmanship of the Divine Palace Lord, but I cannot fight him. What a regret!" Then he immediately changed the subject, "Then, may I ask which master from the Shangchen family will step forward to give me his guidance?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at the swordsman from the Shangchen family who was sitting on a futon next to him.
He thought to himself: The second generation of the Kamishin family are known as the "Eight Heroes." Jingu Heihachiro's strength barely reaches the first-rate level, yet he's already the leader of the Eight Heroes; the others are utterly insignificant! It's laughable that the Kamishin family, despite its great reputation, can't even find a single decent fighter after the second generation. Whether it's Ito or Takeuchi, these once illustrious families can't find a single outstanding successor.
Every swordsman from the Shangchen family whose gaze swept over him wore an eager expression. Although the Shangchen family was divided into factions, they were still one family after all, and everyone was united in their hatred of being challenged.
However, as the head of the imperial family, Tang Xin always held absolute authority within the inner court, although some people harbored resentment towards this young girl. But Takeuchi Fumio steadfastly supported his granddaughter, and no one dared to disobey Tang Xin's authority. Tang Xin remained silent, even though she yearned for battle, she dared not utter a word.
Tang Xin smiled slightly: "To be able to spar with the renowned Japanese master Nishihira Kojiro, such a precious opportunity is something that every swordsman in the Shangchen family would crave. Hmm..."
She seemed to hesitate and think for a moment on purpose before turning her head and looking at Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao smiled inwardly, thinking: Here they come!
Ito Kyoto briefly translated the conversation between Tang Xin and Nishihira Kojiro. Seeing Tang Xin's feigned hesitation, he knew that the final move would inevitably fall on his own shoulders.
Sure enough, Tang Xin seemed to have made a selection before turning her gaze to Chen Xiao, her eyes filled with a smile: "Chen Xiao, please represent the Chen family in the battle on my behalf."
She said this in Chinese, which surprised everyone around her!
Not only Prince Hirohito and Nishihei, but even the entire Shangchen family was stunned. The only ones who remained calm were Ito Kyo and Ito Taisuke, who was sitting in a wheelchair. Clearly, Ito Taisuke, this elder, had known about Tang Xin's arrangements for some time.
Chen Xiao sighed and stood up steadily. Nishihira Kojiro then came to his senses: "Him? Who is he?"
As she spoke, she glanced hesitantly at Chen Xiao, then, remembering that Tang Xin had spoken in Chinese, she couldn't help but exclaim, "He's Chinese?! When did the Shangchen family start accepting Chinese disciples?!"
Actually, this statement is somewhat flawed. The Shangchen family had hundreds of dojos in Japan, nearly a thousand at its peak, openly accepting disciples. Although officially registered disciples underwent rigorous screening, the number of ordinary disciples was countless. Given the significant number of people of Chinese descent in Japan, it's not impossible that there were disciples of Chinese descent.
But... to enter the Spring Flow Palace of the Shangchen family, one becomes a formal disciple! What's more, to be able to ascend the mountain and sit in the main seat of the Heart Sword's inner hall?!
After entering, everyone noticed Chen Xiao and kept guessing who he was. If he was a scion of a noble family, Prince Hirohito would surely recognize him. After thinking it over, they concluded that he was probably some close relative or nephew of Takeuchi Fumiyama.
Moreover, Chen Xiao was young and probably not a particularly skilled person, so no one thought much of it.
Nishihira Kojiro was furious: "What a joke! Takeuchi Daisō family! Are you playing me for fools? Making such a young boy, and a Chinese one at that, spar with me, the dignified Nishihira Kojiro of the Hidden Moon School? Is this the Kamitatsu family's contempt for me?!"
Tang Xin was not in a hurry and smiled slightly: "Master Xiping, please calm down. This young swordsman is a secret disciple of the inner hall of my Shangchen family."
Upon hearing this, west Ping was stunned. Even the others, including Prince Bo Ren, looked at Chen Xiao with surprise and suspicion.
The inner hall secret disciple of the Shangchen family, in the context of Chinese martial arts sects, would be equivalent to "the sect leader's personally taught disciple".
This young Chinese man... is he Takeuchi Bunzan's apprentice?!
If he is Takeuchi Bunzan's disciple, then no matter how young he is, in terms of seniority he is already on par with Nishihira Kojiro! It seems there is nothing wrong with letting him fight.
only……
"A secret disciple of the inner hall?" Nishihira Kojiro still didn't believe it: "He's Chinese, isn't he? How could a Chinese person be your secret disciple of the inner hall?"
Tang Xin wasn't in a hurry and slowly explained, "This person is indeed from China, but his identity is not simple. He once studied under a Chinese martial arts master. Speaking of which, that martial arts master has a very deep connection with my Shangchen family. Later, he came all the way from China and studied under my grandfather. Firstly, it serves as proof of the martial arts of both China and Japan. Secondly, my grandfather sincerely imparted his skills, so he is indeed a formal disciple of the inner hall of my Shangchen family!"
These few words were spoken in Chinese, deliberately meant for Chen Xiao to hear.
Much of Japanese culture originated from China, and traditionally, the upper classes in Japan have taken pride in learning Chinese culture (this is also true in both Japan and Korea). In Japanese high society, being able to speak Chinese, write Chinese characters, and even recite Chinese poems is a symbol of high status.
Therefore, although Tang Xin's last words were spoken to Chen Xiao in Chinese, both Bo Ren and Nishihira Kojiro understood them.
"I... I guess you could say I'm an exchange student from a martial arts sect." Chen Xiao stood up. His expression was calm as he smiled at Nishihira Kojiro, "Exchange students are considered regular students, aren't they?"
"Now that you've joined the Shangchen family, you're considered an integral part of the Japanese martial arts world! What's your name?" Prince Hirohito suddenly asked.
“My Chinese name is Chen Xiao,” Chen Xiao said calmly. “But since I’ve joined the Shangchen family, I’ll do as the Romans do and also have a Japanese name.”
With that, he walked up to Nishihira Kojiro, gave a slight bow, and spoke in a serious, Japanese-accented tone: "Lord Nishihira! I am Nohara Shinnosuke, an inner disciple of the Kamishin family! Please give me your guidance!"
Nohara Shinnosuke?
Upon hearing the name, Tang Xin almost burst out laughing. She glared at Chen Xiao with a hint of reproach, while Ito Kyo behind her quickly opened his folding fan and covered his mouth, afraid that someone would see him laughing out loud.
However... Nishihira Kojiro seemed unaware of the famous "Shin-chan" classmate, and gave Chen Xiao a cold look. The other party was so young, yet dared to come up and fight him... Didn't the Shangchen family know that this battle was also related to the prestige of both families?
Or perhaps they have complete confidence in this young man?
Bo Ren's eyes darted around. He wasn't a pure martial artist; he was more thoughtful. He said, "This... doesn't seem right. Master Xiping is, after all, my swordsmanship teacher, a royal swordsman. How can he easily fight a Chinese person? Wouldn't that be beneath his dignity? If it were a Shinto swordsman instructing me, that would be fine, since he would at least have the official status of a Japanese swordsman... What kind of status does this Chinese person have!"
Tang Xin glanced at the cunning Bo Ren and smiled calmly: "Your Highness, this... Mr. Nohara Shinnosuke..." Her expression was a little strange, obviously she was also trying her best to suppress her laughter, then she put on a serious face: "He is also a royal swordsman."
As she spoke, she took out a scroll from under the chair behind her.
Zhang Kai handed it to Prince Hirohito and said with a smile, "Princess Senjiko, through my grandfather's introduction, has formally become a disciple of this... Mr. Nohara Shinnosuke to learn swordsmanship. This is the official contract, and a copy was personally presented to the Imperial Household Agency by my grandfather three days ago for record-keeping. In other words, this gentleman already possesses the status of a royal swordsman. Therefore, sparring with Master Saihei would not be a disgrace to Master Saihei's status!"
Royal Swordsman?
Bo Ren was taken aback, but after glancing at the contract twice, he said, "It really is Chiyoko's handwriting." Then he fell silent.
Chen Xiao glanced at Tang Xin again—this woman had done such thorough preparation behind his back! She'd even teamed up with that Prince Sato? And that Prince Sato was actually helping her with her antics. How had he inexplicably acquired the identity of a Japanese Imperial Swordsman?
Xiping was furious, feeling it was a great insult that the other side had sent a Chinese boy to fight him. Although he had some reservations about the identity of the inner hall's secret disciple—being personally instructed by Takeuchi Fumio was no easy feat!
However, this kid doesn't look to be more than twenty years old. Even if he's very talented, how much skill can someone so young have?