Swords emerge from Mount Hua, sweeping across the heavens from the world of Swordsman.

"Giant Whale Gang, Japanese pirates!"

Yue Zhuoqun narrowed his eyes, and a murderous intent immediately flared up.

This was a deep-seated hatred of his family and country, rooted in his soul.

Lian Sheng felt the murderous aura and trembled, cold sweat running down his back.

He was a former assassin, and his killing intent was far greater than that of ordinary people, yet he couldn't withstand the murderous aura emanating from Yue Zhuoqun.

Sensing Lian Sheng's fear, Yue Zhuoqun slowly withdrew his killing intent.

He picked up his pen and wrote a reply, handing it to Lian Sheng: "Go back and give this letter to Minister Zhang."

"Yes!"

After Lian Sheng left, Yue Zhuoqun sat alone in his chair for a while, thinking. Only then did he ask Yang Lin to inform the sect elders and managers to come to the Sword Qi Soaring Hall for a meeting.

Half an hour later, all the elders and core disciples, except those who were outside, arrived.

"Senior brother, why are you in such a hurry to gather everyone? Has something important happened?"

Ning Zhongze asked Yue Zhuoqun, who was sitting in the main seat.

Yue Zhuoqun did not answer, but instead asked Xie Fenghuang, "Junior Sister Xie, how many of the sect's businesses are located in coastal areas?"

Although Xie Fenghuang didn't know why he had such a question, she still thought for a moment and replied, "Not many, but there are quite a few merchants with whom we have indirect cooperation."

"Have you ever heard them complain about the Japanese pirates along the coast?"

"This is true! Not only Japanese pirates, but also some small gangs and coastal merchants would hire Japanese ninjas to train their guards."

Yue Zhuoqun narrowed his eyes; the problem was serious!

"I just received a letter from Minister Zhang. The coastal areas are plagued by Japanese pirates and bandits, and the people are suffering terribly."

I plan to lead the disciples of Mount Hua to do something for the country and its people, and to eliminate these Japanese pirates.

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, and their faces showed admiration: "Our sect leader is righteous, and we are willing to follow him."

"Alright! Senior Brother Hua and Junior Sister Xie need to take charge of the Martial Arts Hall and sect affairs, so you two will stay behind at Mount Hua."

Senior Brother Feng, Junior Brother Cheng, Junior Brother Cong, and Junior Sister, each leading a group of disciples, accompanied me to various coastal areas.

"Yes!"

Chapter 56 Yagyu Tajimabe

Jiangnan, a coastal town.

Calling it a small town is an understatement; calling it a small city wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Thirty years ago, this place was indeed a poor town. However, because it had a dock for going out to sea, it became an important base for the Giant Whale Gang, and the town grew into a city within thirty years.

The headquarters of the Giant Whale Gang has specially designated an area to build houses in the Japanese style, making it the dojo of the Shin-Yin School of Japanese Buddhism.

Dozens of men dressed in samurai attire, each wielding a katana, were practicing swordsmanship in the dojo courtyard.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami weaved through them, nodding in satisfaction from time to time.

These weren't his subordinates trained for the Giant Whale Gang, but disciples he brought from Japan, each of whom had received his personal instruction.

Just then, an old man in his fifties rushed in anxiously. This man was none other than Li Tianhao, an elder of the Giant Whale Gang.

Because the gang leader, Li Zhengkai, was obsessed with calligraphy and painting and indulged in refined pursuits every day, Li Tianhao managed all the affairs of the gang and wielded immense power.

"Mr. Yagyu, something terrible has happened!"

Li Tianhao strode up to the head of Yagyu Tajima, ignoring the Shinkage sect disciples around them, and spoke directly:

“All of my Giant Whale Gang’s dozen or so branches, big and small, were wiped out overnight.”

Upon hearing this, Yagyu Tajima raised an eyebrow: "Who did this?"

Unlike established martial arts sects like Huashan and Songshan, the Giant Whale Gang started out by engaging in shady businesses such as selling contraband salt. Its members were a group of petty thugs with low moral character and martial arts skills.

Three years ago, Yagyu Tajima was invited to train disciples for the Giant Whale Gang, and he was accompanied by a successor of the Iga school.

After three years of training, the strength of the Sea Sand Gang members has greatly improved.

In addition, Li Tianhao also recruited many Japanese ronin, greatly increasing their combat strength. No force along the coast could rival the Giant Whale Gang.

With over a dozen branch altars and at least a thousand members, they were wiped out overnight, leaving Liu Sheng and Ma Shou astonished.

"It was the Huashan Sect. Four elders and the Eight Swordsmen of Huashan each led a group of disciples in the attack," Li Tianhao said through gritted teeth.

Li Tianhao is not the gang leader, but he manages all the gang's affairs, and the leaders of these branch altars are all his confidants.

Moreover, they had already planned to kill Li Zhengkai and seize the position of gang leader.

Now that the branch altars have been wiped out, the plan to seize power will be affected.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami wasn't as angry as him; instead, he asked warily, "Has Yue Buqun appeared?"

After Liu Zhengfeng's "washing his hands of his profession" ceremony, the name "Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun" thoroughly shook the martial arts world.

When people talk about him again, he is no longer the Yue Buqun who was easily defeated by Ren Woxing ten years ago, but the Yue Master who can suppress the Eastern Depot with one finger and suppress Mount Song with one palm.

As a master of Japanese swordsmanship, Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami was confident in his martial prowess and dared not be careless.

Yue Buqun did not show up.

Their commotion has disrupted our grand plan to kill Li Zhengkai and seize control of the Giant Whale Gang.

Although Li Zhengkai was sidelined, there were still quite a few loyal members in the gang.

If those die-hard loyalists were to rebel, and given the lack of manpower, the chances of success would be extremely low.

Upon hearing this, Yagyu Tajima's brow relaxed, and he smiled, saying, "Don't worry, I've transferred fifty second-rate swordsmen from Japan. I guarantee you'll be able to take the position of leader of the Giant Whale Gang."

The reason he came to the Central Plains was because he was colluding with Zhu Wushi.

He helped Zhu Wushi rebel and become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, while Zhu Wushi helped him eliminate various martial arts schools in Japan and become the leader of the martial arts world in Japan.

The fake Li Xiu was actually his disciple in disguise. After the assassination attempt failed, he anticipated that he would be in trouble.

He immediately sent a message to Japan, requesting that fifty more skilled men be sent to assist them.

Upon hearing this, Li Tianhao was overjoyed and asked excitedly, "When will this group of experts arrive?"

"Judging by the time, it's about time today," Yagyu Tajima replied, glancing towards a corner of the dojo.

There stood a beautiful young woman in a kimono, her face expressionless, yet she exuded a pure and innocent charm, like a lotus flower in the snow.

"Piaoxu, go to the dock and bring them over!"

"Yes, father!"

Yagyu Hikari, the youngest daughter of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

He responded with a cool, clear voice, tightened the katana tied to his waist, and slowly walked out of the dojo.

……

Merchant ships frequently dock at the seaside pier.

Everywhere you look, you can see workers unloading goods from the ship, and others constantly loading goods onto it.

The area was surrounded by numerous restaurants, teahouses, and vendor stalls, creating a lively scene.

A group of Japanese samurai dressed in samurai attire and carrying katana at their waists disembarked from a large ship.

Feeling the earth beneath their feet and appreciating the bustling scene around them, they all seemed like country bumpkins who had never seen the world before.

The goods sold by the roadside vendors were dazzling to them, and they exclaimed in broken Central Plains dialect:

"As expected of the Central Plains, even the seaside docks are incredibly prosperous!"

They crowded forward one by one, picking up the goods to examine them, their actions rude and disrespectful.

Because they were all carrying weapons, the merchants dared not speak out against them.

"Yoshi, pretty girl!"

Several samurai stared wide-eyed at a small cloth stall.

The stall owner was a young woman dressed in coarse cloth, without any makeup. However, she had a good figure, with a full bust that exuded mature charm.

These Japanese samurai were muttering incomprehensible gibberish, and their lewd expressions made it clear they weren't saying anything nice.

The young woman noticed this as well, her eyes filled with anger, but she dared not provoke them rashly. She could only silently gather the cloth from her stall and prepare to leave.

A Japanese samurai suddenly reached out and grabbed at her chest.

"Ah~ What are you doing!"

The young woman retreated in a panic, thus avoiding the groping hand.

But the group of Japanese samurai became even more excited and immediately surrounded her, reaching out to grab her again.

laugh!

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound, and the groping hand was abruptly pulled back.

"Ah! Someone's plotting against me!"

The owner of the groped hand screamed in pain as a chopstick pierced his palm, causing the veins to bulge.