Elevator Dimension Line

Kisaragi Saemon held a sword in his hand, his eyes glancing at the teacup on the tatami mat.

He had seen it clearly just now; the tip of the blade hadn't even touched the teacup. It had split the teacup in two simply by its sharp edge, which was enough to show how terrifying this katana was.

Zaemon could no longer hold back. He got up, grabbed his sword, and went to the small courtyard outside.

Seeing this, Hu Yi and Yang Yan hurriedly got up and went to the door, with Tantai Ye smiling and following behind.

In the courtyard, Kisaragi Saemon, holding his sword with both hands, slowly made several swinging motions. Although the movements were slow, the sharp sound of the blade cutting through the air could still be heard.

After completing the last slow movement, Kisaragi Zaemon held the katana high above his head. After concentrating for a moment, Kisaragi Zaemon suddenly opened his eyes and rushed towards a large rock in the courtyard. He stopped abruptly just before reaching it, and then swung the katana in his hand across the rock.

A cold light shot out more than half a meter from the tip of the knife, slicing diagonally down the stone and slicing up a patch of grass on the ground.

As the turf fell to the ground, the large rock also slid down at an angle and landed on the ground.

"What a fine sword! Even the Kusanagi sword can't compare to its sharpness..." Kisaragi Zaemon said, then, remembering something, he quickly turned to look at Tantai Ye standing at the door, bowing slightly. "My lord, you possess such divine skill! You can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, transforming a common katana into a sharp divine blade! I am utterly impressed... This sword!" Kisaragi Zaemon glanced at the sword in his hand, somewhat reluctant to part with it.

"...I cannot accept this!"

Kisaragi Saemon's words surprised both Kagero and Hu Yi. They knew that a sharp weapon could greatly enhance combat power, which was of great benefit to both samurai and ninjas.

Tantai Ye saw through Ruyue Zaemon's thoughts and smiled, "Don't overthink it. As I just said, this knife is just an apology to you and your brother. It has no other meaning. You don't need to worry. If you accept this knife, I will ask you to do something."

"...This sword is still too valuable!" Kisaragi Saemon said, still feeling uneasy.

"Hehe, are you worried that I'll send you to persuade your leader to join me?" Tantai Ye waved his hand. "There's no need for that. Although I invited you Koga to join me, it was only because of my wife; it was an invitation to a friend. I won't force you to join if you don't want to. When you see reality in the future, you'll naturally ask to join on your own. So, just accept this sword with peace of mind. Use it well in the future to protect yourself and your sister, Hu Yi."

Having said that, Kisaragi Saemon had no choice but to accept it, but he still sincerely thanked Tantai Ye.

The group chatted for a while longer before Tantai Ye took his leave. He wanted to continue exploring the surrounding area, and Hu Yi joined them as his free guide.

...Let's move a little further back in time!

On the morning after the heavy rain, Tantai Ye was woken up by Arisa, who reminded him that it was time to go to Koga.

Just as Tantai Ye left, Hoshimi Miyabi also came out of the study with Tsukishiro Ryu, Pokona, Yumiko, Kamishiro Rize, and Irimi Kaname.

Tantai Ye has already fixed a spatial anchor point in one of Shouge's study rooms.

As for the people who came, Tsukishiro Ryu was there to help Zhu Juan solve the case, while the other four were with him and Arisa to visit the daimyo near Kyoto.

That daimyo controlled the largest armed force besides the Kyoto garrison. They were usually stationed on the outskirts of Kyoto and were responsible for guarding, defending, and supporting the troops around Kyoto.

Zhu Juan and Ying Huo were summoned by Xing Jianya, who introduced Yue Cheng Liu to them.

The two women were naturally amazed by Yue Chengliu's appearance. Not to mention her tall figure, her intellectual and independent temperament was something that women in today's society could definitely possess, and she exuded a powerful aura with every move she made.

To be honest, Yuecheng Liu was still somewhat resentful. She was simply born to be a busybody. In her own world, she had to be Hoshimi Miya's assistant and handle many things. And that wasn't enough; she also had to be dragged to this ancient world to help her solve cases...

But since she had said she would help Hoshimi Miyabi, she had no choice but to agree.

As for Pokona and the others, they came willingly, and even wished they could stay with Tantai Ye forever.

Zhu Juan, Ying Huo, and Yue Cheng Liu found a room, and after getting a general understanding of what had happened, the three of them left the Imperial Palace.

Then Hoshimi Miyabi and Arisa, along with Yumiko, Pokona, Kamishiro Rize, and Irimi Kaname, traveled by carriage to the outskirts of Kyoto, accompanied by a small group of samurai sent by the Emperor.

Inside the sedan chair, Hoshimi Miyabi, Arisa, and Yumiko sat together, while the other three were in the carriage behind.

Arisa looked at the scroll in her hand, which contained the detailed information about that daimyo given to her by the Heavenly Empress Mizuo.

“Kasahara Yasukatsu! Commander of the White Army of the Hojo Five Colors Army, one of the Eight Elders of Hojo, and a retainer of Hojo Soun…” Arisa read the contents of the scroll, a slight smile curving her lips.

“It seems the Hojo clan wields considerable influence in Kyoto! We haven’t met Hojo Ujiyasu yet, have we?” Hoshimi Masato said.

“Hehe~~~” Arisa suddenly laughed, “That Hojo Ujiyasu’s daughter, Hojo Ujie, is an acquaintance of ours. She’s still eyeing Yoh, and her ninjas are still searching for us all over the city. Little do they know that we’re staying in the Emperor’s Palace.”

Yumiko looked puzzled, as she was unaware of this matter. Arisa then pulled her aside and whispered something to her.

Yumiko nodded, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. Such a strong woman was only able to get along with Madam Ya, who had a righteous personality. If it were her, she would definitely teach the other woman a lesson.

"Since Kasahara Yasukatsu is one of the five guards of the Hojo clan, what about the other four?" Yumiko asked.

Arisa waved the scroll and said, "The other four colors are black, blue, red, and yellow. They are also assigned to daimyo, but they are all in relatively remote places, so we don't need to consider them for now."

Yumiko nodded, and the carriage swayed and rocked until it finally arrived at its destination near noon.

Although it's on the outskirts of Kyoto, it's still nearly 20 kilometers away. In modern times, you could get there in no time, but in ancient times, the roads were difficult to travel, so the journey would naturally be much slower.

Nestled beside a lake hidden by a pine forest, lies a large estate, the residence of Kasahara Yasukatsu, the daimyo and commander of the Hojo Goshokubei and Shirobei.

There were many villages scattered around, all of which were the private property of this daimyo, and the farmers there were naturally his long-term laborers.