A person in Japan, a sword that soars to immortality.

"Eh? It's Taiichi. It's been a while since we last met."

Fujinami Rantaro lowered the sword he had raised, turned to face Taichi, and said with a smile.

"Yes, I went on a long trip a while ago. I happened to hear that you were here today, so I came to see an old friend."

Taichi walked up to Rantaro and said in a gentle tone.

Because they frequently went to prisons and execution grounds to behead people, the Yamada Asaemon family was very familiar with the officers and constables of the Edo Magistrate's Office.

Over time, some officials would choose those with whom they had a good relationship when selecting executioners.

Taichi and Rantaro happen to be very good friends.

"Speaking of which, Rantaro, would you like to see my swordsmanship? I guarantee it will surprise you."

As Taiichi spoke with a smile, he also glanced at Kiyomaru out of the corner of his eye.

However, there was no anger on the other person's face; instead, a playful smile appeared on their face.

"Um... Brother Taiyi, I do acknowledge your decapitation skills, but as for swordsmanship... I think we should forget about it. I'm here to practice swordsmanship with a clear purpose this time."

Rantaro frowned slightly, looked at Taiichi seriously, and then bowed slightly in apology after he finished speaking.

In Edo Castle, samurai who wanted to practice swordsmanship would either practice in their own courtyard or go to a kendo dojo to practice.

And if they had enough silver in their pockets, the vast majority of samurai would choose the latter.

Training at the kendo dojo not only provides ample space, but also allows you to spar with fellow practitioners and even pay for expert guidance.

Among these dojos, three are the most famous: the Genbu Hall of the Hokushin Itto-ryu, the Renbu Hall of the Shinto Munen-ryu, and the Shigaku Hall of the Kyōshin Meichi-ryu.

To study at these three martial arts schools, the tuition alone would cost six taels of gold per year.

If you were to find a renowned swordsman from the academy to provide instruction, a single lesson would cost at least 1 Zhu Jin.

Although Rantaro was a government official and a hatamoto (a high-ranking official in the military), his salary was only 200 koku, and he actually received only 150 koku.

But he didn't spend all 150 shi (a unit of dry measure) on himself; he also had to support his wife and children.

The Yamada family's dojo, due to its close relationship with the magistrate's office, often charged very low fees, and the Yamada family's swordsmanship was no worse than that of the three major dojos.

"Rantaro, I think you could let Taichi demonstrate, after all, some things..."

"Only by comparing them can we know which one is good and which one is bad."

Kiyomaru took two steps back, hugged the main sword to his chest, looked at Taiichi, and said meaningfully.

"I think that's unnecessary!"

A clear female voice rang out as Saki, who was practicing swordsmanship in a corner, walked over to Taiichi and interrupted.

After arriving at Taiichi's side, she deliberately glared at Kiyomaru.

Kiyomaru, really! You're making Taiichi look bad!

"Everyone in the clan knows that Senior Brother Taiyi still hasn't secured a seat." Zuoqie looked at Taiyi, seeing his calm demeanor, and couldn't help but think to himself, "Although Kiyomaru doesn't have a seat either, it's because he's not an adult yet!"

Everyone in the Yamada Asaemon clan highly acknowledged Kiyomaru's strength.

After all, she was so young and came from a separate family, yet she still received exceptional recognition.

This shows just how strong Kiyomaru's swordsmanship must be!

Although Shuxian is gentle to every member of his clan, he still gives special consideration to those who are skilled in swordsmanship.

"Hey, little Sakiri, you're causing trouble again. If Taiichi wants to show off, just let him." Genji walked over, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then showed off his muscular forearms, clenching his fists in front of his chest:

"After all, Junior Brother Taiyi always runs off to Yoshiwara. Every time he comes back, he exudes a womanly aura. If he doesn't show some manly qualities, everyone will start to think that Junior Brother Taiyi is a woman, hahaha."

Ok?

Taiyi turned his head and looked coldly at Genji, who was laughing loudly and pretending to be stupid.

The latter noticed that he was looking at him and immediately returned a disdainful smile.

At some point, Genji noticed that he was seeing Sakichi less often and spending more time with Taiichi.

Although the "time spent together" he referred to was simply meeting with Sorgi on the road, in the kitchen, and at the dojo every day.

But because of Taiyi, even such simple encounters rarely happen now.

This infuriated him, who had always liked Zoche, and he blamed Taiichi for everything that was happening.

"Hmph, what a sissy! He actually thinks he's on par with Kiyomaru. He must be out of his mind. We'll see how he gets out of this."

Genji thought to himself with smug satisfaction.

Inside the dojo, the other members of Yamada Asaemon's clan, though silent, all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to this place.

Dianzuo, wearing a headband, was somewhat displeased with the situation and, carrying a bamboo sword, was about to walk over.

However, before he could take a step, he was stopped by Shi Yuan.

"Master..."

"Don't act impulsively. Taiyi... isn't as simple as you think."

Shi Yuan tilted his head, his ear facing Taiyi, and whispered to Dianzuo.

Meanwhile, Wei Shan, with his only remaining eye squinted, stood silently with a cold expression.

It doesn't matter to him who it is.

Because neither of these two people were his favorites.

"Alright, why are you so agitated? This is what I asked for." Taiyi put his hands on Zuoqie's shoulders and pulled her behind him. Then he turned around and took out a small box from his pocket: "Here, put your hand out."

"Huh? Oh."

Zoche was taken aback for a moment, then blankly stretched out his hand and opened his tender white palm.

She's now quite used to Taiichi's touch, and no longer blushes so easily as before.

"what is this?"

"It's just a little trinket, red in color." Taiichi placed the small box in her palm, and reached out his other hand towards her hand holding the bamboo knife.

He naturally enveloped Zuo Qie's palm, then pried open her fingers with his four fingers, and held the main knife in his own hand.

"Sasairo Red...Sasa, Sasairo Red!" Sakiri didn't pay any attention to Taiichi's actions, only staring wide-eyed at the small box in his palm, his tone extremely excited.

"This is too precious, Senior Brother Taiyi."

“It’s not expensive, only one tael of gold.” Taiyi twirled his sword, switched to a regular grip, and slowly walked to the open space, looking at Kiyomaru: “After all, for me, money is just an external thing.”

"No, this is too valuable, I can't accept it!"

Sakiri was about to return Sasashiro Kurenai to Taichi, but the latter raised his bamboo sword, the tip pointing at Kiyomaru, and smiled faintly:

"This is my way of thanking you for the rice balls you sent. After all, they were really delicious."

Taiyi activated his breathing technique, enveloping the bamboo sword in a layer of scorching heat that caused the air to rise. He then casually swung it to the side.

boom! ! !

A tremendous sound rang out, and a sonic boom echoed directly where the blade had sliced ​​through!