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

Day two.

Having finished his meeting with the general and taken care of his business, Matsudaira Kiyoki was now sitting in his sedan chair on his way home.

Spring has been here for a while now, and the temperature is starting to get hot.

Feeling stuffy in the elevator car, Matsudaira Aoki lifted the curtain to breathe in the fresh air and admire the scenery along the way.

As I looked at it, I was reminded of the current situation of the shogunate, and my mood changed from sunny to gloomy.

"The country has suffered from poor harvests for years, and people are starving to death every day. But the general is preparing to retire and is also planning to build the West Maru Palace."

"That scoundrel Okubo Tadamasa not only didn't help to advise him, but he also actively helped raise money. He's a real traitor!"

After silently cursing his sycophantic colleagues, a cherry blossom petal drifted in through the window and landed on his leg. Matsudaira Aoki picked up the petal and sighed softly.

"The world is full of suffering, but the cherry blossoms bloom on their own."

"Why are you troubled, sir? This morning outside the Honmaru Palace, I met the commander of the Fire Thieves Bureau, Hasegawa Yotsuzo, and I heard some good news from him."

The servant girl following beside the sedan chair noticed that Matsudaira Aoki was in a bad mood and immediately came over to say something.

"tell me the story."

"Just last night, Yamada Asaemon Taichi and Fujinami Rantaro successfully apprehended Yoshiwara's cannibalistic courtesan, Kaguya."

"Oh? How did he do that? I heard that a lot of people died mysteriously in the early stages of the Fire Bandit Reform in order to investigate this courtesan He Yi, and even so, it is still not certain that it is related to He Yi."

Matsuki Aoki raised an eyebrow and immediately asked with interest.

"Um... I'm not too clear on the specifics. I guess you'd have to ask Lord Yuecang himself."

The young man looked embarrassed and answered cautiously.

"Why ask him? It's better to ask the person directly in charge of this matter." Matsudaira Aoki waved his hand, indicating his disagreement with the page's suggestion. Then, a thought struck him, and he continued:

"By the way, where is Yamada Asaemonta?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I heard it from Lord Yuezang. He didn't come to the yamen today, but was at the Yamada family's residence."

"Yeah, that's true. You worked so hard last night, you should rest today."

After finishing his story, Matsuki Aoki also thought about his own hardships and couldn't help but pound his thigh.

"My lord, you are mistaken. Taiichi is not resting, but is sparring with his clansmen. It seems that the Yamada clan is holding some kind of sword-testing martial arts festival today?"

"Oh? Interesting. Let's go check out the Yamada family in Heiwa-cho."

At the command, the palanquin bearers immediately turned around and headed towards the Yamada family's residence.

......

Inside the dojo.

Snapped!

Two samurai from the Yamada Asaemon clan were each wielding a bamboo sword and slashing fiercely at each other.

Although both sides used many impressive moves, it was still somewhat boring for Wei Shan, Shi He, and the others who were sitting around and ranked.

And every now and then, everyone present would glance at Taichi and Kiyomaru, who were sitting not far from them.

The ranking of the "Try One-Sword Style" is only twelfth.

To gain a ranking, those clansmen without a ranking must first undergo a civil service examination.

After being selected, you must defeat your opponent in the preliminary rounds in another battle before you can challenge a ranked person.

The rules seem simple, but getting a ranking is extremely difficult.

The fact that the person ranked last in the Ittō-ryū style is Yamada Asaemon Sakiri makes defeating him incredibly difficult.

The clansmen ranked ahead of Zoche were all no less skilled in swordsmanship than Zoche.

This also means that these people don't really want to watch the ongoing competition, simply because it's just a bunch of noobs fighting each other.

"The match is over. Ikeda Keien is the winner. The next match will be between Yamada Asaemon Taichi and Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru!"

After the referee, Dianzuo, announced the opponent for the next match, everyone in the arena became excited.

Only Saki, who was sitting next to Taiichi, along with Senta and Fuchi, looked somewhat unnatural.

"Taiyi, are you really going to go? Or should we just call it a day?"

Senta leaned out and turned to Taichi, speaking with concern.

Taichi returned to the Yamada family home late last night, knowing that he had gone to arrest criminals, so Sakichi and the others hadn't slept.

When they saw Taiichi, they were immediately startled.

He was covered in blood, his lips were white, and even the knife was broken!

Fu Zhi immediately took out his medical tools, preparing to give Taiyi a full-body checkup.

To everyone's surprise, Taiyi simply waved his hand and said that he was fine.

He then led the group to the kitchen, where they found all the meat they could and grilled it on the spot. He also asked Senta to get some sake.

When the others asked what had happened, Taiyi didn't elaborate. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, he bid them farewell and went back to his room to sleep.

"Yes, Taichi, you should listen to Senta's advice. Is something like a competition really that important?"

Soryu looked at Taiichi, his little hands unconsciously clenching tightly for fear of being rejected.

This is outrageous! After what happened last night, they still want to have a martial arts competition today. They don't care about their health at all. I'm so angry!

"Ah~" Taiichi shook his neck, making a cracking sound as he stood up. He first patted Sakichi's head, then patted Fuchi and Senta on the shoulders:

"Don't worry, I'm in absolutely the best possible condition right now!"

[Sword Control System]

Name: Yamada Asaemon Taichi

Age: 20

【Lifespan: 53】

[Energy: 85.1 (+)]

Qi and Blood: 40.5 (+)

[God Soul: 21.5 (+)]

[Breathing Techniques (+): Yin Tiger's Roar (Intermediate) (+), Yang Dragon's Chant (Advanced) (+)]

[Additional effects: Rapid recovery; Blazing inferno]

[Conversion Effect: Essence to Blood and Qi conversion is 20 times (5s); Spirit to Blood and Qi conversion is 20 times (5s)]

[Martial Arts: Yanglong Style (+)]

【Title: Nameless Ronin (When facing enemies, the only thing they'll notice about you is your good looks)】

[Common points: 0]

Looking at the data in the system, Taiyi felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Advanced breathing techniques are amazing! I actually gained 3 points in just one night."

"I was seriously injured yesterday and lost 5 points of essence, but it's okay. I'll recover in a few days."

"But what's even more awesome is the conversion effect within the system..."

Looking at the entries, especially the words "twenty times conversion," Taiyi almost had a brain orgasm.

Kiyomaru, right? Come on.

This time, I'm going to beat the crap out of you!