00】
No, it wasn't just his palms... there was a lot of cold sweat on his forehead and back.
Thump, thump, thump, thump... The beating speed of the heart further increased...
Qingdeng sensed that this was not due to the further deepening of the "lonely" effect that caused the heart to beat faster - it was because of the great psychological pressure that caused the body to experience abnormal symptoms such as increased heart rate and cold sweats.
.
After Zhousuke opened his eyes and the aura of a tiger descending from the mountain emanated from his body, Qingden felt as if a big stone had been pressed against his heart.
This feeling... really feels like being stared at by a tiger, or confronting a tiger.
This is the first time Qingden has seen such a fierce and powerful side of Zhou Su, and it is also the first time he has faced off against a swordsman with such a strong momentum.
It was really difficult for him to equate the tense-faced swordsman in front of him, who constantly exuded a fierce aura, with the old comedian from the Trial Guard Hall that he was familiar with.
The current owner of the Shiwei Hall, the third generation head of the Natural Rishin-ryu clan - at this moment, for some reason, because Shuzuke's daily behavior is so humorous, Qingto always forgets this sequence of events unconsciously.
The titles held by Zhou Zhu flashed through Qingdeng's mind.
——Ha, I subconsciously forgot about it... How could the head of a swordsman clan be just a simple henpecker?
Qingden, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, tightened his palms that were dripping with cold sweat, took a deep breath, and looked solemn.
In his eyes, fighting spirit was burning.
Qingdeng himself didn't realize it at this time - facing the fierce and powerful "tiger" on the opposite side, he didn't feel any timidity or fear in his heart, but instead felt more fighting spirit.
--bring it on!
His eyes were fixed on Zhousuke opposite him without blinking, guarding against any of his next moves.
Just as Qingden was preparing for the attack and was seriously thinking about how Zhou Zhu would attack next, Zhou Zhu, who had been assuming an attacking posture, suddenly took a long breath and slowly lowered the bamboo sword in front of him.
While putting down his sword, Zhousuke slowly lowered his eyelids.
His eyes returned to squinting, and a soft, friendly smile appeared on the corner of his mouth again.
And as Shusuke closed his eyes again, the fierce aura that had been erupting from his body since just now suddenly dissipated, and he turned back into the old comedian from the imperial examination hall that Qingteng was familiar with.
"Okay, let's stop here first..." Zhousuke stretched out his hand and rubbed his left shoulder, "Tachibana-kun, come on, come over to me."
"Huh?" Qingden, whose face was full of confusion, blinked hard at Zhou Zhu.
Suddenly, he hit him without any explanation, and then suddenly announced, "Let's stop here first"... Qingden felt that he was a little unable to keep up with Zhou Zhu's overly vigorous pace.
Since Zhou Zhu had already put down his sword, indicating "no more fighting", Qingdeng could only obediently put down his sword along with Zhou Zhu, and then walked quickly to Zhou Zhu's side.
"Tangerine-kun, sit down."
Zhou Assistant pointed to the floor in front of him, and then he took the lead and sat cross-legged on the ground.
"Ji Jun, what do you think about our competition just now?" Zhou Zhu paused, and then added, "Just say whatever comes to mind. Just say everything you thought about in the competition just now.
."
"What do you think..." Qingdeng crossed his legs like Zhouzhu and sat still on the ground. After thinking for a moment, he said calmly:
"At the beginning of the sparring session, although you were very strong, Master, you didn't give me the feeling of 'you are scary'."
"But just now, after you opened your eyes wide... your aura suddenly changed."
"It's like going from a cat to a tiger."
"With the sudden change in your momentum, I, who could have fought you back and forth, were instantly suppressed by you."
"Well..." After listening quietly to Qingdeng's explanation of his feelings, he grinned, "From a cat to a tiger... Haha, this evaluation is quite accurate."
Zhou Assistant raised his hand and touched his bare chin again.
"Tachibana-kun, you should know that my grandfather... is also the founder of our Natural Rishin-ryu: Kondo Uchizosuke?"
"Of course I know." Qingto replied without hesitation, "When I first joined the Trial Guard Hall, Kondo-kun and Okita-kun told me some of our master's deeds."
The master of their natural Rishin-ryu: Kondo Uchizosuke, was originally a Katori Shinto-ryu swordsman.
After practicing Katori Shinto-ryu to great perfection, he added his own understanding on the basis of Katori Shinto-ryu, and created the Natural Rishin-ryu during the Kansei period 70 years ago.
When he founded Tennorishin-ryu, Kondo Uchizo Sukeno was still a young man who was not even 30 years old - it can be seen that this master of Aoden was not an ordinary person with ordinary talent and strength.
"Yes." Zhou Zhu nodded, "Then have you heard from Cong Yong and Souji about the story of our master and his master?"
"Uh..." Qingdeng was startled, "I'm really not sure about this..."
The story of the great master Kondo Uchizosuke and his master... This is the first time Qingto has heard of it.
"Yong and Souji haven't told you yet... Well, let me tell you briefly now."
Zhou Zhu cleared his throat.
"Our master, Kondo Uchizosuke, had a particularly mysterious master."
"According to the secrets passed down by our Kondo family, our master's mysterious master did not give him any specific instructions on swordsmanship skills. He only taught him one sentence -"
"'When engaging in a life-and-death fight with others, as long as you can win, that's fine. As long as you can win, it doesn't matter even if you use despicable means such as taking out a blunderbuss to sneak attack your opponent, which in the eyes of outsiders are completely heretical.'"
When Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help but trembled in his heart.
This teaching... suits him very well!
If it weren't for the lack of access to guns, he would have wanted to get himself a gun a long time ago!
At present, almost all feudal states, including the shogunate, are still using matchlock guns on a large scale that have been outdated for more than 200 years... Even most of the feudal lords are unable to get themselves a Western musket.
, let alone Qingdeng, who is currently just a "capital policeman".
If he could get a pistol and enough bullets... when those "anti-barbarian" madmen came out to trouble him again, he would just take out his pistol and blast their heads one by one. How fun it would be!
Qingdeng is still very confident in his marksmanship. When he was studying in school in his previous life, his marksmanship was always on par with other students of the same level.
While Qing Deng was silently applauding the teachings of his master's mysterious master, Zhousuke continued:
"After receiving this teaching from this mysterious master, the master used this teaching as the basis to create the secret meaning of our natural Rishin flow - when fighting with others, you must hold on to 'I'
"You must win no matter what," the firm belief. As long as you can hold on to this belief, it will not be easy to lose momentum."
Having said this, Zhousuke changed into a more serious and serious tone.
"Whether it is swordsmanship or spearmanship, no matter what kind of martial arts it is, momentum is the most important when competing with others."
"You may not have a strong enough physique, you may not have enough exquisite skills, but you must never lose the courage to dare to fight with others and dare to defeat your opponents!"
Qingdeng nodded lightly - Qingdeng quite agreed with what Zhou Zhu just said.
One boldness, two strength, three kung fu... This sentence is universal no matter what kind of martial arts it is.
When practicing martial arts, the most important thing is to have enough courage to confront the opponent in front of you.
If you are timid in a fight, afraid of this or that, you may not be able to exert 50% of your 100% strength.
The second most important thing after courage is physical fitness.
Martial arts skills are the third most important thing.
"This kind of courage to fight and win is particularly important for a school like ours, which focuses on attack, Natural Rishin-ryu."
"You don't even have the courage to fight and defeat your opponent, so how can the sword you swing be sharp enough?"
Zhou Zhu stretched out two fingers at this time.
"So, to put it simply - the secret meaning of this natural rational flow created by our master requires us to do the following two things."
"1: When fighting with others, you can do whatever it takes to win."
"It's understandable to talk about martial arts ethics in friendly martial arts exchanges. But to talk about martial arts ethics when engaging in a life-and-death fight with the enemy is just brainless."
"Two: No matter what, you must not lose the momentum of daring to fight and win."
Zhousuke put down the two outstretched fingers.
"Tachibana-kun, in the battle just now, you should have deeply realized the importance of momentum, right?"
Qingdeng's expression was slightly stern.
"Tachibana-kun, think about it carefully now - in the battle just now, did my strength and speed remain the same from the beginning to the end? But after I released my momentum, my moves suddenly changed.
Be fierce."
Qingden half-closed his eyes, carefully recalled all the details of the battle just now, and nodded.
In the brief confrontation just now, Qingden could see very clearly - before and after Zhouzhu's sudden change in momentum, strength, and speed, there was no change from the beginning to the end. It was always the same power, and it was always the same speed.
"This is what momentum does."
Zhou Zhu smiled calmly.
"If I remember correctly, it should have been 60 years ago that a certain great swordsman whose name and identity are unknown, integrated a brand new martial arts concept based on the predecessors."
"That's 'qi', or 'mo' for short."
"And this is what I just said about the 'next stage' that you are now qualified to learn."
Zhousuke changed to a more comfortable sitting position.
"Don't we often say this in our daily life? Some people who have been in high positions for a long time will gradually develop an 'aura of superiors' unconsciously."
"People with this kind of 'superior aura' can put great pressure on people even by simply glaring at them, and can even make people cry with just one look."
"This is a kind of momentum."
"In our martial arts world, those strong men who have achieved success in their respective fields and are determined enough will gradually develop their own 'power' as their strength continues to improve."
"Whether or not you have a strong enough 'power' - this is a very important watershed."
"If you can cross this watershed, it means that you will reach a new level in the martial arts."
"The presence or absence of 'momentum'...although it cannot be said to be a huge difference, the difference is still very big."
"The opponent has no 'momentum' at all, but you can unleash a very powerful 'momentum' - there is no doubt that it will be easier for you to gain the upper hand in this battle."
"Because of the strong 'power', it can cause great psychological pressure on the opponent."
"The contest between us just now is a good example."
"My strength and speed haven't changed much from the beginning to the end, but it's because I showed my true skills in the middle and released my 'power', which caused a certain amount of psychological pressure on you, that you felt
It gives me the illusion that my tricks have become more powerful."
"The stronger your 'power', the more likely it will be to overwhelm your opponents."
"As for whether the 'power' is strong or not, it is linked to a person's strength and will."
"Those warriors who have come into contact with the field of 'power' for the first time are basically unable to freely control their own 'power'."
"It takes a long period of hard training before I can reach the state where I can freely expand and release my power."
"Of course - there are some special people who have special talents in cultivating 'shi'. Even before their own strength is not strong enough, they have already developed and can freely release their own 'shi'."
After finishing speaking, Zhousuke's voice stopped for a while, and then changed to a half-joking tone.
"It is said that some strong men who have reached the 'extreme martial arts' have such strong 'power' that after being released, just by glaring at someone, they can make a person's mind so flustered that they can't even catch their breathing rhythm, or even directly
Fainting - of course, this is just a legend. Growing up, I have never seen anyone with such a strong power. Neither Chiba Shusaku nor Chiba Sadakichi have reached this level.
"
Zhou Zhu tilted his body and changed to a more comfortable sitting position.
"'Shi' is not something that everyone needs to practice."
"First of all, you must be strong enough."
“Secondly, you must have a ‘strong mind’.”
"I have been practicing swordsmanship all my life and have read countless swordsmen. According to my observation - those warriors who do not have the 'will to be strong', no matter how strong they are, have no 'power' in them."
"This 'strong mind' is a word I have summed up myself, with various meanings... To put it simply, it means having a certain aggressiveness in martial arts and not being afraid of facing strong enemies.
I will not be discouraged by defeat."
"Only those with this kind of determination can develop the power to intimidate others."
"The second son of 'Saito of Power' Yakuro Saito, Kannosuke Saito, also known as 'Ghost', is a typical example of a person who does not have a strong will and a strong mind."
"A few years ago, after he was helplessly defeated by Chiba Eijiro, the 'Chiba' of the same age as him, he was depressed all day long and no longer had the same vigor as before."
"If Saito Kannosuke cannot come out of the shadow of this tragic defeat to 'Ge no Chiba', then his martial arts achievements in this life will probably end here."
"For a warrior who has lost his spirit, let alone develop his own 'power', it is a question of whether his own strength can be further improved."
"So, from this, we can deduce the secret meaning of our natural rational heart flow, and how important it is to have a wise saying."
"Ji Jun, it's a little too early for you to practice 'shi' or something like that."
As Zhou Assistant spoke, he grinned and smiled.
"Based on your current strength... you should have to practice hard for another 1 or 2 years, and only after reaching the level of Yuwa Souji can you have the opportunity to touch the field of 'shi'."
"You should start now by implementing the secrets of our natural spirit flow."
"From today on, whenever there is a war, we must have a strong determination to win no matter what."
"As long as you have this kind of ambition and learn not to be arrogant when you win and not discouraged when you lose, you will be able to open the door to the field of 'power'."
"..." Qingdeng's face was full of shock from just now.
Zhousuke kept coming up with new martial arts concepts that he had never heard of before.
After carefully listening to every word and sentence that Zhouzhu just said, Qingden felt that a door to a new world had opened to him.
Qingdeng pondered, and after a long while, he finally digested Zhou Zhu's teachings.
After opening his mouth and letting out a long breath, Qingden asked Zhouzhu curiously:
"'Shi'... Master, who is the most powerful 'Shi' warrior you have ever seen so far?"
"Of course it's Chiba Shusaku." Shusuke replied without thinking, "Chiba Shusaku is the most powerful swordsman I have ever seen in terms of strength and power."
A hint of reminiscence slowly emerged between Zhou Zhu's brows.
"A long time ago, I had the honor to witness the martial arts competition between Chiba Shusaku and Chiba Nobuyoshi."
"These two brothers are worthy of being unparalleled swordsmen. Both brothers are equipped with wind-strung formations and horses, and the 'power' of tidal waves and lightning."
"The battle hasn't even started yet, but the 'power' of the two of them started to clash!"
"Every scene at that time is still fresh in my memory."
"The 'power' of the two colliding together... seemed to have stopped the wind around them and the clouds in the sky!"
"Hoo ho ho, according to the novelist, this is probably what is called 'before the sword is even unsheathed, the sword energy has already spread in all directions, making those who watch it convinced and those who hear it tremble'."
"Unfortunately……"
A rich color slowly emerged from Zhou Zhu's cheeks.
"Chiba Shusaku has passed away."
"Chiba Nobuyoshi is now also covered in injuries, and his strength has been greatly reduced..."
"The current strength is probably only 20% or 30% less than that of Chiba Sadakichi in his heyday, and he probably won't be able to show off the 'power' that even the wind and clouds seemed to stop when he competed with his brother.
"
"In the rest of my life, I probably will never have the chance to see a 'big swordsman duel' of this level again."
"Forcing the wind and clouds to stop..." Qingdeng couldn't help but show a dumbfounded expression.
The aura on his body is so powerful that it can give the spectators the illusion that the surrounding wind and clouds have stopped... Qingden cannot even imagine this scene and realm...
Qingdeng felt that another door to a new world had opened to him.
While I felt shocked... I also felt a little fascinated.
——If I practice at my current speed...how long will it take for me to reach the level of Chiba Shusaku and Chiba Sadakichi?
After teasing himself in a half-joking tone in his mind, Qingteng sat up straighter, corrected himself a bit, and bowed respectfully to Zhou Zhu, who had opened a new door in martial arts for him tonight.
"Master, thank you for teaching me."
"Hoo ho ho." Zhou Zhu waved his hand gently, "You don't have to be so polite. You are a disciple of our Shiwei Hall, and I am the master of the Shiwei Hall. Teaching you these is a matter of course."
At Zhouzhu's request, Qingden slowly straightened his waist that was bent in salute to Zhouzhu.
At this moment, Qingdeng suddenly thought of another question.
"Master, what is the name of the mysterious master who inspired the master to create the secret meaning of Natural Rishin-ryu?"
Qingto suddenly recalled - Zhousuke seemed to have never mentioned to him the name of the mysterious master of his master, Kondo Uchizosuke, and he had always been referred to by the nickname "Mysterious Master".
Hearing Qingdeng's question, Zhou Zhu suddenly fell silent.
After a full moment of silence, Zhousuke slowly shook his head:
"……have no idea."
"...Ha?" Qingden blinked in confusion, "I don't know?"
"All kinds of information about Master and his mysterious master...it feels like someone has specially erased it." Zhou Zhu sighed softly, "Name, age, identity... none of these basic information has been handed down."
"Except for the fact that there was such a number one person, nothing else is known about this person."
"So, I have made a guess."
Zhou Assistant touched his chin and said jokingly.
"Master, this mysterious master of his... could be a big shot who would bring trouble to our Kondo family and Tenri-Rishin-ryu if others knew his name, so we deliberately erased all information about him.
"
…
…
At this moment——
Edo, Genbukan——
"Brother Ei, did you actually enter the legendary 'state of selflessness' while fighting that black bear?" Chiba Jutaro cast a shocked look at Chiba Eijiro who was sitting on the main seat.
The Xuanwu Hall is extremely lively tonight.
In order to welcome and celebrate the pride of their Chiba family: Chiba Eijiro returned to Edo after a long absence, Chiba Sadayoshi and others held a grand reception banquet at the Genbukan tonight.
Chiba Shusaku's widow,
Chiba Eijiro’s two younger brothers: Chiba Michisaburo and Chiba Tamonshiro,
Chiba Nobuyoshi and his wife,
Chiba Jutaro and Sanako.
In short, all the current members of the Chiba family are here.
The whole family gathered together for the first time in a long time to celebrate the return of Eijiro Chiba.
Chiba Jutaro, Sanako and their mother sat on the left side of the banquet, while Chiba Michizaburo and the others sat on the right side of the banquet.
Chiba Sadayoshi and the protagonist of tonight's reception banquet: Chiba Eijiro are undoubtedly sitting in the main seat.
Seven years ago, Eijiro Chiba, who was determined to enter an official career, accepted the Mito Domain's invitation to serve as an official in the Mito Domain.
After becoming an official in the Mito Domain, Chiba Eijiro rarely returned to Edo, and he only communicated with his family through letters.
Chiba Jutaro himself couldn't quite remember the last time he saw his beloved cousin.
Chiba Jutaro has always been interested in Chiba Eijiro's career.
So as soon as tonight's reception banquet started, Chiba Jutaro pestered Chiba Eijiro and asked him to tell him whether he had encountered any new or interesting information in Mito Domain's official circles recently.
Chiba Eijiro is also willing to share his various experiences with his family, so tonight's reception banquet slowly unfolded with Chiba Eijiro telling stories.
He unhurriedly told his family one by one the worth-telling stories he had encountered recently - including the fact that he had accidentally entered the "state of selflessness" while fighting a black bear in the wild recently.
One thing.
After hearing that Chiba Eijiro had actually entered this legendary martial arts realm, everyone except Chiba Nobuyoshi, who had already heard about it in the afternoon, showed shocked expressions.
While showing shocked expressions, they also showed expressions of "Well, this is only natural" - Chiba Jutaro and the others were already used to hearing all kinds of incredible news from this elder brother.
"Ha..." Chiba Jutaro, whose cheeks had turned red due to drunkenness, slowly revealed an undisguised look of envy in his eyes, "The state of selflessness... I don't know what will happen in my lifetime.
Is there any chance to touch this legendary realm..."
While Chiba Jutaro murmured in an envious tone, he picked up the wine bottle placed next to his legs and poured another full cup into his wine glass.
Just when he was about to put the wine bottle in his hand back to its original position, Sanako, who was sitting next to him, grabbed the bottle.
"Brother, you can't drink anymore." Sanako said calmly, "Tomorrow is the swordsmanship competition held by Marquis Aizu. If you drink any more, you won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."
As soon as Sanako finished speaking, Chiba Eijiro immediately cast a curious look at his cousin: "Aizu Hou's swordsmanship competition?"
"Ah, yes, I seem to have forgotten to tell you." At this time, Chiba Tamonshiro, who had been silent and didn't talk much, said slowly, "Second brother, you just returned to Edo this morning, so
You probably don’t know yet—tomorrow, Lord Aizu will hold a swordsmanship competition in Asakusa only for newcomers from various sword halls in Edo.”
Chiba Tamonshiro informed Chiba Eijiro of all the information about this competition in a concise and concise manner.
"The Lord Aizu, who has basically never held any martial arts competition before, is actually going to hold a swordsmanship competition..." After hearing this, Chiba Eijiro nodded gently, "This is really rare..."
"Brother Sakae, it's been a long time since a daimyo held a swordsmanship competition in Edo... Do you want to go to watch the competition together tomorrow?" Chiba Jutaro asked with a smile.
"...I'll see what happens." Chiba Eijiro smiled bitterly and shrugged, "To be honest, I'm not that interested in this kind of competition that is only for swordsman newcomers."
"Watching a match of this level... to me is no different than watching a cricket fight."
"Brother Rong, you don't know this." Chiba Jutaro shook his head, "There are very noteworthy contestants in this competition."
Having said this, Chiba Jutaro paused, and then asked Chiba Eijiro quickly.
"Brother Rong, do you know Ju Qingden?"
After asking, Chiba Jutaro glanced at Sanako beside him without leaving any trace.
*******
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