Qingdeng couldn't help but be surprised by A Bi's words.
Qingto quickly tilted his head, lowered his voice, and asked Okita beside him: "Have we never defeated Chiba Kenkan in the 'Red and White Battle' before?"
"No." Okita responded in a low voice without thinking, "Auntie, she is exaggerating."
"The overall strength of our trial defense hall is indeed inferior to that of the Xuanwu Hall and the Little Chiba Sword Hall, but it is not so weak that we have never defeated them in the 'Red and White Battle'."
"us……"
At this point, Okita suddenly started hesitating.
"We...we have also defeated them a few times..."
Seeing Okita's hesitant look, Qingto couldn't help but frown: "How many games have we defeated them in total?"
"Hmm..." Okita raised his right hand and began to play with the slender ponytail on the back of his head, "We...we won a total of 1 game at Xuanbu Hall and 2 games at Xiaoqianba Sword Hall..."
"Then...how many games have we played against them in total?" Qingdeng asked without hesitation.
"Guh..."
Okita lowered his head slightly as if he didn't dare to look at Qingden anymore. His face now no longer had the indignant look he had when he criticized Abi for "exaggerating."
He smiled sheepishly and said to his knees:
"In the past two years, we have played about 20 games with Genbukan, and about 40 games with Xiaochiba Kenkan..."
The corners of Qingden's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
I played more than 20 games with Xuanbu Hall and only won 1 game. I played more than 40 games with Xiaoqianba Sword Hall and only won 2 games... That is to say: in the swordsmanship competitions with these two swords halls,
Is the chance of winning in the trial defense hall only half a percent...
A half chance of winning... Qingdeng felt that this seemed to be not much different from "a hundred battles and a hundred defeats"...
There is a huge gap in strength between the Trial Guard Hall, the Xuanwu Hall, and the Little Chiba Sword Hall, which was actually what Qingto had expected.
After all, the other party is a "famous sect among the most famous sects" with a national reputation, and the Shiweiguan... to put it bluntly, is a second-rate dojo where few people even know the name of the sect.
Just in terms of the number of apprentices and the source of their students, the Genbukan and the Little Chiba Swordsman are countless times better than the Shiweijuan. The Shiweijuan cannot beat them in swordsmanship competitions, which is quite normal.
However - although Qingto had predicted that the overall strength of the Trial Guard Hall would be far inferior to that of the Xuanwu Hall and the Little Chiba Sword Hall, he did not expect that the strength gap between them would be so large.
I can only win 1 or 2 games in 20 games...
"Madam..." Zhou Zhu, who had recovered from A Bi's "sonic attack", sighed, "I have explained it to you many times... why can't you understand?"
"The reason why I agreed to hold the 'Red and White Battle' together with the Kochiba Kenkan in Yushima Tenmangu Shrine on the day of the 'Plum Blossom Festival' is because I wanted to take this opportunity to promote our natural principles.
Flow, let’s promote our trial clinic.”
"Let more people know that a school like ours and a swordsmanship hall like ours exist."
"Indeed, the overall strength of our Imperial Guard Hall is far inferior to that of the Little Chiba Sword Hall. The overall quality of their disciples is really much higher than ours."
"Unless there is some extraordinary accident or miracle, we should be defeated by the Little Chiba Sword Hall again on the day of the Plum Blossom Festival."
"but--"
Zhou Zhu lengthened his words and continued with a serious tone:
"As long as we show the strength of our Natural Rise-Ryu in the match with Little Chiba Kenkan, then even if we lose to Little Chiba Kenkan in the end, our Natural Rise-Ryu will still be able to get a great wave of success.
publicity.”
"Madam, do you know what is the biggest advantage of our Imperial Guard Hall compared to large sword halls such as the Xuanwu Hall and the Little Chiba Sword Hall in recruiting apprentices?"
"Our tuition fees are much cheaper than those of these sword halls, and the entry threshold is quite low. As long as you have sound hands and feet and a normal mind, you can enter our trial sword hall."
"There are many people in Edo who want to learn powerful swordsmanship, but cannot afford it."
"Madam, think about it - if Ruoyong and the others fought bravely in the competition with Xiao Qianba Sword Hall, although they lost in the end, they still "killed" many people in Xiao Qianba Sword Hall, which made the spectators
Now that people have seen the practicality and power of our Natural Rishin-ryu, what will happen?”
"It will definitely make many people discover that although this trial defense hall cannot beat the Little Chiba Sword Hall, their swordsmanship is quite powerful."
"Look, didn't our Natural Rishin-ryu successfully publicize it?"
"In this way, we can naturally attract a group of people who want to learn powerful swordsmanship, but don't have the money to study at a large swordsmanship hall like the Little Chiba Swordsmanship Hall!"
"So, Madam, the advantages of this matter far outweigh the disadvantages. This is a good opportunity that will greatly benefit the future development of our trial defense hall."
Zhou Zhu's words are sincere and sincere.
However...it seems that Abi was not moved.
Her face was still blue and her mood was visibly unhappy.
"...Zhouzhu, I understand everything you said."
"But I just feel uncomfortable!"
Abi raised his hand and patted the tatami next to him vigorously.
"I don't want to see our trial gym being defeated with so many people watching!"
"We don't even want to see the one who defeats us is that little Chiba Sword Hall!"
Kondo, who had been silent just now, raised his eyes and looked at Abi who was angrily patting the tatami.
After a moment of hesitation, he took a deep breath: "Mother, it is too early to conclude that our trial defense hall will definitely lose to the Little Chiba Sword Hall on the day of the Plum Blossom Festival!"
"No one knows the outcome of the game until the end."
"It's not like we haven't beaten the Little Chiba Sword Hall."
Kondo clenched his right fist and punched his chest with neither light nor heavy force.
"Mother, I promise you that on the day of the competition, I will work hard..."
Before Kondo finished speaking, Abi snorted coldly, as if he was too lazy to listen to Kondo's nonsense, and then walked away.
As he left the living room, he said to Kondo without looking back:
"Work hard...didn't you work hard when you competed with Xuanbu Hall and Xiaoqianba Sword Hall before? What happened next? Did your efforts allow us to successfully defeat these two sword halls? Huh!"
Looking at Abi who left immediately, Kondo maintained a posture of punching his chest with an awkward expression.
Also looking awkward was Zhou Zuke.
"Alas..." Zhou Zhu sighed forcefully and stood up slowly, "Yong, come with me. We, father and son, will go and talk more with your mother."
"Your mother is a little awkward right now...you need to be patient and enlighten her."
"Well..." Kondo smiled helplessly, and then stood up with Zhousuke, "Father, it seems that tonight will be a very busy night..."
…
…
After telling Aoto and Okita a few words, "You guys go and have a rest early," Shusuke and Kondo and his son rushed out of the living room one after another and ran to find Abi.
The living room that was bustling just a few minutes ago suddenly became deserted, with only Ayoto and Okita left.
"Tachibana-kun, I'm sorry..." Okita smiled bitterly at Qingden, "Auntie, she often gets into trouble in some strange places regardless of the occasion... to make you laugh..."
It is not convenient for Qingdeng to comment or interfere too much in other people's family affairs.
After saying some polite words, Qingdeng raised his eyes and glanced at the hall door, which was still open.
"Okita-kun, does Mrs. Kondo hate Chiba Kenkan?" Aoto couldn't help but ask Okita.
What A Bi said just now made Qingdeng very concerned - (I don't want to see our trial defense hall being defeated in front of so many people! Let alone see the one who defeats us is that Xiao Qian
Ye Jian Guan!)
What he said... No matter how I heard it, I felt that Abi seemed to have a strong prejudice against Xiao Qianye Sword Hall.
"Ah...well..." Okita pondered for a moment, then smiled helplessly, "Auntie, I don't know if she hates the Little Chiba Sword Hall."
"Anyway, I personally hate Chiba Sword Hall."
"Huh?" Qingto was surprised, "Why? I think your relationship with Mr. Jutaro and Miss Sanako is not very good, isn't it?"
Aoto noticed that just now, Chiba Jutaro and the others directly called Okita "Soji"... being able to call him by his first name was a symbol of good relationship.
"Hmm... I seemed to have said something a little unclear just now."
Okita habitually reached his hand behind his head and played with the ponytail on the back of his head.
"To be precise - I hate some people in the Little Chiba Sword Hall."
"My relationship with Mr. Jutaro and Miss Sanako is indeed very good. I also like these siblings very much."
"Mr. Shigetaro, Miss Sanako...and their father: Chiba Nobuyoshi, the three of them are all very good people."
"Even though our Shiwei Hall is just a little-known 'Taro Dojo' that is completely incomparable to the small Chiba Sword Hall of a wealthy family, the three of them, father and son, have never looked at us in a strange way. They have always regarded us as
Naturally, we treat each other with an equal attitude. Therefore, our relationship with Mr. Jutaro and others has always been very good."
"But...other people in the Little Chiba Sword Hall are not like this."
"Some people in the Little Chiba Sword Hall have always looked down upon us. They think that our Trial Guard Hall is a poor dojo that is not even qualified to serve as a foil for their Little Chiba Sword Hall..."
"By the way - the same is true in the Xuanwu Hall. Some people in the Xuanwu Hall also despise us, so I also hate some of the apprentices in the Xuanwu Hall."
"I don't know why my aunt has a prejudice against Little Chiba Sword Hall, but I guess...she might be the same as me: she hates those apprentices in Little Chiba Sword Hall who look down on our trial guards."
"Because we hate those guys, we don't want us to hold a 'Red and White Battle' with Little Chiba Sword Hall in public. If we lose to Little Chiba Sword Hall in public, it will definitely make those who are already
Those stinky guys who look down on us are even more proud."
"So that's it..." Qingdeng, who had been listening quietly, let out a sigh of relief.
——Some people in the Xuanwu Hall and the Little Chiba Sword Hall despise our trial defense hall... Well, this is quite normal...
——If no one in these two sword halls looks at our trial guard hall with colored glasses, then it would be abnormal...
Whether it's reputation or the quality of students... the Imperial Guard Hall, the Xuanwu Hall, and the Little Chiba Sword Hall are not on the same level. The two sides, who had no chance of having any intersection, came together entirely because of the "ancestral friendship."
.
Such a huge disparity in strength and status naturally makes it very easy for some people in the Xuanwu Hall and the Little Chiba Sword Hall to develop a strong sense of superiority towards the Shiwei Hall.
"Ah, I seem to have said too many heavy things." Okita laughed a few times at this time.
A cheerful smile appeared on his face again.
"Let's not talk about these heavy things and let's talk about more interesting topics!"
As soon as Okita finished speaking, he showed a meaningful smile towards Qingden, then stretched out his right elbow and poked Qingden's side.
"Ji Jun, I didn't expect you to be the kind of person with honest eyes."
Qingdeng was stunned: "The eyes are very honest? What do you mean?"
"Just now, when I was preparing to enter the living room to meet Mr. Jutaro and the others, I kept paying attention to your eyes." The sly smile on Okita's face became more and more intense, "I guessed that you were meeting Sanako.
After becoming a young lady, both eyes will definitely look straight."
"It turns out--it's true."
Hearing Okita's teasing, Qingto's cheeks couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
The topic suddenly jumped from the heavy "discrimination in the sword hall" to "beautiful girls"... The content of the topic spanned so much that Qingdeng couldn't react for a while.
Qingdeng coughed softly a few times, tried hard to suppress the embarrassment on his face, and said:
"Well...Okita-kun, I want to clarify that I am not a lustful person who can't move when he sees a beautiful woman. This is just a natural reaction of mine..."
"Tachibana-kun, you don't need to explain more, I understand, I understand." Before Qingto could explain anything, Okita folded his hands in front of his chest and nodded his head vigorously, "Everyone has a love for beauty.
Of."
"When facing those handsome men and beauties, no matter who they are, they can't help but look at them a few more times."
"When I first met Ms. Sanako, my reaction was similar to yours, Tachibana-kun - I was completely dumbfounded. This was the first time I saw such a perfect woman, both in appearance and family background.
"
"Oh, I don't know which lucky person will be able to hold such a beauty in his arms in the end."
"Huh?" A look of surprise flashed through Qingden's eyes, "Miss Sanako, hasn't she gotten married or engaged yet?"
Okita nodded: "Yes, no man is lucky enough to change Miss Sanako's surname."
"It seems to me that Sanako-san is quite old." Qingto said, "She should be 20 years old, right?"
"Well...if I remember correctly..." Okita pursed his lips and made a recalling gesture, "Miss Sanako was born in the ninth year of Tenpo (1838), and is 6 years older than me."
"I am 16 years old this year, so Miss Sanako's age is... her age is..."
Okita hesitated and stretched out his hands in front of him, wiggling his fingers.
After a while, Okita clapped his hands on his legs and confidently reported an accurate number to Qingto:
"28 years old!"
"...You are 16 years old this year, and if Sanako-san is 6 years older than you, then Sanako-san should be 22 years old this year."
quiet……
The hall suddenly became extremely quiet.
Okita, who was full of confidence, froze in place as if he was under a "petrification magic".
Aoto didn't mean to make the atmosphere so awkward...but Okita's calculation just now was so wrong that he couldn't help but speak out and correct it immediately.
After a long while, I finally saw Okita lift the "petrification magic".
I saw him immediately placing his palms in front of his eyes again and flexing his fingers.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that he gradually lowered his hands, and then gradually put away his confident smile.
The head is lowered.
The shoulders are tightened.
Her cheeks were red with embarrassment.
"Sorry... I made a miscalculation..."
"It's okay, it's okay." Qingdeng quickly comforted him, "Although it's not correct, the number you calculated is very close to the correct answer."
Aoto, who knew the level of Okita's arithmetic skills, cleared his throat in order to save Okita who was now blushing from embarrassment, and then took the initiative to speak out, breaking the silence and awkward atmosphere:
"Miss Sanako is 22 years old this year, but she hasn't gotten married or engaged yet. This is really strange... Logically speaking, with Miss Sanako's qualifications, it is impossible to lack admirers and suitors, right?
?”
A 22-year-old single woman... In this era, this kind of woman is already considered the kind of "super leftover girl" who would make many families who are looking for a daughter-in-law frown after seeing her.
Due to the short life expectancy and other reasons, in ancient Japan, women generally got married relatively early.
Being married as a wife at the age of 14 or 5, and being the mother of many children before the age of 20 - in this era, this is just a very common thing.
22 years old... I am still single at this age. Let alone the Edo period, even in the 21st century, I am afraid that my parents will be urging me to find a partner.
"Yes, a woman with both good looks and a prominent family background like Miss Sanako will definitely have no shortage of people who will come to propose marriage."
After Qingto took the initiative to bring up a new topic, Okita answered the conversation enthusiastically, and most of the awkward atmosphere that had been floating in the air immediately disappeared.
"If the men who want to marry Sanako line up, they should be able to line up from Edo to Yokohama."
"I'm not sure why Sanako-san hasn't gotten married or been engaged to anyone until now."
"Maybe it's because I haven't been able to find the person I like."
"A woman like Miss Sanako must have very high standards for men. Men with ordinary conditions should not be able to catch Miss Sanako's eyes."
"Tsk, tsk." Okita smacked his lips a few times at this moment, "'To be favored by a beauty of Miss Sanako's level'... Only the one-in-a-million dragon can get this honor.
Already..."
…
…
Edo, Okemachi, Little Chiba Sword Hall——
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...
Chiba Jutaro was galloping along a corridor in the sword hall.
Jutaro's family is the same as Kondo's family - they both have a structure where the home and the dojo are integrated.
He turned a corner, climbed to the second floor, and walked straight along the corridor opposite the staircase. Finally, Chiba Jutaro stopped in front of a simple sliding paper door.
This is his bedroom.
After opening the door and entering his bedroom, Chiba Jutaro quickly ran to a locker placed in the corner of the bedroom, opened the bottom cabinet, and used a very skillful technique to put the cabinet in the bottom cabinet.
I moved everything inside, and found a small booklet at the bottom of the cabinet whose pages were somewhat damaged due to frequent flipping.
Chiba Jutaro flipped the book with a big hand and turned the book backwards with a rough and rough movement. The pages that were turned quickly made a "squeaking" sound.
On the flipped pages, names were written one after another.
Kawai Shirohei, Arai Kotaro, Tanaka Torazou, Yamawaki Shutaro...
Only a very small number of these names are "safe and sound".
Most of the names have a huge cross drawn on them.
And at the bottom of these crossed names, there is a short "comment" written on them.
These "comments" are all kinds of strange:
He is too drunk, his personality is too flamboyant, he has nothing but his family background, he doesn’t like Sanako at all, he just wants to cling to our Chiba family...
Chiba Jutaro turned to the blank page at the back of the book in one breath, then took a brush and an inkstone from the desk next to him. After filling the brush with ink, he solemnly wrote a name on the book:
Orange Qingden.
Chiba Jutaro casually put the brush aside, then took the booklet farther away, and carefully looked at the new name he had just written in the booklet as if he were looking at a work of art.
After a moment, a smile filled with anticipation appeared on Chiba Jutaro's cheeks.
"I'm going to be busy again... I hope this Tachibana Aoden won't be the kind of guy who has a good first impression, but after a long period of contact, he realizes that he is a bad person..."
After muttering like this, Chiba Jutaro was ready to put the book away and hide it back in the locker.
However, at this moment - a gust of night wind blew into Chiba Jutaro's bedroom along the open window.
Blah blah blah...
The booklet in Chiba Jutaro's hand was flipped forward quickly by the night wind, and he turned to the first page of the book in one breath. The night wind that suddenly blew into the room gradually died down.
The first page of the booklet... only contains one person's name.
Ryoma Sakamoto.
This person's name, like most of the names in this album, has a huge "X" drawn on it.
But compared with other "crossed" names, this name is a little unique: there is no "comment" written below it.
Seeing the name revealed by the night breeze... the smile that originally hung on Chiba Jutaro's cheeks quickly dissipated.
The dissipated smile turned into annoyance, and the thick eyebrows knitted together.
"Oh shit……"
Chiba Jutaro cursed in a low tone.
"Let my precious sister have unrequited love for you until now... Ryoma, you are probably the only one in the world who can do this..."
"I hope you are the first...and the last person who will make Sanako suffer from unrequited love..."
"Well...it's probably unlikely that such a man will appear again..."
Chiba Jutaro sighed heavily, then closed the book in his hand and put it back into the deepest part of the locker...
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