Chapter 137 The [Three Heroes] of the Three Great Sword Halls of Edo [6000]
Author's note: Chiba Eijiro has appeared as a narration in the previous article, but some book friends may have forgotten who Chiba Eijiro is and what is his relationship with Chiba Nobuyoshi, so I am here to help you quickly
Let’s review.
Chiba Eijiro is the second son of the late Chiba Shusaku (the founder of Hokushin Itto-ryu and the elder brother of Chiba Seikichi), so Chiba Eijiro is the second nephew of Chiba Seikichi and the second brother of Chiba Tamonshiro
, Chiba Jutaro, Sanako’s cousin.
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"Oh?" Chiba Sadayoshi raised his eyebrows, his eyes lit up, and he spoke excitedly: "Eijiro, have you...reached this legendary realm?"
Chiba Eijiro nodded, and then said softly in a tone as if he was talking about a trivial matter:
"Just over half a month ago...that is, on the eve of my decision to return to Edo after a long absence, I accidentally encountered a black bear when I went hunting alone in a certain mountain."
"Black bear?" Chiba Nobuyoshi raised his eyebrows again, and the "excitement" that just appeared in his eyes turned into "surprise".
"Yeah, a black bear about two times as big as me."
Chiba Eijiro, who still had a soft smile on his face, opened his arms and compared the size of the black bear he encountered.
"Maybe I accidentally entered that black bear's territory, so that black bear was particularly ferocious."
"After seeing me, he immediately attacked me without any explanation."
"An animal like a bear, which can even slap a wild boar to death, is indeed quite terrifying."
"Suddenly he jumped out of the grass and rushed towards me. If I had reacted a little slower, my head would have been smashed."
"However - although I successfully dodged the first blow from the black bear, the bow in my hand accidentally fell into a deep ditch that was beyond my reach."
"With no other choice, I can only draw the sword from my waist to fight."
"This is the most difficult battle I have ever experienced in my life."
Speaking of this, Chiba Eijiro smiled freely.
"This is the first time I have encountered an enemy with such terrifying strength, speed, and physical strength."
"The black bear's paw casually swung and smashed a big hole in a tree with a trunk as thick as the mouth of a bowl."
"No matter how carefully I stare or look, my eyes can't keep up with the speed of the bear's paws. I can only see afterimages."
"In order not to have my head smashed by the bear's paw, which was bigger than my head, I didn't even dare to blink. Every time I had to blink, I was always in fear."
At this time, there was a hint of reminiscence between Chiba Eijiro's eyebrows.
His appearance... seems like he is recalling some good memory...
"It's been a long time since I last... This feeling of dying if you don't win, and going all out."
"At the beginning, I had a hard time playing."
"Not only was it impossible to get close to the black bear and effectively kill it, but I almost died several times."
"But...suddenly, I entered a rather 'mysterious' state."
Chiba Eijiro's voice suddenly paused at this moment, as if he was thinking about his words.
After a while, he continued:
"I actually don't remember very clearly what happened at that time."
"I just remember that I held my breath and concentrated on defeating that black bear. There was no other thought in my mind except 'defeat it'."
"At...a certain moment, my mood suddenly became so calm."
"The whole person feels like standing on a pool of very quiet water."
"My head is empty, with almost no distracting thoughts."
"In my eyes, I only see the knife in my hand and the big black bear in front of me."
"Because I have no distracting thoughts, my reaction speed has become much faster in the face of every attack launched by the black bear."
"As a result, the sword in my hand became extremely fast and sharp."
"After I entered this mysterious state, the situation of the battle turned around instantly."
"In my eyes, the movement of that big black bear is no longer so fast that it can only keep up with the afterimage."
"My footsteps became able to easily penetrate into the distance where my sword can cut down this big black bear."
Chiba Eijiro raised his right hand, made a knife gesture with his right hand, and made a cutting motion on his nose.
"I spotted a flaw in the big black bear, got close to the blind spot of its vision, cut off its big nose with a knife, and successfully repeled it."
"My mood has become extremely calm, there are no redundant distracting thoughts in my mind, and my own strength has made an exaggerated jump because I am not distracted... These changes are all in line with what my father and Uncle Dingji said after entering the 'selfless realm'.
The state they will have is exactly the same.”
"So I guessed that the mysterious state I entered in order to defeat that big black bear... should be the legendary 'selfless state'."
Ever since Eijiro Chiba began to tell the story of how he entered the "state of no-self", Chiba Nobuyoshi, who had been quietly listening to the audience, stared straight at him with complicated eyes that were mainly filled with shock.
Eijiro Chiba.
After a while, Chiba Nobuyoshi squeezed out a look that didn't know whether to laugh or cry:
"Defeating a bear by myself and escaping unharmed... Oh, if word of this gets out, there will be one more legend about 'Chiba no Chiba'."
"I don't think this is a big deal." Chiba Eijiro smiled slightly, "Didn't the legendary 'wonderful hero' Goro Majima also try to hunt down a bear with just one person and one sword?
The bear he hunted was the big brown bear found in Ezo."
"That's just a rumor." Chiba Nobuyoshi waved his hand, "There are still different opinions on whether Goro Majima, the 'Knight Hero', has ever singled out a bear."
Chiba Sadayoshi didn't care much about Chiba Eijiro's feat of repelling a black bear with only one sword.
After talking about the matter in one word, Chiba Nobuyoshi put down the teacup he had been holding and let out a sigh of relief:
"Listening to your description... Eijiro, you really entered the 'selfless state' at that time!"
"My father and I have both entered this state of 'everything is empty'."
"Eijiro, have you ever tried to recreate the 'selfless state' afterwards?"
Chiba Eijiro nodded:
"After the battle with that big black bear, I tried to enter the 'selfless state' again."
"But it's a pity... No matter what I try, I end up in failure. I can never get back to the state where there are no distracting thoughts in my heart."
"Well, this is all normal." Chiba Nobuyoshi nodded, "The 'selfless realm' is the ultimate in martial arts. It is something that can only be encountered but not sought."
"Eijiro, take your time, don't be impatient."
Chiba Sadaki grinned and showed an encouraging smile towards Chiba Eijiro.
"You have already entered the 'selfless state' once at this age... This is an extremely incredible achievement."
"It was only when we were in our thirties that your father and I first touched this supreme realm that countless warriors have never been able to see in their entire lives... Ugh! Hiss!"
Before Chiba Nobuyoshi could finish his words, he suddenly let out a low cry of pain.
"Uncle Teikichi?" Chiba Eijiro was startled, and quickly stood up and moved forward to support Chiba Teikichi, "What's wrong with you?"
"Ah, it's okay." Chiba Nobuyoshi smiled wryly and waved his hand, "It's just that my waist hurts again..."
"Last night, my old back problem suddenly relapsed. No matter how much I rested, I couldn't get better... Sigh..."
"Uncle Taikichi, do you want me to give you a massage? After I became an official in Mito Domain, I learned a massage technique from a colleague that can effectively relieve people's joint pain."
"No, no, no." Chiba Nobuyoshi waved his hand again, "I just asked Jutaro to grab medicine for me."
"The medicine I asked Jutaro to take for me is very effective. As long as I apply the medicine on my waist, my old waist problem will be relieved immediately."
"Counting the time, Jutaro should be back soon with the medicine."
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Edo, Okemachi, somewhere——
"Huh? Mr. Jutaro? What a coincidence, good afternoon." An old lady carrying a basket of vegetables in her hand greeted Chiba Jutaro warmly, who was walking towards her.
"Ah, Granny Le, good afternoon." Chiba Jutaro responded to the old lady with the same enthusiasm.
This old lady, whom Chiba Jutaro calls "Grandma Raku," is the owner of a certain 800-storey house in Okemachi.
The so-called "eight hundred houses" are vegetable shops.
In the early Edo period, vegetable stalls were initially divided into: "appetizer stalls" that only sold one or two types of vegetables such as eggplant or green leafy vegetables, and "Yabaoya" that sold a variety of vegetables.
But as time went by, such a distinction was gradually no longer made, and all shops selling vegetables were collectively called "Babaiwu".
The Eight Hundred Houses run by this Granny Raku is adjacent to the Little Chiba Sword Hall, so Chiba Jutaro and his family have always been regular customers of this Granny Raku's shop.
So after going back and forth, the two sides formed a quite deep friendship.
After a brief exchange of greetings with Grandma Le and Chiba Jutaro, she cast a curious look at the large paper bag held in Chiba Jutaro's hand.
"Mr. Jutaro, what is this paper bag in your hand?"
"Oh, this." Jutaro glanced at the paper bag he was holding in his right hand and let out a helpless, bitter laugh. "This is the medicine I just went to the drug store to grab for my father."
"Medicine?" Grandma Le was stunned, and then asked urgently, "Mr. Shigetaro, what happened to your father?"
"No need to worry, nothing serious happened." Jutaro replied, "I just have back pain again."
"Since last night, my father's waist suddenly started to hurt."
"I originally thought that the pain would be relieved by just resting for a while, but who knew that until noon today, the condition has not improved."
"I have no choice but to go to the drugstore and get my father this medicine that can effectively treat his back injury."
"Did Mr. Dingji's back problem come back again..." Granny Le looked worried, "It shouldn't be serious, right?"
"It's not serious, it's not serious." Jutaro put away the bitter smile on his face and waved his hand, "Grandma Le, you also know that this is my father's old problem."
"His waist will hurt every once in a while."
Chiba Jutaro shook the big paper bag containing medicine in his hand.
"As long as I apply this medicine and lie quietly on the bed for 1 or 2 hours, my father's old problem will be suppressed again."
After saying that, Chiba Jutaro raised his head, glanced at the sky above his head, and smiled bitterly at Granny Le with an apologetic expression:
"Grandma Le, I have to go back quickly to apply medicine to my father, so I have to take a step first."
"Well, okay." Granny Le nodded vigorously, "Go home quickly and say hello to your father and Miss Sanako for me."
"Okay." Chiba Jutaro grinned, "I will."
After waving goodbye to Granny Le, Chiba Jutaro tightened the medicine bag in his hand and continued to stride back to the Little Chiba Sword Hall.
However, suddenly - a young voice with a slightly shrill voice sounded from beside Chiba Jutaro:
"Hmm? Mr. Chiba?"
The next moment he heard this high-pitched voice... Chiba Jutaro's expression changed slightly and he paused, turning to look at the owner of this high-pitched voice.
The owner of this high-pitched voice was a very young and handsome young warrior.
He was filled with a warm smile that almost cracked the corners of his mouth to the roots of his ears, and ran in front of Chiba Jutaro in three steps and two steps at a time.
"Mr. Chiba, what a coincidence! I can meet you here!"
"Shinzuma-kun." Chiba Jutaro responded in a calm tone without sadness or joy, "Why are you here?"
The young samurai smiled, and then said softly: "...I'm here to prepare for the swordsmanship competition held by Lord Aizu tomorrow."
Hiroshi Niizuma - the name of this young samurai.
If you are someone who has been paying close attention to the swordsmanship world in Edo, you will definitely not feel unfamiliar when you hear the name "Hiro Niizuma".
After all, the new wife is one of the "Three Heroes" who have become famous recently!
Xuanbukan, where Beichen's Itto Style is taught.
A scholar's academy that teaches the Kyōshin Akechi stream.
A training hall that teaches Shinto Muen-ryu.
The above three sword halls are collectively referred to as the "Three Major Sword Halls in Edo" because of their size, teaching staff and other factors, which are the best among all sword halls in Edo.
Having the loudest reputation naturally attracts the most attention.
Who among the three major swordsmanship halls have received the "Exemption from All Swordsmanship", which powerful old men have left the swordsmanship halls because they have become apprentices, and what dazzling newcomers have emerged...these are all swordsmanship enthusiasts in Edo
The most talked about topic.
Just the year before last, a very interesting coincidence happened - the three major sword halls all produced a talented and talented newcomer at almost the same time.
These three newcomers are——
Oizaki Heiyuki of Genbukan.
Totaro Morishita of Shigakukan.
And the young man standing in front of Chiba Jutaro now: Hiroshi Arizuma from the training hall.
These three people only started to learn swordsmanship in the fifth year of Ansei (1858). After putting on protective gear and lifting the bamboo sword, they quickly showed their dazzling swordsmanship talents!
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On the first day he entered the Xuanwu Hall, his talent was highly praised by the hall owner and fellow seniors...
Morishita practiced swordsmanship for two months and defeated a senior who had been practicing swordsmanship for many years...
Just over a year after the new wife's entry, she faced off against three senior brothers who had been immersed in swordsmanship for many years in a sparring match, and finally succeeded in defeating all three senior brothers...
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These three people seemed to be competing with each other, constantly producing big news one after another that made the swordsmanship lovers in Edo feel extremely amazing and envious.
In just less than 2 years, the three of them have gradually gained fame through their outstanding performances time and time again.
As the reputation of these three people gradually increased, some good people collectively referred to these three people as the "Three Heroes of the Three Great Sword Halls".
This title was originally only circulated among a few people in a small area, but slowly, this title gradually became widely known.
It was by chance that Chiba Jutaro met Kan, one of the "Three Heroes".
If we talk about who is the most enviable among the "Three Heroes"... then it is definitely the new wife.
Although both Oizaki and Morishita are as famous as Shinsuma, there is one thing about them that is far inferior to Shinsuma.
Morishita has a face... at best, it's ugly, at worst, it looks like a "pig transformed into a human" face.
Oizaki came from a very poor background and was a junior feudal lord of the Sano clan.
Sano Domain is a poor small domain with a measly 16,000 stone in total. Oizaki, as a lower-level feudal lord of this poor small domain, is naturally so poor that the idiom "shocking" can be used to describe his situation.
He borrowed money from all his family and friends to finally scrape together the tuition and travel expenses for him to study abroad in Edo and practice swordsmanship.
Compared with Oizaki and Morishita, the new wife's conditions are the best and comprehensive - he comes from a Hatamoto family with a family income of 700 shi, and has a handsome face.
Excellent appearance and family background, coupled with excellent swordsmanship talent... As long as she continues to practice steadily, her new wife's future will be bright!
However - such an outstanding talent... Chiba Jutaro just couldn't like him.
Chiba Jutaro always felt that his new wife... was a little too arrogant.
Although his new wife always looks polite, his words always reveal a...sense of superiority.
Chiba Jutaro has always disliked people who are not humble enough in their dealings with others, so when getting along with his new wife, his attitude has always been lukewarm.
Normally, Chiba Jutaro would never take the initiative to communicate with his new wife, whom he was not familiar with and who didn't like him very much.
But what the new wife just said aroused some interest in Chiba Jutaro, which made Chiba Jutaro take the initiative to ask his new wife:
"Preparing for tomorrow's game...?" Chiba Jutaro glanced at his new wife up and down several times, "What are you preparing for? Do you want to take a walk on the street to relax?"
The famous Lord Aizu is going to hold a swordsmanship competition specifically for newcomers from various sword halls... This is a rare event.
A competition of this level is extremely attractive to those who are interested in swordsmanship.
As far as Chiba Jutaro knows, almost all the slightly famous sword halls in Edo have signed up to participate in this swordsmanship competition, with nearly a hundred participants.
On this long list of personnel, there are many names that are very familiar to swordsmanship enthusiasts.
For example - Tachibana Aoto, who has recently been hailed as "the strongest fighting sect in the North Division".
Another example - the "Three Heroes"!
Oizaki, Morishita, and Shinzuma have all been apprentices to swordsmen for less than three years, and they are all qualified to participate in this competition.
When he first learned that the "Three Heroes" would participate in this competition, even with Chiba Jutaro's character, he couldn't help but let out a low exclamation.
This competition... looks like it will be particularly lively.
When asked by Chiba Jutaro, "What preparations are you here for?", the new wife was silent for a moment, and then smiled:
"Well... please forgive me for being inconvenient to say more."
After saying that, the new wife looked at the medicine bag in Chiba Jutaro's hand.
"Mr. Chiba, I saw you walking in a hurry just now. Are you in a hurry to go somewhere?"
"Ah, my father's back disease has recurred." Chiba Jutaro shook the medicine bag in his hand, "I am rushing home to apply this fresh medicine to my father."
"Chiba Sadaki-sama's back problem has recurred?" the new wife looked surprised, and then the surprise on her face turned into apology, "I'm so sorry...I came to bother you when you were in a hurry."
As the new wife spoke, she stood a step aside.
"Mr. Chiba, I won't bother you anymore. You can go home quickly."
"Yes." Chiba Jutaro nodded, and then said politely, "See you in the future, New Wife-kun."
Although he couldn't get his wife to ask him what he meant by "preparing for tomorrow's game", Chiba Jutaro didn't particularly care about this question.
After saying goodbye to his new wife, Chiba Jutaro quickly gathered his thoughts and passed by his new wife.
The new wife stopped where she was and silently watched Chiba Jutaro leave.
After Chiba Jutaro's figure was about to disappear from his sight, his lips moved——
"What a pity... I happened to be in an emergency... I wanted to chat more with Mr. Chiba and get closer to him..."
The new wife's murmur was full of regret.
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After bidding farewell to his new wife, Chiba Jutaro never met anyone who would greet him on the road, and returned to his home smoothly.
As soon as he stepped into the door of the Little Chiba Sword Hall, Chiba Jutaro shouted in his loud and loud voice:
"I'm back!"
After entering the Little Chiba Sword Hall, you will first pass by the "No. C Dojo" which is specially used for apprentices who are still lacking in strength.
Along the corridor, when passing through the gate of Cichang, Chiba Jutaro saw a familiar figure in Cichang.
"Sanako!" Chiba Jutaro greeted his sister loudly while striding into the third field.
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Thanks to the administrator [Nv Jia Yan] for organizing Chiba Eijiro’s information!
Eijiro Chiba is a historical figure, one of the strongest swordsmen at the end of the Tokugawa period, with a rich and exaggerated combat record.
The administrator [Nv Jiayan] has compiled some of Chiba Eijiro's resume in the book review area of Qidian. If you are interested, you can take a look.
