Volume 5: Kyoto Summer Campaign Chapter 283 Kondo Kuransuke
[Ding! Use Sakakibara Ittoryu·Ryubi to defeat the enemy]
[Gained 75 personal experience points, 70 sword skills experience points for Sakakibara Ittoryu, and 15 experience points for Muga Nito-Ryu]
[Current personal level: Lv24 (2605/3200)]
[Sakakibara Ittoryu Level: 9th Stage (3685/4000)]
[My Two-Sword Style Level: 8th Stage (1540/6500)]
…
…
After a long time, the disciples of Qianxueguan finally reacted one after another.
They rushed towards the unconscious Mizuno.
"Master! Master, are you okay?!"
"Quick! Pinch the master's philtrum!"
"Hey! You two go get the doctor!"
…
Ogata's horizontal slash just now had less force and did not kill Mizuno with one blow.
But the damage caused to Mizuno was not light at all.
It seemed that Mizuno had several teeth knocked out by Ogata, and his mouth was full of blood. He looked very scary.
Because Mizuno's appearance was so scary, several disciples even subconsciously put their fingers under Mizuno's nose to check whether Mizuno was still breathing.
Feeling the warm breath spraying on their fingers, those who went to test Mizuno's breathing breathed a sigh of relief.
While the disciples were busy taking care of their master, they did not forget to settle the score with the person who knocked their master unconscious.
"Hey! Where is the guy wearing the Tengu mask?"
“I was just here…!”
"He escaped!"
…
Unfortunately, when they rushed over anxiously to check Mizuno's details, Ogata had already taken advantage of the chaos and dragged Atachi away...
…
…
Ogata took advantage of the chaos to pull Atachi away from Sengakukan.
As they moved away from Qianxueguan step by step, their pace became faster and faster.
When the two came to their senses, they found that they were already running.
They were not afraid that the disciples of Qianxueguan would catch up and take revenge on them.
Ogata and Omachi couldn't help but run, probably because they were excited and happy. A happy mood surged in their hearts.
Ogata felt particularly happy because he had personally taught a lesson to the guy who dared to slander Sakakibara Ittoryu, a sword technique that had special meaning to him.
And A-Machi was also extremely happy when he saw Mizuno, the charlatan, being beaten up.
"Ayi, well done."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"I hate this kind of charlatan the most."
"What a coincidence, me too."
A-Machi was wearing geta, which, although flat-soled, were not a pair of shoes suitable for running.
Moreover, when Ogata was traveling with A-Machi just now, he heard A-Machi say more than once that she was not used to wearing these wooden clogs.
So after running all the way to the downtown area, Xu Fang slowly slowed down his pace.
"Alright..." Ating stretched vigorously, "We've seen the good show, let's get back to business."
"Um."
After Ogata nodded, he casually stopped a passerby who happened to pass by him and asked him where the nearest pharmacy was.
After some inquiries, Ogata and Atachi were surprised to find that the nearest pharmacy was quite close to them and could be reached in a short walk.
Just as Ogata and A-Machi were about to head towards the pharmacy, an anxious shout suddenly sounded from behind them:
"Samurai-sama! Wait!"
Ogata looked back in the direction of the sound.
After moving his eyes to the source of the sound, Ogata couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
The owner of this voice was the burly man who had been questioning Mizuno's level in Sengakukan.
The sturdy man held the knife at his waist and ran to Ogata and Atachi in one breath.
"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" Ogata asked softly.
The sturdy man straightened his back, adjusted his breathing which was a little disordered due to running wildly to chase Ogata, and said seriously:
"I am from Totomi - Kondo Uchisuke! May I know your name?"
“…Just call me Tengu.” Ogata raised his hand and poked the long nose of the Tengu mask on his face.
Seeing that Ogata was unwilling to reveal his real name, Kondo did not force him.
After briefly introducing himself to Ogata, Kondo said excitedly:
"Lord Tengu, I admire your heroic performance in defeating Mizuno Nobuyuki with one sword just now!"
"Anyone who can wield such a sharp sword is definitely not an ordinary person!"
"I was disappointed with Kyoto, but now it seems that there are still experts in Kyoto!"
"You're too kind." Ogata smiled slightly.
"To be honest." Kondo smiled bitterly, "I left my hometown and went to Kyoto this time just to compete with masters, to find out where I am still lacking, and to see whether my self-created swordsmanship has considerable practicality and power."
"You created your own swordsmanship?" Ogata asked back.
"The swordsmanship I originally learned was Katori Shinto-ryu. About last year, I added my own understanding to Katori Shinto-ryu and created a completely new swordsmanship."
"It's just that I haven't come up with a name for this sword technique I created yet."
"Kyoto is the ancient capital of our country, and I thought it must be a place where hidden talents are everywhere. But I didn't expect it to be a rotten place full of swindlers."
At this point, Kondo's face showed an extremely strong look of disdain.
“I came to Kyoto two months ago.”
"In the past two months, I have visited all the sword halls in Kyoto."
"Among the six great sword gyms, except for the master of the metaphysical gym that teaches the Nakajo style who is somewhat capable, the other five masters are just a bunch of liars."
"With their skills, they don't have the ability to open a sword school to teach people swordsmanship."
"And I've long been tired of seeing all these tricks they use to deceive people."
"Bribe some people in advance, defeat them in public, and deceive those who know nothing about swordsmanship."
"The case of Mizuno Nobuyuki just now is the best example."
"Another trick these scammers like to use is to make up a convincing story about how they once defeated someone."
"And when these scammers make up these stories, their favorite targets are criminals who have already been arrested and imprisoned."
"Because those people have been imprisoned, no one will come to their door to seek revenge after hearing the story that vilifies them, so you can make up and tell it with confidence."
"That Mizuno Nobuyuki must have heard from somewhere that Ogata Ittosai had been arrested by the government, so he made up a story that he had defeated Ogata Ittosai."
"That letter of thanks from the government that he just took out must have been bought from the government with money. He used it to increase the credibility of his story."
"These days, you can buy anything if you're willing to pay for it."
"With his level, how could he possibly be a match for Ogata Ittosai who can defeat a hundred enemies alone?"
"And he chopped Ogata Ittosai to the ground with one sword. It's really hilarious."
"It's more like he was knocked to the ground by Ogata Ittosai's sword."
Ogata and Atachi couldn't help but smile when they heard Kondo's words.
After smiling, Ating asked back:
"If they are just a bunch of scammers, then hasn't anyone exposed them over the years?"
"Why not?"
Kondo shrugged and smiled wryly.
"A big part of the reason why these scammers can continue to cheat is because they have been colluding with the government."
"The government protects them. They cheat and make money, and then hand over part of the money they make to the government."
"The six major sword halls also look after each other. The power of the six major sword halls has long been intertwined in Kyoto. It is not easy to shake them."
After listening to Kondo's words quietly, Ogata nodded slightly:
"It seems... not only the government in Kyoto is corrupt, but even the martial arts have degenerated."
"That's just the way the world is." Kondo's face showed some sadness at this time. "Once the world is in trouble, everything will quickly begin to decay."
"In today's world, people laugh at poverty but not at prostitution."
"Whether it's warriors or ordinary people, everyone is pursuing money now."
"Under the influence of this trend, there are fewer and fewer decent warriors."
"As the number of decent samurai decreases, the number of decent sword schools will also continue to decrease."
"Samurai from poor families were trapped in life, and those from wealthy families were addicted to pleasure. Fewer and fewer people would seriously study swordsmanship."
"There is another very important reason why the six major sword halls have been able to continue to defraud people until now - there are very few people who can see that these hall owners have no real skills."
"If this continues, I'm afraid that the samurai... and the swords in our hands will perish..."
After expressing his deep sadness, Kondo Ren took several deep breaths and adjusted his emotions.
After adjusting his emotions, Kondo said to Ogata in a somewhat apologetic tone:
"…I'm sorry, what I just said seemed a bit too heavy."
"It's okay." Ogata waved his hand.
"Lord Tengu, I came here to find you for only one thing."
The look on Kondo's face was extremely serious at this moment.
"I want to ask you for advice!"
"Oh?" Ogata raised his eyebrows.
"I came to Kyoto to train myself."
"I've been in Kyoto for more than two months, and it's only now that I've finally found a master like you!"
At this moment, Kondo's eyes were filled with a strong fighting spirit.
"Please give me some guidance!"
"Sorry. I have something to do now. I don't have time." Ogata said without thinking.
"Then when you have time, can you come and spar with me?" Kondo asked anxiously, "I really want to compete with you!"
Ogata looked at Kondo with a helpless look and sighed softly.
"…Please tell me the address of your hotel."
"When I have time and am in the mood, I will go to where you live to find you ."
"But I'll be frank with you - whether I will go to see you or not depends entirely on whether I have the mood and time."
"I may come to find you, or I may not. Please be prepared to wait for you for several days without seeing me."
"No problem!" Kondo replied.
Kondo quickly gave Ogata an address, and Ogata silently memorized the address Kondo gave him. Then Kondo bowed deeply to Ogata and Atachi, and then quickly left their sight.
After Kondo left, Atachi turned around and asked Ogata:
"Will you really go and spar with that person?"
"If I have time and am in a good mood , I wouldn't mind competing with him." Ogata smiled bitterly, "But I won't let him wait there forever. If I don't want to compete with him, I will go to the hotel where he is staying and tell him."
"Okay, let's go, A-Ming. Let's get down to business."
…
…
After entering the fourth pharmacy today, Ogata and Atachi were immediately greeted by the enthusiastic “Welcome” from the clerk behind the counter.
A-machi thought waiting outside was too boring, so she followed Ogata into the pharmacy this time.
"Excuse me, do you recognize the handwriting above?"
Ogata took out the two prescriptions and handed them to the clerk standing behind the counter.
"Hmm? Oh oh...! This is Master Xuanzheng's handwriting."
"Sure enough, I don't even recognize the people from this pharmacy... Wait! You recognize him?!" Ogata said anxiously.
"Of course I recognize him." The clerk nodded. "Our store is close to the clinic run by Master Xuanzheng and his disciples, so there are often patients who have seen Master Xuanzheng and his disciples and come here with prescriptions to get medicine."
"I have read the prescription written by Master Xuanzheng countless times, so I won't make a mistake."
"Master Xuanzheng and his disciples? May I ask - how many disciples does this Xuanzheng have?" Ogata asked.
"There are two. The eldest disciple Xuanzhi, and the youngest disciple Xuanren."
Finally, someone who recognized the handwriting was found. At the same time, as Ogata already knew, Xuan Zheng also had a disciple - this made Ogata's face uncontrollably filled with excitement.
"Excuse me, where is Xuanzheng's clinic?"
"If you want to find Master Xuanzheng, then I don't think you need to go to their clinic." The pharmacy clerk smiled bitterly, "Master Xuanzheng and his eldest disciple Xuanzhi have not been in Kyoto for a long time."
"It's been so long that I can't even remember when they left Kyoto."
"After the two of them left Kyoto, only the young disciple Xuanren remained in Kyoto."
"But half a month ago, Xuanren accidentally prescribed the wrong medicine and killed someone. He is now imprisoned in Kyoto."
"Even if you go to Xuanzheng and his disciples' clinic now, it will definitely be deserted."
Ogata's current mood... is a bit like riding a roller coaster.
It just reached its highest point.
Now it has suddenly dropped to the lowest point.
…
…
Although he had learned from the clerk that there was no one at the clinic where Master Xuanzheng and his apprentice worked, Ogata still refused to give up and dragged Atachi to the clinic in person.
Xuanzheng's clinic is located in a relatively remote place and there are not many people around.
The door of the clinic was locked and the area around the door was covered with dust - it was obvious that no one had taken care of it for a while.
