Before Ogata and the others could say anything, Naoshige began to explain to the three of them:
"The Grand Test is a test held by my Isshiki Sword Gym and several other sword gyms that have good relations. Apprentices from each gym are allowed to compete in order to test the level of the apprentices in each gym."
Ogata didn't actually need Naoshige's explanation.
He had previously heard about the "Great Test" from Isshikika when he accidentally took a bath in the same bath with her.
According to Isshiki Ka, she and Naoshige had to take the fast and convenient smuggling boat back to mainland Japan in order to rush back to participate in the "Big Test".
Because this "Daishikai" is similar to the "Keijinenbu" held at the Sakakibara Sword Hall where Ogata practiced sword in the past, Ogata has a deep impression of this "Daishikai".
"Mr. Isshiki," Ogata said at this time, "you want me to come to your museum to watch the 'big test'. What do you mean?"
"Mashima-sama." Naozune looked at Ogata with a pleading look, "This is the residence of Master Yoji, not a convenient place to talk."
"There's a teahouse not far from here that I often go to."
"Could you please spare a moment now to come to the teahouse and talk with me in detail?"
To be honest, Ogata had no interest in this "big test" that Naozune mentioned.
Ogata was not very happy about having to spend time discussing the "big test" with Naoki at a nearby teahouse.
But there is nothing I can do about it.
Ogata had just been taken care of by Naozune. Without Naozune's help, he might still be racking his brains trying to convince Yoji to help him repair his sword.
"...Okay." After all, Ogata is not the kind of shameless person. He can't do such a thing as not giving others face after they just helped him. "I understand. Let's go, but don't talk too long."
"Please rest assured!" Zhi Zhou was now full of excitement, "I will definitely not delay you for too long!"
Zhi Zhou said hello to Yu Er and said that he had something important to attend to, so he would leave first.
At this time, Yu Er had already begun repairing Mahakala and Mahadeva.
He held the Great Shitian and looked at the blade of the Great Shitian carefully. When Zhi Zhou said goodbye to him, he just nodded and said, "Well, take care."
His eyes never left Da Shitian's sword from beginning to end.
Ogata was very curious about Yoji's behavior of staring at the knife.
As soon as they left Yoji's house, Osamu couldn't help but ask Naoshu: What was Yoji doing just now?
"Oh, he was just 'looking at the sword'." Yuji replied, "This is a necessary process for sword repair."
“Each knife is unique.”
"The blade pattern, the frets, the ridges, the curvature of the blade, etc., are all different for each sword."
"So there is no uniform standard for sword sharpening and repairing."
"Only a low-level knife maker would start repairing a strange knife without thinking twice."
“A knife maker who is truly skilled in knife craftsmanship will carefully examine the knife hundreds of times before sharpening or repairing it, and study it thoroughly.”
"Imagine in my mind how to sharpen the knife to best bring out the characteristics of the knife, sketch out the design of repair and grinding in my mind, and think about the order of work."
"Whether I'm helping someone repair or sharpen a knife, I usually spend a day studying the knife first and designing the best repair and sharpening method before I start working."
"I see..." Ogata muttered, "There really is a lot of knowledge involved in the sharpening and repair of swords."
"Look forward to it, Majima-sama." Naoshima said with a smile, "Master Yoji's skills will never let you down."
"I can't wait to see my repaired knife in seven days," Ogata responded half-jokingly.
As they were talking, they had already left the remote suburb where Yu Er lived and arrived at a fairly busy street.
The "teahouse he often visited" that Naoshu mentioned was located in the center of this street.
According to Naoshige, after visiting would often come to this teahouse to drink a few cups of hot tea and eat some snacks before going home.
Judging from the reactions of the waiters in the teahouse, Naoshige was not lying.
After Naozune led Ogata and the others into the teahouse, several waiters who were working inside the teahouse greeted Naozune enthusiastically upon seeing him, as if they were very familiar with him.
This is a teahouse with private rooms. After Naoshu ordered a private room and the best tea and snacks in the teahouse, he sat opposite Ogata and the other two in the room.
"Okay, Mr. Isshiki." As soon as he sat down on the tatami, Oufang said directly to Naoshu, "If you have anything to say, please speak frankly."
Zhi Zhou did not dare to talk any more nonsense, cleared his throat, and then said seriously:
"As I said before, the 'Grand Test' is a competition jointly held by my Yise Sword Gym and several other sword gyms with which we have good relations to test the strength of our apprentices."
"There are four sword gyms participating in the 'Grand Trial'. They are -"
"The Katori Shinto-ryu's All-Arms Hall."
"The Yuanming Pavilion without outflow."
"Shimura-kan of the Shinto school."
"And the Isshiki-kan of Ono Ittoryu - that is, the sword school of our Isshiki family."
"They are all from the famous sword halls in Osaka."
"The annual 'big trial' is held in April at the beginning of spring."
"The day after tomorrow will be the day for this year's 'Grand Trial'."
"Master Majima, the reason why I invited you to watch our 'Grand Trial' is not for any other reason, but just to fulfill my hospitality and let you enjoy our annual feast."
Naoshige chattered about the reason why he invited Ogata to watch the "Big Test".
Facing the eloquent Naoshige, Osamu remained expressionless.
After staring at Naoshu for a while, Ogata said in his heart with a helpless tone:
——What do you mean by "trying to be a good host"? It should be "to get close to me" or "to cultivate a relationship with me" so that you can easily get me to join your cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty later...
Naoshige's words sound nice and convincing, but Ogata is not a fool who knows nothing about the world. He can still understand this kind of "diplomatic rhetoric of adults".
Ogata didn't believe a After all, such words were too hypocritical and empty.
Then why did he invite him to watch their "big tryout"?
Considering that Naozune had previously cordially invited Ogata to join their "overthrow of the shogunate", but was directly rejected by Ogata - it is not difficult to guess that Naozune was probably still unwilling to give up and did not want to miss Ogata, a hero who would definitely be of great help to their overthrow of the shogunate.
So he planned to use a different method to win over Ogata - first cultivate a relationship with Ogata, and after becoming familiar with him, he would continue to invite Ogata to devote himself to the overthrow of the shogunate.
The more Ogata thought about it, the more he felt that his speculation was reasonable.
"If you want to watch the 'Big Test', it won't take you too much time!"
"This year's 'Big Test' will be held at the All-Physical Hall! It will officially start at 5:00 pm (8:00 am) and end at 9:00 pm (12:00 noon)! It won't take up too much of your time!"
"If you are free the morning after tomorrow, I sincerely hope that you can come and watch our 'big test'!"
Naoshige's attitude was so sincere that he was only one step away from kneeling on the ground and begging Ogata...
Naoshige was now looking at Ogata with hope on his face.
Atachi and Azuki, who were sitting on Ogata's left and right sides, turned their heads and looked at Ogata, waiting for his answer.
As for Ogata - his current mood is as complicated as his current expression.
He really has no interest in any "big test".
If it were in the past, when Ogata had not yet left the Hirose Domain, he might have been quite happy to watch this kind of competition.
And now... to put it bluntly, when watching the martial arts competition between the apprentices in the sword hall, Ogata just felt like... watching children fighting and babbling...
You let a swordsman who has fought in hundreds of battles, has fought all kinds of battles, and has killed countless enemies, watch a group of people who may not even have wielded a real sword sparring with each other - what's there to watch?
Instead of spending time looking at something that will definitely make you yawn, you might as well use this time to go shopping around Osaka with Atachi and the others, and appreciate the charm of the "world's number one commercial capital."
If there were no special circumstances, Ogata would have rejected Naoki's invitation without hesitation.
It’s just that… there happens to be a special situation right now…
——Owing favors to others... is indeed very troublesome...
Ogata sighed helplessly in his heart.
Naoshige had just persuaded Yoji to help him repair his sword - this favor made it difficult for him to move his lips and tongue, even though he should have immediately said no.
When it comes to debts of favor, Ogata's view has always been "repay them if you can."
Ogata pursed his lips, weighed the pros and cons, and finally spoke:
"Is your 'grand trial' sure it will only be held for two hours the day after tomorrow?"
"It's absolutely true." Nao Zhou said hurriedly, "It may take a little longer, but the annual 'big test' will basically be completed within 2 hours."
"We have four sword halls and so many apprentices, so it's impossible for everyone to compete."
"Each sword hall sent three of its most outstanding disciples to participate in the trial, so there were only 12 apprentices participating in the 'big trial'. It took almost two hours to complete the competition."
Ogata listened attentively, nodding his head from time to time.
"...Then..." Ogata sighed silently, and then, with the mentality of "I'll just consider it as a favor to you", he slowly said, "I'll come to bother you the day after tomorrow morning."
Hearing Ogata's words, Naoshige was stunned at first.
Then, with a face full of ecstasy, he bent down towards Ogata in front of him and said loudly, "I am so happy that you are willing to come to watch the 'Big Test'" and so on.
Naoshige's excitement made Ogata a little worried that he might pass out from the excitement at his age...
——“Big Test”?
Ogata thought to himself.
——Since there is a sword gym that Isshiki Sword Gakkan is participating in…that means I will meet that person again…
At this moment, a figure in a goose yellow kimono flashed through Ogata's mind.
…
…
Osaka, Zenhyokan——
"drink!"
“Yo——!”
"ha!"
"Shout louder! You want to swing your knife so quietly?!"
In the huge dojo, various breathing sounds and shouting sounds were heard one after another.
In terms of overall strength, Zenhyokan is undoubtedly the best sword gym in Osaka.
There are more than 300 apprentices in total, and there are 4 large arenas that can accommodate dozens of people practicing swords at the same time.
Zenhyokan is also one of the largest Katori Shinto sword schools in western Japan.
Many people who were also practicing Katori Shinto-ryu traveled thousands of miles to study at Zenhyōkan in Osaka in order to further their studies.
The Jeonbeongan has four dojos, which are called "No. A Dojo", "No. B Dojo", "No. C Dojo" and "No. D Dojo" for the convenience of management and naming.
All the apprentices in the academy were divided into different dojos based on their strength.
The weakest apprentice trains in "Dojo No. D", those who are slightly stronger go to "Dojo No. C"... and so on. "Dojo No. A" gathers all the best apprentices in the entire military academy.
Because the people who practice in "No. 1 Dojo" are all the best in the whole military academy, the atmosphere of this dojo is completely different from that of other dojos.
The air in the "Dojo No. 1" was filled with a solemn atmosphere. There was minimal laughter in the dojo, as everyone was concentrating on practicing sword skills.
At this moment, in the corner of the "No. 1 Dojo", Kitahara was holding a very large wooden sword and practicing Suzhen (a basic sword technique that involves constantly chopping at the air in front of him).
After taking off his upper body clothes, Beiyuan's upper body was already sweaty, and wisps of heat could be vaguely seen coming out of his body.
The wooden sword he was wielding was a heavy wooden sword specially made by his client. It was twice as heavy as a real sword. Kitahara usually used this wooden sword to strengthen his arm strength when practicing sword.
"198...199...200..."
When he counted to "200", Kitahara let out a long sigh, then put down the heavy wooden sword in his hand, pulled out a clean white handkerchief from his waist, and wiped his face and upper body which were covered with sweat.
"Hey! Kitahara!"
Kitahara heard a familiar voice behind him, and looked back, only to see one of his good friends walking towards him with a wooden sword.
"You're really hardworking. Why? Are you planning to win first place in the 'big test' the day after tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that's right." Beiyuan nodded without any disguise, "I must win the first place in the 'big test' this year!"
"Oh?" Kitahara's friend changed his tone to joking, "Why didn't I see you so motivated in the past few years?"
"Oh, I remember now."
Kitahara's friend patted his forehead in a very pretentious manner, and then continued in a joking tone.
"I almost forgot - in the past few years, Miss Isshiki never came to watch the 'Big Test', but this year, Miss Isshiki has confirmed that she will come to watch."
"Stop standing here and talking about these things." Beiyuan scolded unhappily, "I want to continue practicing sword skills, don't disturb me."
The friend who was ordered to leave by Kitahara shrugged his shoulders and walked away with a wooden sword in his hand.
The place where Kitahara was standing happened to be next to a window.
After his friend left, he turned his head and looked at the sky outside the window.
"Ms. Isshiki..." Kitahara muttered.
The voice and appearance of Isshikika appeared in my mind.
Just by recalling Isshikika's face, Kitahara felt full of strength again.
——This time, I must perform well in front of Miss Isshiki!
After saying this in his heart with a decisive tone, Kitahara once again picked up the special wooden sword beside him.
In order to be in the best condition for the "big test" the day after tomorrow, Kitahara brought his toiletries, spare clothes and other luggage to the Quanbing Hall starting today.
From now on, you will practice in seclusion in the Quanbing Hall, and you will not go outside or have any contact with anyone outside.
Kitahara kept repeating Isshikika's name in his mind while practicing Suzhen again by aiming at the air in front of him.
…
…
Osaka, Isshiki Sword Hall——
The Isshiki Sword Hall of the Isshiki family is a very typical structure where the home and the sword hall are integrated into one.
After passing through the dojo and walking further inside, you will reach where Isshiki and his family live.
At the deepest part of their house, there is a small Buddhist temple.
Isika, still wearing a goose yellow kimono, is now in this small Buddhist temple.
This small Buddhist temple houses a golden Buddha statue.
Isseka was kneeling on a cushion placed in front of the golden Buddha statue, with her bare white feet buried between her buttocks and the cushion. She closed her eyes, put her hands together, and held a string of brown Buddhist beads between her palms, reciting Buddhist scriptures devoutly.
Isshiki's mother was a devout Buddhist.
Influenced by her mother, Isshikika has had a devout belief in Buddhism since she was a child.
Isshikika's father did not have any religious beliefs, but in order to take care of his wife's piety, he spent a lot of money to build this small Buddhist temple and erect this golden Buddha statue.
When she lived at home, Isika would go to this Buddhist temple every day and recite Buddhist scriptures in front of the Buddha statue.
After completing the routine Buddhist chanting, Isekhua opened her eyes, put away her Buddhist beads, and quickly left the temple.
As soon as she left the Buddhist temple, she saw her grandfather running towards her excitedly.
"Xiaohua, you are here. I finally found you."
"Grandpa." Isshika frowned her beautiful eyebrows, "What's wrong? Is there anything wrong?"
"Xiaohua, guess who I met outside today?"
"I can't guess." As soon as Naoshige finished speaking, Isshikika said coldly, "Grandpa, if you have anything to say, just say it directly. Don't play this boring 'guessing game'."
Isshikika refused to cooperate - but Naoshige was not angry about it.
Naoshu looked around and confirmed that there was no one around. Then he put his lips close to Isshikika's ear and whispered:
"I ran into Lord Ittosai outside today."
As soon as Zhi Zhou said this, Isshikika's eyes, which were originally full of coldness, suddenly widened and she almost screamed out.
Naoshu briefly told Isshikika about his chance encounter with Ogata today and how he successfully invited Ogata to watch the "Daisikao".
"Grandpa..." Isshiki looked at Naoshige in disbelief, "Did you really...succeed in inviting Lord Ittosai...?"
Nao Zhou nodded proudly and said, "You must not tell anyone. The only people who know that Ogata Ittosai will be here are you and me. You must not let anyone else know."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhi Zhou was stunned.
Then he slapped his head.
"Oh no... I forgot to explain to Ogata that Isshiki Ryoma doesn't exist, only Isshiki Hana exists..."
Naoshige smiled bitterly.
"Sorry for the trouble... When Ichitosai sees Isshiki Ryoma transformed into a woman the day after tomorrow... I really don't know how to explain it..."
"…Grandpa. You don't need to explain this at all."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Master Ittosai has long known that Isshiki Ryoma is disguised as Isshiki Hana..."
"What do you mean?" Naoshige's eyes widened in shock, "You... revealed your identity to Lord Ittosai?"
"Well..." Isshiki Hana lowered her head and said in a very vague tone, "Just... the night before I parted ways with Lord Itosai in northern Oshu, when I went to take a bath, Lord Itosai ran into me in women's clothes in the corridor, and my female body was exposed..."
Because he was not good at lying, Isshiki's eyes were always darting around - but because she lowered her head, Naoshige did not notice anything unusual about Isshiki at this time.
"Has this ever happened before... Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"This isn't something worth telling anyone, why should I tell you?"
"You... Oh, forget it. Since that gentleman knows that you are a girl, it will be easy to deal with." Zhi Zhou cleared his throat, "The day after tomorrow, that gentleman will come to visit. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a good relationship with him."
"Because he only knows you and me, in order to prevent that adult from feeling embarrassed because there is no one familiar with him, I plan to have you sit next to him when the 'big test' begins and watch the test with him."
"What do you think?"
"… whatever you want."
"Okay, it's decided then." Naoshu said to Isshikika in a serious tone, "Remember the next day - don't say anything rude to Master Ittosai."
Naoshu was very long-winded and told Isshikika all kinds of rules and regulations to pay attention to.
Isshikika's face gradually showed impatience, and she said unhappily:
"I know... It's just Ittosai, why make such a big deal about it..."
After saying that, Isshikika turned around and walked away quickly.
Naoshige shouted at Isshikika's back, "I haven't finished what I'm saying yet." However, Isshikika was completely unmoved and didn't stop at all...
…
…
——That person... actually came to Osaka...
Isshiki Hana was walking quickly in the corridor of her home, whispering in her heart.
The first time I met Ogata - it was quite a long time ago.
But when I recall this past event carefully, it feels like the experience happened just like yesterday.
Fragments of memories...especially those of bathing in the bathhouse with Ogata, emerged one by one in Isshikika's mind as if they had their own consciousness.
Isshikika suddenly felt her blood rushing to her cheeks.
He raised his hands and touched his cheeks - they were already burning hot as if they had just been roasted by fire.
…
…
Isshiki's mother's original name was "Kazama Minoru". After marrying into the Isshiki family, she changed her name to "Isshiki Minoru".
As the daughter of a military family, she received an extremely good education since childhood and was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
On weekdays, she likes to do these elegant things to pass the time.
At this moment, Asi was in his room, humming a nice tune and painting on his desk.
"Mother……"
Suddenly - Ash heard his daughter's voice coming from outside the room.
As soon as she turned her head towards the sound, she saw Isshikika opening the paper sliding door of her room and kneeling in front of her.
"Xiaohua, what's wrong?" Asi put down the pen in his hand.
"Mom...can you...teach me how to put on makeup?"
"Ah?" Ah Shi raised his right hand and covered his mouth with a look of surprise. "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly say you want to learn makeup?"
"When I wanted to teach you before, didn't you say you were not interested?"
At this moment, Ash suddenly realized something, so he quickly asked Isshikika in an expectant tone:
"Do you have someone you like?"
“…That’s not the case.” Isshikika stammered.
…
…
Just as Isshikika was stammering and asking her mother for advice on how to put on makeup—
Koyasan, Sengenji Temple——
"Toyotomi Nobuhide...long time no see..." An old man with gray eyebrows smiled at a young man sitting in front of him.
"It's not like we haven't seen each other for a long time." The young man shrugged.
"What brings you here suddenly?" the old man asked.
"Master, there are some unexpected situations at the shogunate and here." The young man stretched out a finger and picked his ear, and continued in a casual tone as if he was talking about what he had for dinner today, "So, I decided to launch the third 'Osaka Battle' ahead of schedule!"
"Recently, the long-lost 'Taikoku Paulownia' was hung on Osaka Castle!"