The Shiwei Hall recommended by Boss Kiryu earlier greatly intrigued Aoto.
However, Kiryu's final words, "I have quite a deep connection with Shiwei Hall," made Aoto feel a bit uneasy.
He worried: Would Boss Kiryu embellish the allure of Shiwei Hall to attract him, just to benefit a familiar dojo's business?
This kind of gesture, helping a friend's business, was not uncommon either.
Therefore - to be on the safe side, he decided to first verify whether Shiwei Hall was indeed as good as Kiryu claimed.
How should he verify the authenticity of Kiryu's introduction to Shiwei Hall?
Aoto actually happened to have a very good route for verification.
By coincidence... or rather, "Original Tachibana Aoto" happened to have a close friend studying at the Little Chiba Sword Dojo.
...
...
Aoto raced through the streets, many commoners hurried to step aside, making way for him.
It was commonplace in Edo Era Japan for commoners to step aside for samurai.
In the Edo Era, excluding the special class of daimyos, society could be broadly divided into two types: the ruling class of samurai and the ruled commoners.
As the ruling class, ranking above commoners in social status, samurai had a number of rogue privileges.
One significant rogue privilege samurai possessed was the "Impolite Attack."
The so-called "Impolite Attack" meant that when a samurai with the "sword-carrying right" felt insulted by a commoner, the samurai could draw his sword and kill the commoner without facing any punishment.
Because of this, many commoners held a sense of fear toward samurai, and would generally step aside when encountering samurai in the streets to avoid trouble.
In the eyes of many commoners, samurai running through the streets were like running bombs.
If one accidentally bumped into a samurai, tilted or soiled their sword, and the samurai shouted, "You impudent person! You have sullied my soul!" then drew their sword to kill the commoner, the samurai would remain unscathed, and might even be praised as "well done, a true samurai spirit! Samurai should be so carefree!"—such incidents were not uncommon in the Edo Era.
The ruling class in feudal times could indeed be so unreasonable.
...
...
Aoto dashed into a samurai residential area, then skillfully veered onto a small path, finally stopping in front of an unremarkable small house.
"Yamanaka! Yamanaka! Yamanaka Keisuke! Are you there?"
"Coming, coming."
As soon as Aoto's call ended, a calm male voice sounded from behind the door.
A moment later, the slightly old door was slowly opened.
Opening the door was a young samurai.
He had slightly pale skin, slightly narrow eyes, and two tear moles at the corner of his right eye. These two tear moles appeared particularly conspicuous against his pale complexion.
His height was slightly shorter than Aoto's, around 165cm, with a slender build. If one word were to describe this young samurai, "delicate" would be the most fitting.
Not particularly handsome, but with a face that could attract many girls.
Aside from his not-bad looks, the young samurai's appearance had another standout feature—his exceptionally good demeanor, exuding a gentle aura.
He always wore a faint smile, with scholarly air between his brows, and in every movement, there was a sense of grace.
Many, upon first meeting this young samurai, would likely think, "He must be a learned scholar."
"Aoto, what's up? Why are you coming to see me so early?" The young samurai stepped aside, making way at the doorway, "Anyway, hurry on in."
"Yamanaka, I'm here to ask you some questions. I'll leave after asking, won't stay long."
This young samurai, whom Aoto referred to as "Yamanaka", is fully named "Yamanaka Keisuke," a friend whom "Original Tachibana Aoto" met a year ago through various coincidences.
Although they hadn't known each other long, for some reason, they got along surprisingly well. In just a year, he became a close friend with "Original Tachibana Aoto."
"You have something to ask me?" Yamanaka showed some confusion, "Go ahead."
"Yamanaka, you are currently studying at the Little Chiba Sword Dojo, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I'd like to ask you: does the Little Chiba Sword Dojo often engage in swordsmanship exchanges with Xuanwu Hall and a Shiwei Hall that teaches the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream?"
Aoto's friend, who was studying the Beichen One-Sword Style at the Little Chiba Sword Dojo, was precisely this Yamanaka Keisuke.
"Shiwei Hall?" Yamanaka's slender eyebrows slightly raised, "Why are you asking about it?"
Explaining slowly one by one would really take too much time, so Aoto dodged the question, answering once more half-truthfully:
"These days, the world is becoming increasingly unsettled. My work as an official responsible for catching thieves is getting more and more demanding, so I plan to seriously study swordsmanship, lest I accidentally be cut down by some villain one day."
"I recently heard someone recommend Shiwei Hall as a good choice. Not only is the swordsmanship taught there not just for show, but the sword dojo has a good relationship with both the Xuanwu Hall of the Beichen One-Sword Style and the Little Chiba Sword Dojo. The three often gather to exchange sword techniques."
"So I thought I would come to you to confirm if these things are true."
"Oh, I see." Yamanaka nodded gracefully, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned as a gentle smile appeared on his face, "These things are indeed true."
"The Xuanwu Hall and the Little Chiba Sword Dojo, where I am currently studying, do indeed often engage in sword exchanges with the Shiwei Hall."
"Probably about six days ago, people from Shiwei Hall came to Little Chiba Sword Dojo. Together with the trainees from Shiwei Hall, we had a hearty exchange of sword techniques."
"I even had the privilege of witnessing the elegance of a few Shiwei Hall disciples."
"The person who recommended you to Shiwei Hall was not lying."
"From my observation, the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream is indeed a school with real skills, not one that is just for show. The sword style is fierce, every move draws blood."
"In terms of practicality in combat, personally, I don't think the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream is inferior to the Beichen One-Sword Style."
"Moreover, the teaching level at Shiwei Hall is quite good, and many disciples there have considerable strength."
"Especially one young boy named Chokata Toshisuke, who, despite his young age, has formidable strength and talent that even the teachers praise lavishly."
"Aoto, if your goal in learning swordsmanship is 'to better subdue minor villains,' then indeed, Shiwei Hall is a good place to go."
Yamanaka's character, Aoto naturally knew well.
He was sincere and honest; he would not lie to Aoto, nor did he have any reason to lie to him.
Yamanaka's identity as a "swordsmanship expert" made his previous praise of the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream appear particularly credible.
According to what Aoto knew—the strong Yamanaka had considerable accomplishments in swordsmanship.
How strong specifically, Aoto, who was not good at swordsmanship, did not know. But he knew Yamanaka was slightly famous for his strength in the Little Chiba Sword Dojo teeming with strong fighters.
Even Yamanaka, who was good at swordsmanship and trustworthy, praised the practicality of the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream so highly that Aoto's last bit of hesitation about the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream and Shiwei Hall dissipated.
"Aoto, who would have thought that you, who have always been uninterested in swordsmanship, would have a day where you want to learn in a sword dojo." Yamanaka jokingly lamented before changing his tone, "Dojo selection is something you mustn't take lightly."
"I also know of a few other sword dojos that are quite competent."
"If you're interested, I can introduce these sword dojos to you."
"You know quite a few competent sword dojos? Among the ones you know, is there any dojo that offers lots of opportunities to compete and exchange skills with many others? For instance, like the Shiwei Hall, which can contend with the apprentices from the two great dojos Xuanwu Hall and Little Chiba Sword Dojo." Aoto asked.
"Hmm? I don't think so... Among the competent sword dojos I know, the one with the most disciples only has over a hundred, and unless there is a particularly good relationship between dojos, they rarely have frequent exchanges."
"Then never mind." Aoto raised an eyebrow with a smile at Yamanaka, "I've made up my mind—I'm going to Shiwei Hall."
"You've decided?" Yamanaka gasped softly, "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be too hasty of you not to spend more time carefully choosing?"
"No need, there should be no other dojo more suitable for me in all of Edo than Shiwei Hall. I'll go apprentice there now."
With that, Aoto raised his hands and gave Yamanaka's shoulders a firm slap:
"Yamanaka, thank you! You've been a big help. I'll treat you to a drink when we have time!"
Aoto bid farewell to Yamanaka, then hurriedly left from Yamanaka's doorstep.
Watching Aoto, who appeared unexpectedly and then left in a rush, Yamanaka smiled helplessly, "Saying you'll treat me to a drink, that's rare indeed..."
...
...
Aoto, while speeding through the street, pulled out from his chest the note Boss Kiryu had just given him with the address of Shiwei Hall, and followed the address written on the paper, hurrying forward.
Since his doubts about the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream and Shiwei Hall had dissipated, there was no need to hesitate more in choosing a sword dojo.
A dojo where one could compete with people from 3 dojos—just as Aoto had told Yamanaka earlier: throughout all of Edo, there shouldn't be any dojo more suitable for Aoto, who has the "Talent Duplication System," than Shiwei Hall.
—Let's hope that after joining Shiwei Hall, I can quickly copy some amazing talents...
After silently praying in his heart, Aoto quietly sped up his pace.
*******
*******
A new book sets sail! Seeking all kinds of support!