My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 68: Chapter 50: Come! Let Me Tie You Up! (Part 1)

Although Zhouzhu, the Hall Master of Shiwei Hall, was present today, he hardly ever participated in instructing the apprentices.

The teaching responsibilities were primarily handed over to Kondo Isami, with Zhouzhu mostly seated at the front of the dojo watching the disciples practice. Only on rare occasions would he step in to correct a disciple’s movements or assist Kondo Isami in teaching swordsmanship techniques.

This was Aoto’s first time receiving guidance from Kondo.

Kondo and Chokata, who taught Aoto last time, had completely different styles.

Chokata’s teaching style was ”strict.”

He would sternly tell you what to do and how to do it.

If you didn’t perform some action well, he would directly step in and tap you with a bamboo sword on the spot you hadn’t mastered—of course, the strength was light, not enough to injure anyone.

On the other hand, Kondo’s teaching style was ”gentle.”

He would teach you hand-in-hand with a gentle tone and actions.

Even if you didn’t perform some action well, he wouldn’t rush in like Chokata and tap you with a bamboo sword. Instead, he would patiently tell you what you hadn’t done well and then slowly correct the error with you.

As the saying goes, ”A strict teacher produces outstanding students.” At first glance, Kondo’s ”gentle teaching” might not seem suitable for cultivating students, but that’s not the case.

Kondo is quite adept at teaching, able to make complex swordsmanship techniques quite comprehensible with just a few words.

Under Kondo’s guidance, Aoto finally learned more advanced content today—the stance of holding a sword and formally began to learn sword techniques!

The basic sword-holding stances comprise three types: upper, middle, and lower stances.

Upper stance: hold the sword high over the head, primarily an offensive stance. However, since the sword is held high, the body becomes exposed, making it a stance with weaker defense.

Middle stance: hold the sword at the body’s center, with the sword tip pointing slantingly at the enemy, and the hilt turned toward your own abdomen. It’s a versatile way of holding the sword, suitable for both attack and defense. It’s considered the most commonly used stance.

Lower stance: hold the sword lower, with the sword tip aimed around the enemy’s knees or even the ground, a defensive stance better at dodging than attacking.

Besides these three basic stances, there are also variant stances like Eight Pairs and Flat Cyan Eye.

Kondo told Aoto: The stances of the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream primarily practice four forms—upper, middle, lower stances, and Flat Cyan Eye.

Kondo spent the entire morning teaching Aoto these four sword-holding stances. In the afternoon, he started teaching Aoto what he wanted to learn the most right now: sword techniques that could be used to attack enemies!

Since joining Shiwei Hall, Aoto had always looked forward to quickly learning specific sword techniques.

After all, one of his purposes in apprenticing at Shiwei Hall was to improve his swordsmanship and enhance his self-defense capabilities.

The ”radical anti-foreigner faction” could attack again at any time, and sword techniques that can effectively counter them and protect himself are naturally better learned sooner.

Seeing that Kondo was going to teach him sword techniques, Aoto quickly focused and listened attentively.

Kondo didn’t teach Aoto too many moves at once.

Today, he only taught Aoto one move—a thrusting skill called ”Unconscious Sword,” also known as ”No-Mind Thrust.”

Start with a middle stance, placing the sword flat, then, while emitting Qi Union, thrust forward with the sword—this sword technique seems extremely simple at first glance, but the simpler a technique looks, the more complexity it contains.

After teaching Aoto this move, Kondo had him spend the entire afternoon practicing the ”Unconscious Sword.”

Finally able to move on from foundational actions like suburi and iaijutsu to learning specific sword techniques, Aoto’s motivation was also ignited.

He stood in the corner of the dojo the whole afternoon, practicing the ”Unconscious Sword” with unwavering concentration and dedication.

Aoto made sure to also copy talents during the practice breaks.

Today, the dojo welcomed many new faces who hadn’t sparred with them before.

Seizing the opportunity, Aoto invited these newcomers to spar under various pretexts.

His luck was good today—perhaps due to the impressive performance Aoto displayed in sparring with Zhouzhu and Kondo, which earned him everyone’s respect. Almost everyone Aoto approached gladly accepted his ”sparring invitation.”

But, unfortunately... after sparring with the unfamiliar faces one by one, that mechanical system voice still did not sound again in Aoto’s mind...

...

...

That day, in the evening—

Hachidori-bori, Aoto’s residence—

”Kyūbē! I’m back!”

In high spirits, Aoto hummed a cheerful tune as he forcefully opened the door and announced his return to Kyūbē inside the house.

Just like the day before yesterday, Aoto practiced swordsmanship at Shiwei Hall until the beautiful evening glow filled the sky before making his way home at dusk.

It was yet another day of returning full of gains from Shiwei Hall.

Aoto increasingly felt that Shiwei Hall might be a place full of hidden talent.

Although the sword dojo wasn’t large in scale, powerful individuals with strong potential appeared one after another.

In just two days of sword practice at Shiwei Hall, he had already acquired three talents well-suited to his current still-weak skills: Sword Genius, Lone Brave, and Eagle Eye.

Gaining strong talents one after another put Aoto in a good mood, feeling as if even his physical fatigue had lessened considerably.

However—as Aoto joyfully pulled open the door and stepped inside, ready to take off his straw sandals, he suddenly froze.

Because he suddenly noticed—there were two unfamiliar pairs of shoes at his doorstep...

”Ah, Young Master, you’ve returned!”

Kyūbē dashed out from the inner room, holding a tea tray.

”Young Master, you got back just in time! We have visitors!”

Aoto furrowed his brow slightly: ”Visitors? Who?”

”It’s Lord Arima, and a young man I don’t know! They just arrived and said they were here to see you!”

”Lord Arima and a young man?” A look of undeniable astonishment spread across Aoto’s face as he quickly removed his straw sandals and handed his sword to Kyūbē. ”Where are they now?”

”I invited them into the sitting room.”

”Alright.”

Aoto rushed toward the sitting room, which wasn’t far from the house entrance.

As he slid open the paper door to the sitting room, the steadfast figure of Arima, with his neck and waist always at a 90-degree angle to the ground like a statue, standing on the tatami, entered Aoto’s field of vision.

Also entering Aoto’s field of vision was a foreign figure sitting cross-legged next to Arima...

”Mr. Tachibana, you’re back,” Arima flashed a slight smile as Aoto slid the door open and came in.

”Lord Arima, I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

”It’s alright, we’ve only just arrived ourselves. Mr. Tachibana, I heard from Kyūbē that you went to the sword dojo where you’ve recently begun apprenticing today. Very diligent, aren’t you? How’s the training going with your swordsmanship?”

”Hmm... it’s going alright.”

Engaging in small talk with Arima, Aoto slowly walked over to his superior and then knelt on the ground.

”Um... Lord Arima, who is this?” Aoto, just seated and having exchanged pleasantries with Arima, couldn’t suppress his curiosity and gestured toward the young man seated next to Arima.

Aoto didn’t know this young man, who seemed to be younger than him by one or two years.

As soon as Aoto stepped into the sitting room, this unfamiliar teenager had immediately caught his attention.

What attracted Aoto’s gaze wasn’t some particularly striking appearance.

It was the young man’s sword.

The young man wore two Samurai Swords, one long and one short, on his waist, indicating he was a Samurai.

Typically, samurais wear their swords on the left side to facilitate drawing for those who are predominantly right-handed.

But this young man wore his on the right side...

”Oh, oh, him... Saito, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

”...No External Stream,” the young man said softly in an indifferent tone lacking joy or sorrow, ”Saito Ichiro.”

”Mr. Tachibana, this is the bodyguard that Ushiyama, Inagawa, and I found specifically to protect you.”

”Bodyguard?”

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