My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Soga no Iruka was furious, his face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead. He pointed at Yakushi Eiji and said, "Yakushi Eiji, you're a spineless coward! How dare you point fingers at me like that? If you've got the guts, let's fight!"

If you win against me, anything is negotiable;

If you're no match for me, shut up!

Yakushi Ebi was a man of temper. He thought that Soga no Emishi at least had some manners, but he never expected his son to be so domineering and unreasonable.

If we let him run wild here, it could plunge the Wa (Japanese) nation into an abyss of no return.

Yakushi Eri thought that even if she didn't think of herself, she should think of the people of Wa-nu Kingdom.

He looked at Soga Irishika and asked, "Is it necessary for us to get involved?"

"No matter who it is, I'm here today to defeat everyone and seize the general's seal!" Soga Iruka said confidently.

Pharmacist Eri was speechless upon hearing this: "Even if you could defeat everyone, do you think you could obtain the General's Seal?"

"Didn't Li Shimin say that he treats all people equally, whether they are Tang people or barbarians? If I really defeat everyone, why shouldn't he give me the general's seal?"

"In that case, I'll play along to the end!"

The Yakushi family also held a high position in the Wa-nu Kingdom. It was for this reason that King Shuming sent him and Inugami Mita Kuchi as envoys to Chang'an two years ago.

Pharmacist Megumi is gentle and kind, and her greatest skill is coordinating relationships between various parties.

However, today this Sugawara is completely unyielding; he won't listen to anything I say.

Soga no Iruka drew his long Japanese sword: "Fist fights are meaningless; this sword is my weapon."

What weapon do you use?

"You draw a line, and I'll follow it."

"We both use long Japanese swords."

"Okay!" Pharmacist Eri nodded.

According to the rules of the duel, the blades had to be completely wrapped with cloth, so both of them wrapped their blades with cloth.

Soga no Iruka thought to himself, "Yakushi Eri has indeed been bewitched by Li Chengqian. He's completely devoted to the Li Tang dynasty and has forgotten which country he's from. I'm going to beat him awake today."

Just as Yakushi Ehi had finished wrapping the blade of the long Japanese sword, Soga Iruka, holding the sword with both hands, launched an attack, slashing at Yakushi Ehi's neck.

The knife slashed through the wind, as fast as lightning.

When Pharmacist Hui Ri saw this, he realized that this was no fight, but a desperate struggle!

Soga no Iruka never considered him one of his own.

They've treated him like an enemy!

Yakushi Eri was so enraged that she thought, "You little brat, are you trying to kill me?"

Even though the blade was covered, a single cut like that would be unbearable for anyone.

Li Chengan saw this and thought to himself, no wonder people often say that external enemies are not scary, but internal divisions are.

Yakushi Eri drew his sword to block, and a muffled thud rang in his ears as the two weapons collided.

Yakushi Eri felt numbness in both arms, and the tiger's mouth had been shattered, with blood dripping down from it. Yakushi Eri gritted her teeth and finally managed to grip the hilt of the knife.

Soga Irikaku sneered and asked, "How does it taste?"

At this moment, Yakushi Ehi realized that he had really underestimated Soga Irishika; this kid was ruthless.

Soga no Iruka was like a mad beast, slashing Yakushi Ehime more than a dozen times in one go.

Pharmacist Hui Ri was forced to retreat repeatedly.

Objectively speaking, it wasn't that Yakushi Eri was lacking in martial arts skills, but rather that he had too many concerns in his mind:

Firstly, he felt that he and Soga Iruka were both from Japan, and how could they, as fellow countrymen, harm each other?

Secondly, Soga no Iruka's father, Soga no Emishi, was watching from the side. To be fair, Yakushi Ebisu and Soga no Emishi had a fairly good relationship.

Although there were conflicts, things were generally okay. How could someone harm someone else's son?

Thirdly, the examination rules also stipulate that it is not allowed to attack the opponent's vital parts;

Fourthly, the purpose of Yakushi Eri's trip to Chang'an was to coordinate relations between the Wa (Japanese) Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty, eliminate misunderstandings, ease tensions, and prioritize harmony, so as to benefit the people of both countries.

This is the main point of his trip.

If I seriously injure Soga Iruka on the school field, wouldn't that bring me a lot of trouble?

If that happens, will I still be able to complete my mission?

Therefore, he couldn't act freely; even if he had the opportunity to attack Soga Iruka, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Soga no Iruka cared about any of that.

He had only one thought in his mind: he had to defeat Yakushi Eri and everyone who came up to challenge him.

I'm here today to make a name for myself, to let everyone know who I, Su Wo Ru Lu, am.

He believed that his ability to wield power in Japan was not due to his father being Soga no Emishi, but rather to his own hard work.

Therefore, the first thing to do is to target Pharmacist Eri.

In his view, although Yakushi Eri was nominally a person from the Japanese, his heart was actually with the Tang Dynasty.

Suga entered the deer's path with fierce and powerful movements, his arms exerting even greater force.

At the same time, combined with that kind of ninja skill, their movements are quite fast.

He had once secretly learned the kung fu of the ninjas under Qin He's command.

I must say, he's quite bright and learns very quickly.

Soga no Iruka thought to himself that now that he had come to Chang'an, he should let the world experience the power of the long Japanese sword and the wonder of ninja skills.

Despite Yakushi Eiji's repeated retreats, Soga Iruka continued to press forward, relentlessly attacking his vital points with every strike.

This greatly annoyed the pharmacist, Eri.

Yakushi Eri thought to herself, "Even if you and your son hold great power in Wa, you can't treat me like this. Last time, King Shuming made it clear that he wanted to remove Inu-gami Mita-kumi from his position and then replace him with himself."

In this way, in addition to his own position, he also served as Inugami Odenkusa, making him a very important person in the Wa country.

But you bastard, you don't even respect me.

Yakushi Ebisu swiftly thrust his long katana towards Soga Iruka's left shoulder.

The knife was about to pierce Soga no Iruka.

Suddenly, Yakushi Ehime's vision blurred, and Soga Iruka vanished without a trace.

Yakushi Eri also knew some ninja skills, but he had not yet mastered them.

At this moment, he felt a little panicked, because he didn't know where Soga Iruka had gone.

When he turned around, he found Soga Irikaku behind him, stabbing him in the left ribs.

Yakushi Ehi quickly dodged to the side, and then used the elbow of his left arm to clamp Soga Iruka's long katana.

Soga no Iruka saw that his weapon was caught in Yakushi Ehi's grasp, so he quickly drew his sword backward.

However, he tried to pull it out twice, but couldn't.

Just then, Soga Irikaku sneered and pressed a mechanism on the hilt of his long Japanese sword.

With another pull, a small Japanese sword was drawn.

That Japanese sword was very similar to the long Japanese sword, except that it was not as long and was smaller.

Only then did everyone realize that the long Japanese sword used by Soga Irika was specially designed.

On the surface, that long Japanese sword looked no different from an ordinary long Japanese sword.

but,

This long Japanese sword also conceals a smaller Japanese sword inside.

Soga no Iruka used his small katana to stab Yakushi Ehime directly in the throat.

Although the pharmacist, Eri, was on guard.

However, he hadn't expected Soga Irishika's weapon to be so unique.

At this moment, his attention was focused on the long Japanese sword that was already caught in the trap, and it was impossible for him to avoid Soga Iruka's attack.

He closed his eyes and waited there to die.

However, at this critical moment,

In my ears, I heard a clanging sound, like two weapons clashing together.

Yakushi Eri suddenly opened his eyes, and a person appeared in front of him. That person was none other than Yamashiro Daigo.

Yakushi Eri then realized that it was Yamashiro Daigo who had saved him.

Yamashiro Ōo shielded Yakushi Ehime behind him and angrily rebuked Soga Irishka: "What do you want to do? Are you trying to kill Yakushi Ehime?"

Soga no Iruka was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Yamashiro Ōo.

He took several steps back before regaining his footing.

He stared intently, his eyes turning red: "Who do we have here? It's you!"

"King Yamabe retorted, 'Do you still recognize me?'"

As he spoke, Yamashiro Daigo helped Yakushi Eri up and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Pharmacist Eri, still shaken, said, "I'm alright, thanks to your help."

King Yamashiro continued, "We are all from the land of Wa, so there's no need for such formalities. How should I address you?"

You are too soft-hearted.

You can't bring yourself to do it, but they won't be so polite to you.

Yakushi Eri thought to himself, "Yamabe no Oo is right, he's absolutely right."

Pharmacist Hui wiped the sweat from her forehead and stepped off the stage.

However, he did not return Soga Irikaku's long Japanese sword.

Yamashiro Daigo stared intently at Soga Irishika, reminding him of that past event.

That time,

King Yamabe, disguised as Li Chengqian, went to ambush King Shuming.

Because he originally thought that Li Chenggan and Soga no Emishi were in cahoots, he wanted to frame Li Chenggan.

As a result, King Shuming fell from the building but did not die; instead, he was saved by Li Chenggan.

Under the persuasion of Li Chenggan, Yaoshi Huiri, and others, King Shuming outwardly agreed to pardon King Yamabe Ōe, but in reality secretly dispatched Soga Iruka to lead troops to hunt down and kill King Yamabe Ōe.

The eldest brother of the mountain, King Yamabe, was outnumbered and wounded.

After being chased to the point of having nowhere to run, Yamabe no Daisō fled into the inn where Li Chenggan was staying.

Li Chengan found a way to save him. If it weren't for Li Chengan's intervention, he would probably have died long ago.

Unexpectedly, Soga no Iruka and his father Soga no Emishi have come to Chang'an together today.

Brother Yamabe thought to himself, "I was just about to settle accounts with you, but you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep. This saves me a lot of trouble."

Yamashiro Ōeō was the first to rebuke Soga Irika: "You brat, when you first came on stage you were talking about the Land of the Rising Sun and the Land of the Setting Sun. Who told you that?"

Don't you find that absurd?

A nation's strength is never something it boasts about itself.

If a country truly becomes powerful, others will know it even if it doesn't say it.

Just because your father has some power and status in our Japanese country, do you think you can act lawlessly and be arrogant?

"My success in Japan has little to do with my father; it's all thanks to my own hard work," Soga Iruka said angrily.

"Really? If it weren't for your father, who would even know who you are?" Yamabe no Daigo retorted sarcastically.

Upon hearing this, Soga no Iruka's face flushed red and then turned pale.

King Yamashiro continued, "Do you know how much aid and help the Tang Dynasty has provided us?"

For example, agricultural production technology,

Our Wa nation is an island country with barren land and extremely low agricultural output, resulting in a shortage of supply and frequent food shortages for its people.

Last time, Inugami Mitaku and Yakushi Ebi went on a diplomatic mission to Tang Dynasty China, where they learned agricultural techniques and brought them back to Wa (Japan).

The problem of feeding our people has been basically solved;

Furthermore, regarding the various regulations and systems of the imperial court, before this, our Wa (Japanese) nation was like a heap of loose sand.

Inugami Odenkuchi and Yakushi Ebisu came to Chang'an, studied systematically, and then returned to their homeland, gradually improving our various systems.

Furthermore, they brought back countless plant seeds, books, and other items from Chang'an, enriching our dining table and expanding our knowledge.

And yet you're here spouting nonsense and talking rubbish.

You are utterly ignorant and arrogant, you have completely disgraced the people of our Japanese nation!

Soga Irika was young and impetuous; when had he ever been criticized like this in public?

He was a man of pride, and he was so angry that he was trembling all over.

He gripped the short Japanese sword in his hand tightly, pointed it at Yamashiro Ōo, and cursed: "Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that here?"

Our king has already judged you to be a traitor to our Wa nation and intends to execute you as a warning to others.

therefore,

Last time,

Our king sent me with troops to hunt you down, but you're lucky to have escaped with your life.

Our king guessed correctly. As expected, you surrendered to Li Chenggan. What else could you be but a traitor?

Now that you have submitted to the Li Tang dynasty, you will naturally speak on their behalf.

Don't spout those useless platitudes here; this is a martial arts arena.

Come on, since you're already on stage, let's have a match. If you beat me, anything goes.

In other words, if you are no match for me, I will take your life today and bring your head back to the king as a reward.

Having reached this point, the two could no longer continue their conversation.

Brother Shanbei gritted his teeth in hatred: "You little brat, I was just about to get revenge for last time. You asked for it, so don't blame me."

With a clang, Yamashiro Ooshiro drew his long Japanese sword: "Today, let's settle our score!"

Back then, when Yamashiro Ōe was being hunted down by Soga Irishika, the extent of his suffering was indescribable.

It was Li Chengan who saved him.

Otherwise, would he still be able to stand on this stage?

Soga Iruka felt that Yamashiro Ōe was looking down on him too much, and didn't take him seriously at all.

He clearly wanted to seize the throne, but because his father supported Prince Tamura, he became King Shumei.

Therefore, he developed a deep hatred for the Soga family.

Therefore, from this point of view, Soga no Iruka could not let Yamashiro no Ōe go.

Yamashiro Ōo and Soga Irika began to fight each other with real swords and spears on the arena.

At this moment, they had forgotten that this was an examination hall and only regarded it as a battlefield.

Yamashiro Daigo wished he could cleave Soga no Iruka in two with a single stroke to vent his hatred.

Soga no Iruka launched a fierce attack on Yamashiro Ōe's vital points, aiming to kill him in one move so he could both avenge his personal grudge and ask the king for a reward.

The two then engaged in a pinnacle duel of Japanese swordsmanship on the arena.

In the blink of an eye, twenty rounds had passed, and the outcome remained undecided.

Li Chengan watched from the stands, his heart filled with worry for his elder brother, King Shanbei.

Li Chengan discovered that Soga Iruka was no ordinary boy; he wasn't just strong, his swordsmanship and ninja skills had reached a certain level.

On several occasions, it seemed that Yamashiro Ōeō was about to stab Soga Irishika, but Soga Irishika always managed to narrowly avoid it.

Soga Irishika suddenly vanished without a trace after unleashing his ninja divine skill.

Yamashiro Daigo looked around, searching for Soga Iruka.

Sometimes, Soga no Iruka would appear behind Yamashiro Ōeō;

Sometimes, it appears above his head.

Startled, Qin Ying shouted from afar, "Brother Shanbei, be careful! That kid has moved behind you!"

Watch out for the top of your head!

"Oh dear, he's on your left side again."

"..."

Luo Cheng, after reading it, was also deeply moved: "It seems that the long-sword technique of the Wa people is indeed remarkable."

Li Chengan nodded: "Yes! That's why, after I returned from the Wa (Japanese) Kingdom last time, I redesigned the long Japanese sword and then asked my father for permission to have a batch of long Japanese swords made, intending to equip our army."

"I never knew you could design weapons," Luo Cheng nodded. "Back then, if the Sui army had such weapons when they fought against Goguryeo, they probably wouldn't have been defeated."

The main weapon used by the Xiongnu was the straight sword, which shared some similarities with the long Japanese sword.

However, the long Japanese sword has a certain curvature and is sharper, making it more powerful in attack.

"Yes, our Tang army's weapons have undergone many improvements and are considered quite advanced."

If it could be equipped with a new type of long Japanese sword, it would be even more formidable.

"You're right," Luo Cheng pointed, "That kid Suga Iruka is incredibly fast; sometimes he just disappears suddenly. What kind of skill is that?"

"I heard it's a kind of kung fu called ninja." Li Chenggan put his hands in his sleeves.

"Ninja?"

"Yes."

"This skill is no less than Ashina Jieshe's lightness skill, and moreover, their skill incorporates a kind of illusion, making it unpredictable."

The speed of his movements was truly unbelievable.

Who do you think will win between the two of them?

"It's hard to say right now; they each have their own advantages."

Yamashiro Ōeō was more composed, but Soga no Iruka was more ruthless. On the battlefield, that's often how it is; whoever dares to fight desperately has a greater chance of winning.

Luo Cheng agreed with Li Chengqian's view.

At this moment, another change occurred on the arena.

To be honest, Soga no Iruka's weapon was relatively short, and Yamashiro no Ōe's long Japanese sword could reach him, but he couldn't reach his opponent. Therefore, he was at a disadvantage in terms of weaponry.

Prior to this, Yamashiro Ōo had injured his leg, and as of now, the injury has not fully healed and he is still somewhat in pain.

His legs and feet were not as mobile as usual.

In addition, Soga's skills as a Shika-kai ninja...

Therefore, compared to other kings, Yamashiro Ōo is not at an advantage.

He has been able to persevere until now because of a belief in his heart.

He wanted revenge; he wanted to take back what was rightfully his.

It should be noted that the position of King of Wa was originally his; Empress Suiko had issued a will on her deathbed.

The will clearly states that King Yamashiro, the eldest brother, should succeed to the throne.

However, Soga no Emishige considered that he and King Yamashiro no Ōe were at odds, and that if King Yamashiro no Ōe became king, he might target him and the Soga clan.

Therefore, Soga no Emishi switched his support to Prince Tamura.

Originally, Prince Tamura had no chance of inheriting the throne.

However, he was extremely shrewd and actively courted Soga Emishi, promising him and his family high status and treatment once he became king.

And just like that, the two sides hit it off immediately.

With the support of Soga no Emishi, Prince Tamura was able to alter the imperial edict and successfully become king.

On the surface, King Shuming didn't seem to care about King Shanbei, saying that as long as King Shanbei behaved himself, he could let him live a carefree life as a prince. In reality, however, King Shuming was secretly wary of King Shanbei, fearing that one day King Shanbei would challenge him for the throne.

Therefore, he repeatedly found reasons and excuses to persecute Yamabe no Ooku.

Forced into a corner, and in order to protect himself, King Yamashiro secretly recruited talented individuals, organized troops, forged weapons, and actively defended himself.

However, secrets don't stay hidden forever.

Soon, news of this reached King Shuming's ears, and the king was furious.

The conflict between King Yamabe and King Shumin grew increasingly acute, even to the point of life and death.

Just then, Li Chengan went to the Wa (Japan) as an envoy and helped Soga no Emishi punish Inugami Mitaku and retrieve Kochika.

Yamashiro Ōeō mistakenly believed that Li Chenggan and Soga no Emishi were in cahoots.

Therefore, he came up with a plan to frame Li Chengqian.

On that occasion, King Shuming summoned King Yamabe no Daigo to Princess Tianyan's palace.

King Yamabe unexpectedly pushed King Shuming off the building.

King Shuming immediately fainted.

However, in retrospect, King Shuming was quite lucky to have met Li Chenggan.

Li Chengan had just picked some snow lingzhi from Mount Liujia and used the leaves of the snow lingzhi to make a soup that saved King Shuming's life.

After learning the truth, Li Chengan did not blame the eldest brother of the mountain, Wang, but instead mediated between them.

King Shuming promised not to make things difficult for King Shanbei any longer.

King Shuming outwardly agreed, but in reality, he did not.

He always felt that as long as King Yamabe was alive, his throne would be unstable.

Therefore, he ordered Soga no Iruka to lead troops to pursue and kill Yamashiro no Ōe.

Soga no Iruka received King Shumei's order and was very excited.

He felt this was a golden opportunity for him to distinguish himself and make a contribution.

He personally wounded Yamashiro Ōeō and was about to capture him.

The elder brother of the mountain, Wang Ling, had a sudden inspiration and hid in Li Chengqian's inn.