I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

People traveled all this way to attend our ceremony, only to have our event consist of a boring speech by a squinty-eyed old man and a big-mouthed young man... It's unreasonable and doesn't make sense.

Just as everyone was at a loss for what to do, Qing Deng suddenly had a flash of inspiration and offered his suggestion—Tenran Rishin-ryu is a school that emphasizes practical combat and has very simple and unadorned sword techniques. In that case, why don't we organize some activities that can highlight the unique style of Tenran Rishin-ryu?

Therefore, at Tachibana Seiden's suggestion, everyone decided to hold a grand "Red and White Battle" on the day of the succession ceremony! Both sides were disciples and guests of the Tennen Rishin-ryu school!

On this day, almost all the people and forces that were on good terms with Shie-e-kan and Seido arrived.

Katsura Rintaro, the Chiba family, the Senjiya, Elodie and her father...

*******

*******

The heroines' new developments and Qing Deng's hard work over the past year and eight months are finally here!

P.S.: In historical fact, neither the Ōmōdai-sho nor the Mōdai-sho were allowed to show their faces in public casually. Please be aware of this.

Leopard is taking a day off tomorrow~~ Not to go out and have fun, but to go to the CP convention to buy some doujinshi, see some cosplayers, and gather some creative inspiration! (Leopard's serious expression.jpg)

Chapter 493 Qingdeng's girlfriends all gathered together! [4600]

Wow...there are so many people!

The commander placed his hands on his brow bone, his two flat palms forming a small canopy, and gazed with great interest at the dense crowd in front of him.

The scene of the "Natural Mind School Lineage Succession Ceremony" was bustling with activity and noise.

It was supposed to be a succession ceremony for a swordsmanship school, but the attendees included both warriors with two swords at their waists and farmers with dark skin and simple clothes.

Listen closely—the Tama dialect resounds throughout, making the Edo accent seem rather thin in comparison.

"So many people from Taomo have come..."

"Aoto murmured as he walked alongside Souji."

"Of course."

Souji, hands on his hips, said with a proud tone:

"The Tama people are our old partners in the Natural Rishin-ryu school! How could they possibly be absent?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes, that's true. Anyone might not attend today's succession ceremony, but the people of Domo are the only ones who cannot be absent."

The Natural Rishin-ryu school has a very deep connection with Tama.

Tama is located in Musashi Province, which is the territory under the direct control of the Shogun, and has a deep connection with the Shogunate.

This story begins with the unity of the Eighth Prince and his thousand followers.

The Hachioji Army: A thousand men united in purpose – During the late Sengoku period, when Japan was still ruled by the Toyotomi clan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was forced to transfer his fiefdom to Kanto at the request of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, deployed a garrison of samurai in the Hachioji region of Musashi Province, a strategic pass connecting the capital region and Kanto.

They were half farmers and half soldiers, doing the work of farmers but with the identity of samurai. During the busy farming season, they farmed, and during the slack season, they practiced martial arts, ready to be conscripted into the military by the shogunate at any time.

This militia group stationed in the Hachioji region was known as the "Hachioji Thousand People United".

Although it is named "thousand men", this does not mean that its total strength is 1000 men.

The "thousand men" figure is merely a figure of speech; after more than 250 years of development, its total strength has long exceeded one thousand men.

Influenced by the unity of the Thousand People of Hachioji, the people of Musashi, represented by the people of Tama, have a strong sense of self-defense and martial arts, and generally have a very high sense of honor, feeling deeply proud to be residents of the shogunate's territory.

The connection between the Tennen Rishin-ryu school and Tama began when the school's founder, Kondo Naizōsuke, was still alive.

The natural Rishin-ryu style is unrestrained by form, without any fancy moves, and its simple style that focuses on practical combat is very much to the liking of the Tama farmers.

Therefore, after founding the Tennen Rishin-ryu school, Kondo Naizaki established a dojo in Yagenbori, Edo and other provinces, and traveled to Tama to teach his skills, thus ensuring the availability of disciples.

The second head of the school, Kondo Sansuke, was born in Tobuki Village, Tama District. He built a dojo there, which enabled the Tennen Rishin-ryu school to begin expanding outward from the Tama region.

When Kondo Shusuke came to power and succeeded him as the third head of the school, he shifted the center of the school's development to Edo and opened the Shieikan.

After two generations of hard work, the Tennen Rishin-ryu school has taken root in Tama.

In the countryside of Tama, dojos of the Tennen Rishin-ryu school are everywhere.

There was a village chief and wealthy farmer named Sato Hikogoro who opened a Tennen Rishin-ryu dojo in his village, specifically for the villagers.

And this brother-in-law of Sato Hikogoro is Hijikata Toshizo—this rural dojo opened by his brother-in-law is the starting point for his inextricable connection with Tennen Rishin-ryu, and his encounter with Kondo Isami, Souji, Aoto and others.

Although Kondo Shusuke opened a new dojo in Edo, he did not harbor any resentment towards the people of Tama who had always been staunch supporters of the Tennen Rishin-ryu school.

He continued the fine tradition of the previous two generations of leaders, and would personally go to Tama to give lectures from time to time—it was during this process that he met and took a liking to Kondo Isami.

Now... the connection between Tennen Rishin-ryu and Tama has deepened even further, with the fourth head of the main family being a farmer from Tama!

It's no exaggeration to say that Tennen Rishin-ryu is Tama's calling card, Tama's pride, and Tama's national martial art.

Once you understand the inseparable relationship between Tennen Rishin-ryu and Tama, it's easy to understand why there are so many Tama people here at this time, and why everyone present is all smiles and in high spirits.

After all, from their ancestors, they had been watching the development of the Natural Rishin-ryu school, witnessing how this once incredibly fragile "little seedling" had grown little by little into the magnificent sight it is today.

Aoto and Souji strode toward a small table placed at the "entrance to the venue".

Behind the small table stood a tall, fair-skinned, and handsome young man.

When the young man noticed the two walking towards him, he immediately offered them a friendly smile.

"Good morning, Tachibana-kun and Okita-kun."

Clear and magnetic, gentle voice—even a straight man like Qingdeng felt like he was bathed in a spring breeze after listening to it.

The longer Qingdeng spent with this young man, the more deeply he understood why this person could become a "heartbreaker for middle-aged women".

Souji: "Mr. Yamanami, thank you for your hard work!"

This young man was none other than Aoto's old friend, Yamanami Keisuke.

At the beginning of this year, not long after the Spring Festival of the second year of Bunkyū (1862), Yamanami Keisuke transferred from the Chiba Kenkan to the Shieikan, becoming a guest and apprentice at the Shieikan.

Everyone, including Aoto, who was very familiar with him, was completely baffled by Yamanami Keisuke's surprising move.

Although the reputation brought by Aoto has boosted the development of Shieikan in recent years, it is still far behind Chiba Kenkan in terms of fame and overall strength.

After all, the latter is a branch of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school, a behemoth second only to the "Three Great Schools," with an incredibly deep foundation that a "nouveau riche" like the Shieikan school cannot easily surpass.

Moreover, logically speaking, Yamanami Keisuke, whose swordsmanship was superb and who had long since obtained the Menkyo Kaiden of the Hokushin Itto-ryu style, seemed to have no need to continue studying and refining his swordsmanship at the dojo.

"Keisuke, why did you come to the Test Guard Hall?"—One day, Aoto asked Yamanami Keisuke this very bluntly.

At that moment, the other party, with a gentle smile, replied as follows:

“I really like the atmosphere at Shieikan, and... Tachibana-kun, I think you're amazing. My intuition tells me that as long as I stay close to you, I'll definitely learn a lot. So, I've decided to join Shieikan.”

Although his answer was somewhat gay, which made Aoto shudder when he heard it, in any case, with the addition of Yamanami Keisuke, Shieikan gained an outstanding member, making other colleagues envious.

Because there was no civil service examination system in the Edo period, studying hard could not bring fame and fortune.

Unless one comes from a wealthy family or is "kept" by a rich man, the only way out for a scholar is to become a teacher or run a private school.

In such an environment, both warriors and commoners preferred martial arts to academic studies.

Keisuke Yamanami was a rare all-rounder in this era, excelling in both literary and martial arts.

He possesses both the Menkyo Kaiden of Ono Itto-ryu and the Menkyo Kaiden of Hokushin Itto-ryu, and his Hokushin Itto-ryu was also taught by the great swordsman Chiba Sadakichi.

Looking throughout the entire Shieikan Academy, only seven people could reliably defeat Yamanami Keisuke: Aoto, Kondo Shusuke, Kondo Isami, Souji, Hijikata Toshiyama, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Saito Hajime. The rest were no match for this seemingly harmless young man.

In addition to his formidable military prowess, he was also highly cultured.

He could readily draw upon all traditional learning, including Confucianism, Sinology, and Mito studies.

His academic level is so high that many professional scholars are humbled by him.

For this reason, apart from the older Kondo Shusuke, his old acquaintance Aoto, and the arrogant Hijikata Toshizo, everyone else in the Shieikan called him "Yamaminami-sensei".

Because Yamanami Keisuke's swordsmanship and cultural attainments were so high, after he became a disciple of Shieikan, he not only studied Tennen Rishin-ryu but also served as the school's swordsmanship and academic instructor.

When he had free time, he would teach newcomers some basic knowledge that is common to all sword styles, such as the way to set up a sword stance and the techniques for sheathing and drawing the sword.

In addition, he also opened a "literacy class" to teach cultural knowledge, which all the disciples of the Shiwei Hall could freely participate in.

Those who attended his "literacy class" included Shinpachi Nagakura and Sanosuke Harada.

The two brothers greatly respected the erudite Keisuke Yamanami and were eager to read and enrich themselves. So, upon learning that Yamanami had opened a "literacy class," they immediately signed up.

Nagakura Shinpachi is alright; he's not unintelligent. Although he doesn't grasp things instantly, his learning efficiency and progress are fairly normal.

As for Harada Sanosuke...

"Mr. Yamanami! Why did Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga fight the Battle of Sekigahara?"

"You're mistaken, it's Ishida Mitsunari."

"Oh! Right, right, I mixed it up again. Let me ask again: Mr. Yamanami! Why did Ishida Mitsunari and Oda Nobunaga fight the Battle of Sekigahara?"

Similar conversations often take place between Harada Sanosuke and Yamanami Keisuke...

Fortunately, Yamanami Keisuke had a very good temper and a gentle personality. Even though Harada Sanosuke was not very bright, he worked hard to teach him.

Another change that Yamanami Keisuke's arrival brought to Shieikan was that there were even more infatuated girls lingering around the Shieikan.

In terms of appearance alone, Yamanami Keisuke's features can only be described as handsome, far from being a heartthrob. However... his charisma is exceptional.

As the saying goes: "A mind enriched with poetry and literature naturally exudes elegance."

The learned and knowledgeable Yamanami Keisuke exudes an elegant yet generous demeanor in every gesture.

This kind of temperament is very popular among women... especially middle-aged women.

Young girls are easily attracted to unrestrained, wild men, while middle-aged women prefer gentle and refined gentlemen—this rule applies universally.

And so, following Souji and Hijikata Toshizo, Shieikan welcomed a new "visual icon".

Every day, countless young girls, men, and middle-aged women—young girls are mostly fascinated by Hijikata Toshizo, the general public is mostly fascinated by Okita Souji, and middle-aged women are mostly fascinated by Yamanami Keisuke—diligently wait around the Shieikan, endlessly indulging in their fangirling.

Qing Deng leaned against the table and smiled as he asked Yamanami Keisuke:

"Jingzhu, how is it? Have all the guests arrived?"

More than a month ago, they sent out invitations to everyone who was on good terms with Shieikan.

Yamanami Keisuke, with his mastery of etiquette, exceptional temperament, and skill in interpersonal relationships, was undoubtedly the most suitable person to serve as the "face" of the establishment.

Thus, the important task of "being responsible for welcoming guests at the succession ceremony" was handed over to him.