Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Yes, I can understand. Unlike the "Shinden-zukuri" style Aozorakan, Hosho Dokan is a more ordinary dokan. The main dojo is right inside the gate, the front hall is the main training area, and the back hall is the living area. The main building is just one building.

"Teachers' College~ Teachers' College~ I brought the sign for you. Do you want to take it back or tear it down here?"

As the kitten uttered those words in a feignedly innocent tone, the atmosphere in the dojo grew even more sorrowful. Even Amu Hosho couldn't help but droop her neck slightly, though she still stubbornly maintained a pleading expression on her face.

Baosheng didn't try to hold on. He looked at the signboard that his ancestors had passed down for more than seventy years, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Qingxin rubbed the kitten's head: "Well done, kitten, but we'll talk about that later... depending on what Master Baosheng does."

"What do you want to do?" Hosho Ichijo looked up at his words, then his expression suddenly changed. "Don't even think about it. Even if you ruin the brand, I will never hand Amu over to you!"

Harunobu, who had been wearing a smug smile, suddenly turned deadpan after hearing Hosho Ichijo's explosive remark: "Do I look like the kind of person who bullies men and women?"

Baosheng hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but Qingxin quickly interrupted him.

"Fine, I want to know why your Hosho Dojo is targeting me—you haven't mentioned Arima Ichiro's death once since I walked in."

Harunobu spoke coldly, bringing the slightly off-topic atmosphere back to the main point. Hosho Ichijo looked at Harunobu, then at the Hosho Dojo sign that the cat had handed to Harunobu, and finally sighed: "I said, can you return the sign... no, can you not damage this sign?"

“That depends on what you say… It’s fine if you want them to leave.” Harunobu said considerately, even unfastening his sword and sitting down cross-legged.

Baosheng Yitiao let out a laugh with a complicated meaning: "Alright, you can all go back first. Those who are injured should get treatment and get the hospital receipts for reimbursement."

With a bland, even somewhat comical, instruction, the Hosho Dojo disciples who had been drawn to the duel left with mixed feelings, leaving only Hosho Amu behind in the dojo, preparing tea for Harunobu and the others.

Finally, as Amu Hosho brought over hot tea, amidst the rising steam, Ichijo Hosho finally revealed his reason for targeting Harunobu. The reason was simple: Harunobu found it hard to believe, yet he had no choice but to accept it.

Hosho Ichijo said, "The person who commissioned me is the head of the Demon Dragon Society. The reason is that you killed Suzuki Doichi, his son. The commission is to ruin your reputation, preferably by losing your samurai status, so that..."

Baosheng took a sip of tea and didn't continue, but his meaning was clear: as long as Harunobu was no longer a samurai, the Demon Dragon Society, which dominated Asakusa and Shitaya districts and had nearly 700 direct members, could overwhelm Harunobu. Moreover, a Yakuza of this size could easily get a few guns. If they took advantage of the chaos to shoot Harunobu a couple of times, even if he was a good fighter, he would still die.

Of course, this was just a plan devised by the Demon Dragon Society based on Qingxin's previous intelligence.

After processing this plausible yet absurd situation, Qingxin asked, "So, why did you stop afterwards?"

Hosho gave Harunobu another unexpected yet reasonable answer: "Because you are very strong, Arima is not even a match for you. At that time, I knew that you may have reached my level. It is not the same thing to offend a dojo that only has a middle school level and may be expelled in a few months for the sake of the Dragon Association's money, versus to offend a dojo with an equally strong person in charge that can definitely continue to exist."

Haruno was taken aback by this blunt explanation. After adjusting his mindset for a while, he asked, "So, the final question is, how much did the Demon Dragon Society pay to kill me?"

Hosho Ichijo pointed angrily at the "Storm Cutter" that Hosho Amu had picked up: "Originally, there were three famous swords of this caliber. If I were willing to personally take action, I could even have given you a 'Muramasa' that had been exorcised. However, because I gave up later, in the end, I only received a Snow Cutter."

“…My life is really worth a lot of money.” Harunobu looked at the Storm Cutter. This kind of fine sword was not the kind of mass-produced item that cost twenty or thirty yen, but a high-quality product that started at two or three hundred yen. Three of them would cost nearly a thousand yen. This was not even for his life, but only for the reward of suppressing his reputation.

However, it's a cursed sword... and from the Hosho Dojo...

It's hard not to think of Harunobu's Spider Cutter that Arima Ichiro revealed.

However, that's not something I can discuss right now.

"Alright, you're right. I'll check it out. I hope there won't be any discrepancies." Qingxin said, pushing the sign over. "Then, switching Xue to this one, is that alright?"

"Of course!" Hosho Ichijo said happily. "Amu! Go and get it, it's the one hanging above my bed!"

Chapter 49: Expensive Intelligence

Hosho Amu excitedly ran over and brought the Yukigiri. The blade was bright and white like a snowflake, with a unique hexagonal pattern on it, making it look quite special. Its other attributes were also quite good. It could cut through hardwood with a little force, and it was extremely tough. So Harunobu was very satisfied when he got the knife. He finally had a proper knife that wouldn't break so easily.

Although he had no problem using the reverse-blade sword, he still preferred the straight-blade sword, and the difference in killing efficiency was indeed there.

Of course, all of the above are just additional reasons. What really made Harunobu decide to let Hosho Dojo off the hook was Hosho Ichijo's decisive admission of defeat, and his genius daughter.

Harunobu glanced at Hosho Amu, whose eyes were filled with admiration, and put away his Yukigiri: "Miss Hosho, my previous invitation was no joke. You are a talented person, and if you are willing, our Aozora-kan will be waiting for you anytime."

Hosho Ichijo's expression was not good, but in a samurai duel, weakness is the original sin, and he had neither the right nor the confidence to speak now.

Moreover, judging from his daughter's excited expression, he knew that it was unlikely he could stop her with just a few words.

While Harunobu was still trying to persuade Hosho Amu, Hirako leaned close to him, her ample breasts pressing against his back: "Master, it's time, Yoko and the others are coming."

“Okay, I understand.” Harunobu stopped trying to persuade her. “Then we’ll take our leave. Miss Hosho and Director Hosho, we hope Mr. Arima will return soon.”

Baosheng exchanged a few polite words with Qingxin, his resolve to let his daughter go, which had been wavering, hardened again—this brat was so blatantly flirting with a female disciple! Making such shameless intimate gestures!

No, we absolutely cannot let Amu go to such a dangerous place!

Unaware that Hosho Ichijo had made a strange decision because of Hirako's habitual action, Harunobu left the Hosho Dojo with the wonderful thought that his third disciple had come knocking on his door.

—Under the awe-inspiring gazes of the disciples of Baosheng Dojo.

On the street, Harunobu and Hirako walked side by side, their laughter almost never stopping.

The kitten followed behind the two of them, looking quite helpless—it felt really superfluous.

The way these two chatted was completely unlike their usual selves; they were like two idiots, laughing so happily about grocery shopping and cooking... And that wasn't all; they insisted on taking care of her, an idle person, just because they were both good people, and abruptly steered the conversation towards her.

That's enough! Just talk to your big-breasted, big-butt disciple properly! You bastard!

With a sullen, cat-like face, unable to bear the two oversized flashbulbs of affection, the little cat poked Qingxin's waist: "Teacher, I should probably go back now. I still need to prepare dinner for those little ones."

The laughter stopped abruptly. Harunobu first turned to look at the kitten, then looked at the tram not far away: "Ah, it is indeed time... Sachiko, you go open the door for Yoko and Nana first. I also need to go over there. I have something to talk to that shrine maiden about."

Harunobu felt something was off about the demon sword and decided to ask the mysterious priestess as soon as possible to make plans for any problems that might arise.

Hirako nodded and agreed with a smile. If it were before, she might have been worried about the young girl being alone with Harunobu, but after spending the last few days with the kitten, she was already quite at ease with the poor little guy.

Well, aside from money.

After all, when the three of them were together, Qingxin's eyes were always on her. Apart from occasionally teasing her like a child, if there was a problem with that, then she should first worry about Xiaozhi next door.

Upon arriving at the station, the first train to arrive is the one that goes directly to Aozorakan. Aozorakan and Hosho Dokan are not far apart, mainly because Asakusa Ward itself is not very big.

After seeing Hirako off on the train, Harunobu noticed her in her kendo uniform occupying the emptier row of seats and suddenly tapped the cat on the head.

"What mischief are you plotting now?"

The kitten held its head, its face full of grief and indignation as it accused Qingxin of being ungrateful: "I kindly created time for you two to be alone, and you repay kindness with enmity!"

"Not bad, you can even use idioms now." Qingxin's eyes widened in surprise, and the teasing tone made Xiaomao want to kick him.

Unfortunately, I can't give it to him. Putting aside the issue of his status as a teacher or a warrior, the main reason is that I can't bear to part with it.

Ah, no, it's just that I'm too lazy to reward him, hmm!

She convinced her kitten to give Haruno a disdainful look, but it was to no avail and only made Haruno reach out with her claws.

Who could resist the urge to subject a cute little girl in a kendo uniform to a face-rubbing torture when she's looking at you with disdain?

Harunobu, so engrossed in his reading, almost missed the train to Yoshiwara.

Fortunately, he is now determined and will not be tempted by external things, so he caught the train and soon arrived at the Ame-no-Tsuki no Mikoto Shrine.

The little cat, its cheeks still flushed, walked ahead, leaving Harunobu with only a disgusted look on its back. Harunobu didn't mind. The little cat now felt like a younger sister to him... no, more like a daughter. It was normal for it to throw a tantrum. In fact, it was quite good. It was much better than its previous cautious and timid nature.

Although that state didn't last long, under his deliberate indulgence and guidance, it turned into a feeling of being like a bad friend. Yes, he really is a genius.

Although he was indulging in self-satisfied ramblings, Harunobu remained focused, intently observing his surroundings, hoping to find the mysterious shrine maiden this time...

"Director Ping, are you here for treatment?"

The shrine maiden walked to Harunobu's side, tilted her head slightly to look at him, and the text above her head changed to "Urgent".

The sudden voice made Harunobu lower his head helplessly, bend over slightly, and lower his voice: "Hello, priestess, besides the treatment, I have something else I would like to ask you about."

"Information also costs money," the shrine maiden said, a "Satisfied" icon appearing above her head.

"Can we deduct it from there?" Harunobu followed the shrine maiden's footsteps and walked forward, entering the small wooden house again.

“Of course.” The shrine maiden placed three cups of hot tea on the table and gracefully knelt down beside Harunobu. “Let me see where you are injured.”

Having overloaded his injured thigh with continuous use of super speed, Harunobu lay on the ground. He sat down on the ground with wide, sweeping movements, took the hot tea handed to him by the kitten, and took a sip: "I want to ask, was there anything special about that Spider Cutter from last time?"

“Demon swords are all special, you should simplify your questions.” A bright yellow light emanated from the shrine maiden’s hand, flowing onto Harunobu’s legs. The warm, smooth feeling, like being covered in warm jade, soothed Harunobu, causing him to involuntarily let out a satisfied groan.

Then I received a disdainful look from the kitten.

Ignore it.

Harunobu rearranged his words and said, "What I mean is, can you tell who forged this demon sword? Or who its previous owner was?"

"That's possible, but this kind of intelligence is very expensive, and its value isn't enough."

The shrine maiden cast her last rays of light onto Harunobu's legs, then clapped her hands and reached them out towards him.

Her fair and soft hands, without a trace of dirt, were outstretched, her slender fingers joined together, and she beckoned to Qingxin.

"how much is it?"

"If you just want to know who forged it, it will cost an extra 500 yen. If you want to know the owner before that, it will cost an extra 5,000 yen."

"Farewell."

Chapter 50: Conspiracy

While Harunobu and the shrine maiden were haggling over the price, a similarly heated exchange was taking place in a luxurious manor. Unlike the back-and-forth between Harunobu and the shrine maiden, this exchange was entirely one-sided.

"You bunch of useless trash! It's been almost half a month! Even a third-rate samurai could find that sword hunter and fight him, but you useless trash can't even find a trace of him!"

"I'm warning you! These are experimental subjects that the High Principal specifically requested. If you don't receive them by the deadline, then you'd better prepare to make up for it yourselves!"

The harsh words, filled with anger and contempt, echoed in the lavishly furnished room. The thick, luxurious Western carpet absorbed the loud sounds, preventing them from penetrating the thin wooden walls made of high-grade maple.

The speaker exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, stubbed out his cigar on his smooth skin, leaving a noticeable burn scar, and leaned back in the tall sofa chair. His thick fingers, which looked like they belonged to a radish, grabbed his head between his legs and pressed it forward forcefully.

A painful whimper rang out, but was quickly drowned out by the sucking sound. The fat pig shuddered, pushed away the cumbersome toy, and tapped the table with his barely visible knuckles: "I'm asking you a question! Are you mute?!"

At this moment, the man sitting in the armchair to his left slowly spoke: "Mr. Suzuki, we have already sent out all our available staff. If we have to redeploy more people, it might affect our business downstairs..."

"Ah Long, Ah Long, you won't admit you're useless, and you can't even do a good job when asked to. You're really not as good as your little brother." Fatty Pig picked up another cigar and stuffed it into his mouth. "Business certainly can't be affected, but right now, who in Asakusa and Shimotani can touch your Demon Dragon Society's ships? And you still have fifty or sixty people assigned to every link?"

"The past is the past, and the present is the present. Ten years ago, you were personally going out to kill people and collect protection money. How come you're sitting here fucking having sex with women now?! Or how about I let you experience the pleasures of ten years ago?!"

Faced with the fat pig Suzuki's roar, the man called A-Long's eyes twitched, and he bowed his head respectfully and said, "I understand, Mr. Suzuki, I will send another one hundred... one hundred and sixty people to go and find them."

"That's more like it." The fat pig leaned back into the sofa, exhaled a puff of smoke, and casually kneaded the large dough next to him, causing bluish-purple marks to appear on his fair skin.

"And what about that third-rate samurai? How did things go? Even someone as destitute as him, who resorts to taking on female disciples, dares to target members of our Suzuki family. Aren't you ashamed, Arlong?"

Ah Long immediately replied, "I've already contacted the Hosho Dojo and the Sanada Dojo, but that samurai seems to be quite strong; he's already repelled several of their provocations."

"I see..." This time, Suzuki didn't suddenly fly into a rage. Dealing with a samurai with decent strength is not the same as going after an ordinary-level monster who has no sense of reason and is like a rat crossing the street.

At least the former cannot incite the members of the Demon Dragon Society to gang up on him; otherwise, no matter how well he manages his business in Asakusa, he will be finished.

"Then let's focus on the sword hunt for now and let that kid have some fun for a while longer." Suzuki waved his hand. "But we can't just leave him alone. This kind of guy will disgust people whenever he has the chance. Let's give him more trouble... Doesn't he have a lot of female disciples? Let's see if we can use them. Also, let's send some women who are good at seducing people, but not so direct, to see if we can win him over."

When he wasn't acting crazy, Suzuki seemed quite gentle, and A-Long breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, Mr. Suzuki."

"By the way, these kinds of guys all like to save others. I'm pretty tired of these few, so I might as well make use of them... Let them play with those guys who have venereal diseases and then arrange for them to be rescued by heroes."

Ignoring the pale-faced female attendant, A-Long continued respectfully, "Yes, Mr. Suzuki."

Then Suzuki, the fat pig, put forward several targeted plans for Alon to implement, and the latter agreed to them one by one, which made Suzuki very satisfied: "Let's leave it at that for now. Don't neglect other aspects, especially the actions against his disciples. Even if you win them over, don't stop. That's how you maintain stability."

After finishing his sentence, Suzuki stubbed out his cigar on the woman and patted his oversized white suit, which was covered in ash. "Alright, I should go back now. The new 'medicine' will be delivered tonight, as usual."

Ah Long finally showed a happy expression: "I understand, I'll see you off."

Soon, a car drove out of the manor, and Suzuki Ryuichi, the president of the Demon Dragon Society, was finally able to sit back on his throne—although they shared the same surname, he and that fat pig from before were not related by blood at all; they just happened to have the same surname.

Or perhaps that fat pig deliberately chose such a name, after all, who knows whether the name Suzuki Ippei is real or not?

For Ryuichi Suzuki, what was important was not Ippei Suzuki, but the mysterious organization behind him and the special drugs they provided.

Ryuichi Suzuki gently stroked the woman lying beside his legs, then looked at the aide who hadn't spoken from beginning to end: "Nishikiyama, you heard what I just said, right? What are your thoughts?"

The man called Nishikiyama was dressed in a hunting robe and wore a tall eboshi hat, looking very out of place like an old nobleman from the Heian period.

But he does have a handsome face, the kind of face that he could make a living off, and he can pull off this retro look.

But to become the confidant of the leader of the Demon Dragon Society, and even lead a group on his own, Nishikiyama Kaoru was certainly not just a freeloader. In fact, he formulated almost all of the Demon Dragon Society's development strategies. If it weren't for his unwavering loyalty to Suzuki Ryuichi, the Demon Dragon Society might have changed its leader long ago.

"The best way is to send a few skilled men to capture all his female disciples and send them to Yoshiwara, then spread rumors that he is..."

Beep beep beep... Beep beep!

Someone knocked on the door; judging from the coded message, it was urgent information.

As a result, Kaoru Nishikiyama and Ryuichi Suzuki immediately learned about Harunobu Taira's solo run of the Hosho Dojo.

“…” Ryuichi Suzuki was silent for a moment, “Let’s change the plan.”

Although he wasn't afraid of Taira no Shin, his subordinates might not be... no, they definitely would be.