Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Path of the Sword

The wooden sword in Yue Longze’s hand seemed like a true blade, radiating an aura of slaughter and fierce fighting intent.

“Mr. Miyamoto, please show me your real strength!”

With a thunderous shout, Yue Longze’s hair flew wildly, and the wooden sword in his hand thrust at Miyamoto Zhefu from a cunning angle.

The tip of the wooden sword pressed against Miyamoto Zhefu’s Adam’s apple.

Miyamoto Zhefu knew that if the mysterious young man before him so wished, just a little more force would drive the seemingly harmless wooden tip through his throat, pierce his windpipe, and reduce him to a cold corpse.

The two maintained this posture for a long time; beside them, Tai Man appeared utterly stupefied.

Yue Longze slowly lowered his wooden sword.

“Please show me your true strength!” Yue Longze spoke with sincere tone, bowing slightly toward Miyamoto Zhefu.

Miyamoto Zhefu was clearly surprised.

“I will.” Miyamoto Zhefu nodded solemnly, his voice no longer carrying the unsettling, ghostly undertone.

He picked up two wooden swords, and in that instant, a sharp aura emanated from him. One hand high, one low, one left, one right, yet there was something uncanny about his stance.

“So this is dual-blade style…” Yue Longze murmured, his expression growing serious.

At this moment, Miyamoto Zhefu appeared to Yue Longze like a venomous snake poised to strike, the twin swords in his hands like cobra fangs, deadly and unforgiving.

“Hah!” Yue Longze made the first move, seizing the initiative.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The sound of the wooden sword slicing through air was especially sharp, as Yue Longze attacked Miyamoto Zhefu at incredible speed and from tricky angles.

Miyamoto Zhefu’s steps were steady, his twin swords forming a barrier, tracing clever arcs through the air and perfectly deflecting Yue Longze’s assault.

Such was the marvel of dual swords.

One more blade, expertly wielded, meant an extra layer of defense.

Yue Longze attacked relentlessly, Miyamoto Zhefu defended without pause.

Sweat poured in thick beads from Yue Longze’s brow, but his breathing remained steady, and he stepped lightly with a subtle ghost step.

Ghost step, one of the signature techniques of Itoda Kojuro, was a footwork meant to aid offense or defense. It did not increase speed, but allowed the user to dodge attacks easily or confuse opponents during an assault.

It was a difficult skill to master. In previous matches, Yue Longze had not used ghost step, but now, facing the formidable dual-blade style, he had no choice but to rely on this unfamiliar technique.

His movements were clumsy, and several times Yue Longze nearly faltered. Any misstep would mean disaster, bringing the duel to a swift end.

“What strange footwork,” thought Miyamoto Zhefu.

“It’s my turn to attack now!” Miyamoto Zhefu suddenly leaped back, crossing his swords into an X, swinging his arms wide. The simultaneous slicing assault caught Yue Longze off guard.

Under the bright lights, in the spacious dojo, Yue Longze’s wooden sword flashed, his rhythm faltering as he retreated, hurriedly defending against Miyamoto Zhefu’s attacks.

Each time, he managed to block one sword’s attack, but the other followed immediately, piling greater pressure upon him.

Dividing one’s attention between two swords—now Yue Longze understood the true power of dual-blade style.

Ordinary wielders of two swords would attack in unison, making their moves easy to predict.

But Miyamoto Zhefu’s offense seemed as though two people each wielded a sword, one leading, one supporting, with endless variations and defenses impossible to anticipate.

Relying on his wealth of battle experience, Yue Longze managed to neutralize each crisis just in time, but this was not a sustainable strategy. Mistakes would inevitably occur, while Miyamoto Zhefu’s attacks remained fluid and confident.

Yue Longze gave a bitter smile and shook his head; he was still too inexperienced.

His opponent was a seasoned swordsman with years of kendo dueling behind him, while Yue Longze himself had never participated in a true kendo match, nor even learned the art formally.

Retreating as he defended, Yue Longze searched rapidly for openings in Miyamoto Zhefu’s stance, but the twin blades formed a flawless circle of defense, perfectly shielding any vulnerability.

Whoosh!

Miyamoto Zhefu’s right-hand wooden sword struck like a venomous snake, hitting Yue Longze’s heart with precision.

“I’ve lost,” Yue Longze lowered his sword, having been on the verge of launching a decisive strike but ultimately unable to withstand Miyamoto Zhefu’s sharp and uncanny assault.

“Young man, you’re very skilled.” Miyamoto Zhefu set the wooden sword aside, wiped sweat from his face with his sleeve, and spoke calmly.

Yue Longze waved his hand dismissively, unmoved by Miyamoto Zhefu’s praise.

“Your dual-blade style is truly formidable!” Yue Longze genuinely admired the school of dual swords.

“Kid, you have plenty of room to grow.”

Now Miyamoto Zhefu’s voice was no longer so eerie; he seemed genuinely interested in the young man before him.

Barely twenty years old, so young and yet so accomplished in swordsmanship—a rare talent indeed.

“Mr. Miyamoto, you can call me Aze.”

With a smile on his face, Yue Longze felt that today’s duel had been greatly rewarding. The negative impressions he’d held of Miyamoto Zhefu had vanished.

“Your sword style seems remarkable as well.”

Miyamoto Zhefu was curious about Yue Longze’s school, sensing that his techniques drew from many traditions yet weren’t entirely any of them.

“It’s nothing compared to the dual-blade style,” Yue Longze shook his head. Dual-blade had given him a lesson, making him realize his journey in swordsmanship was still long.

“That child—he’s Chiba Masao’s son, isn’t he?” Miyamoto Zhefu shifted the topic, seeing Yue Longze reluctant to discuss his own style.

“You know him, sir?”

Yue Longze unconsciously changed his form of address for Miyamoto.

“When I sparred with Chiba Masao, this little fellow was trembling in the corner!” Miyamoto seemed to recall something amusing and chuckled to himself.

Yue Longze laughed as well, then walked over to the stupefied Tai Man.

“Hey, hey,” Yue Longze ruffled Tai Man’s hair, prompting him to finally snap out of it.

“Mr. Aze… did you lose too…?”

Tai Man handed the Kumo Sword to Yue Longze, his head drooping.

“A loss is a loss. If our skills fall short, there’s nothing to be done. It just means we need to work harder, right?” Yue Longze crouched down, gazing into Tai Man’s eyes earnestly.

“Huh?”

Tai Man looked up, blinking his large eyes at Yue Longze.

“Let’s work hard together, Mr. Aze!”

“All right,” Yue Longze replied with a smile.

Nearby, Miyamoto Zhefu watched Yue Longze with a half-smile, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

“How far will your journey in swordsmanship go, I wonder…”

……