CHAPTER 477: CHAPTER 331: TOKYO INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER EXPO (3)_2

As I approached the Bushin Hall, I could hear the sounds of the students practicing Sword Dao.

Just hearing the roaring shouts made it clear how hard they were working.

Is it really worth giving your all for a sport?

Uesugi Sakura didn’t feel it was worthwhile, so his purpose in participating in sword competitions was very clear:

To earn money.

Sakihara Yishin lay by the pond under the bamboo, holding a fan, wearing sunglasses, drinking iced cola, with watermelon beside him,

His dog, Ah-Chai, also rested in the shade of the bamboo, making the scene from a distance resemble a depiction of modern leisure.

Uesugi Sakura stepped on the stepping stones over the water and approached him.

"Master."

Sakihara Yishin almost thought there was something wrong with his ears, wondering who was calling him Master.

He immediately went from lying down to sitting, quickly took off his sunglasses, and stared at Uesugi Sakura in front of him.

After a long while, he spoke with resentment: "Oh dear disciple, you still remember you’re my dear disciple! I even brought Shion to visit you in the hospital last time!"

"I’ve been pretty busy lately."

"You’re never not busy, I never know what you’re up to," Sakihara Yishin grinned at him, "So, have you decided to participate in the competition?"

Uesugi Sakura casually sat on the stone bench in front of him, "Since I came, of course, I agreed."

Ah-Chai woke up too, recognizing a familiar person, wagged his tail, and approached. Uesugi Sakura petted its head.

"Vice Master."

"Mm!" Sakihara Yishin responded to the voice and waved to Tachibana Youko, who was dressed simply and sitting across from him.

"Is Uesugi Vice Master here too?" Tachibana Youko seemed a bit surprised to see Uesugi Sakura by Sakihara Yishin’s side; if it weren’t for the fact that he had indeed taught some classes recently, she would have almost forgotten there was such a disciple in Bushin Hall.

"Senior Sister Tachibana," Uesugi Sakura greeted Tachibana Youko as she approached.

In terms of seniority, Tachibana Youko had indeed joined earlier than him and was his senior sister.

Tachibana Youko had her hair tied in a ponytail, and her posture was upright, making her look quite refreshing.

"Uesugi Vice Master, you’re stronger than I am, you don’t need to call me Senior Sister anymore, right?"

"Does Bushin Hall have a rule about ranking by strength?" Uesugi Sakura asked Sakihara Yishin.

"No," Sakihara Yishin replied.

"Since there isn’t," Uesugi Sakura turned back to Tachibana Youko, "then Senior Sister Tachibana is Senior Sister Tachibana."

Tachibana Youko sighed, "Alright, as you wish."

The conversation returned to the main topic.

"Vice Master, everyone has a sparring match and would like to invite you to observe."

"Not going," Sakihara Yishin bit into a watermelon, the juice dripping down, not at all an action befitting someone of his age.

"..."

Tachibana Youko was a bit stuck; everything about Bushin Hall was great, with Senior Shion preparing snacks and afternoon tea, making for a relaxed atmosphere, except the Vice Master was irresponsible.

"Vice Master, everyone needs your guidance."

"I know, but I just don’t want to go," Sakihara Yishin lay back in the chair, put on his reflective sunglasses, and faced the pond, where a red carp jumped out of the water, splashing glistening water in the summer sunshine.

"Vice Mas—"

"Let your junior brother go."

"Me?"

Uesugi Sakura was speechless as he stared at his cheap Master, "Uncle, I just got here."

"When it’s something good, you call me Master. When it’s bad, you call me Uncle, is that right?"

Sakihara Yishin chuckled, "I’ll leave this to you, I have things to do."

"What kind of things do you have to do, being so carefree?" Uesugi Sakura couldn’t help but ask.

"Do you know Trigger?" Sakihara Yishin asked in return, crossing his legs and taking a bite of the watermelon.

"What?"

Both of them didn’t know.

"Ha, ignorance! Trigger is an Ultraman warrior from the super ancient times, there’s a new update, don’t disturb my show watching."

"Ultraman?"

Tachibana Youko seemed to know a little; her younger brother, who loved watching Ultraman, often talked about Trigger and such.

By the way, her brother was only in the third grade of elementary school.

"..."

Uesugi Sakura fell silent.

He knew his cheap Master was a middle-aged man with a juvenile syndrome, but he didn’t expect it to be so... speechless...

"Dear disciple, go help your senior sister and them."

"Is there a reward?"

"No."

Uesugi Sakura said, "I don’t work for free, I came here to practice swords, to warm up."

"What swords are you practicing?" Sakihara Yishin held the watermelon in his right hand and waved at him with the other, "How about having Shion treat you to a barbecue tonight?"

"Not enough."

"Dear disciple, don’t get greedy."

"Let me bring a few more people along tonight."

"So that’s all it is, I thought you had some kind of request," Sakihara Yishin knew he was looking out for his little fiancée, his little disciple sure was considerate of his wife.

"Go ahead, don’t disturb my watching Trigger."

Tachibana Youko bowed and said, "Vice Master, then I’ll leave with Uesugi Vice Master now."

"Mm-hmm, go on."

On the way from the courtyard to the Bushin Hall dojo,

"Uesugi Vice Master, what have you been doing recently?"

"Busy with studies, you don’t understand, Tokyo University’s curriculum is really tight, there’s something to do every day."

"Vice Master is actually studying at Tokyo University!?"

"Yeah, is there a problem?"

"Ah, no, just thought it’s the kind of place that nurtures pillars of the nation." Tachibana Youko thought Tokyo University was very political, with most of the students there becoming high-ranking government officials.

"It’s not that exaggerated, many people are just like ordinary college students, slacking off when they can, it’s just busy because there are too many elective courses."

"I heard there’s talent competition within Tokyo University?"

"Mm, there is, they’ll extend invitations, but whether you go or not is up to you, after all, no one will trouble you."

Uesugi Sakura said, "But enough about me, what guidance do you need? You mentioned sparring matches, are those students dueling again?"

"No, it’s people from other dojos."

"Dojo challenge?" Uesugi Sakura suddenly thought of this term.

"Vice Master, it’s just an exchange sparring."

"Will they participate in the competition?"

"They definitely will, everyone wants a spot in the national competition."

"And you guys?"

"We’ll definitely participate, no matter win or lose, there’s experience to be gained in the competition."

Uesugi Sakura said, "Then they’re just here to gather intelligence?"

Tachibana Youko was silent for a moment, "Probably."

"Will Uesugi Vice Master participate in this qualification tournament?"

"I will."

Before entering the dojo, one needs to bow at the entrance.

This is Sword Dao etiquette, also a sign of respect to the dojo.

The dojo floor is very clean, and inside hangs a plaque reading "One-Mind One-Sword Style."

Swordsmanship schools gain fame through historical figures; the more, the greater the reputation.

The One-Mind One-Sword Style is a school that emerged in recent centuries, advocating mind and technique, with the first-generation Master bearing the surname Sakihara, originally a doctor, as to why he suddenly became a sword master, Uesugi Sakura really doesn’t know.

When he asked the cheap Master, he said he had forgotten, probably because being a doctor was low-status at the time, and teaching Sword Dao was a more viable living.

The Sakihara family used to be an hereditary family of doctors, but unfortunately, during military engagements, the whole family perished, leaving only one son, thus ending the legacy of doctors in the Sakihara family.

The youngest son, Sakihara Kunzan, still had the family inheritance and medical skills, but he was uninterested in continuing to study, preferring adventures.

When he left, he was gone for eighteen years.

He knew some medical skills, and had left deeds behind in many places, aiding disaster victims and eliminating bandits, naturally earning some reputation.

Later, he returned to his hometown, opened a dojo, and developed the One-Mind One-Sword Style based on experiences from his travels; due to his reputation and his medical skills, often aiding the poor, the dojos bustled, with the surrounding people respecting him and disciples flocking in.

Sakihara Yishin said that Sakihara Kunzan probably wanted to resolve his inner conflict, so he left to be a wanderer.

Later opening the dojo was purely for retirement.

Practicing medicine was just incidental.

When Uesugi Sakura first heard these, he felt Sakihara Kunzan seemed so nonchalant.

So, is the One-Mind One-Sword Style purely an unconventional creation?

Uncle Sakihara explained: not entirely.

Sakihara Kunzan had also met many famous figures, masters from various renowned schools, enriching his experiences through years of adventure, which enabled him to adeptly develop swordsmanship into his own style.

Allegedly, Sasaki Koichiro’s Swallow Return, he knew it.

No one knows where he learned it.

In any case, backed by prestigious names, one’s stance becomes more upright.

When Uesugi Sakura saw the disciples of Bushin Hall, he could sense their confident demeanor.

However, that air of confidence, bearing the spirit inherited from Sakihara Kunzan, wilted immediately upon seeing Uesugi Sakura beside Tachibana Youko.

"U...Uesugi Vice Master..."

"What’s with that expression, not welcoming me?"

The disciples hurriedly shook their heads, "No, not at all."