Jobu Castle, a tea room in the Honmaru Garden.

This tea room, which is less than three and a half rooms, is so cramped and compact that one cannot sit in it or you will have to touch your head on the roof.

Li Xiao held the tea whisk in his right hand, brushing the tea powder in the tea bowl very lightly, and the small skylight above his head just revealed a stream of autumn sunlight, lazily scattered in the tea room.

In the tea room, the tea whisk in Li Xiao's hand rubbed against the edge of the bowl, making a rhythmic rustling sound, but revealing a Zen-like quietness.

Soon after, Li Xiao stopped what he was doing, waved the tea bowl in his hand, and handed his hands to the center of himself and Kamiizumi Shinzuna.

After that, Li Xiao turned his knees, sat facing Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, stretched out his hand and said, "Ise Mamoru Lord, please use tea"

Nobutsuna Kamiizumi nodded slightly, picked up the tea bowl with both hands, held the tea bowl in his hand, slowly rotated it three times, and then gently sniffed the fragrance of tea.

Just as Kamiizumi Shintsunade drank this tea, Li Xiao suddenly said, "Ise Mamoru Lord, aren't you afraid that I will poison the tea?" ”。

When Shangquan Xingang heard Li Xiao's words, his movements paused slightly, and then a smile appeared on his face, and he still held the tea bowl to his mouth and took a sip.

From this point of view, Li Xiao saw that Shangquan Nobutsuna was wearing a white plain jacket, and his eyebrows and beard were already gray, which added a lot of vicissitudes compared to three years ago.

However, his movements were still calm, and his intimidating right hand was distinctly jointed, and there was no superfluous movement whether he was lifting and putting down the tea bowl.

"Very good tea powder"

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna put down the tea bowl and said in a deep voice: "But Lord Mamori's tea art is very skilled, and he is not even inferior to the tea man. ”

Li Xiao smiled and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, the tea ceremony is just a pastime for me, and I use it for fun in my spare time." ”

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna shook his head and said, "But Lord Mamori, the tea ceremony is not a pastime, have you ever heard of the name of Qianzongyi?" ”

Li Xiao nodded, thinking: When I played Taige 5 and drank tea to cheat cards, I had already heard about it.

A look of remembrance flashed in Shangquan Nobutsuna's eyes and said: "Four years ago, when I went to Luo to meet the late Gongfang Palace, I once passed by his tea room and went in to meet him, and to this day I still can't forget the scene when he ordered tea for me. ”

After a pause, Kamizumi Shintsuna said: "He once said that the real tea ceremony is nothing more than boiling water and ordering tea. How to make the tea room cool in summer, how to make the tea room warm in winter, charcoal should be placed properly, conducive to boiling water, and the tea should be delicious. ”

Li Xiao listened and thought for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said: "This is not only the tea ceremony, but also the truth of life."

After a pause, Li Xiao said as if he was touched: "As the so-called skill is perfect, that is, the Tao, the understanding of the tea art of Qianzong has reached the peak, and it is close to the Tao." ”

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna nodded and said: "Exactly, different paths lead to the same end, whether it is kendo or tea ceremony, practice to the extreme, all exist in order to pursue the ultimate 'Tao', but the world is ignorant and deviates from the trajectory, those who learn kendo are for the sake of killing, and those who learn the tea ceremony are for the sake of vassal elegance, which all deviate from the original fundamentals." ”

After a pause, Shangquan Xingang said: "May I ask Lord Tajimamori, what are you learning guns for, and where are you pursuing Yu Dao?" ”

Li Xiao glanced at Shangquan Xingang and thought, okay, do you want to suppress me verbally and hit my confidence first?

Just like before the showdown on Yanryu Island, Miyamoto Musashi first suppressed Kojiro Sasaki with words, Miyamoto Musashi hit the opponent's confidence and won the battle again.

This is also a common method used in Japanese martial arts before duels.

Shangquan Xingang's statement, just like putting forward the criterion of Dao, let Li Xiao argue that if Li Xiao has no better refutation, he can only agree with his point of view, so before the decisive battle, Li Xiao will be defeated. …,

Li Xiao thought for a moment and said: "It's very simple, for self-preservation, for your own life, and for the protection of what you cherish." ”

Hearing this, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna was slightly disappointed and said, "But Lord Mamori, isn't it too narrow-minded to say such a thing?" Is it off track? A long way to go. ”

Li Xiao laughed, but suddenly said with a straight face: "Lord Shangquan, what is the Tao, isn't it the most important thing in everyone's mind?" Such different people have different people's ways, just as Lord Shangquan has the way of Lord Shangquan, and I, Li Xiao, have the Tao of Li Xiao. And why should Kamizumi-sama belittle the lower way with the way he understands? ”

"Are you thinking the same thing as I do? Just as Master Qianzong Yi pursued his own Tao, and finally became the ultimate, almost the Tao, and became a generation of grandmasters, if we pursue the Tao in the mind of Master Qianzong Yi and ignore the Tao in our own hearts, this is the real deviation. ”

Kamiizumi Shingang's eyes flashed, and Li Xiao's words made him fall into a moment of astonishment.

Shangquan Xingang did not have a verbal dispute with Li Xiao, but seemed to have a feeling, and said: "What you said is good." ”

Shangquan Xingang said this, but Li Xiao was slightly stunned, he admitted it so much, which was equivalent to admitting Li Xiao's theory and his own mistake.

Didn't he just want to hit his determination to fight a decisive battle?

Or did he not have any intention of dueling me in the first place?

When Li Xiao thought of this, his body suddenly shook.

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna looked out the window and said slowly: "When I taught Xiuyin swordsmanship, he was about the same age as you, and I taught him swordsmanship at that time, hoping that he could be the ultimate swordsman like me, but unfortunately he didn't understand what I meant, and he competed with people everywhere with a sword, and finally died of serious injuries in the battle with the Satomi family." ”

Li Xiao suddenly remembered that Shangquan Xiuyin had a relationship with him, and he had also tried to compete with Shigang Yiyu. According to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna's words, the battle with the Satomi family was the second battle of Kofutai between the Hojo family and the Satomi family two years ago.

Hideyin Kamiizumi was seriously wounded and died in the war, causing Nobutsuna Kamiizumi to suffer the pain of losing his son.

"And the Gongfang Palace, Ye Sheng Gong and they are the same, I Shangquan Xingang has a peerless swordsmanship, almost the ultimate of swordsmanship, but what is the use, but even the son, disciple, lord, can not be preserved, this is really the pain of life"

Speaking of this, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh.

"Lord Ueizumi, please pay your respects." Li Xiao could only say so comfortingly.

In the face of Li Xiao's consolation, Shangquan Xingang stretched out his hand and said, "I'm sorry, I'm out of shape." ”

After a pause, Kamizumi Shintsunade said, "Thank you for your hospitality. ”

After speaking, Shangquan Xingang bowed to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao also returned the gift.

After walking out of the tearoom, Shangquan Xinzuna said goodbye to Li Xiao and said: "Meeting with you, my wish has been fulfilled, and in the future, I will travel all over the world, while sharpening my heart, while teaching the new Yin Stream of swordsmanship, so maybe we will not see each other again in the future." ”

Li Xiao also knew that he was wrong about the intention of Izumi Xingang, and he really didn't come to duel with himself.

After the destruction of the main family, this peerless swordsman is no longer the murderous man of the day.

He also sees everything openly, and does not seek the selfishness of his own victory or defeat. What he thought in his heart was to pass on the Yin Liu's kendo as a skill, so that more people could find the way in their hearts from the kendo.

Such a non-narrow-minded view is the true craftsmanship of the master.

It is precisely because of Nobutsuna Ueizumi that he carried forward the Yin Stream inherited from Aisu Shifting Incense Zhai, making it one of the three major sources of the Japanese art of war.

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna created his own Yin Stream, and his apprentices Fumigoro Hita Bungoro, Yagyu Sogan, Marumme Nagae, and Shingo Soji all inherited his swordsmanship and became a school of his own.

Among them, the Yanagi Shinyin Stream of Yanagi Zongyan is the most prestigious. …,

The bamboo bag knife invented by Nobutsuna Kamiizumi and his disciples reduced the risk of injury when more kendo practitioners in later generations learned swords.

Nobutsuna Kamiizumi eventually realized his ambitions, and his kendo, which has been passed down to the present day.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao couldn't help but be in awe of the other party, and said: "Lord Shangquan, please take care, if you have leisure, please come to Chengsheng City as a guest." ”

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna nodded and strode away.

At this moment, outside of this pill, Li Xiao and his retainers are all standing here with their swords.

Shima Katsuto, Shioka Kazuha, Kinoshita Koichiro and others all had a solemn face, while the other retainers didn't have a good face, and from time to time turned their heads to look at Fumigoro Hita who was standing with his hands on the side, and there was a hint of hostility in his eyes.

"Why hasn't the lord come out for so long? Do you want someone to go in and take a look? Dazang Chang'an said so loudly.

As soon as he said this, he was immediately echoed by several retainers.

"No," Honda Masanobu on the side said with a reluctance, "You are not concerned about the Lord's actions, but against the Lord's orders, you have not heard of the Lord just now, and when you go in, no one is allowed to enter the Honmaru without his orders?" ”。

Dazang Chang'an has always been on bad terms with Honda Masanobu, and when he heard what the other party said, he sneered and said: "Honda-sama, the lord and Kamizumi Nobutsuna have been in for a long time, and it stands to reason that no matter how long the competition is, it has ended." Isn't that worrying? ”。

Honda Masanobu snorted coldly and said, "Lord Great, if you want to go against the will of the lord, you can go in and have a look." ”

"You," Dazang Chang'an said with a sneer, "Sure enough, there is a saying, the number one traitor in this family is none other than you, Lord Honda." ”

Honda Masanobu looked sideways at Dazang Chang'an and said, "Lord Dazang, you need to be cautious when you speak. ”

Just when Honda Masanobu and Great-treasured Chang'an were-for-tat, the door of Honmaru had been opened at this time.

All the retainers were together, staring at the door of Honmaru, and they were all relieved to see Li Xiao walking out of the door safe and sound.

"Meet my lord."

More than 20 Li Xiao's retainers bowed down in front of the main gate.

Li Xiao waved his hand, signaling that the retainers did not need to be polite.

And Kamiizumi Shingang also said to Li Xiaoyan: "But Lord Ma Shou, I take my leave." ”

Li Xiao nodded and said, "Lord Shangquan, please take care of yourself." ”

When Li Xiao's retainers saw this scene, they were all surprised, thinking to themselves that the lord had just duel with this person from time to time? Why do you look like a good friend, and what's going on here?

Immediately, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Kimada Bungoro left from Honmaru, and the road was unimpeded and left Jobu Castle directly.

Li Xiao looked at the back of Shangquan Xinzun and thought for a while.

At this time, among Li Xiao's retainers, Shigang Yiyu took the lead and couldn't help it, and asked: "Dare to ask the lord, who won the competition between you and Kamiizumi Isemoru in the end?" ”

Li Xiao heard Shigang Yiyu ask like this, laughed, and was noncommittal.

But it made the retainers unclear for a while.

"Who wins?"

Not only the retainers, but also the swordsmen and ronins of the castle town of Joseijo Castle, when they saw Kamiizumi Nobutsuna coming out of Joseijo Castle safe and sound, they also had this question.

Everyone stepped forward to ask about the results of the competition between the two, but Nobutsuna Kamiizumi also smiled and didn't answer, and even Fumigoro Buta didn't tell him.

At the beginning, the duel between Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Li Xiao attracted the attention of people all over the world, including Uesugi Kenshin, Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Hojo Shiyasu.

They all sent their top ninjas to Chengsheng City to find out the news.

However, none of these ninjas entered, and the heavily guarded castle was a step away, so the outcome of this duel was unknown. …,

All the messages were sealed, and neither party spoke.

So the result of this competition has become a big mystery, which has made countless people around the world puzzled and speculated.

Among them, there are all kinds of speculations about this duel, some say that Shangquan Shingang won, some say Li Xiaosheng, and some people say that this competition, the two are tied.

Some people think that one of the two must win, but the other one is for the sake of saving face, so please don't tell the other party the result.

In the city, the competition between Li Xiao and Shangquan Xingang has been added to countless versions.

One of the most believable versions is that when the two are about to win or lose, a woman enters the scene and interrupts the process of the contest at the cost of her own suicide.

And this woman is Li Xiao, the most beloved woman of Shangquan Xingang.

All kinds of discord between the two, and the fights are all caused by this woman.

As soon as the woman died, the two hugged the woman's body and wept bitterly, and finally they both woke up and decided to reconcile with each other and no longer fight for their lives.

As soon as this rumor came out, it immediately occupied the mainstream market, and even Chengshengcheng also spread rumors that they saw Li Xiao and Shangquan Xingang and went up the mountain in the middle of the night to worship at a woman's grave.

I see, and suddenly the truth was revealed.

Whether you believe it or not, it is the opinion of the benevolent and the wise of the wise.

After the city was born, Shangquan Xingang traveled the world, teaching people the art of swordsmanship and war, and his fame became more and more famous, attracting the admiration of countless warriors.

Li Xiao is also very famous, but compared to what he did in Hida and Yuezhong in the future, this fight with Kamiizumi Nobutsuna is just one of the small episodes.

As time passed, the rumors of the duel had died down, and no one paid attention to it anymore.

At this time, inadvertently, Kashima was far away in Hitachi Province in Kanto.

On Kashima Island, there is Kashima Shrine, which is known as one of the three major shrines in the eastern country, along with Susu Shrine and Katori Jingu.

Outside the shrine, the courtyard is deep, and from time to time there is the sound of everyone shouting in unison.

And a humble dojo is located here.

Now nearly 80 years old, Tsukahara Buden is dedicating himself to teaching young disciples Kashima Shindang swordsmanship.

At this time, a disciple hurriedly came and reported to Tsukahara Bu Chuan about the duel between Kamiizumi Shintsuna and Li Xiao.

After hearing this, Tsukahara Buchuan paused for a long time, and finally said, "It would be great if I could be twenty years younger." ”……，