"Oda-kun, why do you look so unhappy when you see me?"
Tokugawa Hidetada had a serene smile on his face, his voice was steady, and his demeanor was relaxed. He seemed to be catching up with an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time, in sharp contrast to the tense posture of his opponent, Oda Hirakura.
"I wonder if Tokugawa Hidetada overheard our conversation earlier? It shouldn't be possible from this distance, but I heard he has very good hearing," thought Oda Hirakura, feeling a bit nervous.
However, he still put on a tough face and said, "This is just the way I do things. If you don't like it, why don't you hit me?"
Tokugawa Hidetaka laughed heartily, "Hahaha, how adorable! Oda-kun, I suddenly think you are very beautiful, like a beauty who knows how to be proud and spoiled."
Proud and spoiled? Who is he insulting?
Oda Hirakura's face turned black, and he turned to Zhou Ming and said, "I'll give you a chance to cut him."
"Are you sure?" Zhou Ming's eyes looked strange. "Can you handle the consequences?"
"I, I can't handle it," Oda Hirakura looked disheartened. "I'm sorry, I admit I spoke too loudly earlier. Don't take it seriously."
If he could survive an attack by Horikawa Tadatoshi, Oda Hirakura could still use his status to bear the brunt, but if he attacked another daimyo, he could only wait for war.
Besides, that daimyo was named Tokugawa Hidetada, and attacking him was basically equivalent to committing suicide.
"Boring." Zhou Ming looked bored. "Let's go; don't waste any more time here."
"Let's go, let's go!" Oda Hirakura urged Matsui Kyōshin to hurry and drive away as if he had been granted amnesty.
Matsui Kyōshin looked at the carriage blocking the road ahead, feeling a bit embarrassed. After some thought, he decided to squeeze past from the side.
Although the width there was definitely not enough for the carriage to pass, he leaned to the side, and the other party would have to move to the other side to make enough space for them to pass. They couldn't just stay motionless and not give face.
"Wait a minute!"
Just as Matsui was about to pull the carriage to the side, a young man in black clothes on the opposite carriage spoke up and stopped him.
His gaze was fixed on Zhou Ming, with cold and sharp eyes and an undisguised murderous intent.
"Are you Zhou Ming?" His voice was icy and bitter, as if he had a deep hatred for Zhou Ming. "Remember my name, my name is Dashi Takashi! Your life belongs to me, keep it well and wait for me to take it!"
"I'm a fortune-teller; what are you?" Zhou Ming sneered, about to retort, but suddenly remembered something.
"You have a familiar accent, like from Junshan City. Your surname is Dashi; what's your relationship with Dashi Zhenshu?"
"Dashi Zhenshu, he's my father!" Dashi Takashi spoke slowly, full of hatred, in a chilling, bone-chilling atmosphere.
"Dashi Zhenshu? Who is that?" Zhou Ming asked in confusion.
"He's the head of Daishi Kamikaze-Ryu!" Matsui Kyōshin couldn't help but remind him cautiously, while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
He destroyed the opponent's dojo but couldn't even remember the name of the dojo. This would really anger the other party.
"Oh, him!" Zhou Ming suddenly realized, "I remember now. You're the genius of Daishi Kamikaze-Ryu. No wonder when I went to challenge you before even after I had killed everyone I didn't see you. It seems like you had already left and gone somewhere else."
"Bastard!" Dashi Takashi was furious, lifting his long sword from his waist and about to jump out of the carriage.
"Don't be impulsive!" Tokugawa Hidetaka reached out to stop him. "Your grievances can be resolved at the world's number one samurai tournament."
Dashi Takashi struggled with his changing complexion but eventually sat back down, staring fiercely at Zhou Ming and threatening him.
"You killed my father and destroyed Daishi Kamikaze-Ryu. Zhou Ming, I will settle this account with you at the world's number one samurai tournament!"
Zhou Ming sneered, "You seek revenge overnight. Why are you so impatient?"
"Shut up, you bastard!"
The continuous provocations finally became too much for Dashi Takashi to bear.
He drew his sword and rushed out of the carriage, rapidly approaching Zhou Ming.
"Stop!" Tokugawa Hidetaka's face changed, wanting to stop him, but it was too late. Dashi Takashi was too fast, and by the time he reacted, the other party had already rushed out of the carriage.
"Zhou kun!" Oda Hirakura watched Dashi Takashi's furious charge, screaming in fear.
"Don't shout!"
Zhou Ming frowned in disgust, urging the Ghost Shadow Gu to rush out of the carriage at an even more incredible speed.
Clang!
The clash of two swords rang out, and sparks flew as gold and iron collided fiercely.
Dashi Takashi's charge came to an abrupt halt. The force coming from the opposite side was so fierce, like a crazy wild bull charging at him, that he had to take five steps back before he could barely withstand the surging force and steady himself.
"So fast, so fierce!"
Dashi Takashi's heart sank, and even though he was facing an enemy, he couldn't help but exclaim.
And when he looked at his own sword, his face became even uglier.
"What a good sword!"
His eyes were sharp, so he could clearly see a small nick on his own blade, while the other party's sword remained unscathed.
The seemingly small difference was actually like a chasm.
Zhou Ming also looked at his sword and praised, "Your sword is also good. It's the first time I've met a sword that only has such a small nick after I cut it down with one stroke."
"Guisei Muramasa, a famous sword passed down for two hundred years."
Dashi Takashi slowly lifted his long sword, staring at the nick on it.
"This sword has killed countless warriors and fought against many famous weapons, but has never suffered the slightest damage. I never thought that today, I would finally meet a sword that could hurt it."
Swish!
The long sword was swung, and two rays of light suddenly burst from Dashi Takashi's eyes.
"This wound can only be repaired with blood!"
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
A fierce collision erupted in an instant, countless sparks exploded, and two figures moved and fought at a speed so fast that it was dizzying. In just a few breaths, they had exchanged blows several times.
Whether it was Oda Hirakura or Matsui Kyoshin, or even Tokugawa Hidetada on the opposite side, no one in the audience could keep up with the two fighters. Their eyes couldn't follow the fast movements, and their brains couldn't keep up with the changing situation.
"Not bad, very strong, this Daishi Takashi's swordsmanship is impressive!"
In the fast-paced battle, Zhou Ming's eyes revealed a strong excitement, and his whole spirit became even more high-spirited.
Daishi Takashi was worthy of his talent, and his level of proficiency in swordsmanship exceeded that of everyone Zhou Ming had fought against since entering this world.
In the entire Junshan city, whether it was Takeuchi Shun, or Matsui Kyoshin, no one could last more than thirty moves against Daishi Takashi.
Perhaps this was also why he left Junshan city. There, he had no opponents, and his strength could not be improved. Naturally, he would leave and seek out famous teachers and challenge stronger enemies.
Fortunately, Zhou Ming was no longer at the same level as when he first entered this world.
More than ten days ago, he had already upgraded his swordsmanship to level 3, separating it from the cold weapon level 2 and forming a separate attribute. Although more than ten days had passed, he was still at level 3, but his understanding of swordsmanship was deepening every second.
In this battle, he did not use Gu worms or firearms, but only competed with his opponent with pure swordsmanship.
Zhou Ming had a feeling that if he wanted to break through to level 4 in swordsmanship, he needed to completely abandon all other external objects and have a satisfying battle like this, in order to grasp that inexplicable mystery and break through.
"Unfortunately, not today."
Once again, their blades clashed, and both sides stepped back. Zhou Ming's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment.
The Guisei Muramasa in Daishi Takashi's hand was already full of gaps.
It was more like a rough saw than a sword, perhaps even more accurate.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[1]Guisei Muramasa: Guisei Muramasa is the name of a famous sword that has been passed down for two hundred years. It is a Japanese sword made by a legendary swordsmith named Muramasa, who is said to have imbued his swords with a cursed spirit that drives their wielders to madness and bloodlust. The name "Guisei" means "Devil Slayer," which reflects the sword's reputation for being particularly effective against supernatural entities.