Chapter 206: Chapter 101: Recommending Tachibana Aoto to Lord Shogun!

What exactly did this person call me over for? This question kept circling in Aoto’s mind.

However, despite his confusion, Aoto didn’t remain dumbfounded for too long.

The Tairō Ii had already dismissed him, so Aoto had no other option but to comply.

Aoto bowed, responded with a "Yes," then picked up his Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword and left the room, feeling slightly dazed.

After watching Aoto’s figure disappear, Ii Naosuke smiled faintly.

Then... he reached into his robe and pulled out a small booklet, about the size of a palm and half a finger thick.

A nearby attendant, seeing Ii Naosuke take out the booklet, instinctively unstrapped a small brush with a tip soaked in ink and a bamboo tube filled with clean water from his belt.

Ii Naosuke took the brush handed by the attendant, dipped the brush tip into the bamboo tube to moisten the dried ink, then opened the small booklet. He turned to a still blank page and, with a flourish, wrote three Chinese characters—

Tachibana Aoto.

Ii Naosuke gently blew on the freshly written name in the booklet. Once the ink dried, he snapped the booklet shut and tucked it back into his robe.

"... Tairō-sama," hesitated the attendant who had just handed him the brush and water, "are you planning to recommend this Tachibana Aoto to Lord Shogun?"

Ii Naosuke smiled blandly.

He gave no response.

...

...

That evening—

Aoto and Saito returned home in the twilight to their current residence: Shiwei Hall.

When Aoto and the others arrived, it was just the closing time of Shiwei Hall.

After passing through the main gate and entering the dojo, Aoto saw Chokata sitting alone cross-legged on the dojo floor, wiping the bamboo swords in the nearby sword barrel with a cloth.

"Mr. Chokata, we’re back!"

"Mr. Tachibana, Mr. Saito, you’re back... hmm? Mr. Tachibana, what’s with that sword in your hand?"

Noticing the Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword in Aoto’s hand, Chokata’s eyes lit up. He threw away the cloth and bamboo sword and quickly stepped up to Aoto.

"Oh, this..." Aoto smiled and held the Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword horizontally in front of him, then briefly recounted the day’s events to Chokata.

Chokata showed no interest in the assessment Aoto had undergone that day or in Ii Naosuke.

His only interest was in the Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword Aoto was holding.

"Mr. Tachibana, can I take a look at your new sword?"

"Of course." Aoto handed the Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword to Chokata.

Chokata wiped his palms on his hakama to clean off the sweat before accepting the sword with both hands.

As soon as he unsheathed it a few inches, a look of surprise leapt into Chokata’s eyes.

Once the blade was fully drawn, Chokata swung it fiercely several times in the air before him, then held it up vertically, tilting his head back to scrutinize the blade while blinking with eyes sparkling with wonder.

"This sword is amazing!"

—Ah, there it is... Mr. Chokata’s "amazing"...

Aoto silently once again remarked to himself on Chokata’s limited vocabulary, which defaulted to "amazing" for anything and everything.

"The quality of the iron, the sharpness, the balance... everything is amazing."

Chokata continued speaking as he rotated the blade and carefully examined the pronounced curvature of the Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword’s back.

"The curvature of this sword is slightly greater than usual, yet the blade isn’t overly bent... It’s perfect for Iaijutsu."

The principle of Iaijutsu is to use the curvature of the blade and scabbard during the draw to create a burst of force, delivering a cut with greater power and speed than a swing from rest.

Therefore, using a sword with a slightly larger curvature can more easily execute a powerful Iaijutsu.

"Iaijutsu, huh..." Aoto chuckled softly, "It’s just too bad that our Natural Reasoning Heart Stream doesn’t have Iaijutsu."

After admiring the Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword for a good while, Chokata reluctantly returned the sword to Aoto.

"It’s really great..." Chokata sighed, enviously eying the Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword he had just handed back, "When will I ever have such a fine sword?"

With a gentle smile, Aoto softly said, "That day will come. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, you’ll obtain a Great Treasure Blade multiple times better than my Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword."

Having said that, Aoto raised his head and glanced at the pile of bamboo swords Chokata had been cleaning earlier.

"Mr. Chokata, were there still many people coming to learn swordsmanship today?"

Chokata beamed: "Today, there were 8 more people who came to express their desire to learn our Natural Reasoning Heart Stream!"

"So many?" Aoto couldn’t help but exclaim softly, followed by a warm smile, "Then Master’s wife must be thrilled."

"Indeed." Chokata crossed his arms at his waist and said thoughtfully, "These days, Aunt’s gentleness has been quite overwhelming for me..."

In recent days, Shiwei Hall had been bustling—people eagerly coming to learn swordsmanship had kept everyone at the hall quite busy.

Instant fame—this phrase perfectly summed up the hall’s recent state.

A few days ago, during the "Plum Blossom Festival," under a flurry of plum blossoms, the previously unknown Shiwei Hall splendidly defeated the renowned Little Chiba Sword Dojo in front of hundreds of spectators... This victory instantly catapulted Shiwei Hall to fame!

Many people now knew—at Little Ishikawa Hoshimura Willow Street, there is a Shiwei Hall imparting the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream, which defeated the Little Chiba Sword Dojo in the "Red and White Battle."

The most straightforward effect of the increased fame was the rise in apprentice numbers.

Countless people came, eager to enroll in Shiwei Hall to learn the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream that had bested the Little Chiba Sword Dojo.

More apprentices meant increased income for Shiwei Hall.

These days, Abi, usually found with a scowl, has been exceptionally gentle...

Especially towards Aoto, the biggest contributor to Shiwei Hall’s victory, Abi exhibited a tenderness that even left Aoto feeling quite uncomfortable...

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It’s been a while since I’ve asked for monthly votes. Seeking votes! Seeking recommendation votes! (Crying Leopard Head.jpg)

Just a heads-up, the author might need to take a day off tomorrow, because as you’re reading these lines, the author is on a possibly life-changing date, and I probably won’t have time to write tomorrow’s Chapter today (Crying Leopard Head.jpg).

The day after tomorrow, I’ll strive to write more!