From the Ming Dynasty, we will conquer the world

Chapter 4: Shinkage-ryu, Inoue Jushiro

This is a dungeon in the Neisi Prison, which is specially used to detain serious criminals. The walls and floor are paved with stones and are extremely hard.

At this time, He Maocai was sitting on a chair at the innermost part, leaning against the north stone wall.

He was surrounded by officers and soldiers, holding various weapons, with their blades pointing at the bars of the innermost cell, among which sat a Japanese prisoner!
The man had rough shackles on his hands and feet, but he was wearing a clean silk kimono, his head and face were shaved clean, and he had a unique Japanese hairstyle on his head. His movements were slow and he didn't look like a prisoner, but more like a Japanese prince or noble.

Even though the Japanese was alone here and was tightly shackled, these soldiers armed with sharp weapons still maintained a posture of vigilance, with solemn eyes, not daring to relax at all.

It was as if the person squatting in the cell was not a human being, but a ferocious tiger sitting in a cave, gnashing its teeth, sucking blood, and killing people like crazy.

In fact, in the eyes of these soldiers, this Japanese man named Inoue Jushiro was far more brutal and terrifying than any tiger.

Just to capture him, two of the five best fighters sent by the Hangzhou government died on the spot, and less than half of the more than 50 yamen runners who cooperated in the operation returned, and all of them were injured.

Whenever the yamen runners who had managed to survive mentioned this man, their faces were filled with fear, as if he were a ghost or god.

If the government had not captured a dozen Japanese pirates under Inoue Jushiro and threatened their lives, with this man's boxing skills, he would have been able to break through the encirclement and escape alone.

The two sides had been in a stalemate for a long time, until He Maocai spoke, and then the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. Without any instructions, five of them left the queue and went up to the dungeon.

After breaking the dull atmosphere, He Maocai stood up, looked at the Japanese slave, and said gently:
"We always keep our word. For two months, we haven't killed you or your brothers. We give you whatever you want every day. Why don't you believe it?"

"That's because you don't dare to do it." The Japanese man actually spoke fluent Chinese, "Don't forget, your predecessor killed our people in prison, and his entire family was killed by the Demon Emperor."

The Ghost Emperor refers to the Dragon Prince Zhu Tiandu who traveled across the world and dominated the Japanese Empire.

He Maocai frowned and his tone became harsh.

"Since you are so powerful, why don't you kill Hu Zongxian's entire family, why don't you kill Qi Jiguang's entire family?"

Upon hearing these two unforgettable names, the Japanese slaves became filled with hatred, their eyes flashed with ferocity, and they stood up and slapped.

The shackled hands penetrated the low table in front of him and hit the straw mat, which immediately broke into several pieces and grass debris flew everywhere.

Several soldiers immediately clenched their guns and blocked He Maocai's way. They were all experienced fighters and could see the power of Inoue Jushiro's move.

Although He Maocai imprisoned the Japanese slave in a dungeon, he used only top-quality tools to help him carry out his plans.

This low table is one of them. It is made of pure solid wood. It is solid and heavy, but it cannot withstand a slight blow.

How terrifying is this power?
He Maocai was not in a hurry. He called the soldiers in front of him. He was not surprised at the strength of this Japanese pirate because this man's origin was extraordinary.

Inoue Jushiro is the sword saint of Japan and a disciple of Kamiizumi Nobunaga. He has mastered the Shinkage-ryu sword technique and is one of the most outstanding swordsmen among the younger generation in Japan.

His elder brother, Inoue Jusanro, was even more remarkable. He was a favorite general under Zhu Tiandu and one of the thirty-six ship owners. He had many Japanese pirates under his command and was very powerful. He was a powerful lord in the Japanese country.

It was because of Inoue Jushiro's background and strength, and the thought that this man was one of the few Japanese who valued friendship and loyalty, that He Maocai spared his life, hoping that he could be of use in the future.

After calling those soldiers away, He Maocai said calmly:
"Mr. Inoue Jushiro, I've made myself clear, you are a man of honor.

You just need to hide in the Xianchao Pavilion and cooperate with me in a play, and I can save more than a dozen of your brothers and get so much silk. What else is there to be unwilling about?"

Inoue Jushiro was silent for a while and closed his eyes, obviously thinking about this matter.

Because of the tragic death of his predecessor, He Maocai was well aware of the pirates' methods. He also knew that although the government looked powerful, it could not deal with Zhu Tiandu at all.

He was already a third-rank official, and even if his superiors wanted to reward him for this, they couldn't give him much. It would be unwise to bring disaster upon himself for this.

Therefore, to this day, except for some confidants, He Maocai has not told anyone that the Japanese pirate he captured is the younger brother of Inoue Jusanro, a talented swordsman of the Wa country.

Although He Maocai has not been to the local areas in Zhejiang over the years, he has vaguely felt the disaster that might be caused by the "changing rice to mulberry" policy.

At this time, he also wanted to leave himself a way out - even if this was not a way out, it could at least save him from some trouble.

Inoue Jushiro suddenly opened his eyes and said with emotion:
"You officials from the Central Plains are really cruel."

He Maocai's face froze, but he saw a flash of knife in Inoue Jushiro's eyes, cold and sinister.

He pursed his lips and gave a sinister smile.

"But, I like it."

That kind of sinister and vicious intent made the soldiers outside the iron fence shudder and run a chill down their spines.

Inoue Jushiro suddenly lost his composure, stood up abruptly, stared at the farthest end of the corridor, and ordered in an unquestionable tone:

"If you don't want to die, give me the key!"

He Maocai was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile and said:
"Mr. Inoue, I'm afraid..."

Before he finished his words, a shrill howl was heard, and a round black shadow flew from the end of the corridor. It turned out to be a human head.

This head didn't have time to close his eyes before he died, and his face still had an expression of extreme fear, his eyes were bloodshot, and his mouth was open as if he was about to scream.

When they saw the head, He Maocai and the officers and soldiers had only one thought in their minds.

——He didn’t seem to be beaten to death, but rather frightened to death by something or some creature that was beyond human comprehension.

With a "puff" sound, the head fell on the corridor and rolled towards He Maocai and others.

Everyone followed the trajectory of the rolling head and looked forward. It seemed that it was not a corridor, but a horrifying passage leading to the eighteenth level of hell.

Their eyes met a pair of black cloth shoes.

Above the shoes was a low-hanging robe, which was a long gown of blue cloth that had been washed so much that it looked pale. In terms of texture alone, it was not even as good as the prison uniforms worn by the Japanese slaves.

But this handsome young man in black cloth shoes and a blue cloth shirt is much more impressive and dignified than Inoue Jushiro who is sitting in prison.

If Inoue Jushiro was a prince or nobleman, then he was a general who had survived hundreds of battles and walked out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. With a wave of his hand, countless heads fell to the ground.

The murderous aura of the war seemed to be condensed into substance. Everyone present could clearly feel, see, and even touch it.

Xu Xing walked over slowly. He glanced at the third-rank official uniform on He Maocai and called him by name, saying:
"Are you He Maocai?"

He Maocai has been a criminal lawyer for more than ten years. He has handled countless major cases and interrogated countless prisoners. He should not be unfamiliar with this way of questioning. But this is the first time he feels like a prisoner kneeling in the court, bowing his head, and the other party is the official who sits on the throne, holds the power, and decides life and death.

Looking at the Japanese slaves living a life of luxury in prison, and recalling the miserable scenes of those wrongly accused people he had just seen, Xu Xing felt it was extremely absurd.

The absurdity also stirred up an uncontrollable anger.

Facing Xu Xing's murderous and cold gaze, He Maocai's scalp exploded and his spirit became tense as never before.

At this critical moment, he made the most correct decision at the moment, pulled off the key hanging on his waist and threw it to Inoue Jushiro.

At the same time, the two fastest soldiers, holding long swords and long spears respectively, rushed towards Xu Xing from the left and right.

Looking beyond the two people, Xu Xing could see more figures.

He could see that these dozen or so men were all experienced soldiers with a lot of fighting experience.

Although their individual strength is not that great, after forming a battle formation, they still have an overwhelming advantage over ordinary boxers.

But the word "ordinary" has never been associated with Xu!
The spear was longer than the sword and entered Xu Xing's attack range faster.

Xu Xing swayed to the left and moved in an arc. With a lightning-fast move of his right hand, he accurately grabbed the gun tip and shook his wrist again.

The man felt as if the gun in his hand was electrified, causing his palm to go numb and he had to let go.

Then, the butt of the gun that the man was holding raised its head like a poisonous snake and hit him on the chin.

With a crisp sound of bones breaking, the soldier fell heavily to the ground.

Xu Xing held the spear upside down in his right hand and used it as a stick. He knocked the butt of the spear on the other man's machete, and the force penetrated the stick.

The blade was smashed into pieces, and the fragments flew everywhere, extinguishing half of the surrounding torches, and the corridor suddenly flickered.

The long knife in the man's hand was shattered. He hurriedly took a step back, slowly pushed the gun barrel, and broke his shoulder blade with the butt of the gun.

Taking advantage of this gap, Xu Xing was too lazy to change the gun handle, so he simply pinched it with his right hand, pulled off the gun head, and used the broken gun as a stick.

After the two men fell, three more soldiers came up side by side. The corridor in the dungeon was not spacious and could only accommodate three people side by side at most.

He took a step forward slowly, stepped over the fallen bodies of the two men, held the long stick with both hands, and made a firm stance. He moved his wrists and exerted force from his waist, and the head of the stick swung out in a round shape, as if placing a round shield in front of him.

Three spears entered into Xu Xing's circle of sticks one after another, but he just knocked and touched them lightly, and then shook the weapons out of their hands, breaking their bones and making them lose their combat effectiveness.

Amid the sound of collisions that were almost in a line, three people fell down one after another. At this moment, they heard a whistling sound of wind, and an iron railing shot out like a powerful arrow, piercing towards Xu Xing.

Xu Xing twisted his wrist, and the stick bounced and swept the railing away. The railing continued to move forward, sinking deeply into the stone wall, and the tail was still trembling and buzzing.

Beside He Maocai, a soldier only felt the sound of wind bursting in his ears and a sense of lightness on his waist.

He looked down and saw that his own sword had been pulled out and held in the hand of Inoue Jushiro who had escaped from the trap.

The Japanese swordsman jumped high, stepped on the brick wall, and turned his body like a thread, pouncing from mid-air.

Xu Xing saw a bright cold light shining up, extinguishing all the torches in the corridor. In the darkness, the sword light was winding and silently slashing towards him.

New Yin-style swordsmanship-belly fish cut!

To practice this secret sword move, the swordsman must swing the sword in a quiet and peaceful lake, and comprehend the true meaning of still water. When the sword tip cuts into the fish's belly, the fish cannot sense the killing intent and dies silently, this is considered a complete success.

Inoue Jushiro once used this knife to kill three good fighters in the Hangzhou government office. All of them were killed with one blow. The wounds were not big but very deep, and the blood splattered like a red fan, rich and gorgeous.

Inoue Jushiro had already realized from Xu Xing's performance just now that this was an extremely difficult master. In terms of boxing skills, he was probably much better than himself.

He also saw that in the long package behind Xu Xing, there was an extremely heavy weapon hidden, which was the best way to restrain his swordsmanship.

But after all, Inoue Jushiro is a practical master who has been through many battles and has a strong fighting spirit. Even though he knows that he is not as skilled as others, he will never give up hope of winning.

However, Xu Xing did not need to carry the weapon, but instead snatched the soldier's spear to use as a weapon. This arrogant behavior gave Inoue Jushiro an extremely valuable opportunity to escape.

Although he was holding an ordinary sword, with Inoue Jushiro's swordsmanship skills, he could easily cut off the wooden stick and go straight to the center.

Moreover, although Inoue Jushiro was a disciple of Kamiizumi Nobunaga, he was not bound by the Shinkage-ryu swordsmanship.

He once had in-depth discussions on assassination techniques with the ninja masters of the Koga Ninja Group, and also learned some tricks from these killers who lived in the shadows all day long.

When a person walks from a bright place to a dark place, his eyes will be uncontrollably dazed for a while before he gradually adapts. This is a physiological phenomenon that is difficult to avoid no matter how high the martial arts skills are.

The ninja masters of the Koga Ninja Group often use this to assassinate those who have higher boxing skills than themselves. They are always successful.

Inoue Jushiro first closed his eyes, then drew his sword and cut off the light source in the dungeon. He wanted to artificially create the opportunity for light to turn dark so as to attack.

The situation was exactly as he expected. Although Xu Xing raised the wooden stick by instinct, the stick collapsed at the touch of the blade and was of no use in resisting or delaying the attack.

But just as the knife was about to touch his body, Inoue Jushiro felt his wrist sink, and it was as if a huge weight was suddenly pressing down on the blade, causing it to fall uncontrollably. Then, the entire sword shattered.

These fragments did not fly out, but were firmly grasped by a white hand. In addition to the iron filings, some sawdust-like chips were also scattered between the five fingers of the hand.

The sudden change in light did not affect Xu Xing's judgment at all.

At the critical moment, he used his extraordinary finger strength to grab Inoue Jushiro's sword and the wooden stick in his own hand and crushed them at the same time.

Inoue Jushiro had never seen such a ferocious claw force before. He was terrified and used his best skills to retreat quickly.

He slammed the ground heavily with his backhand, twisted his body, bent his back, and jumped two or three feet away like a dragon or a snake, like a dragon swimming in the sea, giving people a feeling that he was difficult to chase and uncertain.

"Who are you?"

Xu Xing let go of his hand and looked at Inoue Jushiro's movements. He seemed to have some impression of them and murmured:
"Eight trigrams swimming, snake-shaped snake pushing grass, coiled dragon fist..."

He raised his head, raised his eyebrows, and said with emotion:
"This is Zhu Polong's new boxing move, it's interesting. He has made extraordinary progress over the years, very good, very good!"

(End of this chapter)