Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 264 Japan's Number One Swordsman, Sword Saint Yamamoto Sai
Chen Zhan followed the flow of people down the gangway of the "Fuji Maru". As soon as his feet touched the bluestone slabs of Kobe Wharf, he deliberately slowed down.

The students from Beiping behind him were turning around and waving at him, wanting to invite him to go to Osaka together. Chen Zhan just nodded slightly and smiled, "No, we're just passing acquaintances. I still have business to do."

The two met on the ship. The young man was from Beiping and was going to Osaka to study. He was also a patriotic student. Along the way, the two talked a lot about strategies to save the country and the people.

Chen Zhan was the one listening to him. Although many of his words were rather naive, Chen Zhan listened with great interest and did not find them annoying.

In this era, the more young people with this kind of heart, the better. Methods and theories can be improved, and practice yields true knowledge, but the desire to save the country is something that is formed from childhood and is ingrained in one's bones.

This era was also quite peculiar. The young man's family was a well-known wealthy merchant family in Beiping, whose ancestors were large landowners who exploited the people and seized fertile land, yet they were able to produce such a teenager.

The wheels of history keep turning, and from Chen Zhan's perspective as an observer, this situation is not uncommon.

In times of national subjugation and racial extinction, heroes emerge in great numbers.

The young man was somewhat disappointed when Chen Zhan refused. He had thought that he and Chen Zhan had a pleasant conversation on the ship and were like-minded people, but he did not expect that Chen Zhan had only come to Japan to "do business".

Disappointed, he shook his head, but Chen Zhan had already disappeared.

Chen Zhan turned and entered a narrow alley next to him. The sea breeze blew past the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" poster, but there was no warmth in Chen Zhan's eyes.

In this era, with war looming, Japan took militaristic propaganda to its extreme.

Posters and banners were plastered all over the port, all promoting "East Asian Co-prosperity" and "reclaiming lost territory," claiming that Northeast China was originally Japanese territory, revealing their true intentions everywhere.

The posters and banners made no mention of aggression, but instead promoted Japan's resurgence and the unity of East Asia.

The streets of Kobe outside the alley are a mix of old and new.

A Western-style brick house stands on the left side of the street, with wooden signs for "Mitsubishi Corporation" and "Mitsui & Co." hanging on the pointed windows. Japanese employees at the door are dressed in smart suits and their leather shoes are polished to a shine.

To the right of the street, however, was a row of Japanese-style houses. Warm yellow light shone through the wooden lattice windows, and women in kimonos hurried by carrying wooden basins, their wooden clogs making a "clattering" sound on the stone slabs.

The scene was harmonious, and Chen Zhan had to admit that even a small port city like Kobe in Japan was much more prosperous than China.

No wonder his confidence swelled; he had the ambition of a snake to devour a tiger.

The most eye-catching sight was the telephone poles, plastered with posters bearing the Rising Sun Flag, proclaiming slogans like "Manchuria and Mongolia are Japan's lifeline" and "Loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor." Newsboys, carrying canvas bags, weaved through the crowd, shouting in hoarse voices, "Asahi Shimbun Extra! Kwantung Army achieves great victory in Manchuria exercises!"

Several teenagers in school uniforms surrounded the newspaper, waving Japanese flags and shouting slogans like "Down with the Chinese!" At a noodle stall by the roadside, two Japanese soldiers in military uniforms were slamming their fists on the table and laughing wildly, saying, "Next month we should storm into Fengtian City and plunder women and grain."

Chen Zhan stood in the shadows at the alley entrance, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the fake identity in his inner pocket. He had heard about the fanaticism of Japanese militarism in 1931, but he hadn't expected that even ordinary people were immersed in this bloodthirsty atmosphere, not feeling that invasion and massacre were a sin, as if the suffering of the Chinese land was just something they talked about over tea.

Chen Zhan didn't make a move; there was no need to expose himself now, and killing a few students and teenagers wasn't his goal either.

He didn't stay in Kobe long. He found a small hotel that only accepted cash, wrapped the embroidered spring knife and Tang-style sword hidden in the lining of his suitcase in coarse cloth, tied them to his waist, and changed into a cotton and linen student uniform that made him look even more frail.

They deliberately styled their hair, clothing, and accessories to resemble Japanese people.

The next morning, he carried a cloth bag and headed to Tokyo.

On the train journey, he overheard the conversations of the businessmen sitting next to him, piecing together the current political situation in Japan.

The cabinet was controlled by Inukai Tsuyoshi's Seiyukai, but the real power had long been usurped by the military. The Army Ministry and the General Staff were directly under the Emperor's command, and the Kwantung Army acted on its own in the Northeast, beyond the control of even the cabinet.

The military is the biggest militarist, warmonger, and far-right group!
Below them were political parties such as the Political Friends Association and the People's Party, but they had all become puppets of the military. Anyone who dared to oppose the expansion of the military would be assassinated the next day by "right-wing patriots".

As for whether he was a genuine "right-wing patriot" or a ninja in disguise, no one can say for sure.

"If you ask me, the military is still the most powerful!" The merchant took a sip of sake, his face full of flattery. "I heard that the Yagyu family went to the General Staff Headquarters yesterday to present a sword, saying they wanted to send samurai to Manchuria to help the Kwantung Army kill the Chinese!"

"The Yagyu family? Yagyu Shinkoku?" the fat man next to him asked.

"That's right, it's him. The Yagyu family suffered heavy losses in China, and he's eager for revenge."

"There are many experts within China. Will Liu Shengxin go there personally?"

"How could we possibly know about something like this?"

Chen Zhan stood about ten meters away from the group, listening quietly. He was dressed differently from Chinese people and didn't speak, so he looked no different from a Japanese person.

Yagyu Shinkoku is the head of the Yagyu Shinkage school.

Chen Zhan had already thoroughly investigated the Japanese martial arts world while still in China. By 1931, the Japanese martial arts world had long since become the henchmen of the military.

The mainstream schools are divided into three categories: the first is the "dojo school" like Yagyu Shinkage-ryu and Hokushin Itto-ryu, whose head families are directly supported by the military and are responsible for training special agents and officers in swordsmanship. The Yagyu-ryu samurai I encountered in Fengtian were sent by them.

Secondly, there are ninja schools like Iga and Koga, who hide in the shadows and carry out intelligence and assassinations for the military. Tsukishima, who was tracking Ding Lianshan in Fengtian, was also a ninja, from a new school called "Shin-hidden Sect". However, the difference is that each generation of the Shin-hidden Sect only trains three top "hidden assassins" to serve the Emperor and carry out various assassination missions.

Thirdly, the Black Dragon Society, a civilian organization, is ostensibly a martial arts group, but in reality, it is a thug of the military, causing destruction throughout China. The Fengtian Black Dragon Society, which he previously slaughtered, was just one of its branches, with its headquarters in Japan.

As the train entered Tokyo, Chen Zhan gazed at the Yasukuni Shrine passing by outside the window, his eyes growing even colder.

The Yasukuni Shrine was built in 1869 and was originally named "Tokyo Shokonsha". It was renamed "Yasukuni Shrine" in June 1879.

By this time, Japan had already begun to enshrine war criminals. The Japanese did not only invade China; since World War I, they had invaded more than a dozen countries.

Both defeated and victorious war criminals are enshrined in shrines.

Chen Zhan hadn't planned ahead; he needed to understand the geographical location before proceeding to the next step.

This includes the dojos of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu and Hokushin Itto-ryu schools, the headquarters of the military staff, the Ministry of the Army, and the ninja families and Black Dragon Society affiliated with the military.

If it were just about killing a few important figures or ninjas, it would be very simple.
However, after he makes a few moves, the other party will realize what's happening, or hide, or perhaps set up a trap, which will greatly reduce the speed of his killing.

After getting off the bus, Chen Zhan changed into a beige school uniform, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He wore round-framed glasses on his nose and carried a Japanese version of the Analects with curled edges. Blending into the crowds on the streets of Tokyo, he really looked like a Chinese student going to Japan to study.

In Tokyo in 1931, wooden signs with the slogan "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" could be seen everywhere on the streets. Newsboys on the street waved newspapers printed with "Victory in the Manchurian Incident" and shouted at the top of their lungs "The Imperial Army's Might is Unstoppable." Even children playing in the alleys held wooden guns and imitated soldiers' bayonet fighting movements.

Other cities might be alright, but Tokyo is the stronghold of militarism, with immense power that no one can stop.

During the later stages of World War II, due to a shortage of manpower, Japan implemented the "One Hundred Million Deaths Plan," forcibly conscripting teenagers aged 14 and above as soldiers. These child soldiers were sent directly to the battlefield after a short period of military training.

During the Battle of Okinawa, the Japanese army forced Okinawan students aged 14-17 to form the "Iron-Blooded Imperial Guard" to serve as cannon fodder, and more than half of them died.

While it is true that young children have gone to war in many countries, the problem is that Japan launched an invasion, not a defense of its territory!
Chen Zhan hadn't figured out how to make his move, so he decided to wander around Tokyo and cause chaos first.

I walked halfway around the outer perimeter of the Imperial Palace. The vermilion palace walls were over three zhang high, with barbed wire on top. Every ten meters, there was a sentry carrying a machine gun. The double bridge inside the walls was hidden behind the dense cherry trees, and only a corner of the eaves could be seen.

Chen Zhan pretended to stop and look at the map, but he memorized the guard shift intervals in his mind. He also noticed two black cars parked not far away, with the chrysanthemum emblem of the Army Ministry on their bodies. They were the vehicles of important military officials. The security here was even tighter than he had expected.

Turn into a small alley near Ginza, and at the end is the dojo of the Yagyu Shinkage school.

The wooden lintel is engraved with four large gilded characters: “Yagyu Dojo”. Two samurai dressed in black hakama stand at the entrance, with Aoe swords at their waists. They stand with their hands on the hilts of their swords, seemingly relaxed, but their expressions are tense.

The two men had very stable lower bodies and long, even breaths, clearly indicating they were masters of internal strength.

When Chen Zhan passed by, he disguised himself well, showing curiosity and deliberately slowing down to peek inside.

Hearing shouts of "Hah!" and the crisp sound of clashing blades coming from the dojo.

Just as the person at the door was about to step forward, Chen Zhan had already walked away quickly. The other person was used to it and didn't take it to heart.

Chen Zhan had seen many Japanese-style buildings in Fengtian and was already used to them. When he came to a small shop with a sign that read "Wu Tan Cha Ya" (武谈茶屋), he pushed open the door and went inside. The Japanese love tea, and there are many such teahouses.

Tanwu Tea House is more like a teahouse in China, offering slightly more privacy. At least you can't hear it from the street; you have to go inside.

The shop was packed with samurai in hakama and merchants in top hats, all loudly discussing the "Manchurian war situation".

He found a corner seat, ordered a matcha drink in his deliberately practiced Japanese, but his ears were never idle.

The conversation between the two samurai at the next table drifted into his ears:

"Yagyu Tadaki couldn't even withstand three moves from Chiba Ikuhisa of the 'Hokushin Ittō-ryū' style. A top master of the Yagyu family was actually defeated by a young girl in three moves. Can you believe it?"

"Chiba Kiku? Chiba Sadakichi's third daughter?"

"That's right. Chiba Ikuhisa's two older brothers both died in Manchuria. Chiba Ikuhisa, this genius, officially debuted a few days ago and has already swept through many schools of martial arts. Yagyu, Izuru, and Fujiwara are among them, and all of them are swift and powerful. No one can withstand ten of her moves!"

"So powerful?"

After they finished speaking and drank their tea, someone else said:

"I heard that Yamamoto Sai has made an appearance. Last month, someone saw him cut through water and shatter rocks with a single stroke on Mount Fuji! The sharpness of his sword is even greater than before."

"Sword Saint Yamamoto Sai? Is he still alive? He's been the Sword Saint since I was born, the number one in the martial arts world, the Saint of the Blade!"

The man who spoke looked to be in his thirties or forties, and his words were more sarcastic than sentimental.

The Sword Saint Yamamoto Sai hasn't made a move in a long time, and many people have only heard of him through legends, let alone seen him.

He was no different from some of the warriors of the Edo period, such as the swordsman Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Itō Ittōsai, and Miyamoto Musashi.

"The Sword Saint has reappeared in the martial arts world? The military might be planning something big?"

Why don't you say it's like cutting a mountain in two?

"Hahaha, how could that be?"

Chen Zhan paused for a moment, his fingers holding the teacup.

How long has Chiba been around?

The Chiba family head's three daughters, both of whose brothers died in battle?
Chen Zhan remembered Chiba Shiro, whom he had killed in Tianjin, and Chiba Eijiro, whom he had killed in Fengtian. It seemed that both of them had died at his hands.

He had heard of Yamamoto Sai's name in China. It was rumored that he was a living legend in the Japanese martial arts world. He was a disciple of a famous swordsman during the Tokugawa Shogunate period. He lived in seclusion on Mount Fuji for thirty years and never participated in worldly disputes. However, he was regarded as a "spiritual symbol" by the military. Even the Emperor once sent a special envoy to invite him to come out of seclusion, but he refused because "martial arts are not a way of killing".

But the samurai's words just now subtly implied that Yamamoto Sai had connections with the military.

But this also gave him some ideas for a breakthrough.

The teahouse owner, an old man with a mustache, immediately came over to warn everyone to be careful what they said when he heard that their conversation involved the military.

In Tokyo, if someone praises or supports the military, that's fine. But if someone is anti-war or says something treasonous, their teahouse will also be in trouble.

Everyone understood that the military was only mentioned when the conversation got heated.

Shut up immediately and stop talking.

Chen Zhan walked out of the teahouse silently, without exchanging a word with anyone.

Over the next two days, Chen Zhan explored every street and alley in Tokyo.

The Ministry of the Army is located in Kudanzaka, where there are more sentries at the entrance than at the Imperial Palace. People entering and leaving have to have their identification checked three times. The General Staff Headquarters is hidden in the military district.

The Iga Ninja-ryu's secret dojo was located underground near Senso-ji Temple. Only ninjas dressed in black could enter and exit at night. Chen Zhan, who was wandering around at night, was quick-witted and accidentally discovered it.

He even sneaked up to the vicinity of the Black Dragon Society headquarters late at night, but didn't find any top experts.

However, there were also places he couldn't figure out. The stronghold of the Hidden God Sect was never found. They had very few ninjas and were good at hiding, so they would never come out normally. Chen Zhan couldn't possibly conduct a thorough search.

As for Yamamoto Sai, there's absolutely no clue. Some say he's on Mount Fuji, while others say he's in a temple in Kyoto.

Some even said he had died long ago, and that the military was just deliberately releasing the news to reassure the public.

Mount Fuji is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, more than 100 miles from Tokyo. Chen Zhan was still dressed as a student, but his eyes behind his round-framed glasses were fixed on the front as he walked toward Mount Fuji according to the map.

Chen Zhan has already searched all the places in Tokyo. Unless Yamamoto Sai is at the military headquarters, Chen Zhan will have no choice but to launch a surprise attack.

After walking for more than two hours, choosing only the narrow mountain paths, I walked silently in the muddy ground where the snow had melted, leaving only faint footprints that were covered by fallen leaves when the wind blew.

Although the speed seemed slow, the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji could already be seen appearing and disappearing in the clouds, like a white blade stuck between heaven and earth.

Mount Fuji, covered in snow all year round, is actually not very large, far smaller than China's famous mountains and rivers.

Chen Zhan wandered around the foot of Mount Fuji for two days without any hurry. Relying on his senses at the Core Formation Realm, he explored the depths of the mountain. He was not looking for an ordinary hermit, but a master who had practiced martial arts for decades. His blood circulation would definitely be different from that of ordinary people. No matter how well he hid, he would still leave traces.

On the morning of the third day, I walked towards the northwest slope and passed through a pine forest when I suddenly heard a "swish" sound ahead.

It wasn't the sound of wind, but the soft rustling of fabric rubbing against the air, mixed with extremely slow breathing, the rhythm long and drawn out, unlike the heavy panting of a Japanese samurai practicing swordsmanship.

Chen Zhan immediately stopped in his tracks. Twenty paces ahead was a small courtyard surrounded by a bamboo fence, with several plum trees planted inside and an open space in the center of the courtyard.

An elderly man in a dark blue kimono slowly raised his hand and turned around, his movements as graceful as flowing clouds. His right hand was outstretched, and his left hand was pressing down lightly. It was actually the "cloud hand" movement in Tai Chi!
The old man's movements seemed slow, but his hips didn't sway when he turned his waist, and his elbows drooped when he raised his hands, without the slightest stiffness.

What's even more remarkable is his breathing. He inhales with every movement and exhales with every pause, his breath long and silky, almost like "guiding the breath with intention."

Its body undulates, and its belly emits a toad-like croak!
Authentic "Toad-Catching Strength!"

Also known as "Toad Fishing Skill" or "Great Toad Qi", it is a secret and unique skill of Wudang Li Family Tai Chi.

Along with Xingyiquan's "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound," Bajiquan's "Hum and Ha Two Sounds," and Baguazhang's "Big Millstone Cleansing Method," it is a secret method of "marrow training" in internal martial arts.

Chen Zhan smiled, surprised that this sword saint, Japan's number one expert, actually possessed authentic Tai Chi skills.

The old man's "cloud hands" continued until he completed a full move, at which point he slowly turned around.

His hair was gray and tied in a bun, his face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, scanning the woods where Chen Zhan was.

"Who is your Excellency?"

The old man spoke in Japanese, his tone calm but with a hint of wariness.

Chen Zhan didn't bother to hide. He walked out, took a few steps to cross dozens of meters, and arrived at the small courtyard.

"Where did the Sword Saint learn his 'Toad-Catching Technique' from?"

Chen Zhan spoke, but not in Japanese; he used Chinese.

The old man opposite him clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles, hidden in his sleeves, turned white, and his eyes changed instantly.

He clearly understands Chinese.

(End of this chapter)