Chapter 523: Ascending the Steps (Three-in-One)

The 26th year of Jiajing, May 15th.

Surrounded by mountains, the outline of Kamakura City faintly appeared in the sunlight.

Two hundred years had passed since the end of the Kamakura Shogunate era. This city had long since lost its qualification as the political center of the East, yet it still retained many functions that could still be called a "center" today.

For example, swordsmanship.

For example, religion.

Passing through the seven narrow passages known as the "Kamakura Seven Mouths" that pierced the surrounding mountains, walking up the Wakamiya Oji that ran north-south through the city, and reaching the middle section, one could see a path lined with cherry blossoms that gradually rose from the ground.

Crossing this path, known as "Dankazura," one reached the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, which stood high in the center of Kamakura City.

For the local daimyo, this was a symbol of the legitimacy of inheriting the Kamakura Shogunate’s power. And for almost all samurai and swordsmen in the East, this was a "holy land."

On the streets, which looked withered and dilapidated due to the passage of time, samurai and swordsmen with swords at their waists came and went, and when passing the path, they would involuntarily glance toward the Hachimangu Shrine... hoping that one day they would be able to set foot there.

Of course, for the vast majority of people, this was an extravagant hope that might not be achieved in a lifetime. Because swordsmen who came here out of reverence and recklessness would, nine times out of ten, leave in despair in their old age... or die on that path where cherry blossoms bloomed.

Today was no exception.

"Have you heard? Lord Uda is going to 'ascend the steps' today!"

"A swordsman of that realm... also has to rely on 'ascending the steps' to enter Hachimangu Shrine?"

"He practices breathing techniques rather than visualization techniques, and he practices the Intent Sword Art rather than the Venerated Deity Sword Art. This is the only way for him to enter Hachimangu Shrine... and he is already old."

"It’s starting! It’s starting!"

The whispers gradually merged into one, and with the appearance of a certain figure, they gradually gathered in the same direction, suppressing other noises.

"Lord Uda!"

"Lord Uda is here!"

Swordsmen and samurai crowded together, blocking the street, but they all instinctively cleared the space in the center of the street, forming a narrow path that extended all the way to the path leading to Hachimangu Shrine.

Once the path was formed, the scene quieted down. Countless eyes turned toward the end of the street, at a gray-haired figure walking slowly toward them.

That was an old man with white hair and beard.

His skin hung down due to old age, and beneath his eyes were two pitch-black bags, but his waist and back were straight, contrary to his age. The arms protruding from his haori were like green bamboo, withered, thin, and clearly defined by tendons.

He looked straight ahead and walked slowly.

"Hiss—Lord Uda’s state today..."

In the crowd, two swordsmen whispered to each other.

"Very strong."

"Indeed. Although Lord Uda’s swordsmanship was superb before, there was a bit of a decadent air... but now, looking at his eyes, I feel a bit cold."

"Could it be that we will really see him ascend Hachimangu Shrine today?"

The two were overheard by someone nearby, who let out a cold snort.

"How is that possible!"

"It’s been two hundred years; when have you ever seen a swordsman practicing the Intent Sword Art succeed in 'ascending the steps'?"

"Except for the Kurama style back then..."

The speaker suddenly cut off his words.

He had said something he shouldn't have.

"Kurama style," this swordsmanship school that had spread throughout the East hundreds of years ago and was one of the four oldest Intent Sword Arts, was a taboo here.

If heard by a priest or swordsman of Hachimangu Shrine, it might lead to a death sentence.

He looked around, confirmed that his words hadn't been heard, breathed a sigh of relief, and turned his attention back to the old man walking toward them.

"Lord Uda."

The old man had reached the center of the crowd, in front of him. He quickly pressed his hand on the sword hilt and bowed slightly to the old man.

The rest of the swordsmen and samurai did the same.

Most of them didn't know the old man, nor could they be said to have any friendship, and they might even be secretly mocking the old man’s foolish choice... but all the swordsmen and samurai gathered in Kamakura would bow to those who chose to "ascend the steps."

Especially those swordsmen who practiced the Intent Sword Art, their expressions were heavy, revealing a faint, sorrowful empathy.

After a while, the old man reached the end of the passage.

He stopped.

Taking one more step forward would mean stepping onto the rising path. The cherry blossoms on both sides of the road were not in season, and only a few residual cherry blossoms were scattered at his feet.

One more step forward, and it would be "ascending the steps."

Death with no life.

The old man raised his head, squinted at the Hachimangu Shrine standing at the end of the path, drew his katana, held the scabbard in his left hand, and took a deep breath.

Then, he took a step forward.

His straw sandals landed, stepping on the residual cherry blossoms.

Then he walked forward step by step.

The swordsmen and samurai who followed breathed a sigh of relief and stepped onto the path—only the first swordsman to walk onto the path was considered "ascending the steps," and those who followed were just spectators and would not be in danger.

The crowd kept a distance of about one zhang from the old man and surged onto the path.

The old man walked forward step by step.

After walking several zhang like this, he stopped.

A person was leaning against a cherry tree by the side of the road, wearing a bamboo hat, revealing a blue-black, hard chin, and chewing on a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth, seemingly dozing off.

The old man stared at the person.

Seemingly sensing the old man’s gaze, the person suddenly shook, then took his hands out of his bosom, stretched a long stretch, and revealed the appearance of a middle-aged wanderer.

"Ha—bad luck."

He turned his head and looked at the old man.

"No one has 'ascended the steps' for years, why did you have to come when it’s my turn to guard... Hey, old man."

He pulled a long katana from behind the tree, shouldered it, rested his hands on the scabbard, walked swaying into the middle of the road, tilted his head, and smiled.

"Can you just die on your own and not waste my nap time?"

The crowd behind was in an uproar.

The two swordsmen who had spoken at the beginning looked at each other. They hadn't been at Hachimangu Shrine for long, and the swordsmen of Hachimangu Shrine didn't go out much, so they didn't recognize the person.

It was the swordsman who had interjected at the beginning who said in a low voice.

"Don't you even recognize him?"

"The [Sword Saint] Keita Asai!"

The two then gasped in unison.

"Hiss—it’s him!"

"The [Crimson Crow] Keita Asai!"

The interjecting swordsman nodded heavily.

"It’s him, no mistake... and this is only the first swordsman!"

"Even in Lord Uda’s prime, his strength was roughly the same as his... this is dangerous now."

He showed an expression of unbearable pity.

"Lord Uda is going to lose."

Before his voice fell, a cold snort suddenly came from the side.

"Nonsense!"

"Him? Just a show-off!"

The interjecting swordsman was stunned, then angry, and turned to look at the speaker.

The speaker was also an old man, roughly the same age as the old man who was ascending the steps, with white hair and beard, sunken cheeks, drooping lips, and a tall frame. Just looking at his appearance, one knew he was a person with a tough personality.

As a fellow swordsman, he could see that this old man was a very strong swordsman, and the cold air emanating from his body couldn't be fake; he was definitely stronger than himself. But he didn't want to lose his momentum for nothing, so he argued with his neck stiffened.

"Where am I wrong!"

"Judging from past deeds, the strength of the two is indeed similar, and Lord Uda has been wasted in Kamakura for these years and is already old, so he must be a bit weaker. I am stating the facts!"

"If you think I’m wrong, why don't you tell me your reason!"

The old man snorted coldly, but didn't open his mouth at all, just reached for the sword hilt at his waist, scaring the interjecting swordsman into taking a step back and preparing to draw his sword to fight.

Before he could draw his sword, suddenly, a hand reached out from behind the old man, pressed on his shoulder, and stopped his action of drawing the sword.

At the same time, a crisp, pleasant female voice filled with laughter said.

"Don't do stupid things."

"If you startle the snake and ruin today’s arrangements, Lord Li will be angry and will likely smash your head directly—you don't want to die so absurdly, right?"

A male voice followed from the side.

"Leader Ji, are you saying that about me?"

"I’m not a devil either."

The hand pressing on the old man’s shoulder patted him.

"Don't you agree?"

The interjecting swordsman looked at the old man in a daze, watching his complexion turn from red to black, first angry and then cold, but finally forcibly returning to calm.

"Hmph!"

The old man let go of the sword hilt.

The interjecting swordsman breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the two people who had just spoken behind the old man.

Looking at this, he was stunned.

Standing on the left seemed to be a woman, wearing priestly attire, but it didn't look like the shape of the Hachimangu Shrine priests; the style was more ancient and luxurious. She wore a light veil, which rose with the wind, revealing a snow-white, slender neck—just looking at her posture and demeanor, one could tell she was a stunningly beautiful woman.

Standing on the right, the one who had just stopped the old man, could not be seen clearly. Because this person wore a black robe that covered his whole body, one could only tell that his frame was extremely tall and sturdy, and he carried a peculiar nobility in his every move.

The reason he was stunned was not because of the old man and the black-robed man, but because of that woman... she was wearing priestly attire, he didn't know how long she had been standing by his side, and the outstanding figure of the black-robed man should have been extremely conspicuous, yet he hadn't noticed it at all!

"Could it be because of nervousness?"

He thought to himself.

Looking around, no one else cast their eyes here, and even the two swordsmen who had been talking to him turned their heads and chatted enthusiastically, as if they had really forgotten about this side!

He was confused, but heard a commotion in front of the crowd.

"It’s starting!"

"Quiet, it’s starting."

He couldn't care about the strangeness of the old man and the two people, and hurriedly turned his gaze back to the front.

The old man named Uda didn't reply at all, just stood quietly in place, one hand on the scabbard and one hand on the katana, without the slightest wavering.

The middle-aged swordsman Keita Asai, titled [Crimson Crow], saw that the old man didn't reply, and sighed long.

"Sigh, troublesome."

"A fool who likes to seek death... well, kill you, and I don't have to guard this path today, so it can be considered a rest!"

Swish!

He reached out and grasped the scabbard, swung it horizontally, throwing the long scabbard out, while the katana remained shouldered. Then he slowly bent down, touched the ground with his left hand, and stared fixedly at the old man.

"Three moves."

"Kill you within three moves."

The old man had no reaction.

This made Keita Asai even more annoyed.

Anger steamed, and he closed his mouth instead, his body pressing lower and lower, almost sticking to the ground, but his momentum rose step by step as his figure pressed lower.

The next instant—swish!

He rushed forward close to the ground, his speed almost pulling out a residual image. When he reached the old man, the katana suddenly leaped up, and he slashed three times in an instant!

Cold light flashed, enveloping the old man from left and right.

The interjecting swordsman exclaimed.