Chapter 527: Kicking the Dojo

Japanese religion, apart from those local gods and wild sacrifices, only has two serious religions that can span classes, identities, and regions from top to bottom—Shinto and Buddhism.

Among them, Shinto is Japan's indigenous religion, with the Sun Goddess Amaterasu as the main deity. It is said that the successive Emperors are her descendants. For a very long time, it occupied an unshakable dominant position in Japan, only gradually declining starting three or four hundred years ago.

Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Initially, it only circulated among the nobility, but later gradually developed and grew. By now, it was basically beating Shinto to a pulp.

Japan today could be said to be the world of Buddhism.

Nanako was a believer in Buddhism, so after hearing Lu Wushuang relay Li Miao's question, she instinctively didn't want to answer—until Li Miao turned his head and gave her a faint glance.

"It's... Shinto..."

"And what was said just now, that Kotesashi Yasutsune, is a believer in Shinto..."

Nanako didn't tell the truth; Lu Wushuang and Li Miao could easily see this. For an inexperienced noble girl to want to lie in front of an intelligence peddler and a secret service head was still too whimsical.

However, both of them were too lazy to point it out.

It didn't matter.

Who to kill first, where to start killing, how many to kill, it was all fine.

This was the benefit of being in a foreign land, and a country with a blood feud. Li Miao was now completely liberated.

Soon, Nanako would understand how much trouble this lie of hers would bring to certain people.

As they spoke, the three arrived at the foot of Hirado City.

Japanese cities were not as massive as those in the Central Plains; this so-called Hirado City was roughly similar to a county seat in Great Ming. There was no one guarding the city gate, and the three walked into the city very smoothly.

They immediately attracted the attention of almost everyone.

For no other reason, Li Miao was too conspicuous.

Japanese people were small, generally about five feet tall. Li Miao walking on the street was simply like a giant. Coupled with the fact that he wasn't smiling on his face now, the fierce aura he usually hid became even more prominent; just one look was enough to make people feel bone-chilling.

For a time, chickens flew and dogs jumped where he passed, and the crowd retreated.

"Which way?"

Li Miao asked casually.

Nanako behind him pointed in a direction tremblingly.

So Li Miao stepped forward, and a moment later, he saw from afar a courtyard that was completely different from the surrounding civilian houses. A wooden sign hung outside the door, with the words "Isshin Dojo" written on it, and below the wooden sign was a door left ajar.

Just as Li Miao stepped onto the steps, the door was suddenly pushed open, and several young men with wooden swords at their waists and wearing loose hakama walked out laughing.

The leading young man hadn't turned his gaze over yet, but felt as if there was an extra wall in front of him, and a shadow covered his whole body. He turned his head and looked up, only then seeing Li Miao's face clearly.

Because Li Miao's figure was too terrifying, his clothing style was unusual, and his temperament was cold and sharp, he instinctively reached out to stop his companions, while the other hand moved toward his wooden sword without a sound, asking:

"Who are you—"

Before he could finish his words, the man in front of him glanced at him, and then, a sharp pain suddenly came from his chest.

Bang!

The young man was like a giant hammer hitting his chest, and his whole body flew backward, falling into the center of the courtyard along with his companions and the door.

"Cough, pfft..."

The young man spat out a mouthful of blood and wanted to climb up to resist, but was shocked to find that he had no strength left in his whole body, and even the slight "sense of Qi" he had tempered over several years had disappeared.

It was as if... he had suddenly become a weak ordinary person!

Just as he was terrified and desperate, trying his best to command his limbs to move, the tall man walked in, his dark, mysterious cloak like a black cloud, blocking all the sunlight in front of him.

There was no expected demonstration or sarcasm; that cloak passed over him as if stepping over a stone, and never cast another glance at him.

As the largest and only sword dojo in Hirado City, and with the dojo master being a heavy minister of the Hirado Daimyo, the "Isshin Dojo" had quite a lot of disciples.

Rather, most of the samurai in Hirado were from the "Isshin Dojo." Even if it wasn't leisure time now, there were fifty or sixty disciples practicing in the dojo.

Hearing the commotion, they all ran out in one breath.

"Who are you!"

"Bastard!"

These people rushed out of the dojo, saw Li Miao walking slowly in the corridor, and while rushing toward this side, they shouted in unison. Some clever ones turned back and rushed into the dojo, changed their wooden swords to real swords, and ran back.

"Go to hell!"

The first person raised his hand and slashed at Li Miao with his sword.

Lu Wushuang flashed forward, intending to deal with these people for Li Miao. Her figure had just rushed to Li Miao's side when she was suddenly stopped by Li Miao raising his hand.

"My lord?"

Lu Wushuang turned her head to look at Li Miao in confusion.

She hadn't been interested in Li Miao for just a day or two, and with An Ziyang tipping her off, she naturally had some understanding of Li Miao's nature. She knew he was lazy and arrogant, and extremely picky about his enemies.

These Japanese people in front, whether in quantity or quality, even in terms of how much they were disliked, shouldn't have sparked Li Miao's interest in taking action. Otherwise, why would she have overstepped her bounds?

Before she could answer, she saw Li Miao suddenly raise his hand, reaching toward the slashing wooden sword, while saying plainly:

"What, didn't Little An tell you what I came to Japan for?"

Lu Wushuang was stunned and said hesitantly:

"Assassinating the monarch and destroying the nation... isn't it?"

Li Miao snatched the wooden sword, slashed the Japanese pirate who had been disarmed and was stunned on the spot, and then, at an extremely slow speed that felt like a stroll to him, exchanged a move with the next Japanese pirate.

"Trash."

Slap!

With Li Miao's "Trash," another Japanese pirate was slashed away, smashing through the wooden wall beside him, leaving only half his body outside.

"Not entirely, rather, it's just incidental."

Li Miao stepped in leisurely, waving the wooden sword casually, exchanging a move with almost every Japanese pirate who rushed over, and then slashed them away casually.

"If it were just Japanese pirates, it wouldn't be worth me coming personally; sending a few more subordinates would be enough. Although Japanese swordsmanship has its unique aspects and is stronger than the Central Plains Jianghu, it's not a problem that the Embroidered Uniform Guard can't solve."

"I came for two people and one thing."

As he spoke, the wooden wall on the left side of the corridor was already filled with moaning and wailing Japanese pirates, and there were only three people left in front of Li Miao.

Three Japanese pirates with real swords.

They were also the three strongest in the dojo now.