Chapter 565 - Bushi (1/2)

Chapter 565 Bus.h.i.+

Gabriel could not help but bemoan these samurais for being so clueless. He did not understand why they would dwell on something meaningless. It was just katana, and they could have only deposited their weapons here first. Maybe they were afraid that their precious swords would be stolen. It was unnecessary to get into a stalemate for such a trivial matter.

As he wiped the sweat off his brow, Gabriel attempted to persuade Zhang Heng again. On the other hand, someone walked up to the maid and whispered a few words to her.

In the end, the maid said, “You can bring your wakizas.h.i.+ with you, but you must leave your katana here.”

Zhang Heng knew that it was the most significant compromise the other party was willing to make. He did not want to ruin this trip tonight because of this incident-his goal —to meet the person behind this whole thing. So he nodded and agreed to the opposing party’s request. However, instead of handing over the katana to the maid, Zhang Heng planted it in the courtyard. “Don’t move it. I will retrieve it when I leave.”

The maid did not object to Zhang Heng’s instruction, merely bowing again. “A very warm welcome, to our distinguished guests of Ukichi. Please, allow me to make up for the disrespect.”

Without so much as waiting for Zhang Heng’s reply, she pulled out a tanto from her waist and turned to stab her chest. It happened so quickly that Gabriel did not even realize what was going on. The tip of the tanto had pierced the maid’s delicate skin and was on its way to her heart. However, at this critical moment, a scabbard blocked the tanto.

“Don’t do it. I have forgiven you,” replied Zhang Heng earnestly.

And Gabriel, standing beside Zhang Heng, was taken aback by what he saw. To him, they were a bunch of lunatics that were about to commit an inconceivable act in front of him. While he was persuading Zhang Heng earlier, he thought that the maid should have minded her own business. Now, he was even more horrified by the maid’s inordinate method to redeem herself.

It was just a small mistake. No, it was not even a mistake. The maid was only performing her duty and was following the rules. Stabbing herself was unnecessary. In utter disbelief, Gabriel shook his head repeatedly.

Zhang Heng knew very well that the people in this tea house were probably not just samurai. They could be bus.h.i.+. Only men like them could be so cavalier towards life—not only the lives of others but also their own lives. “Please come with me.” Although an unpleasant incident had happened earlier, the lady boss still kept her expression unchanged and led them. By then, Zhang Heng had already put away his wakizas.h.i.+ and followed behind the boss as if nothing had happened between them. Gabriel was bewildered, but he trailed them anyway after a while.

The lady boss then opened the shoji for them, where, already, some people were sitting in there. Most of them were samurai, and some geishas were accompanying them. One was playing the shamisen, a traditional j.a.panese instrument, another two danced, and the rest poured wine for the guests.

Seeing Gabriel walking into the room, one of the older samurai and some other samurais stood up to welcome him, and at the same time, took the opportunity to introduce him to the rest of the room. On the other hand, Zhang Heng took a quick look at the many samurai sitting in the room, and it seemed Kirino Tos.h.i.+aki wasn’t present. To his surprise, he met someone he knew there.

It was s.h.i.+nji Takeuchi.

The latter had gone to Akane’s dojo with Yamada to challenge her. After Yamada’s hand was cut off, Zhang Heng thought Takeuchi would stand up and avenge his companion, but he did not expect that Takeuchi would claim that he was weaker than him. So, he carried Yamada and left the dojo-the reason why Zhang Heng remembered him.