Bear School Astartes

"Did you understand his approach to breaking [Climb the Carp]?"

The elderly woman on the roof leapt lightly and landed gracefully on the ground, just like a cat descending stairs.

One couldn't help but wonder whether her seemingly aged appearance truly reflected her real age.

Izusuke mumbled, unable to utter a word.

Earlier, he was completely overwhelmed by Lann's aura and cleverness, pushed to his limits, with his mind in total disarray. Barely able to observe, let alone think.

Fighting that guy... was unbelievably oppressive!

Unlike his distant junior, Nogami Genji maintained a high level of attention on Lann from the sidelines throughout.

"From my point of view, his handling of [Climb the Carp] seemed very much like... [One-Character Slash]."

[Iwami Style·One-Character Slash], unlike [Climb the Carp] and [Descend the Carp] techniques which are practiced until they become body instincts, is more akin to the concept of swordsmanship as an ultimate move in the eyes of ordinary people.

It's a powerful downward slash that uses a forward lunge as a footing.

Besides its offensive nature, [One-Character Slash] also stabilizes the user's stance after its cumbersome execution.

This information is only known to those eligible to practice this technique within the [Iwami Style].

And that outsider grasped this concept...in less than two minutes during a sparring match.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly turned silent.

Everyone present had more or less studied [Iwami Style], because [Sword Saint] Iwami Yixin was not one to hoard his skills.

He shared his swordsmanship wholeheartedly with his subordinates, the Iwami clansmen, as their practice method.

Thus, everyone present understood how... exceptional Lann's performance just now was.

After a long pause, the elderly voice broke the silence in the courtyard.

"Ha!" The elderly woman named [Butterfly] chuckled lightly.

"If you give that old codger Yixin a heads-up, he'd likely come to Hirata Manor to enjoy the spectacle with joy... an outsider solving [Climb the Carp] with just one spar. Heh heh."

After mocking an old friend, Butterfly's voice returned to a rarely fluctuating state.

"Have you reported his origins to us, Izusuke?"

"I've reported it, but, but his original words were 'a Ming Country person, learned skills from Southern Barbarians, entered Iwami by getting lost...' "

Izusuke hesitantly spoke.

The outcome was as he imagined, leaving the scene in an awkward silence.

Ming Country people, Southern Barbarians, lost in East Japan entering Iwami... however one thinks about it, it's a bit much to take in.

Even Nogami Genji, who originally harbored serious suspicions towards Lann, now opened and closed his mouth several times, and then awkwardly addressed Lady Butterfly.

"Um... Lady Butterfly, I'm not a ninja, nor do I understand the intricacies here. But this sounds..."

Nogami Genji didn't state his conclusion, but as he spoke about Lann, his expression shifted from 'this guy is undoubtedly a spy' to 'this guy is really odd.'

Lady Butterfly's expression mirrored his, though as a ninja who had seen much of the world, her composure returned swiftly.

"Postpone the specifics on duties and rank assessment. Aren't we slaughtering a live chicken tonight to reward the ronin? Let's announce it then."

The elderly woman's figure suddenly became somewhat unreal, as if a real human had turned into a projection, and the trend of blurring intensified.

"I will report the situation to the young master, and all decisions shall be based on his judgments. That's all."

As her words settled, the elderly woman's figure became almost translucent, ultimately dissipating into a wisp of blue smoke, vanishing without a trace.

-----------------

In the deepest part of Hirata Manor.

The courtyard style here had entirely diverged from the outer layer. The ground was no longer verdant soil but paved with white pebbles.

A small pond, artificial mountains, pristine courtyard walls and jade-black roof tiles — this was the appearance of an inner courtyard belonging to a wealthy family estate.

Withered mountain water, ancient East Japan style gardens emphasized melancholy and tranquility.

Inside the manor, Lady Butterfly knelt on a cushion, reporting to a child in the room.

The child appeared slightly over ten years old, with short hair mingled with black and white, and a gaze deep and calm, possessing a maturity not typical for his age.

His visage, perhaps due to his youth, was handsome as a boy, and also delicate if seen as a girl.

He currently sat formally in the seat of honor, looking adorably earnest in maintaining his dignity.

"Is that so? A figure with an origin so peculiar it's difficult to verify..."

"Yes, Lord Jiulang. Regarding his initial records, I could only trace back to a few villagers and a verbal statement from a foot-soldier named 'Kotaro.' He first appeared at the Longquan River's water source."

Lady Butterfly wielded a small pipe, blowing clouds as she reported her findings.

Nodding thoughtfully, the child called [Lord Yuzi] murmured.

"Just like something falling from the sky."

"Well then..." From the other side of the room, an elder of unimaginable stature opened his mouth.

"Butterfly, in your opinion, has he undergone ninja training?"

Even sitting cross-legged, the elderly man's height seemed at least 2.4 meters, hard to imagine someone of such comparable stature to Gregor Clegane existed in ancient East Japan.

His beard was thick, with hair so dense it was braided into a strand behind him, nearly as wide as an average woman's waist.

Lady Butterfly calmly tapped her pipe, "Not at all, though I don't know how Ming Country and Southern Barbarians train their 'ninjas,' he hasn't even learned basic Light Body Skill. I'm sure."

Ninjas could climb walls, even perform moves in mid-air where nothing to hold onto, deciding life or death in a fleeting moment.

Without such nimble bodies, they weren't qualified to scout intelligence or assassinate foes in any place.

The towering elder nodded, seemingly losing interest in this outsider.

"I have no issue. If he's merely a strong warrior, even with malicious intents, the damage he can cause is negligible. Everything will be decided by Lord Yuzi."

The lord seated up top nodded upon hearing this.

"Since Master Reagan deems him not a threat, then we'll keep him employed. I reckon, with such an enriched experience, it's only after understanding the situation that he'd come to Hirata Family looking to join."

Inner Mansion and Iwami.

The Inner Mansion had nearly unified the lands, with only Iwami remaining; they would show no mercy and no restraint.

For someone of such peculiar experience unable to verify his identity, even if he approached the Inner Mansion side, they wouldn't let him leave unharmed.

In the process of unifying the lands, there's no room for error, and the strength of the Inner Mansion guaranteed they wouldn't lament losing strong combat capabilities.

Even infiltrating Iwami, they'd opt for familiar mountain bandit troops first, rather than ambiguous outsiders.

In the conflict between Inner Mansion and Iwami, those unaffiliated with either would simply be crushed.