The Kendo Hall, located next to the School of Foreign Languages, is one of the largest and most prestigious clubhouses at Kaizan University. It was donated by the University of Tokyo during their visit to the university for the 2010 Kaizan World Expo. In return, Kaizan University donated an exquisite teahouse to the University of Tokyo.
Beside the kendo dojo was a clear lake with a winding wooden bridge. Gu Hanzhou, dressed in a white kendo uniform, walked across the bridge. A cold wind blew through his sleeves, and a black scabbard was tucked into his belt. He looked like a samurai who had come to Kyoto during the Edo period.
Just this appearance alone has drawn cheers from countless boys and made countless girls sway.
The president of the anime club, who had come to watch the match, quietly asked the members beside him, "What do you think of Gu Hanzhou and Hishimura Kenshin? He seems to have the soul of anime!"
The club member shook his head. "Himura Kenshin's temperament is too gentle, not suitable for President Gu. I think President Gu would be quite good with Okita Souji!"
The president exclaimed in admiration, "You're right!"
At this moment, the president of the billiards club next to him said rudely, "You anime fans, stop dreaming. How could a young master like Gu Hanzhou possibly do R? You should discuss how to get into this year's anime convention first!"
While they were still discussing it, Gu Hanzhou had already entered the kendo dojo. Although it was still early before the scheduled match, the club members had already arrived at the dojo to cheer on their president. Dressed in their matching kendo uniforms, the members sat in a square formation, exuding a formidable aura!
A girl with a kendo ponytail suddenly shouted, "Go, club president!"
"Go! Go!" Dozens of members shouted in unison.
Gu Hanzhou bowed deeply, "Please give me your support and encouragement!" He had studied and lived in Japan for three years, so his demeanor was quite amiable.
After calming down, Gu Hanzhou knelt in the center of the dojo, closing his eyes and waiting for his opponent to arrive.
...
...
Duanmu Ci was also ready on the side. The black kendo uniform was prepared by Bu Tongxun. In fact, Duanmu Ci was very reluctant to wear it. However, when entering someone else's dojo, one should pay attention to some etiquette. No matter what, you can't wear a suit to compete with someone in swordsmanship.
Moreover, Duanmu Ci held a certain degree of contempt for Japanese swordsmanship, because when he helped Qi Jiguang fight against Japanese pirates in the southeastern coastal areas, he had killed countless ronin samurai who were known as "thousand-man slayers" or "hundred-man slayers." However, Duanmu Ci later discovered that their swordsmanship was indeed extraordinary, so he also devoted himself to learning it seriously.
However, Duanmu Ci couldn't understand why the Japanese, who clearly used swords, insisted on calling themselves swordsmen. Furthermore, Japanese culture didn't have the concept of "the way of the sword" (刀道), only the term "the way of the kendo" (剑道), yet they only used swords…
Is it because swords have a higher social standing?
Duanmu Ci was dressed in a black kendo uniform, embroidered with flowers and white cranes, with a crimson scabbard tucked into his tight belt. If Gu Hanzhou was like an Edo samurai wandering through Kyoto, then Duanmu Ci was like a nobleman drinking tea under the flowers, returning from his family's kendo training.
When he stepped onto the wooden bridge over the lake in his wooden clogs and white socks, everyone on the shore seemed to have returned to the prosperous Heian period, where there was a clear, rippling lake and court nobles reciting moving haiku.
The president of the anime club suddenly poked the waist of a member next to him who was lost in a daze, "Who do you think Teacher Duanmu is? How about Prince Genji?" Prince Genji is a character from Murasaki Shikibu's "The Tale of Genji," noble and amorous.
"No, no," the club member shook his head again. "Where can you find a prototype for Teacher Duanmu's style in Japanese manga? You have to look to 'A New Account of Tales of the World,' whether it's Wei Jie or Wang Xizhi!"
The anime club president is still in charge of the **head**...
This time, the president of the billiards club next to him had no objections. Based on Teacher Duanmu's demeanor and bearing, he no longer needed to consider whether the original model was worthy of Teacher Duanmu.
"Teacher Duanmu is so handsome! Go Teacher Duanmu!" A girl suddenly shouted from the shore, which immediately attracted the crowd to follow suit. For a moment, the cheers were endless, and the lake water rippled.
The sound gradually faded into the distance, eventually carried by the wind into the kendo dojo. The people in the dojo, who had been as solemn as spring mountains, couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when they heard these voices cheering for their opponents. Gu Hanzhou, who usually considered himself a popular figure on campus, was the most embarrassed.
"President..." The kendo ponytail girl hesitated.
Gu Hanzhou forced himself to remain calm. "It's alright. As long as I defeat him, these cheers will belong to me. Right now, they're just temporarily being lent to him. Besides, the louder the cheers, the more devastating the defeat will be." At the same time, he was also a little puzzled. Logically speaking, no matter how capable a new teacher is, he shouldn't be so popular. How come so many people support him?
However, the moment Duanmu Ci stepped into the training ground, Gu Hanzhou understood everything...
Oh, I see...
A handsome, solitary man, dressed in ancient kendo attire, stood before the dojo, his expression humble, like a junior visiting a senior's dojo with his own sword. His crimson scabbard was tucked into a belt embroidered with mountains and water; simply standing there, he perfectly embodied the solitary beauty of Bushido, a sharp edge tinged with a touch of Zen.
It's like a warrior who has spent his life slaughtering in the martial world laying down his sword before his death, reciting a lonely poem to the falling flowers and Buddha.
Compared to that, my seemingly impressive entrance was utterly pathetic!
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