Chapter Summaries

Shen Xixi rejected Justitia’s offer to become her agent until Justitia revealed that the game’s final reward could save Zhang Heng from the evil inside him. Meanwhile, Zhang Heng returned to class after a sleepless night, worried by the old man in Tang suit’s worsening condition and uncertain about the man’s plans.

• Shen Xixi confirmed to Zhang Heng that she was safe and negotiating with Guanghu.
• Justitia asked Shen Xixi to become her agent, but Shen Xixi said she believed in justice itself rather than Justitia.
• Justitia told Shen Xixi that the final game’s reward could help save Zhang Heng from the evil within him, which made Shen Xixi hesitate.
• Zhang Heng made it to his Principles of Accounting class, where Chen Huadong and Wei Jiangyang teased him about his studies.
• Zhang Heng reflected that the old man in Tang suit had visibly weakened and wondered whether the man’s plans might eventually make them enemies.

After Guanghu crippled The Consortium, Zhang Heng and Shen Xixi shared a quiet meal and talked about their hopes for life after the game. Later, Zhang Heng examined items he had collected during his attack on Guanghu and realized that a raven necklace might belong to the same equipment set as his Shadow Carving and Shadow Key.

• Guanghu ended its war with The Consortium after reducing it to less than a tenth of its former size, leaving Shen Xixi isolated on campus.
• Zhang Heng joined Shen Xixi for dinner, and she told him she dreamed of opening a pet shop while he hoped to travel.
• Shen Xixi suspected Zhang Heng had been the mysterious sniper who attacked Guanghu, but she decided not to ask him.
• After class, Zhang Heng examined the items he had collected from Guanghu's squads and recognized a raven necklace as likely belonging to the same set as the Shadow Carving and Shadow Key.

Zhang Heng learned that his three Shadow Carving set pieces could grant him an ability after he found the fourth, then agreed to enter Scarlet Sword’s one-use Blade Tomb Instance in exchange for returning the upper half of Mikazuki Munechika. He saw the Instance as a chance to improve his Blade Technique, but insisted on checking that Scarlet Sword’s offer was not a trap.

• Zhang Heng sent photos of three set pieces to Bartender Lady, who explained that completing the set would let him inherit part of its original owner’s power through a trial.
• Zhang Heng asked Ding Si to look for the fourth piece and learned that his Portable Universal River Crab had sold for 122 Game Points, leaving him 120 after the fee.
• Zhang Heng kept his looted items hidden because Guanghu had posted a bounty for the mysterious sniper who killed its members and three Seven Warlords-level experts.
• Scarlet Sword offered Zhang Heng a chance to enter a one-use Blade Tomb Instance and bring out a blade in exchange for the upper half of Mikazuki Munechika.
• Scarlet Sword explained that the Instance could improve Blade Technique, but warned that Zhang Heng had to return Mikazuki Munechika’s upper half regardless of what blade he obtained.
• Zhang Heng accepted the trade and said he first needed to make sure Scarlet Sword was not setting a trap.

Zhang Heng exchanged Mikazuki Munechika’s upper half for Scarlet Sword’s scabbard and used it to enter the special Bakumatsu Kyoto instance. He arrived in late Edo-period Kyoto disguised as a penniless rōnin, with the solo mission of seeking swords ahead of a political upheaval.

• Zhang Heng confirmed Scarlet Sword’s claim with the Oath Ring and traded him Mikazuki Munechika’s upper half for the scabbard.
• Zhang Heng cut his palm and fed blood into the scabbard, triggering the special Bakumatsu Kyoto instance.
• The system assigned Zhang Heng the solo mission Sword Seeking and set the instance to end after thirty game days, though he could leave early.
• Zhang Heng recalled the late Edo period’s political turmoil and identified the instance’s setting as the year of the secret meeting in Kyoto.
• Zhang Heng appeared in a busy Kyoto market dressed as a rōnin and discovered that he had no money.

Zhang Heng decided to seek work as an interpreter rather than serve a domain, but paused when a drunken Choshu samurai threatened two young eel sellers. As Yamada’s sword was about to fall, Koyama Akane blocked it with her Bokken.

• Zhang Heng decided to look for interpreting work with Western merchants in Kyoto instead of joining the shogunate or a domain.
• Chiyo and her companion tried to sell Zhang Heng grilled eel skewers, then accidentally bumped into the drunken samurai Yamada.
• Yamada kicked over the girls’ food box, complained about Western influence, and drew his sword as his companions Matsuo and Takahashi hesitated to stop him.
• Zhang Heng considered intervening but held back as Yamada raised his Tachi over the frightened girls.
• Koyama Akane blocked Yamada’s sword with her Bokken and identified herself as being from Koyama Dojo.

Koyama Akane stepped in to protect Chiyo and her companion from Yamada, a drunk samurai from Choshu Domain, and the two began a sword fight. Zhang Heng watched as Yamada’s drunkenness and Akane’s Bokken shaped the uneven battle, while Matsuo and Takahashi held back under a ronin’s warning.

• Koyama Akane blocked Yamada’s strike and challenged him for bullying the girls.
• Yamada shoved Chiyo’s companion aside and raised his sword against Koyama Akane.
• Matsuo and Takahashi considered interfering, but a ronin’s threatening gaze made them stay put.
• Yamada and Koyama Akane exchanged blows, with Yamada using rapid left-handed thrusts and Akane defending with her family’s Blade Technique.
• Zhang Heng assessed the fighters and judged that Yamada’s drunkenness was hindering him more than Akane’s Bokken and limited technique were hindering her.

Koyama Akane defeated Yamada after he grew reckless, then helped the girls he had threatened. Zhang Heng watched without intervening and found inspiration in the sword techniques he witnessed; after Akane left, she and Zhang Heng were left poised to meet again soon.

• Zhang Heng watched Koyama Akane and Yamada fight, deciding not to intervene as Yamada’s attacks became increasingly impatient.
• Koyama Akane disarmed Yamada by striking his sword hand, then refused to continue fighting when he reached for his wakizashi.
• Matsuo and Takahashi restrained Yamada and led him away, promising to visit Koyama Akane’s dojo another day.
• Koyama Akane checked on Chiyo and her friend, offered them money for their lost grilled eel skewers, and criticized Zhang Heng for doing nothing.
• Koyama Akane left, while Zhang Heng realized she had been looking at him and that they would meet again soon.

Zhang Heng found work as a French merchant Gabriel’s interpreter in Kyoto and then searched for a house to rent. A late-night viewing revealed a furnished home with a courtyard and blooming cherry tree that caught Zhang Heng’s interest.

• Zhang Heng reached a busy dock on the Yodo River and met Gabriel, a French merchant who offered him one koban per day to interpret.
• Gabriel paid Zhang Heng one koban in advance and arranged to meet him at the dockside teahouse the next morning.
• Zhang Heng decided to rent a house rather than stay at an inn and hired a local boy to show him properties.
• After rejecting several houses, Zhang Heng saw a furnished home with a courtyard, a well, a cherry tree, and a tea room, and it appealed to him.

Zhang Heng rented a courtyard from Koyama Akane, the woman who had defeated Yamada, and began his work accompanying Gabriel around Kyoto. Gabriel’s plans suggested he had a private reason for separating from Zhang Heng later that day.

• Zhang Heng discovered that the house he wanted to rent belonged to Koyama Akane, whom he had met at the market.
• Koyama Akane set rules for Zhang Heng, then signed a lease with him after he paid the rent and broker’s commission.
• Koyama Akane learned that Zhang Heng had earned money as an interpreter and offered to let him practice swordsmanship at her dojo.
• Zhang Heng spent his first night in the Edo Period in the rented courtyard and went to meet Gabriel the next morning.
• Gabriel outlined a day of dining, watching sumo, and attending a merchant banquet, planning to attend the banquet alone.

Zhang Heng visited Koyama Akane’s dojo to ask about famous Kyoto schools, but their conversation was interrupted when samurai from Choshu arrived seeking a fight. Yamada came to reclaim his honor after his defeat, bringing Takeuchi Shinji, his rival, to witness the confrontation.

• After finishing his interpreting work for Gabriel, Zhang Heng visited Koyama Myoshin-ryu and asked Koyama Akane about famous dojos around Kyoto.
• Koyama Akane questioned Zhang Heng’s claim that he had come to meet Kyoto’s masters, recalling how he had failed to intervene during the market incident.
• The broker warned Koyama Akane that angry samurai were searching for her dojo, and Zhang Heng suspected they were the Choshu men from the previous night.
• Yamada, Matsuo, Takahashi, Takeuchi Shinji, and another samurai arrived before Koyama Akane and the broker could decide what to do.
• Yamada sought to recover his honor, while Takeuchi, who had defeated him before, came along to observe and pressure his rival.

Yamada challenged Koyama Akane to a real-sword match and provoked her by destroying the table holding the Koyama Dojo's founder's memorial tablet. Zhang Heng warned Akane that Yamada was baiting her, but she chose to defend the dojo and faced him.

• Yamada arrived at the Koyama Dojo and demanded another match with Koyama Akane over the previous night's fight.
• Yamada insisted on using his Tachi instead of a Bokken, while Koyama Akane refused to risk a real-weapon duel.
• Yamada slashed down the table holding the dojo founder's memorial tablet, provoking Akane into taking the Dōtanuki.
• Zhang Heng warned Akane that Yamada was deliberately provoking her and was stronger than she was.
• Akane thanked Zhang Heng, then faced Yamada and said she was ready.

Koyama Akane fought Yamada in a match that ended with her defeat, but Yamada tried to kill her after winning. Zhang Heng intervened and blocked his killing blow, leaving Yamada furious.

• Yamada attacked Koyama Akane before the match had formally begun and overwhelmed her with his fast, unpredictable swordsmanship.
• Yamada cut Koyama Akane's right arm, but she switched her Dōtanuki to her other hand and continued fighting.
• Yamada concealed his intent to land a fatal strike while Koyama Akane defended herself, giving the dojo children hope that she might counterattack.
• Yamada suddenly accelerated and struck Koyama Akane down, knocking her Dōtanuki away and securing his victory.
• Yamada raised his Tachi to kill the defeated Koyama Akane, but Zhang Heng blocked the blow with a Dōtanuki.

Zhang Heng intervened when Yamada tried to kill Koyama Akane, then challenged him and promised to defeat him in three moves. Their duel began, and Zhang Heng cut off Yamada’s left hand with his first exchange.

• Zhang Heng blocked Yamada’s fatal strike against Koyama Akane and stopped Yamada from attacking her again.
• Yamada accused Zhang Heng of being a dojo member and threatened to kill him along with Koyama Akane.
• Zhang Heng told Koyama Akane to withdraw and offered Yamada a chance to end the fight, but Yamada refused.
• Zhang Heng said he could defeat Yamada in three moves, and Yamada charged with a powerful strike that shifted into a slash at Zhang Heng’s neck.
• Zhang Heng changed his blade’s position and cut off Yamada’s left hand, which still held his sword.

Zhang Heng defeated Yamada at the Koyama Dojo and invited Choshu Domain experts in Kyoto to challenge him there. Koyama Akane objected to him using her dojo’s name, so Zhang Heng offered to join the school.

• Zhang Heng severed Yamada’s left hand with a swift strike, leaving the dojo’s witnesses stunned.
• Zhang Heng sheathed his sword and apologized to Koyama Akane for staining her dojo’s floor with blood.
• Takeuchi admitted he was no match for Zhang Heng and said stronger Choshu Domain fighters were in Kyoto or heading there.
• Zhang Heng told Takeuchi to send anyone seeking revenge to the Koyama Dojo, and Takeuchi led his group away with the injured Yamada.
• Koyama Akane protested that Zhang Heng had used her dojo’s name, and Zhang Heng offered to join Koyama Myoshin-ryu.

Zhang Heng enjoyed a meal Koyama Akane had prepared and learned that she was still considering whether to let him join her dojo. After Chiyo’s family gave Akane an heirloom Wakizashi in gratitude for saving their daughter, Akane reflected on her father’s teachings and offered the sword to Zhang Heng.

• Zhang Heng praised Koyama Akane’s Nara Chameshi and heard her recall her late father’s belief that cooking was a form of training.
• Koyama Akane served Zhang Heng grilled bonito and continued to consider his possible place at the Koyama Dojo.
• Chiyo’s parents visited the dojo and gave Koyama Akane an ancestral Wakizashi to thank her for saving their daughter.
• Koyama Akane remembered her father’s teaching that Koyama Myoshin-ryu used defense to protect others.
• Zhang Heng examined the Wakizashi, and Koyama Akane offered it to him.

Zhang Heng joined the Koyama Dojo under the name Abe Yuta while waiting for the Choshu Domain samurai to come after him. Before Takeuchi arrived, a cheerful Shinsengumi member came to the dojo looking for Koyama Akane.

• Zhang Heng accepted a Wakizashi and chose to join the Koyama Dojo to find worthy sparring partners.
• Koyama Akane introduced Zhang Heng to the school's founder, Koyama Iwa, and explained the dojo's rules and philosophy.
• Koyama Akane discovered that Zhang Heng's combat-focused swordsmanship lacked a formal system, but respected his secrets and recorded him as Abe Yuta.
• A cheerful young man arrived at the dojo, identified himself as a member of the Shinsengumi, and addressed Koyama Akane by name.

Zhang Heng learned that a Shinsengumi swordsman had approached Koyama Akane to propose cooperation against a larger target, but she refused to take sides. He became interested in meeting the visitor and continued training at the dojo, where his rapid mastery of Koyama Myoshin-ryu techniques left Akane unable to match him.

• Koyama Akane told Zhang Heng that a young, coughing Shinsengumi member had visited to propose cooperation, though the Shinsengumi were pursuing a larger target than the Choshu samurai.
• Akane explained that she refused to take sides because her father had taught her to follow her own judgment and protect people in need.
• Akane said the visitor respected her decision, promised to try to persuade his commander to use another method, and wanted to meet Zhang Heng after hearing he had cut off Yamada’s hand.
• Zhang Heng asked Akane to arrange a meeting with the visitor, explaining that he wanted to see Tennen Rishin-ryū for himself.
• Akane explained the dojo’s certification levels, and Zhang Heng realized he needed to advance through them before openly fighting under the Koyama school’s name.
• Zhang Heng learned Koyama Myoshin-ryu techniques with remarkable speed and defeated Akane in their sparring matches using only the school’s forms.

After earning his Koyama Myoshin-ryu license, Zhang Heng challenged Suzaku Hall to see its famous sword forged by Mitsuike Tentai Mitsuyo. He easily stopped a disciple’s attacks and was left facing the hall’s chief disciple, Shimizu Isshin.

• Zhang Heng received his Koyama Myoshin-ryu license certificate after five days of training.
• Zhang Heng chose Suzaku Hall, founded by Sugawara Saemon, as his next stop in his search for famous swords.
• Zhang Heng asked Suzaku Hall to lend him a sword forged by Mitsuike Tentai Mitsuyo, angering the disciples.
• A Suzaku Hall disciple challenged Zhang Heng, who blocked every attack while observing the man’s Shigen Shinkai-ryu technique.
• Shimizu Isshin stopped the match and introduced himself as Suzaku Hall’s chief disciple.

Zhang Heng defeated Shimizu Isshin at Suzaku Hall and borrowed Sugawara Saemon’s treasured sword after the hall master chose not to challenge him. Sugawara predicted that Zhang Heng’s arrival would make Kyoto chaotic, while Zhang went on to visit another dojo and bought food for Koyama Akane.

• Zhang Heng faced Shimizu Isshin, Suzaku Hall’s chief disciple, and calmly blocked his attacks despite Shimizu’s skill and strength.
• After a quarter of an hour, Zhang Heng defeated Shimizu and obtained the blade forged by Mitsuike Tentai Mitsuyo.
• Sugawara Saemon sent his personal sword to Zhang Heng rather than face him, and Zhang left Suzaku Hall after borrowing it and observing Shigen Shinkai-ryu’s techniques.
• Shimizu Isshin apologized to Sugawara Saemon for his defeat, but Sugawara reassured him and urged him to learn from the fight.
• Sugawara told Shimizu that Abe Yuta could become the next Miyamoto Musashi and warned that Kyoto was about to become chaotic.
• Zhang Heng visited another dojo, then bought soba noodles, oden, and grilled rice dumplings for Koyama Akane before heading back.

Zhang Heng accompanied Koyama Akane on her annual spring visit to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, where she struggled with her unfamiliar feelings about having him beside her. They reached Otowa Waterfall after viewing the temple’s cherry blossoms and main sights.

• Zhang Heng returned to find Koyama Akane preparing Nigiri Sushi for their planned visit to Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
• Koyama Akane agreed to let Zhang Heng accompany her, and she prepared extra sushi for the trip.
• Koyama Akane arrived at dawn in a formal kimono, and Zhang Heng changed before they set out together without swords.
• Zhang Heng and Koyama Akane walked through Kiyomizu-dera Temple and admired the cherry blossoms from Kiyomizu Stage.
• Koyama Akane worshipped Guan Yin Bodhisattva in the Main Hall to settle her confused feelings.
• Zhang Heng and Koyama Akane descended through a maple grove to Otowa Waterfall, where visitors were already drawing water.