A Promise

Of course, Ueno Kei believed the other party wouldn't make any unreasonable demands. From the information he had gleaned, it was clear that whoever entered this place would either be weak or powerful.

Neither kind of person would be able to fulfill the old man's request. Besides, Ueno Kei hadn't noticed any danger in this space so far. He was at least seventy or eighty percent sure that the other party had no means of retaliating against anyone who entered. As for the so-called trade and demands—

Their only basis was probably a sense of honor. Of course, the other party could also choose not to teach him the Wind Wing Sword Technique. At worst, nothing would change and he would gain nothing. No one would lose anything.

Just as Ueno Kei expected, the old voice sounded again.

"I have only two requests! First, if you can master my clan's secret art, please pass it on as a legacy, so that my clan's secret art will not be lost. If you cannot master it, then please find a ninja or samurai who can inherit my clan's swordsmanship. Second, if you ever meet one of my descendants, please look after them a little, within your ability. If their swordsmanship has been lost, please teach it to them in my stead."

There was a hint of bitterness in the voice's helplessness. Ueno Kei could understand, of course. When it came to passing down one's family's secret art to an unknown outsider, he would probably feel the same way himself. As the saying went, better to let it rot in the ground than let anyone else know.

At the thought, Ueno Kei's lips curved slightly. He spread his hands and shrugged in an exaggeratedly cute gesture. Of course, no one in this space could see him.

Back to the matter at hand: Ueno Kei wasn't surprised by the old man's request. Given the voice, he had every reason to conclude the fellow was definitely old. Besides, the man had called himself an old man, which made it even more certain. Nor did Ueno Kei find anything unacceptable about the request.

It was fair and reasonable, and Ueno Kei thought he could agree to it. If he learned someone else's family secret art, then if he happened to meet a descendant of that so-called Wind Wing clan in the future, there was no harm in helping them, as long as he was able.

The old man had said "within your ability," after all. He wasn't trying to make things difficult for him.

So Ueno Kei readily made up his mind.

But how am I supposed to show that I agree? I can't speak, and there's no switch for me to press. How do I let him know? Ueno Kei suddenly realized he had a serious problem.

Was he supposed to just sit there in silence?

Then Ueno Kei was struck dumb. What was he worrying about? Since the old man had made the request, he must have some way to handle it. Why was Ueno Kei fretting over nothing?

"Of course, I have no intention of making things difficult for you. If you refuse, that's fine. I'll send you out of this space. You can still use that blade, though it won't feel as comfortable in your hand. If you agree, I'll teach you everything I know!"

The voice spoke unhurriedly.

Then the old man continued, "If you agree, bite your finger within the next fifteen minutes and let your blood fall onto the ground here. If you do nothing for fifteen minutes, I'll take that as a refusal. This space will reject you and send you outside."

After that, the voice fell silent. It seemed the next fifteen minutes were for him to consider the matter.

What was there to consider? For Ueno Kei, this was already a bargain. All he had to give was a promise, and he might not even have to fulfill it. He only needed to keep it if the opportunity arose. In a sense—

Ueno Kei was getting a clan's secret art for free, without giving anything up.

So the moment the old voice fell silent, Ueno Kei bit his finger without a second thought and forced out a drop of blood, which fell to the ground.

As soon as the blood touched the ground, it was instantly absorbed. Suddenly, the entire space lit up and began to churn. Ueno Kei's eyelid twitched.

Was I too hasty? What if this is some kind of trap? Ueno Kei felt a little uneasy.

But now, all he could do was wait quietly. What was done was done.

There wasn't much Ueno Kei could do. It was hardly possible to change anything now.

I'm still too young. I lack experience. Ueno Kei sighed inwardly. Even with memories from his previous life, he had only lived a little over twenty years back then.

At the moment of his death, Ueno Kei had lamented how green he was, how easily others had toyed with him and discarded him once he was no longer useful. He had sworn that if he got another life, he would never let his guard down again.

Yet here he was, repeating the same mistake. This was an even bigger lesson, and it made Ueno Kei more vigilant.

Of course, making sure this wasn't a trap was still his top priority.

Fortunately, the owner of the Lingyu Blade had no scheme or ulterior motive. Ueno Kei was simply worrying for nothing.

When the changes in the space finally ended, a fist-sized ring of light suddenly appeared in front of Ueno Kei. A series of halos surrounded it. Its colors were faint, almost transparent, giving it an unusual feel. A flicker of surprise crossed Ueno Kei's eyes.

The ring of light felt familiar to him. It seemed to carry a trace of chakra, but not quite. He had the sense that it was some entirely different kind of power.

Having learned from his previous experience, Ueno Kei didn't reach out to touch it so readily. Though he was intensely curious about the ring, he decided to wait and see what happened.

"I knew you'd agree to my offer. It's a win-win, isn't it? I have no ulterior motives, so you needn't worry. The ring of light in front of you contains some of my chakra, along with a portion of my memories."

Ueno Kei's expression changed. A portion of the old man's memories? A troubling possibility immediately surfaced in his mind, and he tensed from head to toe. Though he knew he might be powerless to fight back in this space, Ueno Kei—who had been given what felt like a new lease on life—would never just surrender.

No matter how slim the odds, Ueno Kei would fight back.

"Of course, you needn't worry. These memories contain only my understanding of swordsmanship, to help you better grasp my clan's secret art. I don't know how strong you are, so I couldn't possibly have arranged anything in them. Heh."

The old voice gave a soft chuckle, as if explaining something to put him at ease.

Ueno Kei immediately relaxed. Well, if that was all, it was relatively reassuring. Just then, the ring of light suddenly flashed and shot straight toward Ueno Kei with a whoosh. His pupils contracted.

Before he could react, the ring of light plunged into the space between his brows and disappeared. Ueno Kei instinctively closed his eyes. A moment later, a pained expression appeared on his face. His whole body trembled, and heat radiated from him.

After an unknown length of time, Ueno Kei's expression gradually calmed. He slowly opened his eyes.