My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 344 - 136: The Three Heroes of Edo’s Three Great Sword Dojos

Author’s Note: Chiba Eijiro has appeared in the previous text in a narrative form, but some readers may have forgotten who Chiba Eijiro is and what his relationship with Chiba Dingji is, so here’s a quick recap for everyone.

Chiba Eijiro is the second son of the late Chiba Shusaku (founder of the Beichen One-Sword Style and brother of Chiba Dingji), making him the second nephew of Chiba Dingji, the second brother of Chiba Domon Shiro, and the cousin of Chiba Shigetarou, Sazanoko, and others.

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"Oh?" Chiba Dingji raised an eyebrow, his eyes lighting up, and he asked excitedly, "Eijiro, have you... touched upon this legendary state?"

Chiba Eijiro nodded and then softly replied in a tone as if discussing something trivial:

"Just over half a month ago... on the eve of my decision to finally return to Edo after a long absence, I went hunting alone in a mountain and accidentally encountered a black bear."

"A black bear?" Chiba Dingji’s eyebrow raised again, and the excitement that just floated in his eyes turned into surprise.

"Yes, a black bear about twice my size."

With a gentle smile still at the corners of his mouth, Chiba Eijiro spread his arms to illustrate the size of the black bear he encountered.

"I probably inadvertently entered the territory of that black bear, which made it unusually ferocious."

"As soon as it saw me, it immediately charged at me without any warning."

"Bears, these creatures that can even kill a wild boar with a single swat, are indeed extremely frightening."

"It suddenly sprang out of the grass and lunged at me. Had my reaction been a bit slower, my head would surely have been crushed."

"However — although I successfully dodged the first strike of that black bear, my bow accidentally fell into a deep ditch beyond my reach."

"With no other choice, I could only draw the sword at my waist to face it."

"It was the toughest battle I’ve ever experienced in my life."

Saying this, Chiba Eijiro laughed freely.

"It was the first time I encountered an enemy with such terrifying strength, speed, and stamina."

"The bear’s paw easily swiped and put a huge notch in a tree trunk as thick as a bowl."

"No matter how seriously I focused and watched, my eyes couldn’t fully keep up with the speed of the bear’s paw swiping — I could only see traces of shadows."

"To avoid having my head smashed by that paw larger than my head, I didn’t dare to blink, and every time I reluctantly had to blink, I was on tenterhooks."

At this time, Chiba Eijiro’s brows revealed a hint of recollection.

His demeanor was like someone recalling a beautiful memory...

"It’s truly refreshing... this feeling of doing your utmost to either win or die."

"At the start, I fought with great difficulty."

"Not only was I unable to approach the bear effectively and inflict any substantial harm, but I also almost died several times."

"But... suddenly, I entered into a rather ’mystical’ state."

Chiba Eijiro paused his speech as if contemplating the exact words.

After a moment, he continued:

"I actually don’t clearly remember what exactly happened then."

"I only remember focusing with all my heart and mind, with no other thought but to ’defeat it,’ to the point of holding my breath."

"In a... particular instant, my mood suddenly became very calm."

"The whole person was like standing on a very still surface of water."

"My mind was empty, almost devoid of any distracting thoughts."

"In my eyes, there was only the sword in my hands and the big black bear in front of me."

"Because my mind was free of distractions, my reaction speed to each attack from the black bear became much faster."

"Thus, the sword in my hand became exceptionally swift and fierce."

"Once I entered this mystical state, the momentum of the battle rapidly shifted."

"The actions of the big black bear no longer appeared in my eyes as fast-moving afterimages."

"My footsteps became light enough to easily close the gap to within striking distance of my sword."

Chiba Eijiro raised his right hand and mimicked a knife-hand, making a cutting gesture towards his nose.

"I seized a flaw revealed by the big black bear, approached its visual blind spot, and severed its big nose with a single slash, successfully driving it back."

"My mood became extremely calm, with no irrelevant thoughts in mind, and my abilities were greatly elevated due to my focused state... These changes are exactly like what father and Uncle Dingji described as the state one would have after entering the ’State of No Self.’"

"So, I suspect — the mysterious state I entered to defeat that big black bear... should be the legendary ’State of No Self.’"

Since Chiba Eijiro began recounting the story of entering the "State of No Self," Chiba Dingji had been quietly listening, staring straight at Chiba Eijiro with a complex expression dominated by amazement.

After a moment, Chiba Dingji squeezed out a half-crying, half-laughing expression:

"Defeating a bear single-handedly and walking away unscathed... ha, if this gets around, the legend of the ’Skill of Chiba’ would indeed gain yet another Chapter."

"I actually don’t think it’s that big of a deal." Chiba Eijiro smiled slightly, "That legendary ’hero’: Mashima Wurang, didn’t he also once kill a bear with just one person and one sword? The bear he hunted was a large brown bear from the Ezo Land."