Everything happened in an instant. Matsuo, Takahashi, and others were still admiring Yamada's exquisite swordsmanship when, unexpectedly, Yamada's situation took a sudden roll downhill. There was no transition in the middle, and Yamada, a minor but renowned samurai among the Tobaku supporters, was now a cripple, seeing how his left hand had been sliced off.
Bright red blood spurted out from the wound, splattering on Zhang Heng's Haori that had not been washed for a long time. The bloodstain made Zhang Heng's unusually tall figure look even more terrifying now.
Matsuo and Takahashi were so shocked by what they saw that they unconsciously stepped backward. They did not stop until their backs hit the wooden fence. They nervously glanced around their surroundings, ever ready to flee if things turned sour. On the other hand, Takeuchi's pupils contracted all of a sudden.
