Akane Koyama only heard about Gion's battle when it was almost noon the next day, and it was the same guy called Takizawa Masata who told her about it. He had been loitering outside her dojo for some time now and was filled with excitement and admiration as he related the story to her. According to him, it seemed Zhang Heng and Okita Soki had defeated the more than 200 enemies last night. Not only did Kirino Toshiaki fail to stop them, but it was also rumored that several powerful and influential people were killed in that battle as well.
Takizawa Masata explained it with color and vividness as if he was at the scene last night. Akane Koyama had already known from Takizawa Takizawa Masata about Zhang Heng's challenge to various dojos. When the two met, Zhang Heng once mentioned that he wanted to visit all of Kyoto's major sects. Akane Koyama thought he was kidding. Now, she knew that he was serious.
