Su Chen smiled and nodded. "Mr. Rengoku, the last time we met was at the Master's residence, right?"
Kyojuro laughed heartily. "Hahaha, yes! And now we finally meet again."
The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Eventually, Senjuro couldn't take it anymore and tugged on his older brother's hand, signaling him to get to the point.
Su Chen glanced at Senjuro. He remembered that this was just Senjuro's personality. He could be his true self when Kyojuro was around, but he would instinctively hide behind his older brother when a stranger was present.
Kyojuro lovingly ruffled his younger brother's hair. "Well then, Mr. Su Chen, let's go inside and talk."
Su Chen nodded. "Alright."
He then led Kanao inside the training grounds with the Rengoku brothers.
As soon as they entered, a wave of heat washed over them. Su Chen observed his surroundings. It looked just like the place where the Sound Hashira trained his team members in the original story. It seemed Kyojuro usually conducted his basic training here.
But what did Kyojuro mean by that test?
Thinking of this, Su Chen asked, "Mr. Rengoku, what exactly did you mean by the 'test' you mentioned?"
Kanao also looked up at Kyojuro.
Kyojuro smiled and said, "Oh, it's like this. After I returned yesterday, I received a summons from Lord Kagaya. This test is his idea. Specifically, he wants to train you based on your current weak points, Mr. Su Chen."
Senjuro popped his head out from the side and added, "It's training just for you, Su Chen! Lord Kagaya must think really highly of you!"
"Senjuro, don't be rude," Kyojuro reprimanded. His younger brother was representing the Rengoku family, and he couldn't let them leave a bad impression on Su Chen.
But Senjuro made a face. "Big Brother, Lord Kagaya said the training would start this morning! But this guy, Su Chen, made us wait for hours!"
"Nonsense!" Kyojuro glared, his words clearly siding with Su Chen. "Kocho already told me today that Mr. Su Chen would be a bit late. We were the ones who arrived early!"
Senjuro pouted. "It's true! I won't forgive Su Chen... unless he agrees to one request!"
"Don't be absurd!" Kyojuro suddenly stopped. He raised his hand. It was clear he was genuinely angry.
Seeing this, Su Chen quickly stopped him. "Mr. Rengoku, don't worry, it really is my fault! Why don't we just hear what Senjuro has to say first?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Su Chen," Kyojuro said apologetically. "I apologize for my brother's behavior."
He had brought Su Chen here for training, but his younger brother didn't seem to like him. This gave Kyojuro a slight headache.
However, since Su Chen had already spoken, Kyojuro didn't stop him. He would listen to what his younger brother had to say. If the request was too excessive, he would not agree to it!
Senjuro looked at Su Chen in surprise. He hadn't expected Su Chen to actually let a kid like him make a request. But since Su Chen gave him this chance, he wouldn't let it go. Otherwise, how could he face himself or his big brother, who had waited with him for hours in the sun?
So, Senjuro spoke. "My request is simple. Since you were late, you have to let my older brother teach you a lesson!"
Kyojuro looked confused. He clearly didn't understand. How could he just "teach Mr. Su Chen a lesson"?
But Su Chen understood. Senjuro wanted him to fight Kyojuro in a one-on-one match. He wanted to see Su Chen get defeated by his big brother, just to vent his frustration.
Su Chen knew that Kyojuro was only being polite because of Kagaya Ubuyashiki's orders. If he really wanted the Rengoku brothers to respect him, he needed to show them some real skill.
"I agree," Su Chen said with a smile.
At this moment, Kanao leaned over and tugged on Su Chen's hand. Her big, worried eyes blinked, as if asking him if he was sure. It was clear Kanao also understood what Senjuro meant.
Su Chen quickly blinked back at Kanao, his eyes curving into a smile. "Don't worry," he said. "I know what I'm doing."
Kanao felt much more relieved. However, her slender fingers still didn't let go, and she kept clutching Su Chen's clothes.
Seeing this, Su Chen smiled and gently took her hand. Her fair fingers were soft and smooth.
Kanao's hand trembled, but she didn't resist. She just let Su Chen hold it.
Just then, Kyojuro Rengoku spoke. "Mr. Su Chen, how can you agree to such an unreasonable request!"
"It's not like that, Mr. Rengoku. You've misunderstood," Su Chen quickly explained.
After listening, Kyojuro finally understood what his younger brother actually meant.
"Hahaha, so that's what it was! I thought I really had to beat you up, Mr. Su Chen. I feel so embarrassed! Hahaha!"
With the misunderstanding cleared, Su Chen and the Rengoku brothers agreed to have a match after the test. But when Kyojuro realized that neither Su Chen nor Kanao had brought their swords, he decided to take his younger brother back to his home to get two.
Su Chen finally had a rare moment of free time.
He began to review his skills in his mind. He had currently mastered three Breathing Styles: Flower Breathing, Insect Breathing, and his own Bee Breathing.
He planned to save Bee Breathing for a future battle against Shinazugawa. Besides, he had already used this Breathing Style outdoors once.
If Su Chen was right, Muzan Kibutsuji might have already noticed him. Given Muzan's personality, he would surely send demons to hunt him down.
After yesterday's battle, Su Chen had a rough idea of his own power. Dealing with a Lower Moon demon was easy. He could probably fight two or three Lower Moons at once. But against an Upper Rank... Su Chen just wasn't sure.
The combat power of an Upper Rank was even greater than a Hashira's. Right now, Su Chen wasn't confident he could defeat any Hashira-level opponent, except for maybe Shinobu.
So, he didn't want to expose his full abilities out in the open. He couldn't use Bee Breathing for now.
That's why Su Chen came to Rengoku's training grounds. Besides training, he had another important goal: to learn Kyojuro Rengoku's Flame Breathing!
Flame Breathing was different from Flower Breathing and Insect Breathing. Those styles emphasized speed and were more suitable for faster, lighter fighters.
Flame Breathing, on the other hand, was a powerful style. It was aggressive, strong, and had incredible attack power. That was Flame Breathing.
At that moment, the Rengoku brothers, who had gone home to get the swords, returned.