Great Dao Lord through Deducing Myriad Arts

Chapter 245: Chapter 211: Strength Enhancement and Preparations Before Departure

Step 1: Contextual Analysis

Literary genre: This appears to be a Chinese fantasy/wuxia web novel, focused on martial arts, political intrigue, and power dynamics.

Language style: The text uses formal and semi-formal language with some specialized martial arts terminology. There’s a mix of dialogue and narrative description.

Tone: Serious, political, with elements of tension and strategy.

Plot keywords: Political intrigue, martial arts, foreign relations, territorial control, strategy, confrontation

Characters:

- 宫城良树 (Miyagi Yoshiaki) - Male, appears to be an ambitious person from East Sea country, a private son of a noble family

- 太田昌之 (Taota/Ota Changzhi/Masayuki) - Male, seems to be a wealthy young man from Kyoto who loves eating, friend of Miyagi

- 武良辰 (Wu Liangchen) - Male, powerful martial artist who controls Dinghai City, not directly present in the scene

- Various injured warriors/ronin who have been beaten by locals

The scene is set in Scissors Alley in Dinghai City, where Miyagi has come to meet with Taota. They discuss the situation in Dinghai City, which is now under the firm control of Wu Liangchen. Taota advises Miyagi to give up any plans involving Dinghai City because Wu Liangchen is too powerful and dangerous.

Step 2: Integrated Translation and Polishing

I’ll now translate the text, keeping in mind all the rules and guidelines provided:

Scissors Alley.

When Miyagi Yoshiaki finally arrived here with his retainers and guards, Ota Masayuki was eating.

In fact, ever since arriving in Dinghai City, his mouth had hardly stopped moving, continuously eating without pause.

Just like now, he devoured a steaming plate of Triple Delicacy Stir-fry in just a few bites.

Immediately after, he stacked the empty plate to the side and reached for another freshly cooked dish, continuing to eat without missing a beat.

The stack of empty plates beside him, nearly a foot high, revealed just how much this young noble from Kyoto loved to eat.

Looking at his lean figure, Miyagi Yoshiaki couldn’t help but wonder where all that food was going.

"Hehe, I knew you’d come. Sit down and try this. It’s a delicacy we can rarely find in our country," Ota Masayuki said with a smile.

"You rascal, no matter where you go, the first thing you do is find food," Miyagi Yoshiaki sat across from Ota Masayuki and remarked with resignation.

"Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures, one can never take it too seriously. Don’t you feel immense happiness when tasting food you’ve never had before?" As Ota spoke, he finished another plate and let out a loud, satisfying belch before finally stopping.

Miyagi Yoshiaki shook his head. "Not really."

"Of course you wouldn’t. Your head is filled with nothing but ambition for power. How could you possibly think about anything else?"

The two were old friends, so such comments didn’t feel out of place.

Miyagi Yoshiaki didn’t take offense; instead, he sighed, "You’re a noble son of Kyoto, born into privilege. You naturally wouldn’t understand. I’m merely an illegitimate son of my family. Without some ambition, I would’ve been reduced to a commoner long ago."

"Alright, alright, here we go again. Are you going to eat or not?" Ota Masayuki, who dreaded most when Miyagi brought up this topic, quickly interrupted.

"Eat? Of course I will!"

While the traditional custom in East Sea country was to eat with hands, in recent years the upper nobility had adopted chopsticks, influenced by Great Yan.

As someone who had received a good education and always held himself to high standards, Miyagi Yoshiaki naturally used chopsticks.

The freshly cooked Triple Delicacy was steaming hot. This dish combined lamb liver, heart, and kidneys, stir-fried over intense heat—timing was crucial to its preparation.

Though not usually a food enthusiast, days of travel had given Miyagi Yoshiaki quite an appetite, and he quickly consumed three plates.

Ota Masayuki watched with a smile until Miyagi put down his chopsticks, then suddenly asked, "What are your impressions since entering Dinghai City?"

Miyagi Yoshiaki took a drink of aged flower-carved wine and said solemnly, "Very strange!"

"Did you feel that everyone harbored great hostility toward you?" Ota Masayuki asked.

Miyagi Yoshiaki’s eyes lit up, and he nodded immediately. "Exactly! What’s going on?"

Ota Masayuki sighed, "You’ll know what’s happening shortly!"

He gestured to a guard beside him, who immediately turned and left.

Moments later, several ronin Warriors limped in.

They were all bruised and battered; the worst among them had even had their ears cut off.

Upon seeing Ota Masayuki, they all broke into incoherent sobbing.

Miyagi Yoshiaki was shocked and immediately stood up. "What happened?"

"Calm yourself, Lord Miyagi!" Ota Masayuki said coolly, then waved his hand.

The ronin Warriors were promptly led away.

Then Ota Masayuki sighed and said, "These Warriors were beaten by the citizens of Dinghai City."

"That’s impossible!" Miyagi Yoshiaki declared firmly.

"These Warriors may not be exceptionally skilled, but they couldn’t possibly have been reduced to this state by Great Yan civilians."

"But what if local Martial Artists from Dinghai City were involved?" Ota Masayuki said calmly.

Miyagi Yoshiaki was immediately speechless.

Ota Masayuki continued, "Lord Miyagi, I know your purpose for coming here, but I advise you to abandon your unrealistic fantasies. Wu Liangchen is no ordinary man. In just over a month, he has fortified Dinghai City like an iron bucket."

"Such a figure cannot be dealt with by ordinary means! Even I am preparing to give up and leave in a few days."

Miyagi Yoshiaki looked up abruptly. "What about the mission assigned to you by the Monarch?"

Ota Masayuki smiled bitterly. "At a time like this, what mission still matters? Haven’t you seen how Wu Liangchen is already intimidating me with these tactics? If we stay any longer, who knows what else might happen."

"When I return, I will explain everything to the Monarch and advise him to give up on Dinghai City. At least until Wu Liangchen is dealt with, we shouldn’t set our sights on this place."

"Is the Moon Pavilion also indifferent to this?" Miyagi Yoshiaki asked reluctantly.

"Even if people from the Moon Pavilion came, what could they do? This Wu Liangchen can kill Grandmasters. Unless the masters themselves take action, there’s no way to deal with him." Ota Masayuki said, then stood up.

"Lord Miyagi, I know you must be thinking of ways to win over this Wu Liangchen, but I advise you to give up. For someone to achieve such heights at his age, this Wu Liangchen is undoubtedly a monster with unshakable resolve."

"But if we don’t even try before leaving, how are we different from cowards?" Miyagi Yoshiaki said slowly.