The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

Chapter 109 Bystander's Clear Interrogation

"Steam Ghost!"

Someone gasped in surprise, and then five or six team members stood up at the same time. Their hands were on the hilts of their swords, their eyes fixed on the figure wearing the Nuo mask, and some had even drawn their swords halfway out.

"hateful!"

"Grab him!"

"stop!"

Okita Souji's voice came from the side door at that moment, hoarse and hurried. And because he spoke so hastily, his face became even paler, and before he could finish speaking, he suddenly bent over and coughed violently.

"Cough. Cough. Cough."

Each sound was extremely hoarse, as if he were coughing his lungs out of his stomach.

The soldiers nearby quickly helped him up, and the soldiers outside, having calmed down somewhat because of his words, "sheathed their knives."

Kondo Isami's voice wasn't loud, but it still carried the authority of a chief. His gaze swept over the soldiers who had stood up, causing them not to draw their swords again, but instead to sit back down one by one.

"I didn't know he was the Steam Demon either," he said, his voice steady. "But the one who saved Okita at the Ikedaya was the Steam Demon, and he's the one who left Yagyu Muneyoshi behind. Many people probably saw that."

Okita Souji finally stopped coughing and nodded to the soldiers outside while panting.

But then, someone finally spoke up, their tone still unfriendly: "Even so, he's still a thug. Warehouses, convoys, train stations—how many people did he injure? Captain Okita's mechanical lung malfunctioning might be a remnant of his last attack!"

The Ikedaya incident they had just experienced was, after all, a major disturbance caused by the anti-shogunate faction. The Steam Demon's activities had overlapped with theirs several times before, so it was naturally difficult for them to extricate themselves from the situation.

However, because of his previous display of force and the attitude of the captain and the bureau chief, no one dared to actually step forward.

Zhang Chang'an looked at them, then calmly took a step back and leaned against the wall.

He raised his hand, pushed the mask up slightly, and placed it diagonally on his forehead, revealing most of his face as a sign of sincerity: "I don't deny attacking those places."

He spoke, his voice calm: "But wasn't my previous fight with you all because you wanted to capture me?"

He paused, then turned to look into the inner room: "I injured Okita before, but in the end, wasn't it me who repaired his equipment?"

"If I really wanted him dead, I could have stopped his mechanical lungs at any time. If I delayed it a little, none of you would have noticed."

The room fell silent. The few team members who had echoed him opened their mouths, but couldn't utter a single word.

They knew it was the truth.

Hijikata Toshizo stared at Zhang Chang'an, unable to feel happy at all. They had some interactions before, but he was not very familiar with Zhang Chang'an's identity as the Steam Ghost.

The main problem is that things are already a mess, and with this new variable, things are naturally even more complicated.

"So why are you revealing your identity now?"

Zhang Chang'an immediately responded, "Just as I have always done, I am a Han Chinese, so naturally I am not very interested in the affairs of your country."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "My appearance now isn't because of my friendship with Okita, or to lend you a hand. I'm simply very interested in the technology used by those strange people created by the shogunate."

Upon hearing this, some people in the room were immediately stunned.

"make?"

Zhang Chang'an nodded calmly: "You are the main maintainers of public order in Kyoto. I don't believe you haven't noticed that people have been going missing in Kyoto recently, and bodies have been dumped in the suburbs."

"The shogunate's research institute is conducting research on people. Those strange people are the final product. This isn't my first time encountering them."

Hijikata Toshizo's expression changed; he remembered the investigation report submitted by Okita.

The person mentioned in the report who was killed by the Steam Demon and eventually disappeared, now that I think about it, does seem somewhat like these extremely strange people with bizarre physiques and abilities.

"You mean," Tu Fang stared at Zhang Chang'an, "that you contacted them back when the convoy was there last time?"

"I killed another one." Zhang Chang'an nodded. "If that guy's body were still here, you would all trust me more."

He calls himself Itō Ittōsai. Like the Yagyu and Tachibana Muneshige you've imprisoned, he also considers himself a figure from ancient times.

The name Itō Ittōsai was naturally familiar to everyone present.

As a renowned school of swordsmanship, Ittō-ryū naturally has many practitioners. Even Sakamoto Ryōma, whose Hokushin Ittō-ryū style originated from Itō Ittōsai.

"That guy," Zhang Chang'an continued, "like them, also considers himself an ancient person, and indeed has a very high level of skill in ancient swordsmanship."

"But he was forced to wear heavy armor, probably to enhance his defense. It actually affected his coordination and reaction time, which I easily dealt with. I guess their research wasn't perfect back then; it's different now."

At this point, he calmly concluded: "In other words, all these so-called ancient daimyo and swordsmen are fake, without exception. They were created by the shogunate through some means."

"The price was the lives of countless Kyoto residents and a huge amount of material and financial resources."

Silence fell again in the room, this time more subtle, with many people's expressions turning to doubt, anger, and disbelief.

Only the old guard, whose ideals were deeply ingrained, would still argue with him at this point: "Even so? That means the shogunate officials have found a better direction. If they can revive the ancient daimyo and warlords, it will surely greatly strengthen the shogunate."

Zhang Chang'an looked at him, offering no rebuttal. He simply shrugged slightly: "If that's what you want to think, there's nothing I can do. But what does this technology have to do with your Shinsengumi?"

His gaze swept over everyone present: "You are not the ones enjoying this technology, but the ones being hunted down by the people created by this technology. You are on the verge of disbanding, lost and unsure of where to go."

The room fell silent again. Zhang Chang'an, as an outsider, saw things clearly and could easily leave them speechless.

Just then, Sakamoto Ryoma, also an outsider, suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Zhang, in that case, do you have any connections regarding their matter?"

Zhang Chang'an looked at him and calmly nodded: "Not entirely. But I can try to pry open the mouths of those two down there. Believe it or not."

Standing inside the Shinsengumi headquarters, in front of the sturdy door of the Japanese-style room, a damp, bloody smell wafted towards me.

Hijikata Toshizo walked ahead, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes wary.

Saito Hajime followed behind Zhang Chang'an, remaining extremely silent.

The three men walked through the narrow corridor and finally arrived here. Hijikata stepped aside, making room for them, and said, "The two of them are inside. We won't give you much time, and you have to come in with us."

His voice was still somewhat cold and hard, probably because he was still somewhat unable to let go of the fact that Zhang Chang'an had hidden his identity for so long.

However, it was he who agreed to let Zhang Chang'an come here; yes, he was the one who interrogated those two.

Zhang Chang'an didn't say much, but calmly pushed the door open and went in.

Two whale oil lamps were lit inside, casting a dim light. In the corner, two people were bound by thick iron chains and leaned against the wall.