I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Saito was still standing at the base of the stone wall directly opposite the gate of the Magistrate's Office.

He stood ramrod straight, his hands crossed and resting on the sword hanging at his right hip, motionless like a statue. The only moving part of his body was his eyes, which blinked at a very rhythmic frequency.

A large, fat pigeon was perched on each of his head and shoulders.

These three pigeons seemed to really treat Saito like a statue, half-closing their eyes and constantly adjusting their plump bodies so that they could sit more comfortably on Saito's head and shoulders.

Saito did not chase away the three large pigeons sitting on him, but simply stood there motionless.

The bizarre sight of the warrior standing motionless like a stone, and three large, fat pigeons perched on his head and shoulders, naturally attracted the attention of many passersby.

Passersby who walked in front of or beside Saito frequently turned around to look at the serious-looking boy with eyes that were a mixture of doubt and curiosity...

When Aoto found Saito, Saito also saw Aoto coming out of the magistrate's office immediately.

He shook his body vigorously a few times, like a dog shaking off water droplets.

"Coo coo coo coo coo—!"

The three pigeons on Saito's body finally realized that the place where they had been sitting was not a statue, and they quickly fluttered away.

After watching the three large, fat pigeons fly into the sky with a slightly open mouth and a blank expression, Qing Deng turned his gaze back to Saito, who was walking quickly toward him.

"...After I entered the magistrate's office, you just stood there by that wall without moving an inch?"

Saito nodded.

"Won't your legs or back ache from standing like that for so long?"

Saito shook his head: "I like sitting, standing, and daydreaming."

Are you a sloth?!

Qing Deng took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to complain.

"...Alright, since it's your personal preference, I won't say anything more."

After saying that, Qingdeng gestured towards his home.

"Let's go, Itsuki Lan... Saito, come home with me."

What are you going home for?

"A group of thieves has appeared in Fujisawa-juku in the Tokaido. The magistrate has personally appointed me to take charge of the case, so I will have to trouble you to accompany me to Fujisawa-juku."

……

……

After returning to his home in Hatchobori as quickly as possible, Aoto immediately instructed Kyubei to help prepare his luggage for the business trip.

You don't need to prepare much luggage, since Fujisawa-juku is very close to Edo, and a round trip only takes 6 days. So you only need to prepare a few changes of clothes, a few pairs of spare straw sandals, and some dry food.

"Young Master, Mr. Saito, here you go." Kyubei handed two pointed snow hats and two black cloaks with hems reaching to the calves, specifically for wind protection, to Aoto and Saito.

Aoto had just specifically asked Kyubei to prepare a straw hat and cloak for Saito as well.

They happened to have an extra set of winter gear, which they could lend to Saito.

Saito looked at the straw hat and cloak that Kyubei handed him with an unfathomable gaze.

“…Thank you,” he said to Qingdeng.

"No need to be so polite." Qing Deng smiled slightly at Saito. "If you catch a cold, I'll be in a lot of trouble."

Qingdeng deftly draped his cloak over his shoulders, straightened his straw hat, and then slung the cloth bag full of luggage over his back.

"Kyubei, please take good care of the house while I'm away. If I'm lucky, I should be back in about 6 or 7 days."

"Yes!" Kyubei, who was kneeling on the ground, bowed deeply and gave a solemn salute to Aoto. "Young Master, Mr. Saito, I wish you both great success in your military endeavors."

All five roads start from a place called "Nihonbashi" in Edo.

Nihonbashi, as its name suggests, is a huge wooden bridge.

As the starting point of the "Five Roads" connecting all the important places in the country, Nihonbashi naturally became the busiest and most bustling place in Edo.

Centered around the massive wooden Nihonbashi Bridge, numerous shops and stalls were set up, attracting people from all walks of life.

A specialty shop that caters specifically to travelers visiting Edo.

Teahouses, izakayas, and inns provide lodging for travelers and merchants who have come from afar along the "Five Streets".

These are vendors who come here specifically to sell all sorts of goods because they know there are many people here.

Travelers, merchants, itinerant monks, anxious government officials, prostitutes soliciting customers on the street, beggars lying on the street... all aspects of life seem to be condensed in Nihonbashi.

After saying goodbye to Kyubei, Aoto and Saito arrived at the bustling Nihonbashi area one after the other. Looking at the train station scene, comparable to the Spring Festival travel rush in his previous life, Aoto turned to Saito behind him and shouted:

"Saito! Stay close! Don't lose him!"

Saito nodded vigorously.

Under Aoto's leadership, Saito "brave the waves" and struggled through dense crowds to carve out a path to the Tokaido.

But, at that moment...

Just as Qing Denggang passed by the door of a teahouse, several figures slowly walked out of the teahouse and quietly "blended" into the dense crowd.

Using the crowd as cover, they followed Qingdeng and his companion at a distance...

……

……

Leaving Nihonbashi, shaking off the jostling crowds, and turning onto the wide Tokaido, Aoto instantly felt as if the whole world had opened up.

The Edo period was a society with extremely strict class hierarchy, where what people of each class could do was clearly defined.

For example, officials of the same rank as Qingdeng are not qualified to ride horses. Even if they have official business that requires them to travel far away, they cannot ride horses.

Therefore, Aoto, who was ordered to go to Fujisawa-juku on a business trip, could only rely on his own two legs to walk there step by step.

Officers of the rank of Li, such as Arima and Higashijo, were qualified to ride horses.

Therefore, people in this era often used "骑" as a measure word for strength, such as: 1. 骑 and strength, 2. 骑 and strength.

Upon entering the Tokaido, all that can be seen are flat roads trodden countless times, a milky white sky filled with the atmosphere of winter, a few lonely trees occasionally seen by the roadside, and travelers or caravans passing by...

Saito made Aoto truly understand what it meant to "travel with you is not as good as traveling alone".

To pass the time during the boring journey, and also to learn more about the bodyguard who would likely be with him for a long time, Aoto kept trying to find topics to chat about with Saito.

However, Saito was the epitome of a "conversation killer." Faced with all sorts of questions from Aoto, he would either respond with "um," "oh," or "okay," or he would simply end the conversation, making it impossible to establish a healthy conversational atmosphere with him...

"Saito, where is your hometown?"

"Akashi-han."

"Akashi Domain... I remember that domain is located west of Kyoto. I don't know much about this domain. Does your hometown, Akashi Domain, have any interesting specialties or famous sites?"

"I don't know. I haven't looked into it."

"...Yesterday, Lord Arima said you were an old acquaintance of his. How did you meet Lord Arima?"

"I don't remember clearly, but when I came to my senses I already knew him."

"...So what do you like to eat? You can eat and drink for free at the post station, and the people there can help prepare your favorite dishes."

"There's nothing I like to eat."

"...Do you have any foods you dislike eating?"

"There's nothing I dislike eating."

"..."

This won't do! We can't keep up the conversation at all!

Talking to Saito is more torturous than the two of you being in silence.

Unable to have a conversation with Saito at all, Aoto simply stopped talking to him and silently continued on his way.

After walking a while longer, the number of passersby and the vegetation around became sparser.

The once clear and bright sky gradually darkened, and then small snowflakes began to fall.

The swirling snowflakes were like little fairies falling from the sky.

In just a few moments, the world before my eyes was sealed off by snow, and everything around me disappeared into a hazy white mist.

Fortunately, both Aoto and Saito were wearing snow hats and windproof cloaks, so Aoto didn't feel too cold.

To reach Fujisawa-juku, you will pass through 5 post stations: Shinagawa-juku, Kawasaki-juku, Kanagawa-juku, Hodogaya-juku, and Totsuka-juku.

Qingdeng raised the brim of his straw hat slightly and glanced at the sky above.

“Saito, we need to quicken our pace a bit. We have to reach our first post station, Shinagawa-juku, before dark.”

Saito nodded.

Just as Saito nodded...

*Snap!*

Saito abruptly stopped in his tracks, his straw sandals scraping against the snow on the ground with a dull thud.

As he stopped in his tracks, Saito, who had been keeping his head slightly lowered, slowly raised it.

Two sharp, arrow-like gazes pierced the road ahead from the lower edge of the hat.

"Hmm? Saito, what's wrong..."

Before Qingdeng could finish speaking, his words came to an abrupt halt.

Aoto's gaze gradually hardened, and like Saito, he turned his attention forward.

Ahead of them, by the roadside, stood a withered, ancient tree that would require three adults to encircle.

After Aoto and Saito stopped in their tracks, as if by magic, one after another, figures of varying heights, builds, and builds emerged from behind the withered tree, forming a human wall in front of Aoto and Saito, blocking their path.

"Tachibana Aoto! I've finally caught you alone again!"

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New book launch!