I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"If you must go out, go out during the daytime."

"Take the main roads where there are more people."

"When buying groceries and daily necessities, I also go to areas with better security."

“Yes…” Kyubei hung his head and let out a long sigh, “Young Master, I feel this is so unfair…”

"You have just made such a brilliant achievement."

"As a result...life became even more unsettling..."

Qing Deng smiled and patted Jiubei's back a few times: "For us 'third-generation' samurai, being hated and retaliated against is just a common occurrence."

"Relax a little, Kyubei."

Qingdeng gently comforted the old servant who felt resentful about his fate.

Thump thump thump...!

Aoto, Saito, and Kyubei, who had just seen off Ma, Zhu, and Niu, were still standing at the entrance.

At the same time, all three turned to look at the door in front of them, where several knocks, neither too loud nor too soft, were suddenly coming from...

After the knocking, a rather energetic baritone voice rang out from outside the door:

Is anyone home?

After that baritone voice faded, a very pleasant androgynous voice followed immediately:

Is anyone home?

Upon hearing the two voices, Qingdeng was startled, then quickly rushed down to the earthen room and yanked open the door.

The door opened—a thick, large mouth and a slender, light high ponytail tied with a purple ribbon came into Qing Deng's view.

"Kondo-kun? Okita-kun?"

Kondo and Okita, who were standing outside the door, both showed surprise and delight upon seeing Aoto.

"Tachibana-kun," Okita said, "you're back in Edo?"

……

……

The main hall of Qingdeng's house became lively once again.

Aoto sat opposite Kondo and Okita.

Saito, as always, held his sword and sat expressionless and silent in the corner of the hall.

Meanwhile, Kyubei retreated to the kitchen to prepare new tea.

"Tachibana-kun, who is this?" Kondo winked at Saito.

Oh right...the people at Shieikan don't know Saito yet...

Qing Deng cleared his throat: "This is the bodyguard my elders hired for me: Saito Hajime."

"Bodyguard?" Kondo's eyes lit up, then he turned his curious gaze to Saito. "If he can be a bodyguard... he must be incredibly skilled, right?"

Qing Deng nodded: "Saito is the holder of the unparalleled Menkyo Kaiden. Thanks to Saito, I have escaped danger several times."

"The complete transmission of the Mandate of Heaven has never been leaked...!" Kondo showed Saito surprise and admiration.

Okita, who was sitting next to Saito, couldn't help but blink a few times and glance at Saito a few more times.

"To have obtained the complete mastery of the Mugae-ryu school at such a young age... what an extraordinary talent!" For some reason, Kondo's mood became somewhat excited. He straightened his back and said to Saito solemnly, "Nice to meet you! I am Kondo Isami, the instructor of the Tennen Rishin-ryu Shieikan!"

After Kondo Isami solemnly introduced himself to Saito, Okita paused for a moment, then quickly straightened his back in imitation:

"Okita Souji, of the Tennen Rishin-ryu Shieikan!"

Saito seemed a little uncomfortable with Kondo and Okita's enthusiasm, so he shrank back a bit and then nodded to them.

"Kondo-kun, Okita-kun." After helping Saito introduce himself to Kondo and Okita, Aoto's gaze, filled with doubt, shifted back and forth between Kondo and Okita's faces. "What brings you here?"

"Ah...that's how it is..." Kondo said with a smile.

……

In short, Kondo and Okita came to check if Aoto had returned to Edo.

Ushiyama had just told Aoto that the rumors of his "victory against overwhelming odds and the expulsion of foreigners" had spread rapidly throughout Edo in the past two days at an astonishing speed.

As for Shieikan, he only learned about this matter this evening from a neighbor.

Kondo and Okita were astonished when they learned that Aoto had performed such an extraordinary feat.

No wonder I haven't seen you at the sword-fighting hall for the past ten days... Turns out you were fighting against the "Expel the Barbarians" thugs...

Qingdeng was a member of their test guard.

Moreover, he was a promising new star on whom Kondo and his team placed high hopes.

Having encountered such a fierce battle... Kondo felt it was unlikely that Aoto had escaped unscathed.

Therefore, out of concern for Aoto's current situation, after much deliberation, Kondo decided to go to Aoto's house with Okita to see if Aoto had returned to Edo.

When Qingdeng first became an apprentice at the Shiwei Hall, he registered his address in the "Apprentice Register".

Kondo and Okita successfully found Aoto's house in Hatchobori by following the address recorded in the "roster".

The rest is self-explanatory.

Kondo and Okita were extremely lucky. After knocking on Aoto's door, they found Aoto, who had just returned to Edo that afternoon. Their trip was worthwhile.

After Kondo succinctly explained why he and Okita were there, Aoto thought to himself, "I see," and then smiled and politely said to the two of them in a low voice:

"Kondo-kun, Okita-kun, thank you for coming all the way to visit me."

"As you can see, I am in very good condition right now."

Qingdeng raised his hand and patted his chest.

“New flesh is starting to grow from all the wounds on my body.”

"After resting for another 2 or 3 days, you will be back to normal."

No sooner had Qing Deng finished speaking than Okita, sitting opposite him, immediately spoke with eyes sparkling with impatience:

"Tachibana-kun! You're amazing! You managed to lead such a small group and utterly defeat those annoying 'anti-foreign' thugs!"

—Ah… here it comes… Okita-kun’s “You’re so amazing”…

—Don't you have any other adjectives...?

Aoto discovered that Okita's "vocabulary" seemed to be extremely limited...

Aside from "You're so amazing!", he seems to be at a loss for words to use to praise someone...

When Aoto solved Granny Ping's case last time, Okita could only keep praising Aoto with "You're so amazing!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Although he was inwardly cursing Okita's limited vocabulary, Aoto quickly put on a smile and said modestly, "But to be honest—I was able to win that battle, and luck played a big part too..."

Qingdeng hadn't finished speaking...

……

Click, click, click, click, click...

……

Suddenly... a series of sounds like porcelain shattering came from outside.

The strange sound interrupted Qingdeng's words.

Inside the hall, neither Aoto and Saito, nor Kondo and Okita, had yet had time to react to the sudden, strange sound—

Bear! Bear! Bear! Bear! Bear! ...!

The sound of the flames burning fiercely, like waves crashing against the shore, surged into everyone's ears one after another.

*******

*******

It's the end of the month! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! QAQ

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

Yesterday, due to unforeseen circumstances, I ate out and didn't get home until very late, so today's chapter is a little shorter.

I'll try to write a longer one tomorrow!

Chapter 85 Qingdeng's Retaliation [7700]

Looking towards the distant Aoto's house, its lights illuminating the view, Jinno, without turning his head, asked a samurai behind him:

Are you sure Tachibana Aoto is currently inside the house?

The samurai nodded: "There's no mistake. Tachibana Aoto returned home this afternoon and hasn't left since."

At this point, the samurai paused, then added:

“Mr. Kanno, just now two young samurai... probably friends of Tachibana Aoto, entered Tachibana Aoto’s house.”

"Should we wait for those two to leave? Or should we make our move now?"

"Let's do it now." Jinno said coldly, without hesitation.

"Yes." The samurai responded in a deep voice, then turned his head and winked at the five men standing behind him, "Attack!"

Having said that, the samurai bent down, picked up four large porcelain jars containing unknown contents from beside his right foot with his right hand, and pulled out an unlit torch that had been tucked into his waistband with his left hand.

The five men standing behind the samurai did the same: they held up a large porcelain jar containing an unknown object in their right hands, and a tinderbox in their left hands.

The six men, led by the samurai, formed a circle and lit their respective torches.

"Follow me!" the samurai roared, then personally led the group out of the dark alley where they were hiding.

The six people, lined up in a long, single file, rushed to Qingdeng's house in one go—

Click! Click! Click! Click...

They threw the large porcelain jars they were holding at once, towards Qingdeng's house and courtyard.