There is no moon in the night sky today, but the stars are shining all the time.
Zuocun was sitting on a big tree in Mibuji Temple, holding a bowl of sake in his hand.
A figure appeared in the courtyard.
"Here we come, Mr. Shannan." Zuo Cun noticed the figure and said to Shannan Keisuke with a slightly tipsy smile.
"What do you want from me, Samura-kun?" Shannan Keisuke sat under the tree and asked doubtfully.
Everyone in the test hall had gone to sleep, and Zuo Cun suddenly called him out. He was a little confused.
The two of them had never crossed paths in the past, it was just that Shannan had heard of the name of Zumura Hauki Slayer.
The drunk Zuo Cun was different from his usual indifference and seemed a little casual.
After drinking all the wine in the bowl, Zuo Cun wiped the corners of his mouth, threw the wine bowl into the air, and then jumped off the tree.
Snapped.
The wine bowl reappeared in Zuo Cun's hand, and Zuo Cun was already sitting next to Shannan Keisuke.
"I want to ask you about Beichen's Itto-ryu." Zuo Cun always smiled a little, "Does Mr. Shannan know a person named Sakamoto Ryoma?"
"Junior Brother Sakamoto?" Shannan Keisuke touched the back of his head, "I used to get along with Junior Brother Sakamoto for a while when we were in the gym. What happened?"
"I want to ask about the whereabouts of that guy from Sakamoto. I said goodbye to Shinano that day and said I would meet him in Edo, but I haven't been back to Edo for a long time, so I want to ask Mr. Shannan, who is also a member of Hokatsu Ittoryu. Do you know where he is now?"
"I'm not very sure either." Shannan Keisuke shook his head, "Junior brother Sakamoto and I don't have many interactions."
Shannan Keisuke is twenty-six years old, three years older than Sakamoto Ryoma.
"Is that so?" Zuo Cun stood up.
It originally came to mind during the day when I heard Shannan Keisuke talk about Hoichen Itto-ryu. It was expected that I couldn't find out. After all, there were so many disciples of Chiba Shusaku in Beichen Itto-ryu, and some of them didn't even know each other.
"It's okay. Excuse me, Mr. Shannan. By the way, do you drink?" Zuo Cun shook his head with a smile and handed his wine bowl to Shannan Keisuke.
"Huh? No need..." Shannan Jing pushed Zuocun's wine bowl.
"Since I don't want to drink, I'll go back and sleep first. Sweet dreams, Mr. Shannan." Zuo Cun stood up casually and walked towards the temple.
Renshengji Temple is a relatively large temple with many rooms inside, and Zuocun can sleep in any one he chooses.
Years of living in the open air have allowed Zuo Cun to fully adapt to this ascetic life.
Shannan Keisuke looked at Zuocun leaving and was stunned for a while.
Then he smiled suddenly.
"You're still very easy-going, why am I so panicked?" Shannan Keisuke sighed and stood up, walking towards the temple.
...
the next day.
Everyone in the Trial Guard Hall and Zuo Cun planned to go to the river to catch fish.
Hijikata noticed that Shannan Keisuke looked a little lonely, so he also invited Shannan Keisuke to join him.
Since we are here to relax, it would be good to meet some new friends.
Zuocun and Okita are just catching fish in a fancy way. The fish means that you are happy but I am not.
After going back and forth, several people became familiar with each other.
"How long have Mr. Shannan stayed here?" Miss Okita looked at this young man with a weak temperament curiously.
"Ah, I didn't stay here for a long time." Shannan Keisuke just smiled at the girl's question. Although the group of people in the trial defense hall seemed to be difficult to get along with, they were actually a very good group. "It's just that when I went out for training, I happened to come across this village where I could stay. And since I prefer children, I stayed here for two more days."
Shannan Keisuke looked at Samura who was still jumping up and down on the water, and then at Miss Okita, but hesitated to speak.
"What do you want to ask Mr. Shannan?"
"Well, I want to ask, what did you two do yesterday..."
He was referring to the super jumping power that was obviously wrong with Samura and the one where Miss Okita disappeared and reappeared.
But Okita didn't understand.
"Which one?"
"That's it, uh, Samura-kun jumped so high, and the one where you caught Ryuji..." Shannan Keisuke gestured.
Ryuji was the little boy who escaped from Samura's arms yesterday and was saved by Okita.
"Ah, are you talking about Mr. Samura's Sukora and my Shukuchi?" Miss Okita understood what Shannan was talking about.
"Is it called staying in the air and shrinking the ground? It's really a magical method..."
"It's not a magical method." Hijikata Toshizo came over from behind, "Our gym owner, Kondo Shusuke, said that if we work harder, it is possible to use it."
"Yes, it's just sword skills." Okita nodded.
Shannan Keisuke: ...Don't scare me.
"Hijikata, Shimazaki." Inoue walked over from the direction of the village.
His eyes were a little serious.
"What's wrong Inoue? Why are you so serious?" Shimazaki came over.
"When I was chatting with the villagers just now, the people in the village mentioned something."
Seeing how serious Inoue Genzaburo was, Hijikata and Shimazaki also abandoned the comfort of their vacation and came over.
"What happened?" Hijikata was confused.
"Although it is not directly related to us, but... I think it should still be said." Inoue sighed, "The former chief of the old school, Master Abe Masahiro, was... attacked in his own house. Assassination.”
Zuo Cun, who was standing on the shore, couldn't help but turn his head when he heard the name Abe Masahiro.
Shimazaki Isamu and Hijikata Toshizo both fell silent.
"Master said that as samurai, we should pay more or less attention to some national-level matters. This matter... I felt that it might be related to our future to some extent, so I hurriedly came over." He looked at the two tall young men and asked, "I remember you guys talked about this."
"Hijikata?" Shimazaki Isamu looked at Hijikata Toshizo, "What do you think?"
"...Masahiro Abe was assassinated. Is there any other information?" Toshizo Hijikata frowned.
Among this decadent shogunate, the one he favored the most was Mr. Abe Masahiro, but now...
"No, it's just a few words, not convincing at all." Inoue shook his head.
"This way..." Hijikata Toshizo sighed.
He and Shimazaki Isamu had talked a lot, and the two of them still had the same thinking.
The shogunate is undoubtedly corrupt.
However, since it is rotten, then find a way to cure it.
Hijikata and Shimazaki want to be this good medicine.
Shannan Keisuke and Okita Souji were both deep in thought.
Zuo Cun looked at the people who fell into sudden silence and hesitated to speak.
"Let's... go to Kyoto in two days. I want to know more." Tobizo Hijikata suggested to Shimazaki Isamu.
