Duoduo, knife test - after hearing these two words, Qingdeng's brows instantly tightened.
This country has always had a terrible bad habit: using people to test the sword.
In order to test the sharpness of their swords, some perverted samurai often lurk in the streets late at night, attack and kill passers-by, and test their swords on others.
This kind of behavior of testing swords on people on the street is called "Tsuji Slash".
Tsuji Slash was quite common before the Edo period.
It was not until three hundred years ago, after the establishment of the Edo shogunate, that the Tokugawa family finally legislated a ban on this kind of crazy behavior. Once discovered, they would be severely punished.
The Edo shogunate's legislative prohibition had a good effect, and this inhumane bad habit was greatly curbed, but the term "Tsuji Slash" was not completely swept into the trash can of history.
After all, no matter when and where, there is always a shortage of lunatics with mental problems.
Even now that the Edo shogunate has ruled this country for nearly three hundred years, even at the feet of emperors like Edo municipalities, there are still shocking news that "so and so was tested last night" from time to time.
And the person who is most often used as a victim of Tsuji Zhan...is Kudo.
Udo - to put it simply, they are untouchables.
Japanese society in the Edo period was divided into four levels from top to bottom: scholars, farmers, industry and commerce.
In addition to the "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce", there is another... "invisible class" that is outside these four levels, that is, the "dirty class".
In the name of "dirty", just hearing this name is enough to know the status of this group in society.
The origin of this group of people can be traced back thousands of years. Before Japan fully learned the advanced culture and systems of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was always a class in society that specialized in serving officials: "servants."
Most of the people in the Edo period were descendants of these slaves.
In addition to the slave class from thousands of years ago, the sources of the dirty people are also——
People who specialize in leather, butchering and other professions related to blood contamination.
A person infected with leprosy and thrown into a ghetto but did not die.
The Ezo people became prisoners of war.
Etc., etc……
The above-mentioned people and their descendants together constitute the class of "Huduo".
Being regarded as untouchables, Huiduo can be said to be suffering from discrimination.
The Edo shogunate gathered the fudos in a corner of the city or in some remote rural areas for centralized management.
All filial piety is hereditary. As long as you are filial piety, your descendants and descendants will be filial piety forever and ever. You will never be able to stand up and obtain citizenship.
The Udos were unable to buy land or engage in agricultural or commercial activities. They could only work as cleaners, undertakers, butchers, leather manufacturers, etc., which were very dirty and unclean jobs in the eyes of the people of the Edo period. .
When they leave the settlements where they live, they often have to cover their faces when preparing to go out, because people are worried that they will bring "dirty odor" when they speak.
People in some places even require dirty people to walk backwards when passing a certain place, because this way they can wipe their dirty footprints while walking backwards.
With such a humble status, their lives are naturally as worthless as a piece of grass in people's eyes.
In the Edo period, there was an unwritten rule: 7 filthy lives are worth the life of a commoner.
Because Hui Duo's life is so cheap, those madmen with brain problems often use Hui Duo to test their swords.
If you use Hui Duo to test the knife, even if you are accidentally caught, you will get a lighter sentence because the person you killed was Hui Duo.
When Ayoto frowned when he heard the words "dirty" and "test knife", Kinoshita Mai continued in a deep voice:
"In the past month, when I was patrolling various parts of Edo, I frequently found victims who were hacked to death on the streets of the Kudo settlement area."
"According to my current statistics, the number of these victims has been as high as 7... The actual number should be higher than what I counted."
"In just one month, so many hacked bodies appeared on the streets. It is basically certain that someone is performing Tsuji beheading."
"Because there were so many knife wounds on each body, I suspect that it was not a single person who committed the crime, but a whole group of people who were frantically testing people with knives."
"If it's a single person, it's okay, but if it's a large group of sword-wielding samurai... I'm not sure I can subdue them."
"So, Tachibana-kun, I thought of you."
"I want to ask you to help me and come with me to deal with this gang of lunatics who wantonly test the knives on innocent people."
After hearing Kinoshita Mai's sincere plea, Qingto asked quickly and subconsciously:
"Since you found someone killing Tsuji, why didn't you try to notify the execution office?"
As soon as he asked this question, Qingdeng's expression froze.
Because he reacted quickly - he just asked a stupid question...
As expected, Kinoshita Mai smiled helplessly.
"Tachibana-kun, you are the 'three chapters' of the enforcement office. You should know better than me, right? How can the enforcement office care about the life and death of Hui Duo..."
Qingdeng pursed his lips and said nothing.
The practice is always short of manpower.
Even with the "Township Citizens' Self-Government Organization" to help share those civil cases and the execution office to focus on handling criminal cases, the execution office's manpower is still extremely tight.
Regarding the order in which cases are handled, the law enforcement office has always followed an unwritten rule.
First of all - cases related to those high-ranking officials are given the highest priority.
Then there is the case of the samurai.
Then there are the cases of ordinary civilians.
Just dealing with the cases of these "normal people", the law enforcement office is often very busy. How can it have the energy and time to accept the cases of these people?
Normally, they would not care much about Hui Duo's life and death, let alone the current situation when the Advocate is devoting most of its energy and resources to encircling and suppressing the "radical anti-barbarian faction".
If Kinoshita Mai had managed to report to the execution office that "a group of lunatics were trying to use the sword to test the knives," then her report would have fallen into disgrace.
At most, the execution center could only symbolically send some of its own officers to the scene of the crime to walk around pretending to do so.
After another moment of silence, Qingden's frown relaxed slightly.
"...I understand the specific reason."
"But there are still a lot of things I don't understand."
"Ms. Kinoshita, when we were at the training hall just now... why did you show up in that form?"
Qingdeng sighed with complicated emotions.
"Suddenly jumped down from the ceiling and landed behind me... To be honest, I was scared by you at the time. I thought you were thinking of a thief who stole from the trial hall, or a thief who wanted to take revenge on me. Team members.”
"Hahaha..." Kinoshita Mai laughed awkwardly, put her hands behind her back, shrank her right foot behind her left foot, and said awkwardly, "I wanted to scare you and give you a surprise..."
"I originally thought you would be so frightened that you fell to the ground and then crawled back on your hands and feet."
"Unexpectedly, you rushed over and pushed me to the ground..."
After listening to Kinoshita Mai's explanation, Qingdeng's lips curled up into a helpless smile:
——Miss Kinoshita also has a very childish side...
After having this secret thought in his mind, Qingto added: However, judging from her age, Miss Kinoshita is indeed still a child.
If Qingto remembers correctly, Kinoshita Mai is only 15 years old this year.
Although from the perspective of this era, a 15-year-old girl is already old enough to get married and have children.
But in Qingto's eyes, Kinoshita Mai, who is not even 16 years old, is a child who has not even grown up.
"Don't do this kind of thing again."
Qingdeng put his hands on his hips and spoke in a serious tone.
"Fortunately, my knife was at my feet and not on my waist."
"Otherwise, I might not have thrown you to the ground, but just pulled out the knife."
After simply scolding Kinoshita Mai, Qingden fell into silence thoughtfully. After a few breaths, he spoke again and asked Kinoshita Mai a new question:
"...Miss Kinoshita, why did you ask me for help?"
"Reveal your true identity to me directly... Aren't you afraid that I will arrest you directly, transfer you to the execution center, and exchange you for my merits?"
"Successfully arresting the little cat monk who has been a headache for the enforcement office for a long time... This is an incredible achievement."
As soon as Qingto finished speaking, he immediately saw Kinoshita Mai's cheerful smile rising up on her cheeks hidden under the black scarf.
"Because besides you, I have no one else to turn to."
"You are the only person who I trust very much and who also has very good skills."
"I believe you will never betray me."
"And... and..."
Kinoshita Mai seemed to want to say something more.
But when she said "and", her words got stuck for some reason.
After repeating "and" several times in a casual tone, Kinoshita Mai raised her hand and pulled the scarf on her face higher.
Because it was covered by the scarf, Qingteng didn't see Kinoshita Mai's cheeks, which were now slightly red.
"And what?" Qingdeng asked in confusion.
"And...and...and you once told me: you don't hate Cat Monk, and you also said that if you have a chance, you want to try to be a thief like Cat Monk who is also a good thief!" Kinoshita Mai said anxiously. He said, "So I am even more convinced that you will not betray me."
"Ha... 'I won't betray you'..." Qingden softly repeated what Kinoshita Mai had just said, then he burst into laughter and said in a half-joking tone, "I feel a little flattered inexplicably..."
After saying that, Qingden raised his hand and scratched the hair on the back of his head.
"Betraying you and sending you to a prison... I really can't do this kind of thing."
"But regarding what you said about 'assisting you to deal with the group of people who tried to use the sword to kill'... Miss Kinoshita, please allow me to ask a few more questions."
"Are you planning to rely on the strength of you and me to deal with that man-killing group?"
"How much information do you have about this human killing group? How many people do they have? Where do they usually hang out?"
"How are you going to deal with them?"
Qingdeng fired off several questions at once like a barrage of questions.
Faced with these questions that Qingto asked one after another, Kinoshita Mai answered them one by one without any rush or panic:
"Besides you, I have no one else to turn to, so I really... should say that I can only rely on you and me to handle this incident."
"I don't have much information about that human-killing group at the moment. I only know that they have been testing the knives on the Kudos who live in the Kudo settlement area in the northern suburbs of Edo."
"I am going to lie in wait in the Huiduo settlement. When this group of people shows up again, I will directly catch them in action! Apart from this, there is no other good method available."
After finishing speaking, Kinoshita Wu raised her head and looked directly at Qingden without blinking.
Since just now, she has been casting expectant glances at Qingden from time to time.
She looked forward to hearing the answer she longed to hear from Qingdeng.
However... there was a trace of loneliness flashing uncontrollably in her eyes at this moment.
Because Qingdeng has been silent.
Qingdeng's head... has never completely recovered from the "downtime" state.
Before I could fully digest the shock caused by "The Neko Monk is Mai Kinoshita", I received another request to "solve the 'Tsuji Zan Incident' together"...
Qingdeng felt that his head was beginning to feel slightly swollen. He bent his right index finger and rubbed the center of his brow with the second joint of his index finger with moderate force.
Is it specifically targeting the Tsuji-zhan incident of Kudo...
This kind of thing has nothing to do with me - Qingdeng heard such a "voice" emerging in his heart.
This "voice" then said to him: There is no benefit at all in going with Miss Kinoshita to deal with this incident that the sect will not take care of...
Even if this incident is successfully solved in the end, there will be no merit at all. What merit can be gained by extending a helping hand to Hui Duo?
Completely thankless.
The pitch of this "voice" gets higher and higher.
Finally, its pitch was so high that Qingdeng's heart beat involuntarily faster.
What this "voice" said... is not unreasonable.
Yes, it makes sense.
Why bother to get involved in something that has nothing to do with you, is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and has no benefit to you?
But - at this moment, a question came one after another in Qingdeng's mind:
What benefits does it bring to Miss Kinoshita to deal with this "Tsuji-zhan Incident"?
…
…
Seeing that Qingden was still silent, Kinoshita Wu couldn't help but pucker her red lips, and the look of loneliness in her eyes became more and more intense.
However, suddenly, Qingdeng suddenly spoke:
"...Miss Kinoshita, why do you want to intervene in this matter? People are afraid to avoid the evildoers, and even the practice office will not pay attention to them, but you actually want to take the initiative to help them."
Upon hearing Qingto's question, Kinoshita Mai was startled for a moment.
Then, I heard her reply without thinking:
"Huduo are human beings, and I want to do my best to lend a helping hand to those in distress, that's all!"
After finishing speaking, Kinoshita Mai blinked, her eyes shining with a firm light - as if she was speaking some very natural truth.
This was the first time Qingto... saw Kinoshita Mai with such a look in her eyes.
"..." Qingden looked at Kinoshita Mai expressionlessly.
After a while, a strange smile appeared on Qingdeng's face.
"Ha... It seems that what you just said about 'looking forward to becoming a hero who can do something practical for the people' is not nonsense."
"I see."
Qingden took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
"Then - let me do my best."
"?!" Kinoshita Mai opened her eyes wide in surprise.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but what she wanted to say never turned into words.
Under the black scarf, a joyful smile quickly bloomed - her smile was worth a thousand words.
"Miss Kinoshita, when are you going to start investigating the 'Tsuji Zhan Incident'? Tonight? Or do you want to wait until later?"
"I want to leave tonight." Mai Kinoshita, who had regained her composure, replied quickly, "That 'human-killing group' might show up again tonight."
Qingdeng nodded: "Okay, let's go."
"Ah, wait a minute."
Kinoshita Mai took off a small cloth bag that she had been carrying on her back.
"this is for you."
The cloth bag was unwrapped - there was a set of black clothes inside, as well as a black face scarf and a fox mask.
"This is this?" Qingdeng asked in surprise.
"These are the clothes I prepared for you in advance." Kinoshita Mai said with a smile, "You can't let people find out that Tachibana Aoden from the monastery is a friend of the cat monk, right?"
…
…
"How's it going? Does it fit?"
"Huh? Just right." Qingden tightened his belt, then stretched his arms to confirm the tightness of the clothes.
The suit that Mai Kinoshita gave him was the same style as the Phantom Thief suit she was wearing - the same style, and both were black from head to toe.
"Tachibana-kun, which one do you want to wear, face towel or mask?" Mai Kinoshita, holding a face towel in one hand and a mask in the other, handed the two items to Qingto's eyes, "Because I don't know which one you like to wear, so I specially put this Both things are ready.”
Qingden raised his gaze and glanced at the face towel and mask in Kinoshita Mai's hand.
The mask that Kinoshita Mai prepared for him was a black fox mask that was completely black and had a fairly good texture. Only a pair of eyes were exposed in the entire mask.
"Is this the only mask you wear?" Qingdeng asked casually.
"In order to hide the figure as much as possible, it is best to wear black masks and face scarves, and of all the masks I could find, only this black fox mask is completely black." Kinoshita Mai added, "So I I only came here with this mask.”
Aoto nodded and responded to Mai Kinoshita's explanation with his movements.
Then he picked up the black fox mask almost without hesitation.
"You chose to wear a mask?" Kinoshita Mai blinked, "I thought you would choose a lighter face towel."
"Well, this can be regarded as my personal hobby." Qingdeng said as he quickly put the black fox mask on his face.
Ever since he played the game "Goddess
After putting on the mask, Qingden spotted a puddle of water at his feet out of the corner of his eye, so he stretched his head over and used the water as a mirror.
Well, not bad. The black fox mask of just the right size covered his entire face, with only a pair of eyes exposed outside the mask.
Before changing his clothes, Qingden quietly went back to the Trial Guard Hall and changed the sword on his body from Ding Guishen to Orange Water.
The red and black color scheme of the Seikijin is quite eye-catching and unique. If you wear the Seikijin on your body, it will be easy for people to spot it - isn't this Kokubansho's Tachibana Aoden's sword?
If you wear orange juice, you don't have to worry about this.
Because the handle and scabbard of Ju Shui's knife are both black, and the style is quite popular. Nine out of ten knives on the market are of this style, so outsiders can't identify people by their swords.
After making a final inspection of his clothing and equipment, Qingden, led by Kinoshita Mai, ran out of the alley where they were hiding one after another.
Tonight is a sunny day and a full moon night.
The clear and transparent full moon hung high in the sky, and the faint blue moonlight sprinkled down like light dust, stretching the figures of Aonto and Kinoshita Mai.
Under the soft moonlight, Aoto, who was moving in the shadows of the houses and galloping through the Edo city with Kinoshita Mai, felt as if he was in the silence of the seabed.
Kinoshita Mai's steps were very fast, but Qingto, whose leg strength had been improved by "One Horse Lead" and "Strengthening Muscles", could easily keep up.
After looking at Mai Kinoshita, who was leading the way, Qingden quietly broke the silence between the two.
"Miss Kinoshita, I almost forgot to ask you."
"The night when the Fanshu Diao Institute was attacked...how did you know that the Diao Institute was under attack? And why did you tell me the news?"
"Ah, this..." Kinoshita Mai turned her head and glanced at Qingden behind her, "I can only say that this is all a coincidence."
"At the end of January, after experiencing Elodie and the others being almost killed by the anti-barbarian group, I noticed that the 'radical anti-barbarian faction' had become a vicious force that cannot be underestimated or ignored. "
"I think if they are allowed to continue to grow wildly... sooner or later they will do even crazier things."
"So since February, I have focused all my energy on dealing with the 'radical anti-foreigners' faction."
"We patrol the cities and towns of Edo every night to see if we can discover the whereabouts of the 'radical anti-barbarians' or collect any useful relevant information."
"The night when Fan Shu Diao was attacked... it was really good luck."
"I happened to be passing by the Fanshu Adjustment Institute at that time, and happened to witness the entire process of the anti-barbarian group attacking the Fanshu Adjustment Institute."
"I am still self-aware of my skills. No matter how hard I fight, I will never be able to subdue dozens of sword-wielding warriors by myself."
"So I can only try to bring the officials from the execution office here."
"As for how to bring the officials from the execution office, I was very worried at the time."
"After all, as a little cat monk, I can't just walk into the training center and tell the people at the training center, 'Go and support the Fanshu Diao Institute.'"
"So my idea at that time was to find an official of the execution station, inform him of the information that 'the Fanshu transfer station is under attack', and ask him to bring reinforcements from the execution station."
"So...I just happened to bump into you."
"All in all, it was all a coincidence."
"I happened to catch the scene of the anti-barbarian group attacking the Fanshu Adjustment Center."
"And then I happened to find you."
"So that's it..." Qingdeng nodded slightly, then smiled and said casually, "Then...it seems like the two of us have a very strange fate."
"Edo is so big, but it's just the right place for you to find me."
Kinoshita Mai's explanation just now finally answered Qingto's various questions about "why the cat monk sent information to him at that time."
There is a very strange fate - after hearing what Qingto said just now, Kinoshita Mai pursed her red lips.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Hmm..." Kinoshita Mai murmured, "Yeah... I think so too..."
While talking, the two of them had arrived at the northern suburbs of Edo.
Arrive at...the only Judo settlement in Edo.
After stepping into the Huduo settlement, Qingdeng had the illusion that he had traveled through time again.
He raised his eyes and looked around——
Small, dilapidated houses.
Weird, foul smell.
This place... compared to the cities and towns in other areas of Edo, it is like two worlds apart.
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Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
It seems that many people have been mistaking the protagonist's name as "Ju Qing Cheng"... it is "Qing Deng", don't be mistaken...
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