Edo, Tsukinomiya Shrine——
"...The above is the entire history of my father and Kikuchi Sensui."
Qingdeng, who was sitting neatly in front of Tianzhang Courtyard, concluded the lengthy report just now with calm words.
"It's been a great harvest... Sheng Qing, thank you for your hard work."
Tianzhangyuan nodded slightly, then sighed.
"Sheng Qing, your father did so..."
Tianzhangyuan paused and seemed to be thinking of suitable adjectives.
After a while, she continued quietly:
"...What a great thing."
As soon as Tianzhangyuan finished speaking, a bitter smile with mixed emotions appeared on Qingdeng's face.
"I was also shocked... I always thought that my father was just an ordinary 'Three Chapters' samurai. I never expected that he would use a mortal body to fight against the power of the gods alone..."
Who is Julongzhi?
The imperial family member of Baishi Jialu, the same heart of the townsfolk appointed by Beiban.
He has no prominent family background, status, or any extraordinary talents.
In addition to the rich criminal investigation experience accumulated from his long-term position as Sadachi Kai Doshin, Tachibana Takayuki is basically an ordinary person.
What kind of magic medicine is there?
The Fa Zhu Party and the Qingshui Clan are their platforms.
Based on all the currently known information, it can be determined that the trick medicine began to be circulated among the people at least 3 years ago.
However, no matter whether it is the execution office, the self-ban, the fire thieves Kai, or the eight states directors, they have never known anything about the magic medicine before.
It was not until recently that the new Yutingban, who specializes in intelligence collection, learned of the existence of the mysterious medicine by chance.
Selling illegal drugs that have not been inspected and approved by the government - this is not a big deal.
But he has been secretly selling illegal drugs for several years under the eyes of the government, and yet he has been living peacefully until now... This is a bit scary!
From this we can see how terrifying the power of the Qingshui clan and the Fazhu Party, who supported Guiyang, is.
However, this is normal.
After all, one is a mafia group that dominates Kanto, and the other is a terrorist organization that continues to carry out terrorist activities across Japan.
Leaving aside the latter, the former's evil reputation is enough to make all children inside and outside Kanto stop crying.
For ordinary people, not to mention fighting against him, just hearing his name will make two people fight.
But Tachibana Takayuki dared to withstand this huge pressure and deal with and fight such a powerful enemy alone... until death!
His courage and courage are indeed worthy of the highest praise of "taking a mortal body to stand up to the power of God"!
"Sheng Qing, what are your plans next?"
Tianzhangyuan asked softly.
"...To be honest - I don't have any ideas."
Qingden shook his head.
Although I received a lot of information from Kikuchi Sensui, I couldn't find anyone who deserved more attention and careful investigation.
In short - the thread is broken.
As for the biggest gain today, it must be the discovery that the Qingshui clan is related to the mysterious medicine.
It’s a brand new search direction.
However, the Qingshui clan is a large group with minions throughout Kanto.
If you act randomly and investigate like a headless fly without a plan, not only will the efficiency be extremely low, but it will also be easy to alert the enemy.
From whom and where should we go next to collect further intelligence? Qingdeng has no clue at the moment.
Tianzhangyuan heard this and pursed his lips thoughtfully.
"In that case... Sheng Qing, please take a good rest first."
"rest?"
Qingden raised his eyebrows.
"Sheng Qing, you have been very busy since you woke up. You are spinning like a spinning top every day."
"You should take advantage of the moment when you can take a breath and take a good rest."
Having said this, Tianzhangyuan paused for a moment.
Suddenly, she put on a strange expression that was half a smile but not a smile and a joking tone.
"By the way... let's take care of your emotional affairs as well."
Hearing Tianzhangyuan's words, Qingdeng suddenly felt embarrassed.
Just as Aoto reported to Tenzouin the details of his visit to Kikuchi Sensui with the two sisters, he also informed Tenzouin of the story of his reunion with Sanako and Souji.
After hearing about this incident, Tianzhang Academy showed a dumbfounded expression and sighed repeatedly: How could such a coincidence happen...
"Sheng Qing, I have to say that you have really good taste. I finally understand why you like Miss Chiba."
"Your Highness, have you met Miss Sanako?"
Tianzhangyuan nodded.
"Why do you think Miss Chiba and Mr. Okita showed up at Tsukinomiya Shrine?"
"They came to worship."
"I guessed that they were passing by near this place, so they stopped by to worship the gods, make a wish, and pray for blessings."
"I met Miss Chiba when they were visiting the shrine."
"The title of 'the most beautiful woman in Edo' is truly well-deserved."
"Miss Chiba is indeed very attractive. Not only does she have a beautiful face and good figure, but she also has a great temperament. Ono Komachi is nothing more than that."
Ono Komachi: a female poet in the early Heian period of Japan. She was named one of the six singing immortals in the early Heian period. It is said that she was a stunning beauty, so people in later generations often called the beauty "Komachi". Sanako's other nickname was " This is where Chiba Onikomachi comes from.
After Tianzhangyuan said this in an admiring tone, Qingdeng's facial lines instantly relaxed.
The corners of his mouth also relaxed.
As the corners of his mouth relaxed, a gentle smile appeared on Qingden's cheeks.
Whenever he heard someone praise Sanako, Souji and Kinoshita Mai, Aoto would feel sincerely happy.
This is a feeling quite similar to hoping for a son to become a dragon or a daughter to become a phoenix.
Although the smile shown by Qingdeng at this time was not very obvious, it was still caught by Tianzhangyuan's eyes.
Suddenly, Tianzhangyuan's eyebrows frowned slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in the depths of his eyes...
"……but."
Suddenly, the conversation in Tianzhang Academy changed.
"If I am not the Odaisho who has to hide Kande, but a good girl who can show her face openly like Miss Chiba, then who will be the title of 'the most beautiful woman in Edo'? The head is still unknown.”
"Huh?"
Qingdeng said "Hey" and cast a stunned look towards Tianzhang Courtyard.
Is it his imagination?
He always felt that... Tianzhangyuan was sulking right now?
Perhaps it was Qingdeng's gaze that brought her back to her senses.
In short, Tianzhangyuan's expression was suddenly startled, and then he secretly said "not good".
--Oops! How could I say such a thing!
Tianzhangyuan's words just now were completely thoughtless.
In other words, what she just said was blurted out completely subconsciously.
Anyone who listened to what she just said would feel that there was something fishy in it - it sounded like she was jealous of Sanako and deliberately trying to get jealous.
In order to get rid of his embarrassment, Tianzhangyuan brought the tea cup in front of his knees to his mouth, pretended to take a sip of tea, then cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
"Okay, let's get down to business!"
"Sheng Qing, now that Miss Chiba and Okita-kun have reunited with you, how are you going to deal with this?"
"...At this point, I can only confess to Miss Sanako and Okita-kun."
Qingden smiled bitterly.
"I'm ready to tell them everything I can."
When talking about the "all I can say" part, Qingden specifically emphasized his tone.
Tianzhangyuan nodded slightly.
"Well...that's all it can do."
"I have made an appointment with them at a meeting place."
Qingdeng continued.
"I will go see them when I have some free time."
After hearing this, Tianzhang Academy immediately said:
"In that case... without further ado, you should leave immediately to see them."
"Anyway, you have already reported everything you should report to me."
"Besides... I haven't seen them for so long, you must have a lot to say to them, right?"
Qingden smiled bitterly.
"…Indeed."
Tianzhangyuan waved his hand.
"Okay, Mr. Tachibana, please step aside first and go have a good gathering with Miss Chiba and the others. When there is a new mission or new important information related to the secret drug is obtained, I will report it as soon as possible. Notified you."
"Yes, I'll take my leave now."
Qingdeng leaned down and bowed to Tianzhangin, then grabbed Echizenzumi Hitachi and Mori Kaneshige beside his legs and walked quickly outside the room.
Tianzhangyuan sat there and watched Qingdeng.
After Qingdeng's figure completely disappeared outside the room and the sound of his footsteps dissipated into the distance, she let out a sigh of relief and unconsciously bent her waist.
"Really...how could I say such stupid things..."
Tianzhangyuan is still annoyed by his careless remarks just now.
"Who is the 'most beautiful woman in Edo'... What's the point of this kind of thing? What's the need to argue?"
After saying that, Tianzhangyuan was silent for a moment as if he had remembered something.
Then, she murmured in a gibbering tone:
"But...at the end of the day...in terms of beauty and temperament, I am indeed not inferior to Chiba Sanako..."
Before he finished speaking, Tian Zhangyuan stretched out his hand and took out a palm-sized hand mirror from the depths of his clothes.
This hand mirror is a glass mirror imported from the West, and its clarity is far beyond that of traditional bronze mirrors.
Tianzhangyuan looked at the mirror in his hand and first took a close look at his delicate facial features.
Then he raised his hand and touched the delicate skin that was still white and tender due to proper maintenance, as if water would splash out with just a pinch.
Feeling the silky smooth touch coming from his fingertips, Tianzhangyuan smiled with satisfaction, and Yaobi chuckled a few times.
"Hmph~~ Even though I am a little older, my charm is still there..."
…
…
Edo, Okemachi, 2-chome, Echizenya——
Businessmen in the Edo period often used the place name of their hometown as the house number of their shop.
For example: businessmen born in Omi often name their stores "Omi-ya"; businessmen born in Yamato often name their stores "Yamato-ya", and so on.
Due to terrain, customs and other reasons, there were more merchants in Echizen.
A businessman born in Echizen, his footprints have spread all over Japan.
Therefore, whether in East or West Japan, there are so many shops with the name "Echizenya" that they can be said to be overflowing.
In big cities like Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka, you can often see such a strange scene: in almost every town, you can find one or even several Echizenyas, which have the same name but are engaged in completely different businesses. Some open bathhouses, some open private banks, some open teahouses, some open izakayas, some open hotels, some sell groceries, some sell fruits and vegetables...
Ayoto, Sanako, and Souji agreed to meet at the meeting place: Echizenya, Omemachi 2-chome, which is an inn.
Little Chiba Kenkan is located in Okemachi.
And Qingto would come to Xiao Qianba Sword Hall every once in a while and try his luck at the door.
Therefore, Okemachi is almost like his happy hometown to Qingnobo.
Every plant and tree in Okemachi was extremely familiar to Ayoto.
This is why Aomori chose Okemachi as the meeting place - it is more reassuring to discuss important matters with others in a place he is familiar with.
At this moment, Sanako and Souji were standing side by side by the door of Echizenya.
Surprise, exclamation, greed, lust... A bunch of eyes with different emotions fell on the two of them.
One is a handsome boy who, on the surface, is capable of bending a straight man.
As for the other one, she is a peerless beauty of national beauty and fragrant beauty.
How could such an existence and such a combination not attract people's attention?
Almost every passer-by, regardless of gender or age, who passed by Echizenya's shop would at least glance at Sanako and Souji.
Both Sanako and Souji were used to being stared at by passers-by.
"Ah wu, ah wu, ah wu..."
Souji stuffed gold candies into his mouth one after another.
Probably because she was in a good mood after finally meeting Aonto again, Souji's mouth has not been idle since just now - she has been eating Jinpei candy.
"Miss Sanako, do you want to eat?"
Souji handed the bag of gold flat candy in his hand to Sanako.
"Thank you, I won't need it."
Sanako shook her head and declined politely. She had always been insensitive to sweet foods like Jinpingtang.
Seeing Sanako's refusal and Souji not forcing it, she quietly retracted her hand and continued stuffing lots of candies into her mouth.
While Souji was concentrating on eating sweets, Sanako secretly tilted her gaze, scanning and sizing up the "beautiful boy" next to her.
When her eyes moved to Souji's beautiful face, complex and meaningful eyes flashed unconsciously in his eyes.
Just now... Sanako could clearly see the scene that happened on the stone steps of the shrine——
Souji fell directly on Qingteng's body and stretched out his hands to tighten around Qingteng's waist. Qingteng also hugged Souji's back with extremely gentle movements.
If it was Aoto and Mai Kinoshita who behaved like this, then Sanako would be able to understand it.
After all, it has long been the consensus of Sanako and Mai Kinoshita that Aoden is in two different situations.
However, it was Aomori and Souji... two grown men who created this intimate interaction... This was a bit too...
It's not that Sanako has never seen physical contact between men.
Her brother Chiba Jutaro often hangs out with his friends.
However, when Chiba Jutaro had physical contact with his friends, Sanako could clearly feel pure friendship and brotherhood.
On the other hand, Seito and Souji...
If the hug between the two of them is classified as "brotherly love", it always feels a bit reluctant...
--Could it be that……
Although she didn't want to look directly, a terrible suspicion still emerged in Sanako's mind uncontrollably.
——After Kinoshita Mai, even Okita-kun...
Thinking of this, Sanako's facial expression suddenly became weird.
During the Edo period, the culture of public life was very popular.
——Okita-kun is a handsome young man, and he and Tachibana-kun happen to live under the same roof. They are inseparable and inseparable. Under such an environment, the two of them gradually fall in love... It's not that big of a deal. It's completely impossible.
With this thought, Sanako tilted his gaze again and cast a complicated look at Souji...
At this time, Souji noticed Sanako's eyes.
"Miss Sanako, what's wrong? Why do you keep looking at me? Is there something on my face?"
"Stop being so pretentious, I'm not looking at you."
Sanako responded with a cold tone without thinking.
Suddenly... the general manager was stunned...
"Miss Sanako, why are you so cruel to me...Did I do something wrong?"
The Souji asked weakly, with an aggrieved expression.
**********
**********
The river of blood you want is coming! (leopard laugh.jpg)
Happy Children’s Day to all book lovers~~
I originally wanted to write at least 6,000 words today. I have been writing since morning until now, but I still failed. Damn it! (Crying leopard head.jpg)
