This question has been hidden in Qingdeng's heart for a long time.
Tachibana Takayuki, Onodera...why would they do something that is useless to them?
In this society where classes are extremely rigid, unless there is help from noble people, even if you succeed in swallowing the sky, your official career will still be troubled.
Even Aoshito, who was extremely talented and made many new achievements, was able to rise rapidly in the officialdom because he was deeply favored by Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin.
Even if Tachibana Takayuki succeeds in exposing the despicable deeds of the Shimizu clan and the Pazhu Party, he will probably only be able to get a little salary and promotion, but no more.
As for Onodera... whether the secret drug is exposed or not is related to his future.
He is a cadre of the Qingshui clan.
If the Qingshui clan was injured or fell, it would only be bad for him, not good.
No matter which angle you think about it, Tachibana Takayuki and Onodera’s insistence on investigating the mysterious medicine is a very puzzling thing...
In fact, Qingto's question was not only asking Onodera, but also asking himself.
Because... who is currently investigating the secret medicine, isn't he also a reckless person who is throwing himself into stupid things that have "only disadvantages and no benefits"?
To be honest, Qingdeng is not sure why he is so obsessed with the magic medicine.
To avenge the Kanazawa brothers and sisters?
It seems so, but not entirely.
After listening to Qingnobo's question, Onodera did not answer immediately.
He lowered his eyelids, and a smile gradually emerged between his cheeks.
"Well... didn't you just... find a wakizashi in that thatched hut... The words engraved on the stem of the wakizashi... are the answer..."
Qingden was stunned for a moment, then whispered softly:
"Destroy evil spirits..."
Onodera nodded slightly:
"Yes...'Evil Ghost Killing'..."
"I'm not a good person...and I don't dare to claim to be a 'discovery of conscience'..."
"But...selling such dangerous drugs to the world...this really breaks my bottom line..."
"The Rakshasa and others who did such an act are simply the incarnation of evil spirits..."
"Tachibana Takayuki and I...neither want money...nor fame...just want to kill these evil spirits...that's all..."
Speaking of this, Onodera suddenly paused as if recalling something.
"Ah...I almost forgot to say..."
"Tachibana-kun...if you have a chance...you can go back to the thatched house...and dig out the relics left by Tachibana Takayuki..."
"Takayuki Takayuki... he buried a large wooden box... in the southeast corner of the thatched house... There were a total of... 9 knives hidden in the box...!"
"These 9 fighting swords... and the wakizashi you just found... are all weapons Tachibana Takayuki... prepared to use... as a last resort... to fight against the Qingshui clan and the Hoshi Party... to the death. …”
"It's a pity...in the end...I couldn't use them either..."
"Takayuki Takayuki considered that... if he went to fight with these swords... after he died in the battle... the people of the Qingshui clan and the Pazhu Party... might use the name and production time of the sword maker recorded on the blade stem... ... Follow the diagram to find trouble with the knife maker..."
"So...in order to avoid involving the knife maker...when Tachibana Takayuki commissioned the knife maker to make these knives...he prohibited the knife maker from recording the name of the maker...and the time of production..."
"Instead, engrave his ambition: to destroy evil spirits..."
"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!"
Onodera coughed violently again.
This time, he vomited out a large amount of dark, turbid blood, as well as some internal organ fragments.
"Oops... my eyes... seem to be getting harder and harder to see clearly..."
Onodera's eyes seemed to be out of focus, staring blankly into the void ahead.
"Hahahaha...I finally...reached my limit..."
His neck seemed to have lost all bones, and his head was leaning against the rock wall behind him in boredom.
"As expected... I'm still so unwilling..."
"I really want to...witness with my own eyes...the demise of the mysterious medicine..."
He raised his trembling right hand and grasped and groped repeatedly in mid-air, as if he was looking for something.
Looking at this scene, Qingden knew clearly in his heart: Onodera's time has come...
"Mr. Onodera..."
He instinctively wanted to say something to send this respectable brave man on his last journey.
At this time, he suddenly remembered a certain book he had read in his previous life.
Qingdeng has always loved reading.
Although he has no religious beliefs, he once read an immortal quote in a certain book.
In an instant, under the surprised gazes of Sanako and Souji, Aoto stretched out his right palm and tightly grasped Onodera's dirty hand in mid-air.
"You have fought the good fight; you have finished the way you should go; you have kept the way you should keep. From now on, there is a crown of righteousness reserved for you."
Qingden said softly.
The words come from "New Testament 2 Timothy".
St. Paul wrote a brief and sonorous comment on his magnificent life.
"Tangerine-kun, he...has..."
Sanazi hesitated to speak.
Hearing this, Qingdeng looked up.
Onodera in front of him was no longer breathing.
"...Did he hear what I just said?"
The Souji nodded slightly.
"He heard it... Look, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully..."
Qingto raised his eyes and looked straight at Onodera's face.
The face with eyes lightly closed and a smile on the corner of the mouth showed calmness, calmness, and tranquility...three emotions cleverly mixed together.
"……That's good."
Qingto put down Onodera's hand, then untied the scarf around his neck and gently covered Onodera's body.
"Ah! Hey! There are strange sounds in this cave!"
"What?!"
"Where? Where?"
…
Suddenly, noisy footsteps coming closer and closer came from outside the cave.
Souji and Sanako stood up with their swords raised as if they were faced with a formidable enemy.
"Found it! Here! Onodera is here! Wow!"
The two women took the lead and started close combat with the enemy group rushing into the cave.
The battle had already begun, but strangely, Qingdeng did not stand up to meet the enemy.
He still sat there, looking directly at Onodera's body without blinking. His eyes were neither sad nor happy, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
On one side is the messy light and shadow of swords.
On the other side is an unfathomable look.
In the small cave, two completely different worlds appeared.
"go to hell!!"
Seeing Qingdeng motionless, a certain black woman took advantage of the chaos and touched behind him.
He looked excited, thinking he had caught Qingdeng's flaw, thinking that Qingdeng's head was within easy reach.
However, just as he raised the knife, Qingdeng's figure disappeared in front of him in an instant.
"——?!"
"You are really like summer mosquitoes...you keep buzzing...and you can't get rid of them no matter how hard you try...I'm a little annoyed by you."
After finishing speaking, Qingdeng ducked to the side of the person and released his sword light——
Bang!
The lightning strike was released in an instant, and the man was thrown away. The power was astonishing, causing him to hit the rock wall above his head.
Suddenly, everything became extremely quiet.
Both the two girls and the men in black women's clothing couldn't help but stop their movements at this moment and stared blankly at Qing Deng who was still maintaining the posture of drawing the sword.
Looking at their companions who had been blasted away and were now losing more air than taking in, the sentient beings in black mother-clothes had almost the same thought: Hey, hey, isn't it...Using a knife to blow away a big living person...this What a terrifying power it is?
As for Souji and Sanako, their pretty faces were filled with pure surprise.
"Tachibana-kun...?"
Souji murmured.
Both Souji and Sanako are very familiar with Qingto's demeanor and behavior.
Whenever there is anything strange about Qingdeng, they can detect it immediately.
Therefore, the two girls clearly felt at this moment - beneath Qingden's calm appearance, there were emotions as hot and boiling as magma.
Uh-huh!
Qingdeng swung his sword with all his strength, making a sharp "swish" sound.
The blood attached to the blade splashed down and turned into a neat "plum blossom branch" on the ground.
"Who else?"
Qingden's wolf-like gaze followed the blade and swept across the faces filled with fear.
"They're popping up one after another... Come on, come as many as you want."
Qingdeng lowered his body, held the knife with both hands, and took a stance.
"Those who want to live, just run away."
"If you want to die, just go with us!"
"bring it on!"
A strange brilliance burst out from the depths of Qingden's eyes like a flame.
…
…
Platycodon Mountain, somewhere——
"Well...the stars are so beautiful tonight."
The Rakshasa stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the stars.
"Nue, come and take a look. The weather is very good tonight. You can see all the stars in the sky clearly."
Nue, who was wiping his bow, shook his head.
"Lord Rakshasa, I'm sorry, I don't know how to appreciate it."
"Tsk! You are just as boring as Otakemaru! If Orochi-sama and Shuten-douji were here, they would have happily brought bottles of wine, stared at the stars with me, and drank to their heart's content."
After saying that, Rakshasa seemed to have some realization and said softly:
"The west wind blows waves in the old Dongting, and Mr. Xiang's hair turns gray all night long. When he is drunk, he doesn't know that the sky is in the water, and his bed is filled with clear dreams that overwhelm the stars."
"Lord Rakshasa, I'm sorry, this subordinate has never studied and doesn't understand very well."
"I didn't read it to you!"
After glancing at Nue angrily, Rakshasa turned his gaze back to the starry sky above his head.
"Watch the night cherry blossoms in spring, the stars in summer, the full moon in autumn, and the first snow in winter. The ancients do not deceive me. Ah, although it is not summer now, but winter. When summer comes this year, I will rent a boat and watch the Boating on the Kanda River, drinking wine and stargazing, when the mood comes, write a haiku or Kawasaki; when the wine gets stronger, I fall asleep, and sleep until I wake up naturally... Hum, this is really exciting."
"Lord Rakshasa, please forgive me for saying bluntly: Indulging in pleasure is a taboo for our lofty ideals."
"Oops! I know!"
The Rakshasa lamented and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I don't eat, drink and have fun every day. I only relax occasionally - this level of self-entertainment isn't called hedonism, right?"
Rakshasa paused for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.
"The whole party is being punished, and people who like elegance are as few as morning stars. It really makes me feel lonely..."
"After all, we are people with lofty ideals, not men of letters."
"Hey, I know!"
Rakshasa raised his hands again in a gesture of surrender.
"Nue, you are just like my mother-in-law. I even suspect that Orochi-sama ordered Shuten Doji to lend you to me so that you can supervise my life style."
"...Lord Rakshasa, in fact, the reason why Lord Orochi sent me to Kanto is not only for me to provide you with assistance, but also partly for the purpose of asking me to spur you from the side."
"oh?"
Although Rakshasa raised his eyebrows, there was no hint of surprise on his face.
"Lord Rakshasa, Lord Orochi is...not very satisfied with your recent performance."
"Not very satisfied? Why? Is there anything I haven't done well enough recently?"
"Lord Orochi, I think your efficiency is too slow. The layout of Kanto is related to the success of our overthrow, and your recent results are lackluster."
"This...well, I really hope Lord Orochi can understand my difficulties."
Rakshasa shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Kanto is the headquarters of the Edo shogunate, and forces such as the Nanki faction and the Hitotsubashi faction are intertwined."
"While I am laying out the layout of Kanto and advancing the plan, I have to remain cautious at all times."
"The power of our law-enforcement party in Kanto is not as powerful as that in Kansai."
"If it attracts the close attention of the shogunate too early, or provokes some difficult and ruthless people...such as the 'Sword Master' Seiichiro Tanani of the Kōsho, the 'Seven Feet Unparalleled' Oishi Susumu, or the Chiba family's Even I, the strongest Chiba Eijiro in Edo, cannot escape unscathed."
"Unless Otakemaru and Shuten Doji come in person, who can suppress Chiba Eijiro and those monsters from the Kōbususu?"
"In this environment where there are constraints everywhere, I can achieve the results I have achieved now. I think I have done a pretty good job, and I have lived up to Orochi-sama's expectations of me."
As soon as Rakshasa finished speaking, Nue said calmly:
"Lord Rakshasa, I completely understand your difficulties. But... you should also know that Lord Orochi doesn't like to hear people complain."
"……Of course I know."
Rakshasa lowered his head, and a large amount of cold sweat broke out between his delicate brows.
While Rakshasa remained silent, Nue continued silently:
"What's more, Orochi-sama may not agree with your complaint."
"In terms of the difficulty of the situation and the complexity of the environment, is there any place in Japan that can be compared to Gyeonggi where Lord Orochi and Lord Otakemaru are personally in charge?"
"The imperial court in Kyoto, the giant merchants in Osaka, the lords of the Western Kingdom, the followers of Oshio Heihachiro, the Kyoto Shojidai and Osaka Castle in the shogunate, and the troublesome Gourd House..."
"What's more, according to the latest information, Ogata Ittosai is now living in seclusion in Gyeonggi."
Rakshasa's pupils suddenly shrank.
"Ogata Ittosai is in Gyeonggi? Is this information credible?"
"This is the information that Tamamo-sama personally searched out, and it should be credible. However, it is still unclear where Ogata Ittosai lives in seclusion. Lord Orochi has sent a search team to Kyoto, and he specially ordered Lord Otakemaru to personally Lead the team.”
"Otakemaru? Ha, this mission is quite suitable for him. If you are lucky enough to find Ogata Ittousai, and then unfortunately have a conflict with the other party... the only person who can handle this situation is Otakemaru."
"Lord Rakshasa, I think so too. It's just that... although Lord Otakemaru is no longer a mortal, he should not be Ogata Ittosai's opponent at the moment, right?"
"Of course. But he should still be able to escape from Ogata Ittousai's sword...such a thing."
"...That's true."
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It’s the end of the month! It’s the end of the month! Book friends who still have monthly votes on hand, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)
Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
Today's chapter reveals a lot of new information about the party being punished by law. Anyone who is interested should be able to guess what kind of work the three major cadres are engaged in in the Fanzhu Party.
I found that some book friends always confuse "Guandong" and "Eastern Kingdom"...the two are not the same geographical concept.
"Kanto" mainly refers to the eight states of Kanto, which is the plain area centered on Edo.
"Eastern Kingdom" refers to East Japan, that is, the half of Japan east of Sekigahara (the plain located in the center of Japan). Covering Kanto, Oshu, Dewa, Koshu and other regions.
Kanto is the headquarters of the Edo shogunate, and most of the entire Kanto region is under the direct jurisdiction of the Edo shogunate.
Many book friends think that Togoku is the headquarters of the Edo shogunate, but this is not the case.
The Eastern Kingdom...especially the Northeastern region has a lot of famous names, such as the Date family (the family of "One-eyed Dragon" Date Masamune) whose total territory is over 600,000 koku.
In order to guard against the Northeastern vassals, the shogunate sealed a powerful pro-vassal daimyo in the Northeast, namely the Aizu Domain, one of the vassals that the shogunate most relied on as mentioned in the previous article.
The most important mission of the Aizu Domain is to sit in the Northeast and intimidate the Northeastern feudal clans.
To sum up, the Edo shogunate did not dominate the East Kingdom with one hand.
However, compared to the Western Kingdom, the Edo Shogunate did have greater influence in the Eastern Kingdom.
(End of chapter)
