I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 886 Ding! Qing Deng activates his money ability! [5000]

Looking at the Yakuza who had all fallen to the ground and were no longer threatening, Qing Deng said slowly while releasing his fighting stance:
"Okay, everyone who's in the way should shut up. Now, Shikizaki Kiyomi, let's have a good talk."

After saying that, he turned his head and looked at the place where Shikizaki Jiyou was just now - until a dozen seconds ago, there was still a living person sitting here.

But now, there is no one here.

The beautiful prostitute who played the role of "mother" was still huddled in the corner of the room, looking at Qing Deng with fear on her face.

On the other hand, Shikizaki Kiyoshi...his figure has disappeared without a trace.

Looking at the open window, Qing Deng understood everything instantly.

"Ju-kun, that guy got away."

As Boss Kiryu said this, he took a slight step and moved to Qing Deng's side.

Qing Deng looked at the old man beside him, then looked at the wide-open window with cold wind constantly pouring in, and said unhappily:

"Boss Kiryu, you must have seen him run away, right? Why didn't you catch him?"

Boss Kiryu shrugged, with the corners of his lips slightly raised:
"No hurry, is it possible that he can escape from us?"

After saying that, he turned his head to look at Qing Deng - coincidentally, Qing Deng was also looking at him.

They looked at each other, both with meaningful smiles on their faces.

……

……

"Whoosh...! Whoosh...! Whoosh...!"

Shikizaki Jiyori was running barefoot on the street, puffing and panting.

Because he was in a hurry to escape, he just grabbed a piece of clothing and put it on himself before jumping out of the window.

It was not until he had run a long distance that he realized belatedly that the clothes he was wearing were the furisode of "mother"...that is, the prostitute.

A man dressed in women's clothes running on the street - such a scene is naturally very eye-catching.

A bunch of strange looks came towards him. Feeling ashamed, he covered his face with his sleeves and lowered his head.

If there was a hole nearby, he would have wanted to crawl into it immediately.

But… it was strange, although the gazes of the people around him made him feel extremely embarrassed, at the same time, he actually felt a sense of relief…

All in all, in order to escape, he couldn't care less.

He ran non-stop, first escaping from Yoshiwara, and then continuing to run towards the city.

Without a specific destination, they just run wherever there is a road. This is what is meant by "being in a panic and having no choice but to go somewhere else."

While fleeing in panic, he kept turning his head and eyes, looking around and paying attention to everything around him, fearing that someone was following him, like a frightened bird.

His long-distance running ability is just at the average person's level.

Therefore, after a while, all parts of his body emitted strong protests and groans of pain.

He was forced to stop only when his lungs became swollen and painful and his legs felt heavy as lead.

"Whirl! wheeze! wheeze! wheeze! wheeze!"

He pressed his hands on his knees to regulate his breathing, and turned his head to look behind him - all he saw was pitch black darkness, and the lights of Yoshiwara had been left far behind him.

——We have escaped so far, we should be safe now...

When he thought of this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed a flash of orange light - not far from him, a Nighthawk noodle stall was open for business.

[Note: Nighthawk noodle stall: a noodle stall that operates late at night, usually selling buckwheat noodles.]

After running for so long, he felt thirsty, so he walked forward, opened the curtain, and said to the boss:
"Boss, do you have any water? I want a glass of water."

The boss turned his back to him, put away the kitchen utensils, and asked without turning his head:

"Sir, what's wrong? Why are you out of breath? Is someone chasing you?"

Shikizaki Kiyomi smacked his lips:

"Oh, don't ask. I'm really unlucky today. I met two weirdos."

The boss paused:
"Oh? Does the 'weirdo' you mentioned look like me?"

After saying that, the boss... that is, Qing Deng, turned around slowly and looked at Shikizaki Jiyou with a smile on his face.

In an instant, Shikizaki Jiyose froze abruptly, and then he was as if he had seen a ghost. The blood in his cheeks disappeared and his expression was dominated by intense fear.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-!"

He screamed and retreated rapidly, then he stretched out his legs again and stumbled and crawled away from Qingdeng.

But what can he do...his body, which has already reached its limit, won't allow him to run for much longer.

In a short while, indescribable fatigue filled every corner of his body and he couldn't even take a step.

At this moment, he happened to see a pub on the side of the road with the light still on, so he lifted the door curtain without thinking and rushed in.

"Welcome, sir, what can I do for you?"

An old male voice came from the counter... This should be the owner of this pub, Shikizaki thought.

He didn't bother to look at the boss's expression, and dove behind the counter, tightening his body and stammering:
"Help, help, help!"

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"There's a weirdo chasing me! Let me hide for a moment, please!"

"Oh? A weirdo? Does he look like me?"

Familiar dialogue... familiar sentence structure...

Shikizaki Jiyori froze again.

He turned his head with difficulty and looked in the direction of the sound - three steps away, Boss Kiryu was looking at him with a smile.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-!"

This time, he really couldn't run anymore. He could only scream and fall backwards using all four limbs.

Looking at the other party's embarrassed look, Boss Kiryu smiled helplessly:
"Shikisaki, calm down. Look carefully, it's me, Kazuma Kiryu from Senjiya."

When Shikizaki Jiyori heard this, he was stunned.

As his eyes flickered, he raised his gaze and looked up and down at Boss Kiryu carefully.

"Kiryuu... Boss...?"

……

……

Edo, a certain izakaya, a certain private room——

Qing Deng sat side by side with Boss Kiryu.

Directly opposite them... on the other side of the low table, Shikizaki Kiyomi grabbed the freshly heated sake and gulped it down as if to vent his anger:

"Really... Mr. Kiryu, you guys are really too mean. Why do you want to scare me like a faceless monster?"

The faceless monster - a classic Japanese ghost story.

To put it simply, someone encounters a "faceless man" in the wild and is so scared that he runs away. When he asks for help from everyone he sees along the way, the other person will say, "'Faceless man'? Does he look like me?" while revealing his face without facial features - exactly the same as what Shikizaki Kiyomi just experienced.

Boss Kiryu smiled:
"I'm sorry to scare you. We just wanted to prove to you that you can't escape."

Shikizaki Kiyomi curled his lips and expressed his dissatisfaction with a look full of resentment.

"As an apology, you have to buy me a drink. Is that okay with you?"

"Drink as much as you want. Even if you didn't say it, I was planning to treat you to a drink. After all, we haven't seen each other for a while. As your elder, it's my duty to treat you to a drink."

Hearing this, Shikizaki Kiyomi no longer had any worries. He picked up the freshly warmed sake again and drank it down with gulps.

As he drank the wine, his expression gradually became brighter.

While he was drinking, Mr. Kiryu half-closed his eyes and observed his actions thoughtfully.

Suddenly, the old man said:

"Shikisaki, your life is...too decadent, isn't it?
"It's bad enough that he just hangs around in the brothels, but he actually borrows money from the Yakuza."

"Have you ever thought about what will happen if you can't pay back the money?"

Boss Kiryu's words were merciless.

As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, Shikizaki Jiyori's face turned red and his expression changed several times.

Looking at his appearance, Qing Deng thought he would explode on the spot out of anger and shame.

Unexpectedly, he was unexpectedly calm.

After a moment of silence, he sighed quietly:
"Boss Kiryu, although your words are unpleasant to hear, I really have no room for rebuttal..."

"Got it. I will be more restrained in the future and try to pay off the debt as soon as possible."

Although Qing Deng is not clear about the specific relationship between Mr. Kiryu and Shikizaki Kiyoshi, judging from the current situation, the latter has a considerable degree of respect for the former.

He was still willing to listen to the other party's good advice and suggestions.

However, his words "I know" obviously did not gain the trust of Kiryu's boss.

He frowned and said seriously, word by word:
"Shikizaki, why do you have to do this?"

"With your skills, even if you can't become rich, you won't end up in such a miserable situation today."

"As far as I know, you no longer take on sword-forging work, and make a living by making hoes and sickles."

"What happened?" "Why did you abuse your talent?"

"If you don't mind, could you tell me about it?"

"If you think I'm meddling in your affairs, you can just keep silent."

"However, as a knife lover, I really don't want to watch such a talented knife maker fall into depravity."

Shikizaki Kiyoshimoto had a blank expression on his face.

But after hearing the words "genius knife maker", he suddenly grinned and a self-deprecating look appeared on his cheeks.

"'Genius swordsmith'... hehehe..."

Shikizaki Jiji stroked his forehead with his hand, seeming to be smiling but not smiling, and seeming to be crying but not crying.

"These days... is there still a place for knife makers?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Boss Kiryu's expression changed slightly, as if he realized something.

Shikizaki Kiyomi took a sip of wine and spoke with mixed feelings:

"As long as I can remember, I started to touch the hammer and learn how to forge iron and swords."

"If there is no other choice, who would give up the skills they have spent most of their lives honing?"

"I don't dare to call myself a 'master craftsman', but I believe that my skills are far superior to those of ordinary knife makers."

"What can we do... No matter how well a knife is forged, it can never be as good as Western guns and cannons."

"Boss Kiryu, with your abilities, it won't be difficult for you to know how advanced Western guns and cannons have become."

When he said this, the self-mockery on his face became even more intense.

"Let me think... It was about four years ago that I came into contact with Western guns and cannons by chance."

"Honestly speaking... after seeing with my own eyes how easily the muskets shot through the armor and how easily the cannons shattered the bricks and tiles, I felt like the world was hanging upside down."

"To be honest, before this, I always thought that swords would continue to exist forever as important companions of samurai."

"However...even though I am filled with resentment, I have to admit: this is no longer the age of swords."

"In front of guns and cannons, swords and knives are nothing but toys."

"Whenever I think of this, I lose the motivation to forge knives, and I don't have the mood to be a knife maker anymore."

"When I came to my senses, I became the person I am now, just living a carefree life."

"The sword is destined to be eliminated."

"Instead of being a knife maker with no future, it's better to change my career as soon as possible and become an ordinary blacksmith specializing in making farm tools."

"Comparatively speaking, this one is more profitable."

"Boss Kiryu, I'm not bragging, the farm tools I forged are well-known and have always been in great demand."

"The reason I ended up in such a miserable situation where I was almost sold to a mine to pay off my debts was purely because I was lazy."

"As long as I work hard, I can soon collect enough money to pay off my debts."

Although his speech was not long, he successfully brought the atmosphere to a standstill by relating heavy facts.

Perhaps to ease the atmosphere, Shikisaki Kiyoshi took the initiative to ask:

"I almost forgot to ask, Mr. Kiryu, please tell me in detail about the 'big business' you mentioned earlier."

"Let me make it clear in advance - I won't take any knife-forging jobs right now."

Boss Kiryu opened his mouth and was about to speak.

However, Qing Deng, who had been silent since a while ago, answered first:

"Mr. Shikizaki, it's a coincidence that we just want you to forge a sword, and we want you to reforge the blade of a broken sword."

As he spoke, he took off his low-brimmed hat, revealing his face.

Although Shikizaki Jiyou didn't recognize Qing Deng, he could tell that Qing Deng was not an ordinary person, so he asked cautiously:
"May I ask your Excellency?"

"I am not talented, I am Ju Qingdeng."

"?!"

Suddenly, Shikizaki Jiyou took a deep breath, his face full of disbelief.

His reaction is normal.

The legendary "Nioh" and "the strongest samurai" now appeared before his eyes... For a moment, it was indeed a bit disorienting.

I don’t know when it started, but Qing Deng got another title: “The strongest samurai in the shogunate”.

Although Qing Deng thinks this title is too exaggerated, many people think it is well deserved.

Just as Shikizaki Kiyomi had not yet recovered from the shock, the old voice of Kiryu boss started again:
"Shikizaki, I understand your difficulties."

"Since this is the way you decided to live after careful consideration, I have no right to comment."

"But...I want you to take a look at this first."

After he finished speaking, he reached into his bosom, took out a tightly wrapped package, put it on the table, and pushed it in front of Shikizaki Jiji.

When he untied the baggage, the unique black light of "Manren Steel" filled Shikizaki Kiyomi's vision.

In an instant...really in an instant, Shikizaki Jiyose's expression changed drastically.

"This is... 'Ten Thousand Steel'...?!"

At this moment, he showed a much stronger shock than when he learned Qing Deng's identity just now.

He subconsciously rushed forward, staring at the steel without blinking, not missing any details.

“This light…! This color…!”

"Good steel! Really good steel!"

"Boss Kiryu, where did you get this piece of fine steel?"

"This is the first time I have ever seen such high quality 'Wanlian Steel'!"

Boss Kiryu said calmly:
"I will tell you the origin of this steel later."

"Shikizaki, let me be frank: we intend to ask you to use this steel to reforge the blade of Vairocana."

Shikizaki Kiyomi was stunned:

"Reforge the blade of Vairocana? Use this 'Ten Thousand Refined Steel'?"

Boss Kiryu nodded slightly:

"After a clash with the 'Supreme Great Work' Choso Mikoto, Vairocana suffered extremely serious damage."

"Only by reforging the blade can it be reborn from the ashes."

"The only swordsmith I can think of who can take on this important task... Shikizaki, is you!"

Along with his powerful words, the old man turned his trusting eyes directly towards the young knife maker.

The knife maker seemed to feel guilty and subconsciously looked away, unwilling to meet her gaze.

"Shikizaki, since you have given up being a swordsmith, then leave a glorious end to your swordsmith career."

"Don't you want to try?"

"Forge your last and greatest knife with the best steel in the world!"

Boss Kiryu's words seemed to have a strange magical power.

After he finished speaking, the dejected look on the other person's face disappeared by a large margin.

He was seen staring at "Wan Liangang", sometimes clenching his fists, sometimes gritting his teeth, with a strong hint of hesitation in his eyes.

At this moment, Qing Deng suddenly interrupted:
"Mr. Shikizaki, I have no intention of intimidating or coercing you."

"It is entirely your freedom to take on this big business."

"To put it bluntly, you and I are in a relationship of 'employer' and 'employee'."

"In that case, let's talk business."

After saying this, he took out a note from his waist and slapped it on the table.

"This is the note from our Qinjin clan. It can be exchanged for 1500 taels of gold at any bank."

[Notes to the Fan: In a sense, they are also considered paper money, similar to silver notes. They may be issued by the shogunate, daimyo, or merchants. Some are used as credit currency, and it is written on them how much gold, silver, rice, etc. the note is worth.]

"This is the deposit. I will pay another 1500 taels of gold after the sword is forged."

"Lord Niou, I will do my best to fulfill my mission!"

Shikizaki Kiyomi shouted this with an unprecedented seriousness, and the remaining hesitation in his eyes immediately disappeared.

……

……

That night--

Edo, Edo Castle——

Once the shogun was informed that he would stay overnight in the O-oku, Godaisho would bring Gotoyoshi and Gochumi-sama to greet the shogun at Gokozashiki, and then Gotoyoshi and Gochumi-sama would stay in the room.

Therefore, when the order was issued that "the general must stay in the O-oku tonight and has specifically appointed Princess Kazunomiya to sleep with him," the O-oku could be seen full of busy female officials.

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