I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1037: So you are Ogata Ittosai! [4400]

Because it was closed, the store was dark, with only a candle lit on the counter.

Under the bright candlelight, Goro Furumaki was concentrating on sorting out the account books. The "ticking" sound of the abacus became the only sound in the scene.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard approaching from the direction of the store door, followed by a knock on the door.

Komu Goro did not even raise his head, and said without any sadness or joy:

"Sorry, we are closed. Please come back another day."

The knocking stopped... However, the person outside the door did not leave. He only said in a half-joking tone:
"It's a rare occasion when an old friend comes to visit, so let's open for a while longer."

Suddenly, the "tapping" sound of the beads stopped.
Goro Komaki stopped the abacus in his left hand and the brush in his right hand, and his expression changed slightly - his face, which originally had no emotion, now had a happy smile.

"So it's you... If it's you, then why are you knocking? Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a "whoosh" sound, and an old man with white hair and a pair of glasses on his nose slowly pushed open the door and stepped in.

The person who came was none other than Mr. Kiryu.

Komaki Goro closed the account book, put down the brush in his hand, looked at the old man with a smile, and their eyes met.

On one side is an old man with white hair and wrinkled face, and on the other side is a middle-aged man in his prime... At first glance, it is indeed a wonderful combination.

Mr. Kiryu took off his hat and greeted them first:

"Ogata-kun, long time no see."

Upon hearing this, Komugi Goro couldn't help but raise his eyebrows:
"'Ogata-kun'... I haven't heard that name for a long time, so I'm a little uncomfortable with it. Kuro, how are you?"

Both of them were in a relaxed posture, without any airs, and it was obvious at first glance that they were good friends with a deep friendship.

"I say, isn't your store closed too early? What time is it now? Why are you closed?"

Komaki Goro...or Ogata, shrugged.

"Business at night is too bleak. Even if we open until late at night, we won't make much money. It's better to close early and rest."

"Anyway, the savings I have now are enough for Ah-ting and I to live a carefree life for 20 to 30 years, so this little bit of money is not a big deal."

Boss Kiryu laughed dumbly:

"Twenty or thirty years... For you, the savings that are only enough to squander for twenty or thirty years are probably not enough, right?"

Ogata smiled mysteriously and waved his hand:

"Okay, stop standing there like an idiot. Take off your shoes and come in."

After that, he raised his head and shouted:
"A-Ming!"

Soon, a response came from the second floor:
"what happened?"

"Prepare tea and snacks! Guests are coming!"

……

……

Ogata locked the shop door and led Mr. Kiryu to the living room on the second floor.

“Is black tea the only option?”

"Okay, I'm not picky. Anyway, is it my illusion? I always feel that every time I come to your house as a guest, I can only drink black tea."

"It's because Ating and I only like to drink black tea. Don't worry, our black tea is very safe. We will never put knockout drugs or other strange things in it."

The main feature of the living room on the second floor is simplicity - except for a round table and a Tang cabinet, there is no other furniture.

[Note: Tang cabinet: a cabinet with legs.]

However, despite its simplicity, this room is very clean and tidy, spotless, and there is pleasant fragrance in the air.

Ogata casually spread out the cushions, and the two of them sat opposite each other across the round table.

After a while, a charming married woman, as pretty as a flower and as beautiful as the moon, came in small steps, bringing a tea tray with three cups of freshly brewed black tea on it.

"Jiulang, long time no see!"

Ating was very happy to have an old friend visit him - a good friend he hadn't seen for a long time.

But she was smiling happily, her pretty face full of joy.

"Come! Have some tea, please!"

After distributing the tea, she sat down obediently next to Ogata.

Boss Kiryu took the tea, thanked him, then raised his eyes and looked at Atachi up and down with a strange expression.

"Since I got older, every time I see you two, I feel mixed emotions."

"Although we are of the same generation, we are already old, while you are still young."

Ogata smiled without saying anything, while Atachi smiled bitterly:
"Alas...we are not getting any younger. Look, I am starting to get wrinkles around my eyes."

She tilted her head as she spoke and raised her finger to point to the right corner of her eye.

Although it is inconspicuous, if you look closely, you can find that the skin at the corners of his eyes is not smooth and has sparse wrinkles.

After hearing this, Mr. Kiryu couldn't help but change his tone to an unpleasant one:
"If you have wrinkles like this, then what are ours?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at his face.

To be fair, among his peers, he is considered to be one of the better maintained ones, but he still cannot resist the erosion of time. His skin is dull and full of wrinkles, just like a dried orange peel.

"Although your bodies are also aging, judging from your current condition, you can probably live for at least another hundred years."

Ating blinked and sighed:

"A hundred years... I really don't know how to spend such a long time."

"To be honest, I'm starting to get tired of wagashi lately."

"I have to knead endless dough every day. It's so tiring and boring."

At this time, Ogata suddenly interrupted:

"Why don't we close this shop and go abroad? Ating, didn't you say before that you wanted to go to Europe and America?"

Upon hearing this, Ating's eyes lit up and he immediately looked very interested.

"Although I don't like Westerners, I have to admit that Western guns are really amazing! One day, I must go to the West to see how they make guns!"

Ogata smiled:
"I am quite interested in the 'wine of immortality' in Western legends."

As soon as he finished speaking, he received a cold look from Ating.

"You've traveled thousands of miles to a foreign country, but you're still trying to track down the 'power of immortality'... Don't you have anything else you want to do?"

Ogata coughed twice and explained in a serious tone:

"I just want to investigate whether the 'wine of immortality' really exists and whether it is related to the 'power of immortality'. Anyway, we have plenty of time to waste."

Boss Kiryu took a sip of tea and thoughtfully brought up a new topic:
"By the way, there is one thing I have noticed for a long time."

"Ogata-kun, the 'power of immortality' you possess should be more abundant."

"Why does it seem like Ating is younger?"

On the surface, Ogata is in his early 40s, while Atachi is around 36 or 7 years old.

Hearing what Kiryu said, Atachi chuckled a few times, put his hands on his hips, and showed a smug expression:
"Who says I'm born beautiful? I'm two years younger than Ayi, and I don't age easily, so naturally I look younger than Ayi!"

From a while ago, Ogata rarely spoke.

Suddenly, at this moment, he suddenly said:

"Jiulang, why do you come here suddenly?"

We were just talking about a light topic, but suddenly we got straight to the point... The sudden change changed the atmosphere on the scene.

Without waiting for Boss Kiryu to respond, he continued on his own:
"If I'm not mistaken, you're here for the 'power of immortality', right?"

Although his sentence is in the form of a question, the tone of his sentence is affirmative.

Boss Kiryu was shocked, but he appeared calm and just stared at the other person quietly.

In the candlelight, the lenses of the glasses on his nose reflected a faint arc of light.

Ogata continued the conversation calmly:

"Although I look like a middle-aged man now, which is very confusing, don't forget that I am also an old man who has lived for nearly a hundred years, just like you."

"If you have lived for so long without the ability to read people's expressions, wouldn't that be a waste of your life?"

"From a while ago, you have been talking about topics related to 'immortality'."

"If it were you in normal times, you would never do this."

"Why are you suddenly so interested in the 'power of immortality' tonight?" "Jiulang, we have been friends for more than 70 years. There is no need to hide anything."

"If you have anything to say, feel free to say it."

After saying this, he raised his hand in a frank manner, making a "please" gesture.

Looking at Ogata who had already revealed his intention, Boss Kiryu smiled helplessly.

He originally wanted to exchange a few more pleasantries and wait until the atmosphere became more heated before getting down to business.

However, Ogata's "straightforward approach" disrupted all his plans.

Since the other party has said so much, the old man no longer pretends.

He grabbed the teacup at hand, took a sip, moistened his throat, and then said seriously, word by word:
"Ogata-kun, please forgive my rudeness - I would like to borrow your blood!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the couple opposite both changed their expressions.

Ating stood there in a daze, blinking involuntarily, with a look of surprise on his face.

Ogata lowered his eyelids, his face expressionless, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

He did not respond immediately, but asked in a serious tone:

"Jiulang, what happened?"

Boss Kiryu sighed:
"I want to save my apprentice's wife..."

A strange color flashed in Ogata's eyes:
"Your apprentice's wife?"

He paused, as if thinking.

Ating beside him was also thinking hard.

After a while, Ogata asked back:

"Which of his wives?"

Boss Kiryu sighed with a wry smile:
"Captain of the Shinsengumi First Division, Okita Souji."

……

……

The general manager who unfortunately suffered from hemocough...

Only the "power of immortality" can save her...

Qing Deng, who would rather pay any price to save Souji...

So, Mr. Kiryu explained the whole story in detail.

After listening quietly, the couple fell into a brief silence.

After a while, Ating bit her lips and murmured:
"Okita Souji suffers from hemoptysis... God is jealous of his talent, what a pity..."

Of course, the couple knew something about the famous "Heavenly Sword" Okita Souji.

The invincible and talented female swordsman did not lose to the enemy, did not die on the battlefield, but was instead defeated by the disease... It was really fate.

"Ogata-kun, I know my request is very difficult, but..."

Boss Kiryu took a deep breath, straightened his back, and said solemnly:

"Please forgive me! I want to help Qing Deng no matter what!"

"..."

Ogata folded his arms and stared at the other person without saying a word.

In a moment, his cold voice, which showed neither sadness nor joy, floated into the old man's ears.

"Jiulang, I am definitely not a heartless person, but... you should know very well how dangerous the 'power of immortality' is."

“It is by no means a magic pill that will work as soon as you take it.”

"It's not like everything will be fine if you drink my blood."

"Hemocough is a stubborn disease. If you want to cure it, one or two drops of my blood won't be enough. At least you have to drink a few big gulps."

"A large amount of 'immortality power' has entered the body - you should know what will happen without me having to explain it."

"That kind of intense pain is absolutely unbearable for ordinary people."

"Whether she can make it through this depends entirely on her physique and luck."

"Besides... the 'power of immortality' is extremely unstable."

"Absorbing a large amount of 'immortal power' in one go might cause a risk of mutation."

"How much have you and I suffered in order to quell the disaster caused by the 'power of immortality'?"

"Back then, we traveled all over the country and went through untold hardships before we finally eliminated the people and things related to the 'power of immortality'."

"I really don't want to see another incident caused by the 'power of immortality' in this world."

"so……"

Ogata stopped talking abruptly and didn't continue.

However, what he wanted to express was quite clear.

Facing Ogata's reply, Boss Kiryu seemed to have been prepared. He only thought for a moment before saying seriously:

"Ogata-kun, I understand everything you said."

"Of course I know the horror of the 'power of immortality'."

"Letting Xiao Si drink your blood is like buying a lottery ticket - whether it will be a blessing or a curse is still unknown."

"To be honest, if the conditions permit, I would never want to resort to this."

"It's just... In order to save Xiao Si, I can't care about so much!"

Boss Kiryu's tone was sonorous and powerful, revealing his iron determination.

Ogata narrowed his eyes and asked in a tone that was half surprised and half puzzled:

"Jiulang, do you like your disciple so much? He is willing to break such a taboo in order to save his wife."

Boss Kiryu curled his lips and said without hesitation:

"Of course! Qing Deng is my proud disciple!"

"Thanks to him, my legacy has been passed down."

“Thanks to him, I was able to come to terms with the incident of self-denial.”

"Thanks to him... I was able to see a wider world."

At this point, the smile on the old man's face gradually became gentler.

"Since I accepted him as my apprentice, he has surpassed my imagination time and time again."

"Now, whether in terms of swordsmanship or worldly achievements, he has far surpassed me."

“I want to witness his future achievements, his future, and the magnificent heights he will reach until the end.”

"For this reason, I am willing to clear all obstacles for him."

"Ogata, he is a very loyal person just like you."

"Xiao Si is both his wife and one of his earliest partners. The depth of their friendship is beyond the limits of what words can describe."

"I can't imagine how much of a blow it would be to him if Xiao Si passed away."

"He might never recover."

"I don't want his future to be clouded by Koji's untimely death."

"So, I am very determined - I am willing to sacrifice my life if I can cure Xiao Si!"

"Anyway, I'm already old, and this old face has no value anymore!"

"To be honest, before visiting your house, I was already prepared to 'kneel down and beg'!"

After saying that, Mr. Kiryu swiftly pushed open the round table in front of him and made a gesture to bow.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Ogata quickly reached out his hands and held down his body, preventing him from moving.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't do that! If you kneel down in front of me, I will have a nightmare tonight! One of the things I hate to see most in my life is my best friend kneeling down to beg me."

Ogata let out a long sigh, his face filled with confusion.

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Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

It turns out that Komaki Goro is really Ogata Ittosai! Wow! So shocking! No wonder this person has so many roles! So that's how it is! It turns out that this foreshadowing is so deep, I guess all the book friends haven't noticed it! (豹惊.jpg)