I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 894: The Death Prophecy of the "Demon's Deputy Chief" [6000]

"Hey, Sanosuke, you're blocking me."

"Shinpachi, you still dare to say that to me? Isn't your big butt blocking Mr. Hijikata's way?"

"Okay, stop making a fuss, everyone else is still waiting to take their picture."

As Hijikata Toshizo said this, he put his arm around Nagakura and Harada's shoulders, then stepped aside to get out of the camera.

After hearing that this was a magical machine that could record images in great detail, everyone at the scene became interested.

Even some people who are usually inactive show rare enthusiasm at this time.

"...Mr. Tachibana."

Saito appeared quietly behind Qing Deng and said slowly and hesitantly:
"Can we... take a photo together?"

Looking at this close friend who had followed him the earliest, Qing Deng smiled calmly:
"of course can."

Hearing this, Fujido Heisuke, who was not far away, shouted impatiently:

"Ah! Mr. Tachibana, I want to take a photo with you too!"

Instantly, as if a chain reaction had occurred, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke... everyone expressed their desire to take a photo with Qing Deng.

Qing Deng was like the president of a university graduation ceremony, standing alone on the stage while others took turns coming forward to take pictures with him.

Suddenly, Hijikata Toshizo shouted to Qing Deng:

"Ju, let's take a big group photo of all of us who came from the Test Health Center!"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately attracted everyone's agreement and approval.

Qing Deng smiled and nodded.

"Okay, that's exactly what I meant!"

Seeing that Qing Deng agreed, Hijikata Toshizo immediately called people over.

"A Sheng! Come here quickly! And you, Shan Nan! Stop standing there!"

Yamanami Keisuke smiled helplessly and walked towards Hijikata Toshizo.

In fact, Yamanami Keisuke was not as enthusiastic about photography as others.

It was not until Hijikata Toshizo pulled him aside just now that he was forced to take a photo with the other party.

In a short while, under the leadership of Hijikata Toshizo, the "Shiweikan faction" arrived in full force.

Aoto, Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, Soji, Yamanami Keisuke, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, Inoue Genzaburo, Fujido Heisuke, and Harada Sanosuke - these 10 people who had gone to Kyoto with such passion in their hearts, gathered together for the first time in a long time.

Ever since the Shinsengumi became a huge army dominating the capital, it has become increasingly difficult for them to reunite with each other.

Because there are too many people, if they were arranged in a long snake formation, it would definitely exceed the shooting range of the camera.

Therefore, they arranged themselves in a fan shape, with Qing Deng standing in the middle and the others forming his "two wings".

"Okay! Don't move!"

Kenzo Tamoto said as he crawled into the black cloth behind the camera.

"One... two... three... four... five... OK! You can move now!"

After Kenzo Tanamoto took the photo, Harada Sanosuke showed excitement and laughed triumphantly.

"Hehe~~ I have a feeling that the photo we just took will go down in history! As for the name of the photo, it will be called 'Shiweikan - Edo's Strongest Sword Hall'!"

Kondo Isami grinned:
"That's a good name."

"Oh, that's bad! If I had known this would happen, I should have shaved my beard earlier! If people in the future see me in this sloppy state, won't I be laughed at?"

Nagakura Shinpachi said this while gently stroking the stubble on his chin, a look of worry on his face.

Hijikata Toshizo shrugged.

"Don't worry, the photo isn't that clear, your stubble isn't visible."

Just as everyone was about to disperse, Qing Deng took the lead and shouted:

"Wait a moment, don't leave in a hurry!"

After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Serizawa Kame and Niimi Nishiki not far away.

"Serizawa! Niimi! Come over here, let's take a photo together!"

After these words were spoken, both Serizawa Kame and Niimi Nishiki were stunned.

"Photo? Us?"

Serizawa Duck frowned.

"We are not from the Test Health Center, so there is no need for us to join in the fun, right?"

While Qing Deng and others were taking pictures enthusiastically, Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki just stood at the side, neither saying a word nor stepping forward to join the "photo session", with an aloof look of "independent from the world" and "sober while everyone else is drunk".

Of course, from another perspective, the two of them seemed to be isolated by Qing Deng and others.

Qing Deng smiled and explained:
"We were just taking a group photo of the 'Test Health Hall Group'."

"And now, I want to take a group photo of the 'Shinsengumi'."

"So, Sanako, Ama, Elodie, and Yataro, you guys come over here!"

This time it was Elodie and the others who were stunned.

Sanako and Ama were fine and soon recovered.

Elodie blinked her beautiful eyes, her face full of surprise.

Iwasaki Yataro was even more surprised.

"Mr. Tachibana, me, me?"

He pointed at himself, with a look of strong hesitation on his face.

"But, but... I'm not from the Shinsengumi, I'm from the Shinsen Chamber of Commerce..."

Before he could finish his words, Qing Deng interrupted him:

"To me, you've long been a member of the Shinsengumi. Stop talking nonsense and come here."

"Mr. Orange..."

Iwasaki Yataro's face was filled with emotion, as if he would cry at any time.

Qing Deng had said so much, Elodie and the others stopped hesitating and trotted to the front of the camera.

Now, only Serizawa Kame and Niimi Nishiki remain.

Serizawa Duck looked at Qing Deng with a complicated expression, neither advancing nor retreating.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a big hand pressing on his shoulder.

Serizawa turned his head and saw Niimi Nishiki smiling and saying to him:

"Brother Serizawa, let's go."

"..."

Hesitation and indecision took their final tug at his cheeks.

Finally...about 5 seconds later, he slowly took big steps towards the group, and Nimi Nishiki followed closely.

No one at the scene objected to their joining.

Comradeship is indeed a very special bond.

Qing Deng had read this little-known fact in his previous life:

The friendship between comrades-in-arms... especially the kind of comradeship that goes through danger together and entrusts one's life to each other, will burst out with amazing energy, just like a strong romantic relationship, or even better than a husband and wife.

Whether this piece of little-known knowledge is true or false, Qing Deng is not a professional scholar, so he does not know.

However, based on his own actual experience, he feels that there is some truth to this statement.

Looking back to the beginning, when Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki joined the Shinsengumi, even if they were not hated by everyone, they could be said to be incompatible.

This is not because Qing Deng and others intend to exclude him.

The "Shiweiguan School" headed by Qing Deng came from the same sword hall and had a very deep friendship with each other. They would naturally stick together, and there was no room for outsiders to interfere.

On the other hand, Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki are from the same hometown (Mito) and have been close friends for many years, so they form a small group of their own.

In this way, the estrangement and confrontation between the "Shieikan faction" and the "Mito faction" became a natural thing.

However, after experiencing many bloody battles, fighting the enemy side by side, and going through life and death together, the gap between the two groups gradually narrowed.

Comrades who have fought in the same trenches, been in the same boat, and shared weal and woe... Such a bond has gone beyond ordinary friendship.

Even people like Hijikata Toshizo and Saito Hajime, who used to be at odds with Serizawa Kamo, are no longer as hostile to each other as before.

Of course, such a change is naturally inseparable from the glorious military achievements of Ya and Jin, who were earned with their sweat and blood.

The Shinsengumi is a military, so naturally they respect strength.

Whoever fights better and is more capable will gain more respect.

Hijikata Toshizo is to the Shinsengumi what Zhang Liao is to the Eastern Wu, and he can stop children from crying at night.

Whenever the term "Demon's Vice-Captain" is mentioned, the Shinsengumi's soldiers can't help but shudder.

Despite this, no one dared to question his status.

The reason for this is that his outstanding abilities in both civil and military affairs are obvious to all.

Faced with tough and difficult battles, Serizawa Kame and Niimi Nishiki never backed down and always charged at the forefront, accumulating real military merits.

Serizawa even once took the first place in the battle (Battle of Iga).

No one can deny that Serizawa is one of the most valiant and skilled swordsmen in the Shinsengumi!

Even those who hate Serizawa the most have to acknowledge his bravery and military achievements, and give him the utmost respect.

On the other hand, perhaps because he was convinced by Qing Deng or because of the comradeship, Serizawa Duck was not as aggressive as before.

In a nutshell, he became much calmer, like a sword that had been sheathed and no longer easily shown to others.

With the addition of Duck Serizawa, Elodie and others, the front of the camera became extremely crowded.

It took a lot of effort for everyone to finally find a good position.

Qing Deng was still standing in the middle, with Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo on his left and right.

The girls, led by Sanako, stood in front of him, and Awu hugged Elodie affectionately.

The rest of the people either stood or squatted so that everyone's face could be captured by the camera and not blocked.

Perhaps infected by the lively atmosphere at the scene, Kenzo Tamoto excitedly crawled into the black cloth behind the camera.

"Stand still! Don't move! One... two... three... four... five... OK, that's it!"

……

……

The photography continues.

After taking the group photo, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke and others took turns to take individual photos, saying that they would send the photos back to their hometown to let their fellow villagers see how majestic they are now.

Harada Sanosuke, this funny guy, even took off his upper body and threatened to take a picture of the scar on his stomach.

While taking the photo, he even mentioned the scar on his stomach to Kenzo Tanamoto:
"Back then, before I became a ronin, I was still an official in Iyo-Matsuyama Domain. There was an annoying guy who slandered me as a 'petty official who didn't even know the etiquette of seppuku'. I'm a stickler for facts. Didn't he say that I didn't even know how to commit seppuku? I pulled out my wakizashi on the spot, stabbed it into my own stomach, and committed seppuku in front of him!"

……

……

After taking many photos in succession, Hijikata Toshizo slipped away to an inconspicuous corner and took a rest quietly.

Suddenly, a muffled voice sounded from beside him:

"A-Sui, it's about time you explained it to me, right?"

Hijikata Toshizo raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the voice with a look of surprise.

"Asheng, why are you here?"

In front of his sight, Kondo Isami, holding the sword at his waist, strode towards Hijikata Toshizo.

"A Sui, please explain to me quickly."

He repeated without any sadness or joy.

Hijikata Toshizo regained his composure and smiled slightly:
"Explain? What do you want me to explain?"

"You are really abnormal today. What happened?"

"Abnormal? Dare I ask what's abnormal about me? I just had a sudden impulse, so I paid for everyone to take photos. Is there a problem?"

"I can't explain it clearly. Anyway, I just think you are abnormal."

"Really... you're being too unreasonable, aren't you?" Just as Hijikata Toshizo was giving a wry smile, a new voice suddenly rang out:

"Mr. Hijikata, if there is a hidden story behind this, let me hear it."

Then, footsteps approached.

This time, Hijikata Toshizo and Kondo Isami were both stunned.

The two of them knocked in the direction of the sound and saw Souji taking small steps and appearing in front of them in the blink of an eye.

Hijikata Toshizo has a strange expression:

"Xiao Si? Why are you here too?"

The chief smiled:
"Even Brother Kondo can see your abnormality, how could I not see it?"

"What kind of relationship do you think we have?"

"It's understandable that Qingdeng and the others didn't notice anything unusual about you."

"But we are brother and sister."

"We can immediately detect any abnormality from the other party - that's our ability, isn't it?"

After hearing this, Hijikata Toshizo stopped making any further excuses.

Looking at the two people who were "sandwiching" him from the left and right with a pincer attack, Hijikata Toshizo sighed and spread his hands, his expression dominated by strong helplessness.

"Alas... I really can't do anything with you..."

"You can see something strange about this. I'm really impressed by you..."

Although he was complaining, there was no sign of annoyance on his face. Instead, he showed a faint smile.

Then he fell silent, as if he was thinking about his words.

Kondo Isami and Souji were not in a hurry either, and waited quietly.

He did not keep them waiting for long.

After only a moment, a faint voice was heard:
"…About half a month ago, I kept having a strange dream."

"I dreamed that in a vast land, you were all moving forward."

"And I... am stuck here, unable to move back or forward."

"No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my legs to move even a single step forward."

"I can only watch you drift further and further away from me."

"To be honest, I don't know how to interpret dreams, and I don't understand the specific meaning of this dream."

"I only know that every time I wake up from a dream, an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness always comes as expected, wrapping my whole body tightly..."

"Thinking of the upcoming 'Changzhou Campaign', I couldn't help but wonder: Could this dream be predicting my death?"

Having said this, Hijikata Toshizo curled up the corners of his mouth and revealed a calm smile.

"If I go to the underworld and meet the King of Hell, I will naturally not be able to follow you."

"I'm not bragging, but I'm never afraid of death."

"After following Ju to Luoyang, I was ready to die at any time. I never expected to die on my old bed."

"If I really die heroically in the 'Changzhou Campaign', I will be willing to do so and have no complaints."

"But... I don't know why. Ever since I started having this strange dream, I suddenly have a strange and strong desire - I inexplicably want to leave some traces of my life in this world, especially traces of my struggle side by side with you."

“So I thought of cameras, and that led me to find Kenzo TABATO.”

"Then, here comes today's story."

Hijikata Toshizo finished speaking.

As soon as he finished speaking, Kondo Isami lowered his voice and murmured slowly:
"No wonder you were so enthusiastic about taking photos today and kept asking people to take photos with you. So that's how it is."

If we were to ask who was the most enthusiastic person taking photos today, perhaps Hijikata Toshizo could compete for a spot.

He just kept asking people to take pictures with him, and almost everyone took a picture with him.

Hijikata Toshizo nodded slightly:

"Yes, that's right. When I think that I might die on the battlefield of Choshu, I always want to take more photos..."

"Mr. Hijikata, what are you talking about!"

Before Hijikata Toshizo could finish his words, he was interrupted by Souji in a rude tone.

She frowned and her cheeks were filled with displeasure.

"What do you mean by 'dying on the battlefield of Choshu'? Bah! Bah! These are all just your wild imaginations!"

"It was just a weird dream. I'm surprised you could associate it with 'dying in battle'!"

"In my opinion, you are just overthinking it!"

"I often dream of a mountain of candy that is drowning me."

"After so many years, why hasn't this dream come true?"

"Dreams are just dreams, don't think too much about it!"

"How could a dignified 'Demon's Vice-Captain' die under the sword of the Choshu people?"

"Don't say such unlucky words again... cough, cough! Cough cough cough!"

Suddenly, Souji stopped talking and started coughing violently.

The cough came so quickly and violently that both Kondo and Hijikata were startled and their faces changed color.

Kondo Isami asked first:
"Xiao Si, what's wrong with you?"

After coughing a few more times, Souji patted his chest and took deep breaths to adjust his breathing:
"No, nothing... I just caught a cold recently, that's all, don't worry about it."

Although Souji is the "Heavenly Sword" of the Shinsengumi and possesses physical fitness far beyond that of ordinary people, in fact, his physical health is nothing to write home about.

Every time the seasons change, she often catches a cold and has a fever.

Now is the time when autumn is turning into winter. The temperature difference between morning and evening is very large, and it is very easy to catch cold.

Hijikata Toshizo and Kondo Isami were no longer surprised by Souji's proneness to illness.

Therefore, after expressing their condolences, they did not think any further about it.

Kondo Isami's gaze turned back to Hijikata Toshizo:

"A-Sui, this is really unlike you."

"If it were you in the past, you would just sneer at these mysterious things."

"I wouldn't even go out of my way to take photos with people as a souvenir."

Upon hearing this, Hijikata Toshizo shrugged with an amused look on his face.

"Yes, indeed."

"If it's 'my old self', it is."

When he said the words "my former self", he emphasized them.

"In the past, I certainly wouldn't do such fussy things."

"But now..."

Here he paused briefly.

Then he turned his head and raised his eyes to look at the crowd not far away who were still enthusiastically taking pictures.

Instantly, his brows and eyes relaxed, his facial lines loosened, and his expression became gentler.

"Now I have become much more timid."

After saying that, he stood up suddenly.

"Anyway, there's no harm in taking more precious photos, right?"

After leaving these words, Hijikata Toshizo said no more and strode away.

Before leaving, he added loudly:
"Don't tell anyone what I just said, especially not Tachibana."

"I don't want my personal reasons to affect Tachibana's judgment and command."

After leaving these words, he quickened his pace and walked away.

Kondo Isami stared at his back with a complicated expression.

After a while, he let out a long sigh.

"Xiao Si, what's going on?"

"I'm really worried about A-Sui's state of 'finishing his funeral early'..."

Facing Kondo Isami's melancholy, Souji smiled helplessly:

"There's nothing I can do. I can only take it one step at a time."

"I still stand by my opinion - it was just an ordinary dream."

"It's just that Mr. Hijikata is overthinking."

"There was a time when I often dreamed that my teeth were rotten because I ate too much konpeito."

"I was always depressed during that period, fearing that I would end up with a miserable life at such a young age."

"As a result, to this day, my teeth are still in good condition."

"It turns out that dreams are just dreams. There is nothing special about them. Don't worry about them."

"Besides, who is he?"

"He is the 'Demon's Vice-Captain' Hijikata Toshizo!"

"Who has the ability to take his life?"

"Looking at it from another perspective, this is actually a good thing."

"The 'Demon Vice-Captain' sometimes has the side of the 'Bodhisattva Vice-Captain'."

After listening patiently to Souji's advice, Kondo Isami nodded slightly to show his agreement.

"Well, you talk a lot."

"A Sui is very lucky. He won't die easily."

"Xiao Si, we have to keep an eye on A-Sui from now on."

"Because he doesn't do anything stupid."

He said as he stepped forward, ready to leave.

After taking two steps, he suddenly found that Zongsi was standing still, so he asked:

"Hmm? Xiao Si, what's wrong? Aren't you leaving?"

The chief laughed:
"I've been busy taking pictures and I'm a little tired, so I want to rest here for a while. Brother Kondo, you go ahead."

Upon hearing this, Kondo Isami did not doubt it and just walked away.

The chief stared at his back.

After confirming that Kondo Isami had gone far away, she suddenly raised her hand to cover her mouth tightly, and then coughed hard and violently:

"Cough, cough! Cough cough cough cough cough!"

Because she coughed so hard, she had to lie on the ground to make herself more comfortable...

……

……

Somewhere in Choshu——

"Prepare—let go!"

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
"First row, back off! Second row, forward! Ready—fire!"

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
There were gunshots one after another.

The barrage was as dense as rain.

The troops that were practicing musket fire were none other than Choshu's last and most elite armed force - the Kiheitai.

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

Today is another day when Leopard updates 6000 words! Please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

While typing this chapter, Leopard actually forgot the name of Elodie's father... (豹謀.jpg)