In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

Mizushinko Masaji, dressed in loose-fitting wufu, stood at the door with his wife and spoke to Samura Anno.

"Then, I wish you good fortune in your military campaigns."

"I will issue an announcement regarding the birth of Cranewing, is that alright?"

"be sure."

Zuocun and Ryoma Arlong left together.

This time, Zuo Cun undoubtedly gained a lot from his request for a sword.

The Crane Wing, this famous sword, remained by Zuo Cun's side, and together with the Pheasant Feather, followed Zuo Cun onto the path of the eagle.

The quality of the pheasant feathers was also verified by Mizushinko Masaji, and although the quality was not as good as that of the crane feathers, it was still of excellent quality.

The tsuba of the Tsuruka sword is round, with the shape of a crane spreading its wings, while the scabbard is white with cherry blossom patterns.

Shui Xinzi and her husband returned to the house.

Shui Xinzi glanced at the forging workshop, looking somewhat lost, but then smiled.

Hehe had already been taken away by Zuocun, but he felt no reluctance whatsoever.

He understood that knives are forged to be used to cut people, and keeping a good knife indoors for display is the greatest disrespect to a knife.

“Masako.” Madam Shuixinzi came out of the living room, carrying two bags in her hands.

"What's wrong?" Shui Xinzi Zhengci took the bag, somewhat puzzled.

"These were left behind by those three young men," Madam Shuixinzi said with a smile.

Shui Xinzi opened the bag, and inside were two bags full of money.

One of the bags contained a note.

Masaji took out the note, on which a few words were written.

"Please use this money to hire some servants. You, sir, who is unable to forge swords, need some care. Anno Samura, Ryoma Sakamoto."

“Those two young men…” Shui Xinzi smiled and took the money bag in her hand.

......

"Sakamoto, Ms. Oryu, what are your plans for the future?" Samura asked, carrying his luggage.

Miss A-Long, perched on Ryoma's shoulder, looked at Samura and said, "Miss A-Long will always be with Ryoma, okay?"

Sakamoto Ryoma looked at the street and at the hurried pedestrians.

"What are your plans, Zuocun?" Ryoma asked in return, a smile on his face.

“On my way from Kyoto to Owari, I passed through a place called Kurokawayama.” Samura stroked the hilt of Tsurugi, smiling confidently. “There, I had someone to test my sword on.”

"Hmm? What is it?" Ryoma asked curiously.

Zuo Cun glanced at Miss A Long, but didn't answer. Instead, he imitated Ryoma and answered with a question: "What, are you interested?"

"Let's go." Ryoma smiled.

He originally intended to return to Edo to continue learning the Hokushin Itto-ryu style, but now it seems...

"I guessed it." Zuocun and Ryoma exchanged fist bumps, and Miss Ryoma puffed out her cheeks. "Well then, let's set off. Please take care of me."

"Please take good care of me." Sakamoto Ryoma bowed formally.

Miss A-Long suddenly appeared and tapped Zuo Cun on the head.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Zuo Cun cried out in pain.

However, there was no malice intended; Zuocun is very sensitive to malice.

Miss A-Long sullenly hid behind Ryoma.

“Miss A-Long will be with Ryoma!” she said, glaring at Samura.

"Okay, okay." Ryoma took Miss Ryoma's hand, and Miss Ryoma immediately became obedient.

With his new sword Tsurugi, Sakamoto Ryoma, and Ms. Oryu, Samura embarked on the road to Kurokawa Mountain.

......

Okita Souji was in the courtyard.

Ever since she first learned to shrink the earth, she has been trying to practice this technique.

This is the secret of the Natural Rinnegan style, which only she has mastered so far, but she has only used it once.

Shimazaki Shota, who changed his name to Shimazaki Isamu, and Hijikata Toshizo, neither of them learned the shrinking earth technique, and Inoue Genzaburo, who was even weaker, had not learned it at all.

This unimaginable skill seemed to have become a technique exclusively used by Okita Souji.

However, recently, Okita Souji has been very troubled.

Shieikan was not only a dojo for the Tennen Rishin-ryu school, but also a place where many noble sons, and even the offspring of some people in the shogunate, would come to Shieikan to learn a few moves, and then be given the so-called title of "samurai," carrying a sword at their waist, and showing off their prowess in front of ordinary people.

She came from a samurai family; although her father was only a feudal samurai, he was still considered well-mannered.

When Perry made his second voyage last year, Kondo Shusuke summoned back all the formal disciples of the Tennen Rishin-ryu school and closed the school for a period of time. During that time, Souji kept hearing things like "The country is about to change" and "What should Japan do in the future?"

Hijikata Toshizo became somewhat silent, always chatting with Shimazaki Isamu, while Inoue Genzaburo spoke less, and the atmosphere at the Shieikan suddenly became strange.

Okita Souji also became somewhat irritable.

She beat up all those who came to study and obtain samurai status, and drove them out of the testing hall.

Apart from a man named Saito Hajime, whose school of martial arts was unknown, Okita Souji was unable to completely suppress him.

Okita Souji kept swinging and thrusting his sword in the courtyard, hoping to use the Shrinking Earth technique again.

Once she can use the Shrinking Earth technique again, she will find Kondo Shusuke and tell him.

I want to go out and explore, instead of staying in the somewhat dull Shieikan.

------------

Chapter 304 Kurokawa Shimomura's Malice

Mount Kurokawa is a high mountain located in Shinano.

There is a lake in the middle of the mountain, and the water in the lake is bluish-black, so it is called Kurokawa Mountain.

The area around Mount Kurokawa is sparsely populated, but there are a few scattered villages at the foot of Mount Kurokawa, the largest of which is called Shimo Kurokawa Village.

It was July 1855. After traveling for almost two months, the three of them, including Samura, finally arrived at Mount Kurokawa, taking advantage of the sweltering heat.

In January 1855, Samura passed through Kurokawa Mountain, and at that time, he encountered something.

The things he encountered were also the root of why he was able to face Miss Ah Long with equanimity.

That was... a monster.

......

Samura became somewhat gloomy after arriving in Shinano.

His brows were always furrowed, and his hand never left the hilt of Hehe's sword.

The crane wings were obtained from Zuocun from Shuixinzi Zhengci, and have not been drawn even once since.

The first time this famous sword is drawn, Zuocun will leave it to that monster.

That... monster that made Zuocun grit his teeth.

On January 15, 1855, it snowed heavily.

Zuo Cun, wearing a straw hat and a raincoat, waded through the snow.

This place isn't exactly in the north, but it's at a relatively high altitude and the temperature is very low.

Zuo Cun was used to traveling in the snow. Although he looked thin, when he took off his winter clothes, he was all muscle and had a great physique.

Moreover, injuries heal quickly, and Dr. Ruslan said he is in excellent health.

“Ah, it’s a mountain,” said Zuocun, looking at the Kurokawa Mountain in the distance.

Zuocun rubbed his eyes with his fingers, wiping the snow off his eyelashes, and smiled.

Having traveled to various parts of Japan during this period, he has come to figure out some patterns.

If you see mountains or rivers, then you're basically not far from a village. Even if there's no village, there will be a shrine or something similar.

He looked up at the sun; it was still early.

"Let's go up the mountain and take a look."

He shook off the thick snow from his body and chose to go up the mountain.

He had been walking like this all night. Sometimes, as darkness fell and he couldn't find a place to stay, Zuocun would choose to continue his journey through the night until he found a village or town.

Zuo Cun chose to go up the mountain not for fun, but to get to a high place, observe the terrain, and see if there was a place to rest.

He was now wearing heavy clothes, with snow clinging to his raincoat on his back, making him look very heavy. Zuocun could not use the method of leaping between treetops to travel, so he could only wade through the thick snow and walk up the mountain.

By noon, Zuo Cun had reached the top of the mountain, but the sight before him surprised him greatly.

At the center of the mountaintop lies a lake, surrounded by a ring of mountains that enclose the lake in the heart of the mountain.

But that's not what surprised Zuocun.

This not-so-large lake has a very deep bluish-black color, and despite the heavy snowfall, it hasn't frozen and remains liquid.

Zuocun leaped from the mountain and stood steadily on the lakeside.

"That's amazing..."

He squatted down by the lake and looked at the water.

The dark blue lake was completely still, and Zuo Cun could clearly see his own face reflected in it.

"...The most urgent thing is to find a place to rest." Zuo Cun stood up and stretched his body.

Although the lake is magical, Zuocun also wants to try winter swimming, but right now, finding a place to rest is more important.

He returned to the mountaintop and walked along a ring of ridges, gazing into the distance.

"Ah, there really is a village."