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

Chaos began.

This scene would definitely send Tosa into a frenzy.

......

Zuocun leaped and bounded through the mountains and forests.

He took off his black clothes, bound them with stones, threw the blood-stained clothes into the river, and then returned to the Sakamoto residence.

"Looks like it worked."

Ryoma looked at Samura, who seemed to be in a bad mood, and said...

There was also a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Zuo Cun nodded, and the two remained silent.

"Where is Mr. Koike's daughter?" Samura asked.

"Miss Ah Long is taking care of her, but the little girl doesn't seem to believe that her father will come back."

"...She's eleven years old, she should know something."

Zuo Cun clutched his chest and let out a long sigh.

"I think we should tell her the truth."

"...Are you serious?" Ryoma's eyes showed some surprise.

“I’m serious.” Zamura took out Koike Kazumasa’s suicide note from his clothes. “This is his father… who asked me to give it to her.”

"And at eleven years old, she's not young anymore."

Zuocun remembered another girl.

When he first met Okita Souji, Okita Souji was only one year older than the current Koike Kanna.

A girl who is almost an adult should learn about these things.

"I will be heading to Choshu next, and then I will return to Kyoto to prepare for your arrival. In the meantime... let her stay with me."

"Hmm." Ryoma didn't say anything more.

The two people arrived at the door of a room.

Inside, faint sobs and Miss Ah Long's frantic attempts to comfort her could be heard.

Zuo Cun pushed open the door and saw a little girl with long black hair kneeling on the ground, crying.

She is Kazumasa Koike's daughter, Kanna Koike.

Zuo Cun looked at the suicide note in his hand and felt a pang of pity.

After a moment's thought, he sat down opposite Kanna, his rough hands hesitating slightly before patting her head.

Kanna looked up at the unfamiliar young man with teary eyes.

"You... ugh, who are you, ugh, who?" The little girl's eyes were filled with tears, not understanding what had happened.

Zuocun placed the suicide note in the little girl's hand.

“This was left to you by your father. He said you should open it after you come of age.”

"Father... he... he... he's not coming back." The little girl held the suicide note, looked at Zuo Village, and tears streamed down her face.

Zuo Cun pointed to what the little girl was holding: "This is your father's will."

The little girl cried even harder.

Samura patted Kanna's head but didn't say anything more.

Miss A-Long looked at Ryoma and said, "I did my best, Ryoma."

"Miss A-Long did a great job!" Ryoma said, taking Miss A-Long's hand.

“From now on, I will take your father’s place in your life.” Zuo Cun looked at Kanna and said these words.

Kanna was still reeling from the grief of losing her father forever, staring blankly at Samura.

Ryoma and Miss Arlong stood to one side, watching silently.

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

Chapter 356 A Second Visit to Shui Xinzi

Yoshida Toyo died. When his family found him, they could no longer recognize the puddle on the ground as Yoshida Toyo.

A strange man was kneeling beside them; he was undoubtedly the murderer.

Unfortunately, the man who killed the powerful councilor of the Tosa Domain, who was second only to the emperor, had already committed seppuku.

The feudal lord, Yamanouchi, was completely numb.

Now is the time when Yoshida Toyo needs to restrain the newly established Tosa Loyalist Party. Why did you have to assassinate him now of all times?

He had suspected that it might have been the Tosa Loyalist Party that was behind it, but after investigation, none of the members of the Tosa Loyalist Party were recorded as having been present at the scene that day. The man who committed seppuku at the scene of Yoshida Toyo's assassination was also identified as Yoshida Toyo's former mortal enemy, and he had a motive for killing Yoshida Toyo.

With the investigation failing, Yamanouchi Dodo had no choice but to temporarily refrain from causing trouble for the Tosa Loyalists in order to stabilize the situation.

......

Two people wearing straw hats walked in the snow.

Both the adult and the child carried luggage.

Before Koike Kanna could recover from the grief of losing her father, she had no choice but to follow Samura on the journey to the Choshu Domain.

Samura went to the Choshu Domain not for any other reason than to see an old acquaintance.

This old acquaintance forged the katana he has been using ever since.

The third generation of Shui Xinzi is showing off, and Shui Xinzi is doing well.

When Samura returned to Tosa, he received a letter from Mizushinko Masaji.

In the letter, Mizushinko Masaji stated that she was nearing her limit and didn't have much time left.

Before leaving, he wanted to see Zuo Cun one last time, and also to see He He, who had become famous alongside Zuo Cun.

Kana shook the snowflakes off her straw hat, and her stunned expression was heartbreaking.

She involuntarily stopped in her tracks.

Zuo Cun noticed that something was wrong with Kanna and squatted down to look at her face.

"What's wrong, Kanna?"

Kanna was startled and jolted awake from her dementia.

"No, it's nothing, Lord Samura." She looked somewhat frightened.

Zuocun sighed softly.

The sudden change in her life dealt an indelible blow to the little girl. All that Samura could do was to take care of her as much as possible after Koike Kazumasa's death.

“You don’t need to be so afraid, Kanna.” Zamura forced a smile and gently tapped Kanna’s straw hat.

“...Hmm.” Kanna still looked very scared.

Zuo Cun pursed his lips.

Kanna is a gentle and shy girl, unlike the fiery Okita Souji that Samura met back then.

Samura felt a great deal of guilt towards Kanna, and thought that making amends should be done gradually.

"Let's go." Zuo Cun patted Kanna's head through his straw hat and stood up.

The two continued on their journey.

Kanna looked at Samura's back, which was neither tall nor broad, and felt a little uneasy.

But I still followed behind him.

After all, the area around Zuocun is arguably Kanna's only refuge at the moment.

Samura sensed Kanna's unsteady, absent-minded steps as she stared ahead.

His eyes conveyed both complexity and determination.

When he learned that Koike Kazumasa had been sacrificed, he knew this would be the outcome, but he did it anyway.

Before he left, Longma gave him a lot of money.

"Let's use these to make Kanna's life a little better."

......

The Tosa Domain and the Choshu Domain were not far apart, and it took the two of them more than ten days to reach them.

The weather was gloomy, and it looked like it was going to snow.

Zuo Cun looked at the sign at the entrance of the house.

Shuixinzi.

For a moment, his thoughts seemed to return to May 17th of the second year of Anzheng.

"Did Lord Samura come to the Choshu Domain just for this place?" Kanna's emotions were quickly worn down by the arduous journey, and she no longer felt sad while traveling.

But after all, she was just a child. Unlike Samura, who had been living a life of hardship and exposure to the elements, Samura often had to carry Kanna forward when she was tired or even asleep.

Fortunately, Samura was very strong, so carrying Kanna on his back was quite easy.

Kanna gradually became acquainted with Samura during their walking journey.

"Kanna, you don't need to call me Lord Samura." Samura smiled. "Just call me Samura."

Kanna didn't say anything.

Zuocun sighed and gently tapped Kanna's head.

He patted the courtyard gate and took a step back.

"Coming!" A childish voice came from inside the house.

A boy who looked to be in his teens pushed open the door, looked at Zuo Cun, and saw the two knives at Zuo Cun's waist.