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

She instinctively covered her chest and squatted down.

Hijikata was startled: "Okita! What's wrong with you?!"

"Mr. Hijikata... I..." Okita felt a burning sensation in his chest and gasped for breath, "Cough cough!"

-

"Pfft-"

Okita Souji spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Okita!"

......

Hijikata Toshizo placed the suddenly unconscious Okita Souji on his other shoulder and looked at Harada Sanosuke seriously: "This place... I'll leave it to you for now. Arrange for the other injured to receive treatment as soon as possible!"

"Yes, I understand!" Harada Sanosuke swallowed hard, indicating that he had achieved his goal.

Hijikata quickly carried Kondo Isami and Okita Souji back to their base.

Tonight, a major incident occurred not only inside the Ikedaya residence.

Anno Samura, Souji Okita, and Isami Kondo were all lying unconscious in their hospital beds.

In the Ikedaya Incident, both sides of the conflict, the Shinsengumi and the Choshu Domain's anti-foreign faction, suffered heavy losses, but in terms of severity, the Choshu Domain's anti-foreign faction suffered a devastating blow.

Almost all the prominent figures, such as Miyabe Teizō of the Higo Domain, Yoshida Minoru of the Choshu Domain, Yoshioka Seisuke, Mochizuki Kameyata of the Tosa Domain, Ishikawa Junjirō, and Kitazoe Keima, perished in the war, with only a few surviving.

The hardliners who advocated for the expulsion of foreigners were almost completely wiped out in this incident.

As a result, the Shinsengumi paid a heavy price. Commander Kondo Isami was seriously injured, First Division Captain Okita Souji fell into a coma, and more than 20 members were killed or wounded. This was the biggest loss the Shinsengumi had ever suffered since its formation.

However, the most crucial person in this incident survived by sheer luck because he was late for the party; that person was Katsura Kogoro.

The Kyoto Guardians and other members of the Shinsengumi are actively handling the remaining matters.

After the Shinsengumi vice-commander Hijikata Toshizo interrogated the remaining personnel, the true plans of these anti-foreign patriots came to light.

They plan to set fire to Kyoto on a large scale to attract the attention of the various domains' soldiers and the Shinsengumi, and then send men to storm the Imperial Palace, kidnap Emperor Komei, and take him to the Choshu Domain.

Then another group took advantage of the fire to assassinate Kyoto's guardian, Matsudaira Katamori, and Prince Nakagawa.

After receiving this news, Hijikata Toshizo felt a chill in his heart.

Thankfully, those bastards didn't succeed. If they had, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

These scoundrels who claim to "save the country" and "serve the country" have never cared about the lives of ordinary people.

And this is only the beginning of the turmoil...

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

Chapter 392 The Annihilation Plan

Zuocun slowly opened his eyes.

"Ah...it's that familiar ceiling."

He tried to move, but found that the left half of his body was fixed in place and he couldn't move.

"You should get some rest, Zuo Cun." A familiar voice came from outside. "I was suddenly knocked on the door in the middle of the night, and when I got there, I found you lying on my doorstep covered in blood."

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Zuo Cun smiled, but there was no apology on his face.

"So what happened?" Luslan sat down next to Zuocun, holding a bowl of hot porridge. "I remember you were very strong. Who could have injured you like this?"

"I won't tell you who it is, but that person... is really strong." Zuo Cun sighed.

Ruslan rolled his eyes: "You are indeed very strong. You almost died from blood loss."

"Hahaha, now that we've survived, let's not worry about it so much." Zuo Cun laughed twice.

"You still have the mind to laugh... Honestly, I'm impressed." Luslan fed Zuocun a spoonful of porridge.

With a slight smile, Zuocun recalled his encounter with Kondo a couple of days ago.

The unexpected Shrinking Ground Sword Technique caught Zuo Cun completely off guard.

If it weren't for Samura's quick thinking that allowed him to shift half a body distance and raise his crane wings to block, Samura might have been cut in two by Kondo Isami.

"Truly...exquisite swordplay!" Zuo Cun couldn't help but exclaim.

......

"Your cough has become quite severe, Captain Okita," the doctor said sternly to Okita Souji, who was sitting on the hospital bed in his hospital gown. "Please take my advice: you must take your medication every day to slow down your condition."

"Also, remember not to do any more strenuous exercise. Every time you gasp for breath, it could shorten your lifespan."

Okita Souji, however, did not heed the doctor's advice.

She looked at her hands with a slight tremor.

"Doctor..." she interrupted the doctor in a trembling voice.

“…You go ahead.” The doctor sighed.

"Will I... still be able to pick up a knife in the future?"

She can't forget how she felt last night.

It felt like a fire was burning in my chest, and my throat felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly.

I feel weak and my mind is foggy.

Can I... still pick up Kashuu Kiyomitsu?

The doctor thought for a moment and said, "As long as you take your medication on time, Captain, you will still be able to use a knife for at least the next few years."

"...Only these few years left?" she asked the doctor with hopeful eyes.

The doctor didn't know how to answer. After thinking for a moment, he patted Okita Souji on the shoulder and walked out of the infirmary.

Okita Souji's gaze returned to his own hand.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

She looked towards the bedside, where Kashuu Kiyomitsu was leaning against the wall.

No, I can't put down the knife.

We absolutely cannot let go!

......

a.

Zuo Cun stretched his arms.

"You've recovered so quickly!" Ruslan exclaimed in admiration.

"Your medical skills are excellent." Zuo Cun felt no discomfort whatsoever and smiled.

This scar extends from Zuo Cun's left chest to his left arm, with the deepest part of the wound located on Zuo Cun's left arm.

However, he has almost recovered now, since no bones were injured, and Zuo Cun's own recovery ability is exceptionally strong.

After putting on his Wu-style clothing and then slipping on his clean haori, Zuo Cun fastened his crane wings and pheasant feathers, and smiled at Lu Silan: "It's a bit of a shame that I can't stay here a few more days."

“You have your own things to do, don’t you?” Luslan smiled indifferently. “Don’t worry about me. If you encounter any difficulties, come to me, just like this time.”

Zuocun smiled and hugged Luslan before leaving Luslan's clinic.

Luslan smiled and shook his head.

Wearing a straw hat, Zuocun avoided the crowd and moved left and right until he arrived at a place in Kyoto.

Changzhou feudal residence.

Zuocun peeked his scabbard out from under the cloth, and the guards at the door let him through.

Samura entered the domain residence, went straight to the second floor, and knocked on the door of a room.

The door opened a crack, and the person inside narrowed their eyes upon seeing Zuo Cun. They then opened the door and pulled Zuo Cun inside.

"Where have you been this week?" The man wiped the cold sweat from his temples and pointed angrily at Zuo Cun. "If you don't come today, I'm planning to go back to Changzhou!"

Zuo Cun smiled and said, "I was a little injured, quite seriously. I've been hiding away to recover for the past two days, but I came as soon as I was healed."

"It didn't cause any delays, right?"

"Mr. Katsura Kogoro."

Katsura Kogoro sighed: "That's true, but it's still worrying to think about you disappearing for a week."

“This plan was jointly decided by you, me, Mr. Sakamoto, and Mr. Takasugi. If you disappear, how am I supposed to explain it to Mr. Sakamoto and Mr. Takasugi?”

"So it's nothing, why don't you usually worry this much?" Zuo Cun changed the subject. "I've been hiding these past two days and haven't been able to keep up with any news from the outside world. What's the situation in Kyoto right now?"

Katsura Kogoro sat on the tatami mat and told Samura about the events of the past few days: "The Ikedaya incident has spread throughout the country in just a few days."

"Of those who were drawn there by my name, six survived. The rest died on the spot, and the remaining few will probably die in prison. So," he said with a smile, "this operation was a success."

The two men bumped fists.

A while ago, at the beginning of spring, Sakamoto Ryoma, Takasugi Shinsaku, Samura Anno, and Katsura Kogoro held a meeting.

In the understanding of the four, the expulsion of foreigners, as Takasugi said, was merely a tool, a means to force the shogunate and powerful domains.

However, there is a group of people, an undeniable group, who genuinely regard this tool as their ultimate goal.

This group is undoubtedly an obstacle.

So the four of them plotted an operation.

First, let Takasugi Shinsaku stir up a topic in the Choshu Domain to attract the attention of the die-hard anti-foreigners.

Then, taking advantage of Katsura Kogoro's reputation as a leader in the anti-foreign movement, he gathered these people in Kyoto.

When those wolf cubs in Kyoto smelled the scent, they would absolutely not let go of these guys who wanted to burn Kyoto down.

On the day of the formal gathering, Katsura Kogoro was deliberately absent to ensure his safety.

At this moment, the Shinsengumi strike, helping the four men to... achieve a decisive victory over this group of stubborn anti-foreign elements.

The strongest fighter, Zuo Cun, was left to guard the area to ensure that most of these people were killed.