I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

A night breeze rustled through the trees.

The distant fog cast ever-changing, indistinct shadows in the moonlight.

The big black ox, carrying its two owners, moved forward at a leisurely pace.

Splash splash splash splash...

The melodious and pleasant sound of flowing water reached Aoto and Sanako's ears from afar.

Before long, a winding, babbling brook came into view.

Apart from the sound of the flowing stream, all was quiet, without a single insect chirping.

The cool moonlight was cut into countless fragments of light and shadow by the bushes and branches.

Although the riverbank, repeatedly eroded by the water, is not wide, it is still wide enough for the two to meet in secret.

From here, you can see the city of Edo bathed in the darkness of night.

Unfortunately, this is the Edo period, and electric lights have not yet been invented.

If Edo at that time had been filled with electric lights like modern big cities, then the scene of "Edo adorned with countless colorful lights" would surely have been a breathtaking night view.

And this place, this riverbank, will be the best spot for viewing the scenery.

This is Sanako's "secret base".

On the eve of the fireworks festival in the first year of Man'en (1860), Sanako shared this place with Aoto and confided in him her distress that "her father (Chiba Sadakichi) had given her a verdict: her physical abilities had reached their limit and her martial arts skills could no longer be improved."

Sanako looked around and muttered:

"This place has become so messy..."

Qingdeng glanced at the ground covered with footprints of rabbits, birds, wild cats, foxes, and other animals:

"There must be a lot of small animals coming here to drink water."

The two led the radish to a patch of lush grass under a tree so it could graze and rest.

As for the two of them, they faced the stream with their backs against the tree trunk.

The branches covering their heads swayed in the wind.

The silvery moonlight pouring down from the gaps formed a net-like pattern, swaying lightly on the two of them like a swing.

Although Aoto was happy to spend time alone with Sanako, he was exhausted after fighting hundreds of people today.

So, wanting nothing more than to get home and sleep, he cut to the chase without further ado:

"Zanako, I won't beat around the bush with you—what's your purpose in ambushing me on my way home?"

Sanako stared straight at the river in front of her and said calmly:

"It's nothing really, I just wanted to let you know in advance that I'm joining the Zhenfu Army and I'm going to the capital with you!"

*******

*******

Leopard then realized that whenever it came to things related to Aoto, Kinoshita Mai was always a step behind Sanako~~ (Leopard laugh.jpg) Today was another day of persecuting "Shorty Cat".

Today's update time is a little earlier than usual! Congratulations! Please be sure to vote for this book with your monthly tickets, considering that I'm working hard to adjust the update schedule! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 511 Sanako and the rest of the Shieikan crew enlist! [5400]

Qingdeng: "..."

Sanako: "..."

Qingdeng was speechless.

Sanako remained silent.

About half a minute later, he finally couldn't help but blurt out:

"……what?"

Sanako's tone became more playful as she spoke to Aoto, whose expression showed signs of wavering.

"What's wrong? I remember your hearing shouldn't be that bad."

"Zanako, let me confirm, you're not joking with me, are you?"

"Of course, do you think I would joke about something like this with you?"

"...Can you give me a reason?"

Qing Deng put on a stern face and his expression became solemn.

"We're not going here for fun."

"You've probably heard so much about the current situation in Kyoto that you're sick of it, haven't you?"

"After advancing our troops to Luoyang, we might not even have a chance to catch our breath before being immediately thrown into intense battle."

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Sanako immediately nodded.

“I know, of course I know it’s not for fun, it’s for war—in fact, that’s why I decided to join the Zhenfu Army.”

Before Aoto could ask any further questions, Sanako interrupted him, saying:

"Ju-kun, has Brother Rong ever told you how he broke through his bottleneck back then?"

The person whom Sanako calls "Brother Ei" is naturally her second cousin, "Edo's Strongest"—Chiba Eijiro.

Although he didn't quite understand why Sanako had suddenly brought this up, Aoto obediently nodded.

This happened a long time ago.

Although the events have been recounted, the memories remain vivid.

Not long after the sword-fighting tournament held by Matsudaira Katamori, the lord of the Aizu Domain, ended, Chiba Eijiro, who had watched the tournament and developed a strong interest in Aoto, visited the Shieikan alone and had a match with Aoto, Nagakura, and others.

That was the first time Qing Deng directly felt the pressure from a top martial arts master.

It was also on that occasion that Chiba Eijiro shared his martial arts training tips—changing one's mindset.

He was once stuck in a bottleneck and unable to break free, but he was fortunate enough to receive earnest advice from Shusaku Chiba, who was still alive at the time: go see the "scenery" you have never seen before, experience the novel Mibu that you have never experienced in your past life, change your mood, and you may be able to break through the bottleneck without realizing it.

At the time, Chiba Eijiro did not understand the meaning, but he was tormented by the bottleneck and decided to try his luck. He adopted Chiba Shusaku's suggestion, temporarily put aside his obsession with swords, and shifted his attention elsewhere.

Soon after, wanting to experience what it was like to be an official, he gladly accepted the invitation from the Mito Domain and became an official of the Mito Domain.

When he first arrived at the Mito Domain, he was so busy with all sorts of official business that he had no time to practice swordsmanship.

But this allowed him to escape the vortex he had been trapped in and to look back on his past martial arts career.

One day, about six months after he took up a post in the Mito Domain, while working on official documents, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and figured out several problems in his swordsmanship training that had troubled him for a long time, thus breaking through the bottleneck in one fell swoop.

Chiba Eijiro combined "Chiba Shusaku's teachings" with "this life experience" and condensed it into a single sentence:

Whether you're studying academic subjects or practicing martial arts, it's like trying to catch water in a river. The harder you try, the less water you can hold. But if you slow down and gently close your hand, you can actually gather a small handful of water in your palm. So, approach your practice with a more relaxed and carefree attitude.

At that moment, Qingdeng suddenly realized something.

"Zanako, you wouldn't be... thinking of following in Sakae's footsteps, would you?"

Sanako turned her head to the side and gave Aoto an approving look that said, "That's right, you're right."

"Tachibana-kun, you haven't given up on martial arts yet."

Sanako turned back to face forward and gazed at the distant horizon.

"Although my father said with certainty that my martial arts skills could only go so far... I still couldn't give up my love for martial arts."

"No matter what, I want to continue practicing martial arts! I want to become stronger!"

“The unchanging life and the clean and tidy temple have become obstacles for me.”

"If this continues, even if I swing the bamboo sword and wooden knife ten thousand or a hundred million times, my martial arts skills will not improve an inch."

"Therefore, I have made up my mind—I want to change my environment like Brother Rong did, and see 'scenery' that I have never seen before!"

"In that case, I might be able to break through my current bottleneck by chance and become a powerful female warrior like Ms. Okita!"

After saying that, Sanako's clear black and white eyes shone with an extraordinary brilliance of intellect and will, dazzling everyone.

"...Have you told your family about your decision?"

Sanako shook her head.

"Their opinions don't matter anyway. My mind is made up. No matter what my family says, even if they strongly oppose it, I'm going to Kyoto with you!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but chuckle.

That's a very Sanako-esque answer.

"...I understand. Then please continue to guide me!"

"With your abilities, becoming a member of the Zhenfu Army is a sure thing."

"However, even for you, the induction process must be followed. I cannot show favoritism to you, as that would undermine morale in the army."

This time, it was Sanako who cast a surprised look at Aoto.

"Tachibana-kun, I thought you would try to dissuade me by saying that Kyoto is too dangerous. Just like I, Ms. Okita, and Mai Kinoshita did more than ten days ago, I hope you can stay away from the turbulent Kyoto."

Why should I try to dissuade you?

Qingdeng smiled and shrugged.

"Neither you, nor A-Wu, nor Xiao-Si are my possessions."

"What right do I have to interfere with your decisions or your future?"

“Since going to Luoyang is dangerous, what I should do is not to treat you like babies and keep you in swaddling clothes.”

"Instead, I will grip my sword tightly and protect you until you no longer need my protection."

"Your eyes tell me that your decision is not a whimsical idea, but an ideal that has been carefully considered."

"If that's the case, then that's enough."

At this point, Qingdeng paused for a moment, then quoted a famous saying from a literary giant of his past life: