I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With the support of Kiryu's boss, Kinoshita Mai's cheeks beamed with even greater delight.

She turned her pretty face to look at Qingdeng, who had not yet expressed his opinion.

Qingdeng: "..."

To be honest, Qingdeng really wants to speak out: This name is just awful! It's both unpleasant to hear and tacky!

"Remember this well! The weapon that will send you to the underworld is called 'Nine Heavens Dark Great Demon'!"—Those who were shot by this spear probably died with their eyes wide open in disbelief after hearing these words.

But... but... how could he possibly disagree when he was being stared at by those bright, torch-like expectant eyes?

"...It sounds nice, it has a unique kind of beauty."

Talent "Trickster +1" (can lie without blushing or skipping a beat, making it difficult for others to detect anything amiss) activated!

Qing Deng smiled, his tone natural and sincere.

Don't lie! — This time, it was Kiryu's turn to give a silent complaint to the young man next to him.

The unanimous approval of Aoto and Kiryu's idea for the name made Kinoshita Mai chuckle with great pleasure.

"Good! From this day forward, you are the 'Great Dark Demon of the Nine Heavens'!"

After saying that, Kinoshita Mai raised her pistol high with both hands, resembling a classic scene from film history where "the baboon elder lifts up the lion cub Simba".

Perhaps unable to look directly at Kinoshita Mai's pistol any longer, Kiryu silently shifted his gaze from Kinoshita Mai to Aoto.

"Tachibana-kun, what about you? Have you decided on a name for your sidearm?"

"Well……"

Qingdeng pondered and thought.

Personally, he prefers a name related to Buddhism.

The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, his sword is named "Vairocana." Vairocana is another name for Vairocana Buddha. Since the sword's name is derived from the Buddha's title, unifying his other weapons with a "Buddha-like" style would make the overall design more uniform and imposing.

Secondly, Buddhist names are generally quite prestigious, so borrowing a name from a Buddhist institution is always a safe bet.

—Buddhism…Buddhism…Hmm?

At that moment, Qingdeng suddenly felt a flash of inspiration in his mind.

"...Mandala. I'll name my sidearm 'Mandala'!"

Upon hearing this, both Kinoshita Mai and Kiryu the shopkeeper showed expressions of curiosity.

"Mandala?"

The Kiryu boss gently savored the name.

Kinoshita Mai tilted her little head:

"Does the mandala... have any symbolic meaning?"

Qing Deng spoke slowly and deliberately:

"The mandala flower is an auspicious flower in Buddhism."

"Legend has it that when the Buddha was spreading the Dharma, he held up a mandala flower, and a rain of mandala flowers fell from the sky, symbolizing peace, tranquility, and good fortune."

"The scorching bullet that cuts through the atmosphere is the 'Mandala Flower' that brings you eternal peace."

After hearing Qing Deng's explanation, Kiryu's boss immediately understood.

"...The meaning is good."

He curled the corners of his mouth and gave Qingdeng an admiring look.

At this moment, Kinoshita Mai crossed her arms, and her northern and southern hemispheres were squeezed out from between her arms and chest under the pressure.

"Hmm... the meaning is quite good, but it doesn't feel imposing enough! Qingdeng, how about I come up with a name for you? Let's call it... 'Yellow Spring Black Winged Demon King'!"

"turn down."

Aoto, who only shows his rude side when doing that kind of thing with Kinoshita Mai, is now unusually stern-faced, with a cold expression and an unwavering attitude of "no matter what you say, I will not agree".

……

……

Mr. Kiryu kept his promise—when Kinoshita Rin agreed to let Kinoshita Mai sign up for the garrison, he would have no further objections.

The next morning, Kinoshita Mai rushed to and arrived at the recruitment venue of the Zhenfu Army.

With her abilities, it was only natural that she would join Qingdeng's ranks.

Kinoshita Mai is the second woman to appear on the platform after Sanako... Actually, she is the third, but since no one except for a very few people such as Aoto, Kondo Isami, and Hijikata Toshizo does not know Souji's true gender, Souji will be left aside for now.

Kinoshita Mai's appearance caused quite a stir at the event—mainly for three reasons.

The first reason: It is extremely rare for women to join the army.

Although women from wealthy samurai families generally practice martial arts, the vast majority of them do so purely to "enhance their social standing" and gain a reputation for being "both scholarly and martial," making it easier for them to marry into powerful families in the future.

There has never been a tradition of women joining the army, either in the past or present—a fact that applies to any feudal country.

The second reason: Kinoshita Mai's beauty makes many men's hearts flutter.

Aoto loves Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji equally.

In Qingdeng's heart, the three women held equal status; there was no question of who was more noble or less noble.

Even someone as benevolent as him had to admit one fact: Sanako was the most beautiful of the three women, while Kinoshita Mai and Souji were equally beautiful.

Being less attractive than Sanako... is not something to be ashamed of.

If we have to say, who is more beautiful than Sanako?

This is like saying your swordsmanship is inferior to Ogata Itsuki's—is it shameful to be inferior to Ogata Itsuki in swordsmanship? And whose swordsmanship can surpass Ogata Itsuki's?

For most ordinary people, especially when compared to their own wives or women with dull complexions, Kinoshita Mai is simply as beautiful as an angel.

Putting everything else aside, the fact that she has been well-fed and clothed since childhood, has never had to do heavy physical labor, and has paid attention to exercise on a regular basis has given her fair and elastic skin that is far superior to that of ordinary women.

It should be noted that nearly 90% of women in Japan at that time suffered from malnutrition, resulting in sallow skin, dry hair, and a generally withered appearance.

The third reason: Kinoshita Mai's skill is astonishing.

Her martial arts skills have always been superb.

Whenever he witnessed Kinoshita Mai's moves, Aoto couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Kinoshita Mai is skilled in a special technique for generating power—somewhat like the inch punch of later generations.

Qing Deng had no idea how she actually did it. In short, her punches and kicks could unleash tremendous power over extremely short distances.

Despite being just over 1.5 meters tall and weighing only a little over 90 kilograms, her punches were more terrifying than the impact of a 300-pound strongman.

This "offensive characteristic" is very suitable for ambushing people.

Unsuspecting people who fight against Kinoshita Mai will subconsciously lower their guard, thinking that even if they are punched by this charming woman, it won't matter—and when they come to their senses, they are already lying on the ground, with their chest so sunken that it's almost touching their waist.

Unfortunately, Kinoshita Mai still refuses to reveal to Aoto who taught her this martial art, and she has never shown any willingness to pass it on to Aoto, which Aoto finds very regrettable.

Out of respect for Mai Kinoshita, he did not deliberately hold back when facing her.

Even so, it still took him a lot of effort to win her over.

……

……

time flies.

In the blink of an eye, the conscription deadline of January 20th has passed.

从征兵开始的1月3日至征兵结束的1月20日，共有1237人慕名应征，其中武士1034名、平民203名。

Of these 1237 people, a total of 120 passed the assessment – ​​on average, one out of every ten people was selected.

It can be said that every one of those who passed deserves the title of "one in ten".

Thus, after arduous efforts since taking over the position of "Golden Region Garrison Commander," Qing Deng has finally become a commander with soldiers and generals under his command—but this is not the biggest gain he has made in this conscription campaign that lasted for more than half a month.

His biggest gain... was that he took advantage of this opportunity to acquire a whole bunch of talents!

In just over half a month, Qingdeng has reaped a bountiful harvest!

According to post-event statistics, he gained a total of 6 new talents, namely—

[Whitening]: Skin is less likely to tan.

[Strong Skin]: Collagen is not easily lost.

[Minor Proficiency in Equestrian Skills]: Equestrian talent is increased by 4 times the average level of ordinary people.

[With ease and confidence]: Excellent sense of rhythm in the body.

Serizawa Duck's [robust muscles]: The muscles are exceptionally strong and resilient.

Qinghe Hachiro's [Failed Art Student +2]: His speech was very inspiring.

In addition, 11 old talents have been upgraded.

[Left-handed] → [Left-handed +1] (Increases left-hand flexibility)

[Insight +1] → [Insight +2] (Excellent spatial awareness)

[Strengthen Essence +2] → [Strengthen Essence +3] (Fast recovery of energy and stamina)

[Hair] → [Hair +1] (Less prone to hair loss)

[Golden Voice] → [Golden Voice +1] (Voice cords are less prone to strain)

[Strong Stomach] → [Strong Stomach +2] (Good digestive and nutrient absorption capabilities)

[Piercing Clouds and Splitting Stones +1] → [Piercing Clouds and Splitting Stones +2] (Can produce a sound much louder than that of an ordinary person)

[A Mathematical Prodigy] → Their mathematical talent has increased from twice that of the average person to five times that of the average person.

[Musical Prodigy] → Musical talent has increased from twice that of the average person to six times that of the average person.

[Master of Bows] → Bowing talent has been upgraded from 43 times that of ordinary people to 45 times that of ordinary people.

[Master of Hand-to-Hand Combat] → Hand-to-hand combat talent has been upgraded from 30 times that of ordinary people to 35 times that of ordinary people.

******