I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: Leopard has been playing "Ninja Fall" lately and really wants to write a story about "Aoto training Kinoshita Mai"!

As expected, female ninjas are meant to be trained! What kind of female ninja would they be if they weren't trained?

Chapter 617 Qingdeng: I, Ju Qingdeng, am definitely not a lecherous man! [4300]

Although he had prepared himself mentally, Aoto was still taken aback when he learned that the fat man in front of him was Saigo Kichinosuke, the military tax collector of the Satsuma Domain. He subconsciously glanced at the man a few more times.

He knew very well that he would meet the head of the Satsuma Domain sooner or later.

But... he never expected that this day would come so quickly and so abruptly.

Unlike those who achieve success through illustrious family backgrounds or shady means, Saigo Kinosuke climbed to his current high position step by step through his own talent and hard work.

In terms of "starting point in life" alone, Saigo Kichinosuke was by no means "holding a good hand".

Born into a poor family and serving as a low-ranking official for a long time, his experiences gave him a certain understanding and sympathy for the lower classes and a deep awareness of the corrupt rule of the government, which led him to embark on a path of dedicated reform.

Even in his youth, he adapted a widely sung Chinese poem based on the original poem by the monk Yuexing—who actively participated in the movement to uphold the emperor and expel foreigners, and thus enjoyed a very high reputation among those who advocated this movement:

"A man should leave his hometown with lofty ambitions, and not return until he has achieved fame. Why must his bones be buried in his native land? There are green hills everywhere in life."

After Shimazu Nariakira succeeded as lord of the Satsuma Domain, the "Seichu Gumi," led by Saigo Kichinosuke, submitted a petition outlining the issue of reducing the burden on farmers. Their political views were appreciated by Shimazu Nariakira.

Thus, Saigo Kichinosuke gained the favor of Shimazu Nariakira and was promoted to his trusted retainer, his career began to take off, and he gradually gained real power within the domain.

Simply put, he is an exceptionally inspiring man.

Everyone who has ever met Saigo Kinosuke speaks highly of his generous and forthright nature.

It is said that Saigo Kinosuke was a man with strong likes and dislikes and full of enthusiasm—a personality that perfectly matched the aesthetic standards of the Edo period.

Because of his benevolence towards the people, he enjoyed great prestige among the lower classes of Satsuma.

Furthermore, because he had long been involved in and led the Sojourn Movement, the Sojourn Movement patriots of the Satsuma Domain revered him as a god and respected and loved him from the bottom of their hearts.

After Shimazu Nariakira died of illness and Shimazu Hisamitsu took over, Saigo Kichinosuke, who became a "former government official," was always regarded as a thorn in the side by this ambitious founding father.

It's no secret that Saigo Kichinosuke and Shimazu Hisamitsu are at odds; it's been an open secret for a long time.

It is said that Hisamitsu Shimazu always wanted to suppress Kichinosuke Saigo and remove him from the power structure of the Satsuma Domain.

However, in the end, because Saigo Kichinosuke's prestige and status within the domain were too high, even above that of the nation's father, there was simply no way to take action, and the matter could only be dropped.

Strangely enough, the three major powers currently stirring up trouble in western Japan—Satsuma Domain, Choshu Domain, and Tosa Domain—have all seen their lords and former ruling classes sidelined to varying degrees.

The Tosa Loyalist Party, led by Takeichi Hanpeita, seized control of the Tosa Domain's political situation.

The formidable prowess of Saigo Kichinosuke, Okubo Ichizo, and Komatsu Tateto of the Satsuma Domain was such that even Shimazu Hisamitsu had to temporarily avoid them.

Needless to say, the Choshu Domain's "Let it be" title had long since become a massive mascot, even more so than the Emperor.

Saigo Kichinosuke's current position is "Military Tax Service," responsible for overseeing the military and political affairs of the Satsuma Domain in the Kyoto and Osaka area.

In other words, all the soldiers of the Satsuma Army stationed in the Kinai region were under the unified command of Saigo Kichinosuke!

Because Hisamitsu Shimazu held power within the domain for many years, Takamori Saigo, who was based in Kyoto, had a considerable degree of autonomy.

Thus, just like Aoto, Saigo Kinosuke had become practically a military governor.

Aoto lowered his eyelids, his gaze towards Saigo Kinosuke becoming increasingly focused and profound, thinking to himself:

—The commander-in-chief of the military forces stationed in Beijing… truly extraordinary!

With undeniable absolute strength, he became a general who could stand alone... Such a hero, just by looking into his eyes and the "aura" he exudes, is completely different from ordinary people!

Just as Aoto was carefully observing Saigo Kinosuke, the other man was also scrutinizing Aoto from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Judging from your accent... you must be from Edo, right?"

Although he used the question form, his tone was that of an affirmative sentence.

He had barely muttered anything when, as if realizing something, the corners of his mouth curled up into a meaningful smile:

"An Edo person appearing in Kyoto at this time... Hey, young man, you wouldn't happen to be a member of the Shinsengumi, would you?"

In an instant, the atmosphere around them changed.

The Samoans present all changed their expressions, staring at Qingdeng with wary looks.

A barrage of sharp gazes fell upon Qing Deng.

A very few individuals even reached for the sword at their waist.

Qingdeng shrugged fearlessly and laughed:

"Hey, what are you guys trying to do?"

“Look at the way you’re all acting. It’s as if if I just nod and admit that I’m a member of the Shinsengumi, you’ll all swarm me and tear me to pieces.”

“You’re not from Changzhou, so why are you putting on this act of ‘fearing the Shinsengumi like a tiger’?”

Saigo Kichinosuke:

“I’m sorry to have startled you. We lack knowledge about this emerging armed group, so we couldn’t help but feel nervous after learning that there were people suspected to be members of the Shinsengumi.”

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and gestured to his companions around him to "relax".

At this moment, Qing Deng said calmly:

“I have already made myself very clear—I am just a passing samurai, nothing more.”

Under normal circumstances, Aoto wouldn't mind revealing his true identity to Saigo Kinosuke.

Given their status and position, it was only a matter of time before they got to know each other.

However... the place they are in now is Gion.

In any case, Qing Deng didn't want the headline of tomorrow morning's tabloids to be "The commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi and the commander-in-chief of the Satsuma Army meet in Gion, and 'Gion's number one geisha,' Shiyo, is also present."

I really don't know how I'm going to explain this to Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji...

Upon hearing what Aoto said, Saigo Kinosuke first raised an eyebrow, then shrugged:

"It seems you're determined to hide your identity... Fine, since you're unwilling to reveal it, I won't press you any further."

Having said that, he composed himself, turned his head, surveyed the scene, and solemnly proclaimed:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am very sorry! I have failed in my duty to manage my subordinates, which has led to this farce tonight!"

At this point, he strode toward the geisha who had been kicked down by the Fifth Emperor but was still being supported by Ziyang.

"Young lady, are you alright?"

Thanks to resting on the tatami mat for a while, the poor geisha's condition improved considerably, and she was at least able to speak normally again.

She was startled by Saigo Kinosuke's sudden approach and unexpected concern.

Caught off guard, she stammered and nervously replied:

"It's...it's alright..."

Saigo Kinosuke nodded slightly, then took out a cloth bag from his pocket—clanging loudly—and judging from the sound, it contained money, and a large sum of money at that.

"Miss, this is my small apology, please accept it."

Without saying a word, he stuffed the large bag of money into the poor geisha's arms.

After paying the compensation, he slowly stood up, turned his head, and cast a helpless glance at Komatsu Daito not far away:

"Komatsu-kun, even though you were there, this kind of accident that should never have happened still occurred..."

Komatsu gave a wry smile:

"Saigo-kun, you really overestimate me. I am just a scholar who enjoys writing and talking. I can't control your group of arrogant and fierce soldiers."

Upon hearing the title "Komatsu," Qing Deng paused for a moment.

Komatsu of the Satsuma Domain... It was only then that Aoto finally realized that the important figures from the Satsuma forces present were not limited to Saigo Kichinosuke.

However, he didn't get a chance to greet Komatsu Tateto.

At this moment, Saigo Kinosuke turned to look at everyone except Komatsu Tateki, and gave a heavy, cold snort.

"Get out of here, you bunch of idiots! It was just a banquet to welcome Komatsu-kun to the capital, and you've managed to turn it into such a mess. I'm truly speechless! All of you, get back to your manor!"

Faced with Saigo Kichinosuke's rebuke, no one dared to raise any objections.

They all filed out with their heads hanging low and their expressions dejected.

As they left, they didn't forget to help Godai, who was still lying on the ground convulsing.

Saigo Kichinosuke walked at the very back of the group.

Just as his figure was about to disappear down the corridor, he suddenly stopped and turned to the side, staring intently at Qing Deng.

Their eyes met... their gazes collided in mid-air.

“Young man, I can’t quite explain why, but I have a feeling that we will meet again sooner or later—that day is not far off.”

After leaving those words in a cool manner, Saigo Kinosuke flicked his sleeves and strode away.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng chuckled and muttered to himself:

"Of course we will meet again... but whether we will be enemies or friends by then is still unknown..."

The volume was so low that only he himself could hear it.

Compared to the Choshu and Tosa domains, which had completely sided with the pro-shogunate and pro-extradition factions, the Satsuma domain remained cunningly neutral until this point, wavering between the pro-shogunate and pro-extradition factions and not clearly supporting either side.

In other words, when Aoto and Saigo Kinosuke meet again, they may become close comrades-in-arms, or they may become irreconcilable enemies...

At this moment, a weak, delicate voice pulled Qingdeng's consciousness back to reality.

"Sir, thank you..."

Qingdeng looked in the direction of the sound—and was met with grateful eyes.

The poor geisha, who had been brutally beaten but unexpectedly received a generous sum of compensation—a stroke of good fortune in disguise—was now looking at Aoto with a face full of gratitude.

Qingdeng responded with a reserved smile: