I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Therefore, once one understands the status of Shintoism in the hearts of the Japanese people, one cannot comprehend the current reaction of the Shinsengumi generals.

Facing the shrine, they angrily denounced the gods by name, calling them utterly useless, and uttering vulgar phrases like "open your eyes wide" and "watch closely," brazenly provoking the deities...

Qing Deng's outrageous behavior was truly shocking to everyone present!

Needless to say, Kiyokawa Hachiro suggested coming to pray for victory.

Even Saito Hajime, who was usually taciturn and sparing with words, couldn't help but widen his eyes and shout along with everyone else, "What nonsense are you talking about!"

No sooner had Sanako finished speaking than Kondo Isami added with a wry smile:

"King Tachibana, such disrespect towards the gods will surely bring divine punishment in the future."

Qing Deng had anticipated this reaction from everyone.

He said, half-jokingly:

"Don't worry, I am a descendant of the Minamoto clan, and the guardian deity of the Fujiwara clan has no control over me."

"Even if the guardian spirit of the Fujiwara clan really comes knocking on our door, it doesn't matter."

"Hachiman Daimyojin will help me solve my problem!"

"Hachiman Daimyojin is a war god who reigns over the entire divine realm. Even if all the guardian deities of the Fujiwara clan attack together, He will surely have a way to retaliate!"

Hachiman Daimyojin - the patron saint of the Genji clan.

During the Kamakura period, as Minamoto no Yoritomo served as the shogun and established the Kamakura shogunate, Hachiman evolved into a war god and the guardian deity of samurai families.

Having said that, Qing Deng, supporting himself with the sword at his waist, swung his arm and strode away with great spirit.

The Shinsengumi generals exchanged glances and then hurriedly followed.

The deity who had just led Qingdeng into the worship hall and was stunned and speechless by Qingdeng's disobedient behavior finally broke free from his "petrification".

He rushed forward in three steps at a time, blocking Qingdeng's path.

"Lord Ren-ou! What... what is this...?"

The deity's eyes were wide open like copper bells, and his eyeballs looked as if they might fall out of their sockets and onto the ground at any moment.

Shock, anger, fear... these three emotions were beautifully mixed on his face.

Any clergy member with even a modicum of responsibility would find it difficult to accept what Qing Deng had done.

Looking at the deity who was blocking his way with his arms outstretched, Qing Deng did not stop or slow down.

"Get out of the way."

Qingdeng did not use the word "momentum".

He glanced at the deity with an expression devoid of joy or sorrow.

However, even with just that, the god seemed to have seen some terrifying monster. The color drained from his face instantly, and he stumbled back several steps before falling to the ground with a thud.

Qingdeng didn't even glance at him, and walked right past him.

Seeing this, the other clergy present quickly stepped aside to make way for Qingdeng, no longer daring to block him.

The group had barely left the shrine when Souji jokingly said to Aoto:

"Kid Tachibana, be careful that the shrine master might use the time of 1-3 AM to punish you in the future."

The practice of praying at the hour of Ushi (1-3 AM) is a classic Japanese method of cursing someone. A lit candle is placed on one's head, and one quietly enters a shrine or temple around 2 AM. A straw effigy representing the person being cursed is hung on a tree. It is said that after praying for seven consecutive days, the cursed person will die, and the curse will lose its power if the prayer is seen by someone else.

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"If that's the case, then bring it on! I'm ready to teach you any lesson! Even formidable enemies as powerful as demons and ghosts can't kill me, let alone a mere curse?"

"..." Kiyohachiro stared at Aoto's back with a complicated expression.

After a moment, he sighed heavily and said to Qingdeng's retreating figure:

"Lord Ju, since you do not follow the ways of gods and Buddhas, why come here? And why utter such arrogant words in this sacred temple?"

Qing Deng turned his head to the side, glanced at Qinghe Hachiro, curled the corners of his mouth, shrugged, gave a few forced smiles, and then answered unhurriedly:

“In the past, I really wouldn’t have bothered to waste my breath talking to those Buddha statues and shrines.”

"But now... as I've gained more experience and witnessed more and more sorrowful scenes, and personally experienced more and more human tragedies, I've become increasingly displeased with those high and mighty gods and Buddhas who can't do anything."

His voice trailed off at this point.

Then, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and quietly looked at everyone.

Although everyone was puzzled, they still obediently stopped.

"This expedition has filled me with excitement. I can't wait to meet the enemy army as soon as possible. I'm eager to show my skills in this battle, break through enemy lines, kill generals, and cut down flags to achieve great feats and, incidentally, test the results of the soldiers' recent training."

"But at the same time... I also felt depressed and unhappy, as if a big stone was stuffed in my chest."

“Bandits, bandits… They are called ‘bandits,’ but to put it bluntly, they are just a bunch of farmers with nowhere else to turn.”

"Farmers are cunning."

“They would find all sorts of ways to hide grain and conceal private land, and they were keen to take advantage of others, even if it was a small advantage that did not benefit them at all.”

"They would be overjoyed if they could gain even the slightest advantage."

"If they can gain even a little benefit, they will not hesitate to harm others."

"But at the same time, they are also innocent."

"As long as they have a bowl of thin porridge to drink and won't starve to death, they will accept their fate and would never take the risk of starting a rebellion."

"In other words, this band of rebels heading straight for Kyoto is nothing more than a bunch of pitiful people who have reached the end of their rope."

"Of course, no matter how pitiful they may be, regardless of their status, position, or the heavy reasons they hold, once they commit an unforgivable mistake, they will always have to pay the price."

"After the uprising, this band of rebels burned, killed, and looted everywhere, committing all sorts of atrocities. They fully demonstrated the evil in human nature and went down a path of no return. They deserved to die."

"Therefore, once the two armies meet, I will show no mercy and will spare no effort to crush them with overwhelming force! I will slaughter them without leaving a single one alive!"

"However... despite this, but... but... I have to fight against a group of 'former farmers' who have been driven to the brink of despair by the immense pressure of survival... Whenever I think of this, my heart becomes heavy, and I feel even more resentful towards all the gods and Buddhas in the sky."

"What is the purpose of these gods and Buddhas?"

"It can neither fill our hungry stomachs nor extinguish the flames of war."

"Hiding in the deep halls, enjoying so many offerings, yet remaining aloof and watching the people suffer, indifferent to their pain—how can such a scoundrel be a god? How can he be so high and mighty?"

“At this very moment, I, you, and all the soldiers of the Shinsengumi are working tirelessly to quell the unrest and restore peace to the capital region, while these so-called gods continue to stand idly by as always.”

"Just thinking about this makes me furious."

At this point, Qingdeng looked up at the sky, gazing at the vast expanse of heaven with a profound look in his eyes.

It's like gazing at the distant sky, or looking at another world even further away.

"It would be a shame not to take advantage of this rare opportunity to have a 'close' exchange with the gods and Buddhas in Nara, a place with a long history and a rich Buddhist and Shinto culture."

"As for the so-called 'offending the gods' and 'divine punishment'... let's set aside whether these gods and Buddhas actually exist."

"Suppose they really exist, and they really are angered by what I said and decide to punish me... then I'd really laugh my head off!"

"To be unable to provide a peaceful and healthy life for the poor people, yet to be able to violently attack someone who curses them in a fit of rage—this kind of thing is absurd and laughable just to say it!"

"Even if you take my life, you can't make me truly convinced."

Even when I'm lying in my coffin, I'll use my broken, decaying vocal cords to laugh at them: You're just a bunch of cowardly, bullying bastards!

"If they really can't create a golden age like Yao and Shun, then I was right to criticize them."

"If they punish me, it proves I was right to curse them!"

Compared to his boastful words in the worship hall, Qing Deng's newly uttered words were no longer just shocking...

If Qingdeng was cursing the gods just now, then he's now defecating on the gods' heads!

Silence reigned all around.

In this utter silence, where you could hear a pin drop, the first person to utter a single word was Nagakura Shinpachi.

"...Mr. Tachibana, well said!"

Nagakura Shinpachi nodded vigorously.

"To be honest, I've long felt that these gods and Buddhas are a bunch of unreliable guys!"

“When I was listening to Mr. Shannan’s lectures on ancient history, I realized that throughout history, in every country, every person who brought peace to the world was a hero like Liu Bang, Zhu Yuanzhang, or Tokugawa Ieyasu! I have never heard of any god or Buddha descending to earth to save the suffering people!”

With Nagakura Shinpachi taking the lead, the others—mainly the "Shieikan faction" members—speaked one after another, all praising Aoto.

The "Shieikan faction" were basically a group of pragmatists who, while not necessarily materialists, generally lacked reverence for the divine.

Therefore, Qing Deng's viewpoint naturally suited their tastes.

Of course, not everyone shares Qingdeng's philosophy.

"..."

Kiyokawa Hachiro frowned, his face showing a hesitant expression, as if he wanted to say something more.

However, it is unclear whether it was because they were too lazy to argue with the "barbarians" or for some other reason.

In short, after opening and closing his mouth a few times, he slowly closed it and stopped uttering a word.

Just then, Qingdeng suddenly caught a glimpse of a bright pink color entering his field of vision.

He involuntarily uttered an "Hmm?" and then subconsciously reached out to grab the pink petal. Upon closer inspection, he realized that what was resting on his fingertip was a small pink petal.

This beautiful petal immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

Everyone raised their eyes and looked around.

I don't know when it started, but suddenly many pink petals appeared in the air and began to flutter and fall.

The commander stared blankly at the beautiful scenery, then exclaimed with delight:

"Cherry blossoms...it's cherry blossoms!"

Keisuke Yamanami blinked and chuckled to himself:

"I almost forgot... it's already the month of Mao."

April is the month when the iris blooms, so in Japanese culture, April is also elegantly called "Usagi-zuki" (卯月).

April is the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom.