I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

[Note: Doma: In Japanese architecture, the doma is the transitional area between the outdoors and the indoors, and is part of the house's interior. While there's a custom in Japan of removing shoes indoors, there's a space before entering the foyer where shoes can be worn – that's the doma.]

At the same time, Mr. Kiryu stood up, walked out of the shop, hung a "Temporarily Closed" sign outside the shop door, and locked the shop door.

"Kid Orange, let's go inside and talk in detail."

An old man and a young man walked side by side toward the main hall of the Senjiya.

Suddenly, Mr. Kiryu turned his head and said to Aoto:

"Mr. Orange, would you like tea or coffee?"

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Coffee? Senjiya now offers coffee?"

Mr. Kiryu smiled.

"I had some free time recently, so I took the opportunity to learn how to brew coffee."

"When I first tasted this, I found it to be very bitter."

"But after drinking too much, I tasted a strange aroma."

"I've been really into coffee lately."

"Would you like to try some?"

Coffee—if Qing Deng remembers correctly, the last time he drank coffee was before he transmigrated.

As a classic imported product, coffee has not yet become popular among the general public in Japan.

To be honest, Qingdeng doesn't really like coffee.

However, being able to taste coffee again after so long evoked a strange sense of nostalgia in him.

Therefore, he replied without hesitation:

"Alright, then I'll gladly accept your offer!"

……

……

The Thousand Things Shop, the Hall—

Qingdeng sat upright and proper, with his hands resting on his thighs, while Vairocana and the Dingguishen were placed on his right side.

Mr. Kiryu went to the kitchen to brew his coffee.

Before he could finish, he brought over two cups of steaming coffee on a tea tray.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, come and have a taste."

Qing Deng took the coffee handed to him by the Kiryu boss and took a closer look—the porcelain cup was filled with a light brown, fragrant liquid.

He held the porcelain cup to his nose, took a sniff, and a rich aroma immediately filled his nostrils.

The aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water.

He said, "I won't be polite," and then took a small sip—instantly, a look of surprise and disbelief flashed in his eyes.

The next moment, he put down the porcelain cup with a strange expression and asked Mr. Kiryu:

"Mr. Kiryu, is your 'coffee brewing'... really a new skill you just learned?"

The moment the smooth and thick coffee enters your mouth, its rich aroma spreads from the tip of your tongue throughout your entire mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance.

Perhaps it was because white sugar was added, but no matter how much time passed, that unpleasant dry, bitter taste never appeared.

It was neither so bitter as to make one wear a mask of pain, nor so sweet as to make one feel sick; it suited Qingdeng's taste perfectly.

Such delicious coffee is hard to believe it came from a "coffee novice".

Upon hearing this, Kiryu immediately revealed a meaningful smile.

"When learning knowledge and skills, I can always quickly grasp the knack—this is one of my insignificant strengths."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but recall carefully—it seemed that ever since he met Kiryu, Kiryu had always been able to unleash new skills from time to time, just like Doraemon.

From drawing a knife to slaying people to treating the sick and wounded, from cooking and brewing tea to sewing and making clothes, he knows everything and is capable of everything.

Thinking of this, Qing Deng once again felt the same emotion that had arisen many times before: he couldn't even be considered to have a "half-baked understanding" of Kiryu-sensei.

Kiryu's boss is really too mysterious.

Even after he took Qingdeng as his disciple and the two formed a close master-disciple relationship, he rarely talked about his past in front of Qingdeng.

So far, all Qing Deng knows is that Kiryu's former name was "Mamiya Kuro," and that he was once a renowned master of swordsmanship.

To be honest, Qing Deng has always suspected that "Mamiya Kuro" is also a pseudonym of Kiryu's boss! He has another real name!

Kiryu once said that Vairocana is his family heirloom sword.

As the current owner of Vairocana, Qingdeng knew very well how powerful this precious sword was.

Using phrases like "cutting iron like mud" or "breaking hair with a breath" to describe it would be too mild and inappropriate.

Swords of this caliber are definitely not something an ordinary family can possess.

Qingdeng thought to himself, half-jokingly:

—Could it be that Kiryu-sensei is a descendant of some family of sword masters...?

At that moment, the other person's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Qingdeng, I've brewed a lot of coffee. If you like it, please have some more."

As Mr. Kiryu spoke, he also picked up his porcelain cup and savored the taste.

Then, the two started chatting:

"Lord Ju, how is the young master? Is she growing up healthily?"

"She's doing well. Perhaps because she's been in an environment where she needs to interact with all sorts of people for a long time, her shyness towards strangers has improved quite a bit."

Mr. Kiryu nodded slightly.

"Yes, that's excellent. It's wonderful that the young master has grown so much."

After saying that, Mr. Kiryu picked up his porcelain cup again and took a sip of coffee.

As he put down his coffee, he suddenly cast a deep gaze at Qingdeng.

"Alright, I'll cut to the chase and get down to business—Tachibana-kun, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

"You, who are personally handling the 'Muying Negotiations', actually took time out of your busy schedule to come see me... This can't be a simple 'visit,' can it?"

Qing Deng smiled and then drank the coffee in the porcelain cup in one gulp.

After he slammed down his porcelain cup, he adopted a serious expression and tone:

"Mr. Kiryu, I'll be frank—I need you to do me a small favor."

……

……

That night, Edo Bay—

Night fell, and dark clouds churned.

Compared to the daytime, the vast sea at dusk was much more tranquil and peaceful.

A waning crescent moon, hidden deep within layers of dark clouds, struggled to pierce through the gaps in the clouds and cast a few silver rays onto the sea.

The dark, deep sea resembles the gaping maw of a monster, containing a depth capable of swallowing everything.

By the dim moonlight, one could see dark shadows in the distance over Edo Bay, crouching in the sea like monsters—nine British warships.

At this very moment, on a beach near Edo Bay—

"Mr. Orange, is this the little boat?"

Mr. Kiryu, with his hand on the sword at his waist, strode swiftly toward a wooden boat on the beach.

Qingdeng, who was standing right next to him, nodded.

"Yes, this is it. I went through a lot of trouble today to finally get this fishing boat from Rintaro before dark."

The Kiryu boss chuckled softly a few times.

"The other party probably doesn't know why you're demanding the fishing boat, right?"

Qing Deng shrugged:

"Of course he didn't know. I didn't reveal my true purpose; I only said that I was of great use."

At this point, Qingdeng paused for a moment, then continued with a strange expression:

“I was worried that if I told Rintaro my whole plan, he would think I was joking or that I was crazy, and would firmly refuse my request.”

The Kiryu boss chuckled to himself:

"To be honest, after hearing your plan with my own ears, my first reaction was to suspect that you were joking with me."

"No normal person could come up with such a crazy plan."

After he finished speaking, he jumped onto the small boat and looked around, touching this and that.

"Hmm... Although it's a bit worn out, it's still quite sturdy and more than enough for going out to sea."

At the same time that Mr. Kiryu was inspecting the actual condition of the small boat, Aoto looked up and glanced at the sky.

"Looks like it's going to rain soon... Kiryu-sensei, we're in luck."

"The weather is kind; the dark clouds have obscured the moonlight, which will give us good cover."

"Let's get going without delay."

Mr. Kiryu nodded in agreement.

The two then worked together to push the small boat into the sea.

Qingdeng leaped lightly and landed perfectly on the boat, with Mr. Kiryu following closely behind.

Immediately afterwards, Qingdeng pulled out two pairs of pre-prepared oars from under his seat.

"Mr. Kiryu, could you please help me row the boat?"