I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kiryu laughed heartily.

"Leave it to me. I used to learn how to maneuver a boat in Kanagawa. In terms of boat handling skills alone, even ordinary fishermen can't compare to me."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

The master and apprentice sat facing each other, paddling the boat in circles.

The small boat pushed through the water, creating ripples, and slowly sailed into the sea.

Its bow was pointing directly at Edo Bay... or rather, directly at the nine British ships in Edo Bay!

The waves stirred up by the strong wind surged endlessly.

The monotonous sound of the waves was just like the roar of a wild beast.

The statement made by Mr. Kiryu earlier that he "can row a boat better than a fisherman" was not made up.

He skillfully maneuvered the oars, cleverly utilizing the thrust of the waves to precisely adjust the direction and appropriately control the speed.

Thanks to him, the small boat moved forward at an astonishing speed.

The two remained silent throughout the entire journey.

The Kiryu boss remained expressionless.

Qing Deng pursed his lips, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

As the distance between them decreased, the nine "black dots" on Edo Bay gradually became larger.

Soon, nine black ships, blending seamlessly into the night, came into view.

On each ship, dazzling oil lamps were lit, casting long, thin shadows in their dim light.

Fully armed sailors walked and patrolled along the ship's side.

Perhaps because their opponents on land were merely the weak Shogunate, most of the patrolling sailors were slacking off and not concentrating on their work.

However, if Aoto and Kiryu are not careful, they could still be discovered by the sailors on the British ship.

"Tachibana-kun, cheer up, we need to proceed carefully from here on out."

Mr. Kiryu gripped the oar tightly and carefully continued rowing.

Qingdeng glanced subconsciously at the Vairocana pendant at his waist.

Finally... about half an hour later, the two successfully evaded the sailors' surveillance and arrived at their destination—the bow of the flagship Juliaus.

Mr. Kiryu cleverly moored the small boat in a secluded corner.

Because of their peculiar angle, as long as they didn't make a big commotion, the sailors on the ship's side would never be able to spot them.

"We've finally arrived..."

Qingdeng muttered something, then put down the oar in his hand, stood up quietly, and faced the curved keel in front of him.

Warships are like whales—you know they're big, but you have to actually face them to truly feel their size.

As the core component supporting the entire ship, the keel was naturally of extraordinary size, much thicker than Qingdeng himself.

Qingdeng stood in front of it, like an orange cat facing a Siberian tiger.

"..."

Qingdeng remained silent, staring intently at the dragon skeleton before him.

At this moment, Mr. Kiryu asked with a smile:

"Tachibana-kun, do you need any help?"

Having said that, he lightly patted the black-sheathed katana at his waist.

Kiryu the Boss is a swordsman.

Since he is a swordsman, there is no reason for him not to have a sword at his waist.

After passing the Vairocana sword to Aoto, he acquired a new sword—the Nagasawa-zumi Fujiwara no Yuhei—which, while not comparable to the Vairocana sword, was still a fine one among a thousand.

"...Mr. Kiryu, the reason I brought you here is so that if I make a mistake, there will be someone to help me clean up the mess."

As Qing Deng spoke, he turned around and gave Kiryu a calm smile.

"Although it may sound a bit arrogant to say that... I don't think I need your help anymore."

At the moment he finished speaking, he exhaled a breath of stale air, then slowly lowered his waist, spread his feet, steadied his heels, held the sheath with his left hand, and let his right hand hang naturally, just looking at the dragon bone in front of him.

Splash splash splash splash splash...

Suddenly, cool rain began to fall.

The dark clouds overhead exuded a chilling aura.

In the blink of an eye, the world was filled with a continuous, rushing sound.

The falling rain and the rolling waves combined to create a flurry of sounds.

All he could see was a misty rain, and his face was covered in cold, wet droplets... The rain soaked Qingdeng's hair and clothes, and a bone-chilling cold assaulted his internal organs.

However, Qingdeng remained unmoved, his posture as steady as Mount Tai, and he didn't even blink.

In the blink of an eye—click—Qing Deng raised his left thumb, pressed it against the hilt, and pushed it forward, revealing the locking mechanism and the blade gleaming with purple light.

At that very moment... the air in the entire venue seemed to freeze.

The wind stopped, the rain stopped, and time seemed to stand still!

Even Kiryu, the boss who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but hold his breath.

In just a moment—

The dazzling purple light, soaring diagonally into the sky, cut a conspicuous gap in the thick rain curtain.

In an instant, "time" resumed its flow.

The wind started blowing again, the rain started falling again, and the curtain of rain that had been cut open closed again.

Bang!

An explosive shockwave and sound swept in all directions!

"What happened?!"

Upon hearing the strange noise, the sailors hurriedly rushed to the bow of the ship.

Upon reaching the bow, they leaned over the gunwale and peered down, then gasped in shock.

On the keel at the bow of the ship, a huge, bottomless cut was clearly visible!

*******

*******

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

Although Qingdeng severed the keel of the steam warship, the world of this book is still low-level martial arts! (Leopard's serious expression.jpg)

Chapter 696 Oh my, Kiryu-sensei, your body is amazing! [4300]

Splash splash splash splash splash splash!

The rain continued to fall, and its intensity gradually increased; it was no longer the fine drizzle of before, but rather large raindrops.

The Juliaus, now shrouded in rain, was no longer as tranquil and harmonious as before.

On the ship's side, fully armed sailors nervously scanned the sea, checking everything on the surface.

From the ship's side, hurried footsteps and anxious conversations could be heard intermittently.

Each ship is a small, independent world; the space is limited, but there are so many people.

Therefore, any slightest movement, whether good or bad news, spreads very quickly.

Thus, even though it was only a short while, the entire ship received this shocking news that was like a bolt from the blue—the keel at the bow of the ship had been cut off by unknown individuals!

As sailors, they naturally understood what "broken keel" meant.

In a short time, all sorts of discussions emerged one after another—

"Hey, is this fake news?"

"That's dragon bone! The dragon bone beneath our feet is thicker and bigger than Aunt Susan's butt next door. How could it be cut down so easily?"

"It's not fake news! I just saw it with my own eyes! The dragon bone was cut in half diagonally! The cut was so deep you couldn't see the bottom!"

"Hey, if... the keel really does break, should we abandon ship?"

"Yes, staying on a ship with a broken keel is no joke..."

……

Although officers of all ranks on board were trying their best to suppress the spread of the news and the growing sense of panic, they were still unable to stop it...

……

……

At this very moment, a small boat is slowly moving along the hull of the Juliaus toward the bow.

"Paddle faster! Paddle faster! Haven't you eaten?!"

Colonel Jocelyn frowned and angrily berated the sailors in charge of rowing the boat.

The military is an organization that places great emphasis on hierarchical order, with the navy being the most prominent example.

On a warship, the captain is the undisputed boss, and everything must be done according to the captain's orders.

Therefore, after being reprimanded by Colonel Jocelyn, the sailors in charge of rowing the boat dared not slack off and immediately put all their strength into swinging the oars.

Right next to Colonel Jocelyn, Minister Neil stood with a long face, his dark complexion almost blending into the twilight.

His clothes were disheveled, with one button fastened incorrectly, his shirt not tucked into his trousers, and his hair a mess like a bird's nest—clearly, he had just gone through a chaotic period.

Just moments ago, Neil and Colonel Jocelyn were both asleep in their respective bedrooms, lost in sweet dreams.

Suddenly, a terrified scream from outside the room jolted Neil awake.

"Your Excellency! Captain! Something terrible has happened! The keel at the bow has been hacked!"