I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Ikeda Toritaro stared blankly, motionless... or rather, he forgot to move.

About five seconds later, he finally regained control of his body.

Only then did he belatedly realize that his hands and feet were not bound and that he could move his limbs normally.

Except for the absence of a knife at his waist, everything was normal.

Then, he raised his eyes again and carefully observed his surroundings.

Seeing this, Qingdeng interjected:

"Don't look around."

"This is my 'secret base'."

"Besides you and me, there is no one else here at this moment."

After hearing this, Ikeda Toritaro silently withdrew his gaze and stared intently at Aoto in front of him with a complicated expression.

He secretly speculated that this place must be a cellar-like location.

Why is Tachibana Aoto here?

—Was it him who brought me here?

—Could it be that... our plan has been exposed?

All sorts of questions flooded his mind, almost bursting his brain!

Although the current situation is baffling and confusing, one thing is certain: Qingdeng bringing him here is definitely not unusual!

Thump! Thump! Thump... Ikeda Toritaro felt his heart pounding, a frantic alarm bell ringing.

However, his mental fortitude is still commendable.

Despite his panic, he quickly regained his composure.

He swallowed hard, then slowly stood up.

Although he could move his hands and feet freely, he couldn't muster even the slightest thought of resistance in front of Niou...

The reason Qingdeng allowed him to have "freedom" was probably because he was certain that Qingdeng would not dare to act recklessly in front of him.

Suppressing his unease, Ikeda Toritaro asked, feigning composure:

"Tachibana... Ah, no, Lord Niou, what do you mean by this? Why did you bring me here?"

Unexpectedly, before he could even open his mouth, Qing Deng waved his hand impatiently:

"Alright, Ikeda-kun, stop with the nonsense."

Let's be frank and speak plainly.

"I know what you're up to."

"We also know that you have formed an alliance with the Tosa Loyalist Party, and are working together to overthrow the Shinsengumi."

At this point, Qingdeng paused.

Then, he changed to a tone that was half teasing and half sarcastic, and continued the conversation:

"Hmph, you've got quite the ambitions."

"The Shinsengumi has now grown into an army of 3000."

"You actually have the courage to fight against us."

"Although you are rebellious enemies, I must give positive recognition to your fighting spirit and courage."

Every time Qing Deng spoke, Ikeda Toritaro's expression changed drastically.

After Qing Deng finished speaking, he completely lost his composure and could no longer remain calm.

His expression was dominated by intense shock and terror; his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed back to the ground.

He instinctively wanted to say things like, "Lord Niou, what are you saying?" or "Lord Niou, I don't understand what you're saying!" to explain himself.

But... after seeing Qing Deng's confident and composed expression, he immediately understood: the other party was not bluffing.

He truly knew their secrets!

In the blink of an eye, the entire cellar fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that even the passage of a giant whale could not stir the slightest ripple.

Quite some time passed before Ikeda Toritaro lowered his voice and said in a deep tone:

"...Tachibana Aoto, what do you want to do?"

"If you want to kill me, then go ahead and do it!"

"I have long been prepared to sacrifice myself for the greater good!"

Having said that, he opened his arms, puffed out his chest, and struck a pose of fearless death.

But to everyone's surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, Qing Deng scoffed.

“Ikeda-kun, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago.”

"Purge you traitors with ease."

"But simply killing you would only add blood and rust to our blades."

"Rather than that, it would be more worthwhile for you to perish."

“I thought you could get in touch with Changzhou.”

"Unexpectedly, Changzhou ignored you."

"On the contrary, it was the Tosa loyalist party that contacted you."

"Well, if we can't catch big fish, catching small fish is fine too."

At this point, Qing Deng narrowed his eyes, a deep light flashing in them.

"Ikeda Toritaro, serve me."

"Your task is simple."

"Provide me with information about Kiyokawa Hachiro and the Tosa Loyalists..."

Before Aoto could finish speaking, Ikeda Toritaro interrupted excitedly:

"impossible!"

"Ju Qingdeng, keep dreaming!"

"Mr. Qinghe and I are like brothers!"

"We are not only close comrades-in-arms, but also like-minded friends!"

"How could I possibly betray Mr. Qinghe?!"

Qing Deng seemed to have anticipated this reaction from the other party.

Faced with Ikeda Toritaro's passionate rebuttal, he calmly said:

“Ikeda-kun, I understand how you feel.”

"It is indeed quite difficult to get you to immediately betray Kiyokawa Hachiro and join my ranks."

"But... I'll offer you a condition you can't refuse."

With that, Qingdeng turned around and slowly walked towards the corner of the cellar.

Ikeda Toritaro looked closely and noticed a small table in a corner not far in front of him.

There was a pile of objects on the table, covered with a thin cloth, so its true appearance could not be seen.

Qingdeng stood in front of the low table, raised his hand, grabbed a corner of the thin cloth, and suddenly ripped it open.

Instantly, Qingdeng's face was bathed in a bright yellow glow.

At the same time, the entire cellar became even brighter!

It turned out that there was indeed a "mountain" under the thin cloth - a mountain of gold!

The countless large gold coins were piled up together, forming a mountain!

[Note: Ooban: The highest denomination gold coin of the Edo period. 1 Ooban = 10 ryo gold, 1 Koban = 1 ryo gold]

Ikeda Toritaro's gaze snapped straight up, his eyes fixed intently on the mountain of gold on the low table, as if drawn by a magnet.

This was the first time in his life he had ever seen such a large quantity and scale of gold!

"Ten thousand taels of gold."

Qing Deng spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone serious.

"There are ten thousand taels of gold here."

As he spoke, he extended his right hand, inserted the five fingers into the gold mountain, and then slowly pulled it upwards.

With a soft clatter, large gold coins slid through his fingers, making a crisp, clattering sound.

"If you join my ranks and gather intelligence on Kiyokawa Hachiro and the Tosa Loyalists, all ten thousand taels of gold will be yours once the deed is done."

"I will guarantee your personal safety."

"In addition, if you are interested, I can also help you change your household registration and help you 'start a new life'."

"As long as it's within the Shogunate's territory, I can help you get a new, legal, and compliant identity."

Ikeda Toritaro blinked hard a few times, as if to check if he was seeing things, or as if he was afraid that the pile of gold coins would disappear from his sight.

About 10 seconds later, he seemed to wake up from a dream.

In the next instant, he screamed at the top of his lungs:

"How ridiculous! Do you think you can impress me with mere gold and silver?"

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

“Ikeda-kun, this is no ordinary gold or silver stuff.”

"This is a treasure that can change your life forever."

"Ten thousand taels of gold—its magic is far beyond your imagination."

"With this money, you won't have to struggle to make a living anymore."