I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Back then, a group of ruthless bandits emerged from the Iga Mountains."

"At that time, the shogunate had not yet recovered from the devastation of the Tenpo Great Famine and had no time to attend to these mountain bandits."

"My lord detests these wicked people who have evil intentions and have gone astray."

"So, even though the life and death of this band of mountain bandits had nothing to do with the gourd house, the lord still resolutely issued the order to 'suppress the bandits'."

"The person in charge of leading the expedition was Katakura Takanobu."

"At that time, he took the lead and charged straight into the enemy camp."

"Even with more than a dozen wounds, even with his body covered in scars and covered in wounds, he still wielded his spear selflessly, killing so many enemies that they trembled with fear."

"After the battle, people were covered in blood, and guns were covered in blood."

"After this battle, the name 'Undying Blood Spear' spread like wildfire."

After speaking, Mr. Kiryu turned his gaze to the last person.

"The last one is 'Hatchling Dragon' Makimura Taichi."

As soon as Kiryu finished speaking, Aoto subconsciously raised an eyebrow.

Not only does it bear the name "Dragon," but it's also called Makimura...

Qingdeng immediately realized something and asked in return:

"Is he Mr. Makimura's grandson?"

Mr. Kiryu smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

He is the grandson of 'Kyoto Dragon' Makimura Yapachi, hence he is called 'Hina-Dragon'.

However, he himself did not like this title.

“He always believed that bearing the name of ‘Young Dragon’ gave people a sense of suffocation, as if people only looked up to him because he was the grandson of Makimura Yahachi.”

"He is a very diligent and good boy. He is always working hard to improve himself and strive to become a real dragon."

That concludes Mr. Kiryu's introduction.

Thanks to his explanation, Qingdeng now has a general understanding of the eight people present.

Qing Deng's first thought about these eight people who were the main fighters of the Calabash House was:

—How come they're so good at coming up with names?

As Qingdeng thought this to himself, he secretly twitched the corner of his mouth.

Compared to their real names, their nicknames are undoubtedly more memorable.

With names like "ghost" and "thunder," and even "immortal" popping up... each one more impressive than the last, even Shi Nai'an, who created the 108 heroes, couldn't come up with such names!

Qingdeng is observing them.

They were also observing Qingdeng.

"He is 'Niou'..."

"How young he is. To become a great daimyo with a territory of 30 koku at such a young age based on his undeniable military achievements, he is probably the first person in a hundred years to achieve this."

"He openly declared that he would marry three wives at the same time—in this respect, he was indeed the first person in a hundred years."

"I was stunned when I learned that the three girls he was going to marry included the young master."

"That's good too. If we can form a marriage alliance with King Ren, then our Gourd House will have a solid backer."

"The young master is getting married... I feel inexplicably lonely."

"What nonsense are you talking about? It's still unknown whether our lord will agree to this marriage."

Just as they were chattering away... suddenly, the side door of the dojo was opened.

Instantly, both the Kiryu boss and the eight people who had been observing Aoto and whispering all shut their mouths, bowed their heads, and bowed respectfully.

The only person who could elicit such a reaction from Kiryu and his lord is their master, Kinoshita Rin!

Aoto was not a retainer of Kinoshita Rin.

Although he was her "future son-in-law," he was also the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi and the lord of the Hatazu Domain.

So he simply sat up straight, neither humble nor arrogant.

Snap... Snap... Snap... Snap... Snap...

Two soft footsteps came from the side door.

A moment later, two figures, one in front of the other, came into Qingdeng's view.

The person walking behind was dressed in red, with her hair styled in a neat Shimada bun, and her small feet covered in clean white socks.

It was Kinoshita Mai who went straight back to her parents' home after saying goodbye to Aoto last night.

Perhaps because she had returned to her "home turf," Kinoshita Mai's every move exuded a sense of composure, befitting a young master.

The person walking in front of her was a very old woman.

She wore a black dress with gold patterns and long, flowing sleeves. Her hair was extremely long, reaching her ankles, and her full head of silver hair was naturally draped over her shoulders.

[Note: O-frisode: A formal kimono. Its characteristic feature is that the sleeves are approximately 110-120cm long, reaching down to the ankles when worn.]

She was rather thin and short, a head shorter than the "shorty" behind her.

—Is she the master of the gourd house, and Ah Wu's grandmother...?

Qing Deng stared intently at the old woman in black... Kinoshita Rin, scrutinizing her closely and not missing a single detail.

Visually, she exudes a strong sense of oppression!

She was clearly just an old woman, and she didn't say a word; she was simply walking. Yet, her every move exuded a commanding aura of elegance and grace!

She's less a businesswoman and more like a monarch!

Soon, Kinoshita Rin arrived directly in front of Aoto and took her seat in the main seat.

Kinoshita Mai was sitting to her side and slightly behind.

A slightly hoarse, aged female voice echoed throughout the temple:

“Raise your heads, everyone.”

As Kiryu and the others looked up, Kinoshita Rin raised her gaze and looked straight at Aoto.

"Tachibana Yasuki, nice to meet you."

She spoke while a calm smile appeared on her face.

"Even though it's our first meeting, I inexplicably feel like it's been a long time since we last met."

"Jiulang and Awu always mention you in their letters."

"Over time, I've actually developed a certain fondness for you."

Upon hearing the name "Kuro," Aoto paused for a moment before quickly remembering that Kiryu's original pseudonym was "Mamiya Kuro."

Kinoshita Rin's tone was very gentle.

Just by listening to her tone of voice, she was no different from those kind old ladies who liked to tell stories to their children and grandchildren.

As Qingdeng listened, he unconsciously relaxed.

However… before he could relax for long, the other person's tone suddenly changed:

"I already know why you've come."

"The alliance between Qin Jin Domain and Hulu House...a very interesting plan."

"However, before we get down to business, I'd like to confirm one thing."

Kinoshita Rin clapped her hands as she spoke.

Splash splash splash splash...

The eight champions sitting on either side of the dojo stood up one after another, casting sharp glances at Qing Deng with cold expressions.

"I'm very curious—just how capable is 'Ren-o,' who is renowned throughout the world and whom Jiu-lang values ​​and takes as his last disciple?"

“I’m an old acquaintance of Jiulang, and I really want to see the abilities of his last disciple in person.”

At this point, Kinoshita Rin narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning sharp.

"Tachibana Yasuki, what do you think?"

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"Just as I expected..."

"Alright then... all of you come at me together!"

"If you don't attack me all at once, you won't be able to test my true abilities."

*******

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Today is Leopard's birthday, so happy!

Thank you everyone for your blessings! (Crying leopard head.jpg) Leopard will continue to work hard in the coming year! (High leopard.jpg)

Chapter 775 A Master of Showing Off! A Beating Up of the Heroes of the Gourd House! [4600]

The atmosphere at the scene changed dramatically as soon as he said that.

"Oh?"

Kinoshita Rin made a surprised sound while looking at Aoto with great interest.

The Kiryu boss chuckled, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

His eyes seemed to say: Tachibana-kun, you're amazing!

Kinoshita Mai was quite startled.

She glanced sideways nervously, carefully observing Kinoshita Rin's expression, afraid that Qing Deng's words had displeased her grandmother.