I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After hesitating for a moment, the "majestic samurai" called "Matsuda-kun" snorted coldly and sheathed his sword with a clang.

"Kid, you've escaped with your life!"

He glared angrily at the "top hat knight" a few times, then sullenly sat back down in his original seat.

The "top-hat knight" shrugged, a meaningful chuckle escaping his lips.

Katsura Kogoro gave him a disgruntled look.

"gone!"

Before he finished speaking, Katsura Kogoro strode toward the head seat of the room.

The "top-hat warrior" lifted his foot to follow.

He moved slightly closer to Katsura Kogoro and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Kogoro, you saved that man's life. Your timely intervention was crucial; if you had been even a fraction slower, that man would have dropped his livelihood."

Katsura Kogoro's face darkened, and he raised his voice to a level that only the two of them could hear, speaking in a tone that was half warning and half pleading:

"Let me make this clear first, you can't do anything reckless tonight."

The "top-hat warrior" chuckled:

"I will do my best."

Katsura Kogoro tilted his head slightly, glared at him with complicated eyes for a few moments, and then stopped talking and ignoring him.

After settling into the main seat, Katsura Kogoro turned to look at Otaka Matajiro:

"Otaka-kun, where is Mr. Miyabe? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

Otaka Matajiro replied:

"Mr. Miyabe should be arriving soon."

As luck would have it, no sooner had Katsura Kogoro finished asking his question than footsteps approached from the direction of the corridor.

With a whoosh, the door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man, around 45 years old, walked into the room at a leisurely pace.

When this middle-aged man appeared, everyone present, including Katsura Kogoro, looked at him with respect.

The man had a neatly shaved head, was neither fat nor thin, and had an average appearance.

However, his thick, bushy eyebrows and piercing eyes were quite striking.

His eyes, in particular, are the best illustration of the phrase "eyes like lightning," exuding an imposing presence without being angry.

He was none other than Miyabe Teizō, whom even Katsura Kogoro had to show some respect to!

Miyabe Teizō – born in 1820, was originally a military instructor at the Yamaga-ryū school of the Kumamoto Domain and a close confidant of Sanjō Sanetomi.

His gaze swept around the room before finally settling on Katsura Kogoro, offering a perfunctory greeting:

"Gui-kun, it's been a long time."

Katsura Kogoro bowed slightly and said in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant:

"Mr. Miyabe, it's been a long time since I last greeted you. May I ask how you are doing?"

"Well, it's nothing serious. It's just that I'm getting old, so my legs aren't as nimble as they used to be."

As he spoke, he sat down next to Katsura Kogoro, and the two sat knee to knee.

At that moment, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the door:

"Ladies and gentlemen! We've come to serve your drinks!"

The samurai sitting by the door responded:

"Come in!"

With a "Alright!" the door opened again, and the Ikedaya agents filed in—including Tengosuke.

The servants carried trays filled with freshly warmed wine, and carefully tiptoed into the room.

The guests in the room were all samurai, and they had all followed the samurai etiquette by unfastening their swords and placing them on the ground to their right.

Swords were scattered all over the ground... If you accidentally stepped on or kicked one of these samurai's swords, it would be no laughing matter; there could be bloodshed!

Therefore, for the sake of their own lives, the agents had to concentrate fully and be extremely vigilant.

For Yamazaki Susumu, a professional ninja, this was naturally no big deal.

While deftly dodging the swords and knives on the ground and serving drinks, he subtly shifted his gaze, observing his surroundings and searching for important figures such as Katsura Kogoro.

Before long, he spotted Katsura Kogoro in the main seat, as well as other well-known figures such as Otaka Matajiro and Kitazoe Keima.

Which one is the Miyabe Teikoku?

Compared to Katsura Kogoro, whose portraits are everywhere, Miyabe Teizou, who often operates in the shadows and rarely comes to the forefront, has a very mysterious appearance.

To date, the shogunate has not produced an accurate portrait of him.

Just as Yamazaki was secretly worrying, someone offered him a "helping hand":

"Miyabe-sensei, please put your sword here so it won't get stepped on."

The speaker was a young man, no more than seventeen or eighteen years old.

He meant well.

However... as soon as he finished speaking, a series of sharp and fierce gazes were directed at him!

Yamazaki Jun glanced sideways at the middle-aged man sitting next to Katsura Kogoro.

—That's Miyabe Teizō!

He was secretly pleased, but outwardly acted as if nothing had happened, pretending not to have heard the conversation.

After memorizing Miyabe Teizou's appearance, he and the other attendants quickly served the drinks and then slowly left the room.

No sooner had they left than a stern interrogation erupted inside the room.

"You scoundrel, how could you casually mention Miyabe-sensei's name in front of outsiders?!"

The young man lowered his head, looking ashamed.

"10. I'm so sorry! I was foolish!"

The young man became the target of public criticism.

Fortunately, Miyabe Teizou spoke up to defuse the situation:

"Alright, it was just a small oversight, don't worry about it. Just be more careful in the future."

Since Miyabe Teizou had said so, everyone had no choice but to give up and stop pursuing the young man's mistake.

Miyabe Teizō glanced at the wine in front of his lap, then looked at everyone present.

A moment later, his gaze fell on the "top hat samurai" next to Katsura Kogoro.

"Gui Jun, who is this?"

“Mr. Miyabe, he is my bodyguard.”

Miyabe Teizō raised an eyebrow, his tone shifting to one of surprise:

"Bodyguards? Mr. Gui, it's quite unusual that you would hire bodyguards."

According to Miyabe Teizo, Katsura Kogoro had never previously hired bodyguards to protect himself.

Katsura Kogoro smiled bitterly:

"He was... a friend of mine who insisted on giving him to me, saying that Kyoto is currently fraught with danger and that having him along would make me much safer."

For some reason, when the word "friend" was mentioned, a strange look appeared on Katsura Kogoro's face.

Miyabe Teizou wore an "I see" expression, turned to look at the "top-hat samurai," sized him up several times, and asked:

"May I ask your name?"

The "top hat knight" curled his lips into a smile, raised his hand, and pretended to press down the top hat on his head.

"I don't have a name to give you, you can just call me 'Prajna'."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze...

Miyabe Teizou held an extremely high position in the hearts of the vast majority of people present.

Teacher Miyabe is asking you a question, and you're not only putting on airs, but you can't even give a proper name!

Those of you here already disliked this guy dressed in Western clothes, and now you dislike him even more.

To ease the tension, Katsura Kogoro had no choice but to explain with a helpless expression:

"I'm very sorry, he was rude, please forgive him."

The "robust warrior" who had just clashed with the "top-hatted warrior"... that is, the "robust warrior" who had clashed with Prajna, let out a few blatant sneers and gruffly mocked:

"Hmph! Hiding your true identity, you don't even have a name you can show to others?"

Prajna didn't tolerate the other party's behavior and directly retorted:

"I'm just too lazy to tell you guys your real names."

The term "good-for-nothing" is like a boulder thrown into a lake, instantly creating a huge ripple!

In an instant, beams of angry gazes pierced straight at Prajna.

"What did you say?!"

The "majestic warrior" stood up abruptly, his eyes blazing with fury.

Prajna calmly crossed her legs, propped herself up with her right arm, and supported her chin:

"Hmm? Did I say something wrong?"

"You guys don't actually think you're that capable, do you?"

"Let me ask you—"

Is there anything about you that doesn't make you seem like good-for-nothings?

Is there anything about you that makes people look up to you?