I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Even disregarding the pro-shogunate faction's thoughts, from the perspective of ordinary people, Aoto was a rare and outstanding person and a good official.

Even those who dislike him have to acknowledge Qing Deng's skills and achievements, and when talking about him, they can't help but show their respect.

Aside from the Zunpang faction and those sycophants who can't stand seeing others do well, Qing Deng really couldn't understand why a group of female ninjas who had no past grudges or recent feuds would reject him so much.

Under normal circumstances, Qingdeng might have been interested in exploring the reasons behind it.

But clearly, now is not the time to do that.

He turned to look at Miss Jin and asked:

"You, me, Mr. Ebina, and these seven female ninjas—is this our total fighting strength?"

Miss Violet shook her head:

“No, there is one more person. Tachibana Yasuki, do you remember what I just said? Besides Mr. Ebina, there is one other martial arts master who specializes in combat that I can immediately call upon.”

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng nodded—Ebina Ye Zong had also said the same thing.

"The more manpower the better, so I transferred that person here as reinforcements."

At this point, Miss Violet paused, then put on a confident smile:

"That man is different from us half-baked idiots who only know how to use hidden weapons; he's a true combat expert!"

"His skills are superb and his experience is rich, but his personality... is slightly flawed due to some complicated reasons."

"His participation will definitely give us wings!"

No sooner had Miss Jin finished speaking than Qing Deng asked:

"Then...where are the others?"

As Qingdeng asked the question, he looked around.

"Miss Jin, don't tell me we're supposed to just wait here like idiots until that person arrives."

Miss Violet immediately replied:

"How could that be!"

"For some reason, he couldn't come here immediately."

"However, I have already told him to go to the warehouse."

"He met up with us at the warehouse, and then we stormed in together!"

After listening, Qing Deng nodded slightly:

"I see, that's good. I just want to get to the warehouse right away. Anything else is not within my scope of approval."

Miss Violet nodded in agreement:

"Yes, likewise! Now, let's get going!"

Before she finished speaking, she leaped up lightly as if she were pulling up a scallion from dry land, grabbed the rafters under the eaves, and then flipped herself up like folding paper, landing steadily on the roof.

"Tachibana Yasuki, keep up with me!"

The moment she finished speaking, she took off running, the wooden planks and tiles on the roof creaking under her feet.

In just two breaths, his figure disappeared into the boundless night.

……

……

From a certain perspective, Qing Deng can also be considered a ninja.

After joining the New Oniwaban, he underwent extremely rigorous ninja training.

From leaping across rooftops to picking locks and picking doors, and then to indoor combat, Qing Deng has mastered all the skills a ninja should know, except for a few scattered techniques such as throwing hidden weapons and using the Sexy Technique.

Therefore, he caught up with Miss Violet effortlessly.

The female ninjas, including Ebina Ye Zong, A Tao, and A Mei, followed closely behind.

Qingdeng and Hai Laoming Ye Zong ran on the ground.

The female ninjas, led by Ms. Sumire, moved around on the rooftops.

To be honest, Qing Deng really didn't understand why the female ninjas were so fond of "flying over walls and scaling rooftops".

If it were to chase someone or to cross the street diagonally, it would be understandable to do so.

However, this section of road could be easily moved on a flat street, but Miss Sumire and the others insisted on staying on the roof.

Kinoshita Mai is the same way; she'll leap onto the roof at the slightest provocation, and even if there's a main road to walk on, she won't change this habit.

Just as the group was engrossed in their journey, suddenly, Qingdeng heard Miss Jin shout:

"Atao! Is there anything to eat? I haven't eaten yet tonight, I'm starving!"

"Ah! Yes, yes! I just happened to have a rice ball with me."

As she spoke, Atao took a paper package out of her bosom and tossed it to Miss Jin.

Miss Violet waved her hand, caught the paper package steadily, tore it open with her teeth, revealing a fist-sized rice ball wrapped in seaweed.

She continued running, wolfing down her rice ball, her cheeks puffed out, looking just like a squirrel gathering supplies for winter.

This way of eating... to put it nicely, it's bold; to put it bluntly, it's completely lacking in ladylike manners.

As she ate, she suddenly frowned slightly:

"Why is there plum inside the rice ball... Damn it, I really want a rice ball with salmon inside...!"

Upon hearing this, Atao quickly apologized:

“No, no, no action!”

"Ah, no need to apologize. I was just venting."

Even while talking to people, she didn't slow down her eating speed at all.

She quickly stuffed the remaining rice ball into her mouth, then licked her fingers with lingering satisfaction.

Qingdeng, taking in these scenes out of the corner of his eye, couldn't help but think to himself:

Is this Miss Sumire's true personality...?

Upon learning that Ziyang was Miss Jin, Qingdeng experienced "disillusionment" for the first time in his life.

Previously, Qing Deng's impression of Zi Yang was no different from the public's impression of her—a woman of unparalleled beauty, dignified demeanor, and captivating charm, truly deserving of the title "Kyoto's Number One Geisha."

Looking at her now, as "Miss Violet," the so-called "completely different person" is nothing more than this.

The face is still the same, but the temperament and behavior are completely different.

Take the rice ball from earlier as an example—

Not only did he eat very poorly, but after discovering that the rice ball didn't suit his taste, he muttered "Damn it!"

Furthermore, after finishing her rice ball, she didn't forget to lick her fingers... Although her finger-licking action was very elegant and didn't seem vulgar, it actually revealed a strange kind of allure.

If Ziyang's fans were to witness this scene, they would probably refuse to believe their eyes, let alone believe that the person before them was the perfect geisha they were so enamored with.

If "Ziyang" symbolizes perfection, symbolizing "the woman of men's ideal", then...

So, "Miss Violet"... After much thought, Qing Deng came up with a very fitting description—

If "Miss Violet" wore an ankle-length dress and added some trilled "r" sounds when she spoke, she would be the quintessential delinquent girl!

Her bold and unrestrained demeanor, along with her superior attitude when talking to Ah Tao, Ah Mei, and others, made her seem like a big sister.

"The Perfect Geisha" or "Delinquent Girl"—which one is the real her?

Qingdeng leans towards the latter.

Just as Qing Deng was secretly marveling at Miss Jin's "dual image," he suddenly heard Miss Jin's question:

“Tachibana Aki, your ‘tachibana’ is really too troublesome to pronounce, it has a full four syllables (Tachibara). For the sake of convenience, may I just call you ‘Aki’?”

Qingdeng answered without hesitation:

"Please go ahead. However, in exchange, may I call you 'Ajin' directly? 'Miss Jin' is a bit of a hassle to pronounce."

As soon as he finished speaking, the female ninjas, including Atao and Amei, immediately turned their heads and cast displeased glances at him.

Although they expressed their dissatisfaction in a restrained manner, Miss Violet herself nodded quite frankly and said:

"Sure. It's just a form of address; call me whatever you like."

She paused at this point, then began to discuss business:

“Aki, although the situation is urgent, from another perspective, this may also be a good opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Zunyao faction.”

"Your men have successfully located the meeting place of Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and others—this is a pleasant surprise for us!"

"As long as we take that warehouse, deal with Yoshida Toshima and his men who were responsible for setting fire to the city, and then your men wipe out Miyabe Teizō and his men from the Ikedaya, that will be a perfect victory for both sides!"

"The guys gathered in Kyoto tonight are all capable henchmen of the pro-imperial faction."

"If all these people were to die...then the events of tonight would be recorded in history forever!"

Compared to Miss Jin's passionate outburst, Qing Deng was remarkably calm.

Even after listening to the other party's impassioned speech, he remained unmoved.

Perhaps he was just worrying unnecessarily, but he still felt that... the Zunrang faction had been preparing for tonight's operation for a long time, mobilizing countless manpower and resources.

Can they really achieve a complete victory with ease?

Upon realizing this, Qingdeng involuntarily raised his left hand and grasped the Vairocana at his waist.

……

……

Somewhere in Kyoto—

Led by Ms. Sumire, the group arrived at the outskirts of Kyoto.

A remote, dilapidated warehouse came into Qingdeng's view.

"This way."

Miss Violet turned a corner and led everyone into a dark alley near the warehouse.