I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

It's always better to take a gamble than to sit and wait for death!

After making up his mind, Qingdeng lowered his eyelids and focused on thinking.

First and foremost, it needs to be clear that arson is a skill.

Kyoto is not an ordinary town; it is quite large.

If a simple fire could destroy it, this ancient capital would have been reduced to ashes countless times over.

—Those lunatics will definitely choose to set fire from upwind!

As the saying goes, "The wind borrows the power of the fire, and the fire adds to the wind's might."

If you want to burn the city, you must light the fire from upwind to maximize its spread.

When Qingdeng rushed to the warehouse, he carefully observed the wind direction tonight—it was a southeasterly wind.

Therefore, Yoshida Toshima would most likely set fires in the southeastern region.

Besides wind direction, the specific location of the fire is also very important.

For a fire to burn quickly and fiercely, suitable "materials" are essential.

Just like Edo, samurai lands and temple/shrine lands occupied nearly 70% of Kyoto's area.

The fewest number of samurai and clergy owned the most land—for this reason, samurai estates and temple estates were generally sparsely populated, with wide roads and well-arranged houses.

In contrast, the narrow roads and astonishing building density of the town made firefighters' scalps tingle!

Throughout Japanese history, townspeople's estates have always been the most severely affected by major fires.

Based on the above ideas, Qingdeng concluded that the location where Yoshida Toshima and others set fire was most likely a town in southeastern Kyoto!

If a fire or a handful of gunpowder were thrown into that area, Kyoto would be in grave danger!

However... even so, the scope is still very large.

Even if the search area is narrowed down from "all of Kyoto" to "towns in southeastern Kyoto", it is just changing "finding a needle in a haystack" to "finding a needle in a large lake".

—Are there any other clues...?

Qingdeng frowned even more deeply.

He looked around, hoping that what he saw would give him some inspiration, while delving into every detail of his memory, searching for clues and information that he had overlooked.

The Zunpu faction, the Kyoto fire, the kidnapping of the Emperor, the Gion Festival... one word after another surfaced in Qing Deng's mind.

In that instant, he suddenly realized something.

He belatedly realized that there seemed to be a problem with his thinking!

Why did those madmen of the Zunpu faction burn down Kyoto?

Their actions were not merely acts of violence, but rather an attempt to seize the Emperor amidst the chaos and regain control of the court!

The burning of Kyoto was merely a means to achieve this plan.

If that's the case, their real goal wasn't to "burn down the entire city of Kyoto," but rather to "make Kyoto as chaotic as possible!"

Realizing this, Qingdeng immediately changed his approach.

Instead of thinking about "the best place to set fire," they started thinking about "how to make Kyoto as chaotic as possible."

Before long, a flash of inspiration appeared in Qingdeng's mind.

"Wait... I might know where Yoshida Toshima went."

As soon as he said this, a barrage of surprised and suspicious gazes immediately fell on Qing Deng.

Miss Jin blinked her beautiful eyes hard, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Aki, do you know where Yoshida Toshima is located?"

Without hesitation, Qingdeng immediately revealed his thoughts.

After hearing this, Miss Jin and the others looked at each other in bewilderment... Without exception, they all looked shocked and thoughtful at the same time.

Ebina Ye Zong opened his eyes wide and murmured:

"This...this is really...is Yoshida Toshima really there?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

"This is just my personal conjecture, and I cannot guarantee it will be correct. However, I think my conjecture is very likely to come true."

Before he could finish speaking, Shintaro Toujou chuckled softly.

“Mr. Ju, your conjecture is bold, but it is not just baseless nonsense.”

"I think... Mr. Tachibana's conjecture is worth considering!"

Shintaro Tojo made his support for Aoto very direct.

Miss Violet then offered a different opinion.

“Aki, although your guess makes a lot of sense, guess is still just a guess.”

She sighed as she spoke, her face clouded with worry and her expression troubled.

"To act rashly without confirming the correctness of the 'conjecture'... that's far too imprudent and risky!"

"If your guess is wrong, it means we've come up empty-handed again, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Ebina Ye Zong looked hesitant.

A moment later, he and Miss Jin cast worried glances at Qing Deng.

It seems he's on Miss Violet's side.

In response to Miss Jin's question, Qing Deng smiled.

"Miss Jin, you are very cautious."

Miss Violet slightly raised her head and answered in a clear voice:

"This is a personality trait I'm proud of!"

"It is precisely because of this cautious approach of 'thinking three steps ahead before taking one step' that I have been able to turn danger into safety time and time again."

Qingdeng chuckled a few more times.

“Miss Jin, your concerns are not without merit.”

"As you said, my conjecture is just that—a conjecture—and no one can guarantee it's correct."

"Unfortunately, time is of the essence right now, and there is no opportunity for us to slowly try and make mistakes."

"Whether to continue scratching our heads here, or to simply take a gamble—that is a difficult choice."

"In my opinion, since we have no other choice at the moment, why don't we just take a gamble!"

"Maybe we've actually made the right bet?"

"As for the final outcome, let's leave it to fate."

"We just need to do our best."

At this point, Qingdeng paused.

Then, he adopted a firm tone:

"Sometimes, you have to have the decisiveness of leaping off a cliff!"

Qingdeng turned his head and glanced at the sky outside:

"Time is running out."

"I've made up my mind—I'm going to take the gamble!"

He said, adjusting the sword at his waist.

"Those who want to come with me, come on over."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shintaro Toujou gripped the spear on his shoulder and silently moved to his side.

The hesitation on Ebina Ye Zong's face deepened.

He cautiously glanced sideways at Miss Violet.

After hearing Qing Deng's words, Miss Jin was stunned and speechless.

But... she didn't make any move.

He stood there, motionless, neither speaking nor moving, staring unblinkingly at Aoto and Shintaro Toujou running away, until their figures disappeared from his sight...

……

……

Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa), Ikedaya——

"Aa ...

With a shout, Matsuda Shigesuke raised his sword to the upper part, his feet touching the ground, and charged towards Nagakura Shinpachi as if gliding.

Before the shout had even faded, the blade was already upon them!

In an instant, the sword raised above his head slashed diagonally downwards! It drew a clean arc in mid-air!

The speed of the blade was terrifying!

Nagakura Shinpachi coldly watched the sharp slash, without retreating an inch.

He slightly turned his body, adjusted his posture, and swung his knife upwards—with a clang—deflecting the opponent's slash in one fell swoop.

As soon as Nagakura Shinpachi retracted his sword, a flash of light appeared, and the sword, like a thunderbolt, slashed fiercely toward Matsuda Shigesuke's face!

If Matsuda Shigesuke hadn't reacted quickly enough to hold the knife diagonally in front of his face, barely blocking Nagakura Shinpachi's attack, his weapon would definitely have fallen to the ground.

Matsuda Shigesuke was a renowned swordsman of the Zunjo school, and his skills were truly superb—now it seems that his reputation was well-deserved.

He fought Nagakura Shinpachi one-on-one and managed to hold his own!

Based on this record, even in the Shinsengumi, where there are many strong fighters, there are probably very few who could reliably defeat him.

Of course, as strong as he is, in terms of overall strength, Nagakura Shinpachi is still superior.

"call……"