I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After these two died, only one person remained—this person was named Yamada Asaemon Sadato.

In 1736, Teimu submitted an application to the shogunate to allow his son Yoshitoki to succeed him in his position.

Thus, the Yamada Asaemon family officially became the shogunate's official sword testers, and sword testing became a profession monopolized by them.

The Yamada Asaemon family was able to receive this honor for two reasons: firstly, their swordsmanship was indeed superb, and secondly, Saetake was related to the shogun's concubine.

Since the reign of Emperor Teimu, the Yamada Asaemon family has held the hereditary position of "Kashimono Bugyō" (kimono bugyō), receiving a stipend of over 1,000 koku.

As the name suggests, "waist item" refers to a knife worn at the waist.

The main duty of the katana magistrate was to manage the swords of the shogun, the swords bestowed upon the daimyo, and the swords presented by the daimyo.

Of course, while their official job was to safeguard swords, their main task was actually to help the general test the swords.

Whenever the general acquired a new sword, he would order the Yamada Asaemon clan to test it.

Corpses were brought from the execution ground, and the toughness and sharpness of the swords were tested by hacking at various parts of the corpse.

Thus, the concept of "body slicing" came into being.

"Dongzhan" is an important indicator for measuring the quality of swords.

"One-cut slash" means that a human body can be severed in one stroke.

You have to understand, the human body isn't so easy to cut.

The human body has both flexible skin and hard bones.

A knife that can sever a body in one strike is already considered a high-quality knife.

The "Three-Torso Slash" is a rare and exceptional sword, one in ten thousand.

The current record is "Seven-body Slash" created by Kaemon Yamano.

At that moment, Yamano Kaemon, wielding the famous sword Kanefusa, stood on a high platform and leaped down, cleaving seven corpses stacked together in two with a single strike.

After testing their swords, the Yamada Asaemon family would carefully record the results, a process called "origin," which they would diligently preserve as data for assessing the value of the swords.

Furthermore, they would engrave the results of the sword's testing on the hilt—such as how many cuts the sword had been completed—and then engrave their own names to prove that the sword had indeed been tested by the Yamada Asaemon clan.

With the accumulation of experience in sword testing, coupled with the prestigious status of "the Shogunate's official sword tester," the Yamada Asaemon family held absolute authority in the field of swords.

The idea that any sword approved by the Yamada Asaemon family is a good sword is deeply ingrained. And indeed, that is the case.

If a sword can gain the approval and praise of the Yamada Asaemon family, then the economic and collectible value of the sword will rise sharply!

Therefore, the daimyo of the domain and high-ranking officials often hired members of the Yamada Asaemon family to help them test their swords.

The Yamada Asaemon family was also happy to earn this extra income.

In 1797, the third generation Yamada Asaemon Yoshitsugu compiled an illustrated book called "Houken Hosho" (The Treasured Sword and the Ruler) based on the test data left by his predecessors.

This encyclopedia records the most famous swords in the land and divides them into four grades: "Supreme Great Swords", "Great Swords", "Good Swords", and "Swords".

The publication of this book further solidified the Yamada Asaemon family's absolute authority in the sword appraisal world.

Although the Yamada Asaemon family's primary job was testing swords, they were far more famous for their other identity—executioners!

Because of their superb swordsmanship, they were not only tasked with testing the swords, but also with serving as executioners at the execution ground.

Beheading is a skilled job, not something just anyone can do—especially during the Edo period.

According to the regulations of the Edo period, beheading was not simply a matter of cutting off the head.

They wanted to behead him, but not completely.

After the head is severed, it must remain connected to the torso by a single layer of skin—this method of decapitation is called "embracing the head".

If someone accidentally cuts off a head, that's a very serious work mistake and will result in punishment.

To cleanly decapitate someone, the best place to make the cut is between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae.

To hone their swordsmanship, the Yamada Asaemon family created a very unique training method—stacking two tatami mats vertically together and then using a sword to cleave the gap between them.

The gap is at most one or two millimeters, not much wider than the edge of a knife.

To make the blade precisely slice into that small gap... you can imagine how difficult that is!

No matter how you swing the knife, as soon as you make a move, the blade will be able to precisely cut into the gaps between the tatami mats—only by doing this can you be considered a master.

The deep family tradition, coupled with abundant training opportunities, has made all the members of the Yamada Asaemon family highly skilled swordsmen!

Their swordsmanship was terrifyingly fast and incredibly precise! They had an unparalleled and precise control over their own strength!

If I say I'll cut off your eyebrows, I won't cut off your eyes.

How many people has the Yamada Asaemon clan killed over the years?

No one can count them all.

Even by conservative estimates, there are at least tens of thousands of people!

A family that has killed tens of thousands of people over the past hundred years... it's no exaggeration to call them the "executioner family"!

Besides being known as the "Executioner Family," they also had other names such as "Kami-kiri Asaemon" and "Hitsugi Asaemon."

Those who made mistakes and had to commit seppuku to atone for their sins would sometimes hire members of the Yamada Asaemon clan to perform the kaishakunin ritual so that their deaths would be more painless.

The current head of the Yamada Asaemon family is named Yamada Asaemon Yoshiri.

When Aoto was still the leader of the Hokuban-sho-cho town, he had met this person several times.

According to the regulations of the shogunate, whenever a criminal was to be executed, the officers in charge of the case, Yoriki and Doshin, had to personally go to the execution site to observe.

Thus, Aoto had seen Yamada Asaemon Yoshiki at close range on the execution ground.

The deepest impression the other party left on Qingdeng was... "coldness".

His face was expressionless, and his eyes were like knives.

He mechanically moved to the prisoner's side, then mechanically drew his knife, and then mechanically swung it.

The decisiveness and resolve with which he drew his knife were chilling.

It was as if, in his eyes, the victims were not living human beings at all, but just a pile of flesh.

On the other hand, his swordsmanship is so superb that it is truly breathtaking!

His movements were fluid and effortless, his knife strikes were so precise they looked as if they had been measured with a ruler.

The blade sliced ​​precisely into the gap between the third and fourth vertebrae at the back of the neck, severing the head and leaving only a thin layer of skin, as thin as a cicada's wing and even faintly translucent.

He used enough force to cleave the head, enough to sever tendons and break bones, yet he managed to pull back in time, leaving such a thin layer of skin...

Even now, Qingdeng is still amazed by it.

At that moment, the idea that "the Yamada Asaemon family truly lives up to its name" took root in Aoto's heart.

It is worth mentioning that after Yoshida Shoin, the mentor of the "Three Heroes of Choshu" and the spiritual guide of the Zunyan faction, was arrested by the shogunate in 1859, his head was cut off by Yamada Asaemon Yoshitoshi.

Qing Deng thought that after leaving the Northern Barbarians' Residence, he would no longer have any dealings with this sinister family.

He never expected that he would get involved with the scions of this family in such a way!

So be it.

In any case, there's only one thing to do now—find Mr. Kiryu and confront him face to face!

……

……

The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), December 25th——

Osaka, the headquarters of the Gourd House—

"Mr. Ju, please come this way."

Led by others, Qing Deng strode towards the depths of the mansion.

Before long, a beautiful courtyard came into Qingdeng's view.

"Hey, how have you been, Mr. Orange?"

In the very center of the courtyard, Mr. Kiryu, holding a bowl of fish bait, leisurely tossed the bait into the pond at his feet to feed the koi in the water.

Upon seeing Qingdeng arrive, he immediately put on a gentle smile.

"I've already heard about the 'Battle of Ikedaya' a while ago."

"Congratulations, you've done another great job."

At this point, Mr. Kiryu abruptly changed the subject, adopting a puzzled tone:

"At this crucial moment after the great battle, you must have many things to attend to. Why did you suddenly come to find me?"

Qingdeng ignored his question and strode towards him, saying directly:

"Yamada Asaemon Katsumi".

Upon hearing this name, Kiryu's boss was struck dumb, his whole body stiffened, and a complex and indescribable emotion flashed in his eyes.

Qingdeng moved to his side and stared intently into his eyes.

"Mr. Kiryu, who exactly is Yamada Asaemon Katsumi?"

The Kiryu boss was silent for a moment, then turned his head, and their eyes met with serious expressions.

"...Tachibana-kun, where did you hear this name from?"

Qingdeng recounted in detail the entire process of how the commander and others encountered Hannya.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Kiryu pursed his lips—countless emotions surged across his face.

Qingdeng remained silent and waited quietly.

After a short while, the old man sighed silently.

"Oh, I see... You ran into him..."

He gave a wry smile as he spoke, poured the remaining bait into the pond in one gulp, and then turned and walked towards the veranda on the side.

After settling down in the corridor, he reached out and patted the empty seat next to him.

"Tachibana-kun, come here and sit here."

Qingdeng did as instructed and sat down close to the other person.