I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

No sooner had Kiryu finished speaking than Aoto bluntly remarked:

"'Make peace with him'?"

"Mr. Kiryu, please forgive my bluntness—you probably don't have the ability to settle things with him now."

"Seven years ago, even if you tried your best, you could only manage a draw with him."

Now, seven years have passed.

"You're getting older, and your body is aging."

"And at the prime of his life, he was experiencing a rapid increase in physical strength and power."

"Given the shift in power, how confident are you in making a clean break with him?"

"Why don't you carry a revolver with you?"

As Qingdeng spoke, he made a "shooting" gesture.

"If we find an opportunity, we can fire a few shots at him and maybe achieve a surprise victory."

The Kiryu boss chuckled to himself.

"Ju-kun, a mere pistol is no match for a master of his caliber."

"If we want to subdue him with firearms, we need to mobilize at least a musket squad of 10 men."

After saying this, Mr. Kiryu let out a long breath and then revealed an extremely refreshed expression.

"You're not the first person to advise me to stop."

"My lord, Makimura... everyone is advising me not to be so foolish, that I'm too old to go and die, and so on."

“I also know that the lord secretly ordered the team responsible for finding Keji: once Keji is found, there is no need to talk to him about martial ethics, just kill him with firearms.”

"So that they could get rid of Keji before I did."

I appreciate your kindness.

"However, my determination will not change."

"My insistence on ending my self-discipline is not simply a matter of personal feelings."

"As I just said, this is the bitter fruit I sowed myself."

"This is my responsibility."

"This is a battle I must face."

"If I run away, I'm afraid I'll never be able to get rid of this regret until I die."

"Besides..."

At this point, Mr. Kiryu paused for a moment.

When he spoke again, his tone was more playful.

"Although I am an old man with my eyebrows buried in the ground, I am still a swordsman at heart."

"My last battle with Katsumi was really not satisfying enough."

"Deep down, I've always secretly longed for another exhilarating and unforgettable duel with my beloved disciple!"

"Success or failure, it doesn't matter."

"This is the bitter fruit I sowed myself, and the battle I started myself."

"Whatever the outcome, I will accept it gladly."

After saying that, Mr. Kiryu slowly stood up.

"Alright, I've finished telling all the stories I wanted to tell."

"Haha... Storytelling can be quite tiring."

"Especially unpleasant stories like this."

"I'm a little tired, so I'll go downstairs to rest first."

"Tachibana-kun, you should go and get some rest too."

After leaving those words, he turned away with a complicated expression and strode off.

In no time at all, his figure disappeared at the far end of the courtyard...

……

……

"..."

Qingdeng took mechanical steps forward.

He remained outwardly calm and composed.

In reality, however, his mind had wandered far away, and he was simply moving forward on instinct.

For this reason, he didn't even hear footsteps beside him.

"Aki, it's been a long time."

Qing Deng paused for a moment, then turned to look—Kinoshita Rin walked towards him slowly with her hands behind her back.

"Grandma, it's been so long since I last greeted you. How have you been?"

Kinoshita Rin nodded slightly:

"Aside from the hot weather, which makes people irritable, everything is fine."

As she spoke, she moved to Qingdeng's side and walked alongside him.

"How is A-Wu? Has her frequent leg cramps gotten any better?"

When talking about A-Wu, her usually tense facial features softened considerably.

Qing Deng gave a bitter smile:

"After we forced her to eat more shrimp shells, her condition has improved a lot."

"However... she now has a strong prejudice against shrimp, saying things like 'I never want to eat shrimp again in my life'."

Kinoshita Rin reproached him, half amused and half exasperated:

"She's about to become a mother, how come she's still acting like a little kid?"

After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, Kinoshita Rin suddenly fell silent for a moment.

After a short while, she changed the subject:

"Did Jiulang... tell you everything?"

"..."

Qingdeng didn't reply, but nodded vigorously.

"Oh... I bet he said something like, 'This is the bitter fruit of my own actions,' or 'I have to face it,' right?"

Qingdeng nodded again:

"Yes, you're absolutely right."

Upon hearing this, Kinoshita Rin sighed deeply, then revealed a frustrated expression of disappointment.

"Sigh... He's already so old, why does he still act like a reckless young man?"

“An Yi, you probably don’t know this, do you? Don’t be fooled by Kuro’s usual mature and composed demeanor. When he gets stubborn, he’s harder to persuade than anyone else.”

At this point, Kinoshita Rin sighed again.

"Well... there's no point in complaining now that things have come to this."

Just then, the two arrived at a fork in the road.

Kinoshita Rin stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the fork in the road on her right.

"Tachibana-kun, can you take a walk with me?"

Qingdeng answered almost without hesitation:

"of course can."

An old man and a young man turned right and walked in silence.

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

Today the weather is perfect, with gentle sunshine, making it the ideal time to stroll through the park and enjoy the scenery.

However, both the old and the young were so engrossed in their own world that they didn't even glance at the beautiful scenery around them.

They strolled among the flowers... Suddenly, Kinoshita Rin spoke softly:

"Self-discipline is inherently a sign of an extreme personality."

"This kind of innate personality flaw cannot be corrected by giving him a few pointers or teaching him a lesson."

"Even if it seems to be corrected, it is mostly an illusion."

Whether Keji's misguided path was Jiulang's fault is hard to say.

"In short, I only care about one thing—I don't want Jiulang to be in any danger."

“Kuro, Yahachi, Shichirobei, Katsuroro…these four have been with me since I was a little girl in my early teens.”

"They are both my companions and my precious family."

"We've weathered countless storms and hardships together, and it's amazing that we're still alive and well... Looking back now, it's truly like a miracle."

"I hope they can live out the rest of their lives peacefully and then pass away without regrets and with contentment."

"Shichirobei and Katsuroro are both old and live a very happy life, eating and sleeping all day long."

"Only Kuro and Mihachi are left to worry me about."

"They are both restless people. I told them to settle down and be retired gentlemen, but they just wouldn't listen to me."

“Especially Jiulang.”

"His feud with Keji has really made me turn gray."