I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 1704

Shuten-dōji watched all of this with a smile.

It's not hard to see that he had already guessed how the two would react when they saw Ōtakemaru.

It took them about 5 seconds to gradually recover.

Shock as it may be, we still need to fulfill our proper etiquette.

Katsura Kogoro straightened his back and cleared his throat:

"Excuse me. I am Katsura Kogoro, a patriot from Choshu."

Shinsaku Takasugi followed closely behind:

"Same patriot from Changzhou, Takasugi Jinzuo."

Otakemaru: "..."

Ōtakemaru remained unchanged, expressionless and silent, looking like a puppet.

—How can this person be so rude? They didn't even give their name?

Just as Katsura Kogoro was secretly dissatisfied, Shuten-dōji smiled and offered an explanation:

"Please forgive me, Ōtakemaru is not an impolite person, he just can't hear."

As he spoke, he pointed to his ear.

"He was born deaf, so he can neither hear nor speak."

Upon hearing this, the shock that had just subsided returned to dominate their expressions.

"He can't hear?!"

Katsura Kogoro questioned him in a loss of composure.

Shuten-dōji nodded:

"Yes, if you don't believe me, you can light a firecracker next to his ear, and he won't react at all."

"Only Lord Orochi and Rin can communicate with him using their eyes, expressions, and special gestures."

Katsura Kogoro opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something more.

The overwhelming shock left his mind in a complete mess, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

After a while, Shinsaku Takasugi took over the conversation:

"A deaf person can become your top combat force?"

The term "deaf" made Ah Ling puff out her cheeks and look displeased.

"Mr. Takasugi, this is a misconception."

Shuten-dōji chuckled, his tone becoming intriguing.

"It is precisely because he was born deaf that he could not hear the sounds of the mundane world since birth, thus enabling him to hear 'sounds' that we cannot hear, and thus step into a realm that we mortals cannot reach."

His words left the two of them completely bewildered.

Katsura Kogoro exhausted his imagination but could not fathom how a deaf-mute person could learn swordsmanship.

It's even more unimaginable how he could become the strongest fighter, surpassing Shuten-dōji and Hannya.

Before Shuten-dōji finished speaking:

"We'll discuss the details with you later when we have the chance."

"Let's go see Lord Orochi first."

"Don't keep him waiting."

At this point, he turned to look at Ōtakemaru and A-Ling.

"By the way, Ah Ling, what are you two doing here?"

Ah Ling sighed and said:

"Do you think I want to sunbathe here? It's all my brother's fault for suddenly saying he wanted to go for a walk, so I had no choice but to go with him."

Shuten-dōji:

"I see... Then you two continue. I'll take Mr. Takasugi and Mr. Katsura to see Lord Orochi first."

"okay."

Shuten-dōji led the two of them on their way again.

As they parted, Ah Ling didn't forget to glare fiercely at Takasugi Shinsaku, who had just bluntly called her a "deaf man."

In no time, only the brother and sister remained in the spot.

Suddenly, Ōtakemaru raised his gaze and stared intently at the northern sky.

Seeing this, Ah Ling immediately asked:

"Hmm? Brother, what's wrong?"

Otakemaru: "..."

"The wind tells you: 'It's going to rain soon'... Ah! Brother, wait for me!"

Aling took two quick steps and hurriedly caught up with Ootakemaru, who was walking away on his own.

……

Walking upstream along the mountain stream, soon you can hear the gurgling sound of a waterfall, interspersed with occasional roars.

"We've arrived."

Shuten-dōji gestured with his chin toward the cave behind the waterfall.

"Lord Orochi is right there."

Upon hearing this, the two swallowed hard in unison, their faces turning solemn.

The leader of the Law Extermination Party, Orochi... I'm finally going to see him!

The thought made their hearts race.

They had heard all sorts of rumors about this person long ago.

Some say he's a handsome and dashing man.

Some say he was a great swordsman with unparalleled swordsmanship.

Some say he was a sharpshooter skilled in using two revolvers.

There are countless rumors, making it difficult to know which one to believe.

Shuten-dōji saw through their thoughts and smiled slightly:

"Don't be nervous. Lord Orochi is not a scary person. He is much kinder than you think. Don't just stand there, hurry up and follow me."

Shuten-dōji lifted his foot and walked towards the cave.

The two followed closely side by side.

The three of them passed through the water curtain and entered the cave... The cave was very cool and not very large.

"Xiao Jiu, you're here..."

An aged voice.

The speaker was an elderly woman in her sixties who was sitting upright on a rock.

Shuten-dōji smiled:

"Tamamo-no-Mae, it's been a long time. Where is Lord Orochi?"

——Tamazo Mae? !

Two pairs of shocked gazes immediately turned to the old woman.

Following the revelation that "Ōtakemaru is deaf," the truth that "Tamamo-no-Mae is an old woman" once again shocked the two into silence.

The old woman… that is, Tamamo-no-Mae, ignored their gazes and said calmly:

"The giant snake is right behind us. Giant snake! Little Jiu is back!"

At the same time as the shout was finished, unhurried footsteps came from behind the cave.

Forget about paying attention to Tamamo-no-Mae, Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro both looked away and stared intently at the direction from which the footsteps came.

Who exactly is Yamata no Orochi?

With this question in mind, the two of them didn't dare to blink.

In just a few breaths, the footsteps finally drew nearer to them—

My stomach arrived before I did.

A portly, middle-aged man, leaning against the wall, slowly appeared before the crowd with unsteady steps.

Shuten-dōji said in a half-joking tone:

"Lord Orochi, is it just my imagination? You seem to have gained some weight."

"Hahaha! It's not your imagination, I really have gained weight again! Sigh, it's easy to gain weight as you get older."

After speaking, the overweight middle-aged man turned to look at Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro, who were still standing there dumbfounded:

"You two must be Mr. Takasugi and Mr. Katsura, right? It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"I am the leader of the Law Extermination Party, Yamata no Orochi!"

……