I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With an area that is neither too big nor too small, and a view that is unremarkable... no matter which angle you look at it from, it is a courtyard without any special features.

Qingdeng walked expressionlessly to the center of the courtyard and clapped his hands twice.

Suddenly, a simply dressed young man emerged from the bushes and knelt down on one knee in front of Qingdeng.

"Toranosuke, I have a mission for you."

Qingdeng coldly said to the young man:

"Go and monitor a Western man named 'Mael de Orléans'."

“I have already placed ‘Ten Mile Fragrance’ on him beforehand, so it shouldn’t be difficult to track him down.”

"You must succeed immediately and return safely."

The young man, addressed as "Toranosuke," replied "Yes," then quickly got up and left...

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Chapter 878 The Great Demon [Bull Demon] and [Wet Woman]! [4600]

This courtyard is no ordinary place; it is the secret base of the Ninth Division and also an important communication point.

Whenever Qingdeng had a mission to assign to the Ninth Division, he would come to this courtyard and clap his hands twice.

Immediately afterwards, the members of the Ninth Division, who were waiting here, would come forward to receive orders.

This system was modeled after the Imperial Household Department of the Shogunate.

The Imperial Gardener – as the name suggests, it is related to “garden”.

When the general wants to issue a mission to the Imperial Guard, he will come to a specific courtyard.

Upon seeing the general arrive, the Imperial Gardeners, disguised as gardeners, would kneel down below the veranda with brooms in hand, awaiting orders.

Aoto stood still, watching Torinosuke's retreating figure.

After the figure disappeared from his sight, Qing Deng looked up at the sky and let out a long breath with a complicated expression.

If he could, he didn't want to clash with Elodie's father, much less do something so excessive to him.

However... Qingdeng has many identities.

He was not only Elodie's swordsmanship teacher, but also the lord of the Hatajin Domain, the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi, and the guardian of the capital region!

If what Elodie said is true, and Mael came to Japan for other reasons, then Qing Deng has to be on guard.

Although this is just a conjecture without any basis, it is still necessary to be cautious.

Therefore, in order to verify the correctness of this conjecture, Qing Deng decided to send elite ninjas from the Ninth Division to closely monitor Ma'er.

—Hopefully we're overthinking it...

After pondering this for a moment, Qingdeng turned around and went back into the house.

……

……

After leaving the Tachibana residence, Mael did not go to a hotel or anywhere else, but strode out of town.

To conceal his face and figure, he wore a windproof cloak, a low-brimmed straw hat, and a thick face mask, revealing only his eyes. At first glance, he appeared to be just an ordinary traveler.

He was unaware that no sooner had he left Dajin than a small, thin figure followed closely behind him, like a shadow.

It was Toranosuke, a member of the Ninth Division sent by Qing Deng to track and monitor Mael.

His full name is Nitta Toranosuke.

Because of his agility and quick thinking, he shone brightly after joining the Ninth Division and became one of the elite ninjas most trusted by Aoto.

The reason he was able to find Mael so accurately in the vast town was all thanks to the "fragrant herb" that Qingdeng had sprinkled on him beforehand.

The so-called "fragrant powder that travels a thousand miles" is a special kind of scented powder.

Humans cannot smell its scent, but professionally trained "ninja dogs" can.

"Ninja Dogs" are able to detect scents in the air and then track them.

Even targets ten miles away cannot escape the nose of the "ninja hound," hence the name "Ten Mile Fragrance."

The one who passed on this method to the Shinsengumi was naturally the all-powerful Gourd House.

It is said that this tracking method is a unique skill of a certain ninja village during the Warring States period.

As for how this unique skill ended up in the hands of the Gourd House, Qing Deng had no idea.

This skill is excellent, but training "ninja dogs" is extremely difficult.

To this day, only four "ninja dogs" have successfully "graduated".

When Mael suddenly took his leave, Qingden was both taken aback and instinctively became alert.

So, when they were saying goodbye, he secretly sprinkled a handful of the "Ten-Mile Fragrance" he carried with him on the other person when they weren't paying attention.

In terms of cunning and tactics, Aoto, who had been navigating the shogunate's officialdom for many years, was second to none.

Thus, thanks to the "fragrant herbs" that Qing Deng had scattered in advance, and the "ninja dogs'" precise tracking, Nitta Toranosuke successfully caught up with Mael in the suburbs.

After spotting the target, Nitta Toranosuke first sent his precious "ninja dog" back, then secretly lurked into the shadows, using his best agility to carefully control the distance between them, sticking firmly to the other's back.

Mael was completely unaware that there was someone behind him and continued walking forward on his own.

Before long, he arrived at the outskirts south of Dajin.

There was no village in sight, no shop in sight, and because it was far from any town or city, there wasn't a single pedestrian on the road.

The road was lined with dense trees, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves—which made things very convenient for Nitta Toranosuke.

He would sometimes leap up the tree trunk, sometimes hide behind the tree, constantly changing his movements to make his body blend into the shadows of the bushes.

Just as he was silently and diligently following Mael—

"?!"

Suddenly, he felt a chill on the back of his neck!

As if by reflex, he immediately turned around, placed his hand on his waist saddle, and looked around warily.

Flowers, grass, trees, mud... As far as the eye can see, the forest scenery is quite ordinary, with nothing special about it.

Even with all their eyesight, they found nothing unusual, nor could they find anyone else.

—Is it just my imagination...?

After checking several more times to confirm that there were no other living people around him, Nitta Toranosuke focused his attention and prepared to continue monitoring Mael.

However... just as he turned around, he suddenly felt a tightness in his throat—a rope flew out from behind him and tightly strangled his neck!

The perpetrator was extremely strong, and Nitta Toranosuke was no match for him.

He watched helplessly as he was lifted up inch by inch, his dangling feet kicking in vain.

My throat was under intense pressure, as if it would be crushed at any moment, and I couldn't breathe at all.

Even if he wanted to shout, he could only utter meaningless groans like "ho," "ho."

Suddenly, he heard a gentle female voice behind him:

"It's open! It's open!"

"Where is this path? This is the path of the gods!"

It was singing.

Nitta Toranosuke immediately recognized it as the classic folk song "Tsukikoku" (Travelogue).

During the Edo period, it was a common custom to visit a shrine to offer thanks for the health and well-being of children until they reached the age of seven.

However, in 1639, due to the expansion project of Kawagoe Castle, Miyoshino Shrine was included in the plan and became heavily guarded.

Ordinary people were not allowed to worship at will, thus gradually being separated from the lives of ordinary people, which led to this game song for children to fulfill their vows and beg for permission to leave.

Although it's called folk music, its lyrics exude a strong sense of the bizarre and grotesque.

The woman behind me was singing softly:

"Please accept this money to keep me safe."

"A smooth journey ~ but a difficult return ~"

"This is a small path in the underworld~"

"This is a minor path for ghosts and spirits~"

"Without offerings, we cannot cross."

"Being alive is fine~ But surviving after death is terrifying~"

"Although it's scary~"

"It's open! It's open!"

The melodious singing and the deep groans of trauma... On one side is a singer singing leisurely, and on the other is a pitiful person on the verge of death. The stark contrast creates a bizarre scene.

Soon, Nitta Toranosuke felt his consciousness gradually fading, and the singing and everything around him were rapidly moving away from him.

Before long... his feet stopped moving, his body stopped struggling, and he was hanging on the rope.

At the same time, a foul odor spread.

This is the classic death symptom of suffocation: loss of muscle control and incontinence.

Nitta Toranosuke probably never expected that—just moments ago there would be no one behind him, but suddenly two people appeared: a man and a woman.

The former was a burly man with long hair, and it was he who strangled Nitta Toranosuke to death with a hemp rope.

As for the latter, it was the singer who sang to help Nitta Toranosuke through his struggles.

This woman is very beautiful, with fair skin and delicate features.