I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The other person was very young, about 18 years old, with fair skin, pretty features, and quite good looks.

Nightingales of this caliber are undoubtedly highly sought after.

Sure enough, just as the man looked at the girl, another man approached her and asked about the price.

The girl parted her lips slightly and quoted a price.

Instantly, the other person's expression changed, and they looked completely taken aback.

It's easy to see that the price the girl quoted far exceeded his ability to afford.

After a short while, he came to his senses and hurriedly said something, seemingly trying to lower the price.

He was very enthusiastic, his eyes burning as he looked the girl up and down, relentlessly trying to negotiate.

However, the girl remained indifferent, and no matter what the other person said, she would just shake her head slightly.

A moment later, the other person shook his hand and walked away with a look of disgust on his face.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to spit in front of the girl.

Judging from their expressions and demeanor, their negotiations were not pleasant.

The man seized the opportunity to step forward, quickly walked a few steps, and came to the girl.

"how much is it?"

The girl looked up at the other person and said:

"120 coins."

Once you understand the average price level of nightingales, it's easy to understand why that person looked so shocked.

Admittedly, this isn't a lot of money.

However, this price is not cheap at the Nightingale Market!

Those who come to see Nightingale are all poor people who cannot afford to go to Yoshiwara and Okaba.

[Note·Oka Place: Private Cave]

The price they could accept was at most 5 or 60 coins.

120 coins... If you have that much money, why not just go to Gang?

At least the work areas in Oka dojo can provide beds or tatami mats, so you don't have to work in the alley.

To everyone's surprise, the man did not show any astonishment upon hearing the price; he simply shook his head.

"120 coins? A woman as beautiful as you, and you only ask for 120 coins? Isn't that too cheap?"

Not only did he not think it was expensive, but he actually thought it was cheap... If others heard what the man said, they would probably laugh at him for being foolish.

The girl looked at the man intently and said:

"120 copper coins will suffice; the price will neither increase nor decrease."

"up to you."

After ending this series of cryptic conversations, the man and woman walked together toward a nearby alley.

As soon as they entered the alley, they looked around warily, wary of being overheard.

After confirming that no one was around, the girl tiptoed, brought her lips close to the man's ear, and whispered in a low voice:

"Meet at 3-chome tomorrow morning."

After hearing this, the man nodded vigorously with a serious expression.

They did not leave immediately, but stood and waited for a moment.

About three minutes later, they emerged from the alley—before leaving, they made sure to slightly rummage their clothes.

The man turned and walked away without looking back.

The girl returned to her previous position.

Not long after, another young man came to the girl.

"how much is it?"

"120 coins."

"120 coins? A woman as beautiful as you, and you only ask for 120 coins? Isn't that too cheap?"

"120 copper coins will suffice; the price will neither increase nor decrease."

"up to you."

Same quote, same conversation...

After quickly agreeing on a price, the girl and the new man walked together toward the alley they had just crossed...

……

……

From noon on December 28th, a tense atmosphere permeated the air in Edo.

The people were very nervous, fearing that one day, at any moment, they might suddenly see a large, fully armed force rushing out from the opposite street corner, and that war might break out again.

Fortunately, these scenes did not occur.

Time passed, and everything calmed down.

转眼间，1864年的12月30日悄然过去，1865年的1月1日安然到来。

Finally... the old year has passed and the new year has arrived!

The era name "Genji" has become history. From today onwards, the era name "Keio" will be officially adopted.

On January 1, 1865, the first year of the Keio era, the rising sun in the east illuminated the sky.

The weather is perfect today, with clear skies and sunshine.

Since the beginning of winter, sunny days have been quite rare.

Such beautiful weather on the first day of the new year is truly a good omen.

People took to the streets, adults visited relatives and friends, and children played carefree, celebrating this annual festival in their own ways.

"Happy New Year!"

Happy New Year!

Two women dressed in new clothes met on the street and chatted and laughed warmly.

"Your clothes are so beautiful! Where did you buy them?"

"Oh, you flatter me. I bought this dress at Keiya in Nihonbashi. I hesitated for a long time before finally gritting my teeth and buying it... Ah, hey! Kentaro, watch out!"

While the women chatted enthusiastically, they kept a close eye on the "competition" taking place in the open space next to them.

"Follow me!"

"Kill them!"

"The general's head is mine!"

More than 20 children were divided into two teams and played "Red and White Battle" with great enthusiasm.

They were all from ordinary families, so naturally they wouldn't have complete equipment. They didn't even have red or white cloth strips, let alone the luxury of using porcelain bowls for games.

For ordinary people, even a porcelain bowl is extremely precious and should never be wasted.

Therefore, the children could only distinguish friend from foe by smearing different colored mud on their foreheads, and used thin sticks instead of wooden knives and bamboo swords.

Despite their rudimentary equipment, they still had a great time.

The children were playing, and the women beside them were chatting.

Not far away, a black cat lazily lay on the wall, its two front paws tucked into its chest fur, basking in the sunlight, its eyes half-closed, looking sleepy, and occasionally opening its mouth to yawn loudly.

Under a cloudless sky, all was peaceful.

"Hahaha, I won!"

"I refuse to accept this! Let's go again!"

“My husband has gained a lot of weight recently, and he can’t even wear a belt anymore.”

"Did you hear? The guy next door, Hyojiro, is getting married. His wife is very beautiful!"

"Really? That's wonderful news!"

"Since you're just killing time anyway, why don't you come over to my house later and play Sugoroku?"

"Alright, alright, then I'll gladly accept your offer!"

"Aa ...

Suddenly… in an extremely sudden instant, a terrifying scream from not far away plunged the scene into a brief and eerie silence…

The children's game was over.

The women's conversation stopped.

The black cat on the wall suddenly stood up, arched its back, and let out a low growl. The fur on its tail stood on end. Then, its ears twitched slightly, as if it had foreseen something. It hurriedly jumped down from the wall and left in a hurry.

Women and children alike stopped what they were doing, turned their heads in a daze, and looked toward the street corner across the street in the direction of the sound.

The street corner across the street, this once empty corner, this usually peaceful corner, has now changed—in an instant, figures flashed out from the corner! One person, ten people, a hundred people, a thousand people! In no time, they gathered into a huge crowd!

"Follow me!"

"Kill them!"

"Ju Qingdeng's head is mine!"

A massive, dark mass! Their sheer size was terrifying!

The people's clothing was varied, with the vast majority dressed in simple civilian clothes and a small number dressed as samurai. There was no uniform.

Their only similarity was that they both had a black cloth tied around their left arms.

In terms of weaponry, they were very uniform, all carrying swords at their waists, with only a very few possessing special equipment such as spears, longbows, and muskets.

This sudden change left everyone present stunned.