I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

This feeling of having something to hide from Sanako and feeling guilty caused Chiba Jutaro's expression to become uncontrollably strange when he was in front of Sanako.

Chiba Jutaro's casual excuse was not enough to fool Sanako.

She frowned and scrutinized Chiba Jutaro from head to toe with a critical gaze.

To escape this awkward situation, Chiba Jutaro quickly changed the subject:

"Ah, that's right."

"Zanako, didn't you want to see me? What do you want?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Seeing that Chiba Jutaro had brought up serious matters, Sanako slowly withdrew her scrutinizing gaze. "I just wanted to tell you that it's been confirmed that our 'Chiba of Techniques' will be returning to Edo soon."

Upon hearing the name "Chiba the Technique," Chiba Jutaro's eyes widened in shock.

"Is Brother Rong coming back?"

Sanako nodded: "This is what my father just told me. In about ten days, my brother Rong will be returning to Edo."

"Haha..." Chiba Jutaro grinned, "'Chiba of Techniques' Chiba Eijiro is going back to Edo... Looks like the swordsmanship world in Edo is about to get lively..."

……

……

That evening—

Edo, Koishikawa, Kohinata-Yanagi-cho, Shieikan Hall—

Shusuke and Abi, who left early this morning, finally returned to Shieikan near dusk.

While the family was having dinner in the hall, Kondo informed Shusuke of the sword-fighting competition that the Aizu Domain was going to hold.

“Oh…” Shusuke raised an eyebrow. “The Lord of Aizu is actually going to hold a swordsmanship competition…”

"Father, I think our Test Guard Hall can't miss this competition!"

Kondo said quickly.

"A competition hosted by a great lord like the Lord of Aizu must be quite grand! It will surely attract many spectators!"

"If our Shiwaikan gym can achieve a good ranking and performance in this competition, it will further enhance our reputation!"

"Even putting all that aside, having our new recruits from the testing center participate in this kind of competition is very beneficial for their future development."

Kondo spoke animatedly and eloquently.

But Shusuke seemed not to be listening...

He listened absentmindedly, nodding slightly at the same time.

After Kondo finished speaking, he said softly:

“That’s right, I also think there are many benefits to participating in this competition, so let’s have our Shie-e-kan participate in this competition.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhu glanced sideways at A Bi beside him.

Noticing Shusuke's gaze, Abi turned her head to meet Shusuke's eyes, and then nodded slightly.

"Ugh...cough cough!"

Shusuke cleared his throat forcefully, then straightened his face and faced Kondo:

"Yong, let's not talk about the operation of these sword clubs for now."

"Put down your bowl and chopsticks first."

"I have something very important to tell you."

"Hmm?" Kondo put down his bowl and chopsticks with a puzzled look.

Noticing the strange commotion, Aoto, Okita, and the others also raised their eyes and looked at Shusuke.

"Yong, your mother and I have made a decision."

Zhou Zhu took a deep breath, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"It's time for you to settle down and start a family."

"What?" Kondo's eyes widened.

Qing Deng, Okita, and the others were also stunned.

"W-Does this mean I should get married?" Kondo stammered.

Zhou Zhu nodded.

Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly paused, then turned his gaze away and gave Qingdeng an awkward smile:

"Tachibana-kun, you should listen carefully too."

"This matter... is also related to you."

"Lots of pretty girls want to go on blind dates with you."

********

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A long chapter of over 7000 words today! Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

PS: Before the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, the territory of the Aizu Domain was ruled by the Ashina clan.

Ashina is the prototype for Ashina in the game Sekiro, and both are pronounced "Ashina".

In Japan, there is a term called "Aizu Soul," which originates from the tragic story of the Aizu Domain during the late Edo period, when the country was on the verge of collapse. The story goes that the Aizu Domain was ready to fight to the death, so why did the shogun surrender first? And that they tried to mend the situation with their own hands and fight the Satsuma-Choshu alliance head-on to the bitter end. Those who are interested can learn more about it.

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

The author has started a book club on Tencent! Anyone interested is welcome to join and chat about Big Bear.

Group number: 1162513690. Simply answer one question that anyone who has carefully read this book will know the answer to to join the book club.

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Chapter 129 "That's right, the cat monk!"

"what?"

—A blind date?

Being inexplicably called out and brought up the topic of "blind dates," Qing Deng, like Kondo, widened his eyes and stopped eating.

“Yo, you’re already 26 years old this year.” Shusuke cleared his throat again and said to Kondo earnestly, “Others your age would have had countless children by now.”

"And yet you're still single."

“Your mother and I…” Zhou Zhu laughed a few times, “we both want to hold our grandchildren.”

“Look, your mother and I are both over sixty years old with gray hair.”

Zhou Zhu raised his finger and pointed to his pale temples.

"At our age, we might die at any time... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Zhu let out a scream—A Bi, who was sitting next to him, reached out and pinched a small piece of flesh on Zhou Zhu's lower back with the tips of his right thumb and forefinger, and then twisted it forcefully.

"Stop saying such unlucky things," Abi said coldly.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." Zhou Zhu chuckled awkwardly at A Bi a few times, then cleared his throat forcefully to cover up his embarrassment. "In short—A Bi and I have decided to find you a good match."

“These past few days, your mother and I have visited the homes of reliable matchmakers to inquire if there are any suitable young women.”

"Hmm?" Kondo raised an eyebrow sharply, then quickly asked, "Father! So you and Mother have been going out frequently these past few days to find a matchmaker!"

Shusuke nodded, responded to Kondo with a gesture, and then smiled:

"We were very lucky. After only a few days of searching, we found a really nice girl."

"Matsui Tsune, daughter of Matsui Hachijōrō, a close retainer of the Shimizu family, one of the three noble families of Tokugawa."

"The Matsui family was located in the northern suburbs of Edo."

"Just today, your mother and I visited the Matsui family and met with Matsui herself quite often. She is indeed a very nice girl."

"Well-mannered, with a good temperament, and comes from a fairly good family."

"And she's a stunning beauty! Her skin is so fair and tender, it's like...like...like a steamed bun!"

"Then their eyes lit up, like...like the splatter of oil when frying pancakes!"

"Her cheeks were like ripe peaches in season, a healthy, rosy color."

Shusuke racked his brains, trying his best to describe Matsui Tsune's appearance.

However, due to their limited cultural level, Qing Deng and the others did not perceive Matsui Tsune's beauty from Shusuke's words.

They just felt even hungrier.

Shusuke realized that he didn't have the cultural level to describe Matsui Tsune's beauty at all, and waved his hand awkwardly.

"In short, she's a girl with excellent qualities!"

"Abi and I both think this girl is very suitable."

"Father, Mother, you've already met that girl..." Kondo's eyes had been wide open in astonishment since the beginning.

"Of course, I have to go and see for myself."

"After all, a hundred good words from a matchmaker can't compare to seeing the girl in person."

Having said that, Zhou Zhu straightened his face:

"Finding a daughter-in-law is a very serious matter. Whether we can find a high-quality daughter-in-law for the Kondo family is directly related to the future rise and fall of our family."

"How many families have been torn apart because of a wicked wife?"

"On the other hand, if one can find a virtuous wife, the whole family may rise to prominence."

“Look at the founder of the Tosa Domain: Yamauchi Kazutoyo. He was mediocre and had no real talent, but he managed to be enfeoffed in the Tosa Domain and become a great daimyo with a fief of 24 koku thanks to the assistance of his wise wife, Chiyo.”

Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Chiyo – this is a famous anecdote from the Edo period, often used to refer to "finding a good wife" and "learning to assess situations."

Kazutoyo Yamauchi was born in the Sengoku period three hundred years ago. He was a low-ranking samurai with no background or resources, a true commoner.

However, he was very lucky and married a wonderful wife: Chiyo.