I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As everyone chatted and laughed, the food and drinks arrived.

A large tray was brought in by a porter, and bottles of sake and dishes of appetizers were placed on the table.

While everyone was pouring drinks, Kondo Isami turned to Aoto and said:

"Qingdeng, say something."

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"A speech? Isn't that a bit too much trouble?"

Kondo Isami grinned widely:

"Something has to be said to make the banquet look proper."

Qingdeng chuckled, said nothing more, silently picked up the wine glass beside him, and pondered for a moment.

After a short while, he said slowly and deliberately:

"Gentlemen, we are currently in a turbulent period."

"Surrounded by wolves, the world is in turmoil."

"I have seen your hard work and efforts in recent years and I am deeply grateful."

"I will never forget any of the heroes, and I will never let down any of my dear friends."

"I firmly believe in the power of unity."

"Therefore, I urge everyone to work together with one heart and one mind to fight the enemy."

"As long as we are united, we will have no enemies ahead of us."

Having said that, Qing Dengping handed over the wine glass in his hand.

Upon seeing this, everyone immediately did the same thing, stretching out the arm holding the wine glass.

Amidst a series of clattering sounds, a dozen or so wine glasses clinked together, neither too loudly nor too softly.

Qing Deng's speech was short, but everyone who heard it was deeply moved—because they knew very well that what Qing Deng had just said was not just empty talk.

Kondo Isami, Nagakura Shinpachi, and other elderly people showed calm smiles.

The vice-captains, led by Nakazawa Sadagi (the vice-captain of the Third Division)—who were the junior members—were filled with trepidation as they faced Aoto's speech and toast.

After a brief speech, the banquet officially began.

All those present were comrades-in-arms who had gone through thick and thin together, and their bond was far stronger than that of ordinary people.

Even Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo, who used to be at odds, have now improved their relationship. While they can't be said to be particularly close, at least they no longer hate each other.

In short, thanks to the deep affection between them, the scene quickly became very lively.

They chatted and laughed, clinking glasses and making a lively scene.

"Hiccup... Whenever I'm drunk and flushed, I really want to dance."

"Okay! Shinpachi, jump! I'll accompany you!"

Inoue Genzaburo, like a helpless old father, stepped forward to stop him:

"Sanosuke, stop making a fuss. Shinpachi, put your clothes on quickly, don't do your belly dance in public."

At the same time, Kondo Isami demonstrated his special skills to Nakazawa Sadaki and Nakazawa Koto:

"Come to think of it, I haven't shown you two siblings this yet. Look closely, this is my fist. Now, I'm going to put my fist in my mouth, watch carefully."

After saying that, he opened his lips wide and slowly put his tightly clenched fist into his mouth.

His mouth is so big that a fist can fit inside it—this is Kondo Isami's signature move.

The Nakazawa siblings were seeing this kind of skill for the first time, so they were very enthusiastic and applauded enthusiastically.

Suddenly, Harada Sanosuke, slightly tipsy, casually stretched out his arm and put his arm around Matsubara Tadashi (the lieutenant of the 10th Division) shoulder, and began recounting his never-ending "heroic deeds":

“Matsuhara-kun, do you know? Back when I was still an official in the Matsuyama Domain of Iyo Province, before I became a ronin who had left my domain, there was a despicable fellow who slandered me as a ‘minor official who didn’t even know the etiquette of seppuku’…”

Upon hearing the opening line "Back in the day," Matsubara Tadashi already wore an expression of utter despair...

Since joining the Shinsengumi, he had heard the story told by the other party countless times, and he knew it so well that he could almost recite it by heart.

Harada Sanosuke was his direct superior, so he couldn't refuse.

Therefore, whenever Harada Sanosuke started "repeating" again, he could only listen silently and endure it silently.

The vice-captains of the same rank, including Nakazawa Satag and Nakazawa Koto, secretly suppressed their laughter and cast sympathetic glances at him.

Qing Deng and the others were already used to this. They treated Harada Sanosuke's endless "repetition" as white noise, automatically filtering it out and remaining completely unaffected.

Just as everyone was chatting happily and the banquet was reaching its climax, it was from that direction again, from those seven people again, and again, sharp mockery—

"It's a pity that 'Heavenly Sword' Okita Souji didn't come!"

Having drunk quite a bit more, Date Renshichiro, his face even more flushed, chuckled and continued to himself:

"If 'Heavenly Sword' comes too, I will definitely have a match with her to see if she is worthy of the title 'Heavenly Sword'."

He had barely finished speaking when his companion—a large, burly man—quickly chimed in:

"It is said that 'Heavenly Sword' Okita Souji is the strongest member of the Shinsengumi besides 'Niou'. Hmph, if even a woman can become the strongest, it seems that the captains of the Shinsengumi are just so-so, not that strong."

When mentioning the word "woman," he emphasized his tone and made an exaggerated expression.

The two of them, in their banter, amused the rest of the people at the table—except for Shozo Hashimoto.

He quickly tried to dissuade his companions, repeatedly saying, "Shut up," "Don't say such things," and "Stop laughing."

However, his good intentions had no effect whatsoever, and the laughter continued.

At this moment, all the Shinsengumi generals, including Aoto, stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Date Tonichiro and the others who were still laughing.

People with strong tempers, such as Kondo Isami, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Serizawa Kamo, all had angry expressions on their faces.

Even Saito Hajime, who rarely showed his emotions, revealed a displeased look in his eyes at this moment.

They were warriors; how could they tolerate being provoked again and again?

At first glance, only Qingdeng seemed relatively calm.

However, upon closer inspection, one can see that Qing Deng slightly narrowed his eyes, and a subtle change occurred in his aura—like mist condensing into frost, making him appear "heavy."

He might forgive someone for publicly mocking the Shinsengumi—if it happened only once.

She committed the same offense twice in a short period of time, and even insulted the commander-in-chief with arrogant words...

Qingdeng is thinking of his wife and children tonight.

As luck would have it, I ran right into the line of fire...

Therefore, Qingdeng made a decision immediately.

After staring intently at each other for a moment, Kondo Isami and the others turned to look at Aoto in unison—they were waiting for Aoto's decision.

Qingdeng didn't keep them waiting long.

He quietly took a sip of his drink, then said in a clear voice without any expression:

"I had heard that the warriors of Sendai Domain were all a bunch of arrogant frogs in a well, and now it seems that they were right."

He deliberately raised his voice to make it cover the entire venue.

In an instant, the once incredibly noisy izakaya fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The guests at the other tables quickly turned their heads and cast horrified glances at Qingdeng—how dare you provoke the "Seven Spears of Xianzhou"? You're asking for trouble!—they conveyed these words with their eyes.

After a moment of surprise, Date Renshichiro and the others quickly responded—they glared angrily at Aoto.

But then Date Renshichiro suddenly stood up, swaggered over to Qing Deng's side, and roared with a ferocious expression:

"Hey? Kid, what did you say? Say it again if you dare!"

Qing Deng replied without hesitation:

"Isn't the target of my words obvious enough? Since you are all so stupid, let me be more direct—the so-called 'Seven Spears of Immortal Continent' are nothing but a frog in a well, ignorant and unrestrained, truly laughable."

Qing Deng's words were not just adding fuel to the fire, but throwing a bomb into it!

Date Renshichiro cursed loudly—Aoto couldn't understand it, perhaps it was Sendai slang—then grabbed Aoto by the collar and tried to pull him up.

However, after exerting his strength, he was shocked to find that he couldn't pull the other person at all!

No matter how hard he tried, his opponent remained as still as a rock.

In the blink of an eye, the roles of "attacker" and "defender" were reversed.

Suddenly, Qing Deng stood up and, using the momentum of his rise, threw out his right fist, which struck Date Renshichiro squarely on the left cheek!

His punches were so fast that his opponent had no time to react.

The force of his punch was so powerful that it sent his opponent flying!

Date Renshichiro's body shot up like a cannonball, arcing through the air before flying towards the shop curtain not far away and landing outside the shop!

*******

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Chapter 1012 "Now that you have met General Tachibana, why not pay your respects?" [5000]

Not only did he strike directly, but he also punched the other person, sending him flying... Qing Deng's sudden heavy punch brought a brief silence to the scene.

Innocent passersby and even the Seven Guns were all stunned and speechless.

The reason why everyone present was stunned was not only because Qing Deng's punches were too fast and too fierce, but also because Qing Deng's countermeasures were completely beyond their expectations.

They had considered that Aoto would apologize and admit defeat, but they also had considered that Aoto would retaliate and engage in a war of words with Date Renshichiro.

But they never expected Qing Deng to make a move directly! He sent Date Renshichiro flying with a single punch!

In fact, even the vice-captains, such as Nakazawa Sadagi and Nakazawa Koto, who were also Aoto's partners, were taken aback at this moment.

They are the "juniors" and haven't known Qingdeng for very long, so they don't know much about him yet.