I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

[Note: The tassels are the silk tassels sewn onto the edge of a conical hat.]

He wore no sword at his waist, and a light blue haori, revealing a tall and slender figure beneath the loose clothing.

Compared to the Shinsengumi uniform, his haori was a lighter color, as if he had worn it for a long time and even the fabric had faded.

His simple attire, lack of a sword, and imposing physique... at first glance, he didn't look like an invincible swordsman at all, but rather like an ordinary passerby.

Qing Deng glanced at the man, then turned his head to look at Boss Kiryu, casting a questioning glance his way.

The old man smiled and nodded.

Although Kiryu didn't say it explicitly, his actions already revealed the answer!

—"The Eternal Sword Saint"...Ogata Ittosai!

The person before me is none other than the legendary Peerless Sword Saint, who has lived for nearly a hundred years!

At that moment, Qingdeng felt his heart suddenly race, unable to suppress his surging emotions.

On one hand, there was Kiryu's excitement at successfully persuading the other party; on the other hand... there was a boiling fighting spirit!

—I want to fight…I really want to have a big battle with him!

The sword saint, known as "Eternal," was sitting right in front of him... A strong urge to "compete with him and see whose sword is sharper" surged into his heart!

Upon realizing this, he subconsciously raised his right hand, intending to draw the Vairocana sword from his left waist.

The other person seemed to sense Qingdeng's intention, and slowly raised his head to look at him.

Even with the insects blocking his view, Qingdeng could clearly feel the sharp rays of light shooting towards him.

Despite the high morale, this feeling was fleeting.

Qingdeng has never been the kind of person who can't distinguish between what's important and what's not, or who can't grasp the main contradictions.

The important matter at hand is what matters right now.

We'll leave the rest for later!

He took a deep breath, suppressing the myriad emotions in his heart, lowered his right hand again, then moved to stand directly opposite Ogata, took the Vairocana from his left waist, placed it on his right side, and sat upright.

"Mr. Ogata, it's an honor to meet you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft laugh came from behind the hanging silk.

"Mr. Ju, there's no need for such formality. I don't like serious occasions, and besides, given our friendship, there's no need to be so solemn."

A familiar voice… Qing Deng’s pupils contracted slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Before he could speak, Xu Fang took off his straw hat, revealing his face.

"Tachibana-kun, it's been a long time."

He smiled slightly, observing Qingdeng's changing expression with great interest.

In an instant, Qing Deng's eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the familiar face, muttering to himself:

"Old Shepherd... Boss...?"

Around forty years old, with an ordinary appearance that was neither handsome nor ugly... it was none other than the wagashi shop owner he knew, Komaki Goro!

So shocked was Aoto that he instinctively turned his head to the side and looked at Kiryu again for confirmation.

Mr. Kiryu smiled knowingly and nodded slightly.

With the old man's assurance, the last vestiges of doubt in Qingdeng's heart gradually dissipated.

Goro Komaki, a wagashi shop owner living in Kyoto, and a good friend of Mr. Kiryu... In that instant, Aoto understood everything.

Although reason had accepted reality, emotion was still a beat behind, and intense shock dominated his expression.

The "Eternal Sword Saint" is right beside me!

The familiar owner of the wagashi shop turned out to be none other than the world-renowned Ogata Ittosai… No matter how strong Aoto's willpower was, it would be difficult for him to accept this reality in a short time.

Who would have thought? The "Eternal Sword Saint," whom the Edo Shogunate feared so much, was actually kneading dough in a wagashi shop in Kyoto...

Qingdeng couldn't help but cast a complex look at the other person.

Coincidentally, while Aoto was staring intently at Ogata, the latter was also gazing at him.

However, his eyes looked very strange.

His eyes were quite deep. Although he was staring straight at Qing Deng, it was as if he was gazing at something deeper and more complex, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

His gaze was less of an assessment of Qingdeng's appearance and more of a scrutiny of Qingdeng's "inner self".

This eerie silence did not last long.

Ogata was the first to break the silence.

"As you can see, I now run a wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop."

"I have to rush back to knead the dough. A-Machi alone can't handle that mountain of flour."

"Time is of the essence, please take me to see Okita Souji quickly."

……

……

Aoto led Ogata and Kiryu into Souji's hospital room.

By this time, Souji had woken up.

Upon hearing Qingdeng's footsteps, she immediately broke into a joyful smile.

"Aoto...wait, Mr. Kiryu? And this is...Mr. Komaki?"

Seeing the two bosses who had suddenly arrived, Souji blinked, looking completely bewildered.

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"Xiao Si, I've found someone who can cure your illness."

"The person who treats illnesses?"

The commander paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something and looked relieved.

"Oh...I see. Mr. Komaki, are you here to deliver wagashi? Sweet wagashi are indeed a good medicine."

Even the renowned physician Bei Fangren could not cure her, and she had concluded that her illness was incurable.

Therefore, she subconsciously thought that Qingdeng was comforting her.

Ogata smiled, and then, as if by magic, pulled out a box of beautifully crafted wagashi from behind his waist.

"I did bring some wagashi (Japanese sweets) as a gift for the sick. However, these things are not medicine."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the three of them had already taken their seats.

Aoto sat to Souji's right, while Ogata and Kiryu sat side by side to Souji's left.

At Ogata's request, Aoto had cleared the area beforehand, not allowing any outsiders to approach Souji's bedroom.

"Tachibana-kun, before we officially begin the 'treatment,' there are a few things I must make clear."

Ogata spoke each word with a serious expression.

The things he talked about were all the same things he had told Mr. Kiryu the night before.

"Immortality" is not omnipotent; it may not be able to cure Souji; if something unexpected happens, he will not hesitate to eliminate him, and even Amaterasu descending to earth could not stop him...

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but purse his lips.

"……I see!"

After a moment of contemplation, he gritted his teeth.

"Anyway, if this drags on, she's doomed. In that case, we might as well take a gamble!"

Osamu nodded expressionlessly.

"Well, just be prepared."

Souji glanced at Aoto on her right, then at Ogata and Kiryu on her left, her beautiful eyes wide open and her pretty face filled with confusion.

"What are you talking about? What is 'immortality'?"

From the moment she started talking, Qingdeng and the others kept saying things she couldn't understand.

Qingdeng lowered his head and said to her earnestly:

"Xiao Si, what I'm about to say may be hard for you to believe, but I can assure you that there is absolutely no falsehood in what I'm saying—the only way to cure your illness is to let you absorb the 'power of immortality'!"

He explained the ins and outs in a concise and simplified manner.

During his commentary, he deliberately concealed the true identity of "Komaki Goro".

This was at Ogata's special request; he didn't want too many people in the world to know his true identity.

Therefore, when asked why "Komaki Goro" possessed "immortality," Aoto gave a vague answer.

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Chapter 1039 Treatment Begins! Absorbing the "Power of Immortality"! [4500]

After hearing this, Souji's already wide-open eyes widened even further.

She stared at Aoto and "Komaki Goro" repeatedly with a look of utter disbelief.

The expressiveness of his face perfectly encapsulates the meaning of "disbelief".

She struggled to process the massive amount of information, so much so that she forgot to blink.

After a long while, gradually recovering, she stammered and asked in return:

"...Qing, Qingdeng, you're not joking with me, are you?"

Qingdeng's serious expression remained unchanged:

"How could I possibly joke with you about something like this?"