I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"If it's the day after tomorrow, then it's possible."

He had barely finished speaking when he received Ogata's reply:

"Alright, then let's do it the day after tomorrow. Come to my shop at 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow. Remember to bring your knife."

"Remember to bring your sword"—Ogata's reminder made Aoto's gaze sharpen.

Even Kiryu, the boss standing to the side, was taken aback.

After leaving this reminder, Ogata did not linger and turned away.

Before Qingdeng could even ask any further questions, he strode out of the room and left.

……

……

Ogata's existence and the "power of immortality" certainly cannot be widely publicized.

Therefore, Qingdeng only told the outside world that he had invited a reclusive master to give the chief a secret medicine.

In a sense, he did not lie.

He did indeed invite a reclusive master, and what he gave the commander was indeed a secret medicine.

Although Qingdeng's explanation sounded like a bluff, no one asked any further questions.

On one hand, it was due to Qing Deng's prestige; everyone firmly believed that he would not harm the Souji.

On the other hand, the commander's condition had reached the point where it was "a gamble."

Since coughing up blood is an incurable disease and death is inevitable, let's summon any reclusive masters we know! Let's give her any secret medicines we have! Maybe a miracle will happen!

After drinking Ogata's blood, Souji was tormented by his fluctuating body temperature.

Sometimes the fever spikes, sometimes it subsides, then it spikes again, then it subsides again... and so on.

In addition to fever, there were also symptoms such as night sweats, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, making it a very difficult time.

Fortunately, whenever the fever subsides, Souji's condition improves a little, and he is able to sit up and eat some simple food.

In order to provide the best environment for Souji to recuperate, Qing Deng specially formed a "care team" composed of nimble maids and ordered them to take care of Souji 24 hours a day.

Nothing noteworthy happened in the next two days.

Amidst this tranquility, the time that Aoto and Ogata had agreed upon quietly arrived.

……

……

2 days later—

Kyoto——

Aoto arrived at the Shinsengumi headquarters in Mibu last night under the pretext of "inspecting Kyoto".

This morning, he set off early and arrived at Ogata's wagashi shop as promised.

Because it was an "incognito visit," Qing Deng did not ride his iconic black ox, but wore a bamboo hat to cover his face, and also put a hilt and sheath on his very recognizable sword.

Qingdeng settled his mount, strode toward the shop, and lifted the curtain.

The moment the door was opened, the unique sweet aroma of wagashi (Japanese sweets) wafted out.

Perhaps because it was too early, there wasn't a single customer in the shop.

Aoto glanced around and quickly found Ogata Itsuki sitting behind the counter.

He appears to be checking the ledgers.

Upon hearing that a guest had arrived, he slightly raised his head and looked up.

Qingdeng took off his straw hat while smiling and greeting:

"Good morning, Mr. Ogata."

"Tachibana-kun, you're here."

Ogata responded with a smile in return.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ogata closed the ledger in his hand, slowly rose, and called out loudly:

"A-Machi, I'm going out now. I probably won't be back until evening, so let's close for today!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of crisp footsteps came from the direction of the kitchen.

Before long, Atachi lifted the curtain of the kitchen and appeared in front of Aoto and Ogata.

Atachi glanced at Aoto and smiled brightly:

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

"Madam, please forgive me for not inquiring about you in a long time."

She wasn't surprised by Qing Deng's sudden visit... It's not hard to tell that she already knew about Ogata's request to meet with Qing Deng.

For some reason, at this moment, looking at the beautiful married woman in front of him, Qing Deng couldn't help but recall what the boss Kiryu had said a few days ago: Ogata Ittosai's wife drinks his bodily fluids every day.

Qingdeng's wives—including Tenshōin—were all top-tier beauties, one in a million.

For this reason, he has an extremely high threshold for the concept of "beautiful women".

Even so, he couldn't help but be amazed by Atachi's beauty.

She looks to be around 36 years old, yet she still has such a beautiful face. Qing Deng can't believe how beautiful she must have been when she was young.

To be honest, Qingdeng found it hard to believe that this charming and beautiful married woman was actually an old lady who was nearly a hundred years old...

At this thought, Qingdeng sighed inwardly:

No wonder Ogata Ittosai went to great lengths to hide his identity as an "undying one".

Fear of death is a human instinct.

Longevity is the ultimate ideal for countless powerful and wealthy people.

If one could prolong life simply by drinking Ogata Ittosai's bodily fluids every day—who knows what a terrifying sensation this would cause if it got out.

It's not hard to imagine that countless important figures would be frantically searching for Ogata at that time.

Even if Ogata possessed extraordinary abilities and was fearless of threats, he would eventually feel physically and mentally exhausted from being harassed for a long time.

Once they stay in the same place for a long time, the local residents will definitely notice that the couple is aging at an unusual rate.

It's not hard to guess that, in order to conceal their "immortal" identities, the couple must have moved frequently, starting new lives in completely unfamiliar places every now and then, and probably even changing their names periodically.

As Qingdeng pondered the pros and cons of the "power of immortality," the couple opposite him were conversing:

"You're not coming back until evening? Will you be gone for that long?"

"I might come back a little earlier or a little later, but I'll definitely be able to get home today."

As Ogata spoke, he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair from Atachi's temple behind her ear.

"Tachibana-kun, please sit for a while, I'm going to change my clothes."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow:

Are you going out?

"Yes, that's right. I'll take you somewhere, don't worry, it won't be too far."

He said this and turned to walk towards the second floor.

At the warm welcome of Atachi, Aoto sat down on a nearby bench.

Ogata did not keep Aoto waiting for long.

A short while later, he changed his clothes—still the same light blue haori he wore the day before yesterday, which was a bit old—and returned to Qing Deng's presence.

It is worth mentioning that he had an extra long cloth bag in his hand.

Although the cloth was wrapped tightly, Qing Deng, as a swordsman, could tell at a glance that it was shaped like a sword!

Qing Deng's pupils contracted slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

"Tachibana-kun, let's go."

"Wait a minute!"

Just as the two were about to leave, Atachi called them back.

They turned around at the same time, and then saw Atachi chuckling, each of her delicate hands holding a neatly packed bento box.

"Here you go, lunch! I knew you wouldn't be back so early, so I prepared two bento boxes in advance!"

Ogata smiled helplessly, muttering, "No wonder you were busy in the kitchen so early this morning," as he took the bento box.

After hesitating for a moment, Qingdeng also reached out and took it.

They've already prepared the bento box; if you're overly polite and offer it up, it would seem too cold-hearted.

Qingdeng thanked him and accepted the lunchbox with great generosity.

It's worth mentioning that when Aomine handed the bento to Aoto, her facial expression became somewhat subtle, and a strange light flashed in her eyes.

"King Orange, you have to eat it!"

She said this in a serious tone.

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng narrowed his eyes—though it was just his intuition, he vaguely sensed that A-Machi seemed to have something more to say.

At this moment, Ogata interjected, half-jokingly:

"Mr. Orange, you're in luck! My wife's cooking skills are so good she could open a restaurant!"

Qing Deng composed himself and chuckled to himself:

"Then I'll wait and see."

Amidst their laughter and conversation, the two turned around, stepped over the threshold one after the other, and left the shop.

"Mr. Ogata, where are we going?"

"Tianwang Mountain."

"Tianwang Mountain? What are we going to Tianwang Mountain for?"