I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Analyzing the brothers' actions so far, it's not hard to deduce that the reason they've been indiscriminately killing people is simply because they want to kill.

He kills not for money or lust, nor does he discriminate based on the gender or age of the person he kills; as long as they are human, that's all that matters.

The elder brother, Yoshikawa Ichitaro, was a brute who was skilled with a great sword, but had no wisdom or strategy.

Unlike his brother, Yoshikawa Kojiro, the younger brother, was only average in terms of fighting skills, but was quite intelligent.

It is said that his younger brother, Yoshikawa Kojiro, was a very quick-witted and cunning person.

He can tell lies that are completely contrary to reality in a way that is so convincing that it is difficult for people to find any flaws.

The reason why the two brothers have not been arrested is largely due to the younger brother, Kojiro, who has been "devising plans" and has come up with various underhanded tricks to escape danger on their way from Kansai to Kanto.

For example, when chased by officials with no way to escape, they use extremely sincere and emotionally charged lies to deceive kind-hearted civilians into lending them shelter or food.

In short—they are a gang of vicious thugs.

In keeping with his extremely light steps, Qingdeng also slowed down his breathing considerably.

There were no brick or stone roads in the Eta settlement; the ground was all muddy, which perfectly absorbed the footsteps of Aoto and his companions.

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai moved like hopscotch, constantly flashing in the shadows of various houses, always maintaining a distance of about 7 or 8 meters from the red-faced brothers.

The red-faced brothers and their companions, oblivious to the fact that they were being followed, seemed to be searching for something as they crept deeper into the Edo settlement, glancing left and right in the process.

What were they looking for? This question had just popped into Qing Deng's mind when he suddenly saw the red-faced brothers and the others in front of him abruptly stop in their tracks.

The red-faced brothers stopped, and Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai had no choice but to stop as well, shrinking behind a thatched hut and only peeking out half their faces to observe the situation.

The red-faced brother and his gang of henchmen were all focused on a certain spot in front of them.

Looking out from where Aoto and Kinoshita Mai were hiding, they could see exactly what the red-faced brothers were looking at—they were both watching a little girl who was curled up on the side of the street.

The little girl was about 14 years old. She was very thin, and the bones in her limbs looked like they were screwed on, but not very tightly, as if her hands and feet might detach from her torso at any moment.

Her clothes were tattered and old, covered in disgusting filth. Because the girl was so thin, the clothes, which were no different from rags, looked like they were hanging on a clothes rack made of dead branches.

The girl was fast asleep on the dirty street, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs.

Apart from the girl, there was no one else on the street.

After carefully examining the little girl, the red-faced brothers and the others looked at each other.

Immediately afterwards... Qingdeng saw them all revealing sinister smiles that made people feel uncomfortable just by looking at them.

The blade flashed.

Led by the red-faced brothers, the eight warriors drew their swords with a silent, "gentle" movement, and then walked towards the girl with equally "gentle" steps, tiptoeing and shuffling.

The girl was sleeping so soundly... her small chest was still rising and falling rhythmically.

Completely unaware that danger was approaching!

Both Aoto and Kinoshita Mai's expressions changed drastically at this moment.

Anyone can see what the red-faced brothers are up to now!

The moment his pupils contracted slightly, Qing Deng reacted swiftly—his expression hardened, and as he reached for the orange juice at his left waist with his right hand, he extended his left foot out from behind the house where he was hiding.

Kinoshita Mai, who was standing next to him, was even faster than him.

"That's enough!" Kinoshita Mai nimbly leaped outwards, landing right in the center of the street facing the red-faced brothers and the others.

Kinoshita Mai's shout shattered the surrounding tranquility like a broken mirror.

The red-faced brothers and their underlings were startled, then quickly looked toward Kinoshita Mai standing behind them.

The girl, startled awake by Kinoshita Mai's shout, opened her eyes in a daze.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the red-faced brothers and others standing not far in front of her, holding gleaming swords in their hands.

The little color that was already on his face was completely drained away by fear. He screamed in terror as he fled in a direction away from the red-faced brothers and the others.

Kinoshita Mai's shouts and the girl's screams completely shattered the surrounding tranquility.

The Edo people living in the houses on both sides of the street, who had been sleeping soundly, were all awakened by the sudden noise. They pressed their heads against the windows or doors in confusion to see what had happened.

Upon glancing at Qing Deng, the red-faced brothers, and others who were facing each other, and noticing the knives in their hands and at their waists, their expressions changed drastically, and they quickly shrank back into the house.

The houses on both sides, which had just become a bit noisy, became extremely quiet once again.

No one dared to watch, and no one dared to come out.

Those who suffered from discrimination and were treated like livestock basically all developed extremely severe "anthropic symptoms".

Ordinary civilians, upon witnessing a scene of "two groups of warriors facing off," might be bold enough to go and watch the spectacle.

But very few scoundrels dare to do such a thing.

A life not valued by the world... is so insignificant.

Qing Deng made no comment on Kinoshita Mai's action of jumping out from behind the house and stopping the red-faced brothers and others—if Kinoshita Mai hadn't been a little faster than him, it would have been him who shouted to stop these crazy lunatics who were about to commit violence.

Aoto, who was a little slower than Kinoshita Mai, had already stood beside Kinoshita Mai while keeping his right hand on the hilt of the tachibana.

The red-faced brothers and the others no longer cared about the girl who had escaped. They all frowned and looked at Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai with wary eyes.

"Who goes there?!" The elder brother, Ichitaro, asked Aoto and Kinoshita Mai in a hoarse voice, as if rust had been rubbed against something.

You don't need to know—Qing Deng originally intended to answer in a falsetto.

However… before he could even open his mouth, Kinoshita Mai beside him had already answered first—

Kinoshita Mai spreads her palms flat, raises her arms overhead with palms facing up, and bends her right leg high.

"That's right, Cat Monk!"

Qingdeng: "..."

The red-faced brothers and their group: "..."

Everyone, whether they were beside Kinoshita Mai or standing opposite her, was now staring silently at Kinoshita Mai, who was standing steadily on one leg.

Kinoshita Mai's performance-art-like actions left the red-faced brothers and their companions looking puzzled, astonished, bewildered, and at a loss.

But the younger brother, Kojiro, reacted quickly.

He quickly regained his composure, then frowned: "Cat Monk... Oh, you're that famous phantom thief..."

Kojiro pursed his lips thoughtfully.

He didn't bother to ask who Aoto, who was standing next to Kinoshita Mai and wearing a black fox mask, was.

After glancing at Qingdeng a few times, he revealed a harmless and kind smile.

"Master Mao Xiaoseng, I have long admired your name!"

"I have long heard of your deeds and have admired you for a long time."

After offering a few simple compliments to Kinoshita Mai in a sincere tone that left no room for criticism, Kojiro's tone suddenly changed.

"Why have you appeared here?"

“In a place like this, there shouldn’t be any heinous criminals who would be worth having you steal their property.”

Kinoshita Mai ignored the question posed by Kojiro.

Silently lowering her raised arms and right leg, she glared at everyone standing opposite her with eyes full of undisguised disgust.

It has to be said—the black face mask on Kinoshita Mai's face was really useful.

After covering most of her face with it, Kinoshita Mai showed no trace of her usual introverted and shy demeanor.

Feeling immensely safe thanks to the face mask, Kinoshita Mai righteously questioned Kojiro and the others:

"Recently, there have been many unfortunate people here who have been brutally murdered by Tsuji... You were the ones who killed them, weren't you?"

"I never imagined that after wreaking havoc in Kansai, you red-faced brothers would come to Kanto to commit evil deeds."

Kojiro remained completely calm.

But after hearing Kinoshita Mai call out his name accurately, the friendly smile that had been on his face disappeared at a visible speed.

They were caught red-handed approaching the little girl with their knives; Kinoshita Mai accurately pointed out the recent frequent Tsuji-slaying incidents in the area; their identities had been recognized; and Kinoshita Mai was clearly up to no good... Kojiro realized that there was no need to play dumb anymore.

His underlings, as well as his elder brother Ichitaro, all trusted their "strategist" quite a bit. They all kept their swords firmly in their hands while keeping their eyes fixed on Kojiro.

"...Master Cat Monk, what we do and what we want to do should be none of your business, right?"

Kojiro's smile was forced and insincere.

“You are a thief who steals other people’s money, so you are one of us.”

"Since we're all on the same path, let's go our separate ways."

"Pretend you didn't see us tonight, and we'll leave immediately."

No sooner had Kojiro finished speaking than Kinoshita Mai, her eyes filled with even deeper disgust, shouted:

"What do you mean by 'fellow traveler'? Don't compare me to scum like you!"

"Surrender! We've come here specifically to catch you!"

Kojiro stared at Kinoshita Mai expressionlessly, then sneered: "...I just happened to hear about it recently—that Neko-san is a weirdo who helps the police catch thieves."

"I never imagined that the rumor was actually true."

"It's hard to understand. Even though you only steal money from evil people, in the end, you're just a thief."

"As a thief, I even helped the magistrate catch thieves... without any reward, at most I only gained some vague reputation..."

After saying that, Kojiro scoffed dismissively, then turned his head and looked around.

"Facing the Nekomamushi, who is known for his speed and ability to scale walls... it's going to be incredibly difficult for us to escape right under your nose..." After muttering this to himself, Kojiro's eyes turned cold, and he gave Ichitaro and the others a meaningful look.

Ichitaro grinned and let out a sinister laugh, then raised the greatsword in his hand high above his head.

The shadows of blades flickered—the red-faced brothers and their companions raised their knives, casting menacing glances at Qing Deng and Mao Xiaoseng.

As expected of the killer group that has committed countless murders... After deciding to kill Qing Deng and the others to silence them, they did not hesitate or waver at all.

Seeing that the group of deranged killers had already raised their knives and their intentions were quite obvious, Qing Deng silently extended the thumb of his left hand, which had been holding the scabbard, and pressed it against the tsuba (handguard). With a "click," he opened the scabbard.

The enemy had eight men, while they only had two. The numerically superior enemy was completely unaware of their strength—but strangely… the same feeling as when they led Saito and the others to storm the barbarian garrison surrounded by the Extermination Group was creeping back. Was it because they had fought against numerically superior enemies too frequently, and had become accustomed to this situation?

Qingdeng felt no fear whatsoever.

Worried that their opponent's strength far exceeded their expectations, and that he and Kinoshita Mai would be unable to contend with them? Concerned about whether something unexpected might happen to him and Kinoshita Mai?