I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The next day, early morning—

Osaka, somewhere—

Ogata walked alone on a secluded path.

Because it was early and the location was remote, there were no pedestrians around, making his footsteps sound particularly loud.

As soon as the sky began to lighten, he secretly slipped out of Osaka Castle and headed mysteriously straight for the eastern outskirts of Osaka.

About half an hour later, he arrived at his destination—a deserted cemetery.

He skillfully navigated around the tombstones, finally stopping directly in front of one of them.

The tombstone was covered with mottled marks, clearly indicating that it was quite old.

On the tombstone inscription, one can vaguely make out a name—Isshiki Hana.

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Chapter 1054 Ogata's Old Friend: A Veteran of the Party's Punishment Campaign [4300]

"..."

The moment he saw the tombstone, a strange emotion welled up in the depths of Ogata's eyes.

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the fallen leaves that had accumulated on the tombstone. Then he took out a handkerchief that he had prepared earlier and carefully wiped the tombstone.

Although the tombstone is quite old, it is easy to see that it is well-preserved, presumably because someone maintains it regularly.

When his hand, which was wiping the monument, slid down to the name "Isshiki-hana," his movements paused, as if he had frozen.

It took him quite a while to recover and continue to meticulously sweep the grave.

After the tombstone was wiped spotless, he stood up again and stared intently at it, his face expressionless, making it impossible to guess his thoughts or emotions.

Time passed...

One minute, ten minutes, thirty minutes... No matter how much time passed, he remained motionless, like an old monk in deep meditation, his feet never moving and his gaze never leaving his face.

After standing there quietly for most of the hour, he slowly turned around and walked away.

As he was about to leave, a gentle voice drifted out:

"Hana, I'm leaving now. See you next time."

These were the first and last words he spoke after entering the cemetery…

……

……

That day, at noon—

Osaka, Osaka Port——

"Xianlin Pill... It's been so long."

Qing Deng raised his head and looked at the warship in front of him with a smile on his face.

The last time he sailed on the Kanrin Maru was a year ago, when he represented the shogunate in negotiations with the British naval commander to withdraw the British fleet from Edo Bay.

More than a year later, boarding this familiar warship again filled Qing Deng with emotion.

The three main warships, along with the still-usable old sailing ships, were barely enough to fit the entire "Northern Expeditionary Army" and the necessary supplies.

As we all know, you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket.

Therefore, high-ranking figures such as Aoto, Katsura Rintaro, and Nagakura Shinpachi cannot be on the same boat.

Aoto rode in the Kanrinmaru, while Katsurintaro rode in the Kankomaru... They dispersed to prevent the embarrassing situation of the leadership being wiped out in the event of an accident.

The loading of supplies had already begun as soon as the fleet arrived at Osaka Bay.

This morning, the soldiers boarded the ship in batches.

At 1 p.m., accompanied by the roar of the steam engine, the masts and sails of the Xianlin Maru slowly unfurled, and black smoke rose—the Xianlin Maru set sail!

The previous trip on the Kanrin Maru was merely a journey through Edo Bay, hardly qualifying as a voyage.

This is Qingdeng's first time embarking on a long voyage by ship... He is very much looking forward to it.

It was fine when we first left the port; it wasn't too bumpy.

However, as the ship moved further away from the coastline, the pitching and rolling of the ship suddenly increased.

The ocean waves possess extraordinary energy! To the waves, a warship weighing hundreds of tons is like a toy!

Whenever the waves crashed in, the warships were powerless to resist, easily lifted up and then heavily lowered back down.

It swayed and wobbled, the world spinning around it, without stopping for a moment.

In this era, very few people have ever traveled by boat.

Qing Deng could imagine that many soldiers would not be able to adapt to the ship's rocking motion.

Sure enough, not long after setting sail, he kept receiving reports of people experiencing discomfort due to seasickness.

The sounds of vomiting rose and fell... The cabins of the Xianlin Maru were filled with a sour stench, and the other ships must have been in a similar sorry state.

Fortunately, Qingdeng had made preparations in advance and raised a large amount of medicine to relieve seasickness, minimizing the negative effects of seasickness to the greatest extent.

Several months ago, during the Oyu Trials, Qing Deng copied the talent "Great Navigator" from someone, so he is not very afraid of seasickness.

[Note: Great navigator: Not prone to seasickness]

Qing Deng couldn't help but feel fortunate about this—he never expected that the talent he thought was useless would come in so handy!

"I wonder how Rintaro is doing..."

Standing on the gunwale of the Hamrin Maru, Qing Deng gazed at the distant Kansou Maru and murmured with a wry smile.

Although Katsura Rintaro was the naval commander who single-handedly created the Shogunate Navy, he was actually prone to seasickness and was not good at swimming.

Back then, when he traveled to the United States with the delegation, he was seasick, and his companions teased him, saying, "You're a minister in charge of the navy, and you get seasick!" This became a well-known anecdote.

……

……

After spending a long time on the ship's railing and gradually getting tired of the unchanging seascape, Qingdeng, supporting himself with the Vairocana amulet at his waist, returned to the cabin.

Instead of going straight back to his room, he thought for a moment, then changed direction and headed towards Ogata's room.

Through Aoto's underhanded manipulations, Ogata, like him, enjoyed the privilege of having a bedroom all to himself.

Although he couldn't quite put his finger on why, Aoto just felt that Ogata was acting a little strange today.

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about it.

Upon closer inspection, it is quite intriguing.

Since this morning, Ogata has been gazing at the sea, seemingly lost in thought.

After much consideration, Qingdeng decided to go and visit him to find out what had happened.

He took two steps at a time and quickly found Ogata's room, stopping in front of his door.

However, before he could knock on the door, Ogata's voice came from inside:

"Oh, it's Tachibana-kun. Come in."

Qingdeng was taken aback, but quickly recovered and immediately opened the door and slipped inside.

Ogata was sitting by the window, gazing at the sea view outside.

"Mr. Ogata, how did you know I was here?"

"I recognize your footsteps. Tachibana-kun, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

"Nothing important, I just wanted to come see you and chat with you."

As Qing Deng spoke, he walked straight to Ogata's side and got straight to the point:

"Mr. Ogata, what's wrong? Why do you look so troubled? If you're in any trouble, feel free to tell me. Maybe I can help you."

As the de facto ruler of the "Southern Shogunate," Qing Deng possesses genie-like powers: he can grant many of the desires of humankind!

Ogata turned his head, glanced at Aoto, and smiled:

"Tachibana-kun, thank you for your concern, I'm fine. I just... thought of someone from the past."

He said this, then looked away and gazed again at the vast ocean outside the window.

"...This morning, I went to sweep the tombs."

—Sweeping tombs?

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow, first puzzled, then quickly realized—the person who could make the "Eternal Sword Saint" go to sweep the tomb was definitely not an ordinary person!

His unusual identity caused Ogata to reveal an unusually deep expression... Aoto instantly realized something.

After hesitating for a moment, Qingdeng asked in return, half doubtful and half certain:

"Is it... a woman's grave?"

Ogata narrowed his eyes, then gave Aoto a meaningful look.

"Tachibana-kun, you're quite perceptive... No wonder you're a man with a whole harem of wives. That's right, it really is a woman's grave."

He had actually guessed right... It really was a woman's grave... Qing Deng almost gasped.

Qingdeng never considered himself a gossipy person.

However... at this moment, even someone as composed as him couldn't help but feel intense curiosity!

Who is that woman?

What is her relationship with Ogata?

Does Ms. Machi know this woman?