I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In a flash, the wakizashi in her palm sliced ​​through the air again, sweeping diagonally toward Qing Deng's right knee.

This time, Qing Deng did not passively defend.

He held the sword extremely low, the tip almost touching the ground, and his narrowed eyes looked as if they might close at any moment.

Everything that followed happened in the blink of an eye.

With a snap, the wakizashi in A-Wu's hand flew out.

Qingdeng observed the sword's path, then lightly flicked his wrists, sending a skillful force honed through countless trials into the bamboo sword in his palm.

In an instant, the tip of the bamboo sword trembled like a live fish as it struck Ah Wu's slash.

The bamboo sword may seem unremarkable, but it actually contains astonishing potential energy!

Unable to resist its force, A-Wu felt as if struck by lightning; her fingers went numb, and she could no longer hold onto the wakizashi, letting it fly out of her hand.

In the next instant, Qingdeng stepped forward and rushed in front of Awu, holding the bamboo sword to her neck.

Looking at the bamboo sword so close to her, A-Wu blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, then raised her hands in surrender with a regretful expression:

"I lost."

"I appreciate your concession."

Despite the overwhelming victory, the shock on Qing Deng's face grew even stronger.

"Ah Wu, you startled me... I didn't realize you'd become so much stronger..."

Ah Wu smiled gently:

"I've been practicing my skills diligently, you know."

As she spoke, she picked up the flying wakizashi, put it back in its place, and then sat down near the window with her knees bent.

Seeing this, Qingdeng silently moved to catch up and sat down next to her.

"Ah Wu, where do you usually practice your skills?"

In Qingdeng's memory, while A-Mai faithfully fulfilled her duties as the captain of the Ninth Division, she would often come to the dojo to practice, but the intensity of her training did not seem to be enough to enable her to make such great progress.

Ah Wu chuckled softly, a sly look on her face.

“‘Working hard in secret’ is something that can’t be discovered, otherwise it would be very embarrassing! That being said, I haven’t worked that hard, and I haven’t reached the point where I deserve praise.”

Despite what A-Wu said, Qing Deng was certain that she was just being modest.

To achieve such remarkable progress in one's abilities, simply being "not very hardworking" is far from enough!

In other words, behind everyone's back, Ah Wu was diligently honing her martial arts skills...

Upon realizing this, Qingdeng couldn't help but purse his lips, a bitter expression appearing on his cheeks.

"I'm such a bad husband... I don't even know when and where my wife was practicing her skills so diligently."

Ah Wu's sly look deepened:

"This shows I hid it very well."

"If even you didn't notice, then it's even less likely that Sanako would have noticed!"

"Qingdeng, don't you dare tell Sanako, I'm planning to give her a 'surprise' in the future!"

"I'm going to defeat her fair and square! Then I'll savor the look of disbelief on her face!"

As she spoke, she seemed to be imagining some "delicious" scene, her pretty face filled with a joyful expression.

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng jokingly retorted.

"Then you'd better keep working hard, Sanako isn't so easy to deal with."

"Hmm...that's true..."

Her initial elation turned into a bitter smile as she looked down at her still numb right palm.

"I'm still far from good enough... Just now, I thought I could at least hit you once..."

Qingdeng shook his head.

"There's no need to underestimate yourself. Your strength is already quite formidable. With your current abilities, you could easily defeat even a martial artist at the level of Master of the Unparalleled Martial Arts."

As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking, Awu quietly shook her head.

"That won't do. I need to become stronger."

"With a formidable enemy at hand, everyone needs to give their all to overcome the current difficulties."

"As the captain of the 9th Division of the Shinsengumi, I must set an example!"

*******

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It's almost the end of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

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PS: After the sparring session, Qingdeng and Awu did some rather intimate activities at the dojo, but we'll leave the details for now.

Leopard really loves writing about A-Mai's battles; the female ninja who specializes in jutsu is just too sexy! (Leopard Hi.jpg)

In her next book, Leopard will write about a female bear ninja who specializes in jujitsu!

Chapter 1133 The "Niou Martial Arts Tournament" Begins! Face Off Against the "Strongest Swordsman of Otsu"! [5000]

As she delivered her impassioned speech, a resolute light shone in her eyes.

Qingdeng couldn't help but cast a surprised glance at her.

A-Wu noticed Qing Deng's gaze and asked in confusion:

"Hmm? Qingdeng, what's wrong? Did I just say something strange?"

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"It's nothing. I just feel... you've changed a lot. You would never have spoken with such force and conviction before."

A-Wu raised her eyebrows slightly:

"We can't afford to stay the same. If we remain stagnant, I won't be qualified to be the captain of the Ninth Division and the mistress of the Tachibana Mansion anymore."

As she spoke, she hugged her legs, looked up at the sky outside the window, and a hint of worry appeared between her brows.

"To quote a famous line from 'Memorial on Dispatching the Troops'... We are now at a critical juncture of life and death."

"After the spring, it will be the time for our dynasty to fight the 'Southern Dynasty'."

"The fate of the world, your destiny, my destiny, and everyone's destiny will all be decided in a few months."

"But at this very moment, one disaster after another strikes on our side."

"First, Xiao Si fell seriously ill and was bedridden. It is unknown when he will recover."

"Then war broke out in the north, the Ezo rebelled, and Goryokaku and Matsumae Domain fell."

"The 'Ito Rebellion' occurred not long ago. Because there is a lack of a civil official who can be compared with Ito Kashitaro, the General Affairs Department has not yet recovered to its full strength."

"If there really are gods and Buddhas in this world, then I feel that they have gone too far."

"It's as if they're deliberately trying to make things difficult for us. Every now and then, they always manage to create new troubles to annoy us."

"Even if it's just to fill the void left by Xiao Si's illness, I have to work even harder."

She paused here, then adopted a wry, wistful tone:

"Qingdeng, since it's just the two of us here, I'll take this opportunity to tell you something from the heart."

“When I’m with Sanako and Tsukasa, I often feel melancholy—I feel like a shadow living in their sunlight.”

"Martial arts are just one of their strengths."

"Xiao Si has a cheerful personality and is very popular with everyone."

"She always manages to resolve conflicts and bring everyone together."

"And needless to say, Sanako is another one."

“If Hijikata Toshizo steps down in the future, she will be the person, besides Saito, closest to the position of ‘vice-commander’.”

"Compared to me, I am too ordinary."

"I'm not good at communicating with people, nor am I good at giving orders."

"Even their martial arts skills, which they are so proud of, cannot compare with these two 'genius female swordsmen'."

"If I had to say what's special about myself, it would probably be that I'm 'proficient in ninjutsu'."

"Without the dedicated assistance of my subordinates, such as Yamazaki Susumu (the vice-captain of the Ninth Division), I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to manage the Ninth Division properly."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but show a solemn expression.

He opened his mouth, preparing to say something to comfort her.

However, before he could speak, Ah Wu seemed to have read his mind and changed to a teasing tone:

"Let me make it clear beforehand that although I've been saying discouraging things, I've already let it go."

“Long before I met you, I had already accepted the fact that I am not an outstanding person.”

"If you know your own limitations early on, you'll be able to live a more comfortable life."

"Because this is my personality, not long after I changed my name to 'Tachibana Mai', I suddenly had an epiphany."

"If the flower bed is full of beautiful 'flowers,' wouldn't it look dull?"

"Without the embellishment of 'grass leaves,' 'flowers' would not be as beautiful."

"'Flowers' and 'grass' are just doing their own jobs—thinking this way makes me feel much better."

"When Sanako and Tsukasa achieve something outstanding, I can sincerely congratulate them."

"Because of different functions, there will inevitably be things that 'flowers' cannot do, but 'grass leaves' can."

"Who knows, one day in the future, the opportunity for 'Grass Leaf' to make a difference will suddenly come."

"When that time comes, it will be my time to shine!"