I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Niizuma Hiroshi from the training hall?" Upon hearing this somewhat unfamiliar name, the short, stunted middle-aged man was taken aback. "Niizuma Hiroshi, the one known as one of the 'Three Heroes'?"

"Yes, that's him."

"Lord Rakshasa, what do we want with him?"

"Hehehe..." The bitter smile on Rakshasa's face, which had just been complaining about Lord Orochi giving him too many tasks, slowly transformed into a strange and intriguing smile. "This Shinzawa Hiroshi... might become a good experimental subject for us."

……

……

That evening—

Edo, second floor of the Senjiya, Kinoshita Mai's room—

╰(*°▽°*)╯“Meow meow meow~~Meow meow~~Meow meow~~Meow meow meow meow~~~~!!”

Kinoshita Mai lay on her back on the tatami mat in her bedroom, playing with her pet cat Toto, lifting it high in the air, while meowing continuously as if trying to communicate with Toto.

Meanwhile, Dodo, who was being lifted high by Kinoshita Mai, half-closed her eyes, lowered her head, and cast a "damn, idiot" look at her owner who kept meowing.

After a while, Kinoshita Mai, who was tired of playing with Toto, hugged Toto in her arms, then sat up abruptly and walked slowly to the window of the room.

"Why hasn't Mr. Kiryu returned yet...?"

Through the window, my gaze swept back and forth across the street outside the shop.

The streets were deserted. Without the familiar figure of Kiryu, Kinoshita Mai could only quietly avert her gaze and purse her rosy lips.

Mentioning Kiryu... Kinoshita Mai can't help but feel a little resentful...

Kinoshita Mai originally planned to take the next two days off to go to Asakusa to watch Aoto's match.

Qingdeng's swordsmanship competition... She really wanted to go see it!

But to everyone's surprise—Kiryu refused to grant him leave...

"Young Master, I happen to have some important matters to attend to these past two days, and I'll be away from Senjiya for an extended period. So, I'll need your help looking after the shop and the household these next few days, and I can't grant you leave." — These were Kiryu's exact words when he rejected Kinoshita Mai's request for leave.

Although she was resentful and wanted to throw a childish tantrum and yell at Kiryu, "I don't want to! I don't want to!", Kinoshita Mai didn't dare to disobey Kiryu's requests too much, so she could only silently nod in agreement.

Kinoshita Mai is most afraid that Kiryu will tattle on her to her grandmother.

If Kiryu were to send her grandmother a letter saying, "Young Master is not obeying my discipline...", Kinoshita Mai couldn't even imagine how her grandmother would scold her afterward.

Grandma, and her old subordinates, all liked to call Kiryu "Kuro". As for why, Kinoshita Mai wasn't quite sure, but she guessed it was probably a nickname they used for Kiryu.

Back then, when she left Osaka at her grandmother's behest to work as a job placement agent under Kiryu in Edo, and started her training from the bottom, her grandmother had given her a stern warning: "Take Kuro as your teacher and listen to Kuro obediently. Don't let me receive a report from Kuro saying 'You're disobedient.'"

Grandma didn't utter a single word of intimidation or threat.

But every time she recalls those words her grandmother once said to her, Kinoshita Mai can't help but shrink back—the fear of her grandmother is etched deep into her soul...

Around noon today, Kiryu went out alone and hasn't returned yet.

Where Kiryu went, when he would return, and what he was doing—Kiryu wouldn't say, so Kinoshita Mai didn't know either…

So much time has passed, it's already dark, and Kiryu still hasn't come home... Kinoshita Mai couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Perhaps Mr. Kiryu is really busy with something very important... After suppressing her worries about Kiryu's delayed return, Kinoshita Mai raised her hand and gently stroked the fur of the dog in her arms.

Unconsciously, Kinoshita Mai's thoughts drifted away, drifting to Asakusa, a place she couldn't go to today, and to the sword tournament she couldn't watch today.

"I wonder how Tachibana-kun's match went today..."

……

……

At this very moment—

In the western suburbs of Edo, there was a very secluded and small bathhouse—

Inside the small bathhouse, steam rose and thick fog drifted.

In this spacious bath that can accommodate more than fifty people at the same time, only two elderly people are soaking in it, sitting shoulder to shoulder.

One of the elderly men was none other than Kiryu, whom Kinoshita Mai was currently talking about.

As for the other old man sitting side by side with Masaki... if there were a third person present, they would surely marvel at the old man's physique.

This old man, like Kiryu, looked to be around 90 years old.

He has a long head of hair that is completely white, and he has wrapped it up on top of his head with a bath towel so that it is easier to take a bath.

With a height approaching 1.9 meters, he is definitely a "giant" in this era.

He was very strong and muscular, with large, hard muscles that bulged out like granite. Despite his advanced age, his muscles showed no signs of atrophy or sagging.

His eyes were bright, without the cloudiness often seen in the eyes of the elderly.

The old man's bright and piercing eyes made him look energetic and full of life, without any signs of aging.

Kiryu scooped up a handful of warm pool water and splashed it forcefully on his face. Then, he leaned against the pool wall behind him and said softly to the old man sitting beside him in a tone devoid of joy or sorrow:

“…Makimura, I suddenly realized something.”

"Huh? What?"

Why do you like talking to people in the bathhouse so much?

"Haha." The old man, whom Kiryu called Makimura, chuckled a few times. "Because doing this can kill two birds with one stone."

"It would be great to take a shower while discussing business."

After speaking, Makimura stretched vigorously, then, like Kiryu, leaned back against the pool wall.

"Ah...that feels so good..." Makimura half-closed his eyes, looking content. "I barely rested on the way from Osaka to Edo...tonight I can finally get a good night's sleep..."

"Speaking of which, Jiulang, I haven't thanked you yet."

"Thank you so much. You made a special trip all the way to Tokaido to welcome me this afternoon."

"If I hadn't come to pick you up, you wouldn't even know where this hidden base of our Gourd House is located in Edo, would you?" Kiryu pointed to the warm bathtub beneath him.

“Speaking of which… this bathhouse is really nice.” Makimura tilted his head back and looked around. “It’s small and exquisite, just my type.”

"Alright. Enough with the small talk." Kiryu interrupted Makimura's praise of the bathhouse. "It's about time we got down to business. Makimura, what brings you all the way from Osaka?"

Seeing that Kiryu had gotten straight to the point, Makimura also stopped being ambiguous.

He scooped up a handful of hot water and splashed it forcefully on his face. Then, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling with half-closed eyes, he murmured:

"Kuro, I've come to deliver intelligence to you."

"While delivering intelligence to you, I'm also taking this opportunity to prepare for my upcoming 'Ouyu Trip'."

"Intelligence?" Kiryu frowned slightly.

“Yes.” Makimura nodded heavily, then let out a long sigh. “Asai has gathered the latest information related to the Fazhu Party.”

"Punish the Party with the Law"—upon hearing this name, Kiryu's expression instantly turned solemn.

"Through Asai's investigation, it has been confirmed that the leader of the Fazhu Party and all its cadres have given themselves a code name."

"The code names they used were all those vicious demons and monsters from mythology."

At this point, Makimura raised his hand and gestured behind his back.

"In addition to using fierce demons as their names, they would also tattoo the demons that they used as their code names on their backs."

"The leader of the Law Extermination Party, Yamata no Orochi, has the tattoo of the most terrifying monster in Japan: 'Yamata no Orochi' on his back."

"Asai is still tracking down who the executives are, and what their names are, who have the qualifications to use the name of a demon and have demon tattoos on their backs."

"In addition to our old acquaintances like Rakshasa, Kamaitachi, and Shuten-dōji, we have recently confirmed the names of two more executives of the Law Extermination Party: Ōtakemaru and Tamamo-no-Mae."

“Ōtakemaru… Tamamo-no-Mae…” Kiryu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Have you found out what they look like, their gender, and their age?”

“No…” Makimura shook his head with a wry smile. “These cadres of the Fazhu Party are all incredibly mysterious. I really don’t know how the Fazhu Party manages to keep things so secret.”

"Asai and his subordinates went to great lengths and conducted a long investigation before they finally determined that the Fazhu Party had two executives named Ōtakemaru and Tamamo-no-Mae."

"As for what these two people actually look like... we have no idea at the moment."

"...So that means he's like Orochi, the leader of the Law Extermination Party." Kiryu said softly, almost to himself, "I've only heard his name, but never seen him..."

Makimura nodded: "However—although we don't know what Ōtakemaru and Tamamo-no-Mae actually look like, we have some definite information about them."

“Ootakemaru, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Shuten-dōji—these three are the three top executives, second only to Yamata no Orochi, and they wield considerable power within the Hōchū-dō.

*******

*******

Yesterday was Qixi Festival, and who was it that stayed home, head down, typing instead of going out to have fun on this auspicious day? Oh, it was me...

Yesterday, on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day), I didn't go anywhere but stayed home writing... Such dedication deserves a monthly pass! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

I originally wanted to write a 1-word update today, but I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I could only manage 8600 words.

Although it's not quite 1 words, it's still quite long and has many exciting plot points, so please vote for me! Please recommend me! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

The author has started a book club on Tencent! Anyone interested is welcome to join and chat about Big Bear.

Group number: 1162513690. Simply answer one question that anyone who has carefully read this book will know the answer to to join the book club.

The author occasionally appears in the group chat.

Chapter 146 Okita is so cute and the man who bears the name of the dragon [6600]

"In addition to confirming the code names of two more high-ranking members of the Fa-ju-dō (Fighting Party), we have recently discovered traces of Fa-ju-dō activities in the Ou region."

"In order to find out what the Fazhu Party is planning to do, my lord has sent me to the Ou region to investigate and track down the Fazhu Party."

"This is also the main reason why I suddenly visited Edo at this time. From Osaka to Oshu, you have to pass through Edo and walk along the Oshu Road."

The Ou region is a collective term for the Oshu and Dewa regions of Japan. Because these two regions are located in the northeast, they are also known as the "Tohoku region".

As for the Oshu Road, it is one of the five major roads connecting various strategic locations centered on Edo: one of the "Five Roads" runs from Nihonbashi in Edo to the Shirakawa River in the Ou region.

"Oku..." Kiryu nodded slightly, "Then when do you plan to set off for Oku?"

"My lord has instructed me to arrive in Oshu as soon as possible. Therefore, I plan to depart first thing tomorrow morning."

"Do you want to go see the young master tonight?" Kiryu pressed. "She would be very happy to see you in Edo."