I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

“That won’t be necessary.” Mu Cun pursed his lips and shook his head. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning. If I go to see the young master tonight, there’s too much time. I won’t even have time to exchange more than a few words with him.”

"I'll wait until I'm completely free and have plenty of time before I come to see the young master."

"At that time... I'll also take the opportunity to meet Tachibana Aoto, whom you mentioned in your previous letter."

At this point, Makimura showed a deeply moved expression.

"My lord and I were quite surprised when we saw the contents of the letter you sent back a month ago."

"Is that Tachibana Aoto really that good?"

"It's amazing that you're willing to pass on your sword-drawing technique and your demon sword to him. You couldn't find a suitable successor no matter how hard you looked before."

"...Tachibana-kun is indeed a promising young man whose future is worth looking forward to." Upon hearing Makimura mention Aoto's name, Kiryu smiled slightly, his eyes narrowing as if recalling something. "He not only has outstanding swordsmanship talent, but also...the personal charisma and leadership ability that makes him the 'center' of the group."

"But regarding whether or not I should pass on my sword-drawing technique 'Flowing Light' to him, I am still in the stage of 'intending' and 'considering'."

"I want to observe him for a while longer and consider it further before deciding whether to try to take him on as my last disciple."

At this point, Kiryu suddenly seemed to recall something, and his voice abruptly stopped.

Then, his expression gradually became strange.

"Kuro, what's wrong?" Makimura frowned, noticing Kiryu's sudden change in expression. "Are you out of your mind or feeling unwell?"

“…No.” Kiryu pursed his lips a few times, then opened his mouth and sighed deeply. “Speaking of this Tachibana-kun…I don’t think I’ve reported to you yet…about Tachibana-kun and the young master’s affairs.”

"Ju Qingdeng and the young master?" Makimura was taken aback. "What happened to them?"

"If my observation is correct... it seems that the young master is very fond of Tachibana Aoto now."

"What?" Makimura's eyes widened instantly, becoming as big as saucers.

“It was probably one or two months ago,” Kiryu continued. “I noticed that the young master’s attitude towards Tachibana Aoto had changed a lot.”

"Whenever I see Tachibana visiting my Thousand Things Shop, I smile happily and actively try to chat with him."

“During my workdays, I often get distracted and space out, and occasionally I'll suddenly chuckle to myself.”

"Based on the unusual behavior I've observed in the young master recently... I speculate that she has most likely developed special feelings for Tachibana-kun."

"Just a few days ago, the young master invited Tachibana-kun to join him in his phantom thief activities."

"What?!" Makimura shouted again, his already wide eyes widening even further. "You mean... Young Master invited that Tachibana Aoto to be a phantom thief with her? Kuro, tell me the details."

Kiryu nodded, and then concisely told Makimura the details of how Kinoshita Mai and Aoto had worked together as phantom thieves a few days ago to solve the "human-killing incident".

After listening intently to Kiryu's story, Makimura's expression became extremely strange.

After a while, he scooped up a handful of hot water and splashed it on his face, then smacked his lips a few times: "Does the young master have someone she likes... That makes sense, after all, the young master is 15 years old this year, and it is indeed the age when she might fall for a man. Jiulang, have you written to the lord about these things?"

"Not yet. I plan to write a long letter to my lord in a few days to report these matters in detail."

Makimura curled his lip and shrugged: "Ha... I really wonder what kind of expression the lord will have when she finds out that the young master has someone he likes."

“…I bet my lord will be very surprised at first.” Kiryu’s expression turned strange again. “Then she’ll quickly write me a reply, asking me to carefully examine Tachibana-kun’s character.”

"If Tachibana-kun is the kind of man who is not worth entrusting your life to, then let me stop the young master from having any further contact with Tachibana-kun."

"On the other hand, let the young master and Tachibana-kun take their course, but be careful to protect the young master and prevent her from getting hurt."

"Finally, she will try to squeeze out some free time to come to Edo in person and see with her own eyes what kind of person could be admired by her precious granddaughter."

"Haha..." Makimura chuckled, "These are indeed things that the lord is very likely to do... So, does that Tachibana Seidei know that the young lord is in love with him?"

"From what I've observed, it seems that Tachibana-kun is not yet aware of the young master's feelings for him."

"So that means the young master is currently in unrequited love... To be loved by the princess of our Gourd House... If this gets out, I wonder how many people will be envious."

"Jiulang, do you personally think that Ju Qingdeng is someone worthy of the young master's affection?"

Kiryu fell silent, a thoughtful look appearing between his brows.

After a moment, he nodded slightly.

"...Just as I said: Tachibana-kun is a talented young man whose future is very promising."

"Judging from his behavior so far, I think that Tachibana-kun is not unworthy of the young master's affection."

"So I'm taking a go-with-the-flow approach now."

"Until we receive the Lord's instructions, let the young master and Tachibana-kun interact freely."

"Oh...it seems that you really think highly of this Tachibana Aoto, Kuro."

As he spoke, Makimura scooped up a handful of warm pool water, splashed it on his face, and then grinned and laughed heartily a few times.

"I'm getting more and more curious about this Tachibana Aoto."

"If I didn't have to leave Edo early tomorrow morning, I would really like to go and see what kind of extraordinary man he is, who can both gain your appreciation, making you want to take him as your last disciple, and also win the young master's admiration."

After saying that, Makimura straightened up from leaning against the pool wall, and the water droplets on his body "splashed" down his strong muscles and dissolved back into the pool water.

"Alright... I've said everything I needed to say. Jiulang, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Kiryu shook his head.

"Let's call it a day then." Makimura raised his right thumb and forefinger, pinched his temples on both sides of his head, and rubbed them hard. "I'm a little dizzy from soaking in the bath for so long."

"I'm going back to my inn to sleep now, what about you, Jiulang?"

“Of course I’m going back to my Thousand Things Shop,” Kiryu replied without hesitation. “Makimura, since you’re leaving for Oshu early tomorrow morning, do you need me to see you off?”

"Hahaha, no need. We've been friends for seventy or eighty years, why bother with such sentimental stuff?" Mu Cun waved his hand heartily.

"Then I wish you a successful 'trip to Oshu' in advance." Kiryu smiled slightly. "Our influence in the Oshu region is very weak. Once you arrive in Oshu, please remember to be very careful."

"Hahahaha." Makimura laughed loudly, "Kuro, who do you think I am?"

Makimura's tone was brimming with confidence and pride.

"The 'dragon' I carry on my back hasn't faded yet!"

After saying that, Mucun stood up from the pool with a "whoosh".

On his back, there was a dragon tattoo that almost covered his entire back!

A crimson dragon!

Black lines coalesced to form the dragon's body.

The crimson color, as vibrant as blood, transformed into dragon scales.

The red dragon lay horizontally and coiled on Mu Cun's back, its head raised high, staring directly at Mu Cun's right shoulder. Its blood-red mouth was wide open, and its eyes, shining with an indomitable light, were fixed on the sky, as if it were about to fly out from Mu Cun's back at any moment, transform into a real dragon, and soar into the clouds to fight against all the gods and Buddhas in the sky!

……

……

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinagayanagicho, bathhouse·Chihiroya——

After immersing himself in the warm pool water, Qingdeng immediately felt most of his fatigue dissipate, and he felt so comfortable that he couldn't help but half-close his eyes.

But just then, Zhou Zhu's nagging suddenly rang out from behind Qing Deng:

"Tachibana-kun, although you have made a great splash in this competition, you must not become arrogant or complacent."

“Practicing martial arts… no, whatever you do, the worst thing is to be arrogant and complacent.”

“When a person becomes arrogant and complacent, he is prone to losing sight of his own worth, easily becoming satisfied with past glories, and thus becoming stagnant and complacent.”

"So, Tachibana-kun, you must continue to maintain a calm mind and continue to cultivate diligently..."

……

Zhou Zhu kept babbling on and on, making Qing Deng feel as if dozens of mosquitoes were buzzing around his ears.

"Master, don't worry." Qingdeng smiled helplessly at Zhouzhu. "I'm not stupid enough to be complacent about such a small achievement."

Tonight, apart from Okita who said he wanted to come and enjoy the large public bath alone late at night, all the men of Shieikan, namely Aoto, Shusuke, Kondo, Saito, and Kyubei, came together to take a bath at the Chihiro-ya bathhouse next to Shieikan, which is quite rare.

Before this, it was rare for so many people to come and take a bath together.

"Alright, Father." Kondo seemed unable to bear Shusuke's nagging any longer and spoke up to persuade him, "Tachibana-kun has another match tomorrow, so let him take a good bath and rest now. We can talk about these big principles later."

After speaking, Kondo turned his gaze to Aoto.

"Tachibana-kun, why don't you soak in the bath a little longer today? A hot bath will help relieve your fatigue."

"Mm." Qingdeng nodded.

After nodding, Qingdeng silently added in his mind:

—My body doesn't actually feel tired and needs any relief...

Qing Deng only swung his knife three times in the three games today, so how could he be fatigued?

It was one of the busiest times at the bathhouse, and nearly 80% of the huge bath was already filled with people, making Qingdeng, who was soaking in a corner of the bath, feel a sense of confinement.

After three rounds of intense elimination matches today, only a dozen or so contestants remain.

These final ten or so contestants will compete in the last three rounds of matches tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow's fourth round can be considered a "quasi-final", the fifth round is a "quasi-final", and the final sixth round is the "final" to determine who will be the champion of this competition!

Although he wasn't very tired, Qingdeng still thought, "I paid to get into this bathhouse, so I should soak in it a bit more." He closed his eyes and immersed his entire body below his chin in the perfectly warm water.

—Of all the remaining contestants… the one who deserves our attention and is most likely to have special talents is Niizuma Hiroshi from the training hall.

Qing Deng tried to clear his mind, but his thoughts drifted uncontrollably to tomorrow's match.

According to Qing Deng's own observation, among the remaining dozen or so opponents, the only one whose strength was worth considering was the last of the "Three Heroes" whom he had not yet fought: Niizuma Hiroshi from the training hall.

Apart from Hiroshi Niizuma, the rest of the contestants... to put it bluntly, even if Aoto gave up one hand, he could easily defeat them all.

Qing Deng believes that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will inevitably have a showdown with Niizuma Hiroshi tomorrow!

Hiroshi Niizuma's strength is far superior to that of the other contestants. Apart from Aoto, none of the other contestants can compete with Hiroshi Niizuma.

In other words, if Aoto fails to face Niizuma Hiroshi in the fourth and fifth rounds of tomorrow's competition, then his two opponents in the sixth round, the final, will be Niizuma Hiroshi!

Based on Aoto's observations of today's match, Niizuma Hiroshi's strength... should only be slightly stronger than Morishita and Osaki, who were all instantly killed by Aoto with a single sword strike.

In short—although Shinzaki Hiroshi is listed by Aoto as the opponent he needs to pay the most attention to in tomorrow's match, his strength is still far behind that of Aoto at present.

However, Qingdeng did not become arrogant or look down on his new wife, Kuanxin, because of this.

Qingdeng is not one to be arrogant or complacent. Even though his strength far surpasses that of other players, he still wants to give his all in every remaining match.