I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After saying that, Qingdeng abruptly changed the subject:

"Ms. Kinoshita, why did you suddenly bring me here?"

“Hmm…” Kinoshita Mai, who was standing slightly in front of Aoto, lowered her head and pulled up her face mask to tighten it. “It’s just that… I suddenly wanted to come and see the cherry blossoms.”

"It's almost May now, and the cherry blossom season will soon be over. If we don't hurry up and take a few more glimpses of the cherry blossoms, we won't have another chance to see them this year."

"I used to enjoy cherry blossoms during the day, and I've never tried to enjoy them at night before."

"There's no need to rush home right now, so on a whim, I wanted to try 'viewing cherry blossoms at night' tonight."

After listening quietly to Kinoshita Mai's explanation, Aoto nodded, thinking to himself, "I see."

Ms. Kinoshita has quite the romantic air about her… After silently remarking this to himself, Qing Deng turned his gaze back to the cherry blossom trees along the riverbank in front of him.

"...Viewing cherry blossoms at night certainly has a unique charm," Qing Deng said with a smile.

Qingdeng's remarks were neither polite nor flattering.

Watching the cherry blossoms fall under the night sky has a unique charm.

Qingdeng's hearing had just been enhanced by the "Sensor of the Wind".

The sounds of wind and fluttering petals that were previously barely audible are now exceptionally clear to Qingdeng.

It's not just the sound of the wind and falling flowers.

The babbling of the stream, the chirping of insects in the distance... the world appeared in Qingdeng's ears with greater clarity.

Despite the significant improvement in his hearing, Qingdeng did not experience any discomfort from the increased amount of information he was receiving. This was probably another effect of being a "sense of the wind," which enhanced Qingdeng's brain's ability to process sound information, preventing him from feeling uncomfortable despite hearing far more sounds than the average person.

Since the beginning of spring this year... to be precise, since he transmigrated, Qingdeng has not seen the cherry blossoms of this era.

Having just experienced an infiltration operation and a fierce battle at the teahouse, Qing Deng's nerves were still not completely relaxed.

Thinking that it would be a good opportunity to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery, and also to take a good look at the beautiful scenery that he had never been able to appreciate before, Qing Deng put his hands together on the hilt of the Orange Water Sword at his left waist and stared intently at the bunches of cherry blossoms falling and dancing in front of him.

Kinoshita Mai secretly glanced at Aoto behind her.

Seeing that Qing Deng seemed to be seriously admiring the cherry blossoms, Kinoshita Mai pursed her red lips, a faint blush rose on her cheeks, and a shy smile slowly emerged from her face, which was covered by a veil.

With her face flushed, she clasped her hands together, interlaced her fingers behind her back, and then carefully and slowly moved her jade-like feet, wanting to stand half a step to the side and get closer to Qingdeng.

But at this moment—

"……Um?"

Qing Deng's expression suddenly changed.

Feeling guilty, Kinoshita Mai shuddered, her blush vanishing instantly. She quickly withdrew her outstretched foot, stammering, "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't quite hear what you were saying, so..."

"Shh..."

Aoto, who hadn't been listening to what Kinoshita Mai was saying at all, made a shushing gesture, interrupting Kinoshita Mai.

Immediately afterward, he ignored the questioning look that Kinoshita Mai was giving him and focused all his attention on his ears.

Just now, as he was intently admiring the scenery, he suddenly heard a strange noise behind him.

Although the sound was very faint... he could definitely hear it now that his hearing had greatly improved—there seemed to be footsteps behind them!

Now, after carefully listening to the sounds around him, Qingdeng heard the strange sound, which sounded exactly like human footsteps, again from the same direction.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qing Deng, holding the sword at his waist, followed the sound.

After rushing out of the riverbank and into a small alley next to it, Qingdeng saw—ahead of him, deeper in the alley, an unidentified person wearing a brown robe—fleeing away from him…

*******

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Chapter 157 Copying the "Eternal Talent": [Boundless Hachiman]! [5200]

When she saw Qing Deng suddenly grab the sword at his waist and rush towards the riverbank, Kinoshita Mai had no idea what had happened, but she still chose to hurry after him.

However, just as Kinoshita Mai was about to take a step to catch up with Aoto, a wisp of night wind suddenly blew a delicate cherry blossom that had just fallen from a branch right in front of her.

This pale pink cherry blossom, though small, is exquisitely beautiful, with a striking and vibrant color.

Looking at the cherry blossom that the night breeze had brought to her eyes, Kinoshita Mai was stunned for a moment. Then, as if by reflex, she raised her hand, hugged the cherry blossom, and stuffed it into her arms.

After Qing Deng rushed into the dark alley behind them, Kinoshita Mai naturally saw the mysterious man in the brown robe, and her expression changed instantly.

The mysterious man, who was slightly shorter than Qingdeng, wore a brown cloak, the kind of Western-style windproof cloak with a wide hood.

After the country's doors were opened due to the "Black Ships Incident," a large number of Western goods entered the country, and many Western items that were not commonly seen before gradually became commonplace.

The loose cloak, with its hem reaching the ankles, completely concealed the mysterious figure.

Because the mysterious person had pulled up his hood, his face was also completely covered, making it impossible to see his appearance.

The cloak fabric behind the mysterious man had strange bulges... a small cylindrical object protruded upwards from behind the mysterious man's right shoulder.

Looking at the bulge on the mysterious man's back... Qing Deng felt that the mysterious man was carrying a knife on his back. The cylindrical object was the hilt of the knife protruding from his shoulder. The knife on the mysterious man's back was also completely covered by his cloak.

The mysterious man was very fast. By the time Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai spotted him, he was already about to rush out of the alley and disappear from their sight.

In the dead of night, when there were hardly any dogs on the road, a man wearing a Western-style cloak with a pocket that completely concealed his face and figure, hiding in an alley behind Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai, immediately running away upon seeing Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai, and the fact that Qing Deng and his team had just raided a suspicious hideout storing large quantities of kerosene... With so many suspicious factors combined, there was no need for any verbal or visual communication—Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai chased after this unidentified mysterious man without hesitation!

The two followed the mysterious man's retreating figure to a wide street outside the alley. Upon discovering that the mysterious man was fleeing towards the east end of the street, they immediately turned east together.

Out of the corner of his eye, Qing Deng saw the houses on both sides of the street rushing past him like ghosts.

The headwind from the speeding car lashed against Qingdeng's body. In this increasingly hot weather, the feeling of "going against the wind" was quite comfortable. It was just a pity that Qingdeng had no time to feel the strong wind blowing.

The mysterious man was incredibly fast. Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai were both giving it their all to catch up with him, but they couldn't close the gap.

Kinoshita Mai's expression turned serious when she noticed that this mysterious person wasn't so easy to catch.

At that moment, she suddenly noticed a path to their right front.

For Kinoshita Mai, who patrols Edo almost every night, there is virtually no neighborhood in Edo that she doesn't know well.

Kinoshita Mai glanced quickly at the path, then, after only a moment's thought, turned to Aoto and whispered:

"You continue chasing that person. I'll take a detour to intercept him."

Just as Kinoshita Mai finished speaking quickly, the two of them were crossing the intersection of that path.

So, without waiting for Aoto's response, Kinoshita Mai immediately turned around and entered the dimly lit alley.

Taking a detour to intercept the mysterious person... This task is indeed suitable for Kinoshita Mai, who is familiar with the streets and towns of Edo.

If they divide the work and cooperate, it will be easier to catch this mysterious person.

Therefore, Qing Deng did not object to Kinoshita Mai's volunteering. He glanced at Kinoshita Mai, whose figure disappeared into the path, with a look of trust, and then continued to relentlessly stick to the mysterious person.

With the powerful night vision granted by the "cat's eye," Qingdeng saw the mysterious man in front of him tilt his head back... He seemed to be observing Qingdeng, who was still chasing him.

Taking advantage of the moment when the mysterious man turned his head to look at him, Qing Deng quickly focused his mind and tried to see the mysterious man's face under his hood.

However... Qingdeng still couldn't see anything clearly.

The mysterious man's hood was so large that his face was completely hidden in its shadow. Unless you simply lifted the hood, you couldn't possibly see his face.

The mysterious man turned his head and glanced a few times at Qing Deng, who was still relentlessly chasing him, before turning his gaze away.

Immediately afterwards, the mysterious man suddenly changed direction and rushed towards a nearby shop. Just as he was about to hit the shop, he leaped onto its roof.

The shop has a diamond-shaped roof with an eaves angle of about 30 degrees.

Despite the extremely steep slope of the roof, the mysterious man was able to stand steadily on it as if walking on flat ground.

This neighborhood happens to be an area where the houses are packed together and arranged quite densely, with each house being a "handshake building". You don't even need to jump; you can simply take a light step forward and run to the roof of another house.

Therefore, in the blink of an eye, the mysterious man had already run across the rooftops of three houses.

Upon seeing that this mysterious person was not only fast and persistent, but also quite skilled, Qing Deng couldn't help but be taken aback. However, he quickly composed himself and regained his composure.

Parkour on rooftops... Qing Deng wouldn't dare say he's very good at it, but he at least has some experience!

Qingdeng took a deep breath, gathered all his strength, and took a larger stride. Using the momentum of his run-up, he leaped up and pounced towards the shop.

With a precise grasp of the shop's eaves, Qingdeng pulled his arms upwards, hoisting himself onto the roof.

Using his "cat turn" talent, Qing Deng stabilized himself with almost no sway and continued to chase the mysterious man.

The scene of "cat chasing mouse" has shifted from "on the street" to "on the rooftop".

The mysterious man turned his head again and glanced at Qing Deng behind him.

Under the dim moonlight, Qingdeng and the mysterious man chased each other on the rooftops for a while, leaping over countless rooftops. Perhaps because he realized that even moving on the rooftops couldn't shake off Qingdeng, the mysterious man tilted his body, jumped off the roof, and landed back on the street.

But at that moment, a petite figure suddenly darted out from the street corner in front of the mysterious man and blocked his way—it was Kinoshita Mai, who had just split up with Aoto and taken on the important task of "going around to the front of the mysterious man"!

*Slap*—The mysterious man stopped abruptly as Kinoshita Mai suddenly appeared in front of him, his straw sandals scraping against the ground with a low, grinding sound.

"Well done, Ms. Kinoshita..." After silently praising Kinoshita Mai for successfully circling around to the front of the mysterious man, Qing Deng gritted his teeth, squeezed out the last bit of strength in his body, and increased his speed slightly, rushing towards the mysterious man who had stopped.

The moment Kinoshita Mai successfully circled around to the front of the mysterious man, she didn't even have time to catch her breath before lunging straight at him to coordinate with Aoto.

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai tightened the thin encirclement around the mysterious man, one after the other.

The intense running had left Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai with flushed faces, drenched in sweat, and breathing heavily—and the mysterious man was no exception; his shoulders and chest heaved violently, much more so than Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai.

The mysterious man, panting heavily, glanced at Aoto and Kinoshita Mai, who were almost upon him, and then... silently turned his gaze to a large tree standing not far to his right.

The mysterious figure has moved again.

However, he was not trying to break through the encirclement of Aoto and Kinoshita Mai.

Instead, he turned right and ran without the slightest hesitation toward the big tree on his right!