I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Elodie stared blankly at Qingdeng, then gave a bitter, apologetic smile.

"Mr. Ju, please allow me to apologize again for what you witnessed in the study just now, which was quite indecent."

She stretched out her hands, gently lifted her long robe, and bowed slightly to Qingdeng.

I'm very sorry.

"Grandpa and I have made up."

At this point, Elodie's apologetic wry smile transformed into a warm, sunny smile.

"This is probably what my grandfather and I do every day."

“My grandfather and I often argue over trivial matters, but then we make up quickly.”

"My grandfather and I had already made up as soon as I left the study."

"I'm so sorry to have worried you."

Qingdeng breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with relief: "It's alright, it's good that you and your grandfather have made up."

"By the way, Miss Angoulême, you are really amazing."

Qingdeng cast an admiring glance at Elodie.

"I still hear the words you just said in the study."

"That's so well said, I totally agree with your point of view."

Every word and sentence Elodie uttered in the study to refute Anthony resonated deeply with Qing Deng.

Qingdeng has always maintained that one of the greatest absurdities in the world is that people are too harsh on good people and too lenient on bad people.

As Elodie just said, people love to hold good people to extremely high standards, and will vehemently criticize them if they do anything that doesn't meet their expectations. But they are always exceptionally lenient towards bad people, and if they do even a little good, they feel that they are not so bad after all.

Therefore, upon hearing Elodie express such insightful and agreeable ideas, Qing Deng was not only pleasantly surprised but also developed a degree of respect for Elodie.

Elodie is only 12 years old this year.

In modern times, Elodie would be a sixth-grade elementary school student.

To have such sharp wit at such a young age, even though he's only in sixth grade... is truly admirable.

Qing Deng's sudden praise made Elodie smile shyly: "Those are just my personal, foolish opinions. I hope you'll forgive my ignorance, Mr. Ju."

"When I heard Grandpa comment on Cat Monk and Fox Monk in such a way, I couldn't help but blurt out all my thoughts and feelings."

"Looking back now, I really shouldn't have..."

"How can you argue and make a scene with your family in front of your guests?"

"That's really outrageous, that's incredibly rude."

After saying that, Elodie placed her two delicate, white hands together in front of her navel, and lowered her head with a face full of shame and embarrassment.

Looking at Elodie's ashamed face, Qingdeng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: Is this really a little girl who is only 12 years old this year...?

Elodie's mood was slightly down due to self-blame... After thinking for a moment, Qingdeng decided to change the subject.

A topic that should cheer Elodie up.

“Miss Angoulême, you really do like Cat Monk and Fox Monk very much, you even bought paintings by these two.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qing Deng's lips twitched in a barely perceptible arc.

As Kinoshita Mai's best friend, Elodie actually idolizes Neko-sō and Koko-sō... To this day, Aoto still feels a sense of unrealistic absurdity.

Currently, there are so many people throughout Edo who admire Neko-sō and Koko-sō, and Elodie happens to be one of them.

Is it just too much of a coincidence... or is it just too much of a destiny...?

Qing Deng deliberately switched to this topic to cheer Elodie up.

The effect was remarkable—Elodie, who had just been feeling down, immediately became radiant.

“Yes! I really, really respect Cat Monk and Fox Monk!” Elodie raised her head, her eyes sparkling, and her fair cheeks began to glow with a rosy hue.

Earlier, in the study, before Elodie and Anthony had their argument, Qingdeng had noticed that Elodie seemed to have a tendency to blush when she was excited or agitated.

For example, right now—after mentioning a person she likes and admires, Elodie, who is in a state of excitement, has her fair face turn rosy at a visible speed.

"When I first learned about the deeds of Cat Monk and Fox Monk, I had great respect for them!"

“I asked Miss Leroy to find me every painting on the market that is related to Cat Monk and Fox Monk.”

“I wanted to put all the paintings I’ve collected in places where I can see them often, so I argued with my grandfather for a long time before I finally convinced him to let me hang them in the places in the house where I often spend time.”

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow: "You have other paintings?"

Elodie nodded vigorously: "I have a total of 4 paintings by Cat Monk and the others."

"Two of them hang in my bedroom, one in my study, and one in the dining room."

After saying that, Elodie stretched out her hand and pointed to her left front.

Following the direction Elodie pointed, Qingdeng saw a ukiyo-e painting hanging on the southwest wall of the restaurant. Because of its secluded location, Qingdeng had not noticed it before.

Qing Deng quickly walked to the side of the ukiyo-e print, carefully examining its contents, before his expression turned strange once again.

The composition of this painting is quite simple—two men in black, each wearing a black fox mask and a black face cloth, stand side by side on a row of closely spaced rooftops, with the pitch-black night and a full moon hanging high in the night sky behind them.

Elodie strolled over to Qingdeng's side.

“Mr. Orange. Let me tell you a little secret.” Elodie lowered her voice and whispered to Qingdeng in a mysterious tone, “I have a very special connection with Cat Monk and Fox Monk.”

"Hmm?" Qing Deng raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

“I have seen Cat Monk and Fox Monk with my own eyes.” Elodie, her brows furrowed with pride and excitement, puffed out her flat chest. “Just last month, on the night Fox Monk first appeared in the public eye, I saw Cat Monk and Fox Monk running across the rooftops of the houses opposite mine.”

Elodie recounted in great detail the cause, process, and outcome of her first encounter with the Cat Monk and the Fox Monk.

After listening quietly to Elodie's story, Qingdeng couldn't help but chuckle, unsure of what expression to make.

On the night he first appeared in the public eye as "Fox Boy"... the night he agreed to go with Kinoshita Mai to deal with the group of people who were wantonly using Eta to test their swords, he and Kinoshita Mai did enter the Edo residence area, which was generally very spacious and convenient for them to escape, in order to get rid of the suddenly appearing magistrate's officials; at the same time, Kinoshita Mai was very familiar with the terrain of this place.

To Qing Deng's utter surprise... when he and Kinoshita Mai were shaking off the government's pursuers in this settlement, they were spotted by Elodie, who had suddenly woken up from her sleep, as they hurriedly fled.

"How about it? Aren't I incredibly lucky to have met Cat Monk and Fox Monk?" Elodie said in a smug tone. "I just happened to wake up at that exact time and then I just happened to see Fox Monk and Cat Monk running right across from our house."

"If I wake up any earlier or later, or go to the window any earlier or later, I will never have the chance to see them."

Qingdeng nodded slightly: "Yes...it really is a very special connection..."

After saying that, Qingdeng silently added in his heart:

—Miss Angoulême, you really do have a special connection with Cat Monk and Fox Monk... The former is your best friend, and the latter is standing right next to you now.

After proudly recounting her "unbreakable bond" with the fox monk and the cat monk, Elodie seemed to suddenly remember something, and her smile faltered.

Immediately afterwards, she glanced at Qingdeng hesitantly a few times.

"Mr. Tachibana, may I... ask you a few questions?"

"Hmm?" Qingdeng gestured to Elodie with his eyes: Go ahead and ask.

Elodie took a deep breath: "I've always heard that Cat Monk is a very beautiful girl, and Fox Monk is a very handsome boy... Is that true?"

"If this involves leaking secrets or is inconvenient to discuss with outsiders, then just pretend I didn't ask."

Despite her best efforts to suppress it, Elodie's tone still betrayed a hint of excitement and anticipation.

Especially when she said, "The fox monk is a very handsome young man," Elodie's tone revealed a very obvious look of anticipation.

Aoto was the head of the "San-hui" guild in charge of Edo's security. Elodie probably wanted to get some information about her idol from Aoto, who was an insider, that she didn't know before, which is why she asked Aoto this question.

A very pretty girl and a very handsome boy... Qing Deng's lips twitched almost imperceptibly again.

It's not hard to guess that these rumors are just some people making up to satisfy their own imaginations.

The idea that "Cat Monk and Fox Monk are an old woman with a yellow face and a bald middle-aged man" versus "Cat Monk and Fox Monk are a beautiful girl and a handsome boy"—which one is more popular and which one better fits the heroic fantasies of ordinary people—is obvious.

But it must be said that this rumor actually came true by sheer chance.

Cat Monk is indeed a beautiful girl, and the kind with both a top-notch face and figure.

Fox Monk is indeed a handsome young man... Although it may sound a bit narcissistic, Qing Deng does feel that his face is at least worthy of the adjective "handsome".

Qing Deng naturally couldn't tell Elodie the truth, so he could only give a very official answer:

“Miss Angoulême, the Edo Magistrates do not know much more about Neko-zō and Koko-zō than the common people do.”

"We still haven't fully determined the genders of Cat Monk and Fox Monk."

"So what you just said about beautiful girls and handsome boys... is mostly just nonsense spread by busybodies."

"Oh, I see..." Elodie pursed her lips in disappointment.

At that very moment—

咚，咚，咚，咚，咚……

A very rhythmic knocking sound suddenly came from the entrance hall.

Qingdeng and Elodie both raised their eyes and looked in the direction of the entrance.

“Hmm? Why would someone knock on the door at this hour… (in French)” Elodie muttered to herself unconsciously in her native language as she walked back to the long table in the dining room, picked up the silver bell, and shook it heavily a few times.

Leroy reappeared in front of Qingden and Elodie.

Elodie spoke something to Leroy in French.

Leroy nodded, then strode quickly but politely through the hallway to the left of the dining room, heading straight for the entrance to the house.

Immediately afterwards, the sounds of doors opening, footsteps, and voices entered Qingdeng's ears one after another.

A moment later, Qingdeng heard a "click" sound—the sound of the door closing.

Leroy returned to Qingdeng and the others' sight, carrying a rather exquisite wooden box.

As soon as she got back, she started chattering away with Elodie, exchanging "spells".

Qing Deng couldn't understand what they were saying at all, so he could only observe their expressions. He noticed that Elodie's face lit up with joy when she saw the wooden box Leroy was carrying.

Elodie pointed to the long table in the restaurant next to her, and then Leroy placed the wooden box she was holding on the table before walking away—she must have gone back to her work.

As soon as Leroy left, Elodie immediately hopped and skipped toward the wooden box, looking impatient.

“Miss Angoulême,” Qingden asked, puzzled, as he walked with Elodie to the wooden box. “What is this?”