I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Two young samurai walked at either end of the three men, escorting them one in front and one behind.

The warrior walking behind was tall and broad-shouldered, with some bloodstains on his clothes and other parts of his body.

As for the samurai walking in front...

"Whoa!" Natsume Tsuki's face paled. "How can there be so much blood..."

The samurai walking behind only had blood splattered on his chest and other parts of his clothing.

On the other hand, the samurai at the front... his clothes looked like they had just been soaked in a pool of blood!

The man's clothes were stained with a strange color from the splattering of blood on his chest, waist, and lower body. Very few areas remained untouched by the blood. The stench of blood emanating from him could be smelled from a great distance.

The noisy sounds that Sanako and the others had just heard all came from this young samurai covered in blood.

When the passersby saw the warrior covered in blood, they were so frightened that they couldn't help but scream and hurriedly parted to the sides of the street, making way for a wide street.

Upon seeing the young samurai dressed in blood, Sanako was immediately taken aback.

Unlike the passersby around him.

Sanako's reaction was not because the man's current appearance was too shocking.

"Tachibana...kun...?"

Sanako blinked a few times and gave the "Bloodstained Samurai" a surprised look.

"Hmm? Miss Sanako?"

……

……

Suddenly, a familiar female voice called his name... Qing Deng subconsciously looked up and saw Sanako standing side by side with Natsume Tsuki.

Find Sanako in the crowd... there couldn't be a simpler task.

The stunningly beautiful Sanako stands out from the surrounding scenery and people wherever she goes, like a rose placed among a pile of foxtail grass.

Perhaps only stunning scenery like flower fields, aurora borealis, and starry skies can match Sanako's breathtaking beauty.

On the way to escort the "bearded middle-aged man" and others to the settlement and prepare to meet up with Saito and the others, they unexpectedly encountered Sanako... This chance encounter made Aoto show a surprised expression.

After saying "I'm going to say a few words to an acquaintance" to Nagakura behind him, Aoto quickly walked a few steps and came to Sanako and Natsume Tsuki.

"Miss Sanako, I'm sorry." Qing Deng didn't greet Sanako immediately, but instead apologized to her with a wry smile, "You witnessed such an indecent scene of mine."

After speaking, Qingdeng subconsciously lowered his eyes and glanced at his blood-soaked clothes.

None of the blood on Qing Deng's clothes was his; it was all the blood of the enemies he had just killed.

When leaving the alley, Qingdeng couldn't find any clothes to change into, so he only found enough water to wash his hands and face. He could only use the water to roughly wash his face and hands and then continue wearing the blood-stained clothes.

The first thing Qing Deng said to her after seeing her was a polite apology... Taken aback by Qing Deng's actions, Sanako paused for a moment before softly saying, "It's okay."

"Tachibana-kun, what happened...? Were you just fighting a life-or-death battle with some thief?"

Sanako gave Aoto a look that showed some concern.

"Hmm... I guess so." Qing Deng smiled slightly, then succinctly summarized his experience in a calm tone.

Qing Deng's tone was so indifferent, as if he were talking about some trivial, unimportant matter... even though the content of his words was so powerful.

Although Aoto briefly mentioned that he single-handedly fought 18 samurai in the narrow alley, only stating that he "ultimately won," Sanako still keenly grasped this information that she could hardly ignore.

After Qing Deng finished speaking, Sanako, who was staring blankly at Qing Deng, had an undisguised look of astonishment on her delicate face.

"Tachibana-kun...did you defeat so many people all by yourself?"

As a fellow martial artist, Sanako knew very well what it meant to defeat nearly twenty samurai single-handedly in a deadly duel where swords were drawn.

"Defeating a group of enemies alone" and "defeating a group of enemies together with your companions" are two completely different things.

Having reliable comrades-in-arms around can bring a certain sense of security.

If there is no one to help you and you are fighting a powerful enemy all by yourself... the intense psychological pressure alone is enough to crush many people.

Without any companions, he single-handedly defeated 18 samurai... This impacted Sanako no less than when she first heard of Aoto's famous battle: "The Battle of the Snowy Night".

"We were lucky; those people weren't very strong."

Qing Deng smiled and casually brushed aside the question that Sanako had just raised.

"Miss Sanako, are you... out with your friends?" This time it was Aoto's turn to ask the question.

Aoto looked at Natsume Tsuki, who was standing next to Sanako, shoulder to shoulder with her.

"Hmm... I guess so." Sanako barely managed to compose herself, took a half-step to the side, and introduced Natsume Tsuki to Aoto, "Tachibana-kun, this is Natsume Tsuki, a disciple of our Chiba Sword Hall."

As soon as Sanako finished speaking, Natsume Tsuki hurriedly tidied his clothes and hair.

"N-Nice to meet you!" With a hint of trepidation in his eyes, Natsume Tsuki clasped his hands in front of him and bowed respectfully to Aoto. "I am 'Little Natsume Tsuki'!"

Natsume Tsuki's voice was filled with intense nervousness... She was so nervous that she not only stammered but also stumbled over her words when introducing herself.

Aoto noticed the fear and paleness on Natsume Tsuki's face... He knew that this child, who looked to be less than 15 years old, must have been frightened by the blood-stained clothes on him.

Aoto gave Natsume apologetic smile, then bowed slightly in return to the child.

"My name is Ju Qingdeng. I'm sorry, I frightened you with my appearance."

After politely introducing himself to Natsume Tsuki, Aoto turned his gaze back to Sanako.

"Miss Sanako, I still have a lot of things to take care of, so I'll take my leave now. Hope we can meet again sometime."

With a series of matters to attend to, such as "meeting up with Saito and others," Aoto really didn't have much extra time to stand on the street and chat with Sanako.

After saying goodbye to Sanako and Natsume Tsuki, Aoto parted ways with the two women without the slightest hesitation or even turning his head.

The two women stood still, watching silently as they continued to escort the "bearded middle-aged man" to the settlement with Yongcang.

Only when Qing Deng's figure completely disappeared around the street corner in the distance did Natsume Tsuki finally seem to dare to breathe again, and let out a long breath.

"How intense must the fight have been for so much blood to splatter all over your body... It's terrifying..."

After saying that, Natsume Tsuki tightened his neck, looking timid.

"So he was Tachibana Aoto..."

Natsume Tsuki had heard of Aoto, whose reputation in Edo had been growing recently, but he had never had the chance to meet him.

"Both his appearance and personality are much gentler than I imagined... I thought that the 'three-times' official who could make so many great contributions must be a man with a fierce face no different from a wild boar."

Natsume Tsuki looked up at Sanako, casting an inquiring glance at her.

"Miss Sanako, are you and Tachibana Aoto very familiar with each other?"

“Not particularly close, but not exactly strangers either,” Sanako replied without hesitation.

In this question-and-answer session, the two women set off again.

"As expected of a swordsman who has achieved so many great feats, fighting nearly 20 samurai single-handedly... I wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing." Natsume Tsuki tightened his neck again.

Just as she was about to say something more, she suddenly noticed that Sanako beside her was now tightly pursing her red lips, her eyes lowered... looking restless.

"Miss Sanako, what's wrong?" Natsume Tsuki asked with concern. "Why do you look so troubled?"

Sanako, snapped out of her daze by Natsume Tsuki's question, glanced at him with slightly dazed eyes, then took a deep breath and slowly restored her usual aloof and ethereal demeanor, like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs.

"I'm fine. It's just..."

Sanako's words suddenly stopped at this point.

She was carefully considering her next words.

After a moment, she picked up the conversation and continued:

"It's just... a bit of a feeling."

"Sigh?" Natsume Tsuki quickly followed up with a question.

Sanako turned her head and looked in the direction where Aoto had just left, her eyes full of meaning.

“Every time I see Tachibana-kun… he brings me new surprises.”

“Every time I see Tachibana-kun… I feel that he has become much stronger than the last time I saw him.”

At this moment, Sanako suddenly recalled the "Preparatory Brother-in-Law Handbook" with Aoto's name on it that she had accidentally found from her older brother, Jutaro, a while ago...

“…Although I’m reluctant to admit it,” Sanako said softly, her gentle voice sounding like it came from a distant place, “tachibana-kun is indeed a rare and outstanding talent.”

"I'm a little envious of Shiwei Hall. They've managed to recruit such a talented individual who could bring peace to the dojo."

She shared her feelings about hearing about Qing Deng's new feat with the girl beside her, who was both her disciple and friend... Then, Sanako noticed that her friend was now wearing a very strange expression.

At this moment, Natsume Tsuki had a cryptic expression on his face and a mischievous smile that seemed to indicate he was plotting something.

Before Sanako could ask Natsume Tsuki why his expression was so strange, she heard him say to her with a grin:

"Miss Sanako, this is so rare!"

Sanako was taken aback: "What's so rare?"

"This is the first time I've heard you, Ms. Sanako, praise a man like this!"

“Ms. Sanako, you usually have very high standards for yourself and others.”

"Some of the talented young men in our Chiba Sword Hall, who are often called 'geniuses' by others, have never received your praise."

"I've never seen anyone praise a man so effusively before!"

Sanako seemed stunned by Natsume Tsuki's words... her gaze lingered blankly.

Then, she slightly furrowed her brows and said calmly, without a trace of joy or sorrow:

"A-Yue, you've got it wrong. I wasn't praising Tachibana-kun."

"I'm just envious that the Shiwei Hall has such a talented disciple."

"If our Chiba Sword Hall were to acquire a talent like Tachibana-kun, our overall strength might even surpass the 'Three Great Sword Halls'."

After saying that, Sanako deliberately changed the subject, intentionally steer the conversation away from the young man and avoiding further discussion...

……

……

After a hurried journey, the two women finally arrived at the teahouse.