I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"The attack on the settlement by the Expeditionary Force tonight will inevitably involve a large number of personnel, and may even involve the entire force."

"Whether it's evacuating the residents of the settlement or repelling the attacking anti-foreign group, neither is a task that I can accomplish alone right now."

"Even if I rushed to the settlement now and told the people there to 'run away,' I'm just a nobody, and no one would listen to me."

"Most of the residents in the settlement are not the type to have a serious relationship with a person."

The image of Gerard, the tutor of Elodie whom he had seen a few days ago—the one who often cast contemptuous glances at Qing Deng—emerged in Qing Deng's mind.

"In short, if we want to stop those madmen's attacks, the government has to step in."

"So, Ms. Kinoshita, may I entrust you with the task of 'notifying the government to send people to rescue us'? You are much faster than me, so this task is more suitable for you."

"I need to go and rescue Miss Sanako and the others first."

Qing Deng turned his gaze to the direction of the place where the "Scarred Samurai" had mentioned earlier, where Sanako and the others were being held.

"Although these madmen claim that they 'won't wield the knife indiscriminately,' one cannot completely believe what they say."

"We need to rescue Miss Sanako and the others as soon as possible, otherwise things might change if we delay."

"After I rescue Miss Sanako and the others, I will rush to the settlement to join the main force of the government and repel all the attacking anti-foreign groups!"

Qingdeng's words were full of logic...and force!

Kinoshita Mai blinked blankly at Aoto, then nodded vigorously with a serious expression.

A determined light shone in his eyes.

"Tachibana-kun, leave it to me!"

Kinoshita Mai clutched the jitte and inro tightly in her arms.

"I will get to the Northern Barbarian Garrison as quickly as possible and have the government send people to reinforce the settlement as soon as possible!"

"Okay." Qingdeng grinned. "I'm counting on you!"

"Ah, right. Tachibana-kun, what should we do with these people now?" Kinoshita Mai suddenly remembered the "Pockmarked Samurai" and others.

Qing Deng frowned as he looked at the "Pockmarked Warrior" and the others on the ground.

Qing Deng's blow was indeed quite heavy; these guys still haven't regained the strength to stand up.

They're both in a rush right now... they don't have time to deal with these people slowly.

So... Aoto raised his eyes and looked at Natsume Sohachiro beside him.

Natsume Sohachiro trembled slightly upon sensing Aoto's gaze.

Having understood the meaning in Qing Deng's eyes, Natsume Sohachiro hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth.

"...I understand! Mr. Tachibana, I will try to keep these people under guard for you! I'll go and have my servants bring ropes to tie them all up!"

After speaking, Natsume Sohachiro adopted a pleading tone, looking at Aoto with reddened eyes. Aoto had just declared that he would go and rescue Sanako and the others first.

"Mr. Ju, please, you must save my daughter!"

……

……

After briefly mentioning the current crisis facing the settlement to Sanako, Qing Deng ignored the shocked expressions on Sanako and Natsume Tsuki's faces and looked up at the sky above.

“Miss Sanako, just walk north along this street. If you keep going north, you will reach a place with more people.”

"We should be safe once we get to a crowded place."

"I have to go now."

Qing Deng withdrew his gaze from the sky and turned his attention back to Sanako, smiling at her.

See you later.

Aoto didn't have a long goodbye with Sanako and the others.

He casually said, "See you later," and then, supporting himself with the Ghost-Stabilizing Armor at his waist, he ran eastward toward the direction of his settlement!

Sanako, still gently embracing Natsume Tsuki, stood silently in place.

She watched without blinking as Qingdeng's figure grew smaller and smaller in her field of vision.

A complex mix of thoughts and emotions flickered in her eyes, leaving one wondering what she was thinking and what words could be used to describe them.

……

……

—I'm so tired...

Since transmigrating to this era, Qingdeng has been consistently exercising.

Through his persistent hard work, Qingdeng's muscle strength and stamina have improved significantly compared to when he first transmigrated.

However, no matter how well one trains their stamina, it can't withstand Qingdeng's relentless exertion.

From the moment he discovered that Natsume Sohachiro had suspiciously left his house alone, Aoto had hardly had a moment's rest.

First, they dealt with the "smallpox-scarred samurai" and others who were preparing to kill Natsume Sohachiro, and then rushed over to rescue Sanako and Natsume Tsuki.

Upon arriving at this district, they followed the sound of Sanako's cries and found her preparing for a desperate battle with her pursuers. What followed was a one-woman fight against twelve samurai chasing Sanako.

Now, they must rush to their settlement to prepare for a battle that is bound to be far more intense than the previous "1 vs 12" fight.

There was no time to rest, let alone catch one's breath.

The neighborhood where Aoto is currently located is in a remote area on the western outskirts of Edo... and is quite a distance from the residence.

If we just run there, we probably won't have the energy left by the time we get to the settlement.

Are there any horses around here...?

If we disregard sedan chairs, which require others to carry them to move, the only other means of transportation in this era was the horse.

It was common for wealthy farmers living on the outskirts of Edo to bring their homegrown vegetables to Edo to sell, so horses were not uncommon on the streets of Edo.

However... this was only common on the streets of Edo during the day.

At this hour, there isn't a soul on the street, so where would Qingdeng find a horse to borrow for transportation?

Just when Qingdeng was about to give up on finding a Malay mode of transportation after seeing the empty streets—

"Moo~~"

The cry of some animal reached Qingdeng's ears...

Qingdeng looked in the direction of the sound and saw a large black bull lying on the side of the street not far away. An old farmer with dark skin was sitting on the ground next to the bull, holding the bull's reins with his right hand and dozing off with his left hand supporting his head.

This big black bull seems to be quite intelligent.

After Qingdeng looked over, the big black ox seemed to sense Qingdeng's gaze and slowly raised its head.

The man and the ox gazed at each other from a distance...

……

"...Old man!"

Hearing someone calling his name, the old farmer jumped and quickly opened his eyes.

"Ah! Lord Samurai!"

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a warrior with two swords at his waist and blood splattered all over his body striding toward him.

The old farmer, terrified, knelt down in a dogeza (a traditional Japanese kneeling posture) position.

"Please, please spare my life! I have seven children to support..."

He must have mistaken the blood-covered Qing Deng for one of those perverted samurai who often used people as test subjects for his sword in the streets late at night.

"Calm down," Qing Deng interrupted the old farmer's pleas for mercy. "I'm a legitimate government official, not here to kill or rob! I'm asking you, what's the deal with this big black ox of yours?"

"This... a cow?"

Seeing that Qingdeng indeed meant no harm, the old farmer breathed a sigh of relief and began to succinctly explain to Qingdeng why he was sitting by the roadside with a black ox.

It turned out that the family's youngest son had suddenly fallen seriously ill, and in order to raise enough money for his treatment as soon as possible, the old farmer had no choice but to bring the cow that his family had raised from a calf to Edo to sell.

When the farmer arrived in Edo with his cattle, it was already evening, and the market was long closed. With no other option, the old farmer had to find a place to spend the night and sell the cattle when the market reopened the next morning.

Because he couldn't bear to spend money on a hotel, the old farmer chose to sit idly by the roadside, preparing to make do for the night.

"Is it awesome...?"

After muttering something under his breath, Qing Deng revealed a strange expression.

"Old man, can I ride this ox?"

“Ride? Yes, you can ride! You can ride!” The old farmer nodded vigorously. “My ox is very intelligent and has a very gentle temperament. I rode it all the way to Edo.”

"...Alright then." Qingdeng let out a sigh of relief, then reached into his robes and pulled out his money pouch. "Old man, I want to buy your cow. Is this enough?"

Qingdeng kept the loose change in the purse, but took out all the large coins: three small gold coins worth three taels of gold, and stuffed them into the old farmer's hand.

The old farmer's eyes widened instantly, and he shook his head repeatedly with utmost honesty: "This, this is too much! Half the money is enough!"

Three taels of gold... If you're skilled at bargaining and have some knowledge of the cattle market, that amount of money is more than enough to buy two cows.

"Alright, take it now."

Qingdeng was in a hurry and had no time or mood to slowly negotiate the price with the old farmer.

After the debts of the Ju family were wiped out by the "Qingshui Clan", Qingdeng is now very wealthy and powerful. For Qingdeng, a mere 3 taels of gold is just a small amount of money that he can spend without batting an eye.

Seeing that Qingdeng insisted on giving him so much money, the old farmer was so moved that tears streamed down his face.

He clutched the three taels of gold tightly to his chest while repeatedly bowing to Qingdeng, thanking him for being so generous in buying his ox. He now had enough money to hire a doctor to treat his youngest son.

After saying goodbye to the old farmer who was clutching the money and hurrying away because he wanted to go home right away, Qing Deng turned his head and looked at the big black ox that was now standing obediently beside him, staring at him since earlier.

"Alright, now that I've bought you, you'd better work hard." Qingdeng tightened his grip on the reins. "I need you to take me somewhere. Just give me a ride, and I won't put you in any danger."

The old farmer just said that his ox was very intelligent... and it seems he wasn't just talking nonsense.

As Qingdeng spoke to it, the big black bull stared quietly into Qingdeng's eyes the whole time, as if it were listening attentively to what Qingdeng was saying.

After Qingdeng finished speaking, it silently withdrew its gaze, flicked its tail, mooed, and then strode to the center of the street next to it and lowered its body... as if gesturing for Qingdeng to sit down quickly.

This big black bull was so intelligent and perceptive... which really surprised Qingdeng.