I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

This "airflow" feels beyond the realm of martial arts... If you tell others that you can see an "airflow" that allows you to predict other people's movements, they might think you're a mentally unstable person.

In short, because he didn't know how to bring it up, Qing Deng had only talked about "qi" with Shusuke after the Aizu-gun sword tournament, where he had also seen "qi".

The conversation with Shusuke at that time... yielded no results.

Even Zhou Zhu, who was well-traveled and had seen more of the world than Qing Deng had eaten, did not know what those "air currents" that Qing Deng saw were.

At this stage, the only person suitable to discuss this matter with, and who might also know something about it, is Mr. Kiryu.

—When we have the time and opportunity, besides discussing the "highest level of martial arts," let's also have a detailed chat with Mr. Kiryu about "qi li" (energy flow)...

Qingdeng made up his mind in his heart.

At this moment, the sweet soup and dorayaki that Qingdeng had ordered arrived.

As it is now approaching noon, more and more customers are coming to the teahouse.

More than 80% of the seats in the teahouse were occupied.

The air was filled with the sounds of people talking, clinking cups and bowls, swallowing drinks and food—a noisy cacophony.

While eating dorayaki with sweet water, Qing Deng listened intently to the conversations around him to pass the time, hoping to hear if any interesting news had happened recently.

In an era before newspapers even existed, teahouses, izakayas, and bathhouses—these densely populated social venues—were the most important "intelligence gathering points" and "information exchange centers" in the city.

With his keen hearing and powerful sound processing ability granted by his talent as the "Sensor of the Wind," Qing Deng's hearing range covers the entire teahouse.

He could clearly hear the conversation of the guests at the table furthest away from him, and he didn't feel physically overwhelmed by the amount of noise he heard.

……

"Wow, I have a huge lump on my butt, and it hurts so much."

"Hehehehe, did you know? There's a new courtesan at the Yoshiwara ya! And her place is huge."

"Sigh, I've been to Yoshiwara too many times this month, and I've run out of money again."

"I don't know why, but every time my wife scolds me or puts me down, I feel inexplicably good."

"It is said that the conflict between the Hitotsubashi faction and the Nanki faction is becoming increasingly intense. It is said that the Hitotsubashi faction is now pushing for Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu to be appointed as the 'Shogun's successor.'"

What is "a posthumous appointment after the general's service"?

"You don't even know that? Just think of it as 'deputy general'."

"Ha... What a chaotic world. Pushing Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi to be the 'vice general'... It's obvious he's trying to seize power from Taiju."

"I wonder how this world will develop in the future..."

"Who cares! As long as it doesn't interfere with my making money and going to Yoshiwara to play with women, it's fine."

……

Currently, the vast majority of customers visiting this teahouse are men.

It's the same in every country and every era—where men gather, the most common topics of conversation are women and politics.

After listening for a long time, I didn't hear anything interesting or news that I didn't know.

Qingdeng suddenly felt bored.

Just as he was about to concentrate on savoring the food in his hand—

"Souji, this is your favorite teahouse... It's clean and tidy yet lively, just the kind of shop you would like."

Suddenly, Qingdeng heard a very familiar female voice.

Qingdeng, who was startled by the sound, quickly turned his head in response.

Five tables behind him, a man and a woman were sitting face to face across the tables.

“Okita-kun…?” Qing Deng murmured the name of the man in the pair of men and women.

The man and woman were none other than the Okita siblings.

Because the teahouse was very busy with customers and people coming and going in the aisles, the environment was very noisy, so the Okita siblings did not notice that Aoto was sitting not far from them.

Okita Hikaru, dressed in green, had his back to Aoto, while Souji, who was sitting across the table from Okita Hikaru, was naturally facing Aoto.

Therefore, Aoto, who was secretly observing the Okita siblings, could clearly see Souji's face.

"……Um?"

At this moment, Qingdeng couldn't help but mutter in confusion.

He noticed that the usually cheerful Souji looked somber.

He had a very unhappy expression...

*******

*******

Rest really does work! The author's energy is back to normal! Last night, I wrote a long chapter of 10,000 words in one go, something I haven't done in a long time!

Please vote for this book with monthly tickets and recommendation votes, considering the author's generous update today! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

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Chapter 207 Aoto vs. Okita Souji, Souji with Multiple Talents [7700]

"Shogun, what would you like to drink or eat?"

"Regular green tea is fine... I'm not hungry, so I won't order anything."

"Then I'll have a cup of green tea too. Sorry, we'll have two cups of green tea."

"Alright! Please wait a moment! The tea will be ready shortly!"

The energetic voice of the young lady Teshiro contrasted sharply with the calm, emotionless tone of the Okita siblings.

To have such a chance encounter with the Okita siblings in this teahouse, Aoto thought of going over to say hello, but both Souji's expression and the tone of the siblings' voices exuded an aura of "it's best not to approach them casually."

The siblings looked rather strange... Qing Deng hesitated for a long time before deciding to hold back and observe the situation before making a decision.

Souji and Okita Hikaru both ordered the most ordinary green tea. In the blink of an eye, Ms. Teshiro returned to the Okita siblings' table with two cups of lukewarm tea.

While waiting for the tea server to bring the tea, the siblings remained silent and did not speak.

Hikaru Okita placed his hands on the table, his eyes downcast and his mind at peace.

Souji rested his right arm on the table, propped his head up with his right palm, and used his left hand to pull the ponytail at the back of his head to the front. He played with his hair by twirling it with his fingers while staring blankly at the ends of his hair.

"Gentlemen! Your tea is here! If you need anything else, please call me again!"

Even Ms. Teshiro's energetic voice couldn't dispel the awkward atmosphere between the two.

"Thank you."

It's clear that Hikaru Okita has no interest in the cup of tea currently placed in front of him.

From politely saying "thank you" to the young lady in charge of serving tea to watching her leave, she didn't glance at the cup of tea she had ordered the entire time.

At this moment, as Miss Teshiro put down the tea the two had ordered and carried the tea tray back to the kitchen, the strange silence between the siblings was finally broken by Hikaru Okita's voice.

The first thing she said almost made Qingdeng spit out the sweet water he had just drunk.

"Alright, Souji, let's continue our previous topic. What exactly do you want in order for you to give up learning swordsmanship?"

—Give up learning swordsmanship?

Qingdeng's eyes widened, and with brute force and willpower, he forced the sweet water that was about to spit out back into his mouth and swallowed it down.

—What happened?

At this moment, Qing Deng no longer cared about sweet water or dorayaki.

"Gathering Spirit" activated immediately! Focus all your mind and body, and listen carefully to the conversation between Souji and Okita Hikaru.

"elder sister……"

Qing Deng heard the commander-in-chief sigh heavily.

"I don't want to give up the sword..."

"Sigh, you child, you don't actually plan to make a living with swordsmanship in the future, do you?"

"...It has nothing to do with whether I can make a living with swords in the future. I love swordsmanship, so I don't want to give it up. The reason is that simple."

"You... sigh..."

Hikaru Okita's sigh was filled with a deep sense of disappointment and frustration.

"Souji, how many times do I have to tell you before you understand? I've already done my research. No matter how good your swordsmanship is, very few people can actually make a living from it, let alone someone like you..."

"elder sister!"

Souji abruptly interrupted Okita Hikaru in an extremely loud tone.

The pitch was so high and the volume so loud that it completely drowned out all the conversations inside the teahouse.

The customers in the teahouse all turned their heads and cast questioning glances at the brother and sister, who both had extremely good looks.

Suddenly becoming the center of attention... left Okita Hikaru completely flustered.

She glanced around awkwardly, then quickly said to Souji:

"S-Commander, what are you doing?"

"Sister, could we please stop talking about this now?"

The commander frowned and forcefully pursed his lips.

"Since we've all gone out for fun and shopping together, let's not talk about such depressing things."

At this moment, Qing Deng noticed that there was a square brocade box on the side of the chief’s knee. The box was engraved with a mark that most people in Edo were familiar with – it was the family crest of a famous clothing merchant in Edo.

The contents of this exquisite brocade box should be clothing sold in that famous Wufu shop.