I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After scoffing, Ootsuki Minoru succinctly recounted her past with Aoto.

Of course—Otsuki Minoru used statements that were favorable to her.

For example, the admiration that Hara Tachibana Aoto had for her was described as simply lusting after her body.

For example, she always accepted all the gifts from "Yuanju Qing Deng" with an "open-minded" attitude, but said, "I have clearly told him not to send me any more gifts, but he just won't listen to my advice and keeps forcing some strange gifts on me."

For example, even though she never explicitly responded to Hara Tachibana Aoto's feelings, she forcibly changed it to the fact that she had already rejected Hara Tachibana Aoto's pursuit, but he still shamelessly harassed her.

The phrase "原橘青登" is used to describe a toad that lacks self-awareness and tries to eat swan meat.

To portray oneself as an innocent, pure, and flawless white lotus.

In fact, Changci was also deceived by his wife.

Tsuneji, who had never even met Aoto, knew almost everything about him from Otsuki Minoru's verbal descriptions.

Having listened to Ootsuki Minoru's vilification of Aoto for many years, Tsuneji had unknowingly developed a deep contempt and prejudice against Aoto.

Under Otsuki's twisted and fabricated scheme, Tsuneji's friends revealed their true colors.

"So there are still such ungrateful people in this world..."

"This kind of person is so shameless."

"Tsk tsk tsk, what's the full name of this 'Dumbhead Deng'?"

“Tachibana Aoto,” Otsuki Minoru replied. “If this person only had personality problems, that would be one thing, but his interpersonal skills are equally questionable.”

Do you know where he got the nickname "Dumbass"?

"After taking over his deceased father's position and becoming the new head of the Hokuban-sho (Northern Frontier Office) town, he messed up a lot of work. He couldn't even do some very simple tasks well, so the officials of the Hokuban-sho gave him the nickname 'Dumbhead Deng'."

"I have to say, this nickname suits him perfectly."

After saying that, Ootsuki covered her mouth and laughed heartily.

Changci and the others joined her in laughing happily.

The air around them was filled with joy.

"but……"

After Ootsuki Minoru slowly stopped laughing, she suddenly changed the subject.

"It's strange, really. When I reunited with that 'dumbhead' after so long, I found that he seemed like a completely different person."

"He's a different person?" Chang Ci asked. "Has his appearance changed a lot?"

"It's not a change in appearance, it's... the feeling you give off has changed."

At this point, Ootsuki Minoru's gaze became slightly unfocused—Aoto's eyes and demeanor had left a very vivid and deep impression on her.

She has always looked down on Qingdeng.

He possesses the identity of a samurai, a height far exceeding the average of his peers, and a reasonably good-looking face.

Aside from these, there are no other advantages worth mentioning in detail.

His demeanor and speech were timid and hesitant, radiating an aura of insecurity.

She had no special talents that would impress her; she had no achievements in the arts, nor was she proficient in martial arts.

More importantly—the Ju family isn't rich enough.

Although Tachibana Takayuki's "three-time" samurai position earned him a large amount of extra income each year, this amount was a drop in the ocean compared to the Ōtsuki family's wealth.

However, the situation has now changed.

It had only been a little over a year since I last saw Qingdeng, but this young man whom I had always looked down on was completely different.

Her gaze sharpened, and when Qing Deng turned around at her call, Ootsuki felt as if she were being targeted by a ferocious beast...

His physique had become much more robust, and his solid muscles made him look much more upright.

All that timidity and lack of confidence vanished.

His every move exudes a strong aura of confidence.

Moreover, she noticed that Qing Deng's attire had changed.

The clothes I'm wearing have become much more high-end.

Ootsuki Minoru doesn't understand weapons, but as a materialistic woman who has seen all kinds of luxury goods, she vaguely senses that the sword (Stabilizing God) on Aoto's waist is no ordinary item.

Is the position of "Sadamachi Kaitoshi" (a position in the town of Sadamachi) too demanding? It can bring about a complete transformation in a person!

"Alright, alright, let's stop talking about this 'dumbhead'."

At that moment, Ootsuki Minoru's thoughts were swallowed up by the sudden intrusion of Tsuneji's voice.

"It would be such a waste to spend time talking about a boring person during the annual fireworks display!"

“…Hmm.” Ootsuki Minoru nodded in agreement. “That makes sense! Let’s go, let’s go. We haven’t explored that place yet, let’s go check it out!”

—Forget it! Who cares! Whatever happens to "Daidou Deng" is none of my business!

Ootsuki Minoru decided to stop thinking about the reason for Seito's sudden big change.

Although they were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, they now live in two different worlds.

She is now the young mistress of the wealthy Otsuki family, while Aoto is still mostly a minor town girl.

These days, influenced by materialism and extravagance, it has become commonplace for wealthy businessmen to look down on lower-ranking samurai who have only a samurai title but no money or power.

Although the town of Sadomachi Kaidoshin had the power to manage the security of the townspeople in Edo, in essence, it was just a low-level official position.

Having married into the Otsuki family, Otsuki Minoru felt her standards had risen considerably and truly looked down on the mere "Sanhui" of the Magistrate's Office.

The reason she struck up a conversation with Qingdeng, whom she had just bumped into, was twofold: first, to confirm that she hadn't mistaken him for someone else, and second, to show off in front of this old friend with a sense of "returning home in glory."

It's a pity I didn't manage to show off successfully.

Qing Deng's attitude towards her was cold throughout, and he seemed to ignore her, which made Da Yue feel particularly frustrated.

It felt like throwing a punch with all your might, only to hit a piece of cotton.

There's absolutely no need to pay too much attention to people who I'm unlikely to have any further contact with in the future.

Ootsuki Minoru walked intimately alongside Tsuneji, slowly making their way through the dense crowd in the center of the street.

"Tsk tsk, so many people..." Tsuneji remarked as he led Otsuki Minoru and his friends forward slowly. "It's been a long time since I've been to Edo. This city doesn't seem to have changed much."

As soon as Chang Ci finished speaking, one of his friends behind him chimed in:

"That's not quite right. It seems like a lot of big things have happened in Edo recently. I overheard the innkeepers chatting last night, and they said that a while ago, those radical anti-foreign activists were causing a lot of trouble, and it was only recently that they calmed down a bit under the suppression of 'Niou'."

"'Niou'?" Ōtsuki Minoru was taken aback, blinking a few times in astonishment. "What is that?"

Changci turned his head and gave his friend a questioning look.

"I'm not too sure about the specifics. I only know that it seems to be the title of a very skilled samurai. Because his strength was as formidable as that of Niou, he was given this title."

“‘Niou’…” Tsuneji grinned, “What an impressive title.”

Otsuki Minoru nodded in deep agreement.

She suddenly realized that in just over a year since she left Edo, the city had become much more unfamiliar.

My old friend "Daitou Deng" has undergone a tremendous change, as if he has become a completely different person.

There were many more famous figures like "Nioh" whom I had never heard of before.

"Is his strength as formidable as that of Niou...?" Otsuki murmured.

Tsuneji's friend's description aroused Otsuki Minoru's curiosity about this "Niou" whom he had never met.

"How skilled must someone be to be given such a majestic title?" Ootsuki couldn't help but think.

*******

*******

The past between Ootsuki Minoru and "Haratachi Aoto," as well as Ootsuki Minoru's disparaging remarks about "Haratachi Aoto," are all based on real-life events. The author has essentially copied these true stories verbatim into the plot of this chapter.

As for the real-life prototype... the author won't say... (Leopard dead.jpg)

In short... the author would like to ask for some monthly votes first... QAQ

Please vote for me! (Leopard crying.jpg)

In fact, Ootsuki Minoru and her father, Miyagawa Shunzo, were characters designed before the book officially began serialization, not new characters added by Sosoko on a whim.

There were also some subtle foreshadowings in the previous text.

On

The nickname "Dumbhead" is also one of the foreshadowing elements.

One of the main reasons why Hara Tachibana Seiden's performance in the Northern Frontier was so poor was that he experienced too many heavy things in a short period of time and was slow to recover from the mental trauma.

At the age of high school, in a very short period of time, he lost both his only close relative and the girl he loved...

To be honest, if I had gone through that experience, I might have been completely devastated (like a leopard dying).

Chapter 229 Qing Deng, the hero who saves the beauty, shows his power with his ambidextrous fighting style!

Splash splash splash...

Suddenly, Ootsuki Minoru and the others heard a commotion coming from ahead.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see the dense crowd in front of them parting to the left and right, making way for a wide passage for a group of three led by a scarred man.

The scarred man was none other than Sasaki, who had just exchanged a brief greeting with Qing Deng and was now diligently inspecting the stalls that were under the protection of the "Shimizu Clan."

Sasaki led his men, striding confidently and arrogantly along the street that had been cleared by pedestrians yielding to him.

Otsuki and his group happened to be standing on Sasaki's only path.

They didn't recognize Sasaki, but they recognized the Yakuza's signature body tattoos.

Not wanting to cause any trouble, they quickly followed the surrounding crowd and stood on the side of the street.

As they watched Sasaki leave, they overheard the hushed conversations around them:

"Who are these people? Why are they so arrogant?"