I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Shh, keep your voice down, these people are from the 'Qingshui Clan'."

"Gurgle... the Shimizu clan..."

“快走吧……”

……

“So these people are Yakuza from the Shimizu clan…” One of Tsuneji’s friends clicked his tongue as he turned his gaze back to Sasaki’s retreating figure, which was almost out of their sight. “No wonder they were so imposing…”

“If a Yakuza can reach the level of the ‘Clear Water Clan,’ then their life will not have been in vain,” another person echoed.

"Heh, I'm inexplicably a little excited..." Changci grinned, raising his hand to press his unconsciously puffed-out chest. "Haha, I never thought we'd have to do business with such a behemoth one day."

As soon as Chang Ci finished speaking, his friends standing beside him all showed confident smiles full of ambition.

Changci and his three friends were all wealthy and powerful young men from wealthy and influential families.

But they are different from the "degenerate rich kids" who only know how to spend money extravagantly, live a life of idleness and have no ambition.

They were ambitious and eager to achieve something far greater than what their elders in the clan had accomplished.

So, they hit it off immediately and, after several careful discussions, decided to open a liquor wholesale store in Edo that specializes in selling "Kōshō-sui" (a type of Japanese liquor).

The so-called "Shangbuksu" refers to liquor produced in the Gyeonggi region.

Because Kyoto has a powerful influence on history and culture that is unmatched by other cities, people in the Kanto region commonly refer to the Kyoto area as "Kami-sagata" and the sake produced in the Kyoto area as "Kami-sagata water".

Due to its superior taste, "Uefang Shui" has always been a best-selling product in the Kanto region.

If you want to open such a large shop in Edo... it's quite necessary to build a good relationship with local bigwigs like the "Shimizu Clan".

The reason why Tsuneji and the others suddenly visited Edo this time was to discuss with the "Shimizu Clan" the matter of opening a shop in Edo.

This was the first time they had handled such a large order... Even with their worldly experience, they couldn't help but feel a little nervous and apprehensive.

"Heh... I hope this big deal with the 'Shimizu Clan' goes smoothly..." Tsuneji muttered.

"...Changci."

Ootsuki Minoru, who had been silent since earlier, suddenly reached out and tugged at Tsuneji's sleeve.

"Do we... really want to associate with the 'Shimizu Clan'?"

A hint of unease flickered in Ootsuki Minoru's eyes.

"At a time like this, why are you still saying things like that?" Chang Ci chuckled. "Don't worry, it's just business talk, what could possibly go wrong?"

“That’s true… but the ‘Shimizu Clan’ is the Yakuza… we can’t judge them by ordinary standards…”

Ootsuki Minoru had always held a "disapproving" attitude towards Tsuneji and others' plan to do business with the "Shimizu Clan".

As a native of Edo, she had heard many terrible stories about the "Shimizu clan" since she was a child.

A powerful figure from somewhere, having inadvertently offended the 'Shimizu Clan,' suddenly died of a violent illness...

So-and-so couldn't repay the debts owed to the "Clear Water Clan," and their entire family was dragged away and sold by them...

A Yakuza group from out of town attempted to establish themselves in Edo, but were wiped out by the formidable Shimizu clan...

……

The atrocities committed by the "Shimizu Clan" are so numerous that one could talk about them for three days and three nights without finishing.

Although Ōtsuki Minoru knew very well that a Yakuza group of the "Shimizu clan" level had strong characteristics of a merchant group and was not a bandit group that did not follow any rules.

However, Ootsuki Minoru still tried her best to avoid distancing herself from this organization that had killed countless people and had a blood debt.

"Ashi, it's okay."

Tsunetsugu noticed Ōtsuki's unease. He reached out and grabbed Ōtsuki's shoulders, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"It's just business with them, not some dirty business that would offend them."

"If business negotiations with them don't go smoothly, we can simply stop negotiating."

"Don't worry!"

Tsune patted Ootsuki's shoulders forcefully.

Ootsuki Minoru: "Hmm..."

……

……

But let's return to Qingdeng's side—

After parting ways with Otsuki Minoru, Aoto successfully reunited with Kinoshita Maiko.

"Aoto." Kinoshita Mai, holding a bag of grilled rice cakes, stood on tiptoe and curiously peered behind Aoto. "I think I saw you talking to someone just now... Who was that person?"

"My father's friend's daughter."

The moment Aoto told her the truth, Kinoshita Mai's expression froze.

But Aoto's next words brought Kinoshita Mai's expression back to normal.

"Although I was childhood friends with that person... I haven't been in contact with her since she married and moved to Nara more than a year ago."

"Your friend is already married..." Kinoshita Mai showed a barely perceptible expression of relief.

"Yes, she married a wealthy merchant from Nara. I just ran into her and chatted with her for a bit."

"Qingdeng, it's a rare reunion with an old friend. Won't you go and chat with him a little longer?"

"That's really unnecessary. Actually, I wasn't particularly close to that person a long time ago. If I were to force myself to talk to her, I wouldn't know what to talk about, so we could only talk about the weather and what we ate today."

Kinoshita Mai's expression instantly relaxed, and a hint of relief flashed deep in her eyes. A subtle smile appeared on her lips, almost imperceptible unless one looked closely.

Aoto, unwilling to discuss Otsuki Minoru further, took the initiative to change the subject.

"Ama, let's go." Qing Deng handed the sweet water he had just bought from the tea stall to Kinoshita Mai. "There are still many places we haven't visited yet."

"Ok!"

……

……

"Lord Sasaki! Lord Sasaki!"

Sasaki suddenly heard someone calling his name.

Turning his head in the direction of the sound, he saw a short, thin man pushing through the crowd and running toward him.

This person was none other than one of his capable subordinates: Jin Sanlang.

"What's wrong?" Sasaki asked calmly. "Did something happen in the district you're in charge of?"

Tonight, Sasaki assigned Kinzaburo the task of patrolling the western end of Nihonbashi and protecting the "Shimizu Clan's territory" there.

Seeing Kinsaburo's hurried appearance, Sasaki subconsciously thought that something urgent had happened in the neighborhood he was in charge of.

"No, that's not it." Kinzaburo, panting heavily as he rushed to Sasaki's side, shook his head vigorously. "Everything's peaceful over there, nothing's happened, it's just..."

At this point, Jin Sanlang paused.

He tilted his head back, looked around warily, then brought his lips close to Sasaki's ear and whispered something to him.

"?!" Sasaki had been completely calm just moments before, but the moment Kinzaburo's whisper ended, his expression changed drastically.

“…I understand.” Sasaki said in a deep voice, “Thank you for your hard work. You may leave now. Go and do what you need to do.”

"Yes!" Kinzaburo bowed respectfully to Sasaki, then quickly left, disappearing from Sasaki's sight in the blink of an eye.

"..." Sasaki stared at the empty space in front of him, lost in thought.

A moment later, he turned around without saying a word.

No more street patrols.

Instead, they strode towards some unknown place.

After winding through several streets and alleys, Sasaki and his two subordinates, who had been following him on either side, plunged into a dark alley.

Inside the alley, the air was filled with the pungent smell of alcohol, causing Sasaki to unconsciously furrow his brow slightly.

"Hmm...? The wine's all gone... Tch! Who went to buy more wine? There's not enough for me!"

A furious roar came from the deepest part of the alley—five young men, all very young, were scattered about, some standing, some sitting.

Without exception, all five of them reeked of an extremely strong and unpleasant stench of alcohol.

One of them leaned against the wall, slumped on the ground like a lump of mud, toying with a shiny, ornate wakizashi in his left hand and clutching an empty sake bottle in his right.

This man reeked of alcohol the most. His face was flushed red from drinking too much alcohol, as if it had been painted with red paint. His eyes were glazed, and the corners of his mouth were turned up in a forced smirk because he had finished drinking. The furious roar from earlier had come from this man.

At that moment, the young man looked up when he heard Sasaki and the others' footsteps and their eyes met.

"...I am an elder, may you be well."

Sasaki bent down and bowed to the young man with utmost respect.

That's his name.

Qingshui I made.

The surname "Qingshui"... Just hearing this surname, one can tell how extraordinary this young man's identity is.

This man is none other than the nephew of Shimizu Eiichi, the leader of their "Shimizu Clan"!

"Huh? Isn't that Sasaki...?"

Shimizu Gozuo grinned.

"Sasaki, what are you doing here?"

“My men reported to me that you were drinking nearby, so I came to check.”

"Oh...I see...Hehehe, thank you so much."

Shimizu Gosaku raised a gentle smile at Sasaki, then subconsciously raised the bottle in his right hand and brought the bottle mouth to his lips.

The bottle, which had long been empty, only had half a drop of liquor left.

"..." Shimizu Gosaku stared blankly at the empty bottle in his hand.

Then... a rather chilling scene unfolded.