I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

But it quickly returned to normal operation.

—Tenshōin…is that the priestess Utsu…?

With an incredulous expression, Qing Deng turned his eyes and looked Tian Zhangyuan up and down repeatedly.

Why would the "Mother of the Nation," Tianzhangyuan, be here?

Why did Tenshōin become a shrine maiden?

Why is her shrine maiden outfit so different? Aren't shrine maiden hakama usually scarlet? Why is her hakama purple?

So Tokugawa Iemochi sent me to find the Priestess Otoku... but actually he sent me to find Tenshōin.

The "fog" trapping Qingdeng's mind has grown thicker... Since yesterday, the questions accumulating in Qingdeng's mind have only increased.

My brain, which had just resumed functioning, almost crashed again due to the overwhelming pressure of the ever-increasing number and weight of doubts.

Tenshōin noticed the shocked look that Aoto had given her.

With her hands gently folded in front of her stomach... Tenshōin, whose movements and demeanor were full of shrine maiden-like grace, turned her face away and gave Aoto a faint smile.

"Wait a moment," Tenshōin said to Aoto with a look.

Qingdeng, understanding the meaning behind Tenshōin's gaze, pursed his lips, then nodded slightly in acknowledgment. He then placed the tip of the Demon-Slaying Blade back into its sheath with a "whoosh."

After "soothing" Qingdeng with her eyes, Tenshōin's beautiful eyes turned to something else.

The gaze lingered on Tian Cangxiao, who was still bowing.

"Tiancang, what are you doing?"

Tenshōin's tone was full of annoyance. His delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Why did you suddenly start fighting with Tachibana-kun?"

"Lord Yudu."

Tian Cangxiao said calmly.

"Didn't you make an agreement with me last night? You allowed me to test Mr. Ju's strength through a martial arts contest."

"I did make such a rule with you, but it's not for you to fight with Tachibana-kun in this way."

"I believe that since I will have to compete with Mr. Tachibana sooner or later anyway, it is better to do it sooner rather than later."

"You... well, whatever."

Tenshōin paused for a moment, then changed the subject:

"So—Tenkura, now that you've successfully fought Tachibana-kun, what are your thoughts on Tachibana-kun's strength?"

"..."

Tian Cangxiao fell silent.

Only after a short while did he speak softly, in a tone devoid of both joy and sorrow:

"...Mr. Tachibana is very strong. Unless I am allowed to use ninja tools without restriction, I am not absolutely confident that I can defeat Mr. Tachibana in a one-on-one situation, even if I use all my skills."

Tensho-in seemed quite satisfied with Tensho-hsiao's answer.

A faint smile bloomed on her charming face.

"Orange-kun".

Qing Deng felt Tenshōin's gaze... and subconsciously raised his eyes, meeting Tenshōin's gaze once again.

"Welcome to my Moon Shrine, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Come with me."

"Let's go inside the hall, have some tea, and chat."

"Sajiro, Yae, prepare tea and snacks for me."

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Another 8000+ words updated today! Maintaining the top spot again! And right on time! How about that? Can you see the author's determination to meet year-end targets? (Laughing emoji)

The author is quite satisfied with today's fight scene; it's definitely more exciting to see fights between evenly matched opponents. Group brawls and stomping on weaker opponents are both difficult to write and not visually appealing...

Please vote for this book with your monthly pass, considering the author has once again managed to keep the book's high ranking and is genuinely putting in a lot of effort with frequent updates! Not voting for this book would be too disheartening for this author! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

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

Congratulations to our book club members: [Sijin], [Fanpan de Lulu], and [Victoria] for discovering the hidden Easter egg in the previous chapter! They discovered that the names of the sisters Sae and Yae are actually taken from the famous Japanese horror game: "Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly".

The author is currently playing through this game online. To pay homage to this excellent game with its storyline and setting (and because I was too lazy to come up with a name), I simply used the names of a pair of sisters in the game that the author really likes.

Chapter 255 A Female Ninja Appears! The Shogunate's New Ninja Force: The New Oniwaban! [4400]

Edo, Sou-cho, Tsukimiya Shrine, a room inside the shrine—

"Mr. Ju, please have some tea."

Kneeling beside Qingdeng, Shazhong gently pushed a cup of steaming hot black tea, emitting a rich aroma, in front of Qingdeng.

"Thanks……"

After Qing Deng whispered his thanks to Sha Zhong, he looked up and surveyed the layout of the room he was in.

The environment is clean and tidy; the selection and placement of the furniture are very tasteful; a beautiful landscape painting hangs in the niche... It is a guest room with a great sense of decoration.

"Lord Yu Du, Mr. Ju."

Shashige, holding the empty tea tray, bowed her head and gave a slight bow to Seiden and Tenshōin.

"I will take my leave now. Please feel free to call me if you need anything."

After saying that, Saeshige got up and left without the slightest hesitation or lingering.

The moment the sliding door closed behind him, Qing Deng looked at Tian Zhang Yuan, who was sitting opposite him in a room with him... or rather, with him alone with Tian Zhang Yuan.

Tianzhangyuan, who was sitting just two steps away from Qingdeng, also had a cup of black tea placed in front of him.

Between the two was a plate of exquisitely crafted and fragrant wagashi (Japanese sweets).

"Hey, Mr. Orange, have a taste."

Tenshōin smiled and pushed the plate of wagashi (Japanese sweets) towards Aoto.

"This plate of wagashi is a top-quality item purchased from a decades-old shop upstairs. It tastes amazing."

Above: The common name used by people from the Kanto region for the Gyeonggi area.

Although Kyoto is no longer the political or economic center of the country, as an ancient capital with a history of over a thousand years and the residence of the Emperor, it still has an unparalleled influence in culture.

Kyoto residents often referred to themselves as "subjects living under the emperor's nose," and were notoriously arrogant. They viewed people from outside the capital as country bumpkins, mocking their clothing and accents. All outsiders who came to Kyoto inevitably faced disdain and ridicule from the locals.

Even worse, some viewed the Edo Shogunate, which had seized power from the Emperor, as an "enemy of the court," and contemptuously referred to all people from the Kanto region as "Eastern Barbarians."

People from the Kanto region often felt a sense of psychological inferiority when facing people from the Gyeonggi region. They frequently used "Kami-sagata" as a general term for the Gyeonggi region.

"Thanks……"

Qing Deng glanced at the plate of wagashi... and thanked Tenshōin for his kind offer of tea and snacks.

Whether it's snacks or tea, the rich aroma is enough to make anyone's mouth water... However, Qingdeng had neither the leisure nor the appetite to savor these delicacies.

"Your Highness, please forgive my intrusion."

Qingdeng let out a "Ha!" as he turned his chaotic thoughts into sound, and his originally straight back bent slightly with this sigh.

"What exactly is going on here?"

"What? What happened?"

Tenshōin's eyes narrowed slightly... This expression made her alluring charm even more pronounced.

"..." Qing Deng glanced at the sliding door on the right, then lowered his voice and asked in a low tone, "Your Highness, do Sae, Yae, and that Amakura Owl know that you are the current Grand Master of the Shogunate: Tenshōin?"

“Of course they know.” Tenshōin nodded without hesitation. “They know that I am both the Ōmitō-no-kō of the Edo Shogunate: Tenshōin, and the Neneki: Utsu-no-shōjo of the Tsukimiya Shrine.”

Okay... I have more and more questions.

"You should?"

Qing Deng noticed an unfamiliar term that Tian Zhangyuan had just mentioned.

What is "You should"?

"Oh dear, Tachibana-kun, don't you know the duties of a shrine priest?"

"I don't have a deep understanding of shrine culture..."

"Negi is a rank of priesthood at the shrine."

Tensho-in smiled and spoke eloquently.

"In a shrine, the highest-ranking person is the 'Kuji'. You can think of the 'Kuji' as the head of a shrine."

"Below the 'Palace Master' are the 'Power Palace Master', 'Ne-i', 'Power Ne-i'... and the lowest in rank are the 'shrine maidens' who are most frequently encountered by people."

"As the rank increases, the color of the hakama that clergy can wear will change."

"A common shrine maiden of the lowest rank in the shrine, wearing a scarlet hakama."

"Further up, there are dark green khaki, light green khaki, purple khaki, purple khaki embroidered with white patterns, and white khaki embroidered with white patterns."

"The most prestigious white hakama is only worn by a handful of people, less than a hundred, throughout the entire country. Those who can reach this level are mostly elderly people with white hair."

To put it simply—you can think of me as a 'high-ranking shrine maiden' at the Tsukimiya Shrine.

"Although in terms of status, I am a shrine maiden just like Sae and Yae."

“But in terms of clerical rank, I am far superior to those two sisters.”

"They are just ordinary shrine maidens. They can only wear scarlet hakama."

“And I am Negi of the Moon Palace Shrine, so I can wear purple hakama.”

After attentively listening to the science explanation given by Tianzhang Academy, Qingdeng nodded slightly.

"So that's how it is... No wonder your hakama is a different color from Saeji's..."