I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"..." Under the direct gaze of Tenshoin, Qingdeng felt an unusual pressure for no reason.

After weighing the pros and cons and pondering for a while, Qingdeng took a deep breath with a somewhat conflicted expression:

"Then—Your Highness, I look forward to learning from you in the future."

Tenshōin seemed quite satisfied with Aoto's answer. Upon hearing it, she smiled brightly.

"Well then—without further ado, let's begin practicing right now! Tachibana-kun, stand in this position and hold your bow properly!"

Chirp chirp—!

Just then, a swallow flew over Qingdeng and Tianzhangyuan's heads.

This swallow soared across the sky, traversing town after town, and climbing mountain after mountain.

Finally, it flew straight into the vast sky.

……

……

Two months later—

The first year of Wanyan (1860), December 1th——

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, Test Guard Hall——

"I said... Kyubei, shouldn't it be about time?"

Sitting on the veranda of the courtyard, facing the courtyard, Qing Deng asked Jiu Bingwei behind him helplessly.

"No! Not good enough! The bun is still a little crooked!"

Kyubei meticulously adjusted the angle of Aoto's hair bun with millimeter-precision arcs.

"Today is your first day in Huofu, young master, where you've been reformed from thieves to public servants! How can you be so slovenly and unkempt?"

Hearing what the old servant Kyubei said, Qingdeng could only suppress his temper for the time being and continue to endure Kyubei's "millimeter-level fine-tuning" of his hair bun.

After a while, Qingdeng, unable to bear it any longer, said irritably:

"Alright, alright, what does it matter if the hair bun is a fraction crooked or straight?"

After saying that, Qingdeng stood up, turned around and went back into the house.

Seeing this, Kyubei had no choice but to give up his obsession with Aoto's hairstyle and follow Aoto back to his room.

After returning to the hall connected to the corridor, Qing Deng, with the help of Jiu Bingwei, changed into a brand new set of black clothes, black hakama, and black haori, embroidered with exquisite patterns and exuding a solemn atmosphere.

"Young Master, here you go."

"Yes, thank you."

Aoto took a brand-new black hat from Kyubei and put it on his head properly.

"Little Lord!"

Kyubei stepped back a few paces, carefully examined Qing Deng from head to toe several times, and then his eyes welled up with tears as he spoke.

"If the master could see you wearing this outfit, he would be just as moved to tears as I am!"

Black clothes, black hakama, black haori, and a black jinkasa... it's the exclusive uniform of the captain of the Fire Thief Division!

"Kyubei, aren't you being a bit too dramatic?"

After making a helpless joke about the loyal old servant, Qingdeng slowly walked towards a large bronze mirror not far away.

Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, Qingdeng first frowned, then smiled bitterly and said self-deprecatingly:

"Kyubei, I don't look like a military officer at all. Do you think I can keep my scholarly appearance in check with my colleagues and subordinates whom I'll be meeting soon?"

*******

*******

Time flies. This seems to be the first time this book has spanned so much time since its serialization began—two months in a row. The plot density of this book is extremely high; Qingdeng's actions and the progression of the plot are basically measured in "days"...

Qingdeng is finally going to work... ah, no, to work! To celebrate the start of this new chapter, vote for this book!

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Qingdeng and Tianzhangyuan.

One side consists of vigorous young people.

The other party is a young widow who has recently lost her husband.

The details of their archery practice, how they practiced, and the progress of Qingdeng's archery skills...

I'll keep this part a secret for now...

For the sake of the novel's effect, these plot points will be presented to you later~~ (Laughing leopard.jpg)

All I can say is that the teaching methods at Tianzhang Academy are extremely hands-on and reckless.

Chapter 272 The "sickly" Souji has fallen ill! [6000]

Kyubei said with a confident expression:

"As long as it's the young master, there's no problem!"

"Haha, then I'll take your good wishes."

Aoto and Kyubei exchanged a smile, then grabbed the two swords, Setshin and Wakizashi, which were lying on the tatami mat to the side, and hung them on their left waists.

After nearly four months of long rest, November 1st... that day finally arrived.

Qing Deng is finally about to return to officialdom and head to a brand new world—the Edo Shogunate's special armed security force: the Fire-Taking Thieves!

Today is Qingdeng's first day at work, and he shouldn't be late, both morally and logically.

So even though it was still a bit early, Qing Deng put on his sword and changed into his black uniform as a squad leader, and left the room without lingering or hesitating.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Shieikan, Qing Deng saw the Souji and his entourage who had been waiting there for a long time.

Souji, Shusuke, Abi, Kondo, Inoue, Saito, Nagakura, Harada, Okita Hikaru, Matsui Tsune... all the current guests of Shieikan came to see Aoto off.

In the past two months, the Shieikan has seen a resurgence in its population. Two new members have joined: Matsui Tsune and Okita Hikaru.

As the daughter-in-law of Shusuke and Abi, Matsui naturally lived under the same roof as Kondo.

It must be said, Matsui Tsunemura is a good woman. Shusuke and Abi have a knack for choosing people.

Needless to say, she is a stunning beauty with both a beautiful face and a refined demeanor.

She also has a wonderful personality, speaking softly and gently, and handling things with care.

Matsui has lived in Shieikan for so long, and Aoto has never seen him lose his temper or even raise his voice at anyone.

In addition, she is quite adept at housework, cooking, and other essential skills for a Yamato Nadeshiko, and she is also very quick and efficient.

Aoto's assessment of Matsui Tsune can be summed up in one sentence: a perfect wife and daughter-in-law.

As for why Souji's older sister, Okita Hikaru, is here... this matter is related to Souji.

The Okita couple had only temporarily left their residence in Hino-juku to come to Edo in order to attend Kondo Isami's wedding.

Their initial plan was to stay in Edo for a while longer after Kondo Isami's wedding went smoothly, spend more time with Souji, and then go home.

But in mid-September, a sudden storm arose – the commander fell ill.

On September 13, a strong cold front suddenly struck Edo without any warning.

The summer heat was blown away in one breath by this cold air mass, and Edo was plunged into autumn overnight.

The chilly autumn wind gripped the streets, and the sky was shrouded in the unique gloom of autumn.

The temperature suddenly dropped by more than ten degrees; without wearing a jacket or other outer garment, it's impossible to go out.

It was at this time that Souji fell ill.

He had a high fever and a persistent cough.

According to Hikaru Okita, this is an old problem of Souji's.

Whether it's due to genetics or some other reason, Souji's trachea and lungs are exceptionally delicate and prone to problems.

Every year during the transition from summer to autumn and from winter to spring, the commander would often cough severely and fall ill with a fever. Moreover, his recovery was extremely slow, and it was common for him to stay in bed for a month or two before finally recovering.

Okita Hikaru, Kondo, and others invited many doctors to treat Souji, including many famous doctors from far and wide.

However, no matter how many renowned doctors he was treated by or how many expensive medicines he consumed, Souji's chronic ailment could never be cured.

This is the first time Qing Deng has heard about this... He never expected that the usually cheerful and energetic Souji would have such a "sickly beauty" side.

The CEO's old ailments relapsed due to the change of seasons, and at the worst point, he couldn't even get out of bed.

The chief is a girl—among all the people in the entire Shieikan, only Shusuke, Abi, Kondo, Hijikata, Inoue, and Aoto know this secret.

In other words, the only person in the Shieikan who could conveniently provide close care for Souji was Abi, who was also a woman.

To alleviate Abi's stress, Okita Hikaru sent her husband, Okita Rintaro, back to his hometown alone, while she stayed behind to share the responsibility of caring for Souji with Abi.

After more than a month of careful care from Abi and Okita Hikaru, Souji finally regained some of his former vitality.

It's quite cold today.

A chilling cold enveloped my entire body, making me yearn for a warm bed.

Today marks the first day of Qing Deng's new career, a day of great importance and special significance for him.

To celebrate, Souji and the others spontaneously gathered at the entrance this morning to see Aoto off.

This feeling of "the whole family coming together to send their daughter off to her wedding" made Qingdeng feel both embarrassed and deeply moved.

Aoto, unwilling to trouble everyone so much, had politely declined Souji and the others' offer, but since they insisted, Aoto had no choice but to comply.

As the figures of the group who were preparing to see him off came into view at the entrance of the Shieikan, Qing Deng's gaze naturally focused on Souji, whose delicate body had not yet fully recovered.

At this moment, Souji, whose face was still quite rosy, was wearing a wide haori with a hem that reached his knees and a very beautiful style and pattern.

Standing next to Hikaru Okita, perhaps because her hands and feet were cold, she rubbed her small feet, which were covered in clean white socks, together. Her arms were crossed and tucked into the sleeves of her haori.

“Okita-kun.” Aoto rushed up to Souji in a few quick steps, casting a helpless glance at him. “You’re still sick, there’s no need for you to force yourself to come and see me off.”

"Hee hee hee……"