I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Ten days ago, on December 10th, Edo experienced its first snowfall of the year. Since then, the snow has fallen intermittently.

Before dawn today, fine snowflakes, like willow catkins, began to fall gently and has not stopped since. The ground is already covered with a layer of snow that reaches above the ankles.

Today is a day off, so Qingdeng can freely arrange his schedule for the day.

Before long, Qing Deng had decided on his itinerary for the day—it had been a while since he had shown up at the Senjiya, so he would go see A-Wu today and practice his sword-drawing technique as well.

Ah, no, that's backwards.

He should be going to practice his sword-drawing technique and see A-Mai while he's at it.

I almost blurted out my true thoughts.

If Kiryu knew that he had switched the order of these two things, who knows how Kiryu would look at him.

After resting for a while, and once his body stopped sweating and felt less hot after his morning exercise, Qingdeng quickly put on his cotton-padded coat, tied his black scarf, put on his snow hat, put on his snow boots, and put on his long and short knives.

Upon returning to Edo from Kai, Aoto immediately took the damaged Stinging Spirit, which had been damaged yet again in the battle with the Soma clan, to be repaired.

Although Edo was a large city, skilled swordsmiths were extremely rare.

Aoto often sought help from a swordsmith named Meguro Kaoru to repair his swords.

Despite having a name like "Xun" that sounds so beautiful at first glance, he is actually a rough old man who is nearly fifty years old.

In Japan, "Kaoru" is actually a very neutral name, unlike Souji's original name "Tsukasa".

The latter is undoubtedly a female name; no parent with a sound mind would name their son "Si". As for the former, it can be used for both boys and girls; either a boy or a girl can be named "Xun".

Because the spirit-summoning device broke so frequently, Aoto had to visit Meguro Kaoru's blacksmith shop every few days.

Over time, Aoto and Meguro Kaoru became quite familiar with each other.

Now, every time Meguro Kaoru sees Aoto carrying a sword across his shop, he always sighs, "How come your sword is broken again... If this continues, your sword will be completely broken within a year and will never be repaired."

At the entrance of the test hall, Qingdeng, who had changed into his full gear, gave his attire a final check.

After confirming that he was dressed properly and had brought all the necessary items, Qingdeng pulled open the door and went out.

The moment the door opened, a damp, cold wind rushed towards Qingdeng, and countless snowflakes, like falling leaves, poured into the entryway through the cracks in the door.

Qingdeng quickly stepped over the door frame and closed the door behind him.

The huge temperature difference between indoors and outdoors made Qingdeng shiver involuntarily.

"what……"

Qingdeng held up his hands, which had immediately frozen stiff, breathed warm air on them, and the warm air rose out and then disappeared immediately.

"It's so cold... I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to copy a talent related to 'cold resistance'..."

After making a self-deprecating joke, Qingdeng lowered the brim of his hat slightly and walked away through the snow.

Edo, covered in snow, has a unique charm.

It's 7 a.m. now. Although people are gradually going out to work, the air is still rich in a refreshing scent that hasn't been polluted by "human presence," as if dew has melted into it.

While enjoying the fresh air, Qingdeng strolled leisurely, taking in the street scene that was filled with both the "white winter" and "New Year's atmosphere" due to the approaching New Year.

Just then, Qingdeng suddenly spotted a slender, dark brown figure emerging from the alleyway not far in front of him.

Although Qingdeng only caught a glimpse of the figure out of the corner of his eye and couldn't see it clearly, he immediately sensed that the person... seemed vaguely familiar...

Just as Qingdeng turned his head to take a good look at who this person was, the person walked quickly towards Qingdeng with small, quick steps.

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow and stopped in his tracks.

No wonder it felt so familiar... it really is someone I know.

She was around 20 years old, with her glossy black hair styled in a bun, a hairstyle usually reserved for married women. She was tall, with a beautiful face and slender, almond-shaped eyes that exuded an alluring charm.

It was Aoto… to be precise, it was Ootsuki Minoru, Aoto Hara’s childhood friend, whom he reunited with at the fireworks festival four months ago.

He approached Aoto's Oozuki at a near-jogging pace, stopping three steps away from Aoto in front of him.

She was staring intently at Qing Deng, who was frowning.

……

……

somewhere in Edo—

call!

The icy wind, sharp as a knife, slashed at Sanako's delicate face with a piercing whooshing sound.

"It's so cold..."

After muttering something softly, Sanako lowered her head, hiding half of her face in her scarf, while tightly clutching the medical book she had just bought from the bookstore to her chest to prevent the pages from getting wet from the snow.

"Hurry home..."

Sanako dislikes the cold, so winter... especially a snowy winter like this, has always been her least favorite season.

If it weren't for the news that Suhara-ya in Nihonbashi had acquired a new batch of Western medical books, she wouldn't have gone out so early this morning.

Sanako, who just wanted to get back to the Chiba Sword Museum as soon as possible and snuggle into the warm kotatsu, held the book she had just bought tightly in one hand and tightened the white headscarf on her head, which served as both a windproof shield and a face shield, to prevent passersby from recognizing her as "Chiba Oni Komachi," and quickened her pace.

Because it was still early, there were few pedestrians on the street.

The streets were empty and the view was excellent—so, as Sanako was focused on getting somewhere, she suddenly noticed a tall figure standing out from the crowd to her side.

Passa... The pair of high-toothed wooden clogs that effectively prevented snow from getting on Sanako's feet came to an abrupt stop.

He froze on the spot.

The reason for this was that the tall figure was someone she knew very well.

It was also because a beautiful figure she had never seen before was following closely beside this acquaintance...

*******

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Today's word count is nearly 7000 words, which is very generous, so I'm asking for some monthly votes!

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

If you've forgotten who Otsuki Minoru was, you can go back and review...

If nothing unexpected happens, Qingdeng will be facing off against a certain force tomorrow. You can try to guess which force it is.

Chapter 314 Subduing Otsuki Minoru! Copying the Talent [Snake Body]! [7500]

Edo, a teahouse, a private room.

"Esteemed guests, here is your tea."

Qingdeng often frequented this teahouse.

There wasn't any particular reason why he became a regular customer of the shop; it was simply because it was close to the Shieikan. So, when Qing Deng returned from get off work or from places like Senjiya or Kochiba Kenkan, he would occasionally feel like going to this teahouse for a few drinks.

"Thank you."

The tea server, a boy who looked to be around 15 years old, nodded politely.

As the boy deftly placed the two cups of hot tea from the tea tray onto the table in front of Qing Deng, he secretly glanced at the beautiful woman sitting opposite Qing Deng with careful movements... namely, Ootsuki Minoru's face and figure.

His Adam's apple, which had just begun to develop during puberty, moved up and down slightly.

His innocent eyes radiated a look of infatuation and longing.

Although the young man's actions were very well concealed, for Qing Deng, who possessed "Eagle Eye +1" and had amazing eyesight, nothing about the young man's gaze or expression could be hidden from Qing Deng's eyes.

Seeing the young man frantically peeking at Otsuki Minoru, Aoto couldn't help but chuckle.

It's no wonder that this naive young man lost his composure in front of Ootsuki Minoru.

After all, according to the values ​​of the Edo period, Otsuki Minoru was definitely a stunning beauty.

She has beautiful features, a graceful appearance, fair skin with a healthy rosy tint, and jet-black, lustrous hair.

Her mature makeup made her face look as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her eyebrows and eyes exuded a mature and charming style. Every gesture she made showed her graceful demeanor.

Her upper body, outlined by a dark brown kimono, was shapely and well-proportioned, with the upper part of the kimono's hem taut outwards; her slender waist, wrapped in a black sash, was as graceful as a willow.

Most importantly, Ootsuki Minoru's nape is very beautiful, with symmetrical and graceful lines. The untanned neck flesh has a translucent quality under the light.

A kimono is a garment that covers a person completely. Even the most revealing yukata only exposes a small portion of the lower leg compared to a regular kimono.

As the saying goes: when a woman is dressed lightly, men always focus their gaze on what is covered by the fabric; when a woman is dressed heavily, men always focus their gaze on what is not covered by the fabric.

Therefore, the back of the neck, which is always exposed outside the fabric of a kimono, becomes the focus of attention, regardless of the type of kimono.

Over time, the back of the neck became a favorite sexual fetish among men of all ages during the Edo period.

One of the major criteria many people use when choosing a spouse or daughter-in-law is whether the back of the woman's neck is beautiful.

The courtesans of Yoshiwara and Okaba, as well as the geishas who play instruments and sing, always pull their collars back far, exposing their entire nape or even half of their snowy backs, in order to better attract men.

The last time we met... was a brief reunion at the fireworks festival four months ago. Because the meeting was short and it was nighttime with dim lighting, and Aoto wasn't particularly interested in Ootsuki Minoru, Aoto didn't pay much attention to Ootsuki Minoru's appearance during our last meeting.

Now that he had the time and leisure to observe Otsuki Minoru from head to toe, even Aoto, who had a strong prejudice against her, couldn't help but admit that Otsuki Minoru was indeed a girl who was very likable in appearance.

No wonder Hara Tachibana Aoto was so madly in love with this woman.

Young Teshiro clearly had a lot of work to do, and besides, he was secretly observing the face and figure of a woman from a obviously good family. If he were discovered, he might bring trouble upon himself. Therefore, young Teshiro dared not linger in the private room. After placing the tea, he gave a slight bow to Aoto and Otsuki Minoru, then quickly left with the tea tray, making sure to close the door tightly as he went.

A teacup boiling hot is the perfect hand warmer in this season.

Qingdeng tightly covered the teacup with both hands, using the strong warmth clinging to the cup to thaw his frozen hands, and then took a small sip.

"So, Miss Otsuki, what brings you here to see me all of a sudden?"

After sipping the tea and letting it swirl in his mouth before swallowing, Qingdeng, with polite but tactful words, posed a cold question to the woman before him with whom he had a complicated and inextricable relationship.

Without any pleasantries, get straight to the point.

Qingdeng deliberately used the unfamiliar title "Miss Otsuki".

About 20 minutes ago, Qing Deng was walking away from Shieikan, heading to Senjiya, intending to lazily spend his day off by deepening his relationship with Kinoshita Mai and practicing his sword-drawing technique, when he suddenly ran into Ootsuki Minoru, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

No... calling it a "chance encounter" might not be accurate. Because Ootsuki Minoru clearly came prepared.

That area was the only way Qingdeng could pass when leaving the Shiwei Hall.