I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Aoto wielded a single katana with the effect of four or five katanas.

Just minutes ago, the 13 ronin were so imposing and arrogant, but in the blink of an eye, only a handful of them were still able to stand.

Although this group of ronin were a despicable bunch of scoundrels, they unexpectedly displayed a very martial spirit at this moment—despite being beaten so badly by Qing Deng, not one of them ran away.

Whether it was a momentary surge of passion or because Qingdeng's offensive was so swift that they didn't even have time to be afraid, it's unclear.

"Waaaaaaahhhhhh!"

A ronin mustered his courage and rushed forward, but just as he raised his sword in a high stance, Qing Deng's figure passed under his left armpit like a ghost.

In the instant they passed each other, Qing Deng held the knife to his waist and swung it horizontally in a motion resembling a sword-drawing technique.

"Pfft...!"

The man's breath transformed into groans and vomiting sounds, and his body flew close to the ground, landing at the feet of the onlookers behind him.

"Haaaaaaaah! Die!"

Another person, with a "what the hell out of me" expression, launched a desperate charge against Qingdeng.

But at this moment, Qingdeng once again "disappeared" from the spot.

"……what?"

"I am here."

"—?!"

Qing Deng, who had appeared beside the man at some unknown time, casually thrust his knife forward—and another unconscious body lay on the ground.

The bustling crowd that had been making noise up to this point has gradually quieted down.

In a short while, the surroundings became exceptionally quiet.

You could hear a pin drop.

*******

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According to the doctor, the author's mother is recovering well, but she needs to stay in the hospital for quite some time because she has torn five tendons. She needs to rest for a long time, and if she doesn't recover well, she may suffer from sequelae. So it's best to stay in the hospital until the doctor feels she is ready before she can be discharged.

Chapter 333 Copying the God-Level Talent [Optimus Prime]! [4800]

From a bystander's perspective, the difference in combat strength between the Qing Deng camp and the Ronin camp is quite subtle.

The ronin were not only all in their prime, but each of them also carried a gleaming sword at their waist. They also had an overwhelming numerical advantage, numbering 13, nearly three times the number of Aoto's group of only 5.

In contrast, among Qing Deng and his group... 3 out of the 5 people are women.

Of the three women, only the very beautiful one was an adult; the other two looked like little girls, barely over 10 years old.

The only two men carrying weapons were Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi.

Although the former could not see his face, judging from his physique and voice, he should be a strong adult.

As for the latter... his immature voice and his still-developing features proclaimed that he was just a teenager who was probably not even 15 years old yet.

A pair of adult men and women, a pair of lolis, and a shota... This lineup doesn't seem like it could possibly stand up to the ronin group on the other side.

At least half of the onlookers believed that Qingdeng and his group were bound to suffer.

Some of the more timid individuals even closed their eyes beforehand, fearing the gruesome sight of severed limbs and splattered blood.

However... the final scene that appeared surprised everyone present.

The Qing Deng gang, with their amazing lineup, not only survived but also emerged unscathed, achieving a resounding victory.

On the contrary, the ronin were quickly taken down as if they were being chopped into pieces.

.

Ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to witness the heroic figure of a martial arts master in action. How could they have ever seen such a scene of one person fighting against ten or a hundred?

Therefore, it was only natural that the rioting crowd gradually quieted down due to the overwhelming shock.

A barrage of gazes, filled with astonishment, surprise, and disbelief, were fixed on Aoto, who had almost single-handedly taken down so many ronin.

This eerily quiet atmosphere did not last long.

After a short while, the surroundings, which had been so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, gradually returned to normalcy with the sounds of people and activity.

The crowd did not cause too much of a stir.

Time, as if paused, began to flow again.

"Hey, who is that person? Such amazing skills..."

"Judging from their attire, they must be travelers from out of town."

"A traveler? But the accent I heard when that expert spoke was a very standard Edo accent."

"Could this person be a bodyguard and guide hired locally?"

"Who would know about something like that..."

"That's amazing... One day, I want to become a swordsman with such high skill."

……

The chattering gossip of the bystanders kept reaching Qingdeng's ears.

Qing Deng had experienced similar situations countless times before, so his mind was not affected at all by the amazement and praise coming from all directions. He calmly turned his head to look at the last three ronin who had not yet been defeated.

Sensing Qing Deng's gaze, the three ronin turned their heads in unison and looked at each other in bewilderment.

The three of them looked at each other.

The next instant, the two of them made the same move as if by telepathy—without even saying hello or having time to sheathe their knives, they turned around in unison and fled the place.

If their opponent is only Qing Deng, and they adopt a strategy of splitting up to escape, then at least one of them might actually be able to escape successfully.

After all, no matter how fast Qingdeng's pace was, he was still alone.

There are no magical spells like clones or teleportation in this world.

Trying to chase after two people who have split up and are running away alone will inevitably lead to a predicament where one is powerless to catch them.

However... the prerequisite for this to work is that their opponent must be only Qing Deng.

The next instant they turned around, they caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a very small figure burrowing under their bellies.

Before they could even look down to check the situation—

"Cough! Cough cough!!"

"Pfft! Ugh..."

The two sisters, who were keeping a close eye on the battle, immediately stepped forward when they saw someone trying to escape. They each crawled under the bellies of the two fleeing ronin and kicked them with their small feet, which landed squarely on their chests.

As two cries of pain and groans fell, the two ronin, who had failed to escape and died before they even got started, had their cheeks flushed red from the pain, tightly clutching the areas where they had been kicked, their bodies bent over like shrimp.

Only one ronin remains who has not yet been subdued.

Aoto, Sae, and Yae all raised their eyes and focused their gazes on the last survivor—upon closer inspection, Aoto was surprised to find that the man was actually a handsome middle-aged man.

He was around forty years old, with a broad face, square mouth, dignified appearance, and robust physique.

Although his face was etched with deep lines that spoke of the vicissitudes of life, these marks of time did not diminish his facial beauty; instead, they added a mature charm that suggested he had experienced countless joys and sorrows in the world.

However... the only drawback was that this person looked terrible.

Sunken cheeks and a sallow complexion—these are signs of not eating regularly and on time for a long time.

Large, puffy eye bags and dull, lifeless eyes are signs of excessive indulgence in sexual activity.

The handsome uncle neither ran away nor surrendered.

He had been standing still with his sword in hand since earlier. He quietly swept his gaze around, taking in the faces of Qing Deng and the two sisters, before facing Qing Deng, raising his sword, and assuming the stance of the Jingxin Meichi-ryu school.

The moment the handsome older man laid down his knife, Qing Deng and the two sisters simultaneously raised their eyebrows at the intriguing scene they witnessed.

In the martial arts world of the Edo period, there was a commonly accepted term called "dojo sword".

As the name suggests, it refers to swordsmanship honed in a dojo.

Mastering the sword of the dojo—this in itself is not wrong, after all, even the most skilled swordsmen are trained in the dojo.

However, being too proficient in... or rather, too accustomed to dojo swordsmanship can easily lead to a problem: not knowing how to use a real sword.

Bamboo swords, wooden knives, and real knives differ fundamentally in weight.

Therefore, when holding these two types of knives, it is necessary to adjust the body's center of gravity to different degrees.

People accustomed to using dojo swords often find it difficult to fully utilize their original skills when suddenly switching to real swords due to the change in weight.

This is why so many people, despite achieving outstanding results in their training at the dojo, end up losing miserably when they actually engage in a real sword fight.

To prevent apprentices from ending up in the awkward situation of only being able to wield dojo swords but not being able to use real weapons, many dojos are equipped with specially weighted bamboo swords and wooden blades.

For example, Qingdeng's happy hometown, Shiwei Hall, is equipped with a giant wooden sword that is nearly 1.5 meters long and has a blade that is thicker than an adult's arm.

This knife weighs almost exactly like a real knife. It is specifically designed for advanced apprentices with a certain level of skill to train their arm strength and get used to the weight of a real knife.

Whether it's Qingdeng or the two sisters, they are both martial artists who are not lacking in martial arts realm or practical experience, so they can tell at a glance that the handsome uncle is no ordinary person.

The handsome uncle's two feet were firmly rooted to the ground, like gnarled tree roots.

Especially the heels, which are in close contact with the red soil surface.

A common mistake people make when using dojo swords are to stand with the balls of their feet on the ground and their heels off the ground.

The handsome uncle is currently using a posture that only someone who clearly knows the weight of a real knife would choose to make his lower body more stable.

“…Junior,” Yae said, “do you need our help?”

“No. No need,” Qing Deng smiled and answered without hesitation, “Leave it to me.”

Having said that, Qing Deng used the structure of the Xia Duan to stabilize his sword.

Despite being left all alone and forced to fight three against one, he still had the courage to take up his sword and fight... Surprisingly, he had a lot of backbone.