I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Ah, it's Nishino from the North Camp! Nishino from the North Camp has arrived!"

My grandson, Mizushima, and the others looked in the direction of the sound.

A young man dressed in a uniform with a cold expression led several young men who looked like gang leaders, striding towards them.

“Nishino…Nishino Hosojiro…”

Mizushima muttered to himself as he got up and went to greet Nishino.

"Nice to meet you."

Nishino was the first to announce his home address.

"I am Hosojiro Nishino, from the town of Kitaban-sho-cho. I have been entrusted by the magistrate to take full charge of the case of the murder of the Kanazawa siblings."

There is currently no evidence to prove that "Aoto's disappearance," "the massacre of the Akabane family," or "the murder of the Kanazawa siblings" are related.

If we only consider the case itself, then the murder of the Jinze siblings is just another murder case that can be found anywhere.

Since it was just an ordinary murder case, it naturally didn't warrant the deployment of a "special police force": a thief.

Therefore, this case was naturally transferred to the department specifically responsible for handling general criminal cases: the "Sanhui" of the Fengxing Office.

It is January, the month when Edo is under the jurisdiction of the Hokuban (Northern Frontier Bureau).

"Nishino-kun, I've heard so much about you."

Mizushima Masashiro.

"I feel much more at ease knowing that the renowned 'top detective from the Northern Garrison' is overseeing this case."

Before Aoto rose to prominence, Nishino was the face and ace of the Hokuban-sho (Northern Division).

His record is remarkable; he has solved many major and important cases.

“You flatter me,” Nishino said calmly. “There are far more cases I am unable to handle than cases I have successfully solved.”

The specialists in charge of this case have already arrived at the scene. If these unrelated individuals continue to linger here, they will only cause trouble for their work.

So, without waiting for Nishino to urge them, Abiko and Mizushima led their men away on their own.

My grandson was standing some distance away from Nishino.

But as he was leaving, he deliberately took a few steps further away and walked towards Nishino.

Just as he was about to pass by Nishino... he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Nishino-kun..."

He lowered his voice, speaking quickly at a volume only he and Nishino could hear:

"The fatal wound of the Jinze siblings is a knife wound in their chest. Judging from the shape, size, location, height, and depth of the wound... it was a knife-drawing technique."

"The murderer is about six feet (180cm) tall, with a slender build. He is probably not too old and is a master of Iaido who can draw his sword so fast that even Kanazawa-kun couldn't react in time."

"Although the fatal wound was in the chest, both Kanazawa-kun and Kanazawa-san had marks on their carotid arteries where they had been stabbed."

"The carotid artery in their necks was severed, but not much blood came out, which means that before the final blow, both Mr. and Ms. Jinze had almost run out of blood."

There is a considerable amount of time between the 'chest wound' and the 'finishing blow'.

"During this time, the murderer was most likely chatting with Kanazawa-kun and Kanazawa-san."

"This shows that the killer has a strong desire to perform. He not only does not feel any aversion to 'murder,' but also has the leisure to chat with the victim... He is an incredible pervert or madman."

Please be careful.

"?!" Nishino raised an eyebrow in surprise, then quickly turned to look at my grandson.

By this time, my grandson had already walked away without looking back, leaving only a mysterious and unpredictable silhouette.

……

……

Um……?

Qingdeng blinked hard a few times, then looked around in astonishment.

Where am I...?

As far as the eye could see, everything was shrouded in mist...

The milky white fog obscured the view, making it impossible to see anything.

Qingdeng tried to speak and move his feet, but found that he couldn't utter a single word, and he couldn't move his body at all, not even lifting a finger.

What exactly is this place?

Qingdeng asked himself again.

In an instant, as if in response to Qingdeng's question, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The fog dissipated rapidly.

Gradually, the scenery hidden in the thick fog became visible—a strangely familiar sight.

So familiar with the place that Qingdeng recognized it at a glance.

This is the dojo of Shieikan.

The spacious and clean dojo, the sword barrels and bamboo swords neatly arranged beside the dojo... everything was exactly the same as the Shiwei Hall in Qingdeng's memory.

call!call!call!

Suddenly, Qingdeng heard the sound of a bamboo sword being swung in front of him.

He stared intently ahead.

In an instant, Qingdeng's eyes widened in shock.

This way of speaking... may seem strange... but Qing Deng saw himself in it.

It's not about seeing your own reflection in a mirror.

Instead, he actually saw another version of himself standing in the center of the dojo in front of him, meticulously practicing his sojourn in front of the air.

As if sensing Qingdeng's gaze, "Qingdeng" stopped wielding his bamboo sword.

"Ju Qingdeng, you're really someone to be envied."

"Qingdeng" picked up the bamboo sword, slowly turned around, faced Qingdeng, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"The last two people to come here, Kinoshita Genichi and Ogata Itsuki, all went through countless hardships to raise their martial arts skills to the extreme and went through countless life-or-death crises before finally obtaining the 'ticket' to visit this place..."

"And you... well, never mind, this is what they call 'extraordinary talent,' isn't it? Who told you to have such a high affinity with me by nature?"

"Qingdeng" played with the bamboo sword in his hand like a child.

"However, this place is still a bit too early for you. You are not yet qualified to touch this realm."

As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking, everything went black before his eyes.

The boundless darkness, like tentacles, crept from the corners of my eyes to the center of my vision, bringing with it an intense feeling of drowsiness.

"We will meet again... in the not-too-distant future."

"Qingdeng" revealed a bright smile—this was the last sight Qingdeng saw before his vision and consciousness were swallowed by darkness.

……

……

"Well……"

Qingdeng slowly opened his eyes.

"Huh? Ah! Tachibana-kun, you're finally awake!"

“Hmm…” Qingdeng turned to look at the person who spoke, “Tenshōin… Your Highness…?”

*******

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This chapter is bursting with information... It's not too much to ask for some monthly votes, right?

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

That is to say, both Hiroshi Niizuma and Hosojiro Nishino are characters who appeared earlier in the story—does anyone remember when they appeared?

Chapter 369 Tachibana Aoto, Resurrected! [5000]

After meeting "Qingdeng" and plunging back into darkness, I don't know how much time has passed... 1 minute? 1 hour? 1 day?

I don't understand.

Qingdeng felt as if he were in a chaotic world without any concept of time and space. Not to mention time, Qingdeng had almost forgotten that he was a person named Ju Qingdeng.

After an unknown amount of time had passed... a beam of white light shone into the chaotic, hazy world.

"Well……"

As Qingdeng regained consciousness, he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that catches the eye is the silvery moonlight and the ceiling, which is tinged with a beautiful gray by the moonlight and the night.

Where am I...?

Qingdeng, with this thought in mind, turned and looked around.

The joints of my neck felt heavy and stiff, as if nails had been driven into them or screws had been tightened, making it very difficult to turn them.

Before Qing Deng could even make out his surroundings, he heard a woman's voice, filled with surprise and delight, beside him:

"Huh? Ah! Tachibana-kun, you're finally awake!"

Who is it...?

As Qingdeng pondered this, he looked around in the direction of the sound.

The owner of the female voice... was a beautiful woman kneeling to his right.

The white-on-top, purple-on-bottom "high-ranking shrine maiden outfit," her stunningly beautiful face, her curvaceous figure, and the mature aura unique to older women...

Because he had just woken up, Qingdeng's mind was still a complete mess; he couldn't think of anything or remember anything.