I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Nearly three seconds passed before Qing Deng finally remembered who this woman was.

"Um...Tenshōin...Your Highness...?"

Even though they had just met recently, Qing Deng had a strange feeling that it had been a long time since he had seen Tenshōin.

Tenshōin usually wears either a mysterious expression or a succubus-like wicked smile. She is a woman who seems to be born to restrain Aoto and always manages to successfully tease him.

But right now... this unpredictable older sister is showing a rare... very endearing side.

As she shouted, "You've finally woken up!" her body leaned forward unconsciously due to her excitement, her hands bracing against the tatami mat, her fair and pretty face very close to Qing Deng's.

His eyes flickered slightly, and a radiant light, like "a weight has been lifted from my shoulders," flowed from his depths.

The elegant and noble Atsuhime Tenshōin was gone.

The "Great Succubus" who loved to tease Qingdeng and play all sorts of strange jokes on him is gone.

What remained before Qing Deng was only an ordinary woman who was genuinely overjoyed at his awakening.

—Speaking of which… Prince Tenshōin isn’t that old.

I used to unconsciously overlook Tenshōin's age. Actually, if you count carefully, Tenshōin is not that old. She is only 6 years older than Seidō.

Qingdeng is 19 years old this year, and she is 25 years old.

Judging from her age alone, this "Empress Dowager," who stood at the pinnacle of the shogunate and held an extremely noble status, was nothing more than a young girl in the prime of her youth.

"Your Highness Tensho-in...where...is this...?"

Qingdeng reached out and wiped his face, unsure whether it was his palm or his face that was numb, the sensation on his skin was indistinct.

It was only then that Qingdeng realized he was lying in a warm and comfortable bed.

"This is the Moon Shrine."

"Moon Shrine? Strange... How did I get here...? Shouldn't I be... Shouldn't I be... Ugh!"

A sharp pain shot through the depths of my head.

His mind was a chaotic mess, with all sorts of things spinning and churning like a whirlpool. The speed of the spinning and churning was so fast that neither the current situation nor the situation before he woke up was under his control.

Seeing Qingdeng's current predicament, Tianzhangyuan said softly:

"Don't rush. It's normal to feel dizzy and unable to remember anything after sleeping for a long time. Take it slow, take it slow..."

After speaking in a tone as if soothing a baby to sleep, Tenshōin, almost unconsciously, slipped his soft hand under the covers and gently took Aoto's right hand in his.

The warmth of their bodies flowed continuously from Tianzhangyuan's side, along their clasped hands, to Qingdeng's skin.

Perhaps it was because of what she said, or perhaps it was the warmth from her palm, or perhaps it was a combination of both, but Qingdeng felt his memories begin to become clearer.

The tangled, complex "ball of yarn" in my mind slowly unravels, and each strand is straightened.

The hazy, indistinct impressions began to coalesce into clear, distinct images.

Although it was slow, the mind and spirit were indeed beginning to function.

The flow of time slowly pulled Qingdeng back to reality.

He was framed by the Akabane family and imprisoned. The prison house in the small town caught fire. He escaped from the fire and was attacked by a mysterious person of unknown identity. Although he successfully defeated his opponent, he fainted due to lack of oxygen after living in the fire for a long time.

I remembered everything... all my memories from before I woke up came back.

Also returning was that strange dream I had while I was asleep.

After a person finishes dreaming, they will always forget most or even all of the content of the dream when they wake up—Qingdeng is currently in such a state.

He vaguely remembered the contents of the dream: he came to the Shieikan and then met another version of himself in the dojo.

(Ju Qingdeng, you're still too early for tickets - it's in the not-too-distant future)

"Ju Qingdeng" seemed to have said something... but Qingdeng couldn't remember it at all, only a few scattered words.

—What a strange dream…

Qing Deng directly categorized the experience of "meeting another version of myself" as having a strange dream.

Seeing the clarity gradually returning to Qing Deng's eyes, Tian Zhangyuan smiled gently.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that she was still holding Qingdeng's hand.

Taking advantage of Qingdeng's inattention, she quietly withdrew her small hand.

However… she could stop herself from doing it, but she couldn’t stop the blush on her face.

A small patch of pale red mist rose from the darkness.

To avoid letting Qing Deng see her blushing face, Tian Zhangyuan turned away and lowered her head—but it was all in vain.

At this moment, Qing Deng's attention was entirely focused on thinking and reminiscing, and he had no time to pay attention to the current appearance of Tianzhangyuan.

"Your Highness Tenshōin, how did I end up at the Moon Shrine?"

Qingdeng rubbed his forehead and tried to get up.

Seeing this, Tenshōin no longer bothered to hide his bright red face.

She quickly raised her hand to support Qingdeng's body and said:

"Ju-kun, don't rush to get up. You're still injured. Let me go and get a doctor to take a look at you."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng lifted a corner of the blanket covering his body: his left arm, right leg, waist, and other parts of his body were all wrapped in thick burlap.

The strong smell of medicine made his throat taste bitter.

……

……

Tianzhang Academy summoned a rather young oriental physician to diagnose Qingdeng.

Accompanying the doctor were the two little adult girls: Sae and Yae.

"Junior! You've finally woken up! Hmph, what a useless fellow! It's just a minor injury, yet you've been lying in bed for so many days! And you call yourself 'Niou'!"

“Mr. Tachibana, allow me to add something. During the time you were unconscious, Yae was the most anxious and talkative. Recently, she has been frequently crying in my ear, saying, ‘What if the junior never wakes up?’ She also often sneaks up on me when I’m not paying attention, thinking she hasn’t been discovered, to pray for you in front of the statue.”

"Waaaaah! Stop talking! Shut up!"

In the noisy yet not annoying environment created by the two sisters, the young Dr. Lanfang completed her examination of Qingdeng's body.

The doctor rattled off a whole bunch of things.

To summarize in general terms, Qingdeng's recovery speed and effect are exceptionally good, and he will be able to walk normally by tomorrow.

Qingdeng's injury healed quickly—which is only natural.

After all, he possesses "Body Health +1" which enhances the speed of injury recovery, "Sleep God" which improves sleep quality, and "Primordial Yang +1" which strengthens kidney energy, thereby making the whole body healthier and more energetic.

With so many amazing talents, its vitality is naturally exceptionally strong.

After the doctor left with his medicine box, Qing Deng looked at Tenshōin and the two sisters standing to the side.

"Your Highness, Prince Tianzhang."

Qing Deng asked seriously.

"Now can you explain to me who rescued me from the fire and brought me to the Moon Palace Shrine?"

"Well..."

Tenshōin's expression turned strange.

"The person who saved you... never mind, let's let you meet him, it'll be easier to explain that way."

Tenshōin turned to Sage and said:

“Sashige, bring him here.”

"Yes."

Saeshige nodded in agreement, then quickly left.

A moment later, she led a young warrior back to the room.

"Tachibana-kun, you've finally woken up! It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake! It wasn't for nothing that I risked my life to save you!"

Looking at the young samurai standing behind Sae, Aoto's eyes widened in shock, becoming as big as copper bells.

This person... Qingdeng knows him.

It was his fellow inmate: Kyotaro Miyabe!

"Miyabe-kun, why..."

Before he could finish asking, "Why are you here?", Qingdeng abruptly stopped.

Why is Kyotaro Miyabe here? Aoto immediately knew the answer.

There was only one answer he could think of. Although it was hard to believe, Qingdeng couldn't think of any other possibility.

Before long, the conversation between Tenshōin and Miyabe Kyotaro confirmed Aōdō's conjecture.

"Miyabe-kun, please reveal your true identity."

"Yes."

Kyotaro Miyabe straightened up.

"I am Kyotaro Miyabe. The second son of the Hatamoto Miyabe family, the headmaster of the Tendou Kenkan, and also—"

Like a storyteller, Kyotaro Miyabe deliberately draws out his words when he gets to the crucial parts, making people linger.

"A soldier of the new Imperial Household!"

……

……

Let's rewind to the day Qing Deng was imprisoned—

"How could this guy be imprisoned for such a reason...?"

Tianzhangyuan put down the report in his hand, rubbed his forehead, and sighed deeply.

The report she had just read stated in concise language that Miyabe Kyotaro, a subordinate of their new Imperial Guard, had been imprisoned for killing his wife, who had been having an affair with another man, as well as the men who had cuckolded him. He was to commit seppuku at a later date to atone for his sins.

Tenshōin felt his head was about to explode. Every member of the new Oniwaban was an elite among elites, selected through layers of screening and trained with countless hours and money.