I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Tsuchida Masayoshi was Kimura Kazuma's lackey, and he always followed Kimura Kazuma's lead.

Nobuyoshi Kazama is a close friend of Kazuma Kimura, and the two have a very close relationship.

Although Kimura and Hisaka were the prime suspects, just to be on the safe side, Aoto decided to also kidnap Tsuchida and Kazama, who had close ties with Kimura.

The above is Qingdeng's "battle plan".

In the 21st-century internet, there is a famous saying that goes like this:

As long as you kill everyone who sees you, your infiltration is successful.

Qingdeng gained a new inspiration from this sentence: as long as you can take the target away completely, that is successful kidnapping!

Therefore, there is no need to worry about the methods used in the kidnapping.

Whether it's a clandestine infiltration or a direct assault, as long as we catch them, that's all that matters!

To be honest, Qing Deng himself felt that his plan to "directly attack the government office of the thieves" was extremely exaggerated and crazy.

If even the "drafters" of the plan are like this, then the "listeners" must be even more so.

At that moment, Tenshōin's expression turned completely dumbfounded. Her beautiful eyes didn't even blink, and she looked as if she had lost her soul.

Qing Deng had expected Tian Zhang Yuan to reprimand him for being reckless, irrational, and speaking without thinking. But to his surprise, the first thing this pretty widow said after regaining her senses was... praise for Qing Deng.

"Tachibana-kun, you're really... quite bold."

"However, I don't dislike your courage."

"To directly storm the 'central hub' of the Fire Thieves in order to kidnap someone... If someone else were to propose such an extremely outrageous plan, I would definitely think that person is an incomprehensible madman."

"But if you're the one who came up with this plan... I feel a strange sense of relief."

"Alright! Then I'll play along to the end!"

After making this bold statement, Tenshōin immediately added:

"Whether you can escape unscathed after storming the government office of thieves and robbers all by yourself is another matter. But with just your two hands and two feet, you probably can't take so many people with you at once, right? So, I'll send my capable henchmen to assist you!"

The "capable lieutenants" mentioned by Tenshōin were his three strongest ninjas, who were also old acquaintances of Seidō: the Nijō sisters and Amagura Owl.

The New Oniwaban is ultimately an intelligence agency, not a combat unit specifically responsible for fighting against others.

Therefore, very few people in the entire squad are proficient in combat.

The vast majority of the barbarian warriors are strong enough to defend themselves, but lack the ability to attack.

Sae and Yae are considered "outliers among female ninjas".

According to them, they are not particularly good at gathering clues or intelligence.

Compared to this "ninja's original profession," combat... especially combat in confined spaces, is their specialty.

This is why the two sisters always stay at the Moon Shrine and are rarely seen going out.

Tenshōin was well aware of their individual strengths and weaknesses, and knew that they excelled in combat, so he specifically entrusted them with the important task of "protecting the Moon Palace Shrine".

As for Tian Cangxiao... he's an even more ruthless person.

He possesses a talent for ninjutsu that is 30 times greater than that of ordinary people, and his strength is unfathomable.

Once they pick up a weapon, they instantly transform into a different person, from an ordinary old man you could see anywhere on the street into a terrifying warrior whose every move exudes a sharp and powerful aura!

This aura, this temperament... only those who have experienced many bloody and deadly battles possess it.

Although he had never fought him with his full strength and determination, Qing Deng was certain that he would have to be fully focused and go all out to defeat this seemingly ordinary old man!

With such strong external assistance, Qing Deng was overjoyed... but also felt unworthy of it.

If it were just a non-life-threatening operation, that would be fine, but to head-on storm the "headquarters" of the burglars... that's no joke! If you're unlucky or careless, you could be seriously injured or even killed.

Although it was merely a case of "choosing the best among the worst," it is an indisputable fact that the Fire Thief is not someone to be trifled with.

However... even if Qing Deng tries to stop Sha Zhong and the others from getting involved in this mess, they certainly won't listen to reason.

Both the two sisters and Tian Cangxiao were loyal to Tianzhangyuan.

The Tenshōin has issued a clear order requiring them to do their utmost to assist Aoto. Therefore, unless the Tenshōin retracts its order, no matter what Aoto and the others say or try to persuade them, they will firmly declare: We swear to obey Lord Yutsu's orders to the death!

To cause a ruckus in the government office that was turned upside down by thieves... This is something Qingdeng has wanted to do for a long time!

The urge to smash up the workplace is especially strong when the holiday ends and one has to return to work.

However, Qingdeng was not the kind of heartless, emotionless clay sculpture. Compared to "straightforwardness," "loss" and "guilt" occupied a much larger space in his heart.

But... there's no way around it.

In order to quickly find the group of unidentified and vicious thugs who were hunting him down, Qing Deng had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

Although Hizuki Thief Kai is currently tracking down the murderer who wiped out the entire Akabane family, even a three-year-old knows how unreliable Hizuki Thief Kai is at solving cases!

Fire-related thieves... no, it should be said that all departments under the Edo Shogunate were typical of "only responsible to their superiors, not to their subordinates."

As long as they can report back to their superiors and satisfy them, what does fairness? Justice? The thoughts of ordinary people? Do these things matter?

As is well known, the Fire Thieves have three treasures: prison, whip, and club.

Using physical means to "beat" innocent civilians into criminals—this is a traditional skill of burglars and thieves.

To ensure a high crime-solving rate, the thieves fabricated far too many wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice.

Sending thieves to kill mountain bandits and fight bandits is acceptable, but sending them to catch thieves... well, let's give it a rest!

It was precisely because Qing Deng knew so well about Huo Fu Thief Gai's eccentric behavior that he was willing to defy public opinion and insist on personally investigating the mastermind behind the incident.

Tenshōin must have seen through this, which is why he so readily supported Seidō.

In short, at this moment, Qingdeng had already broken down the gates of the government office of the thieves.

From that moment on, Qingdeng had no chance to back down or change his mind; he could only move straight forward along the path he had chosen!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The security guard, who had been knocked to the ground by Qingdeng, clutched his injured thigh and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Qingdeng didn't even glance at the gatekeeper who was warning his companions, and charged forward like a raging bull.

The two sisters and Tian Cangxiao guarded the left and right sides of Qingdeng respectively, forming a "品" shape.

As if disturbing an anthill, one after another, soldiers in black uniforms rushed out from all parts of the mansion.

Two burly men blocked Qingdeng's path.

"Hey! Stand... ugh!"

Qingdeng swung his bamboo sword with a speed that was dizzying to the eye.

The dark yellow sword left two blurry afterimages in mid-air.

The two burly men both let out a scream and then collapsed to the ground, clutching their shoulders.

Qingdeng leaped over their bodies and continued charging forward.

Tonight's operation is not to kill, but to arrest.

Therefore, neither Qingdeng nor the two sisters, nor Grandpa Tiancangxiao, took out their real weapons. They all used bamboo swords that would not kill as long as they were not hit in vital areas such as the forehead.

In the blink of an eye, more soldiers surrounded them.

With a series of angry shouts and the sound of swords being drawn from their sheaths, the space around Qing Deng brightened considerably—this was the light emitted by the gleaming blades…

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng immediately stepped to the side, leaning against the wall to avoid being attacked from both sides, and stared intently at the soldiers approaching from both sides.

—Five people...?

The moment after calculating the positions of the five people, Qing Deng launched an offensive!

He first took a step to the left and slashed down at a soldier on his left, striking the man's body with lightning speed. The man, who was not wearing any protective gear, was knocked unconscious by the blow.

At this moment, another team member to Qingdeng's right unexpectedly swung his knife across Qingdeng's waist and abdomen.

Qing Deng concealed his face, so the soldiers did not recognize that the person in front of them was their Third Division Captain.

In the eyes of the team members, Qing Deng and his group, who suddenly came to their door, were nothing more than a bunch of audacious thieves who dared to break into the "headquarters" of the Fire Thieves!

There is no need to show mercy to such a despicable and arrogant thief!

The slash that was aimed directly at Qing Deng's waist and abdomen was very powerful, enough to split a human body in two.

However, no matter how powerful the attack is, it's useless if it misses the target.

In an instant, Qing Deng casually shifted his stance, and the blade swept across his body.

Qing Deng concealed a preparatory stance for a counterattack in his dodging footsteps—he turned and swung his sword.

The movements were fluid and graceful.

Another person has fallen into a coma.

Just as this man was about to fall but hadn't yet, another team member lunged at Qingdeng.

The newly attacked player adopted the "upper section" formation.

Just as he was about to bring down his knife, Qing Deng lowered his waist, gathered his strength, and then slashed upwards, striking his opponent's hand.

The knife flew out.

The next instant, the owner of the knife was also sent flying.

At that moment, Qingdeng caught a glimpse of another dark figure appearing in the corner of his vision—a flash of white light appeared, and a dazzling silver light shot out from the left side of the dark figure's waist.

Qingdeng had no time to look closely. Relying on the glimpse he caught out of the corner of his eye and the sounds he heard, he ducked low to avoid the fierce sword slash. Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent's old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, Qingdeng swung his sword from below, striking the opponent's waist.

Then, without even glancing at the guy who was clutching his injured waist and abdomen and lying on his side like a shrimp, Qing Deng turned around to deal with the next team member.

The soldier was somewhat alarmed when he saw that he was coming face to face with Qingdeng.

That's normal, after all, only those who have been through many battles and have a strong mentality can face a powerful enemy without fear.

In that brief moment of panic, his body was pierced and knocked over by Qingdeng's bamboo sword.

The sword is swift and deadly.

Fists, swords, spears... in any form of martial arts competition, even a fleeting moment of distraction or daze can be enough to determine victory or defeat.

After a fierce battle, Qing Deng's surroundings briefly became "quiet".

The soldiers who had just attacked were either unconscious or lying on the ground groaning in pain.