I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

A small foot lashed out from the side, kicking the man away before Qingdeng's bamboo sword could strike.

"Hey, junior, take it easy."

The owner of the small foot, Yae, curled her lip and whispered a warning to Aoto.

"Your wounds have only just scabbed over. If you're not careful, they could easily reopen."

The "injuries" that Yae mentioned naturally refer to the burns that Aoto suffered when he escaped from the Kodenma Town prison house, which was engulfed in flames.

Although the injuries are not serious, they have already scabbed over with the help of talents such as "Body Strengthening +1" and "Yang Essence +1". However, they are only scabbed over and will need to rest for some more time before they can be completely healed.

In fact, before tonight's "kidnapping operation" began, Tenshōin had advised Aōdō that it wouldn't be too late to kidnap Kimura and the others after he had fully recovered.

However, Qing Deng was eager to find the mysterious group that was hunting him down as soon as possible, so he did not heed Tian Zhangyuan's advice.

"Don't worry, senior."

Qing Deng smiled and responded to Yae in a half-joking manner.

"An opponent of this caliber wouldn't cause me to accidentally reopen my wounds."

The two sisters and Amagura Owl truly lived up to their reputation as ninjas highly valued by Tenshōin.

His skills are exceptional, that goes without saying.

At the same time, since they were all old acquaintances of Qingdeng, they knew each other well and cooperated very well.

Wherever Qingdeng went, they followed closely, protecting him on both sides and his back.

Thanks to their protection and support, Qingdeng was able to launch a full-scale attack without any worries.

After making a lighthearted joke to Yae, Qing Deng refocused all his attention on the battle at hand.

Under his fierce attack, the once neat and orderly human wall has now fallen apart.

Qingdeng counted the heads and found that only 15 soldiers were still standing properly.

The faces of these "survivors" were all filled with fear and timidity.

If officers like Okubo and Kurosawa hadn't been standing behind them personally overseeing the battle, they probably would have already lost all morale and fled.

"Great! We made it!"

Suddenly, a series of urgent shouts and footsteps sounded behind Qingdeng.

Qingdeng turned his head and looked back—the first group of soldiers who had climbed the stairs and arrived here were rushing towards them.

Upon seeing the reinforcements finally arrive, Okubo and the others immediately showed expressions of great joy.

Compared to the overjoyed Okubo and others, Aoto's reaction was much calmer.

He remained silent for a moment, expressionless, then quietly shifted his gaze to the trio of "one old and two young" beside him.

"...Can I give it to you?"

Qingdeng asked.

"Please rest assured."

Tian Cangxiao responded calmly.

Qingdeng laughed heartily.

The next instant, he changed the bamboo sword in his hand to a two-handed grip, and charged forward with the sword in hand!

The two sisters and Tenkura Owl turned around to face the soldiers attacking from behind!

Okubo was horrified: "Quick! Stop him! Stop him!"

The last 15 soldiers, still possessing the strength to fight, mustered their last bit of courage and charged towards Qingdeng with shouts.

If Qing Deng's solo charge shocked Okubo and the others, then what happened next left them speechless.

In the blink of an eye, the sword shadows created by the bamboo sword spread and enveloped the surroundings.

Every strike he unleashed hit the vital points of each soldier with extreme precision.

The force used was neither too much nor too little.

Not only was it precise, but its sword speed was also incredibly fast.

Of the 15 team members, at least half of them were knocked to the ground by Qing Deng before they could even react.

The other half of the people had their eyes and consciousness keep up with Qingdeng's speed, but their bodies were several beats slower.

In less than 10 seconds, all 15 team members fell to the ground, temporarily losing their ability to get up and fight again.

Break through the human wall!

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Chapter 375 Qingdeng Makes History! The First Man to Break Through the Fire Thieves' Headquarters [6300]

After cutting down the last soldier, Qing Deng suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

The terrified faces of Okubo, Kurosawa, Kimura, and Hisaka came into view.

There are no more obstacles ahead!

Like someone who had accidentally swallowed a fly, Okubo and the others, who had been overjoyed at the arrival of reinforcements just seconds before, suddenly changed their expressions, their brows furrowed with astonishment and fear.

Okubo reacted the fastest.

He reflexively burst into a tirade of curses... and then retreated and fled without the slightest hesitation.

The fact that the commander-in-chief of an army fled without a fight is a disgraceful act from both a moral and legal standpoint.

However, fear... this oldest and most intense human emotion, can easily and utterly destroy all fighting spirit and reason.

With Okubo taking the lead, Kurosawa Atsuyuki, who had been hesitant about whether to fight or flee, also abandoned his pride as the "commander-in-chief of the Fire Thieves" and joined the ranks of those fleeing.

Next up were Kimura, Hisaka, Tsuchida...

The officers, once renowned fire-wielding thieves, didn't even have the courage to engage the enemy; they fled in panic without even drawing their swords...

If Qingdeng remembers correctly, the most primitive camera should have already been invented by now.

If this scene of "the officers being routed by the fire thieves" were photographed, and the resulting photos were then posted in various places such as Gaozhachang and Wabanxiaobao...

Then, the immense prestige that the Fire Thief had accumulated over the past hundred years would be wiped out overnight.

Bandits and thieves will no longer fear the fire-fighting thieves, and the crime rate in Edo and other regions will skyrocket.

At the same time, the power of the Edo Shogunate would also be indirectly affected.

Even the highly praised army, known as the "strongest," is like this... How will the samurai view the shogunate? How will the common people view the shogunate? How will the Kyoto court view the shogunate? How will the "three hundred feudal lords" who control the four corners of the land view the shogunate?

Fortunately, there wasn't a camera pointing directly at them at that moment—Okubo and the others should be very grateful.

Okubo and Kurosawa were not on Aoto's "kidnapping list," so Aoto simply ignored them.

Qingdeng was like a ferocious beast, launching a brutal pursuit of its prey.

To Qing Deng's utter surprise, even with Okubo and Kurosawa, who were both leaders and commanders-in-chief, having lost their will to fight, there were still people who stuck to their posts and did not flee with Okubo and the others. This truly took him by surprise.

This person, who faithfully fulfilled the duties of a squad leader and an officer, was also an unexpected character for Qing Deng—the captain of the Eighth Squad, who, in addition to serving as a squad leader, also ran a timber business, a "political businessman" who was involved in both politics and business: Kazama Masayoshi.

In a way, Aoto and Kazama were comrades-in-arms who had fought together on the battlefield.

At the end of last year, when we went on an expedition to Kai, the expedition team included Abiko's First Division, Kanazawa's Second Division, Aoto's Third Division, Mizushima's Fourth Division, and Kazama's Eighth Division.

Because Kazama was not skilled in martial arts, he did not personally go to the front lines and charge into battle like Aoto, Kanazawa, and Mizushima in the battle against the Soma clan.

Therefore, Aoto's friendship with him was not as deep as his friendship with Kanazawa and Mizushima.

Regardless of the circumstances, it is an indisputable fact that Kazama fought alongside Aoto.

This camaraderie, coupled with the fact that Kazama hadn't shown the same obvious malice towards Aoto as Kimura and Tsuchida, meant that Aoto had a fairly good impression of Kazama.

But there was no way around it; Kazama and Kimura were just too close, and the two were very intimate.

Adhering to the principles of "just in case" and "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," Aoto decided to kidnap Kazama as well.

Facing Aoto, who was pouncing like a tiger descending from the mountain, Kazama drew his sword and assumed a rather awkward posture.

The tip of the blade was pointed diagonally at Qing Deng's face, while the base of the hilt was aimed at his own navel. Judging solely from the way he held the sword, it was a very standard mid-stance stance.

However, his chin was sticking out too far forward and his buttocks were sticking out too far back, resulting in a very awkward and stiff posture.

It's easy to see that he must be very nervous right now.

Was it professional ethics that came into play? Or was it because Qing Deng was using a bamboo sword, and he knew he was not in mortal danger, so he dared to fight Qing Deng head-on?

In conclusion, whatever the answer may be, the only certainty is that he was quite brave to choose "fight" over "escape."

After Qingdeng entered his attack range, he shouted and swung his sword at Qingdeng's body.

It has plenty of momentum, but lacks skill, speed, and power.

Such an attack, full of momentum, has no chance of hitting Qingdeng.

Qing Deng took half a step to the left to dodge Kazama's sword, and in the next instant, a flash of light slashed into the opponent's body.

Kazama collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound, struggled a couple of times, and then lost consciousness.

Without even glancing at the fallen Kazama, Qing Deng adjusted his body and the orientation of the sword in his hand, and chased after the remaining three targets, as well as Kimura and the others who were still fleeing.

Foot speed and pace are Qingdeng's strengths.

"Iron Lungs +2", "Leading the Way", "Bear Waist +1"... Qingdeng possesses a large number of talents that directly enhance short-distance sprinting ability!

In just a few moments, Qingdeng caught up with Tutian, who was the slowest runner.

When Tsuchida heard footsteps getting closer and closer behind him, he turned around and was so frightened that he almost lost two of his three souls and five of his seven spirits.

Despite having exhausted all his strength, he could only watch in despair as Qingdeng drew closer and closer to him.

Seeing that he could not escape Qing Deng's clutches, Tsuchida gritted his teeth, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. He yelled "Waaaaah!" and then drew the sword from his left waist with a "whoosh." At the moment of drawing the sword, he suddenly turned around, facing Qing Deng, and raised the sword above his head.

"go to hell!"

The cold blade, accompanied by the sound of wind being cut and a fierce shout, slashed down from the top lane towards Qingdeng's head.