I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As Tenshōin spoke, a faint smile, tinged with reminiscence, appeared on his face.

"Not long after I left my hometown and came to Edo, I heard about the great name and deeds of Miss Uryu. I longed to meet her, so I secretly sneaked into Yoshiwara and met her quietly."

"Although it happened more than a year ago, I still remember those scenes vividly."

"After exchanging only a few words with her, I was convinced that she was an outstanding woman with a very strong inner self, someone I greatly admired."

After saying that, Tenshōin sighed softly with a complicated expression.

"Anyway, Sheng Qing, please give my regards to Miss Gusheng on your way. If you don't have time, or if Miss Gusheng happens to be out... then never mind."

This is not a very difficult or troublesome task.

Since it was just a favor to do, Qingdeng nodded without hesitation:

"Okay, sure. I will."

"Speaking of which... Sheng Qing, don't you plan to go back and see your family and friends?"

Since waking up, Qing Deng has been living at the Moon Palace Shrine and has never returned to the Shieikan, nor has he reported his safety to his relatives and friends at the Senjiya and Kochiba Kenkan.

"..." The faces of Souji, Kinoshita Mai, Sanako, and others appeared one by one in Aoto's mind.

He pursed his lips, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face.

"...No."

In the end, he managed to suppress his wavering emotions and shook his head.

“In the eyes of outsiders, I am currently in a state of ‘disappearance’ where I don’t know where I am, which is an advantage for me.”

"That gang that's been relentlessly hunting me down must be having a real headache trying to find me right now."

“To me, gangs are troublesome enemies who are ‘lurking in the shadows and whose exact form is difficult to grasp.’”

"But for me, the current situation is also the same as that of the gang."

"Therefore, I try to avoid showing my face in front of others unless necessary."

"Having a home but not being able to go back..." Tenshōin uttered a soft, breathless whisper from her lips, "This feeling must be very unpleasant, right?"

“So—” Qing Deng smiled calmly, “in order to reunite with my cherished companions as soon as possible, I have to speed things up and find and eliminate that gang as quickly as possible.”

……

……

Tonight—

Edo, Asakusa, the Japanese Embankment—

Qingdeng straightened the straw hat on his head.

The low, wide brim of the hat almost completely covered his face.

While checking his belongings, Qingdeng's gaze involuntarily settled on a white-handled katana at his left waist.

This is the new sword that Tenshōin gave him.

After experiencing a series of changes, including being "confiscated by the Northern Guards," "being stolen," and "appearing at a murder scene," Qing Deng's beloved sword, Ding Guishen, eventually returned to the Northern Guards' warehouse after going through a long and winding road.

Before he can completely clear his name of suspicion, Qing Deng shouldn't even think about getting the Ding Gui Shen back.

As a martial artist skilled in swordsmanship, how could he not carry a knife at his waist?

So, Tenshōin gave Aōdō a fine sword—the white-handled katana that is now hanging on Aōdō's left waist.

Sword name: Echizen-no-kami Hitachi-no-kami Kaneshige.

The name sounds complicated and sophisticated at first glance, but it actually means something similar to "Yunnan Grandma Wang's Handmade Ham".

The "XX" in "XX-zhu" represents a school of thought, usually named after a place, and the "XX" in "XX-zhu" is the name of the swordsmith.

Some swordsmiths have their own unique names, such as the famous "Nagaso Kotetsu".

Some swordsmiths were granted nominal official titles due to their exceptional skills or outstanding contributions. For example, this sword, "Hitachi no Kami Kaneshige".

Hitachi no Kami is an official title, while Kaneshige is the name of the swordsmith himself.

These knives named after the knife maker... are more like brand names than knife names.

Swords forged by the renowned swordsmith Nagasone Kotetsu are generally named "Nagasone Kotetsu".

Similarly, any sword forged by Hitachi no Kami Kaneshige of Echizen will generally be called "Hitachi no Kami Kaneshige of Echizen".

Similar brand names include: Harashu sakibe, Kazuya sakibe, Fujishima sakibe, Oshu sakibe, Kofu sakibe, and so on.

The fact that he was granted an official position by the imperial court speaks volumes about the skill level of this Hitachi no Kami Kaneshige.

Any product produced by Echizen Sumitomo Tsutachi no Kami Kaneshige is guaranteed to be of high quality.

Overall, Qingdeng was quite satisfied with the new knife on his waist.

Although the blade length is shorter than that of the Dingguishen, at only 68 centimeters, the curvature of the blade is large enough.

Compared to a straight sword, Qingdeng prefers a curved sword.

Moreover, if the blade has a large enough curve, it can maximize the power of his signature move and ultimate technique: "Drawing Sword Technique: Flowing Light".

“Very good…” After tidying up his clothes and making sure that the straw hat on his head properly covered his face, Qing Deng stepped forward and walked towards the embankment in front of him… that is, the top of the Japanese embankment.

The Yoshiwara we refer to today is actually called "Shin-Yoshiwara".

In 1617, the third year of the Genna era, Shoji Jin'emon and others, brothel owners in Sunpu, obtained permission from the shogunate to open Edo's first geisha district near Nihonbashi, thus giving birth to Yoshiwara.

The "Furisode Fire" of 1657 reduced two-thirds of Edo to ashes, including Yoshiwara.

Compared to the early days of the shogunate, the area around Nihonbashi had gradually become urbanized and was no longer suitable for building brothels.

Therefore, the shogunate chose the Nihon Embankment in Asakusa as the site for the reconstruction of Yoshiwara.

The former Nihonbashi Yoshiwara was called "Motoyoshiwara", and the current Asakusa Yoshiwara is called "Shin-Yoshiwara".

Not long after walking, Aoto saw Yoshiwara's famous landmark: Mihanagiri—a willow tree planted near the entrance to Yoshiwara.

The reason it has this name is that after having a great time in Yoshiwara, guests often turn back to look at the gate of Yoshiwara repeatedly when they leave, feeling reluctant to leave and wanting to go back.

Since we've seen the willow branches... that means we're not far from Yoshiwara.

Aoto walked through the Mihanayagi and continued on for a while—the road leading to Yoshiwara under his feet was called the "Gyukken-michi" (Fifty-Ken Road).

Before long, two teahouses, one on the left and one on the right of the fifty-door road, with their doors facing each other, came into Qing Deng's view.

Although Aoto had never been to Yoshiwara, he knew the names of the two teahouses: Harikasa Teahouse.

When Yoshiwara was first established, the samurai and commoners were relatively reserved and generally considered visiting brothels to be a shameful thing.

As a result, some shrewd businessmen opened teahouses outside Yoshiwara Gate that not only provided food and drink but also sold straw hats.

Do you feel ashamed to visit places of ill repute?

Do you not want acquaintances to see you frequenting brothels?

Then let's buy a straw hat to cover our faces!

It is said that the Harikasa Tea House was once extremely popular.

However, with the rapid rise of materialism, traditional ethics and morality have gradually collapsed. Whether warriors or commoners, they have all long since let themselves go and no longer feel ashamed to frequent brothels.

Although there are still people who, out of a sense of shame, will continue to wear straw hats to Yoshiwara, there are very few of them left.

The straw hat teahouse is located right next to the Yoshiwara gate... Aoto thought to himself as he raised his straw hat slightly and looked ahead.

In front of them stood a tall, open wooden gate.

On either side of the gate hung a lantern for illumination, each lantern bearing a large Chinese character: "门" (gate).

Countless men and women moved about at the foot of the gate, with men making up the majority.

Many young men holding wooden sticks stood on both sides of the gate.

They were all wearing the same style of dark blue haori, which was decorated with many patterns, and the two Chinese characters "会所" were printed on both sides of the lapels.

Qing Deng thought to himself: These people must be the officials in charge of managing the Shirobei Club in Yoshiwara.

Right now, it's the busiest time of year for business in Yoshiwara.

Because of the large crowd, in order to prevent stampedes, the officials of Shirobei Club shouted "Don't push!" and "Take your time!" while patiently directing the flow of people so that all guests could enter in an orderly manner.

While Qingdeng was silently queuing, he glanced around to kill time.

Whether you look to the left or the right, all you can see are the massive walls and deep moats that stretch as far as the eye can see.

This trench, approximately 3.6 meters wide, is named "Yuchi Black Trench".

In fact, it would be more accurate to call Yoshihara a "fortress" rather than a "district".

With its "city walls" and "moat," it was just like a fortified city.

Looking at the wall and the ditch, Qingdeng couldn't help but shake his head.

Yoshiwara's exterior design... in short: firefighters would commit suicide if they came.

Whether it's a wall or a moat, their purpose in construction is the same: to prevent prostitutes from escaping.

The courtesans of Yoshiwara were on a "lifetime contract"; unless they were redeemed, they could never leave Yoshiwara for the rest of their lives.

The gate in front of Qingdeng is the only entrance and exit in this vast Yoshiwara.

With so many people and such a large area in Yoshiwara, this is the only place connecting it to the outside world...

One can imagine what it would have been like if a fire or some other disaster had occurred in Yoshiwara—the story of "Motoyoshiwara" from two hundred years ago already provides the answer.

The architectural layout of "Moonyoshiwara" is exactly the same as that of the current "Shinyoshiwara", with city walls, a moat, and only one gate leading to the outside world.

As expected, the main entrance became congested when the fire broke out. People couldn't get in or out.

Driven by their survival instincts, the desperate prostitutes had no choice but to climb the wall with their bare hands.

Such a high wall, such a smooth surface, even a strong martial artist might not be able to climb over it, let alone a weak woman who makes a living by selling her body.

In the end, only a handful of women managed to climb over the city walls.

However... even if you successfully scale the city wall, it doesn't mean everything is fine—because outside the wall lies a wide, deep, and filthy moat...

At that time, the water in the moat had been scorched by the fire and was as hot as boiling water.

Most of the prostitutes who climbed over the city walls were boiled alive before they could even scream after falling into the moat...