I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

One strike!

Another blow!

One more blow!

Not satisfied with striking the strong man's waist, Qing Deng slashed three more times in the blink of an eye.

The first blow struck the burly man in the chest.

The second blow struck the burly man's left shoulder.

The third blow struck the burly man's right leg.

The phrase "cutting through the mess with a swift knife" best describes Qing Deng's slashing technique.

The burly man was in a sorry state, and he had no power to fight back against Qing Deng's sharp and continuous attacks.

The potential energy of the four strikes accumulates and overlaps with each other.

When Aoto retrieved Echizen's resident chief, Riku-no-kami Kaneshige, the burly man's body was thrown into a nearby stinking ditch as if he had been hit.

After humming a few times, he lost consciousness on the spot.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully copied talent: "Minor Proficiency in Swordsmanship"]

[Talent Introduction: Swordsmanship talent is amplified 7 times the average level]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Ding! A "Minor Master of Swordsmanship" cannot fuse with a "Saint of Swordsmanship"!]

[Talent Fusion Failed]

……

Qing Deng turned around, knife in hand, and stared blankly at the face of the person clutching their injured chest with a birthmark.

When Qingdeng's gaze swept over, the person with the birthmark looked like a small animal being targeted by a predator; their face immediately turned deathly pale, and their lips and body trembled a few times.

The so-called "crushing" is nothing more than this.

Compared to Qing Deng's superb and exquisite movements, both the burly man and the man with the birthmark looked like novices who were holding a knife for the first time... but their strength was by no means weak compared to other martial artists.

A fleeting look of hesitation crossed the cheek of the woman with the birthmark.

"Damn it...!"

He cursed under his breath, then sheathed his knife and turned to flee.

"Get out of here! All of you, get out of here!"

No matter where you are, there will always be plenty of bold people who have nothing better to do than eat their fill.

Three samurai were fighting with swords, their blows sending blood flying everywhere—such a brutal scene, yet some people still dared to linger and watch.

It can only be said that this was Edo in a chaotic era.

Because of the frequent occurrence of heinous crimes such as "so-and-so was murdered" and "vicious conflicts broke out in various places," the citizens of Edo were generally no longer surprised by blood, bones, and dead bodies.

With extreme force, the man with the birthmark shoved aside everyone who blocked his way—including the officers from Shirobei's club.

The officers at Shirobei's brothel mainly dealt with thieves who stole money on the streets of Yoshiwara, as well as clients who refused to pay after using a prostitute.

I've never seen such a ruthless thief who draws his knife and attacks people without saying a word.

They were all stunned, standing there dumbfounded, watching the person with the birthmark leave.

Although he had been stabbed in the chest, the injury did not affect his legs or his ability to run.

He fled without regard for anything else, leaving behind drops of blood and wisps of dust.

Running away from Qingdeng... in some ways, is even more difficult than "defeating Qingdeng".

Qing Deng took a deep breath—

"Taking the Lead", "Elephant Core +1", "Bear Waist +1", "Strong Muscles +1" activated!

Qing Deng stomped his hind legs hard on the ground.

With just one step forward, he covered several meters in one breath...

In the blink of an eye, the figure of the person with the birthmark appeared as small as a thumb in Qing Deng's eyes.

With another breath, the face with the birthmark was only about 3 meters away from Qingdeng.

With another breath, the face with the birthmark was already within Qing Deng's reach...

Even without turning around, the man with the birthmark could tell from the footsteps behind him that Qing Deng was approaching him at an alarming speed...

Despite his best efforts and the fact that he had poured all his strength into his lower body, he could only listen, pale-faced, to the approaching footsteps and Qingdeng's growing breath...

As if he had given up on himself, a hint of ferocity flashed in the eyes of the person with the birthmark.

The next instant, he abruptly stopped with both feet, then swiftly turned around using his right foot as a pivot.

As he turned around, he used the momentum and centrifugal force of the turn to draw his sword and slash down at Qing Deng's waist and abdomen!

A counterattack... no! It should be called a "turning blade"!

Faced with this insidious attack from the person with the birthmark, Qing Deng's eyes twitched slightly.

What happened next truly happened in the blink of an eye.

Aoto abruptly sheathed his sword, and the gleaming blade of Echizen's chief slayer, Riku no Kami, disappeared back into its sheath.

Left hand grips the sheath, right hand rests on the hilt, waist lowered—this is the stance of the Drawing Sword Technique: Flowing Light!

In an instant, Qing Deng's right elbow snapped open like a broken bowstring. He drew his sword from his waist, and with a "whoosh," the sound of the blade cutting through the air filled the space. The speed was so fast that even the two-foot-long blade was only a blurry glint.

Echizen's slayer, Tsutachi no Kami Kaneshige, slashed through the air, striking the side of the blade that marked the man with the birthmark.

Crack—it sounded just like glass breaking.

The knife that cut the birthmark on the face was broken.

The side of the blade is the most vulnerable part of a sword. If this area is struck hard... even a famous sword like Ōdenta or Dōjigiri will eventually break in two.

The broken blade flew high into the air... and then landed at the same time as its owner.

After severing the knife from the birthmarked face, Qing Deng took a large step forward and launched his left knee, the hard knee striking the birthmarked face squarely in the stomach.

After being struck by Qing Deng's knee and bent into an arch shape as if it were about to break at any moment, his face with the birthmark lay on the ground on its side, his limbs twitching slightly. After letting out a few sounds that sounded like both a cry of pain and a groan, he fainted.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully copied talent: "Minor Proficiency in Swordsmanship"]

[Talent Introduction: Swordsmanship talent is amplified 8 times the average level]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Ding! A "Minor Master of Swordsmanship" cannot fuse with a "Saint of Swordsmanship"!]

[Talent Fusion Failed]

……

Aoto shook the Echizen-suke Tsuri no Kami Kaneshige in his hand, then flipped his right wrist, twirled the sword, changed his grip from upright to inverted, and then, while maintaining his Zanshin, sheathed the sword.

A brown conical hat, a black scarf, and a blue hem swayed gently in the night breeze.

He looks just like a swordsman who stepped out of an ancient painting.

*******

*******

It's almost the end of the month! I need your monthly votes! I need your recommendation votes! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

If the opportunity arises in the future, the author plans to write a shorter novella with an independent worldview, set primarily in Yoshiwara, after completing the "Sword and Halberd Trilogy".

The male protagonist possesses unparalleled strength but has no interest in conquering the world. He only wants to enjoy the pleasures of Yoshiwara. In the end, he unintentionally becomes the "King of Yoshiwara," conquering three thousand courtesans—that's roughly the plot.

Chapter 385 Is Uryuu Hideaki the lover of "Eternal Sword Saint" Ogata Itsuki? [5200]

"Hanada-kun!"

Uryuu, pulling up the hem of her kimono, hurriedly went to Aoto's side.

"How are you? Are you injured?"

Qingdeng shook his head.

“A petty thief of this caliber wouldn’t be able to hurt me. On the contrary, it’s you, Granny Guasheng.”

As Qingdeng spoke, he glanced sideways at Granny Guasheng.

Are you injured?

Guasheng Xiu also shook his head, then, mimicking Qing Deng's tone, half-jokingly said:

"A petty thief of this caliber wouldn't be able to hurt me."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but smile.

"Grandma Guasheng, you really scared me just now... I never expected you to have such exquisite skills hidden in your heart..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene of Uryuu Hideki using a technique similar to Aikido to fling the face with the birthmark flashed before his eyes.

Qing Deng's words just now were a double entendre.

The phrase "scared me" he used refers both to the freckled-faced, burly man who suddenly appeared and nearly killed Gu Shengxiu and Bai Ju, and to Gu Shengxiu who displayed remarkable skill at the last moment, turning the tide of the battle.

As a "bare-handed enthusiast" who is proficient in grappling, free fighting and other unarmed combat techniques, Qing Deng could tell at a glance how powerful Gu Shengxiu's move was just now - only someone who is well-versed in martial arts and has been through countless battles could do this!

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Guasheng Xiu smiled slightly.

"Who do you think I am? I am 'Yoshiwara no Toshin'! If I didn't have some skills, how could I live up to the name 'Toshin'?"

"Moreover... just as I just told that brat: when I was fighting against formidable opponents that you young people wouldn't even dare to dream of, your parents were probably still nursing somewhere."