I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

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Today's chapter is nearly 6000 words! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Ugh, my head is still spinning today. This COVID-19 is really tough to deal with...

Chapter 400 Following the Laws of Heaven and Earth, Slay the Treacherous! [4200]

Arima stared blankly at Aoto. He was so surprised that he forgot to speak for a moment.

Just then, a child's innocent voice drifted from afar:

"Father, who are you talking to?"

Arima and Aoto both looked in the direction of the sound.

"Mr. Arima."

Qing Deng straightened his straw hat as he spoke seriously.

"I'm waiting for you in your study. I have something very important to discuss with you."

After saying that, Qingdeng lowered his waist and disappeared into the darkness.

No sooner had Aoto left than Arima's second son, Torajimaru, who was only 9 years old this year, walked up to the edge of the courtyard with a kemari (Japanese football) in his hand and came to Arima's side.

In ancient Japan, boys from samurai families would generally have a nickname.

Qing Deng was no exception. Qing Deng's childhood name was "Kuro," but unfortunately, after Tachibana Ryū's death, there was no one left who was qualified to call Qing Deng by that childhood name.

Torajimaru was the childhood name of Arima's second son.

Some families even had hereditary nicknames. For example, the eldest sons of the Tokugawa family all had "Takechiyo" as their nickname.

After the coming-of-age ceremony, the nickname can be changed to the official name.

"Father, I think I just heard you talking to someone?"

Tiger Longevity craned its neck and peered into the courtyard.

Arima had by then recovered from his shock.

He smiled at his son:

"You must have misheard me. I've been quietly wiping my knife here the whole time. I haven't been talking to anyone. Besides, look, there's no one else here except you and me."

"But, but..."

Tiger Longevity Pill wanted to argue his point.

However, Arima preemptively sealed off the conversation:

"Alright, Torajimaru, your father has important matters to attend to now. Go and play by yourself."

After dismissing Hujumaru with a few words, Arima couldn't stand it for a moment longer. He hurriedly gathered up the knife powder, knife oil, powder sticks, and other nursing tools, and then rushed towards the study.

……

Arima's mansion, study—

Arima's study looks like it has the word "serious" pasted on it.

The books on the bookshelf are all neatly arranged according to their categories.

The writing implements on the desk were arranged so neatly and pleasingly to the eye that it looked as if they had been carefully adjusted with a ruler.

It's obvious at a glance that this is the kind of study that someone like Arima, who suffers from "severe obsessive-compulsive disorder," would have.

Arima pushed open the paper sliding door to the study.

As light streamed into the room through the crack in the door, he saw Qing Deng, who had removed his straw hat and sword, kneeling respectfully on the tatami mat in the study, waiting for his arrival.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Tachibana-kun."

Qingdeng gently shook his head.

"No, Mr. Arima, I'm the one who should apologize. I'm sorry for trespassing into your home without permission."

Arima sat down directly opposite Qingdeng, casually placing his sword on his right side.

"Ju-kun, where have you been all these days? Do you know how hard we've been looking for you?"

"Feel sorry."

Qing Deng apologized again in a low voice.

"I'm sorry to have worried you. Due to some complicated reasons that are a long story, I had to deliberately conceal my whereabouts."

"When I have the opportunity and time in the future, I will come back and tell you... no, tell you all in detail where I have been and what I have done these days."

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then changed the subject.

"Mr. Arima, as I just mentioned in the courtyard, the reason I have come to visit you so suddenly tonight is because I have some very important matters to ask you."

Time is tight.

Who knows when, Arima's wife and children might suddenly come and disturb them, just like Torajimaru did just now.

Therefore, Qingdeng decided to "get it over with quickly" and get straight to the point, without going through all the roundabout ways.

If you want to chat and catch up, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

"Something very important? Are you asking me about it?"

Arima looked confused.

Looking into Aoto's eyes, which held a certain firm determination, Arima immediately understood: what Aoto wanted to discuss with him was no small matter!

"……Um."

Arima nodded vigorously a few times.

"go ahead."

As soon as Arima finished speaking, Qing Deng couldn't help but ask quickly:

"Mr. Arima, please tell me everything you know about my father."

"Your father?"

Although it was barely perceptible, Qing Deng still keenly noticed that for a moment, Arima's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes.

"...Tachibana-kun, why did you suddenly ask about this?"

"Mr. Arima, I can't go into specifics. In short... I desperately want to know what my father did before he died. Why did he suddenly become addicted to gambling? Did he really die of illness?"

At this point, Qing Deng carefully observed the changes in Arima's facial expression.

Arima was looking down at his nose and seemingly lost in thought, his usually ramrod-straight back now slightly bent.

Seeing this, Qingdeng pursed his lips thoughtfully, then said softly:

"Before my father died... he was secretly investigating some incredible case, am I right?"

The hands that were resting on the horse's knees trembled for a moment.

The study was enveloped in silence.

The air around us seemed to gain weight at that moment, and the sounds seemed to gradually recede into the distance.

Although the two did not draw their swords, there was no doubt that Aoto and Arima were in a standoff—who wouldn't think so? When you see this scene of the two staring at each other, and feel this tense atmosphere.

In this silent "standoff," the first person to utter a word was Arima.

"Sigh... this day has finally come..."

The faint sigh, tinged with self-mockery, suddenly made Arima's figure seem more ethereal.

"Tachibana-kun, although I don't know how you discovered Takayuki's secret, I respect your decision and will not ask any further questions."

"Alright... then I'll tell you everything I know about Ryuji..."

At this point, he took a deep breath to regulate his breathing and emotions.

"However, Tachibana-kun, let me be frank from the start. Even I, Inoya, and Ushiyama know very little about Takayuki."

"If my answer later does not satisfy you, please forgive me for having done my best."

As Arima spoke, he slowly tilted his head back, gazing at the ceiling above him as if reminiscing.

"It all started with a police report three years ago."

“I remember… it was March of the fifth year of Ansei (1858). A schoolteacher who taught at a private school came to the Beifan Office to report that his wife had been murdered by a villain and asked us to uphold justice for him.”

“Tachibana-kun, you used to be a member of the Hokuban-sho (Northern District Police Station), so you should know that ordinary cases are one thing, but murder cases cannot be ignored by the Magistrate’s Office.”

"Therefore, we quickly accepted the teacher's request and promptly dispatched personnel to investigate the case."

"And the person in charge of handling this case... is none other than Longzhi!"

"Looking back now, it really does prove the old saying: all great events often begin with small events that can be seen everywhere in daily life."

"At that time, no one expected things to turn out like that..."

"Ever since he took over that murder case, Takashi has started to act a little strange."

“I stay home all day, I’m quiet and reserved, and I’ve had much less contact with people.”

When asked what he was busy with, he wouldn't answer.

"At first, we thought it was because the murder case was too difficult to solve, which is why Longzhi was forced to become so depressed."

"Then... one day, we suddenly learned that Takayuki had been spotted at the casino run by the 'Shimizu Clan'..."

"At first, I didn't know what others thought about this, but I just couldn't believe it at all."

“Longzhi has always been a very law-abiding person and has never had any bad habits.”

“I really find it hard to associate the word ‘gambling’ with Takayuki.”

"Whether it's myself, Zhu Gu, Niu Shan, or some of Long Zhi's other friends, they all rushed to dissuade Long Zhi, hoping that he wouldn't go astray. If his family encounters any difficulties, they can always ask us for help."

"As a result... Longzhi politely declined our offer."

When asked why he gambled, he simply replied: "There's no reason why, I just suddenly discovered the fun in gambling."