I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Do you know who we are?

"We're 'rabies' people!"

"Judging from your accent, you must be a native of Edo."

"Since you're a local, you must know what the name 'rabies' means, right?"

"So I advise you to mind your own business! If you don't want to get hurt or offend the 'rabid family,' then get out of here!"

When they shouted out the name "Rabid Dog," both One-Eyed Dragon and his other companions puffed out their chests and wore expressions of pride.

"Rabies?"

A look of surprise flashed in Qing Deng's eyes.

As a constable who had always worked in the Edo police department, Aoto naturally knew who "Rabid Dog" was.

Rabies – Real name Ugaki Goro, a loan shark famous throughout Edo.

If we were to pinpoint the most typical and well-known regional characteristics of Edo people, it would undoubtedly be their concern for face, their love of pleasure, and their pursuit of "living for the moment."

To outsiders, Edo people have always been synonymous with words like extravagant, mercenary, and unreliable.

The flourishing of urban culture and entertainment in Edo, such as kabuki, storytelling, and puppet shows, was inextricably linked to the playful and extravagant nature of the Edo people.

Over time, a saying arose in the streets: "People in Edo don't spend money that's been sitting overnight."

This means that people in Edo never kept their money in their pockets for more than one night. The money they earned that day would be spent in the same day. People in Edo generally had no savings and were all "moonlight clan" or even "sunlight clan".

Because the people of Edo loved to spend money so much that they had no limits, and a considerable number of them even borrowed money to enjoy themselves, private lending was very popular in Edo.

Throughout history, those who are capable of private lending are the most ruthless of all.

Generally speaking, only two types of people are capable of engaging in private lending.

They either have powerful backers, extensive connections, and influence that extends far and wide.

Either they possess extraordinary skills, capable of supporting the seas and holding up the sky.

"Rabid Dog" Ugaki Goro is a combination of both.

Ugaki Goro, who comes from the Yakuza, had a very low starting point.

Even when he was just an unknown underling, he was responsible for collecting the debts that the organization had lent out.

Those in the know understand that debt collection is never a simple or easy task, and it also carries a certain degree of danger.

Because you never know what kind of valuable people you'll be dealing with next.

Those who make excuses and refuse to pay back their money are considered the best.

What I fear most are those "speed demons" who can run away overnight when no one is looking, and those thugs who are impatient and don't care about their lives when they get angry.

Ugaki Goro has been doing this boring, tedious, and frustrating debt collection job for 5 years.

During this period, he accumulated a large network of contacts and debt collection experience.

After leaving the organization to work independently, he started his own business, opening a money exchange specializing in loan services: Sunlight House.

With his superb skills honed through years of street fighting and his tough, daring fighting style, Ugaki Goro quickly amassed a huge fortune and ran his money exchange business successfully.

Two years ago, a certain Yakuza group, lacking any sense of propriety, not only refused to pay back the money owed to Nikko, but also arrogantly declared, "If you have the guts, come and ask us for your money!"

Goro Ugaki doesn't push too much either.

At that time, he didn't have many capable and aggressive underlings.

So he decided to go alone! He stormed the Yakuza headquarters by himself, single-handedly routing their forces.

After losing nearly half of his men, the arrogant Yakuza leader finally admitted defeat and paid off all his debts, while also paying a large sum for medical expenses, knife repair fees, and other losses.

Legend has it that Goro Ugaki's tireless sword-wielding during his battle with the Yakuza resembled that of a maddened wild dog.

After this battle, Goro Ugaki became famous and earned the nickname "Mad Dog".

People commonly refer to Goro Ugaki and his men as the "Mad Dog Family".

Today, "Rabies Family" has grown into the most well-known private lending institution in Edo.

Although the name "rabid dog" sounds terrifying at first and easily evokes words like violence and bloodshed, the "rabid dog family" actually has a pretty good reputation among ordinary people.

While the loan interest rate of "Rabies Family" is not low, it is by no means high either, and it has nothing to do with usury.

Regardless of whether a loan is issued or not, "Rabies Home" will strictly abide by the rules. Unless the debtor fails to repay on time, they will never harass the other party or engage in any form of forced buying or selling.

In short, as long as you repay on time, "Rabies Home" will be your most loyal business partner.

Paying back the money on time ensures everything is fine. But if repayment is slow or the debt is reneged on... then the "rabid family" will reveal its sinister side as a "Yakuza-style gray money exchange"...

However, as the old saying goes, "comparing goods will make you throw them away, comparing people will make you die," compared to other competitors, "Rabies Family" is simply too conscientious.

Especially "Mad Dog" Ugaki Goro himself—he was a breath of fresh air in Edo's underworld!

He never bullies the weak or oppresses the powerful.

Even now that he's successful and a wealthy loan shark, he never bullies the weak—he only likes to cause trouble for the strong.

Ugaki Goro is a complete battle maniac; he is extremely passionate about fighting, especially against martial arts masters. Apart from that, he has no major flaws.

It is said that he was a very generous man and had done the heroic deed of burning all the debtors' accumulated IOUs to ashes in front of them on several occasions out of admiration for their character.

Everyone says that, looking across the underworld of Edo, "Mad Dog" Ugaki Goro is the man who comes closest to the name of "Yūkichi" (a chivalrous knight-errant)!

Although Qingdeng had long heard of the "rabid dog family," he had never had the chance to meet them.

We never met earlier or later, but we just happened to meet for the first time today... It's truly a wonderful coincidence.

Qingdeng wasn't the kind of person who liked to stir up trouble, and if conditions allowed, he naturally didn't want to antagonize the "Mad Dog Family".

However, while everything else was negotiable, there was one thing that Aoto absolutely could not stand by and watch: Kikuchi Chisui, who had once had close ties with Tachibana Takayuki, be taken away.

Even if you are rabid people, I will not back down.

Qing Deng's response was calm yet powerful.

"Whoa!"

The one-eyed man gave a flamboyant, cold laugh, as if he had heard a ridiculous joke.

"Fine! You've got guts! Since you insist on getting involved, don't blame us for making you 'behave' a little!"

One-Eyed Dragon raised his head and shouted to his henchmen beside him:

"Go! Teach this kid a lesson!"

While shouting, he swung his arm down.

The younger brothers scattered to the left and right, surrounding Qingdeng and the Erchong sisters.

Looking at the "encirclement" in front of him, a strange expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry appeared on Qingdeng's cheeks.

How should I put it... The crude manners and behavior of One-Eyed Dragon and his group perfectly matched Qing Deng's stereotype of their kind of organization.

Although the "rabid family" generally enjoys a good reputation among the public, they are ultimately part of the Yakuza group and cannot be simply categorized as good people.

Just as One-Eyed Dragon and his gang swarmed forward, ready to teach Qing Deng a lesson—

Bang!

One of the henchmen was sent flying and crashed hard into a large tree not far away.

"what?!"

One-Eyed Dragon and his henchmen immediately froze.

In a flash, Qing Deng drew his sword, still sheathed, from his waist and aimed at his underling approaching from directly in front of him. He swung the sword horizontally—and this seemingly ordinary strike sent the man flying.

If Qing Deng hadn't drawn his sword from its sheath, but instead attacked the enemy with the unsheathed steel blade... then what would have flown out wouldn't have been a whole person, but rather fragments of human limbs.

Just as One-Eyed Dragon and the others were stunned by Qing Deng's lightning-fast attack, Qing Deng launched a rapid and dazzling offensive like a whirlwind.

"Damn it! Where did he go... Pfft!"

Qing Deng leaped into the air with astonishing leg strength, his jump so fast that even One-Eyed Dragon and the others couldn't keep up with him with their eyes.

As he leaped behind the "encirclement," Qing Deng used the acceleration due to gravity as he fell to cut down one of his underlings.

The henchman who took the hit immediately screamed and fainted.

"Oh shit!"

"Surround him! Surround him! Don't let him get away!"

hurried footsteps approached Qingdeng from all directions.

However, these footsteps couldn't even get within two steps of Qingdeng, let alone get close to him.

For Qing Deng, whose number of victims had already reached hundreds, the aura and strength of One-Eyed Dragon and his companions were utterly insignificant.

Qingdeng moved nimbly through the gaps in the "encirclement" with agile footwork.

One-Eyed Dragon and his gang attacked with all their might, but they couldn't even touch a corner of Qing Deng's clothes.

Whether it's the speed of drawing a sword, the speed of moving the body, the reaction speed of seeing through the opponent's attack, or the amount of combat experience, the gap between the two sides is like an insurmountable chasm.

It was clearly just a sword that hadn't been drawn, yet Qing Deng wielded it with the force of a thousand armies—the blade, encased in its sheath, drew a thick arc in the air from left to right. As the afterimage of this arc faded, the "encirclement" gathered around Qing Deng suddenly burst open, sending several of his underlings flying high into the air before crashing to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Qing Deng swung his knife and knocked out one of his underlings who was approaching him from behind.

When this person saw Qing Deng's attack coming towards him, he instinctively raised the wooden stick in his hand to try to block Qing Deng's knife, but he was still knocked to the ground by the stick.

The next moment, Qing Deng took a step forward and slashed down at his henchman on the right.

The feeling of striking human flesh is very satisfying.

Qingdeng, carrying this feeling, turned around and dealt with the enemy on the left without stopping—two simple and neat slashes—the first slash knocked the opponent's weapon away; the second slash gave the opponent a baby-like sleep.

When the other person fell to the ground, their body happened to overlap with the body of the person who had been standing to Qingdeng's right.

Everything happened so fast.

30 seconds? 20 seconds?

It is certain that less than half a minute has passed since the one-eyed man shouted, "Go! Teach this kid a lesson!"

In just a short time, less than half of the dozen or so members of One-Eyed Dragon's group were still able to stand properly.

No one dared to go up anymore.