I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The owner of the voice was none other than Kikuchi Chisui, who had hurriedly slipped back into the house after the one-eyed dragon and his group were driven away by Qingdeng.

He sat cross-legged, leaning against the wall, holding a bottle of wine in his hand.

Judging from the bottle, the sake Kikuchi Sensui drank was the cheapest, lowest-quality sake on the Edo market, which had no advantages other than being plentiful and filling.

"Sorry... I was in a rush to get back and have some drinks... so I forgot to thank you... Thank you so much... Thanks to you all, I don't have to go mining for now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kikuchi Chisui picked up the sake bottle in his hand and took a big gulp.

Unsure how to start a conversation, Qingdeng silently turned his gaze elsewhere, looking around.

In the corner of the room lay a dirty quilt, covered in grime.

Even in such dim lighting, the blankets still looked shiny and glossy.

Qingdeng felt that scraping off the grease stains from the quilt would be enough to cook a dish.

Centered on the spot where Kikuchi Chisui was sitting cross-legged, the floor around her was piled with empty sake bottles.

The empty bottles were scattered haphazardly on the floor, piled up here and there, almost reaching Qingdeng and the others' ankles.

As far as the eye can see, there is practically no decent furniture; all that meets the eye is garbage.

However, upon closer inspection, Qingdeng was surprised to find that next to the extremely dirty bedding was a bookcase of moderate size.

The bookshelf is meticulously and neatly arranged with books such as the Four Books and Five Classics, Records of the Grand Historian, Zizhi Tongjian, Poetry Collection, and Elementary Learning Compendium.

[Both "Poetic Essence" and "Easy Guide to Elementary Learning" are introductory textbooks for Japanese classical Chinese poetry.]

In this filthy, chaotic, and demonically repulsive house, only this bookcase remains neat and clean.

Kikuchi Chisui was once a private tutor—Aoto suddenly recalled this information that Arima had revealed last night.

"Alright, go ahead and speak..."

Kikuchi Chisui's voice pulled Aoto's consciousness back to reality.

"Why are you willing to fight with the 'rabid family'?"

As Kikuchi Chisui spoke, she let out a loud burp.

He looked up at Qingdeng with a gaze that seemed to be fixed on a certain point, yet also as if he wasn't looking at anything at all.

In short, Kikuchi Chisui's eyes were lifeless, like those of a dead person.

Since the other party had gotten straight to the point, Qingdeng was happy to save time and get straight to the point.

"Mr. Kikuchi."

Aoto knelt down in front of Kikuchi Chisui in a relatively clean area that was not yet covered by garbage.

"We have come here today with great inconvenience, but the purpose is simply to ask you to verify some things—do you still remember Tachibana Takayuki, the man from Hokuban-sho-cho?"

Upon hearing the name Takayuki Tachibana, Kikuchi Chisui's eyes widened in an instant.

As his eyelids lifted, a sliver of light and life returned to his empty eyes—but it was only fleeting.

The light in his eyes came suddenly and went quickly.

A moment later, his eyelids drooped again, his gaze became deep, and he reverted to his "living dead" appearance.

"...Why are you asking this?"

Qing Deng wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Kikuchi Chisui's voice had become a little hoarse.

"I do not know anything."

Kikuchi Chisui took a sip of sake.

"Please leave!"

Seito ignored Kikuchi Chisui's sudden order to leave.

"Mr. Kikuchi, as far as I know, three years ago you reported a murder case to the magistrate's office, and the person in charge of investigating the case was none other than Tachibana Takayuki..."

"Didn't I already say I don't know anything?!"

roar.

A hysterical roar.

Kikuchi Chisui's roar interrupted Aoto's words.

At the same time, he threw the bottle in his hand at Qingdeng.

The wine that slid out of the bottle splashed everywhere.

Just as the bottle was about to hit his head, Qingdeng managed to turn his head and dodge the flying bottle.

Clang!

The bottle smashed against the wall behind Qingdeng.

The crisp cracking sound instantly heightened the tension in the surrounding atmosphere.

The two sisters, standing to the left and right of Qing Deng, moved as if they had rehearsed beforehand, simultaneously stepping forward and forming a human wall in front of Qing Deng to separate him from Kikuchi Chisui.

"Hey! You bastard! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?!"

Yae took the initiative and launched the first attack.

"Mr. Kikuchi, please calm down."

The heavy yarn followed closely behind.

"Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Cough cough cough! Cough cough! Ho...! Ho...!"

Kikuchi Chisui tried to get up, but as soon as he raised his neck, he bent over in pain, clutching his chest, panting, and coughing up unpleasant phlegm.

"I already said... I know nothing... As you can see, I'm just a drunkard...!"

"Get out of here! I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

"If you don't like me, just kill me with one blow!"

"Anyway... I have nothing left but this wretched life...!"

After shouting, Kikuchi Chisui leaned back and lay back in her original position.

Leaving aside Sae, Yae is a girl with a fiery temper.

Kikuchi Chisui's appalling attitude directly ignited Yae's anger.

"Hey you……"

However, before Yae could even open her lips, Qing Deng preemptively interrupted her:

"Eight Layers, please be patient."

Qing Deng waved his hand, signaling Sae and Yae to step back.

After hesitating for a moment, the two sisters retreated to the left and right sides of Qingdeng respectively.

"Mr. Kikuchi, although I am not clear about your past, and I do not know what happened between you and Tachibana Takayuki, I am eager to know everything about Tachibana Takayuki. Therefore, I hope you can lend me a hand."

After her outburst, Kikuchi Chisui was now like a deflated balloon, her emotions returning to calm.

"Tachibana Takayuki... Tachibana Takayuki... He keeps saying 'Tachibana Takayuki'... Ha!"

Kikuchi Chisui chuckled, then raised her eyes and scrutinized Aoto from head to toe.

"Who exactly are you? Why do you want to know about this man?"

"...I am an old friend of Tachibana Takayuki."

"Ah!"

Another sneer rang out.

“My old friend… your answer only makes me think you are very suspicious.”

At this moment, both Sae and Yae's gazes fell on Aoto.

Even without looking, Qingdeng knew what the two sisters meant by their current gaze.

Qingdeng's brows furrowed slightly, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

"……I see."

After a moment, as if he had made up his mind, Qingdeng nodded vigorously.

“I am not lying. I am indeed an old friend of Tachibana Takayuki—and a particularly close one at that.”

Having said that, Qingdeng raised his hand and slowly removed the low-brimmed bamboo hat from his head...

At first, Kikuchi Chisui simply glanced at it casually.

And very quickly, his indifferent expression vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Instead, there was an unparalleled sense of shock.

His pupils clearly reflected Qing Deng's face.

"Mr. Tachibana...Mr. Tachibana...?!"

Kikuchi Chisui stared blankly at Aoto's face, muttering to herself and repeatedly whispering Tachibana Takayuki's name.

What kind of murmur is that?

It seems to be reminiscing...

It seems to be a sense of sadness...

It seems to be in sorrow...

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he didn't say anything, quietly waiting for Kikuchi Chisui's emotional turmoil to subside.

Before long, Kikuchi Chisui suddenly smiled.

A serene smile.

"I see... You are... Mr. Tachibana's only son... Tachibana Aoto..."

"You and your father... look so alike..."

Upon hearing this, Qingdeng unconsciously raised his hand and touched his face.

Their old servant Kyubei, as well as Arima, Inoya, Ushiyama, and others, all mentioned that Aoto and Tachibana Takayuki looked very similar.