I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At this moment, Souji, unable to contain his excitement, hopped around twice like a rabbit.

"Tachibana-kun, you..."

Before Souji could even finish speaking, Aoto gestured for her to wait.

“Okita-kun, Sanako-san, I know you must have a lot of questions for me right now.”

"But this is not a good place to talk."

"And I still have important things to do now."

"Go to 2-chome in Okemachi and find an inn called 'Echizenya'. Wait for me there."

"I'll come find you there once I've finished what I'm doing."

"At that time, I will tell you everything I can say truthfully."

Sanako and Souji exchanged a glance—they both saw hesitation in each other's eyes.

But they are not ignorant or unreasonable children.

Then, they all nodded to Qingdeng without taking turns.

*******

*******

I'm so sorry! I failed even more today! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Trying to adjust your lifestyle back to pre-COVID state overnight is definitely not that easy... (Leopard dead.jpg)

Chapter 411 Qingdeng's Harem is on Fire! [4600]

Edo, Tsukimiya Shrine—

"...The above is the complete story of my father's past with Kikuchi Chisui."

Qing Deng, sitting properly before Tian Zhang Yuan, concluded his lengthy report in a calm voice.

"A very fruitful harvest... Sheng Qing, thank you for your hard work."

Tenshōin nodded slightly, then let out a long sigh.

"Sheng Qing, your father did so many things..."

Tenshōin paused, as if considering the right adjective.

After a long pause, she slowly continued speaking:

"...What a great thing!"

As soon as Tianzhangyuan finished speaking, a bitter smile appeared on Qingdeng's face, a mixture of emotions.

“I was shocked too… I always thought my father was just an ordinary ‘third-generation’ samurai, I never imagined that he could withstand divine power with a mortal body…”

Who is Tachibana Takayuki?

A retainer of Hyakugoku-keroku, and a member of the Hokuban-sho-cho town.

He had neither a distinguished family background nor a prestigious status, nor any extraordinary talent.

Aside from the extensive criminal investigation experience he accumulated from serving as the head of the Sadamachi Doshin team for a long time, Takayuki Tachibana is basically an ordinary person.

What is this mysterious drug?

The Fazhu Party and the Qingshui Clan supported it.

Based on all the information currently available, it can be confirmed that the drug has been circulating among the public for at least three years.

However, neither the Magistrate's Office, the Self-governing Office, nor the Fire-Fulfilled Thieves Office, nor the Eight Provinces Control Office had known anything about the Mysterious Medicine before.

Until recently, the new Oniwaban, who specializes in intelligence gathering, learned of the existence of the cursed drug by chance.

Selling prohibited drugs that have not been inspected or permitted by the government—this is not a big deal.

They've been secretly selling banned drugs right under the noses of the government for years without any problems... That's a bit terrifying!

This shows just how terrifying the power of the Shimizu clan and the Fazhu Party, who supported the Strange Medicine, truly was.

However, this is normal.

After all, one is a yakuza group that dominates the Kanto region, and the other is a terrorist organization that constantly carries out terrorist activities throughout Japan.

Leaving aside the latter, the former's infamous reputation was enough to stop all children in and around Kanto from crying.

For ordinary people, let alone fighting against them, just hearing their name makes them tremble with fear.

Despite this immense pressure, Takayuki Tachibana dared to confront and fight against such a powerful enemy alone... until his death!

His courage and boldness truly deserve the highest praise: "He single-handedly resisted divine power with the body of an ordinary man!"

"Sheng Qing, what are your plans for the future?"

Tianzhangyuan asked softly.

"...To be honest—I don't have any thoughts."

Qingdeng shook his head.

Although they obtained a wealth of information from Kikuchi Chisui, they failed to identify any individuals worthy of close attention and thorough investigation.

In short—the trail went cold.

If we had to pinpoint the biggest discovery of the day, it would be the discovery that the Shimizu clan was connected to the mysterious drug.

This provides a completely new direction for the investigation.

However, the Shimizu clan is a large group with henchmen all over the Kanto region.

If you act and investigate haphazardly without any plan, like a headless fly, not only will your efficiency be extremely low, but you'll also easily alert the enemy.

Qingdeng had no clue who to contact or where to gather further intelligence.

Upon hearing this, Tenshōin pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"In that case... Sheng Qing, you should get some rest first."

"rest?"

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow.

“Sheng Qing, ever since you woke up, you’ve been incredibly busy, working from dawn till dusk every day, spinning like a top that never stops.”

"Take advantage of this brief respite and rest for a while."

At this point, Tensho-in paused for a moment.

Then, she adopted a strange expression that was neither a smile nor a laugh, and a mocking tone.

"By the way... take care of your love life as well."

Upon hearing Tenshōin's words, Seidō's expression immediately became extremely embarrassed.

Just as Qing Deng was reporting to Tenshōin the details of his visit to Kikuchi Sensui with the Nie sisters, he also told Tenshōin about his reunion with Sanako and Souji.

Upon hearing this, Tenshōin wore a bewildered expression, repeatedly sighing, "How could such a coincidence happen..."

"Sheng Qing, I must say, you have excellent taste. Now I understand why you like Miss Chiba."

"Your Highness, have you met Miss Sanako?"

Tianzhangyuan nodded.

"Why do you think Ms. Chiba and Mr. Okita would appear at the Moon Shrine?"

"They came to worship."

"I guess they were passing by this area, so they stopped by to worship the gods, make a wish, and pray for blessings."

"I met Ms. Chiba when they were visiting the shrine."

"The title of 'the most beautiful woman in Edo' is truly well-deserved."

"Ms. Chiba is indeed very charming. Not only is she beautiful and has a great figure, but she also has a wonderful temperament. Even Ono no Komachi is no match for her."

Ono no Komachi: A female poet in the early Heian period of Japan, she was named one of the Six Poet Immortals of the early Heian period. Legend has it that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman, so people in later generations often referred to beautiful women as "Komachi". Sanako's other nickname, "Chiba Oni Komachi", comes from this.

After Tenshōin said this with an admiring tone, Aoto's facial features instantly relaxed.

The corners of his mouth also relaxed.

As the corners of his mouth relaxed, a peaceful smile appeared on Qingdeng's cheeks.

Aoto would feel genuinely happy whenever he heard someone praise Sanako, Souji, and Kinoshita Mai.

This is a sentiment quite similar to the hope that one's son will become a dragon and one's daughter a phoenix.

Although Qing Deng's smile was not very obvious, it was still caught by Tenshoin's eyes.

Suddenly, Tianzhangyuan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a faint hint of displeasure flickered deep in her eyes...

"……but."

Suddenly, Tianzhangyuan changed the subject.

"If I weren't the Ōmikado who had to keep a low profile, but instead a respectable woman like Ms. Chiba who could openly show her face in public, then it's still uncertain who would have won the title of 'Edo's Number One Beauty'."

"what?"

Qing Deng let out a surprised "Eh!" and cast a bewildered glance at Tianzhangyuan.

Was it just his imagination?

He had a feeling that... Tenshōin might be sulking right now.

Perhaps it was Qingdeng's gaze that brought her back to her senses.

In short, Tenshōin's expression suddenly froze, and then he thought to himself, "This is bad."

Oh no! How could I have said something like that!

Tenshōin's words just now were completely thoughtless.

In other words, what she just said was a completely unconscious slip of the tongue.

Anyone who heard what she just said would sense that there was something fishy going on—it sounded like she was jealous of Sanako and deliberately trying to compete for her affections.