I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Miyagawa paused, as if considering the right words.

Then, he sighed, and then slowly said in a tone full of emotion:

"You've changed so much..."

Qingdeng laughed:

"Mr. Miyagawa, you're joking. It's only been two years, what could have changed?"

Miyagawa shook his head.

No, you have changed a lot.

"Although I can't quite put my finger on why things have changed, I can just sense that you're no longer the same naive person you once were."

At this point, Miyagawa seemed to recall something and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"To my shame... it was only about three months ago that I heard in Nara that Edo had produced a 'Niou' with superb swordsmanship and invincible in battle."

"When I learned that Niou's real name was Tachibana Aoto, I could hardly believe my ears."

"Although I knew long ago that you, with your late-blooming personality, would eventually amount to something, I never imagined you would be this successful..."

"At this moment, after witnessing your magnificent appearance firsthand, I am now certain—you truly are a 'dragon that transforms when the wind and clouds blow'..."

"Haha, but that's not surprising at all."

"The birth of heroes depends not only on personal ability, but also on destiny and the times."

"When the time is right, the clouds will rise and the dragon will soar."

"Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty and Taiko of the Warring States period were no exception."

"If it weren't for the favorable circumstances, neither Liu Bang nor Taige Gong would have been able to spend their lives in obscurity in a forgotten corner."

Taiko-kun was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified all of Japan 300 years ago as a commoner, ending the Warring States period, but unfortunately, Tokugawa Ieyasu ultimately reaped the benefits.

Shunzo Miyagawa has a profound knowledge of Chinese classics, so he speaks eloquently and can readily quote all kinds of allusions from ancient and modern times.

Faced with Miyagawa's lavish praise, Qing Deng showed neither elation nor trepidation.

He just smiled faintly:

"I've never changed. If I had to say, I'd say I've become stronger."

Looking at the composed and unyielding Qing Deng, a moment of bewilderment flashed deep in Miyagawa's eyes.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses and murmured:

"If Takashi could see what you look like now, he would be so happy..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Miyagawa immediately realized that it was extremely rude to bring up the other person's deceased father in front of them.

"I'm sorry, Tachibana-kun, I was being presumptuous."

Qingdeng shook his head, indicating that "it's nothing to worry about."

“Mr. Miyagawa, what a coincidence. I have come to visit you tonight to talk about my father.”

"Shall we talk about Longzhi?"

Miyagawa Asahito cast a surprised look at him.

"Mr. Miyagawa, I'll keep it short."

"For reasons I cannot disclose, I am currently investigating my father's past."

"Because of the lack of information, I have come to inquire about you, who have a close relationship with my father."

"I know that my request is rather impolite and unreasonable... but I still hope that you will answer each of my questions truthfully."

Investigate Tachibana Takayuki's past? The more Miyagawa listened, the more confused he became.

However, even though he was completely confused and bewildered, Miyagawa did not raise any questions or objections to Aoto's request.

He raised his gaze and looked at Qing Deng, who was staring straight at him.

"...I understand. Ask away! I will do my best to answer any question I can!"

"I am extremely grateful."

Qing Deng bowed deeply to Miyagawa in thanks, then, without further delay, asked directly:

"Mr. Miyagawa, to your knowledge, did my father exhibit any strange behavior before his death? For example, frequently visiting a certain place, or often muttering incomprehensible words?"

“Strange behavior…”

Miyagawa lowered his head, his lips pressed tightly together, as if deep in thought.

After a moment, he gently shook his head.

"It seems not... at least in my opinion, up until Longzhi passed away, his behavior was no different from before."

At this point, Miyagawa adopted a sighing tone:

"If I had to put it into words... it would be that Takashi suddenly became addicted to gambling..."

The campaign got off to a bad start... We ran into a wall right from the first problem.

Qing Deng immediately raised the second question:

"Did my father ever say anything strange or incomprehensible to you?"

Miyagawa thought for a moment, then shook his head.

……

The question-and-answer session between the two lasted for about 10 minutes.

Just as Miyagawa said, he answered every question Aoto asked truthfully and to the best of his ability.

However... although the process went smoothly, the results were always lackluster and unsatisfactory.

The answers Qingdeng received were either "I don't know," "I'm not sure," or "No," "It seems not."

Qing Deng had actually been mentally prepared for such an embarrassing outcome.

To be honest, his "night visit to Miyagawa" was based on the mentality of "since I'm free anyway, I might as well try my luck with Mr. Miyagawa".

Therefore, despite his efforts being fruitless, he remained calm and composed, neither anxious nor annoyed.

"Mr. Miyagawa, in the months before my father passed away, did he come into contact with any strange people?"

"Well……"

Miyagawa stroked his chin as he pondered.

A moment later, he sighed, expressing his regret.

Just as he was about to shake his head again... he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

"No...no! I remember now!"

"There is one person!"

"By sheer chance, I saw Takashi talking animatedly with someone he shouldn't have any dealings with!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng's expression immediately turned serious.

"Please explain in detail," Qing Deng urged with his eyes.

“I remember… it was about three months before Takayuki passed away. At that time, I went to Takayuki’s house for some personal business and saw him standing outside his gate, having a lively conversation with a famous Edo figure!”

"A famous figure from Edo?"

Qing Deng couldn't help but blurt out a sound.

As if deliberately whetting Qing Deng's appetite, Miyagawa paused and cleared his throat.

Several seconds passed before he spoke, slowly and deliberately:

"The 'Mad Dog' of the Sunlight Shop, Goro Ugaki!"

"'Rabies'?"

Qing Deng's expression was instantly dominated by intense astonishment.

What a twist of fate...

He had recently gotten into a fight with the rabid dog's family...

Why would my father associate with 'rabid dog'?

Qing Deng pressed for an answer.

"About that... I don't know."

Miyagawa sighed.

“I also asked Longzhi how he came to know ‘rabies’.”

"One is a friend from Hokuban-sho-cho, and the other is a former Yakuza who specializes in loans—these two don't seem like the kind of people who could become friends."

"As a result... Longzhi kept giving evasive answers."

"This is Longzhi's private matter after all, and it's not convenient for me to ask too much. Besides, 'Mad Dog' isn't an absolutely bad person that you can't get along with, so I put the matter out of my mind afterward."

Qingdeng listened quietly until the end.

As soon as Miyagawa finished speaking, he murmured slowly, as if savoring each word:

"'Rabies'..."

An unusual glint appeared in Qing Deng's eyes.

……

Afterwards, Aoto asked Miyagawa some more questions.

Unfortunately, the answers Qingdeng received were all "I don't know," "I'm not sure," "No," and "It seems like there isn't."

However, although he was not fortunate enough to obtain any more valuable information, Qing Deng was already satisfied—being able to learn that Tachibana Takayuki had interacted with "Mad Dog" Ugaki Goro before his death made tonight's trip worthwhile!

Aoto grabbed the Echizen shogun Kanetori, who was resting on his right side, and stood up with a "whoosh".

Upon seeing this, Miyagawa immediately asked:

"Tachibana-kun, are you leaving?"