I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Sanako? Sanako? Are you there? Answer me if you are!"

quiet……

"Strange...Isn't she here? That's impossible, it's this late, where could she have gone?"

Filled with doubts, Chiba Jutaro decided to enter Sanako's bedroom to check on the situation.

Since turning 13, Sanako's sense of privacy has increased dramatically.

No one, including her mother, father Chiba Sadakichi, and elder brother Chiba Jutaro, was allowed to enter her bedroom without her permission.

Therefore, in order to respect Sanako and to be able to argue his case when he was scolded by her later, Chiba Jutaro shouted "Sanako, I'm coming into your room!" before pushing open the door to Sanako's bedroom.

wow...

As the door opened, a pleasant scent immediately wafted into Chiba Jutaro's nostrils—the familiar body odor of Sanako.

Sanako's bedroom looked as if the word "serious" was pasted on it.

Furniture, clothes, cushions, books... everything in the room was arranged neatly and orderly.

The tatami mats and the desk were spotless, so clean that one couldn't help but wonder if anyone was actually staying in the room.

"Sanako? Sanako?"

Chiba Jutaro walked to the center of the bedroom and looked around.

"Huh...she's really not in the room..."

Chiba Jutaro scratched his head, his expression of confusion deepening.

"That's strange... Where did she go?"

Just as Chiba Jutaro was about to turn and leave, he suddenly noticed a letter on Sanako's desk.

On the envelope of the letter was written a string of beautiful small characters—To Father, Mother, and Brother.

The handwriting is neat and strong... it is indeed Sanako's handwriting.

"What is this...?"

Upon seeing this inexplicable letter, Chiba Jutaro was completely bewildered.

He immediately rushed to the table, picked up the envelope, and unfolded it.

The letter didn't contain a long passage; it only contained a simple sentence—

[

Respectfully submitted

Father, Mother, Brother, for some reason, I have to go on a long trip.

Don't worry, I will be back soon.

Sanako Chiba

]

[Note: This is a common opening phrase used by intellectuals in the Edo period when writing letters.]

After Chiba Jutaro quickly finished reading the letter, the bewilderment on his face due to not knowing Sanako's whereabouts eased slightly, replaced by a complex feeling of confusion and fear.

He glanced at the letter again, and his heart skipped a beat.

The second, third, fourth... my heart rate got faster and faster.

At that moment, Chiba Jutaro seemed to remember something, put away the letter in his hand, and then pulled open the cabinet next to him—this was where Sanako kept her weapons.

The closet, which was originally packed full, is now completely empty.

Sanako's wakizashi, naginata, and her favorite acupuncture tools are all gone!

Besides being a family of martial arts masters, the Chiba family is also considered a family of doctors.

Sanako and Chiba Jutaro's grandfather, Chiba Kōemon, was not only a great swordsman proficient in the Hokushin Musou-ryū style, but also a physician skilled in medicine.

Back in the day, Chiba Kōemon's name was known far and wide, and he was called "the unparalleled swordsman and physician".

Seventy-one years ago, in order to salvage the declining morale of the samurai class and encourage the sons of samurai families to study literature and martial arts, Matsudaira Sadanobu, who spearheaded the "Kansei Reforms," ​​launched the "Imperial Examinations" in Edo, which tested both literary talent and martial skills.

Although the "Kansei Reforms" failed and Matsudaira Sadanobu fell from power a few years later, the "Imperial Examination" disappeared, but it became the prototype of the later "Scholarly Appreciation".

[Note: The "Gakumonogatari" was an academic examination held every three years for the sons of hatamoto (banner leaders) and gokenin (retainers of noble families). The examiners were professors from the Shōheizaka Gakumon-sho (Shoheizaka Academy), and the examination covered Confucian classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics or the *Classic of Filial Piety*. In reality, anyone studying Zhu Xi's philosophy could participate. The biggest difference between the Gakumonogatari and the Chinese imperial examination system was that the former's examination results were not directly related to "ranking and appointing officials," and were more akin to a way of rewarding reputation.]

With overwhelming strength, Chiba Kōemon won the first "Imperial Examination" and made a name for himself.

One can only say that the Chiba family's genes are truly abnormal. Three generations of the family, each a master swordsman.

Legend has it that the highly skilled physician Chiba Kōemon once treated the wounds of "Eternal Sword Saint" Ogata Ittōsai—of course, this is merely a "legend," and its credibility is highly questionable.

Ever since Ogata Ittosai became famous, many folk tales, unofficial histories, and myths have emerged to capitalize on his popularity.

Even their own people, such as Sanako and Chiba Jutaro, didn't quite believe that Chiba Kōemon had ever crossed paths with the unparalleled Ogata Ittōsai.

When Chiba Kōemon passed away, he did not "come empty-handed and leave empty-handed, without taking away a single cloud"—he left behind his swordsmanship and medical skills.

His two sons, Chiba Shusaku and Chiba Sadakichi, founded the Hokushin Itto-ryu school based on the Hokushin Musou-ryu school.

However, although both brothers inherited their father's swordsmanship, they failed to inherit his medical talent.

Therefore, neither Chiba Shusaku nor Chiba Sadakichi were able to learn their father's medical skills.

When it comes to the grandchildren's generation...

Chiba Jutaro was an impatient, rude, and careless person, a personality that destined him to be unsuitable for academic pursuits.

As for the descendants of Chiba Shusaku's lineage, namely Chiba Eijiro, Chiba Michisaburo, and Chiba Tamon Shiro, they were also unable to master Chiba Kōemon's medical skills.

In the end, only Sanako inherited her grandfather's medical skills.

Sanako is exceptionally intelligent and has a calm and composed personality, making her perfectly suited to studying medicine, a complex field that requires quiet and meticulous study.

Sanako is indeed very talented in medicine, and she is also very interested in medicine.

One of her great hobbies is buying and reading medical books.

Despite needing to balance her martial arts training, Sanako never neglected her medical studies.

After more than ten years of diligent study, Sanako's medical skills, while not enough to claim that she had reached the level of being able to open a clinic for consultations, were at least quite impressive.

Her acupuncture skills, in particular, are so superb that they have amazed countless doctors.

A friend of the Chiba family once commented: "Miss Chiba's acupuncture skills are in no way inferior to those of master doctors who have practiced medicine for decades!"

[Note: "Gome-ken Hoin": "Gome-ken" refers to the qualification to have an audience with the shogun. "Hoin" was a title bestowed upon monks with several professional skills (including medicine) during the Edo period. Monks who could obtain the title of "Gome-ken Hoin" were invariably experts in their respective fields.]

At the same time, it is precisely because Sanako can be both a warrior and a doctor that whenever Chiba Jutaro urges her to get married quickly, she always confidently retorts, "Even if I can't make a living with a sword, even if I don't have a husband to support me, I can still make a living by practicing medicine!"

Whenever he heard Sanako say that, Chiba Jutaro would impatiently shout, "Who would go to a woman for medical treatment?!"

Then the two siblings started arguing fiercely...

Sanako not only took away weapons such as the naginata and wakizashi, but also her acupuncture tools for healing...

—What are they going to do that would require bringing along all these murderers and healers?

At this thought, an ominous premonition rose uncontrollably in Chiba Jutaro's heart...

He quickly unfolded the letter in his hand again.

"'For some reason, I have to go on a long trip...'"

He pondered the sentence repeatedly.

The letter contained far too little information.

All I knew was that Sanako was going to be away from home for a while; I knew nothing else.

My sister left without saying goodbye... This has never happened before!

As if his body were being controlled, Chiba Jutaro rushed out of Sanako's bedroom.

Although he was running very fast and in a hurry, he had no idea where he should go.

As the ultimate siscon who would rather be stabbed himself than see his sister lose a single hair, Chiba Jutaro simply couldn't calm down.

He was eager to take action, eager to do something... even spinning around in place was better than standing there dumbly, motionless.

He instinctively ran outside.

It wasn't until they were almost at the entrance that Chiba Jutaro finally remembered where to go—the Shieikan!

In order to find Qingdeng, the brother and sister have been in frequent contact with the group from Shiweiguan.

—Yo and the others might know where Sanako went!

With that thought in mind, Chiba Jutaro hastily put on his snow boots in the entryway without the slightest hesitation and rushed out the door.

The journey from the small Chiba Sword Hall to the Shiei Hall, which originally took nearly 20 minutes, was compressed to less than 10 minutes by Chiba Jutaro, who ran all the way.

"Whirring whirring……"

Before he could catch his breath, Chiba Jutaro hurriedly knocked on the door of the Shieikan.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

Before long, steady footsteps came from inside the door.

"You're here! May I ask who you are?"

Creak—the door opened, revealing Kondo Isami's large face behind it.

"Brother Chong?"

"Courage!"

"Huh? W-what's wrong?"

Kondo stared in astonishment at Chiba Jutaro, who was panting heavily and covered in sweat.

"Yo! Have you seen Sanako?"

"Zanako? No, I haven't seen her all day."

"Tsk... Has she never been to the Shieikan before?"

Kondo shook his head.