I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Although the weather was exceptionally good today, Qingdeng and his group simply didn't have the time or the inclination to go on a picnic.

Last night, Qing Deng learned from Miyagawa Shunzo that Tachibana Takayuki had once crossed paths with "Mad Dog" Ugaki Goro.

With that in mind, the next step is clear—head to the rabid family's lair: the Sunroom, and confront "rabid" Ugaki Goro!

Nikko-ya is located on Nakabashi Hirokoji Street.

Zhongqiao Guangxiao Road – a well-known bustling downtown area where crowds gather.

The so-called "Guangxiaolu" refers to a main road used for fire prevention.

Because of their large area and ability to accommodate a large flow of people, most of the narrow streets have been transformed into bustling commercial and entertainment streets.

The most famous of the Hirokoji streets is Ryogoku Hirokoji, which is known as "Edo's No. 1 entertainment street".

Although it was still early, Zhongqiao Guangxiao Road was already quite noisy.

Shops line both sides of the street.

Scattered like stars in the sky, standing side by side like fish in a row.

The sheer variety is dazzling and overwhelming.

Men and women, coming and going in a bustling crowd.

The carriages depart and return, like dragons swimming in flowing water.

Qingdeng had no time to appreciate the bustling street scene; he kept his head down and hurried on his way.

But at that moment, a commotion coming from directly in front of him caught his attention—

"Ugh, how come there are so many Yakuza from the Shimizu clan?"

"Who knows..."

"They seem to be looking for someone."

"It's just looking for someone, is it really necessary to make such a fuss..."

"God knows, let's go, let's not go near them."

A considerable number of passersby hurried past Qingdeng and his group, walking briskly in the opposite direction.

Upon hearing the name "Shimizu clan" at this critical juncture, Qing Deng couldn't help but narrow his eyes and become solemn.

After walking for a while, Qingdeng fixed his gaze on what lay ahead—

"Hey you!"

"Eh! Sir! May I ask what brings you here?"

"Don't be nervous, I just want to ask you about someone—have you seen this person in the portrait?"

"N-nothing..."

Have you seen this person in the portrait?

"No..."

"Tsk! Damn it! Look again! You really haven't seen this before?!"

"My lord! I swear to Buddha! I have truly never seen one!"

……

Suddenly, a large number of young people with fierce appearances and wolf-like temperaments appeared on the street ahead.

Because of the severe cold, everyone among them was dressed very warmly.

Even so, colorful tattoos can still be seen on their exposed skin, such as their necks, the backs of their hands, and their ankles.

Roughly speaking, there were about 20 people.

Despite their large numbers, they did not appear to be there to fight or cause trouble.

They each held a portrait in their hands and went along the street asking every passerby.

The questions asked were all the same—had you ever seen the person in the portrait?

Although the Yakuza, who were no longer under effective control, became increasingly arrogant as the Edo Shogunate's grassroots governance crumbled, they were not yet so domineering as to dare to commit violence against innocent civilians in broad daylight and in public.

Therefore, although the Yakuza of the Shimizu clan spoke in a rather impolite tone, it was not too rude.

"Hey! You three! The three wearing straw hats!"

Qingdeng looked in the direction of the shouts.

Are you talking about us?

Yes! I'm talking about you guys!

A burly man with thick hair, whose physique and amount of body hair resembled that of an ape, swaggered straight toward Qing Deng and his group.

Both Sanako and Souji are the kind of people who can make pedestrians on the street turn their heads.

After all, the former was "the most beautiful woman in Edo," while the latter was a handsome young man who, judging from his appearance, could make young girls in love and people from all walks of life infatuated with him.

If the two of them followed Qingdeng around in a carefree manner without any concealment, it would be too conspicuous.

So they all learned from Qingdeng and wore low-brimmed straw hats that could completely cover their faces.

"Is something the matter?"

Qingdeng pressed down the straw hat on his head.

"Nothing much! I just wanted to ask you guys about someone!"

As the gorilla spoke, it handed the portrait in its hand to Qingdeng and the others.

Have you seen this person in the portrait?

Qing Deng lowered his gaze and glanced at the portrait in the gorilla's hand—instantly, his brow twitched.

The two women then leaned their heads closer.

A look of surprise appeared on Sanako's face.

The commander-in-chief even spoke directly:

"This person's chin... is so big..."

It's no wonder that Qing Deng and the others reacted this way.

The person in the painting... to put it more politely, is someone who looks very much like a Picasso painting.

To put it simply and directly... is this really a chin that a human can grow?

The person in the painting appears to be around 3 or 40 years old, and everything above the mouth is normal.

Ordinary eyes, an ordinary nose, ordinary ears...

But the part below the mouth... is quite horrifying.

To be precise, it was his chin that was quite terrifying.

His chin is extremely large.

His chin was so wide and fat that it looked as if he had been stung by hundreds of bees.

According to Qing Deng's personal estimate, he felt that the chin of the person in the painting was almost twice the size of the upper half of his face.

Such a stark difference in proportions makes this person's face resemble a gourd, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

Just as Qing Deng and the others were still deeply shocked by such a peculiar appearance, the gorilla spoke again and asked:

"Well? Have you seen this person before?"

Perhaps because Qing Deng and the others had been silent for so long, the gorilla's tone this time showed obvious impatience.

Qingdeng gently shook his head.

"I have not seen it."

Sanako and Souji also shook their heads.

"What?! If you haven't seen it before, just answer directly! Don't waste everyone's time!"

The gorilla left, grumbling and cursing.

Qingdeng ignored the gorilla's rudeness.

He had no interest in knowing who the person in the painting was, nor in why the Yakuza of the Shimizu clan were searching for this "chin-wearer."

After glancing at the departing gorilla, Qing Deng led Sanako and Souji straight toward the location of the Nikko-ya.

……

……

"arrive……"

Qingdeng raised his head and looked up at the plaque above him that was inscribed with the three large characters "Sunlight House".

The imposing three-story building had a large "money" character painted on its black door curtain.

At first glance, it looks like any other private money exchange you'd find anywhere.

However, if you listen carefully for a moment, you can hear thuggish shouts coming from inside the house:

“Old woman! I’ve already told you! We’re fucking businessmen! We only lend money to people who can repay it! You’re so old, you might kick the bucket tomorrow! How can we trust you to lend us money?”

"If you really want money, then use your house deed as collateral! What? If you can't pay the loan, the house deed will be gone, and your whole family will have to sleep on the streets? Isn't that just common sense?! If you don't even have the guts to risk your family's ruin and becoming homeless, what the hell are you doing taking out loans and running a business?!"

"We're a fucking private money exchange, not a fucking brothel! We don't buy women! Even if you dump your daughter, wife, and mother on us, we won't give you a single penny!"

……

As Qingdeng listened to the various shouts, he lifted the curtain and stepped into the room.

The scene inside was much more lively than Qingdeng had imagined.

The first floor of the Sunlight House is an office.

The main entrance is on the south side, the staircase leading to the second floor is on the east side, the west side is an empty wall, and four counters are neatly arranged on the north side. The interior layout is very similar to the bank lobby in Qingdeng's previous life.

However, behind the counter, instead of a young woman in black stockings and high heels, a pretty scarf around her neck, and an exquisite uniform, sat a grumpy old man whose mouth was filled with an astonishing amount of vulgar language.

People who come to repay debts or borrow money come from all walks of life.