I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Since joining the new Oniwaban, Aoto has been undergoing extremely rigorous ninja training.

Through long-term special training, he unknowingly developed many habits unique to intelligence agents.

For example, when entering an unfamiliar area, one will subconsciously observe the surrounding environment.

The reason Qingdeng suddenly stopped and squatted down was because he found strange marks on the ground.

A rectangular shape with slightly curved edges... Although it's very subtle, it's undoubtedly the mark of a straw sandal!

And it was a very "fresh" shoe print!

The shoe prints, so fresh they looked like they were made just today, stretched straight to the thatched hut in front of them.

Qingdeng and the others looked up at the same time with perfect understanding, exchanging bewildered glances.

Although there was no verbal exchange, all three of them wore serious expressions.

bass!

Aoto drew the Echizen-sama Tsutachi-no-kami Kaneshige from his waist.

Souji also drew his sword.

Sanako took the naginata off her back, untied the black cloth covering the blade, revealing its gleaming edge.

The three formed a triangular shape, with Qingdeng at the head and the two women at the rear, and slowly approached the thatched hut while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

As the distance closed, Qingdeng gradually saw the details of the thatched hut.

The eaves and walls were all mottled beyond recognition. Thick dust covered the surroundings.

Judging from the situation, this thatched hut has been abandoned for a long time.

There were no windows, so you couldn't see inside the house.

The three of them circled the thatched hut halfway before finding the door.

Sanako quickened her pace and walked to the left side of the door.

Souji stood to the right of the door.

The two women nodded to Qingdeng in acknowledgment.

Qingdeng responded with a look that said, "I understand."

The next moment, Sanako and Souji pushed open the door.

Just as Qingdeng was about to rush into the house, a dark figure darted out through the open door!

"stop!"

Qingdeng roared and pounced on the dark figure.

The shadowy figure's leg speed was undeniably fast.

But compared to Qingdeng, it's still far behind.

The dark figure only ran two steps before Qingdeng caught up with it.

"Don't move!"

Qingdeng pinned the shadowy figure to the ground and restrained its arms.

"Damn it! Let me go! Let me go!"

The dark figure cursed and struggled violently, like a fish caught in a fishing net.

"Tsk... behave yourself!"

Qing Deng snorted coldly, then punched the dark figure in the stomach with a moderate force.

"Puwa!"

The dark figure, struck suddenly, made a suffocating sound like a deflated balloon, and curled up into a ball.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qingdeng grabbed the dark figure by the shoulders and lifted him up from the ground.

"Who are you? Why..."

Qingdeng's words came to an abrupt end.

As the questioning was interrupted, Qing Deng revealed a look of great shock, his eyes widening involuntarily.

All these strange changes... were because Qing Deng saw the other person's face clearly.

"Who are you……?!"

What came into Qingdeng's view was a very strange face.

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

Looking at the top half alone, it's just a generic face with no distinguishing features.

But the second half... is quite terrifying.

Below his lips hung an extremely large chin.

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 this person's chin was almost twice the size of the upper half of his face.

Such a stark difference in proportions makes the whole face resemble a gourd, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

Qing registered this face.

He had seen this face... not long ago, in the portrait.

That memory is still vividly etched onto the inside of Aoto's scalp—when they went to visit Ugaki Goro, they encountered a group of Shimizu clan underlings who were searching for someone on the way.

At that time, they would hold up the portrait and ask everyone they met, "Have you seen this person in the portrait?"

That portrait... it depicts this gourd-shaped face...

*******

*******

For those who don't remember the first appearance of this "melon-faced" character, you can review [the previous text].

Today's chapter has a whopping 6000 words! A chapter with a decent word count that's been a long time coming!

Considering that this chapter is not only long but also has a lot of plot, please be sure to vote for this book with your monthly ticket!

Please vote for me with monthly tickets! Please vote for me with recommendation tickets! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

In the previous chapter, the author mentioned that "as long as the merits are high enough, there is a good chance to rise to the top and become a daimyo with land, and start a farming life" - astute readers must have already realized what that means, right?

The story of Nioh is terrifyingly long...

Chapter 429 Demon Slayer! The Demon-Slaying Blade! [4300]

Because its "melon-shaped face" was so unique and eye-catching, not only did Seigaku notice it, but Sanako and Souji were also deeply impressed by it.

At that time... when he encountered those thugs on the street holding portraits and searching for people, Qing Deng didn't take it to heart at all.

He didn't want to know why the underlings of the Shimizu clan were hunting down the person in the portrait.

He was even less interested in the identity of the person in the painting.

This is probably what they call "fate playing tricks on people".

Qing Deng never expected that this "little episode in life" that he hadn't taken seriously at all would return to him in this way...

Now that things had come to this, he could no longer treat this "squab-faced" man lightly.

In an instant, a flood of questions filled Qingdeng's mind.

Who is this person?

Why was he being hunted by the Shimizu clan?

Why is he here?

In Qingdeng's memory, this was the first time the Qingshui clan had ever gone to such lengths to search for someone along the streets!

What did this guy do to deserve such "grand" treatment from the Shimizu clan?

Eager to find out the answer, Qingdeng grabbed the "melon-faced" man by the collar.

Who are you?

Qingdeng's question incorporated a bit of the "piercing clouds and splitting rocks" talent effect, making his voice loud and intimidating.

However, Qingdeng's "sound wave offensive" failed to intimidate "squab face".

"Squab Face" raised his eyes, looked at Qing Deng in front of him, and then looked at Sanako and Souji beside him.

To conceal their identities and facilitate their movements, Qing Deng and the others wore low-brimmed straw hats that covered their entire faces.

The man with the gourd-shaped face looked around and saw one straw hat after another...

However, although he could not see the faces of Qing Deng and the others, he could tell from their physiques and clothing that the group that had captured him consisted of two men and one woman.

He had no idea about the background of those two men (Aoto and Souji).

However, he could sense an aura of elegance and nobility emanating from the woman (Sanako) who was wearing a white top and blue bottom kendo uniform.

The straw hat could conceal her stunningly beautiful face, but it couldn't hide the elegant aura of a Yamato Nadeshiko.

Then, the man with the gourd-shaped face swallowed hard, and then asked in a forcedly calm tone:

"Aren't you... people of the Shimizu clan?"

"The Shimizu Clan?"

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow.

After thinking for a while, he answered the question with a question in return.

Do you think we're like the Yakuza?

"..."

The man with the gourd-shaped face pondered for a moment, then the look of panic on his cheeks faded away at a visible speed.

"Who exactly are you? Answer me now!"