I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingdeng repeated the question in an even louder, more impatient tone.

Kikyo Mountain is a desolate mountain far removed from human civilization.

This guy not only frequents this desolate, barren land, but also, to make matters worse, hides in a thatched hut that is suspected to be Takayuki Tachibana's "secret base"...

Is it a coincidence?

Or is there... something else going on?

Thinking of this, Qingdeng subconsciously increased the force in his hands, pulling the collar of "squab face" into a wrinkled ball.

As we all know, both men's and women's kimonos have lapels that are easy to open.

During his close, even near-close, interactions with the chief, Aoto repeatedly marveled at the convenience of wearing a kimono.

Simply by gently separating the two lapels, you can easily remove your upper garment, which is very convenient.

At this moment, under Qingdeng's strong pull, "Squab Face's" clothes slid open to the left and right, revealing his solid chest.

"Ok?"

In an instant, Qing Deng showed a look of astonishment.

On the chest of the "melon-faced" man, there was a strange-looking "big cat" with brown fur.

After examining it carefully, Qingdeng could barely make out that the "big cat" was actually a tiger.

There are no wild tigers in the Japanese archipelago.

In other words, painters and tattoo artists in the Edo period drew tigers based on the descriptions of their predecessors, adding their own imagination and understanding.

Therefore, the tigers appearing in Ukiyo-e prints, tile prints, and other artworks from the Edo period are often the product of secondary, tertiary, or even quaternary creations, and their appearances are generally quite bizarre.

Either draw it as a monster, or draw it as an enlarged version of a big orange cat.

Qingdeng was stunned for a moment, then without saying a word, he pulled the "melon-faced" collar open even wider.

Tigers, cranes, demons... all sorts of patterns came into Qingdeng's view.

The man's entire upper body was covered in tattoos, with almost no clean skin.

With tattoos all over his body, "Gourd Face" is practically a given.

"Are you a Yakuza?"

"..."

Faced with Qing Deng's questioning, "Squash Face" remained silent.

He glanced at Qingdeng with a calm gaze, then turned his head away, adopting a tough, "whatever you want" attitude.

Seeing this, Qing Deng sneered.

"Heh, you're quite stubborn."

Qingdeng is least afraid of stubborn people.

As the former head of the Hokuban-sho-cho-kai-shin and the current captain of the Fire Thieves Reformed Third Division, Aoto is well-versed in countless interrogation methods that can torture people to the point of wishing for death.

If time permits and circumstances allow, Qing Deng would naturally not mind dealing with "Squash Face" slowly and see if the other party is more stubborn or if his interrogation methods are more ruthless.

However, Qing Deng is not someone who cannot distinguish between the importance and urgency of things.

At this moment, more important than his "sour face" is searching for the thatched hut he has been searching for so long; that is the most urgent and pressing matter for Qingdeng.

Then, Qing Deng raised his head and looked at the commander:

"Okita-kun, could you help me find a sturdy vine?"

The commander nodded slightly.

This place is a lush and dense forest, so there is no shortage of vines all around.

Soon, the commander returned to Qing Deng's side with a thick, long vine as tough as a hemp rope.

"Behave yourself!"

Qingdeng took the vine with one hand and twisted "Gourd Face's" arms behind his back with the other, quickly tying him up.

The method of binding Qingdeng is based on the "rope-catching technique" passed down through generations.

The reason why the "rope-catching technique" of the magistrate's office has been passed down from generation to generation is very simple—it has stood the test of time.

Unless one possesses superhuman strength like Xiang Yu, or has the extraordinary ability to dislocate their limbs at will, once bound by the "rope-catching technique" of the magistrate, there is absolutely no possibility of escape.

"This is... the Magistrate's Office's 'rope-catching technique'...?"

"Gourd Face" widened his eyes, turned his head, and glared at Qingdeng.

"Hey, are you someone from the government?"

"No comment."

Qing Deng responded with a cold reply.

The "melon-faced" man, knowing he was powerless to break free, clicked his tongue, lowered his head, and looked unpleasant.

"Let's go."

With Sanako and Souji by his sides, Aoto led "Gua-lian" as he strode toward the thatched hut.

The group stood by the door, cautiously peering inside. Only after confirming that no one was inside did they step into the house.

As soon as Qingdeng stepped one foot across the threshold, a foul, damp, and musty smell hit him in the face.

The pungent stench made Qing Deng unconsciously raise his hand to cover his mouth and nose and hold his breath.

This is a narrow space filled with decay and ruins.

Dust particles shimmered and danced in the room under the light.

The floor, which had not been cleaned for a long time, was covered with grime, as if it were covered with a dark brown carpet.

There were no rooms. No bedrooms, no kitchen, nothing at all.

The scene that Qingdeng and the others saw upon entering the house was the entirety of the thatched hut.

As Qingdeng paced around, he looked around—he couldn't see any cooking utensils like stoves or pots, nor any farming tools like axes or hoes.

The only furniture available was a wooden cabinet, a lampstand, and a small stool...

In short, this thatched hut is not suitable for human habitation.

Qingdeng walked to a wooden cabinet not far away, opened it, and found that it contained only a few odds and ends: a pack of tobacco pouches, a pipe, an ashtray, and three intact candles.

He opened his tobacco pouch, and there was only a small tuft of long-haired tobacco leaves left inside.

Have you found anything over there?

Aoto turned his head and asked Sanako and Souji, who were searching other directions.

Souji: "No."

Sanako: "I don't have any either."

Upon hearing the two women's reply, Qing Deng frowned.

The thatched hut was even more spacious and desolate than he had imagined...

Everywhere you look, there's just piles of useless trash.

There was nothing of value to be found, and it was impossible to verify whether this thatched hut was actually Takayuki Tachibana's "secret stronghold".

Just then, the "melon-faced" man, who had been sitting obediently cross-legged in the corner of the room, suddenly spoke up and asked:

"...Who are you people? Why are you searching this house?"

Qingdeng glanced at the "melon-faced" man, then said in a mocking tone:

“We don’t even know your name, yet you’re already asking about our identities.”

"..."

The man with the gourd-shaped face fell silent, lost in thought.

Just as he opened his mouth, seemingly about to say something, Souji's shout broke the silence between him and Aoto.

"Hey, look at this! I found a knife in that cabinet over there!"

Souji, holding a plain-looking wakizashi, rushed to Aoto in a few quick steps.

Wakizashi... I've finally found something worth paying more attention to.

Aoto and Sanako moved closer to Souji.

All three were focused on the wakizashi in Souji's hand, so none of them noticed that when Souji called Aoto "Tachibana-kun," the "melon-faced" boy's eyes widened instantly, his pupils contracted, and he muttered, "Tachibana...?"

Aoto took the wakizashi from the souji, first examining the scabbard and hilt, then drew the sword from its sheath.

As Qingdeng had expected, the blade was covered with brown rust spots.

Swords are delicate weapons that will rust if they are not regularly maintained.

Maintaining a samurai sword is not complicated; you only need to prepare three things: sword powder, sword oil, and a whetstone.

Whetstones are used to sharpen the blade.

Knife oil is used to prevent rust.

Knife powder is used to wipe away knife oil.

Rust prevention is of paramount importance in the maintenance of knives and swords.

Therefore, every samurai from a reasonably well-off family had a sword that was always greasy. If you touched it, your hand would be covered in the grease.

Metal objects are prone to rusting when exposed to water, so swords and knives should never come into contact with water.

To protect their swords, many samurai would put on scabbards or sheaths when they went out to prevent moisture from seeping into the blade and hilt.

When maintaining or appreciating swords, one should either keep their mouth tightly closed or bite down on a piece of cloth or paper to prevent their saliva from splattering onto the sword.

Thinking back to early March last year, outside Sakurada Gate, heavy snow was falling. Ii Naosuke's guards were methodically putting snowproof sheaths on their swords at their waists. As a result, when the assassins attacked, they were unable to draw their swords to fight back immediately, lost their chance to fight, and were defeated by the assassins. Many guards were so desperate that they drew their swords with their sheaths still on and used them as clubs.

Qing Deng gripped the hilt of the wakizashi tightly, raised his arm, and stood facing the sky.

Under the light, the blade, not yet covered by rust, gleamed with a dazzling, cold light.

It is easy to see that this knife is of excellent quality.