I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Aside from the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground and the heavy stench of blood in the air, no one would imagine that a fierce battle and a tense standoff had just erupted here.

Qing Deng and the commander put away their swords one after the other.

"...Tachibana-kun, Okita-kun, I'm sorry."

Sanako's deep voice sounded behind them.

“I’ve held you back… If I hadn’t been injured… If I were a little stronger, I could have killed the Rakshasa on the spot, without having to make a ‘temporary truce’ with him.”

After saying that, Sanako lowered her head.

Beneath her bangs, damp with sweat and clinging to her forehead, her gaze held a complex and unspoken depth.

Souji sensed that Sanako's emotions were off and quickly said:

“Miss Sanako, you…”

However, before she could finish speaking, Qing Deng interrupted her:

“Miss Sanako, don’t blame yourself. My acceptance of Rasetsu’s proposal of ‘mutual concessions’ has absolutely nothing to do with whether you are injured or how strong you are.”

"To be honest, that Rakshasa was just a cadre of the Fa-Zhu Party."

“Killing the Rakshasa will certainly have a profound impact on the so-called ‘overthrow of the Tokugawa’s’ plan, but it will not be enough to cripple them.”

"Our top priority right now is to find the decisive evidence to punish the party and suppress the drug trafficking... that is, the illusory drug."

"By handing the evidence over to the shogunate, we can give the shogunate a reason to intervene, thereby maximally disrupting the spread of the illusionary voyage and causing the most serious damage to the development of the law enforcement party."

The commander, who had been listening attentively, hesitated for a moment before interjecting:

"But... even just the Shimizu clan has the ability to see and do all sorts of things."

"The Fazhu Party, which even the powerful Shimizu clan has to rely on, must possess even more astonishing power."

"Although I think that guy was exaggerating when he said that he had people everywhere in the three capitals, five provinces, seven circuits and sixty-six provinces, they must have had a lot of spies in the shogunate."

"The evidence we painstakingly submit may be intercepted or even destroyed halfway through..."

Qing Deng nodded slightly, agreeing with the commander's concerns.

“You’re absolutely right. But you don’t need to worry about that, I have connections.”

"As for what kind of connections I have, don't ask. In short—there is no one in the shogunate who can submit to me."

After speaking, Qingdeng's mind conjured up the alluring face of Tenshoin, who seemed to be the embodiment of a succubus.

Because of the obstruction from the "Hitotsubashi faction," many of Tokugawa Iemochi's and Tenshōin's actions were affected.

Especially Tenshōin, even if she stepped out with her left foot first, it could become a pretext for the Ichijō faction to attack her.

Being watched by hundreds of eyes from the "Hitotsubashi faction," they couldn't even openly deploy their direct intelligence agency... namely the new Oniwaban.

Qingdeng has the privilege of freely entering and leaving the Moon Palace Shrine, and of presenting himself to Tenshō-in at any time.

As long as she can gather irrefutable evidence of the suppression of the Illusionary Phenomenon by the Law-Extermination Party and hand it over to the Tianzhang Academy, she can provide Qingdeng with reinforcements without any scruples and vigorously crack down on the Illusionary Phenomenon and the Law-Extermination Party.

At that time, no matter how much the "Hitotsubashi faction" disliked Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, they would be unable to stop the mother and son from taking action.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Edo Shogunate was a behemoth that ruled Japan for nearly 300 years; even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse.

The current Fazhu Party certainly does not yet possess the strength to directly eliminate the Edo Shogunate through military means.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have resorted to such an insidious tactic as "spreading illusions in Kanto, gradually undermining the Tokugawa family's rule by slowly boiling them like frogs in boiling water."

If we can obtain strong support from the Tenshoin and give the Tenshoin a pretext to directly intervene, we can eliminate the Huanfudian with half the effort!

"Oh... a way...!"

The commander nodded as if he understood, his eyes shining.

Qing Deng clearly said "don't ask too many questions," and the chief also wisely kept his mouth shut, not arguing about the topic of "connections."

At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: Tachibana-kun is amazing! He actually has such incredible connections!

After hearing Qing Deng's words of comfort, Sanako's expression finally improved.

After taking several deep breaths and calming herself, she asked in a slow voice:

"In that case... Mr. Tachibana, what are your plans for finding evidence of the 'law to punish factions and eradicate illusions' next?"

"Well... I already have a general plan. Although it's a rather simple and straightforward plan, I can't think of a better one."

Upon hearing the word "plan," both Sanako and Souji perked up their ears.

“I’ll explain in detail later. Before we carry out this plan… Okita-kun, Sanako-san, could you accompany me somewhere first?”

"place?"

The commander tilted his head in confusion.

"Speaking of which, neither of you has met that person yet..."

Qingdeng let out a long breath.

"There's something I have to say to that man, no matter what."

……

……

at the same time--

Rasetsu, Nue, and Kappa raced swiftly through the forest, speeding towards the foothills and Edo.

Along the way, the Rakshasa, whose face was so gloomy it seemed as if black water was about to drip from it, questioned the Kappa following closely behind her without turning her head:

"Kappa, what exactly did you mean by 'my grandson Chutaro betrayed us'? I need a concise explanation!"

*******

*******

Leopard's maternal grandfather passed away last night...

Well... I want to say so much, but I don't want to say a single word.

My parents have both gone back to their hometown. For the next ten days or so, I'll be busy running the shop with my older brother. I'll try my best to keep updating.

Chapter 444 Plot Twist! Espionage in the Edo Period! [5100]

Edo, somewhere—

A young man with rosy lips and white teeth, carrying a bowl of steaming hot soba noodles, walked leisurely to Nishino's cell.

Inside the cell, in a dark corner, Nishino leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes closed and his breathing steady, as if he were sleeping or resting.

"Nishino-sama, Nishino-sama?"

The young man called out to Nishino repeatedly, but the other party remained unresponsive.

Left with no other choice, the young people had to raise their voices:

"Lord Nishino!"

This time, Nishino finally reacted.

"...It's so noisy."

Nishino slowly raised his eyelids and cast an impatient glance at the young man standing outside the cell.

The young man bowed his head and apologized.

"terribly sorry……"

Luoshe, who has a "talent-collecting obsession," highly values ​​Nishino, who is proficient in criminal investigation techniques, and is determined to recruit him.

To demonstrate her appreciation for talent, Rasetsu issued a special order: Nishino Hosojiro is my honored guest! Everyone, regardless of who they are, must treat him with the utmost respect!

That's why young people treat Nishino with such utmost respect.

Although he was the one standing outside the cell, he acted more like a prisoner than Nishino.

Nishino scanned the young man from head to toe several times.

"I've never seen you before. Are you new here?"

"Yes! I am Kibe Toru! From today onwards, I will be in charge of your daily meals! This is your dinner tonight!"

After saying that, the young man handed the buckwheat noodles in his hand forward.

Nishino glanced at the buckwheat noodles in the young man's hand, then looked away while gesturing towards the small window next to the cell door.

"Just put it there."

"Yes!"

The young man bent down, took out a small key from his waist, inserted it into an inconspicuous hole on the edge of the cell door, turned it twice to the right, and then heard a "click" from inside the door. The bottom section of the cell door frame suddenly popped open, revealing a small window.

This window was specifically used to pass food, water, and other items into the cell.

"Lord Nishino, please have your meal as soon as possible."

As the young man spoke, he stuffed the buckwheat noodles in his hand through the window and handed them into the prison.

Nishino didn't say much, silently stood up, took the noodles, and started eating without even saying "I'm starting."

Seeing this, the young man couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to himself:

—Tanaka-senpai is right…Nishino is actually quite easy to deal with.

Tanaka was the previous person responsible for taking care of Nishino's daily meals.

According to Tanaka, although Nishino often had a sour face, he was generally obedient and did not engage in "nonviolent non-cooperation movements" such as hunger strikes or suicide attempts.

He would eat on time every mealtime, and he would finish every meal that was delivered to him, leaving not a single scrap.

The young man was just a low-level cadre in the Qingshui clan.

He didn't care at all whether Nishino surrendered or not.

He only cares about his job and whether he can complete his tasks perfectly.

As long as Nishino is willing to cooperate with him, eat on time, and doesn't cause trouble, negatively impact his mission, or cause him any trouble, he doesn't care what Nishino's fate is.

"Lord Nishino, I shall take my leave now. I will return in half an hour to clean up the dishes."