I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Compared to the slow response of the government, the victims' side... namely the Shimizu clan, reacted much faster.

Upon receiving news of the "attack of the King of Benevolence," the Rakshasa immediately mobilized its troops.

But... everything happened so suddenly.

Although Luosha's remedial work was timely, his deployment speed simply could not keep up with Qingdeng's offensive speed!

Qingdeng acted alone, without the burden of companions.

With the support of talents such as "Leading the Way +1" and "Iron Lungs +1", Qingdeng's movement speed far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Moreover, he had received formal ninja training in the New Oniwaban, possessing superhuman mobility that allowed him to "walk on flat ground even on walls only a palm's width wide."

Ten minutes earlier, he was listening to decadent music in Yoshiwara.

Ten minutes later, he might appear near Nihonbashi, overlooking the bustling city.

As the saying goes, if you prepare for the front, you will be weak in the rear; if you prepare for the rear, you will be weak in the front; if you prepare for the left, you will be weak on the right; if you prepare for the right, you will be weak on the left; if you prepare for everything, you will be weak in everything.

If we deploy defenses everywhere without any specific target, like sprinkling pepper, we will inadvertently disperse our strength and hand over the great opportunity to "defeat them one by one" to Qingdeng.

Therefore, the Rakshasa could only concentrate their forces in important strongholds.

As for other less important places... well, you'll just have to hope for the best!

However... even with such caution, Rakshasa's tightly furrowed brows could not be relaxed.

Just now, he received devastating news: a certain area he had heavily guarded was still under Qing Deng's blade!

It wasn't until dawn broke and the soft, pale light of day illuminated the streets and alleys of Edo that Aoto finally halted his advance.

In just one night, Qingdeng destroyed 13 strongholds of the Qingshui clan! He killed or wounded hundreds of Yakuza!

The news that "'Niou' Tachibana Aoto had defeated 13 of the Shimizu clan's strongholds and killed over a hundred enemies in just one night" swept through Edo like a whirlwind, and then spread to Kanto and even more distant places.

Since the destruction of the Exiles, Niou, who has been silent until now, has once again entered the world's view with his figure standing with a sword in hand after half a year!

……

……

The morning after the Shimizu clan suffered a devastating blow—

Edo-

On the red dirt road, the dry, cold north wind howled past.

At first glance, everything seemed the same as usual.

Men and women came and went in a bustling crowd.

The large flatbed trucks carrying goods weaved through pedestrians.

However, if you observe carefully, you will find that the atmosphere of the town has completely changed.

"Hey, do you know what happened last night?"

"I knew that already."

"Oh my, this is really... it feels like 'I woke up and the whole Kanto region has changed.'"

"It's not going to be a complete upheaval. The Shimizu clan is deeply entrenched, and such a minor injury is not enough to bring them down."

"But even the wealthy Shimizu clan would feel the pinch of losing 13 venues, right?"

"Tch, what do you know? For a Yakuza organization of the Shimizu clan's caliber, what's a little money? Losing money is a small matter, losing face is a big deal! The Yakuza can give up anything, but they can't afford to lose face! If the Shimizu clan doesn't find a way to save face as soon as possible, how will people view them afterwards?"

"Hmm...that's true."

"Why is Tachibana Seiden targeting the Shimizu clan? Do they have a grudge against each other?"

"Who knows?"

"Hmph, I never thought that the despicable Shimizu clan would suffer such a defeat! Serves them right!"

Shh! Quiet down! Be careful, the walls may be eavesdropping!

……

Similar conversations could be heard everywhere.

Logically speaking, such important news should have been published in the newspaper the following day.

However, the tile vendors, intimidated by the power of the Shimizu clan, dared not publish any information related to the events of the previous night on their tiles.

The so-called "Waban Kobo" can be understood as a newspaper from the Edo period.

In the early 17th century, a newspaper-like publication called "Waban" first appeared in Osaka, the "commercial capital".

It is an unofficial publication, freely printed and sold by the public.

To make tile-based reading materials, one must first sculpt clay, then fire the clay into tiles, and finally use these tiles to print the content onto paper.

With the development of technology, printing on clay tablets was no longer limited to clay tablets; printing on wooden boards also appeared.

The Waban Society reports all kinds of news, including newsworthy events such as domestic wars, riots, murders, earthquakes, fires, and the Black Ships attack, as well as gossip and legends of entertainment, such as love triangles, revenge killings, freaks, child prodigies, and strange animals.

Street vendors would loudly read out the day's hottest news while hawking their wares to the public—a common street scene in major cities like Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka.

The Shimizu clan could use their power to force the tile vendors to shut up.

But no matter how capable they are, they can't silence public opinion.

Teahouses, izakayas, bathhouses... wherever people gathered, they were discussing Qingdeng's righteous deeds.

Yes, it was a righteous act.

No human being with a sound mind could possibly have any positive feelings towards yakuza groups.

The people of Edo had long harbored deep resentment towards the Shimizu clan, who were notorious for their evil deeds.

However, they were powerless to resist, so they could only swallow their anger.

Therefore, upon learning that Qingdeng had accomplished the feat they had always wanted to do but dared not, they all felt a sense of revenge and satisfaction.

The men looked on with longing.

The women's eyes sparkled.

The hearts of countless people in Edo were all moved by the same person.

……

……

Edo, Yoshiwara—

After listening to his subordinate's report, Uryuu Hideki, the "Yoshiwara Satoshi," gave a bitter smile and muttered to himself:

"This Tachibana Aoto... really does resemble Mr. Ogata... He's quiet until he speaks, and when he does, it's jaw-dropping..."

……

……

Edo, a settlement for Westerners —

Elodie jumped off the chair, looking at Leroy in front of her with a look of utter surprise.

"Miss Leroy, the teacher has shown up? Tell me all the details!"

……

……

Edo, Shieikan—

"Ah Sui! Ah Sui!"

"Don't be so loud, it's so noisy, I can hear you."

Hijikata Toshizo glanced helplessly at Kondo Isami behind him.

“Ah Sui, you…”

Kondo had barely begun speaking when Hijikata interrupted him, saying:

"I already know about the matter of 'Orange Night's attack on the Shimizu clan'."

"You already know? Good, that saves me the trouble of explaining. Ah Sui, in your opinion, why did Tachibana-kun clash with the Shimizu clan?"

"How would I know such a thing?"

Tu Fang said irritably.

"I'm not a mind reader."

At this point, Tu Fang paused.

Then, with a thoughtful expression, he continued the conversation.

"The only thing that can be confirmed now is that Tachibana is determined to fight the Shimizu clan to the death."

Tu Fang clicked his tongue and smacked his lips.

"They kicked out 13 of their stadiums... without even giving them any face... this is now a fight to the death..."

……

……

Edo, the Thousand Things Shop—

clap clap clap...

A bright red figure sped toward the nearby Senjiya at breakneck speed.

She loves wearing red, is petite, and agile—that's Kinoshita Mai.

"Mr. Kiryu! Mr. Kiryu!"

Kinoshita Mai pushed open the shop door and shouted excitedly:

"Mr. Kiryu, Tachibana-kun... huh?"

She had barely opened her mouth when the rest of the words caught in her throat.

The reason for this was that there was an unexpectedly tall figure standing in the Senjiya.