I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After the Battle of Kikyōyama ended and Rasetsu and his men were successfully driven back, Aoto immediately inquired about Sanako's injuries.

"This minor injury is nothing to worry about. Just apply some anti-inflammatory medicine and rest for a while, and it will heal without leaving a trace."

To allay Aoto's worries, Sanako even lifted her shirt to show him her injury.

The terrible wound that ran across her shoulder had stopped bleeding on its own, even before any medicine had been applied.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but think of:

Sanako is a daughter of a samurai family who has been determined to study martial arts since childhood.

Since they have been practicing martial arts since childhood, it is inevitable that they will suffer bumps, bruises, and injuries.

Besides, she wasn't the kind of delicate young lady who stayed hidden away in her boudoir every day.

Although she couldn't be said to be exposed to wind and sun every day, the number of times and the amount of time she had to go out in the wind and rain because of martial arts practice was no less.

At that time, skincare products and sunscreens did not exist in Japan.

Even so, Sanako's skin remained as white as snow, even more supple and tender than Xixilang jelly.

It seems that Sanako wasn't lying; she is indeed naturally beautiful with incredibly good skin.

Qing Deng speculates that Sanako probably possesses a superior talent similar to "physical fitness".

[Note: "Fitness": One of Qingdeng's talents, its effect is "possessing outstanding injury recovery speed"]

"A person who doesn't easily develop scars... Well, that's like me."

At this point, a faint look of reminiscence appeared on Tenshōin's face.

“Sheng Qing, I think you’ve heard that I was very mischievous when I was little, even wilder than the boys. I would run around everywhere, on the beach, in the woods, on the grass… there was no place I wouldn’t go or play. Because I played so wildly, I ended up with a lot of injuries, but they all healed quickly and didn’t leave any scars.”

As a child, Tenshōin was a very lively and energetic little girl—a well-known anecdote in Edo.

When Tenshōin was the eldest daughter of the Izumi family, one of the four major branches of the Shimazu clan, she was a "heroine" known throughout the Satsuma aristocratic circles for her mischievousness, naughtiness, and boldness that surpassed even that of boys.

Legend has it that one of the reasons why the former head of the Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Nariakira, chose Tenshōin as a marriage partner was because Tenshōin possessed intelligence and wit beyond his years.

Tenshōin's biological father, the current head of the Izumi family, Shimazu Tadakatsu, once lamented: "It's such a pity, if only Ichi had been a man."

[Note: Yuichi: Tenshōin's childhood name. Her formal name was "Shimazu Yuichi". After being adopted by the previous head of the Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Nariakira, she changed her name to "Shimazu Atsuko". To elevate her social standing and facilitate a marriage alliance with the Edo Shogunate, she became the adopted daughter of the Konoe family, a court noble family, and changed her name to "Konoe Keiko". After marrying into Edo, she was forced to become a nun after her husband, Tokugawa Iesada, died. She then received her current Buddhist name: Tenshōin-dono Junshō Ōmi, Kōjun Jōshō Ōne, commonly known as "Tenshōin".]

At this moment, Tenshō-in seemed to remember something and paused.

Then, she spoke slowly in a soft, melancholic tone:

"Sheng Qing, you should pay more attention to Miss Chiba."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng was taken aback at first, and then his expression darkened slightly as he realized what Tian Zhang Yuan meant.

What Tenshōin said next was exactly as he had expected:

"For someone as passionate about martial arts as Miss Chiba, with such lofty aspirations and strong will, to be utterly defeated by someone else's blade without any chance to fight back is an immense disgrace..."

"...Yes, I understand."

Qingdeng nodded slightly and let out a long sigh.

In fact, when leaving Kikyoyama, Aoto had already vaguely sensed that Sanako was in a very low mood.

He understood Sanako's feelings very well.

If you put yourself in someone else's shoes, you would feel very resentful and unwilling to accept it if you were the one being beaten.

If even she can't accept this, how could Sanako, with her even higher and stronger sense of self-esteem, possibly accept it?

Qing Deng wanted to encourage Sanako to cheer up, but he didn't know how to start.

If it's Souji or Kinoshita Mai who's having a disagreement, then things will be easier.

After all, they are both very easily swayed and easy to coax.

As for Souji, she's rather simple-minded and a natural optimist. She's not easily depressed by anything. If you take her out for some good food, like her favorite sweets such as konpeito and dorayaki, she'll immediately cheer up.

As for Kinoshita Mai, she's even easier to handle. Just hug her, give her a sweet kiss, and her mood will quickly brighten.

However, the one experiencing emotional problems this time is none other than Sanako, who is independent and has no obvious 'weaknesses'...

Deeply troubled by this matter, Qingdeng unconsciously turned to Tenshōin beside him and asked:

"Your Highness, no matter what, you are an elder who is six years older than me. Do you have any good suggestions on how to comfort Miss Sanako?"

"I'm not some 'elder,' I'm still young!"

Tenshoin glared at Aoden with annoyance, then raised her hands and gently rubbed her still youthful, beautiful skin—skin that didn't look like that of a 25-year-old woman at all.

Thanks to proper maintenance and her own exceptional talent, one would never guess from her appearance that Tenshōin is a woman approaching thirty; at first glance, she would only look like she is in her early twenties.

After turning his gaze away from Qing Deng, Tenshōin raised his eyes, looked into the distance, and appeared to be deep in thought, much like a priest in a confessional.

Qing Deng had only mentioned it casually, but after seeing that Tian Zhangyuan was actually thinking about it seriously, he waited patiently, hoping to hear something from him that would brighten his eyes or even enlighten him.

Tenshōin did not keep Seidō waiting for long.

About a minute later, she said in a serious tone, enunciating each word clearly:

"Let's go to Wushan together."

At the same time that Tianzhangyuan was spouting his outrageous remarks, Qingdeng happened to be swallowing hard.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide, and the saliva in his throat rushed into his trachea.

"Cough! Cough cough cough! Cough cough!"

He bent over in a very disarrayed manner and coughed violently.

Once his breathing had calmed down a bit, he immediately straightened up and, with a confused expression, quickly called out to Tianzhangyuan:

"Your Highness! What nonsense are you spouting?!"

“I’m not talking nonsense, I’m serious.”

Tenshōin paused for a moment, then changed to a greasy, middle-aged man's tone:

"Miss Chiba is quite the lecherous young lady! Her true nature isn't as prim and proper as she appears. If you were to make love to her, she would surely forget all her troubles in bliss."

Upon hearing Tenshōin's words, Seidō immediately displayed a rather charming expression that mixed confusion and doubt.

"Your Highness, how do you know that Miss Sanako is a womanizer? You don't know her at all, do you?"

As he questioned Tenshōin, he thought to himself: Miss Sanako always has a cold and aloof demeanor, she doesn't seem like the type to lust after men at all.

As far as Aoto knew, Tenshōin's only connection with Sanako was their chance encounter when Sanako and Souji visited the Tsukimiya Shrine together—based on this single encounter, Tenshōin was able to discern Sanako's true nature.

As if deliberately teasing Qingdeng, Tianzhangyuan did not immediately respond.

Instead, after a moment of feigned deep silence, she slowly raised the corners of her alluring mouth, a meaningful smile appearing on her cheeks as beautiful as peach blossoms.

"Because I sensed the presence of 'kindred spirits' in her."

"'similar'?"

Qingdeng was stunned for a moment.

Because Tenshōin's answer was completely unexpected, he couldn't quite process it for a moment.

It wasn't until a while later that he belatedly realized what had happened.

Tenshōin said that Sanako was a lecherous man.

At the same time, she also said that Sanako was one of her kind.

In other words, Tianzhang Academy is also...

Thinking of this, Qingdeng quickly raised his head and subconsciously swept his gaze, which contained complex emotions, toward Tianzhangyuan.

However, we didn't see that stunningly beautiful face that rivals Sanako's.

All that could be seen was her short ponytail, which had to be cut short to shoulder height because she had become a nun, her tall and beautiful back covered by white clothes, and her peach-like shape, which was still clearly visible even though she was wrapped in loose purple trousers.

As Tenshōin strolled away leisurely, he left behind his half-joking, half-serious words:

"It seems we won't be able to get any information out of those scumbags anytime soon. Sheng Qing, you should take this opportunity to rest. You haven't had a proper rest in the last few days, have you? You're already showing obvious signs of fatigue."

Qingdeng stared blankly at Tianzhangyuan's receding figure.

After a moment, he gave a helpless, bitter smile and sighed inwardly:

As expected... Every time I'm with Prince Tenshōin, I always feel like I'm being outmatched...

……

……

Just as Tenshōin said, Seidō has indeed not had a proper rest recently.

Thanks to his two extraordinary talents of being a "sleep god" and having a "super brain +9", Qingdeng's total sleep time these past few days may be less than 10 hours.

Although my mind is still clear, my muscles are already feeling a bit tired.

After all, he played games all night long last night!

He defeated 13 of the Shimizu clan's territories and achieved the feat of killing 100 people... The last person to achieve such an exaggerated feat was the "Eternal Sword Saint" Ogata Ittosai 70 years ago.

For an ordinary person who has never practiced martial arts, let alone killing a hundred people, just swinging a real sword a hundred times would be enough to leave them panting for breath.

Therefore, even with the advantages of talents such as "strong muscles +2" and "iron lungs +2", Qing Deng still felt that he was not up to the task.

"It would be good to take a rest..." With that thought in mind, Qing Deng hurriedly walked out of the Tsukimiya Shrine and headed straight for the place where Sanako and Souji were currently hiding—a certain inn in the next town.

Because the true identity of "Utsu Shrine Maiden" and the existence of the new Oniwaban are top secrets that must never be leaked, it is impossible for Aoto to bring Sanako and Souji into the Tsukimiya Shrine.

Qing Deng arranged for the two women to stay at an inn not far from the Moon Palace Shrine.

Sanako was incredibly clever. Seeing Aoto acting so mysteriously, she immediately realized something was wrong, so she wisely pretended not to know anything.

Although Souji isn't the brightest, her emotional intelligence is always on point.

Therefore, neither of the two women said much and obediently accepted Qingdeng's arrangement.

After returning to the inn, Qingdeng skillfully climbed the stairs and went to the room where the two women were staying.

When he pushed open the paper sliding door, the beautiful faces of the two women came into view.

Before Qing Deng could greet the two women, Souji sprang up from the soft tatami mat like a spring.

"Kid Tachibana! Something terrible has happened!"