I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Shall we cooperate?"

……

……

About half an hour later—

Edo, Ayamachi, somewhere—

"That's it..."

Qingdeng and Haibining peeked out from the bushes on either side, staring intently at a medicinal herb workshop twenty meters away.

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary, unremarkable house.

Throughout Edo, you could find at least 20 workshops similar to his.

Brown wooden walls, mottled tiles, a faint medicinal smell in the air... it's hard to imagine that this herbal medicine workshop is the production site of Huanfudian.

"I don't know anything about Illusionary Acid... I was only responsible for... planting and purchasing herbs for Rakshasa... and opening a pharmaceutical factory in the name of Phoenix House... The factory is in... the northern suburbs of Edo... in... the 7th 7th neighborhood of Aya-cho..." This was the precious information that Phoenix House Yataro spat out on his deathbed after Qing Deng and the others punched him a few times and peeled off a few of his fingernails.

If what Phoenix House Yataro said is true, then Rasetsu's move was indeed beautiful and classic.

The exalted status of the officials meant that, unless absolutely necessary, no one in the government would provoke these powerful and wealthy individuals.

Therefore, cooperating with Zaza and using Zaza's name to open a workshop for the production of Gensuke was undoubtedly much safer and less likely to attract the attention of the shogunate.

Disguised as a "legitimate company," yet engaging in illegal activities... This kind of operation has been common throughout history.

"Mr. Ebina, let's go."

"Ah."

Qingdeng and Haibin rushed out of the bushes one after the other, quickly climbed over the wall, and sneaked into the neighborhood.

The two carefully moved forward, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

The factory was completely silent; there were no human voices, no barking dogs, and no snoring, groaning, crying, or any other sounds.

"Is nobody here...?"

Ebina murmured.

"Mr. Ebina, don't be careless."

Qing Deng said calmly.

"I know."

Ebina smiled slightly.

"I'm a veteran who personally experienced the Battle of Osaka. I won't make any silly mistakes, don't worry."

*******

*******

Historically, there have been cases of people successfully committing seppuku (ritual suicide by cutting three characters into the same shape).

This man was Takechi Zuizan, the only person in Japanese history to successfully commit suicide using the "three-stroke cut" (a type of Japanese knife). Readers interested in this topic can look into his background. Takechi Zuizan is one of the historical figures upon whom Nishino Hosojiro was based.

A new month has arrived! Please vote for me with your monthly tickets! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Chapter 470 The Bloodbath Begins! Qingdeng vs. the Main Force of the Qingshui Clan! [6000]

Qing Deng turned his head and glanced at Ebina beside him.

His agile posture, with its bent back and bent posture yet without hindering his movements, and his light, silent steps... it seems he wasn't exaggerating. Such performance certainly lives up to the title of "veteran."

Ebina was much more reliable than he had expected... Thinking of this, Qing Deng felt relieved.

The two cautiously ventured deeper into the factory.

The scent of herbs in the air grew stronger.

Suddenly, Qing Deng, who was walking in front, stopped and raised his hand to signal Haibina behind him to stop.

It turned out that someone was on patrol.

In the corridor in front of the two, three samurai with swords at their waists patrolled back and forth carrying lanterns.

When it comes to "infiltration," Aoto, who once worked as a chivalrous phantom thief with Kinoshita Mai and later underwent rigorous training by the new Oniwaban, is a professional and experienced thief.

Before long, Qingdeng seized an opportunity, led Ebina around the guards, and continued forward.

The further they went, the deeper they got into the workshop, the more guards they encountered.

The security is so tight that even the mansions of the super-rich are no better.

It's strange that a mere herbal medicine workshop would have such tight security measures... It just doesn't seem right—Qingdeng and Haibina, who were thinking the same thing, both frowned.

Finally... after a series of close calls, the two of them finally arrived at the deepest part of the workshop.

"arrive……"

Ebina muttered.

"This should be where the pharmaceuticals are made..."

What came into view was a spacious area that looked exactly like a modern assembly line factory.

The vast space of over 300 square meters was divided into square tables, each covered with a heavy canvas.

With the development of commodity economy and social productivity, some workshop owners with capital and raw materials hired freelance workers to produce for market needs—thus the seeds of capitalism sprouted in Japan.

Although Edo's commercial level was not as high as Osaka's, which had an unparalleled geographical advantage, it was still the center of the Tokugawa family's rule, and its economic strength should not be underestimated.

There were many sizable handicraft workshops with hundreds of employees in Edo.

If we don't find out what's hidden under those canvases, then this place is just an ordinary workshop with many guards, and we can't prove that it's the production site of the Illusionary Essence.

After confirming that no one was around, Qing Deng and Ebina exchanged a glance, and then quietly walked toward the nearest square table.

Qing Deng casually lifted the canvas in front of him—the moment the canvas fell to the ground, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Ebina leaned closer—and in an instant, his expression changed drastically: "This is...?!"

Beneath the canvas, one could see clusters of dried flowers.

The taproot is nearly conical and vertical. The stem is erect, unbranched, hairless, and covered with a white bloom. Leaves are alternate, ovate or oblong-ovate, with an acuminate to obtuse apex, a cordate base, and irregularly wavy serrated margins. Both surfaces are hairless and covered with a white bloom, with prominent, slightly raised veins. Lower leaves have short petioles, while upper leaves are sessile and clasping the stem.

These flowers are so beautiful and vibrant—anyone would think that before knowing their names…before knowing their uses…

At this moment, both Qingdeng and Haibina felt a chill run through their bodies, as if every cell in their bodies was being jolted awake...

Just as Ebina was about to speak, Qing Deng preemptively uttered the names of these flowers, word by word:

"poppy……!"

These extremely beautiful flowers are the raw material for making illusion powder—poppies!

Ebina quickly walked away from Aoto, and swiftly lifted the canvas covers off the other square tables.

Except for a very few tables with unidentified common herbs, most of the tables were covered with poppy flowers, some still fresh and some already dried.

Tens of thousands of poppies! The sight made Qing Deng feel somewhat dizzy.

"Finally found it...!"

Qingdeng took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.

"If we report this place to the shogunate, the Fakuju Party will suffer greatly."

Ebina walked back to Aoto's side and said softly.

Qingdeng nodded:

"Oh, yes."

Although most of the ruling class in the Edo period were a despicable bunch, they weren't fools either.

After all, Japan has been open to the world for so many years.

They have basically seen and heard about the latest trendy gadgets and the most advanced knowledge available today.

They certainly knew what poppies were, and they were also certainly aware of how terrible it was that civilian forces were hoarding such a large quantity of poppies.

Otherwise, Tenshōin wouldn't have shown such a terrifying expression when he learned that the raw material for the illusionary concoction was poppy.

Next, all that is needed is to relay the address and details of this herbal medicine workshop to Tenshōin.

After that, there was no need for Seito to worry about it—the shogunate… no, it should be said that Tokugawa Iesada and Tenshōin would take care of it themselves.

The reason why Tokugawa Iesada and Tenshōin remained as calm as possible despite knowing that the Hōshū-dō was problematic and that the Shimizu clan was colluding with the Hōshū-dō was because they had no evidence.

To act rashly without any evidence is to commit a cardinal sin in military strategy—to wage war without a legitimate cause.

Without a legitimate reason, a campaign will only cause unrest and hand a knife to those mad dogs... that is, to the "Hitotsubashi faction".

Both Tokugawa Iesada and Tenshōin stepped out with their left foot first, which was criticized by the "Hitotsubashi faction" mad dogs as "lacking manners".

If this mother and son were to arbitrarily use the already extremely scarce human and material resources without providing a suitable reason... God knows how fierce the attacks they would face afterward.

Conversely, if there is a legitimate reason for the action, all the aforementioned problems can be easily solved.

The "anti-terrorism operation" was legal, compliant, and well-founded, personally led by the Shogun and the Ōmikazuchi-no-kō. Even if the "Hitotsubashi faction" wanted to obstruct it, they had no say in the matter.

Regardless, the Edo Shogunate remains the most powerful force in Japan at present, without exception.

If the Hoju Party and the Daishio Party possessed the strength to confront the Edo Shogunate head-on, why would they need to live a life of secrecy and covertness?

While Tokugawa Iesada and Tenshōin's actions will not necessarily lead to the complete annihilation of the Hoshō-dō, they will certainly cause them considerable trouble, at least making it difficult for them to spread the illusionary substance.

Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Since the fire at the prison in Kodenma-cho, countless hours and experiences have been spent, witnessing countless acts of cruelty and death, until finally the most powerful evidence has been found to prove that the party involved in the production and sale of dangerous drugs will be punished!

This unassuming herbal medicine workshop could become the turning point that fundamentally changes this protracted and protracted struggle!

"Your Highness, let's go."

Ebina said.

"We need to hurry..."