I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Sage, who had been silent until now, suddenly answered.

"The southern suburbs of Edo? What are we doing here?"

"I'll take you away from Edo."

"……What's the meaning?"

"It means exactly what it says."

"Alright, sister, just focus on driving. I'll explain to the younger generation."

Yae took over the conversation.

“Junior, this was Lady Utsu’s idea. She ordered my sister and me to take the three of you away from Edo to Yokohama.”

Yokohama?

Qing Deng looked dumbfounded.

Why go to Yokohama?

"What other reason could there be..."

Yae sighed.

"Of course, it's to provide you with a comfortable environment for healing and to protect you."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng immediately understood something, and his expression became serious.

Yae silently continued the conversation.

"That Rakshasa has already set its sights on you."

"It's not hard to imagine that he will go to great lengths to hunt you down afterward. Who knows what he will do next."

"You are currently injured and in a weakened state."

"Even in your prime, you were no match for him, let alone in your injured and crippled state?"

"Although I know this might offend you... it's just the truth."

"It would be too dangerous for you to stay in Edo."

"Therefore, Lord Yu Du hopes that you can go to Yokohama to recuperate and live in seclusion for a period of time."

"We will bring you back once your injuries have fully healed and the situation in Edo has stabilized."

"During this time, Lord Yu Du will also send people to protect your relatives and friends."

"Oh, right, right, I almost forgot... Lord Yu Du instructed us to relay the following sentence to you verbatim."

Yae cleared her throat, then put on a stern face and imitated Tenshōin's way of speaking:

“Sheng Qing, you’ve all worked so hard these past few days. Please get some rest. Leave the rest to me.”

Upon hearing this, Qingdeng paused, remaining silent for a long while.

Only after a moment did he reveal a complex expression that was half helpless and half dazed.

"'Leave it to me'... Ha, that sounds nice, but she's probably confused too... The Illusionary Affinity's production workshop has been destroyed, all her long-term efforts have gone down the drain, and everything has to start from scratch. She has no idea what to do next..."

"...Perhaps that's true."

Yae's face showed sorrow.

"But there's nothing we can do now... we can only trust in Lord Yu Du's wisdom."

At this moment, Yae seemed to remember something and quickly said:

"Um, by the way, our 'transfer plan' has been approved by Ms. Chiba."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow.

"Miss Sanako?"

Yae nodded slightly.

"Since both you and Okita-kun have passed out, we can only discuss this matter with Ms. Chiba, who has been conscious."

"When Lord Utsu proposed to temporarily transfer you to Yokohama, she nodded in agreement almost without hesitation."

Yae paused for a moment, then put on a rather charming, ambiguous smile.

"Junior, you are so lucky."

"After you were moved into the ward for treatment, Ms. Chiba stayed by your side the whole time, anxiously and anxiously waiting for the results of the treatment."

"She was finally able to close her eyes and rest peacefully after the carriage bound for Yokohama set off."

"She fell asleep the moment her eyes closed."

"Even though her right shoulder injury hasn't healed, she's been running around non-stop. She must be exhausted by now."

"I think... the reason she agreed to go to Yokohama without hesitation was probably because of you."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng immediately turned his head to look at Sanako, who was still sleeping soundly to his left.

This was the first time he had ever seen Sanako's sleeping face.

She lay on her side, her body slightly curled up.

Her smooth hair, falling to one side, gently covered her long, beautiful eyelashes.

Although he had already gone to sleep, his tiredness was still evident in his eyes and brows.

After carefully observing the scene, Qingdeng was finally certain that the scene he had witnessed just as he was about to lose consciousness was accurate.

Sanako has indeed lost weight.

Although the weight loss wasn't significant, only those who spend a lot of time with her and know her well would likely notice such a subtle change.

But Aoto happens to be the one who can spend every day with Sanako and is very familiar with her.

When did Ms. Sanako become so thin?

Since being imprisoned in Kodenma Town Prison, Aoto has hardly had a day of peace.

Escaping the inferno that engulfed Kodenma Town prison, storming the headquarters of the arsonist Kai, capturing Kimura Kazuma and others, infiltrating Yoshiwara, annihilating Kitahara Kōnosuke, meeting with Kikuchi Chisui, a night visit to Miyagawa Shunzō, a one-on-one fight with "Mad Dog," the Battle of Kikyō Mountain, kicking out 13 of the Shimizu clan's establishments, searching for Phoenix House Yataro, a factory brawl, shooting down a Nue, being defeated by Rasetsu...

Looking back, Qingdeng suddenly realized that his experiences over the past two weeks had probably been more dramatic than most people's lives.

One event after another, big and small, left him with no energy to pay attention to the outside world.

Qingdeng's mind was immersed in memories, and his consciousness traveled through time and space with his memories.

Finally, he belatedly realized—back when he and Sanako reunited on the stone steps of the Moon Palace Shrine, she was no longer as voluptuous as before…

Souji had secretly told him that during the time he was "missing," Sanako had been tirelessly searching for him...

At that moment, for some reason, Qingdeng suddenly felt very tired.

He rolled over and lay face up on his back with his eyes closed.

"Never mind...this is fine too..."

He murmured softly, in a voice only he could hear.

"I think I'm really... tired..."

His tone was tinged with intense fatigue.

Qingdeng raised his right arm and placed the cold back of his right hand on his forehead to cool his still aching and throbbing head.

—I've done my best...

—I've done everything I could.

—After fighting all this time, he not only suffered numerous injuries and almost died, but also his important relatives and friends nearly met with misfortune.

—Let me rest for a while…

—The merits I have made and the sacrifices I have made are beyond reproach.

The only truly disappointing aspect was their crushing defeat against the Rakshasa in the most crucial battle.

But there's nothing we can do about it. What can we do if we're not as skilled as others?

Even if I wanted to withdraw from this struggle that may never end, no one would have the right to criticize me.

—Lord Tenshōin asked me to recuperate in Yokohama and live in seclusion for a period of time, and Miss Sanako agreed to this. This shows that no one has any intention of criticizing me, right?

—So sleepy…I'll sleep a little longer…It’s been so long since I’ve had a good night’s sleep…

—Yokohama is not far from Edo.

—I should be able to get to Yokohama by the time I wake up.

—Once I get to Yokohama, I'll focus on recovering from my injury. Once I'm fully healed, I'll slowly start thinking about my future path.

—Oh, right, since Ms. Sanako and Ms. Okita are going to Yokohama with me, wouldn't we have a chance to live together?

—If that's the case…isn't this my ideal life?

—To marry Miss Sanako, Miss Mai, and Miss Okita as my wives, and then live happily and peacefully together... What a wonderful life that would be...

Thinking of this, an indescribable sense of relief welled up in Qingdeng's heart.

—That's really good.

—After a period of adjustment, the old-fashioned and conservative Ms. Sanako might agree to marry me along with Ms. Mai and Ms. Okita.

Okay, that's settled then!

—Let others handle all these trivial matters, such as the Illusionary Deposition, the Clear Water Clan, and the Rakshasa.

—I'm really tired...just let me rest...

—Ugh…! I'm getting sleepier and sleepier…

Sleep... sleep...

—After I wake up, I can return to my peaceful and joyful daily life with Sanako and the others by my side...

Qingdeng lowered his right hand from his forehead, placed his limbs on the ground, and entered an unprecedentedly relaxed state, as if he were in the middle of the night at sea, his consciousness sinking little by little to the bottom of the sea with the dark current.

The darkness of night, combined with the light-blocking effect of the carriage, made Qingdeng's sleeping environment exceptionally good. Not a single ray of light penetrated his eyelids, and the abyss-like darkness filled his vision.