I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The enemies he faces will transform from lowly ronin and Yakuza into a massive army.

The reason I call

Compared to the amount of plot that follows, the mere 300 million words in volumes 1 and 2 are really insignificant.

The book is expected to have a total word count of between 1000 million and 1500 million, making it potentially the longest novel in the light novel category.

I hope everyone will continue to accompany this book and Qingdeng, and witness the legend of "Nioh" to the very end.

豹豹子将在今天，即8月20日休息一天。8月21日恢复连载，正式开启第3卷：《云起龙骧》。

小小的预告一波——第3卷的起始时间，将是1862年的12月，也就是第2卷的1年又8个月后。

The Shinsengumi are finally coming!

That's all for the epilogue of this volume.

My deepest gratitude to all the readers who have supported this book.

I am extremely grateful!

……

……

Shumengshi

August 20, 2023

Chapter 487 The Pampered and Powerful Ju Qingdeng! [6000]

One year and eight months later—

In the second year of Wenjiu (1862), December 1th——

The early winter sky was a clear, azure blue, and the sunlight was gentle.

Due to the cold weather, the streets and alleys of Edo were covered with a blanket of white snow.

The pedestrians on the street were all dressed in thick winter clothes, looking bulky and comical.

With the arrival of winter and the decrease in water volume, the number of light boats and small boats on rivers such as the Sumida River and Kanda River has decreased significantly.

However, with the Spring Festival approaching, many families now display exquisite door decorations outside their doors.

Classic New Year's goods such as tangerines, mirror cakes, and red envelopes have already appeared on the shelves of various shops.

From the westernmost point of Kikikawa to the easternmost point of Naito Shinjuku, the vast Edo area is filled with a strong "New Year's atmosphere".

The peddler's cries echoed through the streets and alleys.

The woman carrying a shopping basket cast a scrutinizing glance at the dazzling array of goods on the shelves.

The idle young people gathered in groups, looking around here and there, going wherever there was excitement.

The children ran off laughing and playing.

At the academies and dojos where young samurai often gathered, passionate pronouncements such as, "What are the Choshu people trying to do? Are they trying to 'hold the emperor hostage to command the princes'?!", "The chaos in Kyoto must be stopped as soon as possible!", and "Kawakami Gensai, Okada Izo, Tanaka Shinbei... these people who are causing trouble all over Kyoto are simply incomprehensible! Do they think they can change the world with just a sword?!" can be heard from time to time.

Bustling crowds, rows of people.

Despite facing both "Western barbarians" from the outside and "rebellious parties" from within, the country's situation became increasingly chaotic day by day. News such as "rice riots," "the divine punishment of the murderers," "Matsudaira Katamori, the lord of the Aizu Domain who had just taken office as the "Kyoto Guardian," was unable to quell the chaos in Kyoto," "the Satsuma Domain, Choshu Domain, and Aizu Domain were on the verge of declaring war on each other," and "war was about to break out in the Kinki region" kept circulating.

However... perhaps it was due to the local character of "living for the moment" and "Edo people don't save money for the next day" that the constant encroachment of Western countries overseas and the chaos in the Kyoto region failed to affect the Edo people's eating, drinking, living, and enjoying life to the fullest.

They still welcomed the New Year with great joy, as if they were on a spring terrace.

This largest metropolis in Japan remains a place of dazzling lights and extravagant luxury...

……

……

Edo, Asakusa, Mikado-nai Hirokoji Street, Yoshikawa Ryotei—

The rich aroma of wine, the savory fragrance of food, and the alluring scent of cosmetics wafted continuously from the restaurant, perfuming half the street.

The history of ryotei, much like that of izakaya, also began in the Edo period.

The term "ryotei" can be understood as a high-class restaurant, serving mostly wealthy upper-class people. Ordinary Japanese restaurants cannot be called "ryotei" casually.

At this very moment, in a private room at Yoshikawa Ryotei, a middle-aged man, well past fifty, is offering a toast to the young man in front of him with a fawning smile.

"Lord Hayakawa-ya, it is an honor for our humble establishment to have you grace us with your presence today!"

The flattery was both clichéd and nauseating.

The young man, referred to as "Hayakawa-ya," was clearly used to being flattered by others.

He remained completely unmoved by the middle-aged man's flattery, expressionless as he reached out and filled his glass with wine, then downed it in one gulp.

The surname contains the character "屋" (Wu), which is a very typical name for a businessman.

"Kichikuro, has Suzune arrived yet?"

Hayakawaya said impatiently.

Half fearful and half nervous, Ji Jiulang hurriedly said:

"She's here! She'll be here soon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, soft footsteps approached from the direction of the corridor.

Immediately afterwards, two maids kneeling outside the private room pushed open the paper sliding door adorned with exquisite paintings, and a young girl carrying a shamisen gracefully entered the room.

The girl had a pair of clear and delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, smooth and slender eyelashes, a straight nose, full red lips, and eyes that sparkled with an intellectual light—she was a very beautiful woman.

In addition, her attire was extremely appropriate and elegant, impeccable in every way.

She wore a pale yellow inner garment and a light blue haori outer garment, with a delicate milky white belt cinching her slender waist.

A pair of flawless white tabi socks covered her full, beautiful, slender feet all the way up to her ankles.

Her light and graceful gait, clearly the result of training, possessed an elegant, concise, and pleasing charm.

Upon seeing the woman arrive, Hayakawa's eyes lit up. He immediately put down his wine glass, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly.

"Oh! Rin, you've finally arrived!"

With a graceful bow, Ling Ling bent down and gave a perfectly standard bow to Hayakawa-ya in front of her, without any hint of indifference.

"Lord Hayakawa, good day..."

Before she could finish speaking, she was rudely interrupted:

"Alright! Stop with the nonsense! Come here right now!"

Hayakawa-ya spoke while forcefully slapping the tatami mat beside him.

From the moment Lingyin entered the room, his gaze never left her neck, waist, chest, ankles, and other areas, displaying a disgustingly drooling expression.

Upon hearing Hayakawa-ya's request, Suzune's expression froze.

Having worked at Yoshikawa Ryotei for many years, she was naturally very adept at dealing with difficult customers.

She quickly realized what was happening and replied calmly and confidently:

"Lord Hayakawa, my daughter is a musician who performs for money, not a courtesan who sells her smiles."

Ji Jiulang, standing to the side with a forced smile, said:

"Lord Hayakawa-ya, I'm very sorry, but our musicians do not offer this service..."

Ryotei is, after all, a high-class place and cannot be compared with those low-class taverns and restaurants on the street corners. It is impossible for them to provide the kind of service where "they play the piano for you during the day and accompany you to study how to produce sound with your body at night".

The musicians, singers, and dancers at Yoshikawa Ryotei are all very respectable artisans who only sell their skills and not their bodies.

However, Hayakawa-ya did not buy into their reasoned arguments.

"What kind of talk is that?"

He slammed his hand on the tatami mat beside him, the loud noise startling Suzune and Kichikuro.

"Prostitutes who sell smiles? They don't provide that kind of service? What nonsense!"

Did I ask her to take off all her clothes immediately? Did I order her to sleep with me tonight?

"I just asked her to sit next to me, so I could be closer to her and have a more intimate chat with her!"

"I only came here to chat with Lingyin! Otherwise, why would I bother with a lousy place like this!"

Their own shop was slandered, and their own personalities were also degraded... Suzune and Kichikuro's expressions became very ugly.

But they dared not lash out, and could only swallow their anger and grievances.

Hayakawa-ya was one of the most influential clerks in Edo.

The Zaza were a group of wealthy merchants who monopolized the rice trade for samurai such as hatamoto and gokenin.

The young man who was making a scene was Hayakawa-ya Danshichiro, the seventh son of Hayakawa-ya's current head, Hayakawa-ya Shotaro.

According to the regulations of the Edo Shogunate, from the daimyo who controlled a region to the farmers who had only a few acres of land, there was no such thing as "separate inheritance" of family property.

All family property must be passed on to the eldest legitimate son. If the eldest legitimate son is gone, it will be passed on to the second legitimate son. If the second legitimate son is gone, it will be passed on to the third legitimate son. If all the legitimate sons are gone, it will be passed on to the eldest son of a concubine, and so on.

After the family fortune was inherited, the other sons either stayed at home and sponged off their parents, or they went out and found their own way to make a living.

This explains why cultural and martial arts celebrities in the Edo period were often the second or third sons in their families. The eldest sons were busy inheriting the family business and didn't get a penny. The second and third sons, who didn't want to be parasites in the family, had no choice but to pursue other careers and develop in other fields.

Hayakawa-ya Danshichiro knew that as his father's seventh son, he had virtually no chance of inheriting the family business, so from a young age he was very self-aware—and became a notorious playboy in Edo...

He was proficient in eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, spending money like water, being lecherous and promiscuous, and bullying others with his power... He had all the vices that playboys often had.

Although both pursue pleasure, there is an old saying that goes, "Everyone has their own ambitions."

Although they were all spoiled brats, some liked to eat and drink, some liked to gamble, and some liked to listen to operas.

As for Hayakawa-ya Danshiro, he was rather ordinary—he liked women.

He could be seen spending lavishly in brothels like Yoshiwara and Okaba almost every day.

He changed women one after another, spending all his time surrounded by women.

If he were merely lustful, venting his endless desires on courtesans, that would be one thing.

However... he often abused his power to bully respectable women.