Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Just then, a series of orderly footsteps sounded from the direction where Hirako had come from. A dozen or so policemen rushed over, brandishing pistols with the safety off. Leading the charge was Tanaka Yu.

Releasing the kitten's head, Harunobu raised his hand in that direction and said, "Oh."

"What the hell?!" Tanaka Yu couldn't help but exclaim, "How many people have you killed?"

The streets were littered with Yakuza corpses, numbering at least a hundred, many of whom were killed by sword hunters while fleeing.

"Don't talk nonsense, Uncle Tanaka." Harunobu was truly righteous this time. "They were all killed by Touki. Look, the one still wearing armor plates is Touki, but he's just Touki's body... You're not planning to make me give a statement like this, are you?"

Tanaka Yu sniffed hard, the cold wind turning his nose red. His gaze swept over Harunobu and Hirako's still clasped hands: "Isn't that what you're planning?"

Haruki rolled his eyes, and then saw two policemen walk over at Tanaka Yu's beckoning. He then felt his body being lifted up and placed on a soft stretcher.

He closed his eyes peacefully, still holding Hirako's hand.

The kitten bit its lower lip and looked at...

Chapter 79

The police carried Harunobu towards the shrine, then hesitated and stopped in place.

At this moment, Tanaka, who had been ignored by everyone, spoke up again: "Chief Nekomata, if you don't chase after them now, you'll stay a little sister forever."

The kitten turned its head and glared at him fiercely.

Tanaka raised his hands helplessly: "You're a woman, at least you're much better than me."

"You'd better not get any ideas about teacher's college..."

"Don't worry, I'm not crazy yet. Besides, I'm just thinking it's a pity he's not interested in men—so aren't you going to go after him?"

The kitten pursed its lips and took a step to chase after the figure that was about to disappear. In the end, Tanaka saw the police trying to stop the disheveled kitten, but were stopped by Hirako.

I should start preparing for the questions from the group leader and the president...

Tanaka Mataichi also turned and walked in another direction, leaving only the police officers who were left to investigate and protect the scene.

No one noticed the gaze cast by a mother and daughter from a house on this street.

Juyouzi made up her mind.

Chapter 78: Aftermath

"Tsk tsk, this is truly a frightening sight, Shinomiya."

"Work hard, Fujiwara."

Along the route of the spread of the Dharma, the bodies of the Yakuza were still lying on the ground, uncollected. A dozen or so policemen stood around the perimeter, preventing curious onlookers from getting close.

Inside, the Onmyoji named Shinomiya and Fujiwara were examining the scene. They cast spells one after another, quickly outlining the flow of "qi" from before.

"Wow... there really are elite-level ones." The Onmyoji named Fujiwara was wearing a long Western-style overcoat with a white shirt and red tie underneath. His fair face was exaggeratedly wide open, as if he had been startled.

"What type? A wandering spirit? A vengeful spirit?" The Onmyoji surnamed Shinomiya waved the bat fan in his hand, and a bamboo tube floated out from his sleeve. Then a slender, pale body emerged from it, revealing a head the size of a calligraphy brush, resembling both a fox and a dog.

Fujiwara sniffed, inhaling the demonic energy that had been gathered again by magic in front of him. Two bright yellow ears popped out from his head: "It's a malevolent spirit evolved from a wandering soul. What a terrifying fellow. He killed all of these hundred-plus people."

"Oh, except for that old-fashioned guy who, like you, likes to wear hunting robes, it seems he was beheaded by a woman."

Shinomiya skillfully ignored Fujiwara's nonsense: "In other words, there was indeed an elite-level yokai that was exorcised here."

"And it was one against two, tsk, samurai-sama is really amazing~" Fujiwara said, releasing himself from the possession state with the shikigami, holding his head in his hands and pretending to be leisurely passing by as he walked over to Shinomiya's side, secretly glancing at the notebook under the kotsune.

But no matter which angle he looked from, or even if he openly and unabashedly ran behind Guan Hu, he couldn't see what Guan Hu was writing.

A moment later, Shinomiya put away his notebook: "Now we live in the age of guns and cannons. No matter how strong a samurai is, he cannot change the times. Just like how powerful Abe no Seimei was, he still couldn't change the fact that samurai conquered the world."

“That’s because Lord Abe no Seimei refused to use those forbidden spells.” Fujiwara argued indignantly, while Shinomiya added unsurprisingly, “Even if he had used them, they wouldn’t have been effective. One Abe no Seimei couldn’t do it, nor could he have killed all the samurai who were in power at the time, just as samurai today cannot kill all the commoners.”

A qualified Onmyoji needs to train for at least ten years, but such an Onmyoji could be surrounded and killed by a dozen or so ninjas on the battlefield, just like a samurai who has practiced swordsmanship for several years might be shot dead by a soldier who has only trained for a month.

It's not that there aren't strong individuals among Onmyoji or samurai, but a single strong individual cannot change the course of an era.

Shinomiya refuted Fujiwara's arguments logically. The latter was about to argue back with great dissatisfaction, but suddenly shut his mouth and looked at a girl who was walking in their direction.

"Those are the abandoned stones from the Tsuchimikado family?"

Hearing his friend's thoughtless and foolish words, Shinomiya's lips twitched slightly. He took a small step forward, standing in front of Fujiwara, to meet the gaze cast by the girl in the distance.

Their eyes met briefly before looking away. The girl turned her head away like a startled fawn, and Shinomiya took the opportunity to look away as well, pulling Fujiwara away in the opposite direction from the girl.

The work is done. The rest is a matter for the government and the samurai. As for why the Tsuchimikado family's waste stone came here and what he wants to do, that's not their concern. After all, even if he's a waste stone without the talent for spellcasting, he's still a waste stone of the Tsuchimikado family.

……

Strange ceiling.

Harunobu opened his eyes, looked at the ancient ceiling above him for a while, and then turned to look at Hirako, who was being held on his right side. Hirako had her eyes half-closed and her head was drooping. She was so cute.

After admiring her for a while, Harunobu's gaze drifted to the kitten lying at his feet. The disguise on her face had begun to fall off, and although she still managed to maintain an ordinary appearance, for Harunobu, who had seen her true appearance several times, this was enough for him to imagine that almost perfect and cute face.

Unfortunately, cuteness pales in comparison to sexiness.

Harunobu looked at Hirako again, meeting her eyes filled with joy. A few tears welled up in her slightly swollen eyes, creating a breathtakingly charming sight.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Sachiko." Harunobu clenched the not-so-soft little hand in his palm and gave a somewhat cloying smile, which made the kitten, who had just been awakened by the sound, habitually put on a sullen face.

However, a worried expression quickly returned, and she patted Qingxin's feet through the blanket: "Shifan, is anything uncomfortable?"

"Stop tickling the soles of my feet, and everything feels comfortable."

As she spoke, Qingxin lifted her leg, hooked the kitten onto her body, and gave her a flick on the forehead.

Hirako smiled and pinched the little cat's face, which looked like it was saying "Look at him," before standing up and saying, "I'll go and ask the priest to come and check again."

Harunobu held Hirako's hand reluctantly, looking at her lips without saying a word.

Hirako hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the kitten, who sighed, pouted, and covered its eyes.

Mu——a!

The loud kiss echoed in the quiet room. Hirako smoothed the crumpled fabric at her chest and turned to call the priest over.

The white-haired, silver-bearded, and dignified old priest laughed as soon as he entered the room: "Oh my, I didn't expect Director Ping to be even healthier than I thought. You were so badly injured, yet you only slept for ten hours before waking up."

"Not at all..." Harunobu exchanged a few polite words with the priest and learned that he was the chief priest of this Ebisu Shrine, named Kujo Sanmonji, and that all his medical expenses were paid by the government.

Then, after the priest determined that Harunobu had fully recovered, Tanaka Yu walked in with a face full of excitement, his steps were vigorous, as if he had suddenly returned to ten years ago.

"Hey Tanaka-san, what kind of magic did Kujou-no-Tsukasa use on you to make you so excited?"

Tanaka Yu's momentum faltered, and he turned to Kujo Sanmonji with annoyance, saying, "See? This is the true nature of this brat."

Kujou Sanmonji smiled and shook his head: "You two talk, I won't disturb you. But it's best to let him rest more. Although his body is fine, his mind needs to be relieved. It's best to avoid using magic to interfere in this regard."

Kujo Sanmonji left, and Tanaka Yu pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Harunobu: "Congratulations, kid, you've become the first person in Asakusa Ward to kill an elite samurai solo, and in fact, two at once. Not only did the higher-ups give you a bounty for that zombie, but there's also an extra reward."

This was truly beyond Qingxin's expectations. When did bureaucrats become so generous?

He didn't hide anything and asked directly.

Chapter 80

Tanaka Yu's answer was quite reasonable: "Didn't the era name change this year? The higher-ups are planning to report this as an auspicious omen, saying things like the Emperor's enthronement and the rise of the samurai..."

"Isn't this just adding insult to injury for the Emperor?" Harunobu complained. "Are they planning to create a Shogun?"

"Don't worry about that. Money is money, so just tell me if you want it or not."

Of course he wanted it; Qingxin would never refuse such a free reward, especially since it was something he deserved anyway.

"And then, what's the Dragon Society doing?"

"There hasn't been much movement. Apart from the Huashan Group being swallowed up and the Jinshan Group being directly merged into the main family, there haven't been any major actions. However, many outsiders have their eyes on the Demon Dragon Society. I guess Suzuki Ryuichi is probably in a real bind."

Tanaka Yu didn't ask why so many Yakuza died at the scene. Anyway, the Onmyoji had investigated and confirmed that they had indeed died at the hands of the sword hunters. The only one who seemed suspicious was Nishikiyama Kaoru... it seemed so!

The crimes committed by this top strategist of the Demon Dragon Society, if not countless, were at least heinous. Tanaka Yu could only be described as...

Soon, with Tanaka Yuzhi's detailed and thorough explanation, Harunobu understood the current situation.

During the few hours he was unconscious, his name had spread rapidly to many places, making him the focus of attention for many important figures. It was only because he hadn't woken up before that there was no commotion.

—Or to put it more simply, he has become a hero.

Main quest completed!

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Author's note: Please vote and keep reading!

Chapter 79: The Growth of the Soul

After delivering the necessary information, Tanaka Yu left. Thanks to Harunobu, this old man, who should have reached the end of his career, has recently shown signs of climbing back up.

After all, they had caught so many wanted criminals before. The four policemen at the intersection of Qingkongguan Road each received a large share of the credit. However, the credit obtained through unspoken rules was fine for the young people, but for old guys like Tanaka Yu, it could only be exchanged for money.

But this time was different. He helped the city deal with the threat of an elite-level monster in time. Although he didn't kill it, he handled the whole process, and the one who was finally killed was a samurai from his jurisdiction. So in the police system, this was his achievement—at least he had a way to get the samurai to kill the elite-level monster!

So it's estimated that he'll finally be promoted soon.

The room fell silent again. The little cat and duck sat on Harunobu's lap, glancing between Harunobu and Sachiko, wondering if the two were thinking of some excuse to get her away so they could have a big fight here.

Isn't it often said that the desire to reproduce is extremely high after a bloody battle or when one is injured?

But not here, this is someone else's shrine.

The kitten watched the two of them warily, lest they do something that would tarnish the reputation of the Azure Sky Pavilion in a moment of impulse. Yes, that's all it was about.

Then she watched as the two of them kissed.

No?

You two—

The kitten clenched its little fists, about to punch Qingxin's thigh, when it suddenly felt something push against its bottom... something hot and hard.

The kitten leaped three feet high off the bed, successfully interrupting Harunobu and Hirako's kiss.

Harunobu awkwardly pulled the blanket up a bit to make the bulge less noticeable, while Hirako lowered her head with a blush on her face. When Harunobu pulled and hugged her, she completely forgot that there was a kitten there. However, she was used to petting and hugging kittens and hadn't really paid attention to it.

As for Qingxin, he was embarrassed for a moment but quickly recovered. Anyway, he was hugging his wife, so what if his daughter saw him?

As for why it happened so suddenly... perhaps there were some stress factors from surviving the bloody battle, but more importantly, they were both in a state of having just tasted forbidden fruit and were starting to enjoy it. To be honest, if the kitten hadn't suddenly interrupted them, they might really be here...

cough cough.

His old face flushed slightly in the end. Qingxin picked up the kitten and placed it beside him, then got down to business: "Speaking of which, we've really gained a lot from this big battle."

The kitten gave a look of disgust, and it worked wonders!

Qingxin rubbed her head, his disgusted look turning into a slightly narrowed gaze before continuing, "To be honest, I do seem to have been a bit lax lately."

Question marks simultaneously appeared above the heads of Hirako and the kitten.

I get up at six o'clock every day to practice swordsmanship. After breakfast, I start practicing swordsmanship again. After lunch, I continue practicing swordsmanship. After dinner, I continue practicing swordsmanship until I go to bed at night.

Moreover, while it's called sword practice, he actually has to keep an eye on his disciples and provide guidance at all times. If female college students come over, he'll nominally have Shihan take over teaching them, but in the end, he'll still do it himself. After all, Shihan is exceptionally talented at swordsmanship, but he's only so-so at teaching others.

It can be said that unless there are important matters, such as searching for a sword hunter or tracking Tanaka Mataichi, Harunobu is either practicing swordsmanship or practicing swordsmanship.

You call this laziness?

Do you want to hear what nonsense you're spouting?

But Harunobu was very serious because he knew very well that although he had been practicing swordsmanship, he was just practicing old sword techniques and routines. Although he had also figured out a new routine that combined Thunder Breathing and Flying Sword Style, and the results were good, in the end, it was still a patchwork with nothing new.

In the words of the sword hunter, his sword has no heart.

Having personally experienced the true power of extraordinary swordsmanship in this world, he never considered mastering that power. Even setting aside Hayashi Uemon, with whom he hadn't actually fought, if Hosho Ichijo hadn't had that unwavering determination, he would have had no chance of cutting through Harunobu's sword. He would have been instantly killed due to his old age in a single exchange.

Qingxin was well aware of the reason for this. To put it bluntly, he got cocky after activating the cheat and thought that once he got an SSR, he could just wipe out the game in one fell swoop. But as it turned out, he wasn't using an instant-kill cheat, nor was he invincible.

Therefore, he needs to become stronger and faster. Otherwise, it's hard to say what unreasonable situations he might encounter later.

Like this time, he thought it was just a regular-level monster to fight, and even focused his main energy on guarding against Yakuza. Nishikiyama Kaoru was even more cunning. If he hadn't failed to anticipate that the little cat would stand firmly on his side, and if the Tanaka group hadn't been infiltrated by Harunobu, things would probably have been even more difficult.

But so what? Touhou didn't scheme at all; he simply used force to wipe out all of Nishikiyama Kaoru and Harunobu's plans.

Needless to say, Nishikiyama Kaoru has already lost everything. Harunobu's side was supposed to have Tanaka smash the cup as a signal to betray them on the battlefield, but the sword hunters don't care which group appears in front of them, they kill them all. In the end, it's unknown how many members of Tanaka's group will be able to escape.

So, when you're out in the game, you still need to be able to fight!

Of course, that's what they say, but it doesn't mean that Harunobu will become a Pava unless the system gives him a Yamato. It just means that his actions will no longer be so passive and careless.