I assembled the strongest swordsman group

If it weren't for the fact that he was dressed as a man, Qing Deng felt he would have mistaken him for a cute girl.

Qingdeng thought that if this handsome young man dressed up as a woman, he would definitely make countless men willingly become his lapdogs.

Of course, what shocked Qingdeng was not just his good looks.

At this very moment, the handsome young man is holding a bamboo sword and is intently practicing his sword skills, one move after another, in front of the air.

Qingdeng doesn't understand swordsmanship.

Hara Tachibana Aoto, who was not interested in swordsmanship, also did not have many memories related to swordsmanship.

Although Qing Deng doesn't know swords, he does know hand-to-hand combat techniques such as grappling and free fighting, as well as baton techniques he learned at the police academy.

These skills, like swordsmanship, are martial arts with the ultimate goal of "subduing and defeating the opponent," and they share many commonalities in footwork, stance, and other aspects.

Therefore—thanks to his mastery of unarmed combat and baton techniques, Qing Deng was able to see that the sword technique combo that this handsome young man was using was not some kind of "retirement sword technique" that was only good for showing off or for fitness.

There are almost no superfluous movements; every movement of the hands and feet is concise and efficient.

The handsome young man's exquisite swordsmanship captivated Qing Deng, who became somewhat mesmerized by it.

But before he could take a few more glances, the handsome young man finally stopped swinging his sword after noticing Aoto and Kondo standing at the entrance of the dojo. He turned his head and cast a curious and puzzled look at Aoto standing next to Kondo.

Kondo, who had been standing outside the dojo entrance for fear of disturbing him, quickly led Aoto into the dojo.

"Commander-in-Chief, come here. Let me introduce you."

Souji, carrying a bamboo sword, walked briskly up to Kondo and Aoto with small, clattering steps.

"This is Ju Qingdeng, who came to become an apprentice and learn swordsmanship at our Shiwei Hall! Due to certain reasons, I have decided to make an exception and allow him to enter the hall today. He can complete the formal apprenticeship ceremony later when his master returns!"

After briefly introducing Qingdeng's situation to the handsome young man, the young man looked enlightened, then immediately stood up straight and bowed respectfully to Qingdeng.

"Nice to meet you! I am Okita Souji! I am an apprentice at this Shieikan. Welcome to Shieikan!"

Not only is she good-looking, but she also has a very pleasant voice, with a neutral tone that is neither rough nor effeminate.

"Nice to meet you," Qing Deng returned the greeting. "I am Ju Qing Deng."

—Okita Souji…

Qingdeng silently pondered this name in his heart.

He vaguely felt that the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

But after thinking for a long time without being able to recall when he had heard the name, Qingdeng simply stopped thinking about it.

—With such thin arms, how can she wield a bamboo sword so steadily?

Qing Deng couldn't help but glance a few more times at Okita's slender wrist.

Due to his limited swordsmanship, Qing Deng was unable to judge Okita's swordsmanship level based on the series of sword techniques Okita had just practiced against thin air.

But he could roughly estimate that the handsome young man's swordsmanship was not bad.

This is because this handsome young man can wield a thick bamboo sword steadily, accurately, and fiercely.

Wielding a bamboo sword steadily, accurately, and fiercely—this sounds easy, but it's difficult in practice.

It's hard to imagine that he could wield a bamboo sword so steadily and powerfully with such a slender frame.

—This person is really amazing…

Qingdeng silently added this sentiment to his mind.

……

……

The tuition fee at Shieikan was exactly the same as Kiryu had said: 3 monmoku silver per month.

Having already prepared himself for the financial loss, Qingdeng handed over the money with great ease.

Then, Kondo brought over a large book, which he said recorded the apprentices' information, and asked Aoto to fill it out.

There isn't much information to fill in; it's just basic information like name, age, and address.

Qingdeng lay on the floor of the dojo and quickly filled in his information in the book.

After closing the book filled with Qing Deng's information and tucking it under his arm, Kondo laughed heartily:

"King Tachibana! When Master returns in the future, you will be formally accepted as a disciple by him. You will then become a disciple of my Shiwei Hall!"

"It's still early today, not even 10 a.m. How about we start the Natural Mind Flow practice today?"

“Of course!” Qing Deng said.

—I came here so that I could learn swordsmanship and fight people as soon as possible.

Qingdeng silently added this sentence in his mind.

"Great!" Kondo slapped his thigh. "I love people like you who are full of fighting spirit!"

"Wait a moment. I'll go find you a new set of protective gear."

After leaving those words, Kondo, clutching the "Apprentice Information Book," strode out of the dojo.

After Kondo left, only Aoto and Okita remained in the dojo.

Just now, Okita had been sitting quietly next to Kondo without saying a word.

It wasn't until after Kondo left that Okita spoke to Aoto—the second thing they'd said since they met, aside from their self-introductions:

Welcome to Shieikan!

Okita Asahito flashed a bright smile.

Most people's smiles don't look good because of various reasons such as wrinkles on their face, unsightly teeth, etc.

However, there are a very small number of people who have extremely beautiful smiles and a unique charm when they smile.

The man in front of me, Okita Souji, happens to be one of those people.

Okita's smiling face reminded Aoto of the warm spring sun.

"Our Shieikan finally has a new member."

Okita, who had been kneeling respectfully on the ground just moments before, now casually switched to a cross-legged sitting position.

"I've almost forgotten when the last time a new person joined our 'Taro Dojo'."

"'Taro Dojo'?" Qing Deng asked in confusion.

"Hmm? You don't know our Shieikan's nickname?"

Okita raised his handsome eyebrows and then spoke slowly in a self-deprecating tone.

"This all started with the school of thought we teach—the Natural Reason School."

“Our Natural Rishin-ryu school is widely spread in the Tama region north of Edo, and many of our disciples are farmers from the Tama region.”

[Note: Commoners in the Edo period could learn swordsmanship at sword-making schools, but they did not have the right to carry a sword.]

"As a result, many bored fellows ridiculed our Natural Rishin-ryu as 'farmer's swordsmanship,' and then mocked our Shieikan as 'taro dojo,' a place that teaches 'farmer's swordsmanship.'"

During the Edo period, the word "taro" was often used to mock someone for being poor and stingy.

For example, in this era, there was a commonly used term to mock samurai: "taro samurai." When this term was used to refer to a samurai, it was to mock his poverty.

The meaning of "taro dojo" is a poor and stingy dojo.

—So this dojo has such a nickname... I've never heard Kiryu-san mention it to me before...

After thinking this to himself, Qingdeng put on a smile:

"I just saw the series of sword techniques you were practicing. Were those all techniques from the Natural Rishin-ryu school?"

"Oh? You saw my training just now? That's right! The sword techniques I just practiced were the moves of the Natural Heart Style!"

"In that case, those who ridicule your school's Natural Rishin-ryu as 'peasant swordsmanship' are either just parroting rumors or they simply lack vision."

Qing Deng said with certainty.

"If all the schools with so many powerful sword techniques are 'peasant swordsmanship,' then there are very few schools in the world that aren't 'peasant swordsmanship.'"

"Wow!" Okita's eyes lit up, then he smiled happily. "It's been so long since I've heard anyone praise our Natural Rishin-ryu style!"

“You’re right! If our Natural Rinnegan style is a ‘farmer’s swordsmanship,’ then there are hardly any other styles in the world that aren’t ‘farmer’s swordsmanship’!”

At this point, Okita paused.

"You were able to see the value of our Natural Rishin-ryu style? Have you studied swordsmanship before?"

“I only know the basics of swordsmanship.” Qing Deng honestly shook his head. “I am only good at hand-to-hand combat and baton... ah, no, ten-surgery. So I can vaguely see the extraordinary nature of your school.”

"Hand-to-hand combat and the Ten Surgeries?" Okita was taken aback, then quickly looked Aoto up and down several times, finally focusing his gaze on the inro belt on Aoto's right waist. "So you're a magistrate's officer!"

—You just realized that...?

After a silent smile, Qingdeng said:

"Yes, I am a member of the Hokuban-sho-cho town of Doshin."

“Oh! The Sadamachi-kai? One of the ‘Three-King’?” Okita’s eyes lit up again. “No wonder he’s good at hand-to-hand combat and the Ten Surgeries.”

Having said that, Okita, his eyes gleaming with excitement, spoke slowly in a tone that was both cautious and expectant:

"Um...may I see your inro?"

"Huh? Of course."

Although he was puzzled as to why Okita was interested in his inro, Aoto quickly took off the exquisite inro hanging from his right waist, a garment that only officials like him could possess, and handed it to Okita.

Okita held Aoto's inro carefully in his hands, as if he were holding something fragile, and examined it carefully from all angles.

"Are you interested in the Inro of the Magistrate's Office?" Qing Deng asked curiously.

“No, I’m really interested in the ‘Sanjin’ of the Magistrate’s Office.” Okita carefully examined Aoto’s inro before reluctantly handing it back to Aoto. “Since I was a child, I’ve always admired the ‘Sanjin’ samurai of the Magistrate’s Office.”

"I think they are amazing. They have been working hard to maintain the city's safety."

"If I have the chance in the future, I would also like to join the 'Three Returns'! To fight for the protection of the people and to kill those villains and scoundrels!"

Having said that, Okita, his face filled with determination, raised his hand and patted his flat chest forcefully.

"Working hard to protect the people... that must be exhausting," Qing Deng replied in a half-joking tone.

"If I can eliminate the villains and protect the people, then even if I suffer some hardship and fatigue, I feel it's all worth it." After saying that, Okita once again showed a bright smile to Aoto.

Okita seemed particularly interested in Aoto's "police officer" identity, and immediately pressed him for more information:

"I've always been very interested in the 'rope-catching technique' that's been passed down in 'Three Times'!"

As Okita spoke, he swung his arms in a strange motion, as if performing a ritual.

"I once had the privilege of witnessing a 'three-times' samurai use rope-catching techniques to catch thieves on the street."

"The thief threw a punch, and the 'three-times' samurai raised his hand and grabbed the fist. Then, with a 'whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,' he twisted the thief's hands behind his back and tied them tightly with a rope."

"That's amazing! They managed to tie someone's hands so quickly."

Rope-catching technique – a skill passed down through generations in government offices during the Edo period, using ropes to quickly bind thieves.

This is considered one of the essential skills for the "Sankai" samurai responsible for maintaining order.

"Yuanju Aoto" was quite skilled in rope-catching techniques, so after inheriting his memories, Aoto gained another unarmed combat skill.

"I've always wanted to ask you guys—how did you manage to tie up someone who was throwing a punch at you just a moment ago?"

After asking, Okita blinked his curious eyes.

"Ah, well... how should I put it..." Qingdeng raised his hand and touched his chin, "Just talking about it like this won't make it clear."

"How about this—you throw a punch at me, and I'll demonstrate to you how we can tie up the person attacking us in one go."

As Qingdeng stood up, he took out a sleeve binder from his pocket.

[Note: Sleeve sash: Japanese kimonos have very wide sleeves, which are very inconvenient for doing anything. Therefore, people often tie up the sleeves of their kimonos with sleeve sashes before doing any work. Thus, the sleeve sash became one of the common accessories that people carried when going out during the Edo period.]

When Qing Deng said he wanted to give a practical demonstration, the anticipation in Okita's eyes intensified.

"Can I just throw a punch?" Okita stood up straight.

“Yeah, just hit me directly.” After saying that, Qingdeng changed to a half-joking tone, “But don’t hit too hard. My rope-catching technique isn’t that good. If you hit too hard, I might not be able to catch it.”

"Well... I'll try my best to act like a frail old woman!" Okita chuckled.

"There's no need to pretend to be weak. Alright, you can attack now."