I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 379 Worshiping the Sword!Qingdeng's new sword: [Echizen lives in Hitachi Shou Kanshige]! 【5200】

"Gua Shengxiu..."

Qingdeng thought the name sounded familiar.

After thinking about it for a while, I quickly remembered who she was.

Before introducing Gua Shengxiu, we must first introduce a well-known institution: Shirobei Club.

Shirobei Clubhouse - it can be understood as Yoshihara's administrative office.

The reason why it has such a strange name is because the head of the club... that is, the old assembly of the past generations has inherited the name "Shiro Bingwei".

The head of the current clubhouse is "Nine Daime Shirobei".

The main job of Shirobei Clubhouse is to manage all kinds of miscellaneous affairs in Yoshihara and maintain the law and order of Yoshihara.

And Gua Shengxiu is an "elderly employee" in the Shirobei clubhouse.

According to legend, Gua Shengxiu worked in Shirobei Clubhouse for more than 70 years.

When she was just a young girl in her cardamom age, she was already carrying a wooden knife and running around to maintain the peace of Yoshihara.

Although she is a daughter, she possesses considerable swordsmanship and a sense of justice.

In ancient Japan, people collectively referred to some people with low social status or engaged in low-level jobs as "inhumans".

Those classified as "non-human" are: beggars, vagabonds, low-class kabuki, and playwrights.

The identity discrimination that goes deep into the bone marrow makes the girls live in dire straits of "the past is unbearable, the present is unbearable, and the future is not guaranteed".

Even the glamorous oiran is just a more expensive plaything in the eyes of the general public. [Oiran: The highest-ranking girl, also known as "Tai Fu"]

Almost no one thinks highly of Younv—and Gua Shengxiu is an outlier who does the opposite.

Gua Shengxiu never discriminated against Younv.

As long as You Nu is in trouble, no matter how difficult and troublesome it is, she will definitely help her with all her strength.

Whether it's the oiran or the middle of the night, she treats everyone equally, and she doesn't do anything special. [Midnight: The lowest-level wandering girl]

This wonderful woman once said such a famous saying:

I'm just an ordinary person, I don't have the ability to rule the world and govern the country and the people. I can't fundamentally save the wandering girls from the sea of ​​suffering, but at least I can protect them with my wooden knife and make life as easy as possible for these poor girls.

Gua Shengxiu's tolerance and kindness saved the bodies and souls of countless wandering girls.

In the dark nights, someone is willing to support them with a flame to disperse the darkness. Even if this flame is like the glow of rotten grass compared to the surrounding darkness, it does not prevent the wandering girls from paying homage to this "salary bearer" Great respect.

Therefore, the girls gave Gua Shengxiu a resounding nickname: "One Heart in Yoshihara".

It's a pity... even the famous sword master will eventually grow old and frail one day.

As early as more than 20 years ago, Gua Shengxiu was relegated to the second line because he could not hold a wooden knife.

However, although her body is old and her heart is strong, her enthusiasm for protecting the wandering girls has not weakened in the slightest due to the aging of her body.

Although she is no longer running on the front line, she has transformed from a "soldier" to a "psychiatrist", providing psychological counseling and assistance to wandering girls who can't bear the hardships of work and life.

Since Tianzhangyuan asked Qingdeng to say hello to Gua Shengxiu on her behalf...then the implication is that she knows this legendary heroine.

"Your Highness, do you know Miss Guasheng?"

Qingdeng asked curiously.

"It can be regarded as having a relationship with her once."

As Tianzhangyuan said, he showed a slight smile mixed with reminiscence.

"Not long after I left my hometown and came to Edo, I heard about Miss Guasheng's name and deeds. I yearned for her for a while, so I sneaked into Yoshiwara secretly and met her quietly."

"Although this happened more than a year ago, even though such a long time has passed, I still remember the scenes at that time."

"Just talking to the other person a few times, I was convinced: this is an outstanding woman with a very strong heart and I am very yearning."

After finishing speaking, Tianzhangyuan sighed with a complex expression.

"Anyway, Sheng Qing, just stop by and ask Miss Guasheng for me. If you don't have time, or Miss Guasheng happens to be out... then forget it."

This is not a very difficult and cumbersome task.

Anyway, it was just a favor, so Qingdeng nodded without thinking:
"Well, good. I will."

"Speaking of... Sheng Qing, don't you plan to go back and meet your relatives and friends?"

Since waking up, Qingdeng has been living in the Moon Palace Shrine, never went back to the test guard hall, let alone reported safety to his relatives and friends in Qianshiwu and Xiaoqianye Sword Hall.

"..." The faces of the chief executive, Kinoshita Mai, Sanako and others emerged one by one in Qingdeng's mind.

He pursed his lips tightly, and hesitation flashed across his cheeks.

"...No."

In the end, he suppressed the wavering of emotions, and then shook his head.

"In the eyes of the outside world, I am now in a 'missing' state where I don't know where I am. This is an advantage for me."

"The gang that was chasing me wantonly must be having a headache because they can't find me."

"To me, the gangster is a difficult enemy who is 'in the dark, and it is difficult to control its specific shape'."

"But the current me is the same for the gangsters."

"Therefore, if it is not necessary, it is better for me to show my face as little as possible in front of others."

"You have a home but can't go back..." Tianzhangyuan's vermilion lips let out a whisper like breathing, "This feeling must be very uncomfortable, right?"

"So——" Qingdeng smiled lightly, "In order to reunite with my cherished partners as soon as possible, I have to speed up and find out and eliminate that gangster as soon as possible."

……

……

Tonight -

Edo, Asakusa, Japan's banks——

Qing Deng straightened the bamboo hat on his head.

The low and wide brim basically covered his entire face.

When checking his luggage, Qingdeng's gaze involuntarily fixed on a white-handled sword on his left waist.

This is the new knife given to him by Tianzhangyuan.

Qingdeng's love knife, Dingguishen, experienced a series of changes of "being taken into custody by Beifan", "stolen", and "appearing at the murder scene", and returned to the warehouse of Beifan after a long detour.

Before completely clearing himself of his suspicions, Qingdeng should not even think about getting Ding Guishen back for the time being.

As a warrior who is good at swordsmanship, how can he not wear a sword around his waist?

Therefore, Tianzhang Court gave Qingdeng a good knife—that is, the white-handled Dao that is now hanging on Qingdeng's left waist.

Knife name: Echizen lived in Changlu and kept both weight.

At first glance, the name looks complicated and compelling, but it actually means something similar to "Yunnan Grandma Wang's Handmade Ham".

The XX in front of "XX live" represents a genre, usually named after the place name, followed by the name of the knife maker himself.

Some swordsmiths have their own unique names, such as the famous "Nagasomi Toru".

And some swordsmiths will be awarded nominal official positions because of their superb skills or outstanding contributions.For example, this "Chang Lu Shou and Jian Zhong".

Chang Lushou is an official title, and Jianzhong is the name of the swordsmith himself.

This kind of knife is named after the knife maker... It is not so much the name of the knife as it is the brand name.

The knives made by the well-known swordsmith Zhang Zeng Mihu Toru are basically dubbed "Chang Zeng Mihu Toru".

In the same way, any knives made by Hitachi Shou Kenshige of Echizen will basically be called "Hitachi Shou Kanshige of Echizen".

Similar brand names include: Shigeru Yamashige from Banshu, Matashige from Fujishima from California, Kanecho from Shirakawa from Oshu, Xingyou from Efu...

To be able to obtain an official position issued by the imperial court, one can imagine how superb this Chang Lu's dual-career skills are.

Echizen lived in Hitachi and made heavy productions, so it must be a high-quality product.

Overall, Qingdeng was quite satisfied with the new knife on his waist.

Although the length of the blade is a bit shorter than that of Ding Guishen, only 68 cm, the arc of the blade is large enough.

Compared with straight knives, Qingdeng prefers curved knives.

Moreover, if the arc of the blade is large enough, he can also maximize the power of his favorite skill and trick: "Drawing the Sword - Flowing Light".

"Very good..." After tidying up his clothes and making sure that his face was well covered by the bamboo hat on his head, Qingdeng stepped forward and walked towards the embankment in front of him...that is, the top of the Japanese embankment.

The full name of what is now called Yoshihara is actually "New Yoshihara".

In the third year of Genwa (1617), Shoji Jinemon, a brothel operator in Sumfu, and others obtained the permission of the shogunate to open the first flower street in Edo near Nihombashi, and Yoshihara was born.

In the third year of the Ming Dynasty (1657), the "Furisode Fire" reduced two-thirds of Edo to ashes - including Yoshihara.

Compared with the early days of the establishment of the Shogunate, the area around Nihonbashi has gradually become urbanized, and it is no longer suitable for building a romantic place here.

Therefore, the shogunate selected the reconstruction site of Yoshiwara on the Nippon Embankment in Asakusa.

The former Nihonbashi Yoshiwara was called "Motoyoshiwara", and the current Asakusa Yoshiwara is called "Shinyoshiwara".

Not long after walking, Qingdeng saw the famous landmark of Yoshiwara: Jianhui Willow—a willow tree planted near the entrance and exit of Yoshiwara.

The reason why it has such a name is that after having fun in Yoshiwara, the guests will often turn their heads and look back at the gate of Yoshiwara because of reluctance and unfulfilled desires when they leave, and they almost want to turn around and return.

Now that I saw Jianhuiliu...it means that I am not far from Yoshihara.

Qingdeng crossed Jianhui Liu and continued to walk for a while - the avenue leading to Yoshihara under his feet was called "Fifty Road".

In a short while, two teahouses built on the left and right sides of Wujian Road, with their shop doors facing each other, appeared in Qingdeng's eyes.

Although Qingdeng has never been to Yoshiwara, he also knows the names of these two teahouses: Henkasa Teahouse.

When Yoshihara was first born, the warriors and common people were relatively introverted at that time, and it was generally believed that it was a very shameful thing to visit the Fengyue place.

Therefore, some savvy businessmen opened a tea house outside the gate of Yoshihara, which not only provides food service, but also sells bamboo hats part-time.

Feel ashamed to visit Fengyue place?
Don't want acquaintances to see you going in and out of the fireworks and willow alley?
Then come and buy a bamboo hat that can be used to hide your face!
It is said that the business of knitting tea houses was once quite booming.

However, with the rapid prevalence of money worship, the previous ethics and morality gradually collapsed. Whether it is a warrior or a commoner, they have all let themselves go, and they will no longer feel ashamed about going in and out of Huajie and Liuxiang.

Although there are still people who will continue to wear bamboo hats to Yoshiwara out of shame, they are very few.

The bamboo hat teahouse is located right next to the gate of Yoshiwara... As Qingdeng thought to himself, he slightly raised the bamboo hat above his head and looked forward.

I saw a tall, wide open wooden door standing in front of me.

A lantern for lighting is hung on both sides of the gate, and a large Chinese character is painted on the surface of the cage: gate.

Under the gate, countless men and women shuttled like weaving, and most of them were men.

Many young people with sticks in their hands stood on both sides of the gate.

They all wore the same style of dark blue haori, with many decorative patterns painted on it, and two Chinese characters printed on both sides of the skirt: club.

Qingdeng thought: These people should be the official errands who are in charge of the Shirobei clubhouse in Yoshihara.

This marks the time when Yoshiwara's business is at its peak.

Due to the large number of people, in order to prevent stampede, the officials of the Shirobei Clubhouse shouted "Don't crowd!"

While Qingdeng was queuing silently, in order to pass the boring time, he swept his eyes and looked around.

Whether you look to the left or to the right, you can only see a huge wall and a deep moat that can't be seen for a long time.

This ditch is about 3.6 meters wide and is called "Royal Tooth Black Ditch".

In fact, it would be more accurate to call Yoshiwara a "walled city" instead of a "block".

"City walls" and "moats" are all available... It seems to be no different from a walled city.

Looking at the wall and the ditch, Qing Deng couldn't help shaking his head.

Yoshihara's exterior design... in a nutshell: firefighters would kill themselves if they came.

Whether it is a wall or a trench, there is only one purpose in its construction: to prevent wandering girls from escaping.

Yoshihara's wandering girls are "lifelong", unless they redeem themselves, they can't leave Yoshihara for the rest of their lives.

The gate in front of Qingdeng is the only entrance to this huge Yoshihara.

There are so many people in Yoshihara, such a large area, and this is the only place connected to the outside world...

It is conceivable what it would be like if there was a fire or other disasters inside Yoshihara - for this, "Motoyoshihara" 200 years ago has already given the answer.

The architectural layout of "Yuanjiyuan" is exactly the same as that of "Xinyoshihara" now, with a city wall, a moat, and only one gate leading to the outside world.

When the fire hit, there was unsurprisingly congestion at the gate.Can't get in, can't get out.

Driven by the desire to survive, the desperate wandering girls can only choose to climb the wall with their bare hands.

Such a high wall, such a smooth wall, even a strong warrior may not be able to climb over it, let alone a weak woman who sells her body for a living?

In the end, there were very few wandering girls who successfully climbed out of the city wall.

However... even if you successfully climbed over the city wall, it doesn't mean everything is all right - because there is a wide, deep and dirty moat outside the city wall...

At that time, the water of the moat had been scorched by the fire like boiling soup.

Most of the wandering girls who climbed over the city wall were boiled to death before they could even scream after falling into the moat...

The souls of countless wandering girls were broken into flames.

As a result, the government did not learn the lesson at all... No, it should be said that it deliberately did not learn the lesson.When rebuilding Yoshihara, Yoshihara was made into such an appearance that the firefighters would be anxious on the spot.

In the eyes of the senior officials of the shogunate, ensuring that the wandering girls do not flee is far more important than ensuring their personal safety...

Thinking of this, Qingdeng felt an uncontrollable sense of heaviness in his heart.

——Damn it...it doesn't treat people as human beings...

……

……

After queuing for nearly 5 minutes, Qingdeng finally entered Yoshiwara smoothly.

As soon as he passed through the gate, the rich fragrance of makeup and powder came to Qingdeng.

Looking around, a peach-red world.

"Master Mengshi! The servants have waited so hard for you!"

"Hey hey~~ Chihaya, I'm here to see you~~ hey hey~~"

"Boss! Is there a girl with bigger breasts!"

……

In order to deliberately create a charming atmosphere, the lanterns hanging on the streets of Yoshihara are all specially ordered red lanterns.

Passing through the gate, the first thing you come to is the central avenue of Yoshihara: Nakamachi.

The architectural layout of Yoshihara is a classic "square" structure.

Nakanomachi, located in the center of Yoshihara, divides Yoshihara into neat and symmetrical halves.

The closer you are to Nakanomachi, the more luxurious and high-end the Yumeya.

On the contrary, the farther away from Nakamachi, the cheaper and lower-end the girls' houses are.

Qingdeng didn't come here to have fun, so he didn't stop for too long. After inquiring about the location of the Thousand Flowers House with a member of Shiro Bingwei's official who happened to pass by him, he headed towards the Thousand Flowers House. heading in a straight line.

Along the way, Qingdeng was harassed by many strangers.

Jianshifan—in simple terms, it is "Gui Gong".

In front of the gate of almost every playgirl's house, there is one or even several solicitors.

These people who are responsible for soliciting customers are called "Jianshifan".

Qingdeng politely declined the enthusiastic solicitation of the Jianshifans, hurriedly, and finally found the exquisite door plaque with the inscription "House of Thousand Flowers".

Just as Qing Deng strode through the door of the shop, he happened to hear a conversation between the old and the young coming from inside:

"Really...she hasn't come back yet..."

"Mother-in-law, give up! I don't think that dead girl will ever come back! Alas, damn it! The money I spent on nurturing her is wasted!"

Qingdeng saw an old lady talking to a young man sitting behind the counter.

"... Farewell."

After leaving these words coldly, the old lady turned around and left.

Qingdeng didn't pay much attention to the old woman, glanced at her hastily, and then passed her shoulder to shoulder.

"Guian."

Qing Deng pressed the bamboo hat on top of his head, and said hello to the counter staff in a neutral manner.

"Oh! Guest officer!"

The faces of the counter staff were instantly filled with formulaic and enthusiastic smiles.

"Which girl are you looking for?"

"Is Baiju there? I'm looking for Baiju."

As soon as Qing Deng said this, the old woman behind him who had already stepped out of the shop with one foot suddenly stopped.

In the next breath, she slowly turned her head and cast a thoughtful look at Qingdeng.

"Uh...Guest officer, you, you want to find Bai Ju..."

The counter staff twitched the corners of their lips in embarrassment.

"That...Guest officer, I'm sorry, Baiju...she eloped with her lover..."

*******
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Ask for a monthly pass!Ask for a recommendation ticket! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)

　The Jianzhong website lacks historical documents of the Edo period, and the Shirobei Club happens to be extremely unpopular knowledge, so... You can hardly find any information related to the Shirobei Club on the Jianzhong website.

　　If you don't believe me, you can Baidu "Shirobei Clubhouse" - all the names that come out are "Shu Mengshi"...

　　Therefore, I would like to make a statement: Shirobei Club is a real government agency in charge of supervising Yoshihara in history, and it is not the original creation of the author.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)