I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 382 Do you understand the gold content of being the first in the police academy?Qingdeng who solved the case in an instant! 【5000】

Yoshihara is not the only place where you girls live.

Vegetable stores, rain shops, pharmacies, grocery stores...everything you can imagine that is necessary for life is available in Yoshiwara.

The people living in Yoshihara are not only wandering girls, but also many ordinary people—most of them are employees who do odd jobs in the wandering girls' houses, or officials who serve in the Shirobei Clubhouse.

The above-mentioned shops are dedicated to the business of traveling girls who cannot leave Yoshiwara, and town people living in Yoshiwara.

Although Yoshiwara is a city with everything you need and complete functions, it is basically a red-light district.

Small is by no means small, but it is not so big if it is called big.

It only took more than half an hour, Qingdeng and Gua Shengxiu searched all the places that Bai Ju usually went to and where he might go - but found nothing.

Since just now, Qingdeng and Guasheng have been silent because of their heavy hearts.

Throughout Gua Shengxiu's life, she always regarded "protecting wandering girls" as her own responsibility.

A wandering girl... and a wandering girl who had a pretty good relationship with him disappeared for no reason, and she couldn't be found no matter how hard it was - it goes without saying how much this hit Gua Shengxiu.

Not to mention Qingdeng.

Bai Ju is the only clue he has so far to track down the gang.

In order to get this line, he even did not hesitate to have a head-on conflict with Huofu Thief Gai.

It took me a lot of effort to finally get such a precious clue, but it was cut off in such a vague way... How can Qingdeng let go of this?How to swallow this aggrieved?
"Hanatian-kun, we have arrived. This is the last place I can think of where Baiju might come..."

Hearing this, Qingdeng raised his eyes and looked around - a huge lantern came into view.

"here is?"

As soon as this question came out of his mouth, Qing Deng realized the answer by himself.

Huge lanterns... There is only one place in Yoshiwara that has huge lanterns.

Gua Shengxiu's next answer confirmed the correctness of Qingdeng's conjecture.

"This is where the autumn leaves are always lit, which is used to enshrine the right appearance of autumn leaves."

Akiba Gonken: A deity born from mountain beliefs and Shugendo in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, under the combination of gods and Buddhas, also known as "Akiba Sanchibo Daikongen".

[Shugendo: A type of traditional Japanese asceticism, which combines the characteristics of Chinese Buddhism and Japanese Shintoism. It was once all the rage in Japan, and believers practiced asceticism in various spiritual mountains. 】

[Shen-Buddhist combination: Japan's native Shinto beliefs and Buddhist eclecticism, and then learn to synthesize a belief system.It generally refers to the phenomenon of the unity of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. 】

Akiba is now a household name in Japan, and he is regarded as the "fire god" who can prevent fires.

Why is there enshrined in Yoshiwara-ri the Akiba Gongen to prevent fires?
The reason is not complicated.

First, the "Kan'ei Fire" that burned the entire "Motoyoshihara" to a white ground 200 years ago, turning most of the wandering girls into human coke, left a deep shadow on the hearts of the public. .

Second, Yoshihara is one of the most fire-prone areas in Edo.

Although according to Yoshiwara's regulations, women can retire at the age of 28, but this does not mean that women can sit back and relax after reaching the age of 28.

First of all, in this era without advanced hygiene concepts; in this working environment where day and night are turned upside down and there are no rest days to speak of, all the wandering women who can live to be 28 years old are all lucky "chosen people" .

Even if one is truly blessed by the heavens and manages to survive until the age of 28, when one can retire, one has to survive another hurdle that is as difficult as the sky, before one can truly embrace freedom—paying off debts.

All the wandering girls in Yoshihara are in debt.

Daily food and clothing expenses, etc., these expenses are recorded in the personal accounts of the wandering girls.

The wandering girls with some famous names are obliged to bring the newcomers with them and be responsible for raising them.The newcomer undertakes the work of taking care of the senior's daily life, and his food and clothing expenses are charged to the senior's account.

The girls who were sold to Yoshiwara by their families were even more miserable. While paying off their living expenses, they had to pay a large sum of money to redeem their contracts.

In the end, he regained his freedom in name, but he still had to work hard to repay the debt that he didn't know how long it would take... Maybe he would never pay it off in this lifetime.

The extremely harsh living environment has distorted the minds of countless wandering girls.

In order to retaliate against the society, a large number of psychopathic wandering girls deliberately set fire.

The incidence of "man-made fires" in Yoshihara is as high as appalling.

Not to mention far away, just talking about the man-made fires that have occurred in Yoshihara in recent years:

In the second year of Honghua (1845), three people including Yuqin (16 years old), a girl from Chuanjin House, set fire to it.

In the second year of Jiayong (1849), three man-made fires occurred in succession in this year.The arsonists of the first two fires were Kiyokawa (25 years old) and Daiharu (15 years old). As for the last fire...the number of arsonists was unprecedented—sixteen wandering girls from Umemoto House set it ablaze together.

In the fifth year of Jiayong (1852), Yuju (35 years old) set fire to it.

In the third year of Anzheng (1856), Meizhi (27 years old) set fire.

This is only the larger disasters, as for those intentional arson incidents with smaller damage range, there are countless.

Thankfully these fires were quickly extinguished so there wasn't much damage.

But... No one can guarantee that they and this Yoshihara will survive the next fire.

The closed environment of Yoshihara is doomed that once the fire gets out of control, the consequences will be disastrous.

Suddenly, man-made arson incidents happened twice in three days... The people of Yoshiwara felt helpless about this, and put their hopes on the protection of the gods.

Therefore, Akihayama, which is placed in the deepest part of Nakazhicho, is always lit, and it is considered one of the most popular places in Yoshiwara.

Whether you girls or ordinary people living in Yoshiwara, they often come here to pay homage in their spare time, praying for the "fire god" Akiba Kwonen to protect them from being killed by "fire and smoke".

Even though it was already night, there were still quite a few people gathered around Changdengming in Akiba Mountain.

Qingdeng looked around.

The flow of people passing by on both sides of him, although it cannot be said to be shoulder-to-shoulder, can also be said to be bustling.

Because it is the working time of the wandering women, the people who are still walking on the streets of Yoshihara at this time are either tourists, residents of Yoshiwara, or entertainers and chores working for various wandering women's houses.

"Damn...too many people..."

While struggling to stand on tiptoes, Gua Shengxiu stretched her neck to the limit - she tried to "condescend" to find Bai Ju's figure.

However... no matter how she tiptoed and stretched her neck, it only changed her height from "short winter melon" to "slightly better short winter melon".

At the sight, there are still the backs and chests of others...

At this time, Qing Deng suddenly said:

"Grandma Guasheng, sit on my shoulder!"

After finishing speaking, Qingdeng squatted down and turned his back to Gua Shengxiu.

Qing Deng doesn't know what Bai Ju looks like.If you want to find someone, you can only rely on Guasheng.Therefore, it is the best solution nowadays to "lend" the height to this "pocket old man".

"Okay, then I'll trouble you!"

Gua Shengxiu was also unambiguous, and readily agreed to Qingdeng's proposal.

With one step and one kick, she sat on Qingdeng's shoulder very neatly.

Although the body is old, the skill is still vigorous.

Gua Shengxiu's body was lighter than Qingdeng expected.

After she sat up, Qingdeng didn't even feel her weight much.

Anyone who has seen women's kimonos knows that the hem of women's kimonos is very narrow, so narrow that it is difficult to walk fast.

Therefore, Gua Shengxiu couldn't spread his feet, and couldn't directly straddle Qingdeng's entire neck.She could only put her legs together and sit sideways on Qingdeng's single shoulder.

A female swordsman with the same heart as Yoshihara, who is good at wielding wooden swords... These titles can easily give people the impression that "Gua Shengxiu must be a rough female man".

Not so.

Gua Shengxiu's demeanor is unexpectedly refined.

Her sitting posture at this time is too elegant.For this reason, she doesn't seem to be "sitting", but more like "floating" gently on Qingdeng's shoulders.

One can tell at a glance that Gua Shengxiu must have received a fairly good education in the past.

Such behavior, combined with her having a decent surname...Qingdeng couldn't help guessing that the old man who was sitting on his shoulder at the moment must have been a young lady, even if she wasn't a lady.

"Hanata-kun! Could you please go to the bottom of that cherry blossom tree?"

Gua Shengxiu's voice came from above his head.

After saying this, Gua Shengxiu pointed to a bare cherry tree not far away.

Every spring, Yoshihara will hire arborists to plant cherry blossom trees side by side on both sides of the streets in Nakanomachi.

In spring, Nakanomachi will become a veritable "flower street" surrounded by countless cherry blossom trees.

For the people of Edo, "'Oiran Michichu' surrounded by cherry blossom rain" is one of the scenery that must be seen in this lifetime.

[Oiran Road: The journey that the oiran leads a large group of people from the wandering house to meet the guests is called "Oiran Road", also known as "Oiran Tour"]

In another 2 months, it will be the time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Tree planters have now started planting cherry blossom trees.

Bare cherry blossom trees can be seen everywhere along the streets of Nakanomachi.

Hearing this, Qingdeng quickly put away the messy thoughts in his mind, followed Gua Shengxiu's instructions to push through the crowd, and walked under the cherry blossom tree she was pointing at.

The place Gua Shengxiu chose was a good location.

It happens to be able to have a panoramic view of the Akihayama Changdeng lighting and its surrounding areas.

Gua Shengxiu supported Qingdeng's back with one hand, while with the other hand he put his five fingers together on the brow bone.

Just move the line of sight like this, and after scanning every position within the range of vision back and forth for several times...

"No... still haven't seen Baiju..."

Gua Shengxiu let out a discouraged sigh.

Missed again...Qing Deng curled his lips.

"Grandma Guasheng, besides the places we just visited, is there any place where Baiju might go?"

Qing Deng asked in a low voice.

Gua Shengxiu pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"No more... Bai Ju is not the kind of girl who likes to wander around outside. The only places she likes to go, and the places she may go, come and go."

As Gua Shengxiu's voice fell, Qingdeng's face couldn't help but become serious.

Since they have really searched all the places where Baiju might be, as Gua Shengxiu said...then, even Gua Shengxiu who insisted that "it is not so easy for a wandering girl to escape from Yoshihara" can't do it. Don't face the following reality - Baiju may not be in Yoshihara anymore, she is somewhere other than Yoshihara.

If so, it would be troublesome.

How big is the world outside Yoshihara?

If Baiju is really no longer in Jiyuan...then Qingdeng and Gua Shengxiu may not be able to find Baiju even if they spend a month, a whole year, or even a lifetime.

After all, the information at hand is still too little.

I don't even know whether Baiju escaped by herself for some reason, or was kidnapped...

Whoosh-!
Suddenly, when Qingdeng and Gua Shengxiu were at a loss, another gust of cold wind hit.

Gua Shengxiu doesn't wear her hair in a bun.

Her hair style is exactly the same as that of the chief minister - neat bangs on the forehead and a neat short ponytail behind her head.

Gua Shengxiu reached out to hold down the ponytail that was blown up and down by the cold wind, and at the same time raised his eyes to look at the ever-lit Akiba Mountain not far away.

"Speaking of... half a year ago, when Fenghua and her lover were in the heart, it was also such a windy night..."

"Because Fenghua is in the hearts of her lover and her lover on a windy night, so later Hongmei and other imitators also choose it in the heart of her lover on a windy night..."

"Oh... what a bunch of silly girls..."

"Life is everything..."

"If you lose your money or love, you can try to start over, but if you lose your life, you really have nothing..."

Qingdeng smiled wryly and raised his head to look at Gua Shengxiu who was full of emotion.

Just at this time.

At this moment, Qingdeng raised his eyebrows and looked up at Gua Shengxiu who was still sitting on his shoulder.

His eyes suddenly froze.

Out of the corner of his left eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse... a scene that he was very concerned about.

Qingdeng slowly turned his head and eyes, looking directly at the scene that he was most concerned about - a young man who was sitting peacefully on the bench in the tea house.

This is a brightly lit tea house on the right side of Qingdeng, adjacent to Mount Akiba.

The fragrance of tea floats in the air, the big word "tea" is written on the door curtain, and there are benches for customers to sit outside the shop door... It is a very standard and common tea house in Edo.

The young man who was fixed by Qingdeng's gaze was holding a shamisen in his left hand and a well-shaped orange cat in his right hand. Bamboo basket.

The orange cat in the young man's arms shrunk its body tightly, its limbs and tail were extremely stiff, and its cat's eyes were staring blankly, as if in a daze.

"..." Qingdeng lowered his eyelids, as if thinking.

At this time, a girl dressed as a geisha with a shamisen in her arms passed by Qingdeng.

Just when the geisha was about to cross shoulders with Qingdeng, Qingdeng stopped her.

"Girl, stay."

Qingdeng put down Gua Shengxiu from his shoulders, and continued.

"May I borrow your shamisen, please? I'll return it to you shortly. Don't worry, your shamisen will never be damaged."

"Ah? This..."

The geisha's face was full of reluctance.

Musical instruments are the food for musicians like them who make a living by playing and singing.

Borrowing an instrument from them is like borrowing a sword from a samurai.

However, even though she was full of reluctance, the geisha didn't dare to say "no"—she looked at the saber at Qing Deng's waist with fearful eyes, and handed the shamisen in her bosom to Qing Deng reluctantly. ascend.

"Hanata-kun, what are you going to do?"

Gua Shengxiu looked puzzled.

Qingdeng didn't answer Guasheng.

After roughly looking at the shamisen loaned to him by the geisha, he strode towards the young man with the cat in his arms.

On the way, he stabilized the shamisen and started playing.

Of course Qingdeng didn't know how to play the shamisen.

All he played were notes of unknown meaning.

Qingdeng's strange behavior naturally attracted the attention of many people around him - the young man who hugged the cat was no exception.

The young man and the cat in his arms both raised their heads and cast puzzled looks at Qing Deng who was walking towards them while playing the piano.

Regardless of the strange gazes from all around, Qingdeng still strode towards the young man in his own way.

His eyes were fixed on the young man... No, to be precise, he was staring at the orange cat in the young man's arms.

"Hello." The young man frowned, "Who are you? Why... Ugh!"

The young man's voice suddenly turned into a miserable howl.

Before it was too late, Qing Deng suddenly let go of the shamisen in his hand, then stretched out his hands, pressed the young man's left shoulder and right wrist respectively, and knocked him down to the ground with exquisite grappling techniques!
Bang!
The body collided with the ground, making a muffled sound that was neither light nor heavy.

Meow~!

The frightened orange cat screamed and jumped aside.

The bamboo basket on the young man's back rolled to the ground.

"Hanata-kun!"

Gua Shengxiu hurried forward.

"What are you doing?!"

Qingdeng still ignored Gua Shengxiu's questioning.

"Miss Guasheng."

He said solemnly.

"Quickly open and check this fellow's bamboo basket!"

"Bamboo basket?"

Although I don't know what Qingdeng wants, but perhaps because of Qingdeng's imposing manner, Gua Shengxiu didn't ask "why", she walked towards the bamboo that fell not far away. basket.

"Wait, wait! Don't!"

The young man pinned down by Qingdeng let out a scream.

Gua Shengxiu opened the bamboo basket—the next breath, her eyes widened in shock.

In the bamboo basket lay a living person who was falling asleep.

"White Chrysanthemum?!"

Gua Shengxiu exclaimed.

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

How did Qingdeng find out that there was something wrong with this young man who hugged a cat?This may be more difficult to guess~ because it involves a lot of historical knowledge of the Edo period~~ People who do not have the corresponding knowledge reserve may want to break their heads and don't know why.

If someone can guess the answer, then the author will change 1 tomorrow!
　Yesterday, I took my mother to the aquarium of Guangzhou Zhengjia.People in Guangzhou should have heard of this place.

　　Although this aquarium is small and expensive, but fortunately, my mother was quite happy watching it. She saw a lot of animals that could only be seen on TV before, so it was worth the money.

　　And I also saw the seal I was thinking about!
　　Seals are so cute!

　　I really want to be a seal trainer!

　　I added a lot of "seal energy" in the aquarium!So the author will definitely be able to update tomorrow!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)