I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 758: Komuki Town, online! The blonde heroine, online! [5300]

The "flying kick" just now was not an ordinary flying kick.

In short, he is the special messenger of Huluwu! The swift pigeon.

Swift pigeons are only used when important information is to be transmitted within an organization.

The reason why he dressed up as an ordinary flying kicker was to deceive people and hide his identity.

Return to Osaka as soon as possible - looking at the big words on the letter paper, Mr. Kiryu slowly frowned.

The Senjiya run by Mr. Kiryu can be considered as a branch of Karaokeya in Edo.

The two places have always maintained communication, regularly sending letters and exchanging intelligence.

Even if nothing happened, Mr. Kiryu would send a "greeting letter" to Osaka, indicating that everything was fine in Edo and that he was not dead yet.

Generally speaking, if something happens that needs to be reported to Mr. Kiryu immediately, it will be written directly on the letter paper.

There was nothing written in the letter, it just asked Mr. Kiryu to go back as soon as possible... Today's situation is really rare.

If it is not necessary, Osaka will definitely not bother boss Kiryu.

After all, there is half of Japan between Edo and Osaka.

In summary, there was only one possibility - something happened that was inconvenient to discuss in detail on a thin piece of paper, so he was summoned back to Osaka so suddenly...

"…There's nothing I can do. I'll go back after such a long absence."

Boss Kiryu murmured as he put away the letter in his hand.

At this time, the big orange cat Duoduo rushed out from the inner room.

"Meow~meow~meow~"

Maybe she was hungry, Duoduo squatted at the feet of Mr. Kiryu and made a coquettish sound.

Boss Kiryu smiled and reached out to touch Duoduo's chin.

"Duoduo, I'm sorry to ask you to accompany me on a long journey."

Since I have to leave Edo temporarily, I naturally have to take this big orange cat with me.

Otherwise, this spoiled big fat cat, with its belly almost touching the ground and completely losing its ability to hunt, would surely starve to death.

"Meow~meow~meow~"

Duoduo barked even louder, as if to say: Okay! I got it! Stop talking nonsense and go get the dried fish!
After long-term management by the shogunate, the route from Edo to Osaka...or from the Kanto Plain to the Osaka Plain, has become extremely mature.

If we hire a sedan chair, we can reach Osaka safely in less than a week.

——Just happened to stop by to see Ju-kun and the young master...

Qing Deng is missing Boss Kiryu - and so is the latter.

Speaking of Aoto and Kinoshita Mai... Boss Kiryu's mind suddenly moved.

He looked down at the folded letter in his hand. Somehow, a bad premonition suddenly emerged in his heart...

……

……

Kyoto, Mibu Township, Shinsengumi camp, Aoden's office——

Swish, swish, swish, swish…

The occasional sound of pages turning became the only sound inside and outside the room.

Qing Deng bent his head over the desk, concentrating on reading an old book that was thicker than a brick.

This brick...ah, no, this book is none other than the government account book of Otsu.

Compared with the Shinsengumi's account books, Otsu's account books are undoubtedly much thicker and more complicated.

The accounting is like this: the military account books at most record the income and expenditure of baggage, while the account books of the vassal states need to consider a lot more.

Rice, millet, carrots, tea...the income and expenditure of various crops.

Leveling roads, digging canals, maintaining dams... a variety of expenses.

The cost of buying stones, the cost of hiring laborers, the income from selling tea, the income from selling porcelain...

Rows of names, strings of numbers...it's so dizzying!

After all, Qingdeng is not a professional accountant and does not have such strong professional knowledge.

If you are not careful, you will see it wrong or miss it.

Even with the blessing of talents such as "Super Brain +9" and "Photographic Memory", he still felt dizzy and overwhelmed.

After persisting for a while, he had to take a break, take his eyes away from the account book, and let out a long breath.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if "after being constipated for many days, I finally had bowel movements."

"We really need to find a competent director as soon as possible..."

Just as Qing Deng was secretly sighing, suddenly, light, cat-like footsteps were heard outside the room.

With a slight "whoosh" sound, the door was opened a tiny crack - Mai Kinoshita poked her head out, revealing half of her cute head.

"Qing Deng, are you busy?"

"I'm just taking a break now. What's the matter? If you have anything to say, just come in and tell me."

Upon hearing this, Kinoshita Mai immediately slipped inside and walked leisurely to Qing Deng's side.

"Hmm? Qing Deng, are you checking the accounts?"

The account book, as thick as a city brick, was hard not to attract Mai Kinoshita's attention.

Qing Deng smiled bitterly:
"Yeah...it's such an unpleasant chore."

"What kind of crap is written in there..."

"I really want to light a fire and burn this crappy book...!"

He briefly explained to the other party the various situations he encountered when checking Otsu's account books.

As a stranger, Qing Deng naturally didn't know the specific details of Otsu.

How much is Otsu's current grain production; how much grain is stored in the treasury; what is Otsu's annual commercial revenue... If he doesn't even have a grasp of these most basic economic conditions, then Qingdeng, as the feudal lord, would be derelict in his duty.

If you want to understand the economic situation of a place, the simplest and most direct way is to look at the account books.

The grain in and out of the warehouse every year; the expenses every quarter...all you have to do is look at the account books and you will see it all.

Otsu's account book... let's call it the "Otsu book" has always been kept and recorded by the Otsu Bugyosho.

The administrative efficiency of the Edo Shogunate has always been notoriously low.

Under the system of "hereditary aristocracy", officials are not afraid of losing their jobs as long as they do not make big mistakes.

As a result, an official atmosphere of "Why take it so seriously? Just do it casually" was developed.

So...the records in the account books by successive leadership teams of the Otsu Bugyosho were mainly casual!
At first glance, the records are full and seem to be very conscientious.

But if you look closely, there are a lot of contradictions in it, some even make you laugh and cry!

3184 copper coins were collected and 2899 copper coins were spent. Why was there a surplus of 290 copper coins?

Where did the 1860 koku of rice collected from Hiyori Village in the spring of 850 go?

Why is there always some extra money and food coming out of nowhere?
There are too many to mention.

Compared with these bizarre situations, those incomprehensible words and sentences that look like ghostly scribbles are relatively familiar.

After years of accumulation, "Otsubu" has turned into a huge mountain of shit code!

What Qing Deng had just done was to clean up this "shit mountain" and check for errors and omissions in the account books.

Even Qing Deng, who possesses a lot of talents, finds this a headache and a difficult task... It's not hard to imagine what a torturous job this is!

Mai Kinoshita listened carefully.

After Qing Deng finished speaking, she said confidently:

"Qing Deng, if you don't mind, I can help you!"

"Don't look at me like this, I'm pretty good at accounting!"

"When I was training under Mr. Kiryu, I was the one who managed the accounts of Senjiya!"

After saying this, perhaps to boost her morale, she patted her plump chest vigorously.

Even through a layer of cloth, Qing Deng could clearly feel the "rough waves".

When Qing Deng first met Kinoshita Mai, she was just growing up.

After 3 years, she has made great progress in all aspects.

Although it still cannot be compared with Sanako and Tenshoin, it is still a very impressive size.

But the strange thing is that she never grew taller.

At first, Mai Kinoshita didn't care much about her height.

According to the average level of adult women in the Edo period, Mai Kinoshita, who was 1.5 meters tall, was already considered tall.

However... ever since she met the taller Sanako, she became particularly conscious of her height and really didn't like people saying she was short.

One day, Qing Deng ran into Wu Kinoshita sneaking into a drugstore and asked cautiously: Boss, do you have any medicine that can make people grow taller?
The boss said bluntly: "If there was such a medicine, I would have become rich long ago."

That day, Kinoshita Mai was so depressed that it was like she was learning for the first time that there was evil in the world...

"Oh? Ah Wu, are you sure you want to help me with the accounts?"

Kinoshita Mai nodded vigorously:

"I'm willing to try!"

Her words woke Qing Deng up.

He almost forgot - Mai Kinoshita was one of the few people in the Shinsengumi who knew how to keep accounts.

Every one of the Shinsengumi generals was a rough and uncouth man.

The only people who could be considered intellectuals were Yamanami Keisuke, Kamo Serizawa, Todo Heisuke and Sanako.

Among them, only Shannan Jingzhu knew a little about accounting.

The other three - even the most educated Sanako - knew nothing about account books because "mathematics" and "accounting" were not included in the traditional curriculum of Yamato Nadeshiko.

Kinoshita Mai was not bragging, "bookkeeping" was indeed one of her specialties. Looking back, every time Qing Deng went to Senjiwu, he could always see her bending over the desk, concentrating on bookkeeping.

Until we find a suitable person to be the director, we can really rely on her a lot.

However, Qing Deng seemed to have remembered something, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

After a moment, he shook his head:

"Awu, you are busy enough already, I can't add to your burden."

"Instead of forcing you, it would be better to find a capable director as soon as possible."

In terms of busyness alone, Mai Kinoshita ranks among the Shinsengumi generals.

In order to live up to Qing Deng's trust and expectations, she always kept her nerves tense and devoted herself to building the 9th team from scratch.

Transforming a "rookie army" into a "special forces" that is proficient in skills such as infiltration, lock picking, and wall climbing is definitely not something that can be done by just shouting a few slogans and giving some encouragement.

Mai Kinoshita really taught the team members hand in hand and gave them everything she learned bit by bit.

As for the results, her efforts were not only not in vain, but also very effective!
The 9th Squad is changing with each passing day, and is becoming more and more like a "Ninja Corps"!
Qing Deng always sees Kinoshita Mai's efforts and dedication.

He didn't want to add more burden to his shoulders if it wasn't necessary.

"Awu, now you just need to concentrate on doing your job well."

"You don't have to worry about the rest."

"If I'm too busy and can't spare the manpower in the future, I'll come back to ask for your help."

Although Qing Deng's tactful refusal made Kinoshita Mai purse her red lips, she didn't say much, just said "Okay, I understand."

At this time, Qing Deng changed the subject:
"Let's not talk about work for now, let's get back to the point. Ah Wu, why did you suddenly come to see me?"

Kinoshita Mai chuckled.

"It's actually nothing."

"I just want to get you out of here."

Qingdeng raised his eyebrows:

"Going out? Where?"

Kinoshita Mai changed her tone to an excited one:
"It's a rare day that I have some free time today, so I plan to go meet Elodie!"

"Qing Deng, are you busy now? If not, why don't we go visit Elodie together!"

"Elody must want to see you too!"

Elodie - the moment Qing Deng heard this name, he felt vaguely dazed and his body subconsciously jolted.

When was the last time I heard this name?
Qingdeng hasn't seen this blonde loli from France for a long time!

Since the family moved to Kyoto, Elodie and her family have been living in seclusion in the eastern suburbs of Kyoto under the arrangement of their boss Kiryu.

As a close friend of the Angoulême family, Qing Deng would naturally not treat them unfairly.

As soon as they moved into their new house, Qingdeng went to visit them immediately.

After that, he visited them from time to time.

In order to ensure their personal safety, Qingdeng dispatched additional patrol officers near their residence, which was a disguised form of care.

However, in recent times, various major events have continued to occur.

First, Iemochi went to Kyoto, then Ichibashi Yoshinobu caused trouble, then the aggressive British fleet in Edo Bay, and then the "August 18th Coup"...

Qing Deng's energy was repeatedly consumed, leaving him with no chance to breathe, so naturally he had no time to visit Elodie.

He remembered that the last time he visited Elodie... was more than two months ago.

It was midsummer then, and now it is autumn.

Thinking of this, Qing Deng couldn't help but look ashamed.

——I am such an incompetent master...

After all, he is Elodie's swordsmanship master.

But in the end, his master disappeared every other day and did not play the role of "teaching, imparting knowledge and solving problems" at all.

Whenever he thought of this, Qing Deng couldn't help feeling guilty.

Kinoshita Mai blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Qing Deng with hope, waiting for Qing Deng's answer.

Qing Deng turned his head and looked at the sky outside the window, then retracted his gaze and looked at the "Dajin Book" in front of him.

After a brief thought, he suddenly reached out and slammed the account book shut.

"Okay, Awu, go change your clothes. Let's go meet Elodie together!"

……

……

The two were not on a business trip, so they were only wearing casual clothes and did not put on the light green haori.

Mai Kinoshita is still the same as before, dressed in red.

Bright red kimono and light yellow belt.

The cute little feet without socks were wearing a pair of red-studded wooden clogs.

Every time Muxia Mai moved her feet, the clogs would tap on her soles, making crisp sounds… This sight and this sound were something you could never get tired of seeing or hearing—at least Qing Deng never got tired of seeing or hearing them.

One of Qing Deng's hobbies is watching Kinoshita Mai walk, especially when she walks barefoot on the wooden corridor.

If it were not long ago, Qing Deng might have gone out with her bare face, without a face scarf or a hat, allowing her identity to be exposed, and just walked on the street without any care.

But not anymore.

Nowadays, whenever he goes out for personal reasons, he always covers his face to prevent others from recognizing him.

Otherwise, wherever he goes, the people of Kyoto will kneel down.

The rule that "the princes cannot be looked straight at, and the emperor cannot be looked up at" applies to the whole of Japan.

After seeing Qing Deng, not only the people of Otsu had to kneel, but the people of Kyoto also had to kneel.

The gap in status and class is not limited by region or environment.

To be honest, Qingdeng was not happy to see the "common people worshiping him".

Qing Deng is not the kind of person who stays at home and doesn't like to go out.

Apart from anything else, just to run Otsu, he had to travel back and forth between the two places frequently.

Every time I go out, the people along the way have to kneel down...that's so troublesome!

Qing Deng was tired of watching, and the common people were also tired of kneeling.

Therefore, in order to avoid this "lose-lose" situation, Qing Deng now tries to go incognito whenever he goes out, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble.

……

……

Kyoto, Eastern Suburbs——

Kinoshita Mai: "The weather is starting to get colder. It won't be long before we have to wear thicker clothes and scarves."

Qing Deng: "Well, time flies by so fast."

The two chatted idly.

Their pace was fast.

It would not be long before the home of the Angoulême family came into view.

At this moment, suddenly, a powerful burst of air chorus attracted their attention.

"Haaaa! Haaaa! Haaaa! Haaaa!"

The two of them stopped at the same time, then turned their heads to look at each other - they both saw surprise on each other's faces.

Kinoshita Mai was the first to ask:

"Qing Deng, do you think this voice sounds familiar?"

Qing Deng asserted without hesitation:

"Of course it sounds familiar. Isn't that Elodie's voice?"

Qing Deng would not have heard it wrong - the owner of this harmonious sound was definitely Elodie.

As a master, he would not misunderstand his apprentice's voice.

"Strange……"

Mai Kinoshita muttered.

"Elody and his family's home is not in this direction..."

Judging from the direction, Elodie's shouting did not come from her mansion.

The two looked at each other again - although they didn't say a word, they made the same decision - and followed the sound.

It didn't take long before they found a simple house - as they got closer, Elodie's breathing became louder.

There is no doubt that Elodie is inside this house.

There is a circle of earth wall around the house, which is not very high.

It might be difficult for Mai Kinoshita to see, but Qing Deng could just tiptoe and see the scenery inside the wall.

Looking up - behind the earthen wall is a neat little courtyard.

Elodi, wearing a kendo uniform, stood in the middle of the yard, holding a bamboo sword and swinging it repeatedly, sometimes slashing and sometimes stabbing.

Not far from her, a beautiful woman holding a cup of hot tea was watching Elodie's practice with great interest.

After seeing the woman's face clearly, Qing Deng couldn't help but exclaim:
"Ms. Gu Mu?!"

This woman was none other than the gentle woman who ran the Japanese confectionery shop with her husband - Komaki.

*******
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Today is 5,000 Leopard! Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation ticket! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

Elodie is finally online! After Qing Deng arrived in Luoyang, she has been missing. I feel sorry for Elodie's fans (豹謀.jpg)