I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 822: Prajna goes out! Prajna vs. Shinsengumi! [4500]

Time is tight and intelligence is scarce...

Under such circumstances, hoping to extract information from those stubborn prisoners would most likely fail.

Therefore, Qing Deng had to go back to his old job - before becoming the well-known "Niou", he was a fellow of the Edo Kitabansho Town!

At the moment, we can only rely on reasoning and intuition to determine the location where Yoshida Minoru and others set the fire!

Although Qing Deng’s last time investigating and solving a case was in the “Banning of Phantom Attachment” four years ago, his skills may have become a lot less sophisticated, but… he can’t care about that now!
It's always better to give it a try than to sit and wait for death!
After making up his mind, Qing Deng lowered his eyelids and concentrated on thinking.

First of all, it needs to be made clear that arson is a technical job.

Kyoto is not an ordinary city, its area is not small.

If it could be destroyed by just setting a fire, this thousand-year-old capital would have been reduced to ashes countless times.

——Those lunatics will definitely choose to set fire in the upwind direction!
There is a saying that goes "wind borrows the power of fire, and fire helps the power of wind."

If you want to burn down a city, you have to light the fire upwind to maximize the fire intensity.

When Qing Deng was rushing to the warehouse at full speed, he carefully observed the wind direction tonight - it was southeast wind.

In this case, Yoshida Toshima would most likely set fire in the southeast region.

In addition to wind direction, the specific location of the fire is also important.

If you want a fire to burn quickly and vigorously, you must have the right "materials".

Just like in Edo, samurai lands and temple and shrine lands occupy nearly 70% of Kyoto's area.

The least number of samurai and clergy owned the most land. For this reason, samurai lands and temple and shrine lands were generally sparsely populated, with wide roads and well-arranged houses.

On the other hand, the narrow roads and the staggering density of buildings in the townspeople's area were enough to make the firefighters' scalps tingle!
Looking back at every major fire in Japanese history, townspeople have suffered the most.

Qing Deng combined all the above ideas and came to the conclusion that the place where Yoshida Minoru and others set the fire was most likely the town area southeast of Kyoto!
If we set a fire or throw a handful of gunpowder there, Kyoto will be in danger!

However...even so, the range is still very large.

Even if the search area is narrowed from "all of Kyoto" to "townships southeast of Kyoto", it is just like looking for a needle in a haystack to looking for a needle in a large lake.

——Are there any other clues...?
Qing Deng frowned even more tightly.

He looked around, hoping that what he saw could bring him some inspiration, while he delved deeply into every detail in his memory, looking for clues and information that he had overlooked.

The Sonjo Faction, the Great Fire of Kyoto, the abduction of the Emperor, the Gion Festival... one word after another emerged in Qing Deng's mind.

At this moment, he suddenly realized something.

He realized belatedly that there seemed to be something wrong with his thinking!
Why did the crazy Sonjo faction burn down Kyoto?

Their actions were not simply violence, but an attempt to take advantage of the chaos to kidnap the emperor and regain control of the imperial court!
"Burning down Kyoto" and the like were just means to realize this plan.

In this case, their real purpose is not to "burn down the entire Kyoto", but to "make Kyoto as chaotic as possible"!
After realizing this, Qing Deng immediately changed his mind.

Instead of thinking about the best place to set the fire, we started thinking about what would cause the most chaos in Kyoto.

In a moment, a flash of inspiration appeared in Qingdeng's mind.

"Wait... I might know where Yoshida Minoru went."

As soon as these words were spoken, a bunch of surprised and suspicious eyes immediately fell on Qing Deng.

Miss Jin blinked her beautiful eyes hard, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Aki, do you know where Yoshida Minoru is?"

Qing Deng did not hesitate and immediately told him his idea.

After Miss Jin and the others heard this, they looked at each other... Without exception, they all looked horrified and thoughtful at the same time.

Ebina Ye Zong opened his eyes wide and murmured:
"This... this is really... is Yoshida Minoru really going to be there?"

Qingdeng said calmly:
"This is just my personal guess, and there is no guarantee that it is correct. However, I think my guess is likely to come true."

Before he finished speaking, Tojo Shintaro beside him chuckled a few times.

"Mr. Ju, your guess is bold, but it is not groundless nonsense."

"I think... Mr. Tachibana's conjecture is worth adopting!"

Tojo Shintaro made it clear that he supports Aoto.

Ms. Jin expressed a different opinion at this time.

"An Yi, although your guess makes sense, but... guesses are just guesses after all."

As she spoke, she sighed, her face full of worry and a struggling expression.

"To act without waiting to confirm whether the 'conjecture' is correct... is really too imprudent and too risky!"

"If your guess is wrong, it means we have come up empty-handed again, and the consequences will be disastrous!"

Ebina Ye Zong looked hesitant.

After a moment, he followed Miss Jin and cast worried glances towards Qing Deng.

Apparently, he was on Miss Jin's side.

Facing the doubts raised by Ms. Jin, Qing Deng smiled.

"Ms. Sumire, you are very cautious."

Miss Sumire raised her head slightly and answered loudly:

“This is a character I’m proud of!”

"It is thanks to this cautious attitude of 'thinking three steps ahead' that I have been able to escape danger time and time again."

Qing Deng chuckled a few more times.

"Ms. Jin, your concerns are not unreasonable."

"As you said, my guess is just a guess after all. No one can guarantee that it is correct."

"Unfortunately, time is tight right now and we don't have the opportunity to slowly make mistakes."

“It’s a difficult choice whether to continue scratching your head here or just take a gamble.”

"In my opinion, since we have no other choice now, why not take a gamble?"

"Maybe our bet is right?"

"As for the final outcome, we'll leave it to fate."

"We just need to do our best."

Having said this, Qing Deng paused.

Then, he changed his tone to a firm one:
“Sometimes, you have to be as decisive as jumping off a cliff!”

Qing Deng turned his head and glanced at the sky outside:
"time is limited."

"I've made up my mind—I'll take the gamble!"

He said this while steadying the sword at his waist.

"Anyone who wants to come with me, please follow me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tojo Shintaro firmly grasped the spear on his shoulder and silently moved to his side.

The hesitation on Ebina Ye Zong's face became even more intense.

He cautiously side-glanced at Miss Sumire.

After hearing what Qing Deng just said, Miss Jin was stunned and speechless.

But...she didn't make any move.

He just stood there straight, neither speaking nor moving, and watched Qing Deng and Dongcheng Shintaro running out without blinking, until the two figures disappeared from his sight...

……

……

Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa River), Ikedaya——

“Ahhhhhhhhhh——!” Matsuda Shigesuke yelled, raised his sword to the upper part, stuck his feet to the ground, and rushed towards Nagakura Shinpachi as if he was sliding.

Before the shout ends, the blade arrives!
In an instant, the knife raised above the head slashed diagonally downward, drawing a neat arc in mid-air!

The speed of the knife is so fast that it's terrifying!

Shinpachi Nagakura looked at the sharp blow coldly without retreating a single step.

He just turned slightly, adjusted his body, and swung the knife in his hand upwards - with a clang - he deflected the opponent's attack with just one move.

When Nagakura Shinpachi retracted the sword, there was a flash of light, and the sword was like thunder, slashing towards Matsuda Shigesuke's face!
If Matsuda Shigesuke had not reacted quickly enough and held the knife diagonally in front of his face in time to barely block Nagakura Shinpachi's attack, his eating utensils would have definitely fallen to the ground.

Matsuda Shigesuke was a famous swordsman of the Sonjō faction, and his skills were quite impressive - now it seemed that his reputation was well-deserved.

He fought against Shinpachi Nagakura and was not at a disadvantage!
Based on this record, even in the Shinsengumi, which is full of strong people, there are probably few who can defeat him.

Of course, as strong as he is, in terms of overall strength, Nagakura Shinpachi is still better.

"call……"

Nagakura Shinpachi exhaled all the foul air in his lungs - he suddenly lowered the blade, changing the middle section to the lower section.

The sudden change in his posture immediately made Matsuda Shigesuke on the opposite side nervous.

He silently clenched the knife in his hand, held his breath, concentrated his mind to the utmost, and did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

Even if you are just a bystander, after smelling the tense atmosphere between the two, you can keenly judge: the time has come to decide the outcome with one move!
Nagakura Shinpachi: “…”

Matsuda Shigesuke: “…”

In the blink of an eye, the two of them took steps forward at the same time!
The next moment, the two men's sleeves touched - the winner was decided.

Matsuda Shigesuke uses stabbing attacks.

Although the force was fierce, Shinpachi Nagakura easily avoided it.

After dodging, he lowered his body slightly, held the knife in his hand diagonally at his left side, and rushed towards the opponent's left armpit like a bull.

After passing through the opponent's armpit and the moment when the two of them passed each other, he swung the knife upwards, allowing the blade from the guard to the tip to slash across the opponent's waist and abdomen - Matsuda Shigesuke was cut in half!
There are no fancy techniques or tricks, just pure speed competition!

At first glance, there seems to be no difference in the speed of their swords.

But in fact, experts can see at a glance that Matsuda Shigesuke's speed and reaction are far inferior to Nagakura Shinpachi.

Because I wasn’t as fast as others, I lost - it’s that simple.

"Ahem! Ho-ho! Ho-ho-ho!"

After being hit hard in the waist, Matsuda Shigesuke's upper and lower body were almost separated, with only a small piece of flesh and blood still connected.

He had to lean his knife on the ground to support his body.

As his blood quickly drained away, he soon lost even the strength to hold the knife.

At this moment, there was no hostility towards the Shinsengumi in his eyes, nor was there any fanatical admiration for the Sonnō ideology. All that remained was a strong desire to survive.

He used his knife as a stick and staggered along, trying to escape.

His shaky figure looked like a drunkard.

Suddenly, he saw a tall figure appear in front of him - a young warrior walked out of the lightless shadows leisurely.

As his vision gradually blurred, Matsuda Shigesuke could no longer see the face of the person who came.

Just like a drowning man finding a life-saving straw, Matsuda Shigesuke reached out his hand to the other party tremblingly.

“Save me…save me…save me…”

The further he spoke, the weaker his voice became.

After saying these words, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, his eyes bulged, and then he slowly fell forward, onto the man.

What’s interesting is that when faced with the already dead Matsuda Shigesuke, the man had no intention of helping him up, and didn’t even look at him. He simply turned sideways and avoided Matsuda Shigesuke’s body as if it were a dirty thing, leaving it to fall to the ground.

The body of Matsuda Shigesuke merged with the shadow on the ground, and it was impossible to tell which was the body and which was the shadow.

"Excellent! That move just now was really brilliant!"

The man walked around Matsuda Shigesuke's body and stood right in front of Nagakura Shinpachi.

At this time, he finally walked out of the shadows completely, and the moonlight and candlelight illuminated his face and figure.

Nagakura Shinpachi looked closely - although the man was wearing a kimono, he was wearing a Western-style bowler hat and a Western-style cloak on his shoulders.

Shinpachi Nagakura couldn't help but frown when he saw this strange and unconventional outfit.

However...even though this person had a strange appearance as if he was a geek, after seeing him, Nagakura Shinpachi suddenly felt his hair stand on end!

His battle instincts, which had been tempered by thousands of times, told him that the person in front of him was no ordinary person!
So, without even taking a breath, Nagakura Shinpachi spread his legs as if facing a formidable enemy, got into position, and was ready to fight at any time.

This person... was Prajna, who asked:

"Which hero of the Shinsengumi are you?"

Nagakura Shinpachi maintained his fighting stance and said in a deep voice:

"Shinto Munen-ryu, captain of the Shinsengumi's second division, Nagakura Shinpachi."

After hearing this, Prajna was immediately surprised.

"Nagakura Shinpachi? Are you the Nagakura Shinpachi from 'One Tachibana, Two Okita, Three Nagakura, Four Saito'?"

"Hahahaha! I'm so lucky! I actually got to run into the Shinsengumi's third best expert!"

"I've long wanted to compete with you Shinsengumi!"

"Now is the day, now that we have met, let me learn the skills of the third best master of the Shinsengumi!"

After saying this, he put on a strange smile, raised his hand to adjust the bowler hat on his head, then drew out the sword from his waist with its scabbard, and carried it on his shoulder with his right hand.

Seeing this, Nagakura Shinpachi immediately frowned:
"What do you mean? If you want to fight me, why don't you draw your sword?"

Prajna shrugged and laughed strangely a few times:
"Don't be impatient. Let me test your skills first before you decide whether to draw your sword or not."

He fought with others but didn't even draw his sword... Prajna's contempt for Nagakura Shinpachi was obvious.

Seeing that the other party looked down on him so much, Nagakura Shinpachi changed color, frowned, and a terrible aura emanated from his whole body!

Of course, the battle-hardened Shinpachi Nagakura would not make such a low-level mistake as being dominated by emotions.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, shouted loudly, and attacked!

Because he didn't know his opponent's strength, Nagakura Shinpachi adopted the conservative strategy of "testing the opponent first", leaving enough energy to change his moves, and slashed diagonally at Prajna's chest.

Nagakura Shinpachi thought the opponent would jump away or draw his sword to block.

But who would have thought that he would suddenly wave his hand - he still didn't draw his sword, he just swung the sword with both the sword and the sheath!

The blade in the scabbard swept diagonally in the air and hit Shinpachi's blade squarely.

If he used the scabbard to block it, the scabbard would definitely be damaged. How could wood be a match for a steel blade?
But by doing this - using the sheath to hit the blade of Shinpachi Nagakura - he was able to not only preserve the sheath, but also deflect Shinpachi Nagakura's slash.

Shinpachi Nagakura was truly caught off guard by this situation.

However, he quickly recovered, pulled the knife back to his hand, and then used more strength to chop out a faster knife from a different direction.

But the result...it's the same scene again!

Prajna swung her sword with both the blade and the sheath attached, striking the blade of Nagakura Shinpachi hard, easily neutralizing his attack.

Two consecutive swords were deflected by the opponent's sheath... Nagakura Shinpachi gritted his teeth and dared not hold back any longer! After a short breath, he released a continuous and fierce attack!
Stab forward, chop horizontally, chop vertically, slash upwards, chop diagonally...

One knife after another.

One knife is faster than the other!

The dense slashing attacks and the flickering sword lights and shadows covered the entire space.

However... no matter how Nagakura Shinpachi swung his sword or how he attacked, he could not hurt the opponent at all!

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(End of this chapter)