I formed the strongest swordsman group

After the sound of "ding" sounded in his mind, Qingdeng immediately subconsciously held his breath and listened carefully to the content of the system tone.

When the system finished introducing what kind of talent Qingdeng copied, Qingdeng couldn't help but applaud secretly.

——Strong essence...good talent...!

The recovery speed of energy and stamina is fast... Another top talent that can make countless people envious.

Qingdeng, who was secretly delighted that he had gained another powerful talent, secretly sighed at this moment:

——The quality gap between the apprentices in the test guard hall is indeed very large...

Qingdeng discovered an obvious flaw in the guard hall shortly after he joined the guard hall—the quality gap between apprentices was too large.

The people standing at the top of the pyramid in the test hall... that is, Kondo, Okita, Hijikata, and Inoue, all of them have high comprehensive qualities.

Not only are they all very strong, but they all have top-notch talents.

Lonely courage, sword talent, ghost heart, strong essence...the talents of the four of them are better than each other.

But the rest of the apprentices under the four of them, that is, the apprentices at the middle and lower levels in the test hall, their overall quality is basically hard to describe...

Don't talk about strength, just talk about talent.

It's been nearly 8 months since the Qingdeng Entrance Examination Hall has been full of efforts and calculations.

There are so many people in the whole test hall, and it has been such a long time. So far, Qingdeng has only successfully copied the talent from Zhou Zhu, Kondo, Okita, Hijikata, and Inoue.

Leaving aside god-level talents such as "Ghost Heart" and "Lonely Dan", Qingdeng doesn't expect these terrific talents to appear wholesale.

"The increase in swordsmanship is X times the average level of ordinary people", which is a comparatively more common talent, and none of the other apprentices in the test hall have been found.

The overall quality of the apprentices in the test guard hall... can be seen.

The reason why such a phenomenon occurs is not difficult to imagine-the quality of students is not ideal.

Although the reputation of the Test Guard Hall is much better than before, the sword hall is just like a brand, and it cannot be built overnight.

The three major sword halls such as Xuanwu Hall, Military Training Hall, and Scholars Academy rely on hard power and a lot of time to gain fame and become bigger and stronger.

Compared with the sword hall that has just risen not long ago and was called "taro dojo" in the test guard hall, those people with high comprehensive quality and the "child prodigy" who are the favored children of heaven are naturally I am more willing to go to those long-famous big sword halls for further training.

"That's it!"

After Qingdeng knocked Inoue to the ground with a sword, Zhou Zhu, who was the referee, immediately walked quickly between the two, and stretched his right hand towards Qingdeng who was standing on his right, indicating that Qingdeng had won the match. The victory of sparring.

"Acceptance." Qingdeng put the bamboo sword in his hand back to his left waist, and bowed to Inoue politely.

Inoue, who fell to the ground, rolled with a sharp carp, stood up again with a "lump", and after paying Qingdeng a salute, he let out a candid "hahaha" laugh while taking off the mask on his head.

"Mr. Ju, what a beautiful blow!"

Inoue's old face under the mask was dripping with sweat... It wasn't the sweat of fatigue.

Anyone who has worn this kind of protective mask knows how stuffy and uncomfortable it will be after wearing this kind of mask. Even if you just stand there and do no strenuous exercise, you will be bored and sweaty.

Wearing this mask in the summer...basically torture.

Not to mention Inoue, Qingdeng's face was also covered with sticky sweat from being suffocated by the mask.

"It's really amazing. I was completely suppressed by you. I tried all the attack methods I could think of, but nothing worked."

"I haven't lost so convincingly for a long time."

Inoue, who was not stingy with compliments to Qingdeng, didn't have any negative emotions such as resentment, annoyance, etc. when he lost to a junior like Qingdeng.

There was only a big smile on his dark old face.

Very sincere smile.

It seems that losing to a junior like Qingdeng is something to be very happy about.

The discussion between Qingdeng and Inoue Shicai took a little over 3 minutes according to statistics.

In the eyes of laymen, the two seemed to be fighting fiercely, and neither would give in to the other.

But to those in the know...for example, to Okita and the others who had been standing on the edge of the dojo to watch the battle just now, the exchange between Qingdeng and Inoue was not that intense.

Because Qingdeng suppressed Inoue the whole time.

The two did fight fiercely, making the bamboo swords "crack", but if you look carefully, you can find that Qingdeng has been firmly controlling the rhythm and initiative of the battle.

Not to mention how Inoue attacked, his bamboo sword couldn't touch Qingdeng's body.

Since no matter how you cut it, you can't hit Qingdeng... then defeat is just an inevitable thing.

According to Qingdeng's own estimate, Inoue's strength is slightly inferior to that of Kanno.

That night 2 months ago, he dragged his exhausted and scarred body to kill Kanno.

Now, 2 months later, after going through the decisive battle with the barbarian group, I have accumulated a lot of actual combat experience again, and my strength has been further improved, and I have obtained a new powerful talent "bear waist", Even though his body has become sluggish due to recuperation for 2 months, there is still no reason why he will lose to Inoue.

"Yuan." Zhou Zhu walked slowly towards Inoue, "Compared to the past, the footwork is indeed much more refined. Not bad."

After simply praising Inoue a few words, Zhou Zhu turned his attention to Qingdeng.

"Mr. Ju, why do you always feel that you have spent two months of recuperating leisurely... your strength has not decreased but increased?"

The changes in Qingdeng's physical strength naturally cannot escape the speech of an old Jianghu like Zhou Zhu.

It's because my waist strength has become stronger--it's impossible for Qingdeng to say such a big truth.

Qingdeng could only prevaricate Zhou Zhu with the reason "Maybe it's because I've had a good meal recently and I've gained a lot of energy".

Fortunately, Zhou Zhu didn't entangle Qingdeng on this issue.

Facing Qingdeng's prevarication, Zhou Zhu only said "Oh...that's it" and didn't continue to investigate why Qingdeng's power suddenly became stronger.

This discussion with Inoue ended in a rather happy ending.

Inoue shows Shusuke his new footwork and learns about Qingdeng's strength.

Qingdeng gained the most. Not only did he know the strength of Inoue, one of the top fighters in the test hall, but he also got a new powerful talent.

The people who had no reason to stay in the dojo went back to the living room.

There was another enthusiastic chatter in the living room.

...

...

the next day—

In the first year of Wanyan (1860), August 4——

"Huh? Uncle Yuan, are you back?"

"Yeah, it's been a long time. I went back to my hometown to help my old friend reclaim wasteland. After 8 months of tossing around, I finally came back."

"Uncle Yuan, I haven't seen you for so long, you seem to have turned dark."

"Hahahaha, if you go to wasteland for a few months like me, you can be as dark as me."

"Uncle Yuan! You're back! You're not here, it feels like the testing hall has become incomplete."

"Hahahaha, then I have to travel less in the future!"

...

Inoue, who is kind and has no airs at all, is very popular in the test hall.

After seeing Inoue's return, all the old people who recognized the test hall were all overjoyed. They surrounded Inoue in three circles and three circles outside, and chatted with Inoue enthusiastically.

Today's atmosphere in the test hall has become extremely harmonious due to the return of Inoue, a "popular superstar".

It's a pity that Qingdeng didn't have the chance to taste this harmony.

Because today is the day when Qing Deng goes to teach Ai Luodi a class.

Edo, the settlement, Elodie's house—

"Elodie, your center of gravity is skewed. Lower the sole of your left foot a little more."

Qingdeng gave unceremonious and severe instructions to Ai Luodi.

"good!"

Following Qingdeng's guidance, Alodie lowered the height of her white and tender left foot slightly.

At this moment, Elodie was not wearing the white dress she often wore, but a fairly new women's kendo suit with white top and blue bottom.

A head of beautiful light-blond long hair, not braided into three strands and hanging down the right shoulder to the front of the body as in the past, but neatly coiled on the top of the head.

So dressed, such a hairstyle, coupled with the bamboo sword that she is holding in her hand and holding in front of her body, makes Elodie a lot more heroic than before.

With a serious expression, Qingdeng carefully looked at Ai Luodi from head to toe, and nodded slightly.

"Well, okay, let's do the set of movements I taught you just now."

"yes!"

"...Well, not bad. The movement is much better than before. Drink some water and take a rest."

"Um!"

Alodie put down the bamboo sword in her hand, moved her little feet, and ran quickly to the long table next to her, took a glass of water on the long table, and drank it.

After drinking the water in the glass in one go, Alodi took a white towel next to the water glass and gently tried the sweat on her face.

Looking at Elodie who was wiping sweat, Qingdeng who was standing aside thought to himself:

——This kid's talent... is really good.

Three days after being successfully discharged from the Renyitang, Qingdeng officially began to teach Elodie the natural flow of mind as a "tutor" in accordance with the promise he made to Elodie.

Although before accepting Ai Luodi as an apprentice, Qingdeng often helped guide and guide the juniors in the test hall, and accumulated a lot of teaching experience.

When watching how Zhou Zhu and Kondo teach people on weekdays, I also stole a lot of teaching methods and techniques from Zhou Zhu and the others.

But whether he can teach Elodie well...Qingdeng still feels a little uncertain.

This is the first time that Qingdeng has obtained the status of "Master".

With such an identity, Qingdeng felt great pressure while feeling complacent.

When he thinks that he is someone's master now, shouldering the heavy responsibility of nurturing his disciples into talents, and shouldering the future of his disciples... Qingdeng feels like his heart and body are sinking into the ground.

In order to relieve this pressure, and to live up to Ai Luodi's trust and expectations, Qingdeng can only do his best and devote himself to nurturing Ai Luo Di.

In the past two months, due to the need to recuperate and so much time, Qingdeng basically came to Ai Luodi's house every two days to provide Ai Luodi, who had never been exposed to Japanese swordsmanship, from scratch. Beginning of teaching.

Long before accepting Ai Luodi as his apprentice...that is, when copying the talent of "full breasts" from Ai Luodi, Qingdeng had discovered that Ai Luodi had a talent for swordsmanship.

After contacting and teaching Ai Luodi during these days, Qingdeng discovered that Ai Luodi's swordsmanship talent is much higher than he originally expected!

No matter how difficult the swordsmanship moves are, Qingdeng usually only needs to say or demonstrate them 1 to 3 times, and Elodie can understand and roughly imitate these moves by analogy.

Although in terms of pure talent level, Alodi is completely incomparable with super geniuses like Okita and Chiba Eijiro, but compared with ordinary people, Alodi can be regarded as a small genius.

Although Ai Luodi knew nothing about Japanese swordsmanship, she had studied stabbing swordsmanship in depth before, so she had a certain foundation in footwork and posture.

Excellent talent, the foundation laid by learning sword stabbing before, coupled with the hard work she has been practicing on weekdays... All of the above made Ai Luodi's progress speed extremely fast.

In just two months, he has changed from a person who has no knowledge of Japanese swordsmanship to a young swordsman who is quite imposing when he wields a bamboo sword.

Ai Luodi's talent and hard work have brought a different kind of motivation to Qingdeng - she must definitely teach this good seed!

——It's almost time...

Qingdeng glanced at the wall clock not far away.

Qingdeng, who felt that Alodie had almost rested, cleared his throat lightly.

"Ai..."

"master!"

Qingdeng was about to ask Alotti to start practicing again, but Alotti interrupted him by speaking in front of him.

Although according to the theory of relationship, Qingdeng is indeed Elodie's master, but Qingdeng, who doesn't pay much attention to such things as "appellation", has made it clear to Elodi that "you don't need to call him 'master' so respectfully, You can just call him 'Mr. Orange' as usual."

However, Ai Luodi insisted on asking Qingdeng to perform the master ceremony and address him as "Master".

"What's the matter? Why do you suddenly have a serious face? Is there something important you want to tell me?"

Qingdeng looked suspiciously at Elodie who suddenly stared straight at him, as if she wanted to say something important.

"No, it's not a big deal..." Elodie pursed her lips and asked softly in a cautious tone, "I just want to ask... Has the time for the fireworks festival in Edo this year been confirmed? Are you coming down?"

"Huh? Oh, the fireworks display. Yes, it has been confirmed. This year's fireworks display will be held during the three-day night from August 23rd to August 25th."

Fireworks display - this is one of the most important summer events in Edo, and it is also the most popular event among men, women and children in Edo.

The official name of the fireworks display in Edo is "Ryogoku Kaigawa Fireworks Display".

As the name suggests, the venue for the event is located near the Ryogoku Bridge across the Sumida River.

This event, which attracts the attention of Edo citizens every summer, originated in the early 18th century.

In the early 18th century, there was a cholera outbreak in Edo, and many people died. So in July 1733, Tokugawa Yoshimune, the 8th general of the Edo shogunate, held the "Chuan Shi Hungry Ghost" puja on the Sumida River, the largest river in the city, to save all living beings.

In July of the following year, fireworks were set off for the first time at the Water God Festival held to worship and ward off evil spirits. Since then, it has become a routine event, and it soon developed into an activity to enjoy the cool air that is strongly supported by the common people in Edo.

Unlike the Plum Blossom Festival, which has a definite time and duration, the opening time and duration of the Kaichuan Fireworks Festival in both countries are uncertain.

Every year, during the three months from May 28 to the end of August, pick a few good days to hold the conference.

Sometimes the fireworks are only shown for one night, and sometimes they are played for several nights in a row.

This year's fireworks display has been confirmed a few days ago - it will be held from August 23rd to August 25th, and the fireworks will be displayed for 3 consecutive nights.

It is said that the reason why this year's fireworks display lasted for three days was the idea of ​​the Edo shogunate.

In recent years, there have been many bad things in Edo, and almost no good things have happened.

In order to get rid of bad luck and relieve the depressed mood of the Edo people as much as possible, the Edo shogunate specially authorized the duration of this year's fireworks display to be extended as much as possible.

"August 23rd to August 25th..." Elodie lowered her head, staring at her toes thoughtfully.

Qingdeng took a deep look at Elodie who asked abruptly about the time of the fireworks display.

"...Elodie, do you want to watch the fireworks display?"

"Um!"

Elodie nodded vigorously without thinking, with a bright innocent smile on her face.

"I want to see it!"

"When I was still living in Osaka and before I moved to Edo, I was already looking forward to the 'Ryogoku Kaichuan Fireworks Festival', which is the origin of the fireworks festival!"

The Ryogoku Kaigawa Fireworks Festival in Edo was the earliest fireworks festival. Once it was held, it brought the atmosphere of "firework display" and "fireworks festival" to the whole country.

Today, in important cities such as Kyoto and Osaka, fireworks displays are held in summer.

"I want to go to the Ryogoku Bridge with Grandpa and Miss Leroy to watch the fireworks display in Edo this year!"

"Well... I'm afraid this is a bit difficult." As soon as Elodie finished speaking, Qingdeng smiled wryly, "Although the wave of 'radical extermination' in Edo is no longer as crazy as it used to be, the streets of Edo At present, it is not safe enough to allow Westerners to walk around casually."

Ever since Qingdeng killed Shenye and broke off the pillar of the Kobari group, the Kobari group, which lost the leadership of Kanno, was completely devastated.

Originally, the overall quality of the barbarian group was not very high, and most of the members were a bunch of rough, low-level warriors with little knowledge.

Without Kanno's iron-fisted rule and strong leadership, the remnants of the extermination group turned into a mess, only the slaughtered and wiped out.

Under the powerful suppression of Huofu Bandit Gai, the remnants of the barbarian group died, those who were arrested were arrested, and those who fled fled.

Just at the end of last month, the government officially posted an announcement: The Barbarian Group has completely become history! The barbarian group has been completely wiped out! From now on, there will be no barbarians in Edo!

The demise of the anti-barbarian group was a big blow to the remaining people and organizations in Edo who pursued the idea of ​​"radical anti-barbarian".

Judging from the size and activity of the organization on the surface, the Barbarian Group is undoubtedly the "biggest and strongest" among all the radical anti-barbarian organizations in Edo.

Such a powerful anti-barbarian group was wiped out... This made the remaining radical anti-barbarian organizations in Edo feel sad and sympathetic.

Therefore, with the demise of the anti-barbarian group, the intensified wave of anti-barbarians in Edo due to the assassination of Ii Naosuke was finally suppressed effectively.

Edo finally regained some of its former tranquility.

"Elodie, if you want to watch the fireworks, you don't have to go to the Ryogoku Bridge."

Qingdeng raised his head and looked at the surrounding windows.

"The residence here is not too far from the Ryogoku Bridge... so you can see the beautiful fireworks even if you stay at home, Elodie."

After forming a master-student relationship with Elodie, and at Elodie's request, Qingdeng's address for the child has changed from the original "Miss Angoulême" to the current direct name.

"But if you stay at home and watch the fireworks, it's not fun!" Elodie pouted her little mouth and stomped her feet vigorously, "If you don't go to the scene to experience the lively atmosphere for such a grand event , what's the point of that?"

——This is also...

Qingdeng thought to himself and nodded slightly.

Staying at home watching fireworks... really lacks the atmosphere.

"I'll have a good talk with grandpa later..."

Elodie's lips, which had just been pursed, were now flattened.

From the depths of the jewel-like gorgeous sky-blue pupils, there emerges a looming desolation that cannot be found unless one looks carefully.

"Anyway... I just want to watch the fireworks display..."

After all, Elodie took a deep breath.

After slowly spitting out the air that was deeply sucked into her belly, Alodi's expression returned to normal.

"Master, I'm sorry, I seem to have talked too much about things that have nothing to do with practice."

After Chao Qingdeng embraced with an apologetic smile, Elodie smiled and stabilized the bamboo sword in front of her again.

"Master, let's continue today's practice!"

...

...

Except for the episode of "Alodi stubbornly expressing that she wants to go to this year's fireworks display" in the middle, the teaching to Alodi today is quite smooth and smooth.

Qing Deng finished his guidance to Ai Luodi today, and when he left the residence, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

The westward sun shone on the road and on Qingdeng's shoulders. Qingdeng walked forward silently, walking into the shadows of the houses beside the road for a while, and walking into the sun for a while.

The summer sun is really venomous, and the shadows of all things are illuminated like thick ink. The surrounding scenery is shrouded in luxuriant green, the Kanda River in the distance reflects golden brilliance, and the sky is filled with thick white clouds unique to summer.

Qingdeng raised his head and right hand, covered the sun with his right hand, squinted his eyes and looked at the sky above his head, with a helpless wry smile on his face.

——It’s really hot enough...

Obviously, in this era, there should be no such messy things as the greenhouse effect and the heat island effect, but the weather this year is still surprisingly hot.

Qingdeng misses the convenience crystallization of human civilization such as electric fans, air conditioners, and refrigerators.

How about buying a cup of herbal tea... Just when Qingdeng was thinking about whether to drop by a tea house to buy a cup of herbal tea to relieve the heat——

"Hey...was this what it used to be like here?"

"Oh, Ah Guang, are you sure you are going in this direction?"

Qingdeng heard a man and a woman talking behind him.

"Hmm... We just haven't been to Edo for a year, how come there are so many street scenes..."

"Ah Guang, if we continue walking like this, we feel like we're going to get lost. Why don't we go to someone and ask for directions."

"Hmm... that's fine too. Ah, the samurai in front!"

Qingdeng heard the sound of light footsteps quickly approaching him from behind.

Noticing that the phrase "Master Samurai" should be calling him, Qing Deng turned back.

"Master Samurai, may I ask you the way?"

The speaker was a woman wearing a low-brimmed bamboo hat for sunshade, a green bathrobe, and a pair of green button flat clogs on her pretty feet without socks.

Most of the woman's face was covered by the low-edged bamboo hat on her head, so Qingdeng couldn't see what the woman looked like.

From the voice, the woman should be very young.

Qingdeng doesn't have any urgent matters right now, he is willing to help people with such trivial matters as showing people the way.

"En." Qing Deng nodded, "Where do you want to go?"

"Thank you very much." The woman folded her hands in front of her body, bowed to Qingdeng, then slightly raised the bamboo hat on her head, looked into Qingdeng's eyes very politely and said, "I want to ask: Xiao Shichuan What about Kohinata Yanagachi... um? Samurai master? Samurai master?"

The woman called "Master Samurai" several times in a suspicious and anxious tone, but she still failed to wake Qingdeng from the state of "extreme shock".

After the woman pushed up the bamboo hat above her head and met Qingdeng's eyes, Qingdeng seemed to have seen something unbelievable, his eyes stared as if they wanted to tear the corners of his eyes, and his expression changed suddenly.

Shock, doubt, bewilderment... These emotions were beautifully mixed together on Qingdeng's face.

Under the bamboo hat is a pretty face.

This woman is a beautiful woman in her early 20s at most.

Logically speaking, Qingdeng would definitely not show any facial expressions when he saw such a beautiful woman.

Qingdeng's side was surrounded by beautiful people, let's say.

After befriending Ai Luodi, Kinoshita Mai, and Sanako, all three girls who are as good as a fish and a wild goose, Qingdeng now has a very high threshold for the attribute of "beauty".

The reason why Qingdeng showed this reaction and expression at this moment is purely because the woman's appearance...is too "unbelievable".

Slender eyelashes, big and bright eyes, delicate nose and mouth, red and small lips, any one of the facial features is impeccable when taken alone, and it looks even more perfect when combined.

The woman's extremely beautiful face...was almost exactly the same as a face that Qing Deng was very familiar with.

"Okita-kun...?"

Qingdeng couldn't help murmuring softly the name of the beautiful boy who was carved out almost in the same mold as this woman.

"Um?"

Hearing Qingdeng's murmured words, the woman's willow eyebrows were erected, and her brows were slightly frowned. She took a few steps back and looked at Qingdeng with vigilant eyes.

"...Sir, do you... know me?"

"Ah Guang!"

At this time, a young man with ordinary facial features and figure ran over to Qingdeng and the woman with a "humchichi".

"Ah Guang, what's wrong?"

The young man looked at the woman in bewilderment, and then at Qingdeng.

"Ah Guang..." Qingdeng chewed softly on the young man's address to this woman.

Almost exactly the same face as Okita...

A light...

At this moment, Qingdeng suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, could it be that..." Qingdeng, who showed a sudden realization expression, let out a low exclamation, "You are Okita-kun's eldest sister: Okita Hikaru?"

This time the woman was changed and the young man was shocked.

"Are you... are the chief's friend?" The woman... Or Okita Hikaru asked Qingdeng.

...

...

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, Shouweikan, Office Room——

"first meet."

Hikaru Okita bent down, supported the tatami with three fingers, saluted Qingdeng and his party sitting opposite her politely, and continued talking.

"I'm the eldest sister of the head office, Okita Hikaru."

"This is my husband, Rintaro Okita."

"You, you, good afternoon... Ah, no, no! It's our first time to meet you!" The young man sitting next to Hikaru Okita, that is, Rintaro Okita, the husband of Hikaru Okita, hurriedly imitated Hikaru Okita's movements, and asked Qingdeng Waiting for others to bow and salute.

Compared with Okita Hikaru's naturalness and generosity, as his husband, Okita Rintaro is obviously much more restrained.

Since entering the test hall, Rintaro Okita looked quite nervous and cramped.

"My general manager has been taken care of by you on weekdays."

After saluting and introducing himself, Okita Hikaru slowly straightened up, and smiled very decently at the people in front of him.

Harada's daily behavior has always been the same, as if he didn't know what "etiquette" was at all, he poked his head forward vigorously, staring at Hikaru Okita's face without blinking.

"Sister Okita, you and Okita really look alike! It feels like twins!"

Since Okita Hikari appeared in the test hall, Yongcang and others have been staring at Okita Hikari's face with astonishment.

Even Saito, who has always kept his emotions hidden and rarely showed his emotions, looked at Hikaru Okita with eyes full of surprise.

The boss and his sister look so much alike.

Just like what Harada said just now, this pair of siblings who look extremely similar are like twins.

The biggest difference in appearance between the siblings... probably lies in the difference in height and hairstyle.

Okita Hikaru, who is close to 1.6 meters tall, is slightly taller than the 1.55-meter-long Zongji.

The general manager wore a high ponytail, while Okita Hikaru tied her hair into a Shimada bun, which is a popular women's hairstyle nowadays.

"Hahaha, thank you for the compliment." Okita Hikaru raised his plain hand and covered his lips with a chuckle, "Being praised for being very similar to my...my brother makes me a little happy."

"elder sister……"

The Chief is sitting behind his sister on the left. The two siblings, who look similar to twins, sit side by side, which is even more visually impactful.

"Why did you and your brother-in-law come to Edo so early?"

"What? I'm not welcome?"

Okita Hikari had a happy expression on her face, and she turned her head to show the boss a wicked smile as if she wanted to play tricks on the boss.

"It's not that you don't welcome..."

The director with a slumped waist and neck curled his lips, put his hands behind his head, and stroked the ponytail at the back of his head.

"It's just that you came so early, which surprised me. I thought it would take a few days for you to arrive in Edo..."

"Rin Taro and I don't have anything important to do recently, so we have a lot of free time. So we came here early."

After Okita Hikaru finished speaking, he moved his gaze, looked at the head of the chief executive, and then at the chief's feet.

"Boss, have you grown taller?"

This sentence of Okita Hikaru seems to have some special magical power.

As soon as the words of Okita Hikaru fell, the chief executive, who had been slung on his waist and neck just now, suddenly straightened his waist and head, met his eldest sister with bright eyes, and nodded vigorously with an excited expression. .

"Well! I did grow taller, I grew so tall—"

The general manager raised his right thumb and index finger to compare, and found a length of about 1 centimeter.

"Here comes the tea~~"

At this time, Inoue entered the hall with tea and snacks.

Serving tea and pouring water, cleaning laundry and other rough work in the testing hall has always been done by Inoue, the "old butler of the testing hall" who loves to do these tasks.

Previously, Inoue went back to his hometown to help his old friend reclaim wasteland, and these tasks were done by Abi, Zongsi and others.

After returning from Inoue, these chores and tiring tasks were naturally resumed by the old housekeeper.

"Uncle Yuan." Hikaru Okita picked up the tea that Inoue just handed over, and took a sip, "The tea you made is still so delicious."

"Hahaha." Inoue laughed a few times, "Xiaoguang, you are still as good at talking as ever."

"Hohohohoho, Hikari, Hayashi Taro." At this time, Zhou Zhu who was sitting directly opposite Okita Hikaru spoke, "It's been a long time since I saw you all!"

Abi, who was sitting behind Zhou Zhu, followed Zhou Zhu and said, "I am very grateful that you are willing to come to the dog's wedding."

"Master Kondo, Mrs. Kondo, please forgive me for a long time." Okita Hikaru put down the teacup in his hand, bowed slightly to Zhou Zhu and Abi, and said with a smile in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, "Kondo-kun is getting married Well, as the elder sister of the chief executive, how could I not come to the banquet."

Speaking of this, Okita Hikaru turned his eyes away and looked at Kondo.

"Kondo-kun, congratulations on your happy marriage."

"Hahaha, thank you!" Kondo, who had been seduced by Matsui Chang long ago, and since he first met Matsui Chang, was determined to continue the family tradition with this girl, showed an embarrassing smile, and scratched vigorously While brushing the hair on the back of his head, he let out a somewhat naive laugh.

"Xiaoguang." Zhou Zhu said again, "How is it? How are you doing recently?"

"We've been having a great time lately."

"Although Hinojuku is not as prosperous as Edo, it is quiet and simple, and it is not easy to be disturbed by the complicated world."

"The world is very chaotic recently."

"It's another barbarian invasion, and it's another one who yells, 'Get rid of the barbarians'..."

"Under this kind of world, living in a quiet, rural place that is not easily disturbed by others is a kind of happiness."

...

Overall, the eldest sister of the head office has a good impression.

Her demeanor is graceful, her conversation is good, and she is very polite. Talking with her feels like a spring breeze.

But Qingdeng always felt that Okita Hikaru's frowns and smiles seemed to have a strong aura of "strong woman".

Compared with Okita Hikaru, her married husband, Okita Rintaro, is a bit inconspicuous.

Rintaro Okita is also a samurai with two swords on his waist.

But whether it's appearance or temperament... Compared with a samurai, Rintaro Okita looks more like an old country farmer who seems to have never seen anything in the world.

Basically, Okita Hikaru was in charge of communicating with everyone in the test hall. Okita Rintaro sat respectfully beside his wife throughout the whole process, and rarely spoke.

I don't know if it's Qingdeng's illusion...

Qingdeng always felt that... his eldest sister and eldest brother-in-law came, and the chief executive seemed not so happy about it.

Obviously judging from the interaction between the chief executive and Hikaru Okita, the relationship between the siblings should be very good.

Okita Hikari boasted that the chief executive is tall, and the chief executive would be happy as if he wanted to jump up.

——Does Okita-kun hate being urged to marry by his sister so much...

Recalling the incident about "the eldest sister always urging him to marry" that the chief executive complained to him last night, Qingdeng couldn't help but think secretly.

...

...

For the next two days, Qingdeng's life was extremely peaceful.

Although Zhou Zhu invited Okita Hikaru and his wife to live directly in the test hall, and there are still places where people can live in the test hall, he was declined by Okita Hikaru on the grounds that "this is too much trouble for you".

Okita Hikaru led Lin Taro to live in a hotel not far from the test hall.

The two couples would come to the testing hall to visit every day, and they stayed in the testing hall for most of the day.

Relying on his super social skills, Hikaru Okita quickly got acquainted with everyone including Qingdeng.

Qingdeng's life in the past two days has nothing to describe in detail.

Just keep rehabilitating your body.

The sparring with Inoue made Qingdeng's body muscles recall the feeling of fighting a lot.

After two days of intensive rehabilitation, Qingdeng felt that his physical condition had basically returned to the state before the injury.

So...Qingdeng felt that it was time to start.

It's time to start practicing sword drawing!

...

...

In the first year of Wanyan (1860), August 6——

Edo, Senjiya——

clatter.

"Meow meow meow~~"

As soon as Qingdeng pushed open the shop door of Qianshiwu with a "clang", the big orange cat Duoduo ran towards Qingdeng with graceful cat steps while meowing.

"Ah, Qingdeng!"

Immediately after the meow was Kinoshita Mai's joyful call, and the familiar sound of Kinoshita Mai's little feet stepping on the wooden corridor "dong dong dong"

"Good morning, Ah Wu."

Qingdeng showed a warm smile to Kinoshita Mai who was walking towards him quickly.

*****

*****

Happy National Day everyone!

From October 1st to October 7th, during the entire National Day holiday, the starting point will carry out double monthly ticket activities.

So book lovers who currently have a monthly ticket, please be sure to vote for this book!

[Double monthly pass activity is only available at the beginning of this month, and there will be no more at the end of the month! 】

In order to celebrate the National Day, and also to ask for tickets, the author decided that during the seven days of the National Day, there will be one day in the middle of which I will go to play with my friends, so I will ask for a day off, [so the other 6 days, the author will try to pass it every day. Ten thousand! 】

For the sake of the author's hard work and hard work, please be sure to vote monthly for this book!

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

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

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

By the way: The "Second Character Popularity Voting" ended in the early morning of October 2nd! So today is the last day of this event, those who want to participate should hurry up!

***********

The most important use of monthly tickets [is not quantity], but [the ranking of monthly tickets].

The higher the ranking on the monthly ticket list, the higher the exposure.

The reason why the author has been asking for votes is to make this book rank higher in this month's monthly vote list.

So if you have votes in your hands, hurry up and vote now!