I formed the strongest swordsman group

Edo, Tsukimiya Shrine——

Tianzhangyuan, dressed as a witch, sat with her legs together on a smooth boulder, and behind her was a towering ancient tree.

The warm sunlight with a touch of orange in the white, through the gaps in the leaves, casts mottled shadows on the delicate body of Tianzhang Courtyard.

Whenever the breeze blows, this leaf shadow flows back and forth lightly like a clear trickle.

The wind blowing from afar brings sporadic snowflakes from time to time.

The snowflakes rolling up and down in the air are shining brightly under the sunlight, like little elves flying all over the sky.

The particles of light, the dancing posture of snow bathe the already beautiful face of Tianzhangyuan even without makeup.

If there is a painter who loves to draw pictures of beauties, he will be shocked by the beauty of the scene in front of him, and then eager to engrave this scene on rice paper forever.

White on the top and purple on the bottom, the pure-colored maiden costume has a sacred aura.

This holy atmosphere complements the warm winter sun, making Tianzhang Court look like an immortal descended from heaven.

So, what is this pretty widow, who is as beautiful as a fairy, doing now?

She was just like an old lady, sipping the tea she was holding in her hand.

Sometimes, I feel that the tea is a bit too hot, and I will blow air on the tea in the cup in a very inconspicuous manner.

After drinking the warm tea, the whole body of Tianzhang Courtyard is warm and comfortable.

"Haha~"

Feeling extremely comfortable in his body, Tianzhangyuan stretched his waist like a cat, while parting his red lips slightly, and moaning seductively.

Slap... Slap...

At this time, the peaceful leisure time in Tianzhang Courtyard was broken by the sound of stepping on the snow that suddenly intervened.

"Huh? Oh, Tachibana-kun! Sae! Yae! You are back."

Following the sound of stepping on the snow, Tianzhangyuan looked at Qingdeng and the "Double Sisters" who were walking in the same shape.

I saw Qingdeng, who was walking at the front, holding a "custom clearance tool": the Yin fan with cherry blossoms painted on it.

"Second Sister" walked two steps behind Qingdeng.

Sister Sazhong looked indifferent, it seemed that she had accepted the fact that she was defeated by Qingdeng.

But the younger sister, Yae, was like a squirrel stuffed with acorns, her lips were pursed, her cheeks were puffed up, and she almost wrote the word "unhappy" on her face.

"You guys came out much earlier than I expected."

Tianzhangyuan put down the teacup in his hand and turned to look at the incense altar at his feet.

Of the two short incense sticks on the incense altar, one has been burned out, and the other has only just been lit.

"Sazhong, Yae, how's the situation? Did Tachibana-kun's performance surprise you?"

"..."

Sha heavy pursed her small lips, and said first:

"To be honest, Mr. Ju's performance is impeccable."

"To reach the attic of the house in such a short time proves that Mr. Tachibana's footwork and miraculous skills have reached a considerable level"

"As for the indoor fighting technique, it is even more exquisite."

"Even if I teamed up with Yae, I'm no match for Tachibana-kun."

"Mr. Ju has far surpassed us in terms of indoor combat skills."

As soon as Sazhong's voice fell, Yae took over:

"Although I am very unwilling...but the younger generation's Yunliu has indeed been practiced extremely well...but, Mr. Yu Du, if we are to compete with Mr. Ju again, I have enough confidence to beat the younger generation! Yixue Shame!"

"Cluck..."

Tianzhangyuan covered her mouth and let out her signature silver bell-like laughter.

"Since even those who are so strict agree with Mr. Ju's strength... Then it seems that Mr. Ju's Yunliu is really impressive."

After finishing speaking, Tianzhangyuan turned to look at Qingdeng.

"Mr. Ju, you have done a good job, I am very satisfied."

"You are ridiculous."

Qingdeng bowed his head.

Tianzhangyuan put down the teacup in her hand and stood up.

"What time is it...?"

She muttered, reached into the high bulging front, and took out a small golden pocket watch from it.

After checking the orientation of the minute and hour hands in the clock and confirming that it was too early, Tianzhangyuan nodded with a slight smile.

"Mr. Orange, come with me."

As the pretty widow said, she put the watch back into the mountains.

Qingdeng tilted his head, and asked Tianzhang Courtyard with his eyes: Where are you going?

The Tianzhang Academy quickly responded:

"Come with me to the archery field. It's been a long time since I gave you an archery lesson. It's rare that I'm free today, so I'll give you some pointers after a long absence."

Arrow Field - Hearing this word, Qingdeng's expression suddenly became strange.

"yes……"

In order to conceal the strange look on his face at the moment, Qingdeng hurriedly agreed, while lowering his head, so as not to let Tianzhangyuan and "Second Sisters" see his current face.

Sae and Yae were behind Qingdeng, so they didn't notice Qingdeng's current abnormal state.

But... the Tianzhang Courtyard right in front of Qingdeng is another story.

Even though Qingdeng lowered his head, the sharp-eyed Tianzhangyuan immediately noticed the strange look on Qingdeng's face.

In an instant, as if infected, the expression on Tianzhangyuan's face also became weird little by little.

With somewhat resentful eyes, she gave Qingdeng a vicious look, then turned around as if fleeing, strode towards the archery field, and muttered:

"Okay, okay! Don't be stupid! Come to the archery with me. If you procrastinate, I won't have time to teach you archery. In the afternoon, I have to deal with some big affairs."

"Okay, okay..."

Qing Deng also started to chatter,

Qingdeng took a deep breath, pretending to be calm, he put on a straight face, and followed closely behind Tianzhangyuan.

The two walked away. Only the two legitimate lolis were left standing there, facing each other with blank faces.

"Sister, why is Master Yu Du's expression so weird just now?

Yae blinked innocently.

"..." Sazhong seemed to think of something, and his small round face was instantly filled with intriguing emotions.

"I hope I'm thinking too much..."

Sasuke sighed softly.

"Huh? What do you mean by 'thinking too much'? Sister, don't tell riddles!"

Yae, whose eyes were still shining with innocence, puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"... Yae, sometimes you are so innocent and cute."

"...Did I get mad at you just now?"

Yae was stunned for a moment, and then slowly cast an angry look at Sae.

"I'm not blaming you, I'm praising you from the bottom of my heart."

After saying this in her usual tone of neither sadness nor joy, Sashige paused for a moment, and then added:

"In this chaotic world where it's hard to tell right from wrong. It's better to have a simple character."

After finishing speaking, Sazhong folded her hands in front of her body, and calmly walked towards the main hall of the shrine not far away.

"Let's go, Yae, let's change clothes, and then go clean the shrine."

"Ahhhh! I told you not to tell riddles! I hate people telling me riddles the most! What does the phrase 'I hope I think too much' mean? Also, why are you praising my simplicity for no reason? "

The frantic Yae, like a disturbing mosquito, "buzzed" around the yarn, uninterruptedly pouring "sonic attacks" on the yarn.

In the face of Yae's harassment, Sazhong was completely calm and calm like "you can do whatever you want, and the wind blows the hills".

No matter how noisy Yae was, she remained calm and didn't even look at Yae. Without changing his face, he looked ahead.

"After all, Tianzhangyuan is also a woman, and she is such a vigorous woman, it is inevitable to feel lonely..."

Sazhong muses to herself thoughtfully at a volume that only she can barely hear clearly.

"If it's Ju-kun... that's fine. Young, healthy, strong, and more importantly, easy to control. It's really an excellent object to relieve loneliness... It seems that the attitude towards Ju-kun will be more serious in the future. Just be respectful."

"Ah, sister! What were you muttering just now!

"You read wrong, I'm not talking."

"Ahh! Hate, hate!"

...

...

Tianzhangyuan loves cleanliness, so the dedicated archery field in Yuegong Shrine is always kept clean and spotless, and there is always a refreshing fragrance in the air.

Qingdeng was actually somewhat resistant when he was half-forced by Tianzhang Academy to practice archery.

Because he feels that it is a bit outdated to play bows in this era when the West has completed the first industrial revolution and even the second industrial revolution is about to start.

However, under the guidance of Tianzhang Yuan, Qingdeng's views on this weapon gradually changed after he settled down to study and study archery seriously.

In terms of combat effectiveness and practicality, the bow is indeed inferior to the most advanced rifles and artillery nowadays, but in terms of physical and mental training, archery has an incomparable and replaceable position.

In order to accurately shoot the arrow on the target, the accuracy of posture and the concentration of mental attention are indispensable.

Disturbance or improper posture will have a great impact on shooting accuracy.

Therefore, when Qingdeng practiced archery, he would often unconsciously enter a state of high mental concentration, where "the whole body is empty, and the body seems to be floating in mid-air".

Those annoying things will be unconsciously forgotten and ignored.

After the practice is over, when you come back to your senses, you will find that the original boring mood has become much more relieved.

Moreover, after seeing your own arrows successfully hit the target, there will be a sense of accomplishment, which is very conducive to decompression.

All in all, after learning about archery, Qingdeng understands why the ancients listed "shooting" among the six arts of a gentleman.

——Yes, that’s right, I fell in love with archery because practicing archery can strengthen my body and mind...

Qingdeng weighed the purple and the bow in his hand, and said this to himself repeatedly in his heart as if suggesting himself.

"Mr. Ju, today we are going to practice shooting at targets beyond 20 rooms."

Tianzhangyuan walked out from behind Qingdeng.

I saw her pair of wide sleeves of the maiden uniform, which were tied tightly with a purple cuff.

Two transparent white slender arms that would never be seen by anyone, are now openly exposed.

"For a goal at this distance, relying solely on arm strength is far from enough."

"If you have sufficient physical strength and arm strength, you can indeed try to shoot the arrow so far with only physical strength.

"But I don't recommend you do that."

"It's a bit stupid to insist on using such a stupid method when there are more labor-saving methods."

"Learn to use the wind and the force of the arrow when it falls... um... um... Tachibana-kun, can you understand what I mean?"

While talking, Tianzhangyuan used her slender hand to simulate the trajectory of the arrow when it fell.

Qingdeng nodded:

"Well, I understand."

——It means inertia.

Modern physics has just been introduced to Japan not long ago, and even high-level people like Tianzhangyuan have not yet come into contact with the proper physical terms such as "inertia" and "friction force".

"Well, it's good that you can understand. I will continue to explain."

Tianzhangyuan is really good at teaching people.

After listening to her simple introduction, Qingdeng already has a certain understanding and mastery of the "long-distance shooting method".

Afterwards, Tianzhangyuan personally started a wave of actual demonstrations for Qingdeng.

This woman is indeed a samurai Hime who is proficient in archery. She shot 10 arrows at a target nearly 40 meters away between twenty...all 10 arrows hit the bull's-eye.

"Okay, Mr. Tangerine."

Holding the bow, Tianzhangyuan stood half a step sideways, giving way to the shooting position.

"Come and try."

Qingdeng nodded and stepped forward.

Stand sideways with your legs stretched almost level with your shoulders.

To take the arrow, nock the arrow.

The left hand holds the bow tightly, and the gauntleted right hand holds the bowstring and arrows tightly, looking at the distant target.

After the arrow is stringed, use both hands to hold the bow and arrow above your head. Next, hold the bow with one hand and pull the string with the other. Spread your hands left and right, and pull the arrow on the string to be at the same level as your line of sight. the height of.

His right cheek lightly touched the arrow branch, his chin and lips were tightly pressed together, and his whole body remained still, as if the video tape had pressed the pause button.

This "time stands still" scene only appeared for a breath.

After a breath, the "video tape" began to play fast.

Whoosh!

The arrows shot out, accompanied by the wind, continued to extend into the distance.

A tense force popped out from Qingdeng's arms.

Qingdeng's movements are so standard that you can't find any faults. If you take a screenshot of his movements and posture, you can compile them into the textbook.

However... Although the standard of posture and movement is beyond reproach, Qingdeng's results are lackluster.

He shot 5 arrows in a row, but none of them hit the target.

Seeing this, Tianzhangyuan shook his head slightly.

"Mr. Ju, your movements are standard, but you haven't made good use of the power of the wind."

While talking, Tianzhangyuan walked slowly towards Qingdeng.

"You want to do this..."

Standing behind Qingdeng, Tianzhangyuan raised his arms.

With his left hand around Qingdeng's left shoulder, he went around in front of Qingdeng's body, and grabbed the bow in Qingdeng's left palm.

The right hand looped over Qingdeng's right shoulder, and also circled in front of Qingdeng's body, but it was pinching the bowstring in Qingdeng's right palm.

The temperature of human skin covered Qingdeng's back.

Qingdeng felt a warm and soft touch from behind.

Just like that, Qingdeng was frozen by the warmth coming from behind him.

Pocket watermelons are pressed into "pocket watermelon cakes".

"When you release the arrow, you need to raise the height a little more. Well, this height is almost the same..."

The breath of Tianzhangyuan continuously sprayed on the back of Qingdeng's neck and back.

Qingdeng felt that his heart rate was skyrocketing.

Plop, plop...

Qingdeng felt that the fabric of his clothes on his chest was being shaken slightly by his beating heart.

In addition to the skin and ears, Qingdeng's nose was also being strongly stimulated.

The smell is a bit like the deodorant of mint, continuously drilled into Qing Deng's nostrils.

Where did this fragrance come from? The answer goes without saying...

Tianzhang Court seems to be explaining something very serious, but Qingdeng can hear it too clearly, Ming Tianzhang Court is very close to him... No, not right. Such a distance cannot be described as "close proximity", the two are now completely attached to each other.

The voice of Tianzhang Courtyard seemed to come from far away. Blurred and floating.

Qing Deng managed to end this embarrassing situation.

He turned his head sideways and looked behind him out of the corner of his eye.

I saw Tianzhangyuan's expression was solemn and his eyes were solid.

The whole body seemed to be covered with labels called "seriousness". This extremely strong earnestness caused an awe-inspiring and inviolable aura of majesty to escape from his body.

There was no chance to interrupt at all... It was really because Tianzhangyuan's current demeanor was too solemn, and there was no chance to remind her! real! Not for any other strange reason!

Qingdeng said to himself in a firm tone.

"...Anyway, that's it. Alright, Tachibana-kun, try again by yourself...Huh? Tachibana-kun?"

After the explanation, Tianzhangyuan raised its beautiful face and looked at Qingdeng suspiciously, who seemed to be distracted.

Just when she was about to continue to ask "what's the matter"...she finally realized how uncomfortable the posture and distance between herself and Qing Deng's eyes were.

In an instant, Tianzhangyuan's entire face turned red. Her cheeks were as red as clouds.

"Hold, I'm sorry. My old problem happened again..."

Tianzhangyuan hurriedly let go of Qingdeng in his arms, took seven steps back in one breath, and instantly opened the distance between himself and Qingdeng.

Immediately afterwards, Tianzhangyuan seemed to have remembered something, and said to Qingdeng with annoyed expression:

"Mr. Ju, haven't I already told you? When my old problem recurs, you must remind me in time!"

There is no way to refute... Qingdeng, who was completely speechless, turned his face away in embarrassment, not daring to look at Tianzhang Courtyard.

"Yes, I'm sorry... because you spoke too seriously and focused, so I couldn't find the time to speak at all..."

The surrounding atmosphere changed.

Silence fell between Qingdeng and Tianzhang Courtyard.

Tianzhang Court did not make further accusations against Qingdeng.

She blushed, turned her head sideways like Qingdeng, and cast her eyes on the empty snow field not far away.

This scene made Qingdeng recall three months ago...that is, the day when he first learned bow under the instruction of Tianzhang Yuan.

At that time, Qingdeng discovered this defect of Tianzhang Courtyard for the first time.

At that time, the atmosphere was as awkward as it is now...

Just as Tianzhangyuan said, this is an old problem of Tianzhangyuan.

This famous Satsuma Princess may be influenced by her family tradition. Once she made up her mind to do something seriously, she would be extraordinarily focused, meticulous and undisturbed.

This should have been a good thing... but the problem is: Tianzhang Court is often too focused.

Focus so much that you forget the surrounding environment; focus so much that you ignore your current behavior, words and deeds.

Archery is Tianzhangyuan's favorite martial art - this is what she said personally.

When imparting this favorite martial art to Qingdeng, out of affection for archery and out of responsibility for Qingdeng, Tianzhangyuan frequently entered the state of "forgetting both things and me".

And Tianzhangyuan happens to be the kind of "actionist" who likes to do more than talk.

Compared with bluntly preaching boring knowledge, Tianzhangyuan prefers to demonstrate personally, and teach Qingdeng how to draw a bow and how to aim.

And so—the scene just now was born like this.

Immersed in teaching work, Tianzhangyuan couldn't help himself. In order to let Qingdeng understand the technique of using the bow more quickly, he moved his hands and feet unconsciously.

As early as the first time this embarrassing situation happened, Tianzhang Court told Qingdeng: Next time you see me making such a gaffe, remember to remind me in time.

At the same time, Tianzhangyuan also assured Qingdeng again and again that she would pay more attention in the future and never let similar situations happen again.

As a result, Tianzhang Courtyard guaranteed loneliness.

In almost every archery practice, Tianzhangyuan would uncontrollably have too close physical contact with Qingdeng many times.

After more than three months of "archery lessons", Qingdeng not only learned how to use the bow, but also memorized the body temperature and fragrance of Tianzhangyuan.

To this day, when Qingdeng sees the bow, he immediately thinks of the pretty face of Tianzhangyuan, the "personal guidance" given to him by Tianzhangyuan, and the temperature and smell that make people feel distracted—Qingdeng's imagination can be in this place. Such a leap forward is all thanks to the old problem of Tianzhangyuan.

This time, Tianzhangyuan showed the mature side of a 24-year-old adult woman.

"Ahem..."

She coughed twice.

These two light coughs broke the silence.

As the quiet atmosphere was broken, the embarrassment that permeated between the two suddenly dissipated a lot.

"Okay, let's continue practicing archery."

Tianzhangyuan put on a serious face, pretending nothing happened.

Qingdeng also borrowed the slope to get off the donkey. Take several deep breaths.

The talent "Emperor Art" is activated.

He quickly cleaned up his emotions and facial expressions, and tacitly chose not to mention the little accident that just happened just now, which has had countless precedents...

——I really fell in love with archery because it is beneficial to physical and mental health...

The self-suggestive self-talk once again echoed in the depths of Qingdeng's heart...

...

...

Afterwards, the archery class proceeded normally.

After several reminders from Tianzhangyuan, Qingdeng finally figured out the trick of the "long-distance shooting method", and his hit rate increased linearly, from the original "five shots with zero hits" to "ten shots with three hits" in one go. .

Qingdeng's drawing inferences from one fact and knowing everything from what he heard naturally made it unnecessary for Tianzhang Court to "personally guide" Qingdeng.

Despite consciously ignoring it, Qingdeng really felt somewhat regretful and lonely...

No more accidents happened—after more than an hour passed like this—

"Okay, Mr. Ju, come here for today's practice first. Come, drink some tea and have some snacks."

Kneeling at Tianzhangyuan, he sat in a gazebo dedicated to rest beside the archery field, with two teacups and a plate of mochi that he got from no one knew where.

"Is there only black tea?"

"Ah, yes. I have no taboos on tea."

After pulling the bow for more than an hour, Qingdeng's body and mind were a little tired.

It happened that I was also a little hungry, so Qingdeng was not polite, put the bow in his hand back into the bow stand, and sat down beside Tianzhangyuan with a golden knife.

"Mr. Ju, you really are an incredible martial art genius."

"Um?"

Qingdeng, who was drinking black tea, looked at Tianzhang Courtyard in confusion.

Why did you say this suddenly - Qingdeng asked with his eyes.

"I thought you were only talented in swordsmanship, but I didn't expect you to have such an amazing talent in bowmanship."

Tianzhangyuan showed emotion on his face.

"It only took less than 4 months to reach the level that I will reach after 4 years of hard training. If this continues, it won't take long, and I will have nothing to teach you."

Facing the sudden praise from Tianzhangyuan, Qingdeng smiled politely and said a few words modestly.

"Ah, yes..."

Qingdeng's face was startled, and after hesitating for a while, he asked Tianzhangyuan:

"Speaking of this... Your Highness Tianzhangyuan, I have a question that I have wanted to ask you for a long time."

Qingdeng asked with his eyes: May I ask?

"Um?"

Tianzhangyuan replied with an expression: You can ask.

Why did you teach me archery yourself? With your ability, you should be able to find many people to do it for you, right? "

"Ah, well...the reason is actually very simple."

Tianzhangyuan put down the teacup in his hand, turned his upper body to face Qingdeng, his smiling face was full of warmth.

"Because I like you! I want to spend as much time alone with you as possible!"

*****

*****

The evil crab, when I wrote today's chapter, I had to stop writing it! I don’t dare to write more about how Qingdeng and Tianzhangyuan were posted, it’s so sad! (Leopard sad.jpg)

The foreshadowing that should be done is almost done, and it is almost time to enter the main plot of the second volume (yes, the second volume has written almost 1 million words, but the result has not entered the main topic of "Rising to the Blue Sky" until now. The previous All the plots, whether it is the fireworks display or the bandit fight, are just the foreshadowing of the main plot that follows.)

The next plot will be very interesting, so stay tuned!