I formed the strongest swordsman group

That night--

Edo, Kenmachi, Ichome, Sendai Five, Otochobo——

"Hmm...it's so cold..."

Miyagawa Toshizo was already sound asleep.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly felt a gust of icy chill enveloping his whole body like vines.

The icy feeling like a needle pricking the skin directly pulled Miyagawa Toshizo's consciousness from dreamland back to reality.

He slowly raised his eyelids, turned his head sideways, and looked towards the window.

Outside the window, there was a deep ink color, and countless crystal snowflakes intertwined with each other, embellishing the night.

The cold north wind whipped up the falling snowflakes and flew all over the sky, rolling them into a mess.

"No wonder it's so cold, it's snowing..."

Miyagawa Toshizo smiled wryly, lifted the quilt on his body, and stood up.

After leaving the warm bed, he suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He shivered several times, and while enduring the severe cold, he rushed to the window sill in three steps at a time, closing the wide-open window as quickly as possible.

"I actually forgot to close the window... Hehe... It seems that I am really old..."

After finishing speaking, Miyagawa with a look of helplessness on his brows let out a long sigh.

After laughing at himself like this, he threw the closed windows behind him, ready to return to bed and sleep.

However... the moment he just turned around, he froze in place because of a sudden realization of something.

Because he was drowsy and confused in his mind, he didn't realize it until this moment - no... the window of my room...isn't it closed all the time?

At almost the same time when Shunzo Miyagawa suddenly came to his senses, a calm male voice without sadness or joy sounded from behind him:

"Mr. Miyagawa."

Miyagawa was startled by this sudden call.

"who?!"

He turned around in horror.

Although he tried his best to control it, he still couldn't hide his panic.

With such actions and reactions, it was like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

"Mr. Miyagawa, don't be nervous, it's me."

Under Miyagawa's full gaze, the darkness at the corner of the window sill "squirmed" for a while - in the blink of an eye, a long and tall figure slowly walked out of it.

Looking at the mysterious and uninvited guest in front of him, Miyagawa blinked, eyes full of vigilance.

However, in just a split second, the vigilance in Miyagawa's eyes "collapsed".

Although the surrounding environment was very dim, due to the short distance, Miyagawa could barely see the face of the person in front of him.

The moment he saw the face of the visitor clearly, the horror on Miyagawa's face changed into disbelief.

"Tangerine... Jun...?"

Due to the shock, Miyagawa's voice was unconsciously elongated into a strange tone.

He raised his hand, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and repeatedly confirmed his vision.

"Mr. Ju, is it really... is that you?"

Unable to control his emotions, Miyagawa's tone was filled with uncontrollable joy.

Although we haven't seen each other for nearly 2 years, the other party's height, appearance... everything matches Miyagawa's impression and memory!

"Mr. Miyagawa, you didn't admit your mistake. It's really me. Long time no see."

The uninvited guest...that is, Qingdeng smiled at Miyagawa Toshizo.

"Mr. Miyagawa, please keep your voice down. If you attract the attention of others outside the room, then I will have a hard time."

After finishing speaking, Qingdeng stretched out his hand, and made a "please sit down" gesture to Miyagawa.

Although he didn't know why the "missing" Qingdeng suddenly appeared in his bedroom, Miyagawa obediently obeyed Qingdeng's words and did so truthfully.

He grabbed the cotton padded clothes that were neatly folded next to the futon, put them on himself hastily, and then sat cross-legged carelessly regardless of the coldness of the tatami.

Qingdeng sat down directly opposite Miyagawa.

Miyagawa carefully looked Qingdeng up and down from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Mr. Orange, you..."

Miyagawa paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about the appropriate wording.

Er, he sighed, and then slowly said in a tone filled with emotion:

"You have changed so much..."

Qingdeng said with a smile:

"Mr. Miyagawa, you're joking. But we haven't seen each other for 2 years, what can change?"

Miyagawa shook his head.

"No, you have really changed a lot."

"Although I can't tell why your place is different from before, but I can just feel that you are no longer the Wuxia Amen of the past."

Speaking of this, Miyagawa smiled self-deprecatingly as if recalling something.

"I'm ashamed to say... I only heard in Nara about 3 months ago that there was an 'Nioh' who was outstanding in swordsmanship and invincible in Edo."

"When I learned that the real name of 'Nioh' was 'Juqingdeng', I couldn't believe my ears."

"Although I have known for a long time that you are a late bloomer, you will be promising sooner or later, but I never thought that you would be so promising..."

"At this moment, after seeing your majestic demeanor with my own eyes, I am convinced that you are indeed a 'changing dragon'..."

"Hahaha, but it's nothing surprising."

"The birth of a hero depends not only on personal ability, but also on destiny and the current situation."

"When the fortune comes, the clouds rise and the dragons fly."

"Liu Bang in the Han Dynasty and Taige in the Warring States Period are all like this."

"If there is no help from the current situation, whether it is Liu Bang or Lord Taige, they can only spend an unknown life in a corner where no one cares about them."

Lord Taiko, that is, 300 years ago, he unified all Japan as a commoner and ended the troubled times of the Warring States Period. Unfortunately, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was finally picked by Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Toshizo Miyagawa has a very deep knowledge of Sinology, so he speaks with a brilliant tongue, and he has all kinds of allusions from ancient times and modern times at his fingertips.

In the face of Miyagawa's generous praise, Qingdeng's face neither showed complacency nor fear.

He only smiled lightly:

"I have never changed. If I have to say it, I have become stronger."

Looking at Qingdeng who is neither humble nor overbearing, a trance flashed in the depths of Miyagawa's eyes.

After a long while, he regained his composure and murmured:

"If Longzhi can see your current appearance, he will be very happy..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Miyagawa immediately reacted: It is really rude to mention his deceased father for no reason in front of the other party.

"Sorry, Mr. Ju, I was the one who was abrupt."

Qingdeng shook his head, indicating "don't worry about it".

"Mr. Miyagawa, what a coincidence, I take the liberty of visiting tonight, just to talk to you about my father."

"Talk about Longzhi?"

Miyagawa cast a surprised look at Qingdeng.

"Mr. Miyagawa, I'll make a long story short."

"For reasons I cannot say, I am currently investigating my father's past."

"Because of the lack of information, I came here to inquire about you who have a close relationship with my father."

"I know that my request is too rude and difficult... But I still hope that you can truthfully answer each of my next questions."

Investigate Takayuki Tachibana's past? The more Miyagawa listened, the more confused he became.

However, even though he was confused and in a fog, Miyagawa did not raise any doubts or objections to Qingdeng's request.

He raised his eyes and looked at Qing Deng who was staring straight at him.

"...I see. You ask! I will try my best to answer any questions I can answer!"

"Grateful."

Qingdeng bent down, bowed to thank Miyagawa, and then without further delay, asked directly:

"Mr. Miyagawa, as far as you know, did my father behave strangely before he died of illness? For example, he often went to and from a certain place, or often muttered incomprehensible words."

"Weird behavior..."

Miyagawa lowered his head, pursed his lips tightly, as if thinking.

After a moment, he shook his head slightly.

"It doesn't seem to be... At least in my opinion, before Longzhi's death, his behavior was not abnormal compared to before."

Speaking of this, Miyagawa changed into a sigh-like tone:

"If I have to say...it should be that Longzhi suddenly became addicted to gambling..."

Unfavorable start...the first question hit a wall.

Qingdeng immediately asked the second question:

"Then, did my father ever say something incomprehensibly strange to you?"

Miyagawa thought about it for a while, then shook his head again.

...

The question and answer between the two lasted about 10 minutes.

Just like what Miyagawa said just now, he tried his best to answer every question Qingdeng asked truthfully.

It's just... Although the process went smoothly, the result has been lackluster and unsatisfactory.

The answers Qingdeng got were either "don't know", "don't know", or "no", "seems like no".

For such an embarrassing result, Qingdeng was already mentally prepared.

To put it bluntly, for tonight's "Night Visit to Miyagawa", he was holding the mentality of "Anyway, I'm idle, so I might as well try my luck with Mr. Miyagawa".

Therefore, even though he worked to no avail, he was not in a hurry or annoyed, and his expression remained calm.

"Mr. Miyagawa, did my father come into contact with any strange people in the months before his death?"

"Well……"

Miyagawa groaned while touching his chin.

After a while, he "ah" turned his regret into his voice.

Just when he was about to shake his head again... He opened his eyes suddenly.

"No... no! I remembered!"

"There is a person!"

"By chance, I saw Long Zhi having a heated conversation with a person who shouldn't have had any interaction with him!"

Hearing this, Qingdeng's expression suddenly became solemn.

Please explain in detail—Qingdeng urged with his eyes.

"I remember...it was about 3 months before Takashi passed away. At that time, I went to Takayuki's home for some personal matters, and I saw Takayuki standing outside the gate of his house, having a warm relationship with a celebrity from Edo talk!"

"Edo celebrities?"

Qingdeng couldn't help blurting out a sound.

As if deliberately whetting Qingdeng's appetite, Miyakawa paused and cleared his throat.

After a few seconds passed like this, he paused word by word:

"The 'mad dog' Ugaki Goro of the solarium!"

"'Mad Dog'?"

Qingdeng's expression was instantly dominated by strong astonishment.

What kind of fate is this...

Not long ago, he had a fight with the Mad Dog family...

"Why did my father hook up with 'Mad Dog'?"

Qingdeng asked.

"About this... I don't know."

Miyagawa sighed.

"I also asked Longzhi how he knew 'Mad Dog'."

"One is Tongxin from the town of Beifan, and the other is 'Original Yakuza' who specializes in loans—these two people don't look like they can be friends."

"As a result... Longzhi just kept evasive."

"After all, this is Longzhi's private matter, and it's inconvenient for me to ask more questions. Besides, 'Mad Dog' is not a villain that you should never have close friends with, so I will put this matter behind me afterwards."

Qingdeng listened quietly until the end.

As soon as Miyakawa finished speaking, he murmured slowly as if chewing every word:

"'Mad dog'..."

There was a strange look in Qingdeng's eyes.

...

Afterwards, Qingdeng asked Miyagawa some questions.

Regrettably, the answers Qingdeng received were full of "don't know", "unclear", "no", "seems like no".

However, even though he was no longer lucky enough to get any valuable information, Qingdeng was already satisfied—knowing that Takashi Tachibana had an encounter with "Mad Dog" Ugaki Goro before his death, it was a worthwhile trip tonight!

Qingdeng grabbed the Echizen residence Chang Lu Shou Jianshi who was resting on his right side, and stood up with a "huh".

Seeing this, Miyagawa immediately asked:

"Mr. Orange, are you leaving?"

"Well, yes. I have asked all the questions I wanted to ask."

After finishing speaking, Qingdeng bent down, and bowed to Miyagawa who was facing him with no flaws.

"Mr. Miyagawa, thank you very much tonight."

"If the situation permits, I really want to stay and have a long talk with you who haven't seen you for two years."

"However, it is still not the time for me to rest and spend my days leisurely."

"When the weather calms down in the future, I will definitely visit again."

After finishing speaking, Qing Deng turned around and walked quickly towards the window sill not far away.

Just when Qingdeng pushed open the window and one foot was already on the window sill, Miyagawa shouted urgently:

"Mr. Ju, stay!"

Qingdeng paused.

While retracting the foot that had already stepped on the window sill, he turned his head sideways and cast a puzzled and curious look at Miyagawa.

Facing Qingdeng's gaze, Miyagawa smiled softly.

"Mr. Ju, I guess your relatives and friends told you that I'm living here?"

"Since that's the case, your relatives and friends should have told you why I rushed from Nara to Edo, right?"

After saying that, Miyagawa Neko lowered his waist and knelt down on the ground in the posture of Dogezaza.

"Mr. Ju, thank you for helping the little girl twice."

"Without your timely rescue, I really don't know what the consequences will be."

"Your kindness, I will never forget it!"

The "helping the little girl twice" in Miyagawa's mouth naturally refers to the fact that Qingdeng helped Otsuki when he was at the scene of the fireworks display and when Otsuki was kidnapped by Konosuke Kitahara.

Seeing Miyakawa kneeling on the ground, Qingdeng immediately stood half a step sideways, not accepting Miyakawa's courtesy.

"Mr. Miyagawa, you are welcome."

"The reason why I help Ling'ai is to repay your kindness to my Tachibana family."

"So you don't have to give me such a big gift."

Despite Qingdeng's persuasion, Miyagawa still didn't intend to raise his head.

"Mr. Orange, you..."

Miyagawa hesitated.

"You...you...do you still have a grudge against what the little girl did to you...?"

As Otsuki's father, Miyakawa knows Otsuki's unruly personality and the bad deeds that Otsuki has done to Qingdeng.

In fact, Miyagawa has always been distressed by Otsuki Mino's stubborn character.

He is a complete painstaking hand in family education, and he has no idea how to discipline his daughter.

Miyagawa always believed that it was because of his dereliction of duty and failure to raise his daughter well, which led to the bastard thing that "Otsuki played Qingdeng's feelings without telling him".

For this, Miyagawa has always felt quite self-blame.

Qingdeng raised his eyebrows.

Qingdeng, who hadn't expected Miyagawa to ask such a question at all, said softly after thinking about his words for a while.

"About those unhappiness in the past... In fact, I have received a sincere apology from Otsuki, so I don't mind anymore."

Qingdeng's eyes flashed the scenes of Da Yueshi kneeling and apologizing to him in the posture of Tuxiazao.

"not to mention--"

Qingdeng continued the conversation with a faint smile on his face.

"I already have a much better partner than Miss Otsuki."

After saying this with a somewhat proud and ostentatious tone, Qing Deng turned his head back and faced the window sill.

"Ah, I almost forgot to mention it. Mr. Miyagawa, please don't tell anyone that I came here tonight."

After leaving these words, Qingdeng jumped out of the window.

Miyagawa ran to the bed quickly, and looked out with his head.

Looking up, a tall figure with a black scarf around his neck and a blue feather weave was running straight north along the spacious street, and it melted into the distant night in a short while.

A wry smile with complicated emotions floated on Miyagawa's face.

"Longzhi...your son has really changed..."

Miyagawa's murmurs fluttered with the evening wind and dissipated in the night sky.

...

...

At this very moment—

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, Hijikata's house——

Although Hijikata Toshizo is a core member of the testing hall, he does not directly live in the testing hall like Qingdeng, Zongji, Inoue Gensaburo and others.

In order to facilitate sword practice, Tufang, who was born as a rich peasant and was not short of money, rented a small house near the test guard hall.

Starting from the testing hall, you can reach the "rental house" of Tufang within a few steps.

It was already late at night, and Tufang was preparing to dress and go to bed.

Just when he made the bedding neatly——

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

There was a sudden knock on the door outside the house.

"What are you doing..."

Tufang Xunsheng looked towards the entrance, frowning.

"It's about time... who is it..."

Despite all the reluctance in his heart, he still strode towards the entrance.

"Here it is, who is it?"

Wow——

The earthwork opened the door.

"A Sui! Have you seen the chief executive?"

As soon as the door was opened, Kondo's loud voice pierced Hijikata's ears, making Hijikata's eardrums go numb.

Hijikata took a closer look, and saw that the visitors outside the door were not only Kondo, but also Chiba Shigetaro from the Little Chiba Sword Gym.

"Asheng? Shigetaro? What are you doing at my house?"

Forgive me for Hijikata's words, Kondo rushed impatiently:

"I'll explain this to you later! Tell me first, have you seen the chief?"

"Director?"

Hijikata shook his head blankly.

"No, I haven't seen her all day."

"What about Sanako?"

Chiba Shigetaro on the side took up the conversation.

"Have you seen Sanako?"

The earthworker shook his head again.

"What's wrong? Are the chief executive and Ms. Sanako missing?"

——Could it be that...after Tachibana, even the chief executive and Ms. Sanako have disappeared?

Thinking of this, Tufang's expression couldn't help but become solemn.

"Hijikata-kun..."

Chiba Shigetaro said with a heavy tone.

"Sanako and the chief...they might have eloped!"

"……ha?"

Hijikata tilted his head, his face covered with a "what the hell are you talking about?" expression.

*****

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