600】
Because of his fair skin, my grandson looks quite young, looking less than 20 years old.
Height is about 160cm. Slender figure.
Every piece of clothing on his body...including the straw shoes on his feet is clean. He seems to be a person who pays great attention to appearance.
His facial features can be considered delicate, and because he always has a slight smile on his face, his cheeks have a softer feel.
His piercing eyes, against the backdrop of the night, are extremely eye-catching.
It's a bit strange to say... maybe it's because his eyes are so bright and lively. When my grandson looked directly at him, Qingdeng felt like everything about his body... from the skin and flesh to the bones, internal organs and...
It felt like my soul was being seen through by him.
The head is not shaved into a shaved head, and the hair is black and shiny... My grandson's hairstyle makes Qingdeng feel more at ease.
Until now, Qingden still can't accept the Tsukiyo hair, which is almost the same as the "Mediterranean" except for the multiple buns.
After a cursory glance at my grandson's face, Qingdeng's brows slowly furrowed:
——Why are the troops transformed by Huo Fu Thieves...appeared here...?
In Edo, cases were handled in a very clear order.
If any case is discovered on the street, first call the town's police officer, whose functions are similar to the modern "police station + fire department".
If it's a fight between drunkards, or the wife of a certain family gets into trouble with a strong man who comes to kill termites, it's an easy-to-handle administrative case, and it's up to the family to resolve it themselves.
Only complex criminal cases such as home invasions, robbery, and murders will be handed over to the "three rounds" of the execution office for resolution.
If the difficulty of the case and the viciousness of the relevant suspects exceed the scope of what "Three Times" can handle, the case will be handed over to the Huo Fu Thieves.
In other words, ordinary people rarely have direct contact with the officials who were reformed by Huo Fu Thieves.
If a passerby reported the crime because he heard strange fighting noises here, then the first people to arrive here would definitely be the police officers from the local police station nearby, not the armed forces reformed by the thieves.
My grandson can appear here so quickly with his troops... The only reason Qingdeng can think of is that he is dedicated to hunting down these masked men!
Because I just received information from an informant or some channel, I learned that the masked man appeared near here, so I quickly mobilized my troops and rushed here...
Apart from this reason, Qingdeng really couldn't think of any other reason that could explain why my grandson and his troops suddenly appeared here.
——Who are those masked men who could become the targets of the Huofu Thieves...
Although Qingdeng's heart was filled with turmoil, his appearance was calm.
"I am Tachibana Aoden, a member of the Edo Hokuban Division, Sadaimachi Kaitoshin."
Qingdeng reported to the door calmly and neatly.
"I just happened to pass by this place and was attacked by a group of weirdos wearing masks out of confusion, so I don't know much about it."
"It's okay~~"
My grandson smiled and waved his hand.
"As long as you cooperate with me and tell me everything you know~~First of all-Nioh, can you please tell me briefly: why are you here?"
Qingdeng nodded, and after briefly thinking up some words, he briefly and concisely explained the whole process of how he came here and how he fought with those masked men.
My grandson put his hands on his hips and listened quietly.
When Qingdeng finished speaking, he made a "huh" sound and made a long sound that lasted for more than 10 seconds.
"I see... I understand the specific process and reasons."
After saying that, my grandson waved his hand to Qingdeng.
"Thank you for your cooperation~ You can go home now~~"
"Can I leave?" Qingdeng was surprised.
Although he belongs to a different government agency, Qingdeng is still a member of the "police system" of this era, and he is still familiar with the investigation procedures of this era.
Logically speaking, it is only an extremely common thing for an important person like Qingdeng, who has had close contact with the suspect and may be able to help the subsequent investigation, to be temporarily brought to the government office for detailed questioning.
My grandson neither took him away, nor did he cross-examine him too much at the scene of the crime, but only asked him one question from beginning to end... Qingdeng really didn't understand.
"Hahaha~~Yes, you can leave now~~"
My grandson smiled meaningfully while squinting his left eye. He stretched out his finger and gently touched his left eyelid.
"Haven't you already told me everything you know? In that case, there is no need to force you to stay here, right?"
"..." Qingdeng was speechless for a moment.
I thought to myself:
——How do you know that I have told you everything I know? Aren’t you worried that I am hiding anything or lying?
Should I say that he is a famous detective worthy of the reputation of "genius"?
His behavior is really weird...it's hard to keep up with him.
But there is one thing to say - my grandson is really right.
In Qingden Shicai's statement, he indeed told everything he knew truthfully - including the names of these people.
Except for the man wearing the "macaque mask" whose name was unknown throughout the whole process, the last names of the other three people were Ichinose, Ebina, and Akutsu.
Based on the tone of their conversation, Ichinose and Ebina...the two oldest ones were at the level of "leaders."
That Akutsu and the guy wearing the "macaque mask" both followed these two middle-aged people.
"Nioh, if there is nothing urgent to do right now, go home as soon as possible~~"
My grandson walked slowly to the dead body with no mask at all, and looked at the face of the dead body in the meager moonlight.
"I have to concentrate on investigating the case now, and I can't entertain you for the time being~~"
Being able to go home right away is something Qingdeng naturally desires.
However... I can't explain why, but Qingdeng felt inexplicably concerned about the group of masked men who acted strangely and told riddles that no one could understand.
The sudden appearance of my grandson, who was obviously here specifically for those masked men, and his team of Huofu thieves, made Qingden even more eager to know who those masked men were.
After hesitating for a moment, Qingdeng asked:
"...My grandson, do you know...who those masked men are?"
"Um?"
My grandson's hand stopped while checking the body to see if there were any other injuries.
"Why do you ask so suddenly?"
"It's nothing, it's just that... I saw that those masked people behaved and spoke in a strange way, so I was just curious for a moment."
"Well... those masked men are members of a very troublesome society that my team and I have been hunting hard for the past three months~~"
"Members of this association act extremely cautiously and will cover their faces tightly whenever they appear."
"The props used to cover the face are different each time. Sometimes it's a mask, sometimes it's a face towel, sometimes it's a scarf... So until now, they haven't even been able to issue a wanted order."
Let Qingdeng make the right decision...my grandson is indeed hunting down those masked men full-time.
"Association?" Qingdeng pondered for a moment and asked quickly, "Is it the kind of association that makes a living by killing people and selling goods?"
"Well...it's hard for me to answer this question for you~~This question already involves a confidential case, and it's inconvenient to disclose it to unrelated people~~"
"That's right...Sorry, it's me, Meng Lang."
Although my grandson doesn't want to go any further, it is quite rewarding to know that that group of people came from a certain mysterious society.
At a time when my grandson has already clearly said, "You can leave," and "We must concentrate on investigating the case," it would be inappropriate both emotionally and rationally to continue to stay here.
Just when Qingdeng turned around silently, planning to leave as soon as he could and leave——
"...Nioh."
My grandson suddenly stopped Qingdeng.
Qingdeng turned around and looked at my grandson with a slight frown on his face, giving him a "What's wrong?" look.
"I don't know if you know this..."
My grandson looked up at Qingden with a smile whose emotions were unpredictable.
"Because of your achievements in rushing to the aid of the Western settlements and severely damaging the anti-barbarian group two months ago, you were moved to the right here by our fire bandits. On November 1st, you officially took over the vacant captain of the third division and the seventh spearhead of the archery group.
The position of team leader."
"I know." Qingdeng nodded lightly, "One of my elders mentioned this to me a few days ago."
"Oh~~ You know, that's good~~"
"Why did you call me suddenly?"
"It's nothing. I just want to inform you: starting from November 1st, we are colleagues."
Speaking of this, the corners of my grandson's mouth turned up a little higher, and he smiled brightly.
"Although it's still a little early, I'd better say it in advance... Please be sure to give me more advice from now on~~"
"...I am the one." Qingdeng said calmly, "Please give me your advice."
…
…
My grandson watched Qingdeng all the way until Qingdeng's figure had shrunk to the size of a mung bean, then he turned his attention back to the body in front of him.
"My grandson."
An old man, about 50 to 60 years old, with dark skin and wrinkles on his face, walked slowly over and crouched beside my grandson.
"Did you find any useful information from the body?"
"have."
My grandson nodded gently, raised his hand and pointed to the waist of the corpse with a calm expression.
"Mr. Utsumi, we are very lucky - this man has the official seal of the temple hanging on his waist. As long as he is from the government, it will be easy~~"
After saying that, my grandson closed his eyes, raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand tightly together, and put the two fingers close to the center of his eyebrows.
"Let me check who this person is..."
My grandson seemed to be petrified, silent and motionless.
To avoid disturbing my grandson's inner sea, I slowed down and breathed lightly while keeping my body still.
After a while, the tone at the end of my grandson's sentence would always be stretched out in a weird voice:
"Oh... I found it, I found it~~ This person is the inspector under the command of the temple: Shirahara Ginji."
My grandson opened his eyes and put down the two fingers that were holding his eyebrows.
"Mr. Utsumi, please go back to the office now and carefully investigate the behavior of Shirahara Ginji in recent years."
Utsumi: "Yes!"
"If he is the kind of scum who behaves badly and preys on the common people... then it is basically certain that the perpetrators are the 'Ghosts of Yangming'."
After saying this, my grandson took a deep breath and raised his hand to scratch his hair with a bitter look on his face.
"These guys who have given up their reputation as 'people' have become more and more active recently... but please don't let us have another 'Osaka Battle'..."
…
…
The next day, early morning——
Edo, settlement, home of the Angoulême clan——
Although Qingdeng was forced to end with a less than perfect ending last night due to the sudden appearance of an unidentified group of masked men, but now that the matter has passed, he still has to live how he will live the rest of the day.
Regarding this group of masked men, although Qingdeng was very concerned about their true identities...but he didn't care enough to find out their true identities.
Qingdeng only silently remembered the existence of this group of masked people from a mysterious association, and made no plans to seriously investigate them.
If one day in the future we are destined to suddenly learn their true identities, that would be the best. If there is no such fate... then it doesn't matter. Anyway, no matter what the situation is, Qingdeng has nothing to lose.
Today is the day to teach Elodie.
When the hour hand of the clock was still two thumbs away from reaching the number "9", Qingdeng arrived at Elodie's house on time.
"Master! Good morning!"
A petite figure carrying a bamboo sword skipped towards Qingden who had just entered the entrance hall.
"Elodie, good morning... hmm?"
Qingden responded to Elodie's greeting with a smile, but before he could say the last two syllables of "Good morning", the cordial greeting turned into a confused sound.
Elodie's steps and voice were no different from the ones Qingden was familiar with in the past, full of the unique vitality of a child.
However... her face was visibly haggard.
As if covered with a layer of red, the eye sockets were stained with a layer of redness and swelling that is unique to crying.
This red and swollen mark is still very "fresh"...at a glance, you can tell that it must have been from crying last night.
"Elodie, what's wrong with you?"
Qingden asked urgently while quickly squatting down so that his height and eyesight were shorter than Elodie's.
"What happened?"
"Huh?" Elodie blinked in surprise, then said at a loss, "No, nothing happened...Master, why do you ask that?"
"... Elodie." Qingden said in a deep voice, "Your eyes are so red and swollen, and you still say you're fine?"
"Gu..."
Elodie raised her hands and touched her eyelids and eyelids.
"This...this...ah ha ha ha..."
Elodie laughed dryly and forced a smile that made her look stiff.
"Really, nothing really happened...Okay, okay, master, let's start today's lesson!"
He obviously had a strange expression on his face, but his tone was the same energetic one as always... This strong contrast made Qingdeng's eyelids begin to sink slightly uncontrollably.
At this time, a figure appeared in the corner of Qingden's right eye - it was Elodie's personal maid: Leroy.
"...Good morning, Miss Leroy."
Qingdeng stood up, briefly greeted Leroy, and then went straight to the point:
"Miss Leroy, I would like to ask, what happened to your residence recently?"
"..." Leroy looked calm as if he expected Qingden to ask her this question.
She looked at Qingden... then at Elodie... and finally lowered her gaze to the ground in front of her toes, biting her lower lip with her upper teeth.
He looked like he was hesitating to speak and didn't know how to speak.
"master……"
Elodie's childish voice suddenly intervened in the "confrontation" between Qingden and Leroy.
Qingden followed the sound and saw Elodie's forced smile.
"Nothing really happened... Let's start today's lesson..."
Maybe she wanted to make her words more convincing... Elodie specifically raised the corners of her mouth higher, trying to make her smile look brighter.
The result was just the opposite, as her smile looked even stiffer.
Seeing this, Qingdeng fell silent.
After thinking for a moment, he slowly said:
"...I understand. Let's go, let's start today's class."
"Well! Let's go!"
Elodie and Qingden walked to their class venue one after another: a spacious corridor somewhere on the first floor of the school.
Before leaving, Qingden specifically turned his head and glanced at Leroy one more time - until Qingden could no longer see her, the woman kept staring at the ground in front of her feet and stood there...
"Master! I recently gained some new insights on the 'Sword of Ignorance' move! I will demonstrate it to you later!"
On the way to the class venue, Elodie had been consciously looking for some cheerful topics to chat with Qingdeng... However, Qingdeng's reaction was very dull and he only gave some simple responses.
After arriving at the spacious corridor used by Qingden and Elodie as a class venue, Elodie temporarily put the bamboo sword in her hand on the floor, preparing to warm up.
But before that, Qingdeng stopped her.
"Elodie."
"Um?"
Qingden lowered his waist again and crouched in front of Elodie.
"Elodie, it's just you and me here now. We can speak freely without any scruples. So... stop making such lame excuses and tell me in detail, what happened? What happened to make you
Is it a very aggrieved matter?"
After finishing speaking, Qingdeng raised his eyes to observe Elodie's expression - the girl's face still had that forced smile... But I don't know if it was touched by what Qingdeng just said.
The forced smile on his face had dissipated a lot at this moment, and the brilliance in his eyes gradually dimmed.
Seeing this, Qingdeng spoke again:
"...No matter how you say it, I am also your master for the time being."
"Although I am just a swordsman who only teaches you swordsmanship, I may not be able to provide you with much help in many things...but I still want to do my best to help the disciples who are in trouble."
"When a disciple encounters trouble, as a master, if I just sit back and ignore it, I will never be able to justify it."
"Elodie, don't let me be an unscrupulous master craftsman."
After saying this, Qingden showed Elodie a simple... but friendly smile.
"master……"
That ugly smile that he had put on finally collapsed.
Elodie, whose lips were tightly pursed and the corners of her mouth were drooped, with a shadowy expression, lowered her head and looked at the hands folded in front of her uneasily.
Stare at a certain point without taking your eyes off it.
Qingden pretended to be all ears, "No matter what you say, I will listen carefully", and quietly waited for Elodie's reply.
"Actually... Grandpa will go to tonight's fireworks display without me..."
"Huh?" Qingdeng, whose expression was suddenly dominated by a look of shock, started to move before his brain. He asked quickly without any time to think, "Didn't Mr. Angoulême promise to take you there before?"
Did you do it for fun? Why are you regretting it now?"
"Grandpa... yesterday I heard about the grand event of this year's fireworks display from his friend."
"There are many more tourists going to the fireworks display than grandpa expected..."
"Grandpa initially thought that... after the people of Edo have experienced so many changes in recent years, fewer people would be in the mood and have the energy to participate in such entertainment celebrations... but he did not expect this year's fireworks display.
, will be as crowded as ever..."
"Grandpa is worried that accidents may happen easily when visiting such a crowded place..."
"So I decided not to take me with me..."
The tone of Elodie's statement was quite calm from beginning to end...but her calm tone contained obvious sadness...
"..." Qingdeng was speechless, feeling as if his body was tied to a big stone and falling straight to the ground.
It can be said that Aomori knows better than anyone else how much the girl in front of him is looking forward to this year's fireworks display and how much she wants to have a blast in this most lively celebration in Edo.
Qingdeng still vividly remembers Elodie's excited expression after learning that Anthony was willing to take her to this year's fireworks display...
These days, Elodie often discussed the fireworks display with Qingden with great interest during the breaks of sword practice.
It was clear that this long-awaited event was coming soon, but he was suddenly told that he could not participate... Qingden could not imagine how Elodie would feel when she first heard about this.
Her eyes, swollen from crying, silently told Qingdeng how painful and tormenting Elodie's heart was after learning the bad news.
"Haha...it's okay...! Master, you don't have to look like this. If you can't go, then you can't go...!"
Elodie took a deep breath, then she raised her head and stared straight at Qingdeng. The haze on her face was like morning fog when it encountered the sun, gradually dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"I can understand grandpa's good intentions."
"Grandpa also wants to take me to play."
"But this country is still very unrest... there are still many people who are very hostile to us foreigners."
"Grandpa's concerns are correct. For the sake of safety, it is better to go to crowded places as little as possible at the moment."
"Anyway, the fireworks display happens every year. If you can't go this year, you can wait until next year."
"By this time next year, foreigners like me may be able to take to the streets of this country without any scruples!"
After saying that, Elodie showed a comfortable and bright sunny smile.
If it weren't for the pair of red and swollen eyes, if it weren't for the uncomfortable and depressed mood flashing deep in the eyes, then this would be a perfect smile...
Elodie's smile made Qingden feel even heavier.
This little girl is only 12 years old this year. In modern times, she is still in elementary school. She is so sensible that it makes people feel heartbroken...
It was obvious that she should be extremely sad, but she could rationally express that she "understood grandpa's decision" and in turn comforted Qingdeng so that Qingdeng didn't have to feel too sorry for her.
"Okay, okay, master. Let's not talk about this anymore!"
Elodie, whose expression returned to normal, smiled cheerfully and raised her bamboo sword again.
"Let's start today's lesson quickly!"
…
…
That night--
Edo, Chishiya——
"Uh huh~uh huh~"
Mai Kinoshita was sitting behind the counter, humming an unknown ditty and following Kiryu's instructions just now, carefully checking Chishiya's recent account books.
"Little Lord."
Suddenly, Kiryu's voice sounded from behind Mai Kinoshita.
"Huh?" Kinoshita Mai stopped what she was doing, "Mr. Kiryu, what's wrong?"
"Young Master, I'm sorry, can you please run an errand for me now and go to the Ryogoku Bridge?"
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Come on! Come on! The spicy plot is finally coming! The show is about to begin... So it’s not too much to ask for a monthly ticket, right? (Leopard Death.jpg)
Please give me monthly votes! Please vote for recommendations! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)
As for Aomori's new official position: "Captain of the Third Division of the Fire Thieves Kaiden Division and Leader of the Seventh Division of the Preemptive Archery Division"... there is actually something interesting in this. For details, please read the "Writer's Words" below.
【Novel Highlights Announced】
As for Qingto taking over the vacant position of "Captain of the Third Division and Leader of the Seventh Division"... there is actually a tribute to the author in it.
One of the author's favorite game series: In the Yakuza series, the protagonist Sakamoto Ryoma of "Yakuza: Restoration" is set at the end of the Tokugawa period. In order to find out the truth about the death of his adoptive father, he infiltrated the Shinsengumi under the pseudonym "Ichi Saito".
With Gao Qiang's strength, he got the position of captain of the third division that had been vacant.
Although this game is disguised as a Bakumatsu, the historical content in it is basically nonsense. I am convinced that Sakamoto Ryoma and Saito Ichi, two irresistible characters, can force a relationship.
So everyone can think of it as an "antique fighting game".
[The remastered version of this game will be available at the end of February next year. Those who are interested can buy it and play it. Even if they have never been exposed to this series, they can play this work without any barriers]
As for the seventh team, there is no special plot in it, it is simply because the author prefers the number "7".
This chapter has been completed!