The ground was covered with silver millet as fine as refined salt. Kanazawa Qin stepped on the snow with one foot deep and one shallow.
"Miss Kanazawa, good morning."
"Mr. Tachibana! Good morning!"
"The weather is really cold today..."
Qingdeng brought his palms to his lips and breathed hot air into his palms.
"It was sunny yesterday, but it's snowing today."
After saying that, Qingdeng raised his head and looked at the sky.
The weak sunlight poured into the earth from the gaps in the clouds. The sky was dark and the environment became extremely quiet.
The morning mist mixed with snow spread. Looking up, there was a gray glow.
Goose feathers and heavy snow are flying freely.
When a few snowflakes touched Qingdeng's face and neck, they were immediately melted by the body temperature and turned into a small pool of warm water.
The cool touch of ice made the last bit of sleepiness in Qingdeng's brain disappear.
"Well, it's really cold today."
Kanazawa Qin shrank her graceful neck.
"That's why I came here to give you cotton-padded clothes!"
After saying that, Kanazawa Qin picked up the neatly folded cotton coat in his arms with a gentle movement like he was holding some precious treasure.
"Hmm? Miss Kanazawa, where did you get this cotton coat?"
"Stolen from my brother!"
"Aha?"
"Hahaha, I'm kidding."
Kanazawa Qin chuckled a few times and looked happily at Qingden who looked stunned.
"My grandson gave it to me! The cotton-padded clothes my grandson ordered a few days ago were delivered very promptly this morning. I have been eating and drinking in the military camp for so many days that I am almost sick.
, I was worried that I had nothing to do, so I volunteered to help deliver cotton-padded clothes!"
Because we had not expected that winter would come so quickly, we did not carry any baggage to protect us from the cold when we set off on the expedition.
Fortunately, a few days ago, my grandson, who has a certain knowledge of climate seasons, was keenly aware that the temperature in Kai was going to plummet in the next few days, so he dispatched a fast horse to a nearby camp to urgently purchase cold-proof clothing and equipment.
.
Qingdeng nodded slightly: "So that's it..."
"Come! Mr. Tachibana, let me help you get dressed!"
"Ah? No, no, no, it's just a cotton-padded coat, not some twelfth-century unisex garment that would be too troublesome to put on."
Twelve single clothes: court clothes worn by high-ranking female officials above the imperial concubine in the Kyoto court. Because there are many layers of clothing, it is so named.
As soon as Qingden finished speaking, Kanazawa Qin's head shook like a rattle.
"Mr. Tachibana, the injury on your right arm has not healed yet. The doctor has said that you should try to avoid moving your right arm until the injury is completely healed. So let me take care of this little thing for you."
The "wound on the right arm" mentioned by Kanazawa Koto was of course referring to the cut wound left on the crook of Aoto's right arm by Kinosuke Yokokura suddenly 4 days ago.
Afterwards, the military doctor diagnosed Qingdeng and found that Qingdeng was very lucky. Although his artery was cut, his hand tendons, bones and other important parts were not damaged. He only needed to rest peacefully for a period of time and eat more blood-enhancing foods, and he would be able to recover soon.
.
At that time, the military doctor also praised Qingdeng's amazing physical condition - his artery was cut and he lost so much blood, but apart from his complexion being slightly pale, there was no abnormality in his body.
This is all thanks to the help of the talents "Berserker" and "Yuan Yang +1".
"Berserker" has two major effects:
First, the more painful the body is, the more it can stimulate the hidden power in the body.
Second, the tolerance to pain and blood loss is greatly improved.
This is why Aoto was able to wrap up the wound on his own so calmly when he was injured by Kinosuke Yokokura - because he didn't feel much pain or discomfort.
Not to mention "Yuanyang +1".
The abundance of kidney qi makes Qingdeng Shenlongma strong, and together with the body's recovery ability and resistance to weak conditions, it has been greatly improved.
Yokokura Keinosuke actually possesses the top talent of "Yuan Yang", which slightly surprised Qingto.
However, after thinking about it carefully afterwards, I found it reasonable - Yokokura Keinosuke is as fat as a pig, but he can walk quickly in the mountains with complex terrain. This is proof that he is in good health.
Since having "Yuan Yang", Qingdeng has become more and more aware of the great impact the quality and abundance of kidney qi has on a person's physical condition.
Whether it's eating, drinking, walking or sleeping... in short, I feel more energetic no matter what I do.
The mutual cooperation of "Yuan Yang + 1" and "Sleep God" makes Qingdeng's sleep quality and daily energy and energy extremely good.
Every morning when I wake up, I feel a hundred times more energetic. I don't even need to take a nap, and I can stay like this until night.
It has been a long time since Qingdeng experienced the feeling of "not getting enough sleep", "getting tired the more he sleeps", and "feeling dizzy after waking up".
However... too much kidney qi has some side effects...
Recently, Qingdeng's crotch cloth has been changed very frequently... I understand everything.
After making an unquestionable declaration of "please let me do it for you", Kanazawa Qin couldn't help but shake off the cotton-padded clothes in his hands, stepped forward, stood closer to Qingnobo, and put the cotton-padded clothes in a slightly unfamiliar way.
Put on Qingdeng's back.
Seeing that Aoto couldn't resist Kanazawa Qin, he could only raise his arms horizontally with a helpless expression, so that Kanazawa Qin could come to dress him.
"Mr. Tachibana, how is your recovery from your injury?" Kanazawa Qin peeked at Qingteng's right arm.
"Thank you for your concern. It's almost better."
"Well, that's good." A cheerful smile appeared on Kanazawa Qin's cheeks.
After a while, Qingdeng's upper body was wrapped in thick cotton clothes, and the coldness eased.
"Mr. Tachibana, how are you? Does it fit you?"
"Well, it fits very well. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I just did something trivial."
While being polite and polite, Kanazawa Qin stretched out his slender green-white fingers to smooth the wrinkles on Qingdeng's cotton-padded clothes and said unconsciously:
"Mr. Tachibana, your body is indeed very strong. Every muscle is as hard as a stone."
"?" Qingden raised his eyebrows and looked at Kanazawa Qin in surprise who suddenly made such ambiguous remarks.
"!" Kanazawa Qin's expression changed drastically. Her brain slowly realized what a bold thing she had just said in terms of the values of this era.
"Hug, I'm sorry! I overstepped my bounds! Please forgive me!"
Kanazawa Qin took two steps back, folded her hands in front of her body, and bowed deeply to Aomori so that the back of her snow-white neck could be seen.
In order to save Kanazawa Qin, Aomori smiled in a relaxed tone:
"Hahaha, thank you for the compliment. A strong body is one of the few strengths that I am proud of."
Kanazawa Qin, who knew that Aoto was rescuing her, slowly straightened up and showed gratitude to Aoto with a shy smile.
"Haha, think about it carefully..." Kanazawa Qin looked around, "This seems to be the first time that I am alone with you, Mr. Tachibana."
When the word "alone" was mentioned, Kanazawa Qin stuttered violently for no reason.
At the same time, a mist-like red cloud flew over Kanazawa Qin's delicate face.
Standing 1.7 meters tall, Kanazawa Qin is taller than most men in this country today. She has always been known as a "cool female warrior".
If someone who is familiar with Kanazawa Qin is present at this moment, he will be shocked when he sees Kanazawa Qin's appearance - because he is obsessed with kendo, he always puts on a solemn appearance that refuses people thousands of miles away, so he is often ignored by Chiba.
Kanazawa Qin, whom the apprentices in the sword hall teased as "Osanako", actually had such a... gentle side.
"Huh? Really?" Qingden was startled.
Qingden didn't really notice whether he had been alone with Kanazawa Qin before.
"...Hmm." Kanazawa Qin raised her gaze, glanced at Qingden, and nodded gently, "At this moment...it is indeed the first time that you and I have been alone together since we met."
At this point, Kanazawa Qin suddenly stopped talking.
She seemed to remember something... a bad memory, and her eyes were filled with loneliness.
"After all... when you come to the Little Chiba Sword Hall as a guest, you basically only interact with Miss Sanako... I can't even find a chance to chat with you..."
Qingdeng: "..."
Kanazawa Qin: "..."
Neither of them spoke.
An awkward atmosphere spread around the two of them...
After a while, Kanazawa Qin hurriedly smoothed her hair on her temples and squinted at the empty snow in the lower left corner.
"Ah, yes, I'm sorry! I said something strange, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Aonto gently interrupted Kanazawa Qin's repeated apology:
"It's okay...no need to apologize..."
Although the two were no longer silent, the awkward atmosphere did not dissipate at all.
Kanazawa Qin's eyes were darting wildly, and her face was embarrassed.
Qingden vaguely realized something and pursed his lips slightly.
At this time, a loud voice like thunder intervened between Qingto and Kanazawa Qin.
"Hey! Orange-kun! Huh? Xiaoqin?"
Wearing a snow hat on his head, Kanazawa Chusuke strutted towards Aomori and Kanazawa Qin.
"Ah, brother..."
Kanazawa Chusuke looked at Qingto, and then at Kanazawa Qin - the corners of his mouth turned up in a strange arc.
"Xiaoqin, why are you here?"
"It's nothing."
Kanazawa Qin tucked a strand of hair from her temples up to her ears.
This action is like a switch. Once done, the posture changes instantly - Kanazawa Qin transforms back into the strong and meticulous female warrior.
"I'm just here to deliver cotton-padded clothes to Mr. Tachibana."
Kanazawa Qin truthfully told Kanazawa Chusuke the detailed reasons why she appeared here.
"Ah, it turns out I'm just here to give you cotton-padded clothes..."
Kanazawa Chusuke flattened his lips - I don't know if it was Qingto's imagination, but he always felt a trace of regret flashing in Kanazawa Chusuke's eyes.
"Okay. Since Xiaoqin, you don't have anything important to do with Mr. Tachibana at the moment, so you can avoid it for now. I have to discuss some important business with Mr. Tachibana now."
"Important business?"
Kanazawa Qin blinked. Out of curiosity, she subconsciously wanted to ask, "What kind of important official business is it?"
However, after seeing the solemn expression on Kanazawa Chusuke's face at this time, Kanazawa Qin closed her newly opened red lips tightly.
"Well, I understand."
Kanazawa Qin bowed lightly to Qingto and Kanazawa Chusuke, then trotted away with broken steps.
Qingdeng stretched his neck and watched Kanazawa Qin until there was no trace of her graceful figure anymore.
Qingdeng looked away and let out a long sigh of relief.
To be honest, Kanazawa Chusuke arrived just in time...
If he had come a moment later, Qingden would really not know how to deal with the awkward and suffocating atmosphere just now...
"Kanazawa-kun."
Qingden set his sights on Kanazawa Chusuke.
"Why did you come to me suddenly so early in the morning?"
"Tangerine-kun..."
Kanazawa Chusuke let out a "ha" and let out a long breath - as he sighed, the serious look on his face became a little more serious.
"I'm here to talk to you... about those 'pills'."
Pills - upon hearing this word, Qingdeng's eyelids instantly sank.
Under the suddenly lowered eyelids, a captivating light shot out.
Four days ago, Yokokura Keinosuke, who was dying because his forehead was chopped into pieces by Aoto's knife, was about to fall to the ground when a small porcelain bottle suddenly fell out of his body.
When the porcelain bottle shattered and the contents inside—a large number of red and purple pills—scattered all over the floor, a massive amount of memories flooded Qingdeng's brain.
He recognized these pills.
This is the third time he has seen these pills!
The first time he saw this pill dates back to almost a year ago... when he was investigating the first major case he encountered after traveling to this world: the murder of Granny Ping.
It was then that Aoto discovered the pill for the first time in the home of the murderer Kenzaburo.
The second time I encountered this pill was not long ago - the last day of the fireworks display.
The lively fireworks display was cast into a haze that was hard to shake off due to the sudden appearance of a certain lunatic...that man named Koemon Tada who was talking nonsense and killing innocent people indiscriminately.
After Aoto and the brothers from the Imperial Guard Hall worked together to kill this unreasonable lunatic, a reddish-purple thing fell out of his body, which was exactly the same in shape and color as the one Yokokura Keinosuke carried.
pill.
The same thing...especially something with such a strange color appears in front of my eyes several times, and it's hard not to pay attention.
Qingdeng thought carefully and found that the three people who were related to the pill had all behaved in extremely bizarre ways.
When Xunzaburo was arrested, he screamed that he loved Granny Ping very much, and no matter how angry or wronged he was, he would never be violent to Granny Ping. But for some reason, when he heard Granny Ping reject his confession, he
His mind went blank for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, Granny Ping had died under his random sword blows.
Before and after his death, Tada Koemon made a lot of extremely weird actions. First, he said "rebellion" and "counterrebellion", and then when he was about to die, he knelt on the ground and shouted into the air in front of him:
Lord, you can't do this to me."
As for Yokokura Keinosuke... let alone him. He ignored the huge wound on his stomach and stood up to fight again with his sword, just like a demon.
For a moment, Aomori couldn't help but wonder if Kinosuke Yokokura was really possessed by some unspeakable evil spirit.
In addition, Tada Koemon and Yokokura Keinosuke have one thing in common - their eyes are both filled with red bloodshot that is so dense that it almost covers the whites of their eyes!
Comprehensive analysis of all the known information... Qingto's eyes suddenly changed - he strongly suspected that the weirdness of Xunzaburou and others was inseparable from these pills, which were colored like poison!
So, out of his duty as "the leader of the fire-fighting thieves" and out of his own curiosity, Aoto recovered all the pills that fell from Kinosuke Yokokura's body.
After leading his troops back to Inawa Village, Seito immediately reported to his colleagues headed by my grandson Chutaro and discussed all matters related to this medicine.
My grandson and others have been working in the Huofu Thieves Corps for many years, solved countless cases, and have seen a lot. Maybe they know something.
However... the result disappointed Qingdeng.
After listening to Qingdeng's report, my grandson and others all looked surprised - this was the first time they had heard of the existence of this kind of pill.
"A pill with unknown effects... Heh, my intuition tells me: this matter may be something serious... Tachibana-kun, thank you for your report. I will report this matter to Okubo-sama and Kurosawa-sama immediately." - Yes.
At that time, my grandson said this.
Qingdeng does not understand medicine, does not understand laboratory tests, and cannot use advanced scientific methods to detect the ingredients of drugs.
The only way he could find out the information about this medicine was to ask someone.
Since even his colleagues who often deal with crime didn't know what this drug was, Aoto had no choice but to wait slowly for the responses from the superior officers... namely Okubo Tadashi and Kurosawa Atsushi.
In the next few days, Qingdeng quietly recovered from his injuries.
The word "pill" also temporarily disappeared from Qingdeng's life - until now.
Without waiting for Qingto's response, Kanazawa Chusuke sighed to himself and said:
"Ju-kun, it's like this. In fact...after I heard about the existence of the pill from you, I recalled something...that I had experienced before."
"I don't know if that matter is related to the pills you brought back...but after thinking about it, I decided to come and tell you in detail."
Qingteng raised his eyebrows, and then cast a serious look at Kanazawa Chusuke. This action of course meant "Just tell me, I'm all ears."
Kanazawa Chusuke cleared his throat, sorted out his emotions and words, and then spoke slowly:
"Probably...a year ago, I met a drinking buddy at an izakaya I frequented."
"His name is Hirasaka Sanjiro."
"Because he is the second son in the family, he has no right to inherit the family business."
"At the same time, because I have suffered from a long-term lung disease that cannot be cured since childhood, I cannot do any heavy work."
"If you have no achievements in academic fields, you cannot become a scholar who makes a living by writing."
"He is neither good at literature nor martial arts, and has no means of making a living. Therefore, he can only stay in his eldest brother's house, doing nothing every day, and living on tobacco and alcohol all day long."
"Although he is a rough guy who doesn't work hard and doesn't distinguish between grains and grains, he is a good person. He is enthusiastic and cheerful, has a warm heart, and has no bad habits except tobacco and alcohol, so I quite like to drink with him."
"Unknowingly, he and I became fairly good friends."
"Do you remember what I just said? Hirasaka has suffered from a lung disease that cannot be cured since he was a child."
"I don't know exactly what kind of disease it is."
"But listen to what Hirasaka said - every rainy day, his lungs would hurt. When the disease was at its most severe, his lungs would hurt so much that he wanted to tear his whole chest open, so he could only drink strong alcohol and drink himself into it.
You'll feel better when you're drunk."
"I know nothing about medical skills, and I don't know any famous doctors, so I can't help Hirasaka's experience."
"All I can do is wish him the best to find a doctor who can cure his old problem soon."
"But who would have thought... Hirasaka didn't find a doctor who could treat him, but he did find a drug that could help him stay away from the pain."
"One night, when Hirasaka and I were drinking in an izakaya, he excitedly told me that he had bought a very useful painkiller."
"Whenever your lungs hurt again, take a pill of that painkiller immediately and the pain will be relieved immediately."
"I didn't think much about it at the time. I just thought Hirasaka had some luck and got some good medicine."
"However... the good times did not last long."
"It didn't take long before something strange happened quietly."
"I forgot exactly when it started. In short, from a certain day, Hirasaka suddenly seemed to have changed his gender."
"My whole person became extremely irritable and irritable."
"Just like a piece of dry firewood, even a spark can spark it. He often conflicts with others and even gets into fights over trivial matters. He no longer has the slightest trace of his former self."
"Although I feel extremely confused, because I was busy handling a major case at that time and was very busy every day, I couldn't care about Hirasaka for the time being."
"When I finally had some free time, I habitually wanted to go have a drink with Hirasaka...he was dead."
"Dead?" Qingdeng widened his eyes in shock, "How did you die?"
"He fought with four ronin on the street." Kanazawa Tadatsuki sighed, "and was hacked to death by those 4 ronin."
"According to my inquiries afterwards, Hirasaka was the one who started the trouble."
"Those four ronin didn't know Hirasaka at all, and they never had any friction with Hirasaka - they just happened to be walking on the same street with Hirasaka that day."
"When they passed by Hirasaka... Hirasaka suddenly stopped them."
"Hirasaka righteously claimed that the four ronin insulted him, looked at him with contempt, and whispered that he was a physically disabled wimp who could not live without the support of his eldest brother."
"Before the four ronin could defend themselves, Hirasaka pulled out his sword..."
Kanazawa Chusuke paused and fell silent as if he wanted to ease his mood.
Qingto waited quietly, giving Kanazawa Tadatsuki enough time to sort out his mood.
After a while, Kanazawa Tadatsuki closed his eyes and looked up to the sky.
"Since you are actively looking for trouble, no matter what happens to you in the future, you can't blame anyone. Hirasaka deserves to die - that's what I thought."
"But after seeing those red-purple pills you submitted, Tachibana-kun, and hearing about the deeds of Kenzaburo, Koemon Tada and Keinosuke Yokokura... I feel that I have to re-examine Hirasaka's experience."
"Let's put aside Kensaburo and Kinosuke Yokokura. Tachibana-kun, do you think that Hirasaka and Tada Kouemon behave very much - they are both crazy and full of inexplicable nonsense."
"..." Qingdeng nodded in agreement.
"Based on my experience and intuition accumulated over many years of handling cases... I strongly suspect that the painkillers Hirasaka took are the same thing as the red-purple pills carried by Tada Koemon, Xunzaburo and others!"
Kanazawa Chusuke's expression at this moment was extremely serious.
"That pill... might have the effect of destroying people's minds."
"Hirasaka is my friend after all. I don't want him to die in an unknown way."
"If his death is really related to the 'painkillers' he often took...then I can't sit idly by and watch!"
"So, I decided to thoroughly investigate the red-purple strange medicine."
"Mr. Ju, the reason why I suddenly came to you today and told you so much is because I want to ask for your help - are you willing to help me investigate those medicines?"
"Help you?" Qingdeng was startled, "How?"
"You don't need to do anything for me." Kanazawa Tadatsuki replied, "You just need to help me pay more attention to everything and information related to the medicine on weekdays. If you find anything, tell me immediately."
Qingto lowered his head slightly, thinking - this is not a very difficult task, and it doesn't hurt to help Kanazawa Chusuke. So after only thinking for a moment, Qingto nodded:
"Okay, I understand. I will do my best."
"I'm grateful." Kanazawa Chusuke showed a hearty smile, "Okay, we're done talking about the serious things... let's talk about some relaxed and happy things."
Having said that, Kanazawa Chusuke looked around like a thief.
After confirming that there were no outsiders around, Kanazawa Tadatsuki tiptoed to Qingto's side and put his mouth to Qingto's ear:
"Ji Jun, let me tell you straight - you marry my sister."
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