This wanted poster is quite old.
The paper is yellowed and the picture is blurry.
Even so, you can still vaguely make out the words on it.
"Ogata Issei...Ogata Issei...?!"
Qingdeng recited the name written on the wanted notice three times in a row.
Every time he said it, his eyes would widen a little.
Strong shock dominated his expression, and his expression changed into dumbfounded.
"Grandma Guasheng, the 'Eternal Sword Saint' is your...lover?"
In Qingto's memory, there is only one person named "Ogata Issei".
The Eternal Sword Master...the Sword Master who is named "Eternal"...the pursuit target and object of admiration of countless warriors.
This hero who is no different from Superman... is the lover of the old woman next to him?
Just as Qingdeng was immersed in surprise for a long time, Gua Shengxiu walked forward with a gentle smile.
"Ah... I miss you so much..."
Gua Shengxiu raised his hand, caressing the portrait on the wanted poster with gentle movements as if he were touching a precious and rare item that would break if touched.
"That's right, Ogata Ittosai is indeed my lover."
Having said this, Gua Shengxiu paused, then raised his head and gave Qingdeng a sly smile.
"But - it's the 'dream lover'."
"You young people may not know something. When I was a young girl, 'Ogata Ittosai' was synonymous with 'brave', 'fearless' and 'invincible'."
"Leaving aside his other achievements, just mentioning his heroic feat of daring to fight hundreds of warriors alone and killing the unscrupulous feudal lord is enough to make people fascinated."
As Gua Shengxiu spoke, he increased the frequency of stroking the wanted poster. At the same time, dots of memories appeared on his cheeks at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Countless young girls are fascinated by him, and I am one of them."
"Because I admire Ogata Ittosai so much, I specially posted his wanted notice on the wall of the living room, right here - it lasted for 70 years."
"Haha, when I look back and think about it carefully, time flies so fast... In the blink of an eye, 70 years have passed."
"When paper fades, people grow old."
"The only thing that remains unchanged is that the name of 'Ogata Ittousai' is still loud and brilliant."
"The only thing that hasn't changed is that I still have passionate feelings for Ogata... I still have passionate feelings for this upright man."
Gua Shengxiu’s voice was colored with excitement.
Her eyes, which are clearer than lake water, reflect the graceful luster of ripples.
Qingdeng stared blankly at the beautiful melons.
For a moment, he felt that Gua Shengxiu had turned into... no! She had "transformed" back into a teenage girl with a pretty face, slim shoulders, skin as delicate as fat, and smooth as water, exuding a youthful atmosphere...
At this time, Qingdeng suddenly realized something: Guashengxiu's home not only lacked furniture and furnishings, but also lacked something that most families have: "the breath of people."
"Speaking of which... Granny Guasheng, do you live here alone?"
"yes."
Gua Shengxiu answered without thinking.
"I have never married, so naturally I have no family."
"Grandma Guasheng, are you not married?"
Qingdeng couldn't help but let out a low exclamation.
Gua Shengxiu seemed to be used to Qingdeng's reaction.
I saw her smiling faintly:
"I am a normal woman. I also have sexual desire, a desire for a man's arms, and the urge to get married."
"but……"
"First of all, I am very busy with my daily work, and I really can't spare time to fall in love with others."
"And secondly...I still can't forget Ogata Ittosai."
The corners of Gua Shengxiu's lips curled up slightly, outlining an indescribable arc.
"My feelings towards Ogata Ittosai... are very complicated."
"I not only have admiration for him, but also admiration and respect..."
"In general, Ogata Ittosai has had a great influence on me."
"When I was getting married, many of my elder friends recommended many outstanding talents to me."
"Compared to ordinary people, these heroes are indeed outstanding, but compared to Ogata Ittosai... they are like the fluorescence of rotten grass to the bright moon in the sky."
"Whether it is a scholar with outstanding literary talent, a martial artist with superb skills, a rich young man with a fortune, or a noble son with a prominent family background, I feel that the other person is far inferior to Ogata Ittousai, so it is difficult to be interested in him."
"As time goes by... I have passed the most suitable age for marriage and turned into an old woman, no matter how hard I try to 'self-promote', no good family will accept me."
"It's just that, even though I have been alone and widowed my whole life, I don't regret it."
"Marriage has its advantages."
"Not getting married also has the advantages of not getting married."
"Maybe it's because I witnessed too many emotional entanglements and love tragedies in Yoshiwara. In my eyes, the so-called 'marriage' is just that, and I don't need to regard it as so important or sacred.
"
"My creed is: If you want to get married, get married. If you want to be single, get single. No matter what, you will end up biting the quilt late one night and deeply regret it."
"Although I have no husband and no children, I have lived a very happy life."
"Even if I were asked to die right now, I should still be able to smile."
Qingdeng listened carefully and nodded in agreement from time to time.
It has to be said that Gua Shengxiu’s remarks and thoughts were indeed advanced in the current Edo period.
In these days, it is rare to never marry...and it is rare for a woman like Gua Shengxiu, who is obviously very cute, to never marry.
——This Ogata Yoshi... is really sinful!
Qingdeng raised his gaze and refocused it on the wanted notice in front of him, with a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
Although he didn't get along with Gua Shengxiu for a long time, he had already seen many beautiful qualities in him, such as strength, kindness, decisiveness, etc., so he respected this old-hearted Yoshiwara Toshin very much.
Therefore, he was very critical of Ogata's influence that indirectly harmed Gua Shengxiu's lonely and widowed life.
Judging from the portrait on the wanted poster, Ogata Ittosai did not have a shaved Tsukiyo. He had thick hair - which is good! Aonto nodded lightly and looked at the "Eternal Sword Master" whom he had never met before.
"The aesthetics express the highest approval.
Although he has lived in this world for more than a year since time travel, he still can't appreciate the ugly Tsukiyotou after such a long time!
Although Isamu Kondo, Jutaro Chiba and others...especially Jutaro Chiba! They always ask Qingto to popularize the benefits of shaving their heads, why is it a symbol of fashion, why is the head shaved cool and refreshing, and why is it a samurai?
I have to shave off Tsukiyo... However, no matter what Kondo Isamu, Chiba Jutaro and others said or tried to persuade him, Aoto always insisted on himself and stood firm.
Shave your good hair into a Tsukiyo head that is almost the same as the "Mediterranean"... For Qingteng, this is more uncomfortable than killing him...
Because he suffered from the "visual torture" of Tsukudai, Qingdeng had a natural affinity with all people with long hair.
——If you look closely, Ogata Ittousai looks quite good, with regular facial features and an upright face. He is worthy of being a man who dares to kill his master... Huh?!
Suddenly, Qingden raised his eyebrows fiercely.
He blinked hard, leaned his head forward, and stared at the portrait of Ogata Ittousai with his eyes, the tip of his nose almost touching the wall.
——Is it my imagination...?
Qingneng always felt that the portrait...that is, Ogata Issei's face looked a bit familiar.
——Could it be said that... I have met Ogata Ittosai?
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Qingdeng couldn't help but burst into laughter and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
——What am I thinking about... How could I have seen Ogata Ittousai?
—— Regardless of whether Ogata Ittosai is still alive, even if he is still alive, he should be 92 years old this year.
Ogata Issei became active in the world 70 years ago in the first year of Kansei (1789). At that time, he was 20 years old.
In other words, if Ogata Ittosai is still alive, he is now 92 years old and may not be able to walk.
——Maybe I have met someone who looks a bit like Ogata Ittousai before.
Qingdeng thought to himself.
"Okay! Let's stop talking about Ogata Ittousai's topic here first."
Gua Shengxiu clasped his palms together, then turned around to face Bai Ju behind him.
"Hanada-kun, let's talk about business. No outsiders will disturb us here. I've already said hello to Bai Ju. If you have anything you want to ask, feel free to ask her."
Upon hearing this, Qingden turned his attention away from the portrait of Ogata Issei in front of him, said "Hmm" and nodded solemnly.
"Do you need me to avoid it temporarily?"
Qingdeng thought for a moment and nodded.
"Well, I'm sorry to trouble you."
After saying that, he took two quick steps and sat down on his knees directly opposite Shirogiku. Then he took off the Echizen Sumi Hitachi Mori Kaneshige from his left waist and placed it on the tatami on his right side.
Gua Shengxiu said nothing, turned around and left happily, and walked outside the house.
As Gua Shengxiu left, in the empty living room with almost no furniture, only Qingden and Baiju were left facing each other.
"Miss Baiju, this is Huatian Qingqing. It's our first time meeting you. Please give me some advice."
Bai Ju bowed slightly in a reserved manner.
"Gui'an...I am Baiju from Thousand Flowers House..."
"I have heard the specific reason from Granny Guasheng."
"If you have anything you want to ask, just ask. But let me explain in advance! I am just an ordinary wandering girl! I have no relatives and I don't know any big shots! So I may not be able to answer the questions you ask!
"
As soon as Bai Ju finished speaking, Qing Deng smiled.
"Miss Baiju, you don't have to be nervous. The question I want to ask is very simple, you just need to answer it truthfully."
He cleared his throat, and then said seriously:
"Miss Shirogiku, do you know Yuuki Kamenosuke?"
Bai Ju nodded.
"Yuki-kun? I know him. He is a regular customer of mine."
"Do you know where he lives?"
Qingdeng doesn't mention the lake at all, and goes straight to the point.
The residence of Yuuki Kamenosuke—this is the answer to the question Aonto wants to know most right now.
"Well...this...this..."
Bai Ju's face showed hesitation, then she turned around and looked around as if she couldn't calm down.
Seeing Bai Ju showing such an expression, Qing Deng couldn't help but look solemn.
If Bai Ju didn't know anything, then she would definitely give a negative answer immediately.
However, she hesitated, as if she wanted to stop talking.
This means: She must know something!
——Tonight’s “trip to Yoshiwara”… was not in vain after all!
Qingdeng sat upright, looking like he was listening attentively.
However...Bai Ju didn't speak for a long time.
She remained silent and flinched for a time.
She must be worried that exposing the personal information of customers, especially regular customers, is against the professional ethics of a travel girl... Qingdeng thought to himself.
Keeping guests' personal information confidential is the basic professional ethics of travel girls and Yoshiwara's unwritten rules.
Or... is it because I'm worried about something, so I don't dare to speak... Qingdeng thought again.
"...Miss Baiju."
When Bai Ju was silent again and again, Qing Deng slowly said as if chewing every word:
"If my question makes you feel embarrassed, then I would like to say 'sorry' to you first."
"But this question is very important to me...no, to you and to me, so I hope you will answer it truthfully."
When she heard the words "It's important to you and to me," Bai Ju raised doubtful eyes at Qingden.
Qingdeng continued the words silently:
"Miss Baiju, I believe you can also tell, right? The two people who just attacked you and Granny Kuazo, their knives were completely aimed at you. I strongly suspect that they are related to Yuuki Kamenosuke."
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Ju's face turned pale. Qingdeng ignored the change in her expression and continued:
"To be honest, I..."
Qingden paused for a moment while thinking of suitable words.
At this time, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the portrait of Ogata Ittosai next to him.
"...You can think of me as an enthusiastic person like Ogata Ittousai who likes to 'draw his sword to help when the road is rough'."
"I'm tracking down a very vicious gang."
"Based on all the information collected by my companions and I, it has been determined that: Yuuki Kamenosuke... your regular customer is an important member of that gang."
"I came to Yoshihara to find you just to find Yuuki Kamenosuke and then locate the gang's stronghold."
At this point, Qingden was ready to put an end to his advice, but he changed his mind and added:
"Even if you don't believe me, please believe in Grandma Guasheng."
"Grandma Guasheng trusts me very much - this should dispel your doubts about me, right?"
Qingden is not familiar with Baiju.
The only thing Qingdeng knew and was sure of about Bai Ju was that she trusted Gu Shengxiu very much.
As long as he moves out of Guashengxiu, his uneasiness and doubts should be eliminated to the greatest extent.
Sure enough, after lifting Guashengxiu, Baiju's facial lines suddenly became much softer.
All that needed to be said was said, and Qingdeng remained silent.
He quietly waited for Bai Ju's thinking and reply.
Qingdeng: "..."
Bai Ju: "..."
The deathly silence is Bai Ju's hesitation.
After about 2 minutes passed, the silence that felt like being in the depths of the sea was finally broken - by Bai Ju's voice that sounded like babble.
"I...I can tell you Yuuki-kun's address...but you have to promise me that you can't let anyone know that the 'snitch' is me."
"I put my head on my neck as a guarantee."
As Aoto spoke, he grabbed the Echizen Hitachi Hitachi Mamoru Kanejue on his right, pulled out a small section of the blade, and then put it back into the sheath heavily.
Ding!
The crisp sound of metal collision lingered in their ears.
Although "striking gold as an oath" does not have any legal effect, due to the influence of various factors such as culture and history, the common people and samurai of the Edo period still valued this oath ceremony quite seriously.
Seeing Qingdeng being so sincere, the nervous look on Bai Ju's face immediately turned a bit dull.
She took a long breath, and then slowly said word by word:
"I often send sky-red letters to Yuuki-kun... I can tell you the mailing address, but I can't guarantee that Yuuki-kun lives there."
For traveling girls, writing letters to regular customers and inviting them to come again is a very important task.
Some wandering girls' houses with certain specifications will even recruit private tutors to teach their wandering girls to read and practice calligraphy.
Traveling girls often leave bright red lip prints on the letters they send to regular customers.
The lip print left on the letterhead is called "Tianhong", which marks that the other party is special. All letterheads with sky red on them are collectively called "Tianhong letterhead" - having said that, in fact, most tourists
The girl would leave Tianhong on every letter she sent to regular customers.
"It doesn't matter. I will investigate whether Yuuki Kamenosuke lives there or not."
Qingdeng quietly clenched his fists.
Bai Ju nodded lightly:
"Then...the mailing address is: Yamatoya, 2-chome, Sawacho."
With his powerful memory blessed by his gift of "photographic memory", Qingdeng memorized this string of address names, which were not too complicated.
Then, Qingdeng asked the second question:
"Do you know anything else about Yuuki Kamenosuke? For example: Where is he from and what kind of job does he do?"
"He didn't say where he was from, but I guess he is a native of Edo, because he has a strong Edo accent, and his personality is also very typical of an Edo man. He is very face-saving, loves to brag, and is flowery.
The money comes lavishly..."
"As for his job..."
Bai Ju bit her lower lip lightly.
"He didn't say what he did for a living."
"But...his body is covered with tattoos...so I guess he should be Yakuza..."
Yakuza!
Qingden narrowed his eyes slightly.
The two Yakuzas who had just attacked Gua Shengxiu and Baiju...the faces with birthmarks and the faces of the strong man flashed through his mind.
"It seems...the two people who just attacked you are indeed very likely to be related to Yuuki Kamenosuke..."
After Bai Ju heard this, she subconsciously tightened her shoulders, and her already petite body suddenly became even smaller and more exquisite.
"Did Yuuki Kamenosuke say anything unusual?"
"Unusual words?"
"Such as 'revenge for so and so' and so on."
"Well...ah, yes! Yes! One time he drank a lot of wine. After he got drunk, he howled like a child and shouted, 'Dad, we will definitely avenge you.'"
——Dad...?
Qingdeng lowered his head thoughtfully.
The internal structure of the Yakuza group in the Edo period always had the leader as the highest point, imitating the patriarchal system (the relationship between adopted father and son), and closely knitted the members of the organization together based on the fictitious blood relationship. The younger generation must absolutely obey the elders.
, the ethical order at all levels cannot be exceeded at will.
Fictional kinship is the organizational cornerstone of Yakuza.
This "fictitious blood relationship" is created through a special ceremony called "cup ceremony".
To put it simply, whenever you join any Yakuza group, after the "cup event" is held, you are a member of the group and the adopted son of the leader. From then on, you need to call the leader your father.
Yuuki Kamenosuke's body is covered with tattoos; he once clamored to avenge "daddy" - based on these two pieces of information, the gang that is chasing Aoto everywhere is undoubtedly a group of Yakuza.
But...this is strange.
Qingden couldn't remember which Yakuza organization he had offended.
It would be better to say that since he traveled to this world, he has basically never interacted with the "underground world".
The only Yakuza group that he had ever crossed paths with was...
At this time, Qingdeng's thoughts stopped.
A name that had not appeared in his life for a long time appeared in his mind——
The "strongest Yakuza group in Edo" with a sphere of influence throughout the entire Kanto region: the Shimizu clan.
*******
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The plot is getting more and more confusing~! Why did this group of Yakuza with unknown origins target Qingdeng? In fact, some book friends have already guessed it.
This chapter has been completed!