"The ringing of the bells of the Gion Abode tells the story of the impermanence of the world. The flowers of the two trees of Salo have faded, and those that flourish will fade away like the vicissitudes of life."
The fifth day of June is the Gion Festival in Kyoto.
At dusk, lanterns have been placed from Yasaka Shrine to Shijo Street, and there are lively Gion gardens and rare performances everywhere. Walking around, it is difficult to imagine the hell on earth in the chaotic days of the shogunate, everything was covered with flowers.
The fragrance, as well as the even more intoxicating female body fragrance, made everyone look intoxicated.
On the road, two guys wearing flat-bottomed three-dimensional hats with wide rims and large brim on their heads filled the air with a permeating smell of blood.
"Himura-san, although there is no clear order from the organization, it means that we should be ready for war at any time. It seems that this time it will not be as simple as executing Tenchu." Fan, who always had a humorous expression in the past, now had a look on his face.
He said seriously to Kenshin next to him. Once he decided to stand still, this shogunate spy who was mixed in the Choshu domain did his duty as a teammate and seemed to be quite reliable.
Kenshin remained unmoved. Neither the bustling street nor the frightening-sounding news could shake his mind. Only the lips under the bamboo hat moved: "Mr. Miyabe's instructions?"
"That's right, if you have a beloved woman, it's best to let her leave Kyoto tonight before the chaos breaks out, otherwise she will be implicated!" Although I didn't say the name, the relationship between Yukiyoba and Kenshin has long been known to everyone.
A tacit secret.
"Is this the big plan I mentioned before?" Kenshin asked still coldly.
"of course!"
"What did Mr. Gui say?"
Fan sighed: "Mr. Gui has not shown up at the feudal residence recently. I heard that he seems to have broken up with Mr. Miyabe."
"Break..." Kenshin's steps paused slightly, and his cold expression hidden by the bamboo hat trembled. Kenshin, who had studied Yoshida Shoin's works under the guidance of Katsura Kogoro, was no stranger to Miyabe Daizo.
Miyabe, who was a member of the Shoin clan and even a friend of Yoshida Shoin, was not inferior to Katsura Kogoro in terms of swordsmanship or knowledge.
In fact, due to his early debut, Miyabe Kanozo's status in the hearts of ordinary anti-barbarian patriots is still slightly higher than that of Katsura Kogoro. He is the leader of the radical faction and has always been in conflict with the always calm Katsura Kogoro.
However, the two sides still maintained restraint for the purpose of repelling the barbarians, but this time they broke up over certain things... Kenshin instinctively felt uneasy. This was the problem that frightened him more than encountering an ambush: no matter how good the swordsmanship of the Hiten Mitsurugi style was.
Even Gao Ming cannot solve this kind of thing with the sword in his hand.
"What exactly happened, I need to investigate again, but how can we easily find out something involving so many important people... By the way, Himura-san, how do you plan to arrange Tomoe?"
"I never thought about it, she is not my woman." Jian Xin, who was worried in his heart, blurted out without even thinking about it.
Fan smiled and said, "Others don't think so. She is the woman you saved with your own hands. After all, the famous Battosai killed countless people, but it was his first time to save someone. Think about it again. Once the incident is noticed by the shogunate,
Come on... take a step first, goodbye."
Maybe he went to arrange for a woman related to him... Looking at the meal leaving in a hurry, Kenshin thought silently, does Tomoe... count as his own woman?
Of course Kenshin didn't know at this time that Katsura Kogoro had entrusted Tomoe with the task of serving as his "scabbard", and neither Katsura Kogoro nor Yukiyoba had ever planned to tell Kenshin about it. They both knew it.
He is a young man with an almost spotless heart except for killing people. Once he says such a thing, no one dares to predict what the young swordsman will do. In short, the result must be something that no one wants...
The small Ogiya under the sunset is quiet and desolate.
Entering the room, Kenshin looked up at Yukiyoba who was cleaning the room for him seriously, and couldn't help but tremble in his heart. When he heard the footsteps, Tomoe didn't look back, but said softly in her unique gentle voice: "I'll finish cleaning it right away.
."
"Always bothering you."
"It's okay, the boss lady ordered it."
"Really..." Kenshin looked at the graceful figure bathing in the sunset and couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
"What's wrong? What's the matter?"
"It's okay." The young man bent down and put down his bamboo hat, hiding the unnatural look on his face.
"Excuse me, if you don't mind, can you stay with me tonight?" Yukidaiba still didn't turn around, and stared at the noisy Gion Festival in the distance. Her voice was a little ethereal: "I asked for leave from the landlady, and I want to go out occasionally.
It’s nice to go outside and relax, but it’s boring to be alone.”
"Hmm? Well..." Kenshin responded subconsciously. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel a feeling called "joy" in his heart. It was like being taught a new move by a master, perhaps more than the obvious excitement.
It makes the soul feel more satisfied...
Rensheng Temple, in an empty warehouse.
The hard iron rubbed against the hard wood, making a tooth-aching "squeak" sound. Shuntaro Kodaka, who was hung upside down on the beam, let out a vague groan, and two half-foot-long iron drills came out of him.
The soles of both feet were penetrated in the middle and fixed in hanging iron chains. The naked upper body was completely covered with blood scabs, forming a dark red hard shell.
With the unconscious spasms, the hard shell on the body continued to crack, revealing muscles that were almost drained of blood and looked pale, as if they were grinning.
If it weren't for the fact that there were only two people hanging and one standing in the empty warehouse, I'm afraid everyone who saw such a cruel scene would definitely think this place was hell.
Toshizo Hijikata was carrying a sharp sword, and he was ready to personally execute Kougao, who was now useless in front of him. Escape was impossible, and even if Kogao was rescued by patriots, he would probably not survive for more than a moment, but he had already gambled for this operation.
Hijikata Shisan, who has done everything above, doesn't want to leave any future troubles.
As if he had sensed something, Gu Gao stared at Hijikata with his toothless grin and said vaguely: "No matter how many patriots you kill, the shogunate will be finished, and you, like
Dirty people like you don't deserve to live in a clean new world. We will soon..."
With a sullen face, Hijikata Toshizo slashed Gu Gao's neck with his backhand, kicked the head that was rolling on the ground into a corner, and walked out of the warehouse.
He had heard countless curses that were ten times more vicious than this one. Some were the patriots who were cruelly tortured by him, and some were the Shinsengumi soldiers who were beheaded by his order. In his heart, these were just the barking of the weak, and they were not worth it at all.
Spend your energy paying attention.
The most important thing at the moment is how to ensure that the operation goes smoothly. If it succeeds, the Shinsengumi will surely soar into the sky and become the support of the shogunate and even the ministers; if it loses this battle, even if the Shinsengumi still exists, it will no longer be
He or Kondo Isamu's Shinsengumi, because for him, if he doesn't win, he will die!
"The news came from Yamazaki that before dark, various people who looked like ronin were entering Ikeda House one after another. He sneaked in to investigate and found that there were more than a dozen familiar faces. The foreigners from Choshu, Mito, Hizen, and Tosa
The traitors are basically all inside, we must catch them all this time!"
The small room was crowded with Shinsengumi team members, but it looked carefully and there were only about twenty people. Kondo Isamu waved his arms, "Fujita Heisuke, then Okita, the above ten people are the vanguard, responsible for the first group.
The others are under the command of Hijikata and I. Everyone, Your Majesty is in danger! Kyoto is in danger! Kill all the rebels and bring peace to Kyoto. Success or failure depends on this one move. If the tiger returns to the mountain this time, we will definitely lose our lives at his hands in the future. Everyone.
Listen, it doesn’t matter whether we have prisoners or not, anyone who resists will be killed!”
"Ha!" The well-equipped people walked into the alley neatly and quietly with solemn faces. In the distance was the brightly lit center of Kyoto!