"No."

"Tsk! They must have encountered something unexpected..."

——Higashiyama...Nanase...should be the name of the birthmark face and the strong man...

The birthmark-faced man and the strong man, who were still sleeping heavily, were temporarily entrusted to Kua Shenxiu by Aomori. After the affairs at the Yamato house were finished, they would be taken back, as they might have some important information.

"Damn it! It's too slow, isn't it? Just killing a wandering girl, does it take so much time?"

"That's right! Such a long time is enough for me to go back and forth in Yoshiwara!"

"Don't tell me that after Fukushima-kun, even Higashiyama-kun and Nanase-kun are missing!"

"Hmph! Fukushima-kun, he brought it all upon himself! He might have been buried in the flames of Kodenma Town's Koyashiki!"

"That's right! The flames were already burning very high and strong at that time. I advised him not to enter the fire scene, but he insisted on saying that he had an ominous premonition and wanted to see with his own eyes whether Ju Qingden had been burned to death. Choking

If you die, you will never come back!"

"Sigh... Okay, stop talking. Fukushima-kun is one of our leaders after all. His disappearance is a huge loss to us!"

——Fukushima-kun...Sea of ​​Fire...

The face of the mysterious man he encountered and fought with when he was escaping from Kodenma Town's prison house that was devoured by the fire demon appeared in Aoto's mind.

——Is it him... That mysterious man should be the Fukushima-kun they call...

Under the ceiling, the discussion continued.

"Okay, let's get back to the topic. The reason why we suddenly held this meeting tonight is to discuss whether to abandon this important stronghold under our buttocks. Everyone, please speak freely."

As soon as this person finished speaking, a hoarse voice sounded:

"I think it should be abandoned! As we discussed this morning, Kimura Suma and Hosaka Genzo were abducted by unknown persons at the same time. This is really abnormal! We cannot rule out the possibility that this is the handiwork of Tachibana Aoden! Kimura Suma and

Hosaka Genzo knows that Shirogiku of Yoshiwara Chikaya is Yuuki-kun's lover, and Baiju knows the existence of Yamato House. Therefore, the location of the stronghold may be at risk of being exposed. Just in case, I think all personnel and materials in Yamato House should be evacuated.

,Move to another stronghold!”

As soon as the hoarse voice fell, a high-pitched male voice immediately rebuked, not to be outdone:

"Relocating a stronghold? Huh? It's easy for you to say that! Do you think a stronghold with a good geographical location and concealment enough is so easy to find? I think everyone doesn't need to be so nervous! Haven't we already sent Dongshan Jun and Qi?

Has Se-kun gone to kill that Baiju? Once that Baiju dies, everything will be fine!"

"But the problem is, Higashiyama-kun and Nanase-kun haven't returned yet! I think they must have had some kind of accident!"

"I think it's better to make two preparations. Not only kill Bai Ju, but also abandon the current stronghold."

"You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are! This Yamato House has the best overall conditions I have found, and it is the most suitable place to set up a base! If you want to change it to something as good as or better than this one in a short period of time,

It’s simply impossible!”

"Damn it! Yuuki-kun! After all, it's not all your fault! Even if you're playing with women, you actually revealed the location of this precious stronghold that you finally found!"

——Yuki... Yuuki Kamenosuke...

Finally hearing the name of a person he knew, Qingdeng quickly cheered up.

"I……!"

A baritone voice that seemed to come from Yuuki Kamenosuke sounded.

He hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed heavily.

"I admit... I was indeed confused... I was so fascinated by Baiju's little feet... I accidentally made the mistake when I heard her ask me for my address and expressed that she wanted to send me more letters on weekdays.

Liaohun...I'm very sorry! I'm willing to accept all punishment!"

At this time, two loud claps overwhelmed all the sounds around.

"That's enough, now is not the time to pass the buck to each other."

It’s Kitahara Konosuke’s voice!

Qingdeng's eyes narrowed slightly.

He clearly felt that after Kitahara Konosuke's voice sounded, no one dared to speak again.

Even through the ceiling, he could sense that everyone in the room was staring intently at Kitahara Konosuke.

Kitahara Konosuke's status among this group of people... is evident.

Ayoto, who realized this, did not dare to relax and listened to Kōnosuke Kitahara's words with bated breath.

…

Since Qingdeng was hiding on the ceiling, he couldn't see the scene below at all.

Therefore, he had no idea that since just now, there was a young warrior with a long face, holding a knife in his arms, sitting cross-legged in the corner of the room, frequently raising his eyes to look at the ceiling above his head.

Wherever he looked was where Qingdeng was hiding.

"Goto-kun, what's wrong?"

A person next to him noticed something strange about the long-faced warrior and asked.

"……nothing."

The long-faced samurai called Goto responded softly.

…

"Just blindly blaming others. Neither the blaming party nor the blamed party will grow."

Kithara Konosuke stood up, looked around at the people around him, and said loudly.

"Everyone has probably not forgotten why we are here together, right?"

"We stood up to take revenge on the Tachibana family. We were very passionate, weren't we?"

"In that case, how unworthy would it be to fight here in a den before the big revenge has been avenged?"

"Cheer up, everyone!"

"No one is allowed to mention the mutual accusations like just now!"

"If anyone offends again, I will punish him severely! Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

As Kithara Konosuke's words fell, echoes sounded in twos and threes.

"yes……"

"Understood."

"Sorry, Mr. Kitahara, we will not make this mistake again..."

Qingdeng, who was lying on the ceiling and eavesdropping, could not help but frown.

——Revenge against the Tachibana family...?

What Konosuke Kitahara said just now made Qingto very concerned.

What he said was not "revenge against Tachibana Aoden", but "revenge against Tachibana family"...

The target is not him as a person, but the family to which he belongs...

At this moment, Qingneng felt that the "fog" that had been clouding his mind ever since he witnessed the fire in the Kodenma Town prison building was gradually fading away.

In the haze, he felt that he was about to touch the truth hidden behind the "fog".

However... it was also at this moment that a sudden change occurred.

Under the ceiling, the long-faced warrior who had been keeping an eye on Qingden's hiding place suddenly stood up slowly, holding the sword in his arms.

Seeing this, Kitahara Konosuke asked in confusion:

"Goto-kun, what's wrong?"

Goto ignored Kitahara Konosuke's rhetorical question.

While continuing to stare at Qingden's hiding place, he pulled out the wakizashi from his waist.

Soon enough, the wakizashi, which reflected the sharp cold light under the candlelight, flew out of his hand! It shot towards the ceiling! It shot towards the place where Qingden was hiding and lying down!

The timing of Goto's attack was so sudden.

Wakizashi's flying speed is so fast.

Even a warrior who has been in battle for a long time and whose nerves have been repeatedly tempered by blood and fire might not be able to react, right?

However, long before Goto threw the wakizashi, Aoto relied on his superior hearing to hear the subtle sound of drawing a sword!

Thanks to his good ears, Qingdeng sensed the approaching danger at the critical moment.

Immediately afterwards... "Godly Speed ​​+4" activates!

He rolled to the left at lightning speed——

Peng!

Wakizashi pierced the old ceiling, and the blade of the knife sank deeply into the ceiling. It was not until the blade of the knife was firmly in contact with the ceiling that it finally stopped "flying".

The place where the wakizashi was stabbed was exactly where Qingteng was lying down just now.
To be continued...