I formed the strongest swordsman group

After giving Vairocana to Qingden, Boss Kiryu changed his sword to a new one with a red handle and a red sheath.

Due to Kiryu's status as the boss, even the knife he used as a "spare tire" was not an ordinary item that could be described as "ordinary".

The sword he is using now is the famous Bizen Nagabune.

Like Nagasone Kotetsu and Izumi Mori Kanesada, Bizen Nagabune is also a brand name.

Bizen is the name of the place, and Nagabune is the name of the school.

All swords from the Bizen Nagabune series are collectively called Bizen Nagabune.

Although the quality of this new knife is definitely not as good as that of Vairocana, it is still a good knife that is only one in a million.

Qingden grabbed Vairocana by his legs and stood up slowly.

The two walked towards the courtyard in front of them one after the other.

Aoden was half a body behind Boss Kiryu.

Looking at the man in front of him with vigorous steps and tall posture, who looked nothing like an old man who had passed his octogenarian years, Qingdeng couldn't help but sigh:

"The scholars and people of Edo now always call me 'Tōgoku Musou'."

"But in fact, I know very well: what kind of 'Dongguo Wushuang' am I? I can't even be called 'Edo Wushuang'."

"There are too many hidden strong men in Edo."

"Just at this moment, right in front of me, there is a terrifying master who I have not defeated until now."

"When I defeat you, I can boldly call myself 'Edo Unparalleled'."

After hearing this, the old man smiled reservedly and turned his face sideways. In an instant, Qingdeng felt the chewing gaze.

"Ju-kun, you are wrong to think so. I am not as powerful as you think now."

Boss Kiryu, your words can only fool the uninformed people. I still vividly remember the days when I was brutally beaten by you in order to learn the Breath of the Source - Qingden originally wanted to retort like this, but the other party has already Stand in the center of the courtyard.

Seeing this, Qingto could only suppress his desire to complain for the time being and stood opposite Boss Kiryu.

The two faced each other, staring at each other closely.

Qingden pulled out Vairocana from his waist.

At the same time, the sound of "choking, rang, rang, rang" was heard from the opposite side.

Qingdeng was stunned:

"Mr. Kiryu, don't you want to show me 'Setsuna'?"

Isn't "Setsuna" a sword-drawing technique? Since it is a sword-drawing technique, why should the sword be drawn out? There was such an implication hidden in Qingdeng's words.

"Don't worry, I just want to show you something else before showing you 'Setsuna'."

Having said that, Boss Kiryu set up the Bizen Nagabune in his hand, and there was no flaw in his body movements.

Although he didn't understand why, Qingdeng quickly cheered up.

He took a snake-oil mid-section stance and stood ready.

Just like that, the two of them stared at each other with eager eyes, motionless as a mountain.

At this moment, the rows of cirrus clouds in the sky rolled and relaxed, and the pale golden light pouring down from the gaps shone on the tips of the two men's knives, reflecting a silvery glow.

At that moment that words cannot describe - the sunlight covering the Bizen longship was cut in half diagonally!

Boss Kiryu disappeared from where he stood.

When the afterimage of his figure condensed into a solid body, it already appeared in front of and below Qingdeng.

The slender blade unique to longship swords drew a thrilling arc in the air, sweeping towards Qingden's direction.

Qingdeng swung his sword to block, then jumped back lightly, widening the distance and leaving enough space for counterattack.

The next moment, Qingden swung Vairocana upwards, the sword was as sharp as the wind and unstoppable.

From blocking the opponent's attack to counterattacking with his sword, Qingden's movements are extremely fast.

However, Boss Kiryu had already regrouped during this time.

His knife returned to its original position, and his body switched to the posture most suitable for defense.

The fierce fighting continues.

The two sides went back and forth, fighting inextricably.

After a while, Qingdeng frowned involuntarily.

There is no doubt that Boss Kiryu is very strong, and there is no way that this is something a 90-year-old man would do.

However, the person he is now...or in other words, the person he is under "normality" cannot be compared with the person under "selfless state".

In Qingto's eyes, boss Kiryu at this time has no sense of oppression at all.

He even dared to believe that in another 20 rounds, he could knock the old man to the ground.

After the two had another fierce confrontation and passed each other, Boss Kiryu did not attack again with his sword. Instead, he let out a long breath, lowered the Bizen Nagabune in his hand, and slowly relaxed the muscles of his body.

Seeing that the opponent had no intention of fighting again, Qingdeng also put down his sword and took advantage of the situation to get out of the fighting posture.

"Tangerine-kun, do you understand?"

Boss Kiryu showed a free and easy expression.

"Although I am incredibly energetic compared to other people my age, no matter what, it cannot change the natural fact that my body is already decaying."

"I'm old."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at the long hair on his head.

"Unless you enter the 'realm of no-self', I am no match for you at the moment."

"Moreover, even if I enter the 'no-self state', I can't last more than a few minutes."

"The biggest side effect of the 'selfless state' is that it will cause a huge burden on the body."

"Physical strength is not my strong point."

“Now that I’m old, I can’t stand the hardship even more.”

"In another year... no, based on your growth rate and my aging rate, I'm afraid it won't take half a year. Even if you enter the 'selfless realm', I won't be able to do anything to you."

At this time, Boss Kiryu was startled for a moment, and then looked at Qingden with a surprised expression.

After a moment, he smiled helplessly.

"Tachibana-kun, don't show such an expression."

"Birth, old age, illness and death are the common laws of the human world."

“Wrinkles and gray hair are accumulated treasures that we should be proud of, not avoid.”

"It would be better to say... being able to grow old smoothly is actually a lucky thing."

"Otherwise, you won't be able to explain to future generations why you always look so young."

"The pursuit of immortality will only lead to disaster."

"But, then again, your humble spirit of not thinking that you are 'Dongguo Wushuang' is very good and deserves recognition."

"I have lived for nearly a hundred years, and during these long years, I have experienced many changes."

“The faith I had held since childhood came crashing down.”

“Being-held knowledge is subverted.”

"Monsters beyond imagination."

"The sword into which one has entrusted one's soul is like an embroidery needle in front of a Western naval gun."

"Perhaps even things that I currently think are common sense will be overturned one day in the future."

"At the end of the day, there is only one thing I am absolutely sure of - there are people outside the world, there is a sky outside the world, and we must not be arrogant."

As he spoke, Boss Kiryu raised his eyes to the sky and looked into the distance.

"Martial arts, literature, music, painting, mathematics...in every field in the world, there is no so-called 'end'."

"Even if you are already invincible, don't think that you can really remain invincible."

"Perhaps at a certain time and place, the person who can surpass you will be quietly born into the world."

"Don't look down on young people."

"Don't underestimate the elderly either."

"When you meet a young person, treat him as an extraordinary talent."

"When you meet the old man, think of him as a survivor who has been through a hell-like cruel battlefield."

"This is the last thing my teacher wants to teach you before you go to Luo, besides the 'moment'."

“It’s important to remember.”

After finishing speaking, Boss Kiryu suddenly flipped his right wrist, made a sword, and changed the Binzen Nagabune in his palm from an upright grip to an inverted grip.

At this moment, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense, and an indescribable sadness penetrated Qingdeng's skin!

Qingden's pupils shrank suddenly, as if he was under stress, and he subconsciously held Vairocana in front of him as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Tachibana-kun, keep your modesty. It will take you further...and maybe even save your life."

As Boss Kiryu said this, he sheathed the knife, spread his legs, lowered the lower body, held the front of the scabbard tightly with his left hand, and pressed the handle of the knife with a moderate force with his right hand.

The tense atmosphere that permeated the surroundings reached its peak at this moment.

Qingdeng stood firmly on his feet and stared at the old man opposite who was exuding an astonishing aura without blinking. His facial lines became solid and his expression was extremely serious.

"Tachibana-kun, I'm on board."

Boss Kiryu raised his gaze and gave me a smiling look.

"This is the secret of Flowing Light...Snap!"

In the flash of lightning, he stretched out his left thumb, pressed it against the blade, and pushed it forward, revealing the red copper tenon that held the scabbard.

The next moment, silver flashes filled Qingdeng's vision...

…

…

Wenjiu three years (1863), February 1——

Edo, Zojoji Temple——

When looking at a map depicting the entire Edo area, you can see Zojoji Temple located southeast of Edo Castle.

Zenjoji Temple: The main temple of the Pure Land Sect in Kanto. It is located in Kaizuka, Toshima County, Musashi Province. Two hundred and fifty years ago, after Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of Kanto, the 12th generation Shigen Yuzhenshang accepted Tokugawa Ieyasu's conversion and the temple territory given to him, and moved the temple to the present location in the eighth year of Keicho (1598). location.

After receiving the award from Tokugawa Ieyasu, Zojoji Temple has a very large temple land, covering a total area of ​​250,000 square meters (826,500 square meters). Including the main hall, there are 48 branches and more than 100 dormitories, and there are three dormitories all year round. More than a thousand monks study Buddhism here.

Tokugawa Ieyasu placed Zojoji Temple south of Edo Castle mainly for two reasons.

On the one hand, it is to facilitate monitoring of monks.

Looking back at the past, with the support of various reasons such as historical inertia and cultural influence, the Buddhist power in Japan once became a super power that transcended the court and the shogunate. The monks were even able to intervene in politics, participate in wars, and criticize the rulers. Its arrogance reached its peak during the Warring States Period.

Tokugawa Ieyasu learned the lessons of the previous dynasty, and not only introduced many measures to weaken the power of Buddhism, such as banning monk soldiers, but also placed major temples headed by Zojoji Temple under his nose for easier control.

On the other hand, the temple was used for military purposes.

In Edo City, there is a large temple as famous as Zojoji Temple: Kan'ei Temple.

Kan'ei-ji Temple is located in the northeast of Edo Castle. It is the main temple of the Tendai Sect and covers an astonishing area of ​​305,000 square meters (1,008,330 square meters).

The two temples located in the north and south directions of Edo Castle can strengthen the defense of Edo Castle and act as a buffer.

At the same time, Kan'ei-ji Temple and Masuhiro-ji Temple have one thing in common, that is, they are both located on strategically important platforms, on the Nikko Road and Tokaido Road to Edo respectively.

The reason for this arrangement was that in case of emergency, the vast land of the temple could be converted into a garrison site, and the high terrain was most suitable for facing enemies who invaded Edo.

Tokaido is the most important strategic passage among the five streets.

It connects the Kanto Plain, Noo Plain, and Osaka Plain - Japan's three major plains and Japan's three regions with the highest economic value, all connected by the Tokaido.

Japan is a mountainous country, and there are only two roads connecting Kanto and Gyeonggi: Nakasen Road and Tokaido.

Among them, because the former has a longer journey and more rugged terrain, its military and economic value are not as good as the latter.

According to the plan of the shogunate, Aomori will lead all members of the Shinsengumi to Raku along the Tokaido!

As a result, Masuhiro-ji Temple, located at the heart of Tokaido Road, naturally became the gathering place of the Shinsengumi.

"Oh! Tachibana-kun, you are so handsome! This armor really suits you!"

The Souji blinked hard, his two beautiful eyes shining brightly, as if there were countless stars circulating in them.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Qingden gave a bitter smile, and then twisted his shoulders vigorously - click, click - the two shoulder pads covering his shoulders and upper arms swayed, making a non-stop sound.

"I'm really not used to it..."

The general manager chuckled and said:

"Wear it a few times and you'll get used to it."

The army goes out for war - as usual, a mobilization ceremony must be held.

Tokugawa Iemo will bring a group of senior officials from the shogunate to Zojoji Temple today to see off the Shinsengumi.

As the governor of Gyeonggi Province and the captain of the Shinsengumi, Qingdeng would be outrageous if he dressed too casually in today's grand event.

T-shirts, court clothes... these daily attires are not suitable for solemn occasions such as "military mobilization".

Since he is an army, since he is a general who will be in charge of one side in the future, then Qingto naturally has to dress like a military general.

At this time, Qingdeng was seen wearing green and white full-length armor, with a cloud-white outer layer of feathers embroidered with gorgeous patterns, and a spade-shaped helmet standing in front of his head. He was very heroic and looked very much like an ancient painting. The mighty general who emerged from the middle!

The origin of this armor is not trivial - 2 years ago, Qingteng, who was still the captain of the third division of the Huofu Thieves Reform Division, followed the army to attack the bandits of Kai, and because of his repeated achievements in ascending first and killing generals, And was given a pair of treasure armor.

After receiving this armor, Qingdeng placed it in the "diners' room" of the imperial examination hall as a decoration.

He never thought that he would one day use this armor - and, in the foreseeable future, he should use this armor frequently.

*******

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