As if it could not bear its own weight, the dark gray clouds pressed extremely low, and the sky was hazy, with only a little sunlight seeping into the depths of the sky.

For this reason, even though it was still morning, a sense of desolation full of twilight enveloped the streets and alleys of Edo.

Qingden breathed out a breath of air, then tightened the black scarf around his neck.

"Ugh...it's so cold..."

From the right, senior Yae groaned.

"I told you that the weather today is very bad. It's wet, cold, and windy. I told you to put on more clothes, but you didn't listen. Look, isn't this going to make you suffer?"

From the left hand side came another senior: Sha Zhong's venomous remarks.

Qingden, Saju, and Yae, the three of them were galloping quickly on the dusty red dirt road.

Last night, when leaving Arima's mansion, Aoto did not forget to remind Arima: "Don't tell anyone that I have been here."

Although Kithara Konosuke and others have been killed, there are still more powerful enemies hidden behind the scenes.

The enemy does not know his whereabouts - this is an extremely rare advantage for Qingdeng. He does not want to give up this advantage until he has to.

Faced with Qingto's request, Arima nodded in agreement without hesitation.

When it comes to Arima, Aoto is absolutely trustworthy.

Now that he has nodded, he will definitely keep this night secret.

After leaving Arima's mansion and successfully returning to Tsukinomiya Shrine, Aoto went to bed for the first time in a long time.

In fact, with the blessing of "Shen Brain + 9", it would not be a problem for Qingdeng to stay up one more night last night.

But considering that the shady secrets hidden under the undercurrent are becoming increasingly indescribable, it is like being in a fog, and it will not be surprising no matter what kind of emergencies we encounter in the future.

Therefore, recharging your energy and striving to be in the best state of mind and body at all times is the best solution at the moment.

From the moment he learned the name "Kikuchi Sensui" from Arima, Aoden's heart was "took" by this person.

Affected by the gift of "Sleep God", Qingden woke up before 3 o'clock in the morning.

Qingdeng, who had nothing to do... no, it should be said that he had no intention of doing anything else, sat on the quilt and passed the time by meditating.

After a long wait, the first ray of dawn finally lit up in the eastern sky.

When the sky turned white, Qingdeng set off immediately.

He originally wanted to visit Kikuchi Sensui alone, but Tenshoin forced the two sisters to come over on the grounds of "You want to go alone? No, it's not safe enough."

Looking at the two very familiar little legal lolita standing side by side in front of him, Qingden couldn't help but smile bitterly and joked:

"We are really destined... No matter what we do, we always meet together."

That's all, it would be nice to have two more followers who can help.

Henceforth, the trio of one, one and two children set off on their journey to visit Kikuchi Sensui.

According to the address reported by Arima last night, Kikuchi Sensui lives in Haramachi.

Haramachi...this is not a nice place.

This location is located on the outskirts of Edo and is a famous slum. Its residents are basically paupers who have no place to stand.

As Aomori and his party got closer and closer to Haramachi, the surrounding street scene gradually changed significantly.

The road underfoot became increasingly broken and muddy.

The buildings on the street side are becoming more and more crude and unpopular.

Pedestrians I met by chance looked numb and in a hurry; or they huddled on the street corner like paralyzed mud, motionless, and I didn't know whether they were dead or alive.

In a short while, after comparing the maps, Aomori and his party finally successfully arrived at the boundary of Haramachi.

How should I put it... The architectural layout of Haramachi highlights a "standard" - a standard slum.

The air smells of dust and poverty.

Looking up, "black" and "grey" constitute the main colors of Haramachi.

There are burned-out houses everywhere, and some of the wood and brick walls are still green and black, as if they had just been put out of the fire; there are groups of collapsed ruins everywhere, like fallen wheat fields.

There are only a handful of buildings in good shape.

That kind of house with the walls still standing and the ceiling still intact is considered a luxury-level villa in Haramachi.

"Is this...the Great Ansei Earthquake...?"

Yae murmured.

"Well... it should be..."

Qingdeng nodded lightly.

In the second year of Ansei (1855), a magnitude 4 earthquake occurred in Edo, causing over 10,000 casualties.

The earthquake not only destroyed countless houses, but also triggered widespread fires, threatening to plunge Edo into a sea of ​​flames.

Although this major earthquake with heavy casualties occurred more than five years ago, due to the limited finances of the shogunate and extremely low administrative efficiency, many backward places in Edo are still "awaiting disaster relief" to this day.

The distressed state of "to be rebuilt" - it is obvious that Haramachi falls into this category.

At first glance, it seems that the residents are not visible, but after a closer look, you can find a lot of flesh-colored animals moving around - they are hiding in dark alleys, gaps between houses and other places, repeating questions with doubtful and vigilant eyes.

Looking at Qingdeng and his party who came unexpectedly.

The wind blew by, raising pieces of dust, making people unable to help but raise their hands to cover their mouths and noses.

"...let's go."

Qingdeng pressed the bamboo hat on his head and led the two sisters forward.

…

Ayoto found that he had underestimated the complexity of Haramachi's terrain.

The map in my hand is not accurate enough either because it is out of date or for some other reason.

If you follow the map, you will either not find the road shown on the map at all, or you will encounter a dead end that is completely impassable.

After walking for a long time, not only did I not find Kikuchi Sensui, but I walked further and further into the lake.

In desperation, Qingdeng could only ask for directions from an old man sitting cross-legged on the street, smoking low-quality tobacco.

"grandfather."

Qingdeng knelt down and spoke in a polite tone.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

This old man was also calm enough. He did not show any stage fright when faced with the strange warrior who suddenly approached him. He raised his eyelids, glanced at Qingdeng and his group, and then continued to smoke on his own.

"Do you know where Kikuchi Sensui lives?"

"Kikuchi Sensui? Oh, that drunkard."

--drunkard?

Qingden raised his eyebrows. The word the old man mentioned made him feel concerned.

"Kikuchi Sensui...his home is not far from here. You go straight along this road, turn left when you hit the first intersection, then go straight, and then turn right twice in a row, you will see

We’ve arrived at Kikuchi Shusui’s home.”

Having said this, the old man put down the pipe in his hand, blew out a long, big smoke ring with a "ha" sound, and then laughed.

"Are you also Kikuchi Qianshui's creditors? Then I'm afraid you are a step too late."

"Just now, a group of ronin rushed to Kikuchi Sensui's home in a menacing manner. They probably came to ask for debts from Kikuchi Sensui."

"If you are quick and rush to Kikuchi Sensui's house right now, you might be able to grab something that can be sold."

Drunkards, creditors, and a bunch of ronin came to Kikuchi Sensui to ask for debts... The old man's brief words were full of information.

If time permits, Qingden would really like to chat with this old man a little more and ask for some more information about Kikuchi Sensui.

However, it is a pity. If what the old man said just now is true, then Kikuchi Sensui seems to be encountering quite difficult troubles now.

Ayoto didn't want to come all the way to Haramachi, only to find Kikuchi Sensui who was beaten until he was half-breathed, or Kikuchi Sensui's body.

"Old man, thank you for your help."

Qingdeng placed a few copper coins as a thank you gift on the old man's lap.

"Oh! Thank you so much!"

Looking at the copper coins left by Qingdeng, the old man suddenly beamed with joy.

He leaned down and happily picked up the copper coins.

"Master Samurai! Thank you for your gift. I wish you... eh?"

The old man wanted to say a few pleasant words.

As a result, when he raised his head, he found that there was nothing in front of him... Qingden or the two sisters, they no longer knew where they were going.

…
To be continued...