"Do you have anything to drink?" Shuntaro glanced around the room. "I'm a little thirsty."
"There's some water there." Fuu Ling Taifu pointed to another table not far away, "If you want to drink it, take it and drink it."
"Don't you have any drinks besides water?"
"Of course not." Fuu Ling Taifu said confidently, "I am an oiran. If I want to drink or eat something, I just need to clap my hands and someone will bring it to me. Why do I need to place food and drinks in the room?"
"If you want some tea, I'll ask Aji and Aye to bring it up."
"Forget it then." Shuntaro waved his hand. "It's late at night now, so I won't bother your bald head to make tea for me."
"Then just drink some water and make do with it." Fuujiya walked to the table, picked up the water on the table, and handed it to Shuntaro.
"Why are you suddenly in the mood to play with me today?" Fuujiya asked as she handed the water to Shuntaro.
"There's no particular reason. I just suddenly remembered that I haven't seen you for a while, so I came to see you."
Just as Shuntaro gulped down the water handed to him by Furin-Taiko, Furin-Taiko seemed to remember something and whispered:
"When I was walking to Yang's house tonight, I saw that guy from your Shiranui again, the guy who came to Yoshiwara to have fun every night."
"Gokutaro?" Shuntaro asked.
"Yes, that's the man."
"That guy is so annoying."
"What happened to Gokutaro?" Shuntaro narrowed his eyes slightly, "Did he bump into you when you were performing the Oiran Dochu?"
"How could he have the guts to offend me when he knew that you and I were friends?" Fuu Ling Taifu sneered, "That Gokutaro has a bad drinking habit and a bad personality. He would beat and scold me if he was not satisfied with me."
"Many girls in Yoshiwara have been made to cry and hurt by him."
"They also include several girls I met at Meiya."
"If you have a chance in the future, please warn him for me."
"Tell him to control his violent temper in the future."
"...I understand." Shuntaro nodded gently, "I will warn him to be more careful next time."
"You don't have to worry too much about Gokutaro, Chang."
"In order to prevent Gokutaro from messing around in Yoshiwara, I used some tricks to monitor him."
"I know everything he does in Yoshiwara."
"If he dares to do anything excessive in Yoshiwara, I will teach him a lesson even without you reporting it to me."
"You guys in Shiranui are really free." Fuujitsu Taifu's tone was a little more sarcastic, "You can even freely enter and exit a place like Yoshiwara."
"In fact, only we, the Four Heavenly Kings, have the power and financial resources to enter and leave freely. Other ninjas cannot enter and leave the ninja village freely."
"The Four Heavenly Kings are still in the Shiranui community, second only to the Flame Demon in terms of status. They can freely enter and exit Yoshiwara - we still have this little bit of power."
"Has anything interesting happened in your Shiranui recently?" Fuujiya yawned loudly.
"When did you become so interested in what's going on in Shiranui?"
"I'm not interested in the affairs of your broken ninja village. It's just that you rarely come here, so I want to find some topics that you can answer to chat with you."
"Are there any interesting things happening in our Shiranui recently..." Shuntaro pondered for a while, "Yes, there are."
"Just two days ago, Enma was finally named a 'hatamoto' by the Shogun."
"No longer a white-collar worker with no identity, but a direct retainer of the shogunate with the title of 'Hatamoto', Enma has been very happy these past two days."
"He always had a bright smile on his face."
"Eren's smiling face looks like a wrinkled orange peel that has been left for a long time. Ah Chang, can you imagine what that looks like?"
"Ah, I understand, I understand." Fuu Ling Taifu nodded, "People with a lot of wrinkles on their faces will have wrinkles all over their faces when they smile, just like a wrinkled orange peel."
At this point, Fuu Ling Taifu paused, then asked back with a frown on her face:
"What's so interesting about this?"
"That's not the interesting part." Shuntaro raised his lips and smiled meaningfully. "In order to become a direct vassal of the shogunate and to have a respectable status, Enma has been entertaining various high-ranking officials and trying to please them since he led everyone in Shiranui to Edo."
"I once accompanied Yan Mo to have a few drinks with some high-ranking officials."
"The Flame Demon who usually looks so arrogant in front of can only put on a flattering smile in front of those high-ranking officials, like a well-behaved puppy."
"A peerless ninja with unparalleled ninjutsu has to humble himself to these ."
"Don't you think this is funny?"
"What's so funny about this?" said Fuu Ling Taifu unhappily.
"I find this very interesting." Shuntaro shrugged and smiled, "The swords in the hands of us warriors are indeed no match for those who hold the 'sword' called 'power'."
"I've always been curious about this." Fuujiro, perhaps tired of sitting, crawled to the wall not far away, leaned against it, and continued to chat with Shuntaro, "You in Shiranui are cooperating with the shogunate to put it nicely, and submitting to it to put it bluntly."
"Why do you want to submit to the shogunate and become its dogs?"
"Do you hope to gain assistance from the shogunate to strengthen your own power?"
"How would I know?" Shuntaro shrugged. "I've never cared about such things."
"You are the next generation of Enma after all..." Fuujiya's tone was filled with helplessness, "How are you going to inherit Shiranui in the future if you treat these important matters so perfunctorily?"
Hearing Furin Taifu's words, Shuntaro curled the corners of his mouth.
"Chang, you're wrong." Shuntaro grinned, "I may not be the next generation of Flame Demon."
"Huh? Why?" Fuujiya asked in confusion, "Didn't you tell me before that you would succeed as the next generation of Flame Demon?"
"You heard it wrong." Shuntaro said, "What I said was 'I may become the next generation of Flame Demon'."
"You left out the word 'might'."
"To succeed the Fire Demon, you need to possess many abilities in addition to being extremely powerful."
"From what I know, Gokutaro is now actively striving for the position of the next generation of Enma."
When he heard the name "Gokutaro", Fuujiya showed a look of disgust on his face.
"If you allow someone with such a bad character to become a Flame Demon, I think your Shiranui might be on the verge of destruction." Fuujiya said in a firm tone, "Does anyone in your Shiranui support someone with such a bad character?"
"You know what - there are quite a lot of people who support Gokutaro." Shuntaro sneered, "Although those who support Gokutaro are basically people with simple and rough personalities like Gokutaro."
"Since that Gokutaro is now actively striving for the position of Enma, don't you plan to compete with that Gokutaro?"
"I don't want to." Shuntaro responded without hesitation, "'The 18th Enma'? I'm not interested in such a title."
"I have no interest in 'succession to the next generation of Flame Demon'."
"...Your personality has never changed." A smile that made it hard to tell the exact emotion appeared on Furin Taifu's face. "From childhood to adulthood, you have always been extremely enthusiastic about fighting."
"Don't you women like men who never change their original intentions?" There was a half-joking tone in Shuntaro's tone.
"I'm sorry, but I prefer handsome men to persistent men who never change their original intentions."
After saying that, Fuu Ling Taifu yawned loudly.
"Okay, let's stop here. I'm tired and want to sleep."
"Huh? I just got here not long ago? Are you kicking me out so soon?"
"I should have told you many times, right? Being an Oiran is very tiring." Fuu Ling Taifu rubbed his eyes, which were now only half open. "If you want to chat with me, come back on a day when no customers want to see me."
"Being an oiran isn't any easier than being an ordinary prostitute," Shuntaro said softly.
"Of course." Furin-Tayu gave a wry smile, "Why don't you try wearing those damn heavy shoes and walking around Yoshiwara a few times with your feet splayed out?"
"Anyone who doesn't have some physical strength can't be an oiran."
"Since it's so hard, do you want me to redeem you?" Shuntaro chuckled a few times.
"You? Redeem yourself?" Fuu Ling Taifu looked as if she had heard some big joke, with an exaggerated expression, "Do you have the money to redeem the Oiran?"
"No," Shuntaro answered bluntly, "but I can start saving money from now on."
"When you save enough money to redeem me, I'll be almost 28 years old and can retire." After complaining about Shuntaro unhappily, Fuujiya waved her hand at Shuntaro, "Forget about redeeming me."
"My life now is exhausting, but I don't hate it, and I don't want anyone to redeem me."
"I hope you don't get bored with your current life." Shuntaro stood up slowly, "Then I'll go back first."
"Yes." Fuu Ling Taifu nodded, "Next time if you want to chat with me, remember to pick a time when no customers have ordered me."
"knew."
After leaving these words lightly, Shuntaro opened the window slightly and peeked through the gap to see what was happening outside.
After confirming that no one would notice him if he went out at this moment, Shuntaro opened the window gap large enough for him to enter and exit, and then passed through the gap like a gust of wind.
The sound of the wind, the burning candle, and Fuujiya's breathing - these were the only three sounds left in the room.
Light, shadow, and the beautiful woman still sitting not far from the window - these are the only three scenes left in the room.
…
…
The next morning,
Edo, Yoshiwara.
"Stop right there! Stop right there!"
While holding the wooden stick high in his hand, Kei'emon chased after the sloppy ronin in front of him, who was about 30 years old.
As soon as he got to work today and began patrolling around Yoshiwara, Keimon ran into a ronin who was eating and drinking in a teahouse without paying.
So the situation naturally evolved into the current situation - Kei'emon led his four subordinates to chase this ronin who dared to eat a free meal and was now fleeing towards Yoshiwara Gate.
Although this ronin looked like he had not eaten properly for a long time and was malnourished, his speed when he ran was not slow at all.
For a moment, Kei'emon and his men were unable to catch up with him in the first place.
In order to catch the ronin as quickly as possible, Kei'emon led his men in chasing him while shouting loudly, hoping to attract his colleagues who were patrolling or standing guard nearby to come for support.
And Keiichiro's shouts really worked.
When the Yoshiwara gate appeared in front of them, Kei'emon saw three of his colleagues coming towards them with long wooden sticks in their hands, blocking the ronin's way to the Yoshiwara gate and forming a double team around the ronin together with Kei'emon.
Seeing that the reinforcements had arrived and had successfully double-teamed the ronin, a look of joy involuntarily appeared on Kei'emon's face.
As for the ronin, his face darkened when he saw the officials from Shirobei Club appearing in front of him.
After a thoughtful look flashed across his face, he suddenly stopped.
Then he drew the knife from his waist.
Seeing the ronin draw his sword, Keimon's expression changed. While raising his hand to signal his colleagues to stop, he shouted at the ronin:
"Put down the knife! Surrender now!"
Working for many years at the Shirobei Club gave Keimon a loud voice.
But Kei'emon's loud voice did not shake the ronin at all.
The ronin, whose forehead was already covered with sweat, tightened the knife in his hand and said in a deep voice:
"I don't want to hurt anyone! Let me go!"
"Do you think there's a chance we can let you go?" Qing Weimen crossed his feet, slowly raised the long wooden stick in his hand, and pointed the tip of the stick at the ronin in front of him, "I'll say it again. Put down the knife!"
Seeing that the negotiations failed, more sweat oozed from the ronin's forehead.
At the same time, he gripped the knife tighter in his hand.
Looking at the ronin who gripped the sword even tighter, the expressions on Keimon's and his colleagues' faces involuntarily became heavier.
Including Keiemon, there were 8 of them in total.
The weapons they use - long wooden sticks - have an attack range far greater than that of katana.
But they still did not dare to be careless. They just silently clenched the long wooden sticks in their hands, and looked for the right time to attack while maintaining the situation of surrounding the ronin.
And this ronin is also looking for the right opportunity to break through.
The two groups started a confrontation that was heavy enough to make the air around them heavy.
It is early morning now. Although this is the time when Yoshiwara has the least traffic, there are still people gathering in groups of three or four around Kei'emon and his companions to watch the fun.
However, those onlookers were smart. When they saw the ronin draw his real sword, they knew that a bloody battle might break out, so they all stood far away.
All these onlookers stood far away, which saved Qingweimon the trouble. He could fight to his heart's content without worrying about hurting innocent people.
The noise made by Keimon and his companions also disturbed the brothels on both sides of the street.
The prostitutes living in the surrounding prostitute houses opened their windows one after another and looked at Keimon and others below with either fear or curiosity.
Just as the atmosphere of the confrontation became more and more tense, and a fight might break out in the next second——
"Keiemon!"
A familiar shout suddenly came from not far in front of Qing'emon.
"Hmm?" While keeping his gaze fixed on the ronin, Keiichiro glanced over the ronin's shoulder and looked further ahead.
When his peripheral vision moved further ahead, Kei'emon saw an acquaintance of his - an old man from their Shirobei Club: Kawajiro.
Kawajiro is an old man who is 58 years old this year. He is mainly responsible for clerical work in the club.
He started working at the Shirobei Club at the age of 18 and has worked there for 40 years, making him the most senior person in the club.
Even their current leader, the Sixth Generation Shirobei, was respectful towards Kawajiro, who had worked diligently in the club for 40 years.
The extremely familiar Kawajiro was accompanied by an unfamiliar young samurai.
This young warrior has ordinary features and a simple appearance.
His clothes were clean and he didn't look like a wanderer who had no food to eat.
"Keiemon!" Kawajiro led the strange young samurai to Keiemon's side and asked Keiemon in a deep voice, "What's wrong with this guy?"
"This guy didn't pay after eating and drinking in the teahouse." Keiemon, whose eyes were fixed on the ronin, said to Kawajiro beside him without turning his head, "Kawajiro, you step back first. If you stand here, you might be implicated in the fight later."
"Do you need me to call for more reinforcements?" Kawajiro asked.
“…Yes, please.”
After all, the opponent is a ronin who has already drawn his real sword.
So you can never be too cautious.
To be on the safe side, Kei'emon decided to use a human wave tactic, rushing forward and taking down the dangerous thief in one fell swoop.
Just as Kawajiro was about to nod vigorously, saying "I'll go get help now", the young samurai who had been following Kawajiro all the time suddenly said:
"Kawajiro, you just said that in order to become an employee of the Shirobei Club who is responsible for maintaining public order, you must first test your strength, right?"
"Hmm?" Kawajiro was slightly stunned, then quickly replied, "Right, so you wait a moment. After Keiemon captures the thief, he will test you... Hey! What are you doing?!"
Before Kawajiro could finish his words, the young samurai walked through the thin encirclement set up by Keimon and his men to target the ronin who ate and freed, and slowly walked towards the ronin.
"Hey!" Keimon was stunned by the unexpected scene in front of him and shouted to the young samurai, "What are you doing?"
The young samurai ignored Kei'emon and the others, walked a distance away from the ronin, and then stopped.
"Who are you?! What do you want to do by suddenly approaching me?!" The ronin turned the tip of his sword and pointed it at the young samurai who suddenly approached him.
"I'm not planning on doing anything." The young samurai said to the ronin in a calm tone, "I'm in a hurry to find this man named Kei'emon, so could you please put down your sword and surrender? This way, we can all save a lot of time."
"Who would surrender like this?" the ronin roared, "Are you an official from the Shirobei Club?"
"My name is Majima Goro. I am just a wanderer from Izumo passing through here."
"If you are not an official, get out of the way! Otherwise I will kill you too!"
"...Didn't you notice?" asked the young warrior.
The young samurai's inexplicable question stunned the ronin and others such as Kei'emon beside him.
"What did you find?" the Ronin asked.
"Don't you realize that you have been standing within my optimal attack range since just now?"
The words fell.
A cold light flashed.
A cold light emanated from the scabbard of the katana on the young samurai's left waist, sweeping towards the sword in the ronin's hand like a stream of light.
clang!
The ronin had no idea how to react to the young samurai's sword.
With a huge sound of metal colliding, the knife in the ronin's hand was knocked away.
After striking the sword out of the ronin's hand, the young samurai turned his sword and placed the katana on the ronin's neck.
"A person who doesn't even know that he is standing within the enemy's optimal attack range cannot kill me." The young warrior's tone remained calm.