Before Uehara and Ishida come into conflict...
…
…
The process of following the Kenseiban sent by Furin-no-Tayu to the former Umeya... to use a more vivid example, it was like being a thief.
First, he sneaked to an inconspicuous back door of Jianmei's house.
After passing through this small back door, go around the winding corridors and stairs.
Before meeting Umeya, Ogata had taken off the club's haori in order not to attract attention.
Because the guide specifically walked through corridors where few people passed, Ogata didn't meet many people on the way to the oiran's room.
The few people who met him by chance quickly passed by him without casting any doubtful or curious glances at him.
They must have thought of Ogata as just a guest on his way to a certain courtesan's room, being led by the Misebun.
In fact, it’s not wrong for these passers-by to think so.
Ogata was indeed heading towards a certain Yuujou's room.
It’s just that the prostitute is the top prostitute in Yoshiwara now.
Under the guidance of Jian Shiban, Ogata finally stopped in front of two paper sliding doors put together.
Ogata looked up and down at the two paper sliding doors in front of him several times.
There is a landscape painting painted on the front of the paper sliding door.
Although he knew little about calligraphy and painting, Ogata could instinctively feel that the painter who painted this landscape must have extremely strong painting skills.
"The lady-in-waiting is waiting for you inside. She has instructed that when you arrive, you only need to open the door and go in." Kenshiban said softly to Ogata, "Then - I will leave now."
After bowing to Ogata, the mikoto quickly left Ogata's side.
Since the lady-in-waiting had instructed that he could just open the door and walk in without any greetings, Ogata did not hesitate. He raised his hand and slowly opened the door in front of him.
The dazzling candlelight leaked through the crack in the open door into the slightly dim corridor where Ogata was now standing.
After opening the paper sliding door, the first person Ogata saw was Furin-taifu sitting in the corner of the room.
The Furin Taifu at this moment was quite different from the Furin Taifu seen at Ruya during the day.
Today, Furin-tayu only wore light makeup, had her hair loose without any combing, and wore only an ordinary kimono.
Now Furin Taifu still only wears light makeup, but her hair is neatly combed into a bun, and she is wearing a gorgeous bright red kimono.
Ogata also didn't know much about women's clothes.
The only words Ogata could think of to describe the bright red kimono that Furin-Tayu was wearing were "beautiful" and - "looks expensive..."
Fuujiya, who was kneeling obediently in a corner of the room, was now playing with a small spinning top.
Seeing Ogata pulling the door open and coming in, Fuujiya immediately revealed a faint smile, put the spinning top in his hand aside, and pointed his hand in front of him.
"Mashima-kun, please take a seat."
After closing the door and walking slowly in front of Furin-taifu, Ogata looked around the room.
There was nothing special about Furin Taifu's room.
Ogata originally thought that as the top-level courtesan in Yoshiwara, Furin Taifu's room would be as magnificent and luxurious as a palace.
However, Ogata did not expect that Furin Taifu's room was much simpler than he had imagined.
There were two places in the housewife's room that caught Ogata's attention.
One is a very spacious desk placed on one side of the room.
On the table was a large mirror, a comb, an eyebrow pencil, and a large number of cosmetics from this era that Ogata could not name.
The other place is another table on the other side of the room.
The things on this table are very simple - just books.
There is an open book on the table right now.
The pages of the books on this table are basically in tatters. Only if they are read frequently will the pages appear in this damaged state.
After kneeling down beside Furin-no-Taisho, Ogata immediately asked the question that had been on his mind all the way to the Taisho's room:
"Taifu, what can I do for you?"
"It's not a big deal, actually. I just wanted to thank you in person."
At this time, the lady did not use "Kou Words" or honorifics, but spoke to Ogata in an ordinary tone.
Large brothels like Yoshiwara housed a large number of prostitutes from all over Japan.
In order to hide their accents, the prostitutes invented a special dialect, namely - Kuoci.
The most notable feature of this accent used by prostitutes is that they always add a sentence ending word at the end of their sentences: "ありんす". (Pronounced: arinsu)
The Chinese transliteration is "Alins".
Because the lady did not use either broad words or honorifics at this time, the atmosphere between her and Ogata became less restrained and more natural.
"Thank me?" Ogata raised his eyebrows. "Have I ever done anything for you that deserves your gratitude?"
"Yes, of course. In the stay house today."
Even with Furin Taifu's reminder, Ogata was still confused.
Seeing that Ogata still didn't understand what he had done, Fuujiya didn't keep him in suspense any longer. After showing a smile with a bigger upward arc at the corners of his mouth, he said:
"As for me, I hate that person Takigawa Heiichiro the most."
Having said this, Fuujiya frowned slightly.
"I hate people who only talk big but don't do anything."
"Takigawa Heiichiro happens to be such a person."
"It's fine if he is just that kind of person."
"It still bothers me."
A wry smile appeared on Fuujitsu Taifu's face.
"I have told him many times, both openly and secretly, that I no longer have feelings for him. But he still keeps trying to curry favor with me."
"Mashima-kun, thanks to you, I got some interesting looks from Takigawa today."
"I've been in a good mood ever since. Thank you for letting me see the scene I've always wanted to see."
After saying this, Furin Taifu leaned over and bowed to Ogata.
Ogata didn't expect that Furin-no-Taisho had called him over just for this matter. He smiled helplessly, returned the greeting and said:
"Taifu, there's no need to thank me in person for such a small matter."
Fuu Ling Taifu shook his head gently:
"Although that Takigawa is a rather annoying guy, he is indeed impeccable both in terms of both theory and martial arts."
"It's too hard to see him get humiliated."
"You let me see the scene I've always wanted to see, so it's only right that I thank you in person."
"Here, this is for you."
Furin Taifu took out a small disc-shaped object from her arms and handed it to Ogata.
"What is this?" Ogata took the thing handed to him by the lady-in-waiting with a puzzled look on his face.
"This is the 'Sasa-iro-red' lipstick you asked me about today." Fuu Ling Taifu raised her hand and lightly touched her lips, which were now painted with Sasa-iro-red. "This is the one I use exclusively for you. This is my thank you gift for letting me see such a beautiful scene."
Upon hearing Furin Taifu's words, Ogata's eyes immediately widened in surprise.
"Um...can I open it and take a look?"
"Please."
Ogata opened the small round iron box in his hand.
I saw that the box contained the same color lip balm that Fuu Ling Taifu was currently applying on her lips.
And it seems that this box of "Sasairo Red" has not been used.
Ogata still remembered what Furin-no-Tayu had told him about the price of the Sasashiki-red turban that she used exclusively for him...
"Taifu, this thank-you gift is too valuable." Ogata said quickly, "I have received your gratitude, but please take it back."
"Just take it. This Sasashiki Red is nothing to me. I can't even use it all myself, so it's no big deal to give you some."
Having said this, Fuujiya revealed a meaningful smile.
"If I'm guessing correctly, Mashima-kun, you should also need this 'Sasairo Red', right?"
"I still remember what you said in the room today."
"When you asked me what lip balm I was wearing, I asked you in return if you were interested in lip balm."
"You told me: 'Just now when I saw your lipstick, Taifu, I suddenly thought that it might look good if a girl who means a lot to me also put on the same lipstick as you.'"
Furin Taifu imitated Ogata's tone and manner of speech and repeated what Ogata had said in the Tsuchiya today.
"Even a warrior like you would care about a woman's lipstick. It seems that girl means a lot to you."
"Is that girl who means so much to you your wife?"
"Well... sort of." Ogata said softly, "She and I are now indeed a married couple in name only."
"Then you should give this Sasashiki Red to your wife."
The smile on Fuu Ling Taifu's face gradually became gentle.
"I think your wife will be very happy after receiving this Sasashiki Red."
"To me, this Sasashiki Red is just a trinket that is not worth mentioning."
“So don’t be embarrassed to accept a gift just because you think it’s expensive.”
"Just accept it with peace of mind."
After hearing what Furin-taifu said, Ogata lowered his eyes and looked at the Sasashikihong in his hand for a while.
After a few flashes of hesitation in his eyes, Ogata nodded.
"Then... I will accept it. Thank you for your gift, Taifu."
"I just said that this is just a thank you gift for letting me see a great view today, so you don't need to thank me."
Just as Ogata put the Sasashiki Hong given by Furin Taifu into his arms, he suddenly heard some strange noises coming from outside the window facing the street.
"What's going on?" After frowning slightly, Ogata quickly walked to the window where the strange noise came from.
If people outside the street found out that there was a man in the lady's room, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
So when he opened the window, Ogata deliberately opened it only a tiny gap, just enough for him to see what was happening outside.
After opening the window, Ogata finally saw where the strange noise came from.
It seems that someone is causing trouble on the street directly opposite the Miume-ya where Ogata, Furin Taifu and the others are now.
The troublemaker seemed to be the middle-aged warrior carrying a spear.
In front of this middle-aged samurai, Ogata also saw his acquaintance - Uoe.
Uesugi was negotiating something with the middle-aged samurai, but unfortunately Ogata couldn't hear clearly because the distance was quite far.
Although his purpose of coming to Shirobei Club was not pure, he is now a member of the club after all. After seeing someone causing trouble in Yoshiwara, Ogata could not pretend not to see it no matter what.
"Taishu." Ogata closed the window again, and then said to Fuu Ling Taifu sternly, "It seems that someone is making trouble outside. I will take my leave first."
"Yeah." Fengling Taifu nodded slightly.
The purpose of Furin Taifu asking Ogata to come over was to thank him and give him this thank-you gift.
Now that the goal has been achieved, Furin Taifu has no reason to keep Ogata any longer.
"Do you remember the way out of the Meiwu house?"
"Remember."
"That's good." Feng Ling Taifu slowly revealed a charming smile, "Let's have a good chat next time we have a chance."
"Yes." Ogata smiled, "I will."
After saying that, Ouba picked up his Daishikuten and left Fuujiya's room like a gust of wind.
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…
Kenumeya is one of the only few "Omise"-level yukatas in Yoshiwara, and its size and scale are far superior to ordinary yukatas.
Just looking at the number of floors, Jianmei House has a full 4 floors.
And Fuujiya's room happened to be on the top floor.
Even though he had rushed to the scene of the commotion as fast as he could, he still seemed a little late.
By the time Ogata arrived at the scene of the riot, Uesugi had already fought with the rioter, who was holding a spear.
Ogata originally thought that the dispute would end there.
However, no one expected that the troublemaker was actually a guy obsessed with competing with others.
After meeting Ogata, he asked Ogata to compete with him without any explanation.
Ogata didn't really want to waste time competing with this guy.
After all, he did not forget the main reason why he came to Yoshiwara - to monitor and try to get some useful information from Gokutaro.
However, this guy is not someone who is easy to deal with...
In desperation, Ogata could only pull out his Daishakuten...
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…
After Ogata rushed to support, Fuujiya opened the window facing the scene of the commotion and checked what was happening outside.
Just as he saw Ogata draw the katana from his waist and hold it with one hand, confronting the middle-aged samurai opposite him who was holding a spear, Fuuzuki suddenly heard several strange noises from the ceiling above his head.
After looking up at the ceiling above his head, a look of doubt appeared on Fuujiya's face.
Click.
A section of the ceiling in the room had been removed.
A black shadow rushed down along the removed ceiling and then landed steadily on the tatami.
"Hey~~ Ah Chang, I'm here to see you."
This black shadow was none other than Shuntaro.
"Why are you here?" Fuujitaro frowned slightly after being slightly startled by the sudden appearance of Shuntaro. "And why did you come over from the ceiling this time?"
"I've been quite free lately." Shuntaro stretched, "so I might come to bother you more during this period."
"Because I climbed into your room through the window last night, I plan to try a new method to get into your room today."
"Are you free now? Come play some karam with me to kill time."
"Let's talk about it later." Fuu Ling Taifu turned his gaze back to the window.
"What are you looking at?"
"There are warriors causing trouble outside."
"Oh! This, I also saw it when I met Umeya just now."
As Shuntaro spoke, he slowly walked towards the window.
However, before he even reached the window, Fuu Ling Taifu scolded him unhappily:
"If you want to watch the fun, go to another place first."
"If someone saw me standing by the window with a man, it would take me a lot of effort to explain."
"What? It's so cruel." Shuntaro said casually, "When we were at the Rashomon River, we always went butterfly catching together. Now we can't even stand side by side and watch the fun. It's really unpredictable."
Although he said this, Shuntaro still obediently climbed back up to the ceiling.
Shuntaro climbed up to the roof of the Umeya house through the ceiling in one breath.
Under the cover of night, he lay on the tiles of the roof of Jianmei's house and looked at the scene on the street.
Looking at Ogata holding the knife with one hand, the curiosity in Shuntaro's eyes gradually became more intense.
…
…
Ogata just said that he held the knife with one hand because he was afraid that he might not be able to control the strength if he held it with both hands - he was not joking or bluffing.
This is absolutely the truth.
Ogata's strength is now as high as 14 points.
With such strength, coupled with his current "advanced" or "master-level" sword skills, it is impossible for an ordinary warrior to withstand it.
The guy on the opposite side who was using the Hozoin-style spear technique didn't seem to want to cause any casualties, and he didn't even take off the gun cap.
And Ogata didn't want to make the dispute worse, so he used the back of the sword against the enemy while holding the sword with only one hand.
It would not be wrong to say that Ogata had no interest in this competition at all.
Although he had fought against many masters who used long weapons, this was the first time that Ogata encountered an opponent who used the famous spear technique, the Hozoin-ryu Spear Technique.
Hozoin-ryu spear technique is a style of martial arts created by Yinrong, a monk in the Warring States Period more than 200 years ago.
This monk named Yinrong is also a legendary figure.
He once studied swordsmanship under the "Sword Saint" - Kamiizumi Isemori Nobutsuna together with the "Great Swordsman" Yagyu Tajima no Mori.
There are so many legends about Yinrong that it would take three days and three nights to tell them all.
The Hozoin-ryu spear technique he created also continues to shine due to its powerful practicality.
To this day, Hozoin-ryu lance technique is considered the most famous lance technique school in Japan.
It would be a lie to say that Ogata didn't want to challenge someone who used such a famous spearmanship.
After confronting Ishida for a while, Ishida, who was unable to find Ogata's weakness, took the lead in launching the first attack.
The spear head swung by Ishida was so fast that it was dizzying.
But for Ogata——this was just the extent that he could see even without the amplification of "Original Breathing".
Aiming at the gun tip that was rapidly approaching him, Ogata used Sakakibara Ittoryu's Waterfall.
With just one hand, he deflected Ishida's gun tip.
After deflecting Ishida's gun, he quickly rushed to Ishida and put Daishiten on his neck.
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…
"Um?"
After seeing Ogata block Ishida's spear with just one hand, Shuntaro, who was lying on the roof of the Ume-ya watching the fun, suddenly raised his eyebrows.
The look he cast towards Ogata suddenly became much more serious.
"He was able to block an attack like that with just one hand... and it looks like this guy has a lot of experience fighting against long weapons..."
Shuntaro whispered in a voice that only he could hear.
"This person... is really amazing..."
Looking at Ogata, who had already put Daishakuten on Ishida's neck, there was something... different in Shuntaro's eyes.
…
…
After experiencing the battle with the "evil monk" Isjun on Butterfly Island, Ogata no longer feels stressed due to the difference in attack distance no matter who he faces with a long weapon - no matter how big the difference is, it will never be greater than the difference in attack distance between him and the "evil monk".
After placing the Great Shakuten on Ishida's neck, a crisp system prompt sounded in Ogata's mind:
[Ding! Use Sakakibara Ittoryu: Waterfall to defeat the enemy]
[Gain 100 points of personal experience and 90 points of swordsmanship "Sakakibara Ittoryu" experience]
[Current personal level: Lv32 (2975/48 00)]
[Sakakibara Ittoryu Level: 11th Stage (3575/7000)]
Looking at Ogata who was so close in front of him, Ishida looked as if he had seen a ghost.
After a long while, he stammered and said:
"Your Excellency...you are...so strong..."
"Alright!" Guasheng on the side shouted at this time, "You lose! You should keep your promise and follow us to the club!"
After saying that, Guasheng winked at his colleague next to him.
The bureaucrats who understood the situation hurried forward and grabbed Ishida's arms.
And Ishida did not put up any resistance.
Ishida just stared at Ogata in a daze.
When putting the Daishikten back into the scabbard, Ogata couldn't help but frown slightly.
Because - he always felt that Ishida's way of looking at him was... a little strange.
There was neither resentment nor anger in his eyes.
It's an indescribable emotion...
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…
at the same time--
In the Juyuan house not far away——
"Heh." Looking at Ishida who was staring at Ogata blankly, Nagano showed a strange smile, "Is that Ishida guy... up to his old tricks again..."
"Master Nagano." The young man standing next to Nagano asked, "What's that?"
"You are still young." Nagano said softly, "Don't know these things that will not benefit you at all."