Although two days have passed, the scenes that took place at the "Big Test" still feel like yesterday to Kitahara.
He went on stage with full confidence, wanting to perform well in front of Isshikika, but was knocked down by an unknown girl named Aki...
Immediately afterwards, this Anyi showed his great power and knocked down both his master Nanjo and the owner of Shimura-kan.
If things ended here, Kitahara would feel better, after all, this meant that he was killed instantly, not because he was too weak, but because his opponent was too strong.
Look! Even the master and the head of Shimura-kan were knocked down! It was reasonable and logical for Kitahara to be knocked down in one move.
However...what happened next was something Kitahara could not accept at all.
An Yun, who had killed him instantly with one strike, was killed instantly with one strike by another person...
And this person... just happened to have a very good relationship with Isshiki Kenkan, and also had a pretty good relationship with Isshiki Hana. Before the "Big Trial" began, this guy and Isshiki Hana were always talking and laughing, which made Kitahara hate him to death.
Kitahara can tolerate someone being much stronger than him.
But he can't stand this person who is much stronger than him, and has a good relationship with Isshiki...
The sight of Ogata killing Anyi with one strike, and Isshikika smiling at him when Ogata knocked Anyi down and returned to his seat - these two scenes, like two needles, pierced Kitahara's heart.
But the blow to Kitahara was not over yet.
After the "big test" was over, Kitahara, who was extremely depressed, found his good friend Miura and wanted to drink with him to relieve his boredom.
Then a new round of attacks came...
When drinking with Miura, Kitahara talked about the various incidents that happened in the "Big Test", and Miura exclaimed:
"Ah! That man in the bamboo hat called Majima Goro, it turns out that he not only has a strong background, but also has strong swordsmanship..."
Kitahara, who didn't understand what Miura meant by that sentence, began to question Miura.
Because when Miura encountered those things in Shinmachi, Kitahara happened to be in seclusion in the sword hall, preparing for the "big test", and had no contact with any outsiders.
So it was not until now, after questioning Miura, that Kitahara learned about what Miura had experienced in Shinmachi before.
After learning what Miura had experienced, Kitahara's already extremely ugly expression became even uglier.
Kitahara naturally knew who Yukimura was.
As one of Osaka's most famous heroes, there are very few people in Osaka who don't know who Yukimura is.
Yukimura, who was a powerful figure in Osaka, bowed humbly to Goro Majima, a young man who was only in his early 20s. If you told others about this kind of thing, no one would believe it, but that's what happened.
There is no doubt that the background of Majima Goro is extremely powerful, as Yukimura has been able to be so humble.
This made Beiyuan feel even more difficult to accept...
Beiyuan's already scarred heart was stabbed with another needle.
Suddenly, a person with extremely powerful swordsmanship and a strong background appeared. What's more, he has a very good relationship with Isshikika... This huge blow directly stunned Kitahara, who was originally very confident in himself.
Faced with this heavy blow, Kitahara subconsciously relied on alcohol, which he already loved.
Kitahara spent most of the past two days in the izakaya.
From time to time, like tonight, I would invite friends like Miura to have a drink together.
Seeing Kitahara finish another bottle of sake, Miura couldn't help but curl his lips .
——Isn’t she just an Isshiki flower? There are many people in Osaka who are prettier than Isshiki flower, and have better personalities than Isshiki flower. As for this lifeless look...
Miura sighed several times in his heart.
——Kitahara is just too obsessive. Once he sets his sights on Isshikika, he must have Isshikika... This kind of obsessive personality can easily lead to detours...
Perhaps because he was the son of a businessman, Miura's personality and principles were very... flexible.
He couldn't understand why Kitahara had been pursuing Isshikika for three years and wanted to be with her in his life.
As an old friend of Kitahara, Miura has advised Kitahara many times to be more open-minded and not necessarily choose Isshiki as a partner. Miura also introduced Kitahara to several girls who Miura thought were much better than Isshiki, but Kitahara was indifferent.
Miura didn't know how to comfort Kitahara, who was currently very depressed and kept drinking.
I can only continue to say in a helpless tone:
"Do you want to drink more? You must have drunk a lot. Is that enough?"
…
…
Osaka, somewhere——
"……Father."
Rushui, who was walking beside Zhizhou, had a face that was unusually red due to excitement.
"Tonight's 'Qing Tan' is really exciting!"
"Yeah." Naoshige nodded and smiled, "'Law Execution Group'... it's a really good name."
After Danjiro showed the large piece of paper with the two Chinese characters "法执" written on it, a heated discussion broke out in the room.
Some people think that the "Tianzhu Group" is more imposing and it would be better to name it the "Tianzhu Group".
Those who agree that the "human execution group" is more suitable for them also argue for their rights.
After nearly an hour of discussion, they finally came to a conclusion - the "Legal Punishment Party" that supported the name of the "Legal Punishment Group" won the final victory!
Although the name "Tenchu ​​Group" was first proposed by Naoshige in the previous discussion of "Qingtan".
But in tonight's "Qingtan", after Duan Jiro showed a large piece of paper with "Fa Zhu" written on it, Zhi Zhou Guangsu defected to the "Fa Zhu Party" with Rushui.
So after seeing that their "Law and Punishment Party" won the final victory and the organization confirmed the name of it as the "Law and Punishment Group", Zhizhou and Rushui, father and son, couldn't help but smile.
The main purpose of tonight's "Qingtan" is to decide the name of their organization.
After confirming the name of the organization and announcing some trivial matters regarding the organization's construction and operation, tonight's "chat" came to an end.
Zhizhou and Rushui are now on their way home.
"Alas..." Rushui, who had just been excited and happy, suddenly showed a hint of sadness on his face, "I don't know... whether I can see the fall of the Edo Shogunate in my lifetime..."
"I don't know how much effort and energy it will take to convince powerful clans like Satsuma and Choshu..."
"...No matter how much effort and energy it takes, the final victory will definitely belong to us." Naoshige smiled slightly, "After all , justice and law are with us."
The ultimate goal of their Law Enforcement Group is to overthrow the Edo Shogunate and turn Japan back into a country centered on the emperor, as it was during the Nara and Heian periods hundreds of years ago.
It is easy to shout "Down with the shogunate" with your mouth, but it is difficult to put it into practice.
The Edo Shogunate directly ruled a quarter of Japan's land, and many feudal domains were willing to follow the Edo Shogunate's lead.
From the beginning, the members of the Law and Punishment Group clearly realized that it was impossible to persuade a behemoth like the Edo Shogunate to voluntarily return power to the emperor. To make the Edo Shogunate return power to the emperor, force was necessary!
How to overthrow the Edo Shogunate by force?
The Law Enforcement Group set its sights on powerful clans such as Satsuma and Choshu, which had weak ties with the Edo Shogunate.
He planned to use the power of these powerful feudal domains to overthrow the Edo Shogunate.
If we talk about which domains are most likely to go against the Edo Shogunate, they would naturally be certain outer daimyo, headed by Satsuma and Choshu.
The Tokugawa clan's hegemony began with the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which was known as the "Thousand-Year War."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in 1598. As soon as Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had always pretended to be a grandson in front of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, immediately started to make trouble.
Two years after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Ieyasu led a coalition force composed of the Tokugawa army and Tokugawa clan's supporters (collectively known as the Eastern Army) to fight against a coalition force composed of the Toyotomi army and Toyotomi clan's supporters (collectively known as the Western Army) in the Sekigahara area.
This "once-in-a-millennium war" that decided whether the world would belong to Toyotomi or Tokugawa was decided in just one day.
The Toyotomi clan had many traitors, and under Tokugawa Ieyasu's clever diplomatic tactics, some of the Western Army betrayed them, some of them slacked off, and the Toyotomi clan suffered a great defeat because of these traitors.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa clan completely replaced the Toyotomi clan and ruled Japan. In 1603, the Tokugawa clan established the Edo Shogunate in Edo, and then launched the Osaka Winter Campaign in 1614 and the Osaka Summer Campaign in 1615, completely destroying the Toyotomi clan who were hiding in their base in Osaka.
After the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, the daimyo who were granted fiefdoms in various places were divided into pro-domain daimyo, hereditary daimyo, and outer daimyo.
The daimyo who were related to the Tokugawa clan were all relatives of the Tokugawa clan. The hereditary daimyo were those who had served the Tokugawa clan before the Battle of Sekigahara, and the outer daimyo were those who surrendered to the Tokugawa clan after the Battle of Sekigahara.
Most of the outer daimyo served the Toyotomi clan during the Battle of Sekigahara, and were forced to submit to the Tokugawa clan because of the Toyotomi clan's defeat - Satsuma and Choshu are the most typical examples.
The Shimazu clan, which ruled the Satsuma domain, and the Mori clan, which ruled the Choshu domain, both belonged to the Western Army and served Toyotomi during the Battle of Sekigahara.
They were forced to submit to the Edo Shogunate.
This special relationship meant that the "former retainers of the Toyotomi clan", led by the Satsuma and Choshu clans, were not completely loyal to the Edo Shogunate.
Therefore, it is most likely that they will be turned against the government.
Therefore, Naoshige and his men sent a large number of comrades to the territories of those feudal states that had the hope of opposing the shogunate, and lobbied the people of these feudal states, focusing on the Satsuma and Choshu domains, which had the strongest grain output of 770,000 koku and 370,000 koku respectively.
"Mobilize powerful clans such as Satsuma and Choshu to attack and destroy the shogunate by force" - this is the overall strategy of their Hojutsu Group.
"I also believe that we will, and will, achieve final victory." Rushui smiled, "I just hope to see our ambitions come true in my lifetime."
"If we can overthrow the Edo Shogunate in our lifetime, then you, father, will be considered one of the heroes who helped to overthrow the shogunate."
"After all, you are one of the founders and core figures of our Fazhu Group..."
"Okay, Rushui." Rushui was interrupted by his father before he could finish his words.
Nao Zhou glanced around vigilantly, and then continued:
"Don't talk about this kind of thing on the street."
It is now close to 10 o'clock in the evening. At this time, even in the bustling streets of Osaka, the streets have become extremely quiet.
There was no one around the street where Zhizhou and Rushui were standing.
But even so, it is better to be careful. After all, if people hear words like "overthrow the Edo Shogunate", who knows how much trouble it will cause.
"Ah... sorry." Rushui apologized in a low voice and then closed her mouth.
After Rushui apologized, neither the father nor the son spoke anymore.
The two returned to their home in silence.
As soon as he got home, Rushui's wife Asi took small steps and ran to the door to greet him.
Ah Shi: "Father, Rushui, you are back."
"Ashi." Rushui smiled, "You haven't gone to bed yet?"
"I won't be able to sleep peacefully if I don't see you two return home safely with my own eyes." Rushui responded in a half-joking tone.
"Ashi." Naoshi suddenly asked, "Where's Xiaohua?"
"Xiaohua has just gone back to her room to sleep."
"Oh... Did Xiaohua study calligraphy with you tonight?"
Ashi can completely be regarded as the incarnation of Yamato Nadeshiko.
She is beautiful, gentle, a perfect wife, and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Naoshu has always asked Xiaohua to learn more from her mother and strive to become a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko like her mother.
"Yes, there is..." Ash sighed, "but she seems absent-minded and doesn't want to study."
"I saw that she didn't seem to be interested in studying, so I just let her rest early."
"This kid..." Zhi Zhou pulled the corner of his mouth, then shook his head gently, "Is she deliberately trying to go against me?"
"I asked her to study calligraphy hard, so as not to bring shame to our Isshiki family after marrying someone else. But she deliberately didn't study hard."
"She really becomes more and more ignorant as she gets older. I must find an opportunity to give her a good lecture later."
…
…
When Zhi Zhou and Ru Shui just returned home——
In an inconspicuous dark alley next to Isshiki's house——
"Lord Lou Luo."
A deep voice sounded from the alley.
"Ise Nakashuu and Ise Rushui have both returned home."
"...Finally you're back." A man dressed as a Void Monk, exuding a cold aura, murmured, "You made me wait so long..."
"Lord Lou Luo, do you want to rush in and arrest them now?"
"... Wait a little longer. Wait until they all fall asleep before you do anything."
"yes."
…
…
"Hey, Kitahara. Do you really not need me to take you home?"
Miura asked Kitahara, who was walking unsteadily beside him.
"No need." Beiyuan waved his hand with a bit of impatience, "You know I can drink a lot! This little bit of alcohol won't stop me from going home."
The current time is probably close to 11 o'clock in the evening.
Definitely late at night.
At this time, there was nothing else on the streets of Osaka except cats, dogs, and drunkards like Kitahara who were returning home after drinking in a pub.
Miura looked at Kitahara's footsteps - although Kitahara's cheeks were as red as if they were splashed with red paint, his steps were still firm and powerful, and he was not unable to walk, and Kitahara seemed to be very clear-headed.
Miura is actually in a hurry to go home now.
Because tonight he invited a prostitute with a pair of very strong bears to the small house he rented without telling his parents.
Such a wonderful courtesan, Miura now wishes he could grow a pair of wings on his back so he can fly back to his little house and hold the courtesan in his arms until dawn.
Beiyuan's home is quite far from here, and it will take a lot of time to send him home.
So after weighing the pros and cons, Miura decided -
"Okay, I get it. I'll go back to my house then."
Kitahara waved to Miura and said, "Goodbye. Let's have a drink together later when we have time."
…
…
"…What time is it now?"
"Lord Lou Luo, it is almost 9:00 AM now."
"... 9 o'clock in the evening?... It's almost time. Send the order downstairs - let's get started."
"yes."
…
…
Osaka, Isshiki family——
——Ah… Xiaohua’s matter… is really troublesome…
Naoshige was lying in bed wearing a white yukata. Although he looked like he had fallen asleep with his eyes closed, he was actually not sleeping at all.
All kinds of chaotic thoughts were running through Zhi Zhou's mind at this moment.
All these chaotic thoughts have the same content - worry about Isshikika's marriage.
Before this, he had always been grateful for having successfully met "Shura" Ogata.
Even if they failed to get Ogata to join their Dharma-Execution Group, it would definitely be more beneficial than harmful for Naoshige to maintain a good relationship with the man known as "Shura" - this was what Naoshige had always believed.
But now... Naoshige found that it didn't seem to be the case...
Knowing Ogata... doesn't seem to be a situation where the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
Because he discovered that his precious granddaughter's heart had been stolen by that man!
Naoshige cares a lot about the cause of overthrowing the shogunate, but he also cares a lot about his precious granddaughter.
The way Isshikika's deputy general today blurted out "No matter how good he is, can he be better than Ittosai?" made Naoshige quite worried...
Just when Naoshu was worried about Isshikika's future—
Boom boom boom…
Suddenly, there were frequent footsteps outside the room.
The dense sound of footsteps made Zhi Zhou open his eyes instantly as if it was a conditioned reflex.
——What’s going on? !
Naoshige screamed in fear in his heart and quickly took the katana from the knife rack beside the bed.
Without even having time to put on clothes, Naoshige ran out of the room in his pajamas.
Next to Zhizhou's room was the room of Rushui and Asi.
At the same time that Zhi Zhou ran out of the room with his sword in hand, Ru Shui also ran out of the couple's room with his sword in hand.
Rushui did not rush out of the room alone. His wife Asi followed behind him with a naginata in her hand and a stern look on her face.
Ever since the naginata was replaced by the spear, naginata-jutsu gradually became a martial art practiced by female warriors.
The women in any samurai family with a bit of family background would definitely know some naginata techniques.
Asi was born into a family with excellent education. Under the strict family education, she became very good at using the naginata.
Out of habit, Asi always kept her naginata beside her bed so that she could pick up the naginata at any time to kill thieves and robbers who broke into their Isshiki house.
After Zhi Zhou, Ru Shui and Asi looked at each other, they hurriedly rushed towards the gate where the sound of dense footsteps could still be heard.
Their house has three floors.
Zhizhou, Rushui and Asi live on the second floor.
The only three waiters in their family lived on the first floor.
As Zhi Zhou and his two companions just went down to the first floor, they heard the screams of their waiter.
Zhi Zhou and others, whose faces became even more gloomy, quickened their pace.
After speeding all the way, they finally arrived at the place where the strange sound came from - the door on the first floor.
After arriving at the gate, the scene that appeared in front of Zhi Zhou and others made Zhi Zhou's pupils shrink suddenly - at the gate, there were more than 20 people dressed in black.
The leader of this group of men in black was a man dressed as a Void Monk.
Naoshige: “You are…”
...Who is it.
Before Zhi Zhou finished the second half of his sentence, he saw the Void Monk suddenly wave his hand and said, "Do it."
As soon as the Void Monk finished speaking, the other men in black took out their weapons and rushed towards Zhi Zhou and the others...
…
…
Because she went to bed early, Isshikika is now sleeping soundly.
Isshikika's room is located on the highest floor of their house - the third floor.
Living in a high place and sleeping soundly, Isshikika did not wake up until her grandfather and parents rushed out of the room with weapons in hand.
——What's going on? Why are there so many footsteps? !
Isshiki Hana lifted the quilt with a look of astonishment, took the sword from the rack next to her, and ran to the first floor in a hurry wearing a white yukata and bare feet.
She hurried down the stairs to the first floor. When she reached the stairwell on the second floor, the sound that entered Isshikika's ears suddenly changed.
Amid the footsteps, there were many more shouts and cries of killing.
Amidst the shouts and cries of killing, Isshikihua vaguely heard many... voices that were very familiar to her.
Grandpa’s voice… my parents’ voice…
The color on Isshikika's face became even less pale, and his pace involuntarily quickened.
As soon as she reached the first floor, the scene before her made Isshikika's mind go blank for a moment.
She saw a large number of men in black.
A large number of men in black, wielding various weapons, were fighting with her grandfather and parents, and the first floor became a mess.
The numerical disadvantage made the battle one-sided.
Be it Zhizhou, Rushui or Asi, none of them are top masters who can fight ten or a hundred at a time. Facing the black-clad men who have an absolute advantage in numbers, Zhizhou and the others can only hold on and have no power to fight back.
Nao Zhou, who was gasping for breath and fending off the attack from five people, caught a glimpse of Isshikika standing at the stairs not far away.
After discovering Isshikika, Naozune shouted to Isshikika with all his strength without any hesitation or thought:
"Xiaohua! Run! Go find the magistrate's office!"
Almost at the same time when Naoshige discovered Isshikihana, the guy dressed as a monk of nothingness - that is, Lou Luo, also discovered Xiaohua.
"The young woman at the stairs should be Yisehua." Lou Luo said coldly, "Catch her."
The six men in black standing beside Lou Luo answered "yes" in unison and pounced on Isshikika like hungry tigers.
Isshikika is no fool.
After going down to the first floor and looking at the group of black-clad men who had an absolute numerical advantage, Isshikika had already made up her mind.
She knew that with her own strength, even if she rushed forward, she would not be able to achieve any effect.
So even if Naoshige hadn't shouted just now, Isshikika knew that her best choice now was to escape quickly and then ask the people from the Bugyosho for help.
Therefore, the scene of crying and shouting "I won't leave! I don't want to leave!" did not happen to Isseika.
Before Naoshige could finish his shout, Isshikika had already turned and ran away.
The place Isshikika ran to was a room on the first floor...
The men in black were not very familiar with this room. In addition, Isshikika escaped very early, so it was difficult for the men in black to catch up with her. So until Isshikika had been in a room on the first floor for several seconds, the six men in black who were ordered to capture Isshikika rushed into the room.
This is a storage room where miscellaneous items are stored.
After rushing into the room, the six men in black were surprised to find that there were only sundries in the room, and no trace of Yisehua...
Without anyone's orders, the six men in black dispersed and searched every corner of the room.
Soon, they found a...big hole in the closet of the utility room. Behind the hole was a secret passage that led to an unknown place...
…
…
"I feel dizzy..."
Beiyuan held his forehead, leaned against the wall next to him and took a rest.
His head, which was not very dizzy at first, became more and more dizzy due to the effect of alcohol, forcing Beiyuan to lean against the wall and take a rest.
—Have you reached Rokuchobori already? It’s still a long way from home…
Kitahara turned his head and looked at the familiar street scenes around him.
While looking at the surrounding street scenes, Kitahara's gaze... involuntarily turned to the street intersection on his right.
A hint of resentment emerged in his eyes.
At this time, if he walked straight along the street on his right, he would reach the home of his sweetheart.
In the past, Kitahara would feel his heart beating faster just by looking at this intersection.
But now...for some reason, I no longer feel my heart beating faster.
Looking at this street intersection at this moment, Beiyuan only felt... a wave of resentment rising from his heart.
——That Majima Goro... How lucky... To be greeted with such a smile by Miss Isshiki...
——Why... Miss Isshiki won't smile at me like that...
Beiyuan felt sorry for himself.
At this moment, a white figure suddenly appeared in Kitahara's field of vision.
Kitahara frowned and looked carefully.
After seeing clearly who the white figure was, Beiyuan's eyes suddenly opened.
"Ms. Isshiki...?"
…
…
Isshikika never thought that she would still be thankful for the day her grandfather built secret passages throughout the house.
But if possible, Isshikika hoped that she would never feel grateful for having a secret passage in her home again.
She was running barefoot on the streets of Osaka, and now she could only feel waves of tingling in the soles of her feet.
She comes from a wealthy family and has never done any heavy or rough work since she was a child, so her feet are naturally well-maintained.
What does it feel like to run on gravel-covered ground with your delicate soles? Just by imagining it, you can imagine how painful it is.
Even without looking, Isshikika could feel that the soles of her feet had been cut by the sharp sand and gravel, leaving several small wounds.
Her feet hurt, but Isshikika could only endure it now.
She had no time to stop. The changes that had occurred in her family made her dare not stop running to the office.
She didn't dare to stop because she didn't know how many pursuers might be behind her.
When she just came out of the secret passage, Isshikika thought about whether she should shout for help to the neighbors around her - this idea had just popped up in Isshikika's mind when she dismissed it herself.
This method is really stupid. It would be much better to go find someone from the Ministry of Envoys for help right away.
There are not many neighbors around the Isshiki family, and now everyone is fast asleep. Even if Isshikihua shouts with all her might, she can probably only wake up some people. And among these people who are woken up, how many are willing and able to help the Isshiki family?
More importantly - just shouting loudly will attract those men in black.
——Buddha! Please bless my family! Let them be safe and sound!
Isiseka, who is a devout Buddhist, prays loudly in her heart.
Isshikika's current state... can be described in two words: blank mind and confused heart.
I was sleeping soundly when suddenly a group of men in black showed up... The incident was so sudden that Isshikika didn't even have time to calm down and think.
Now she just wanted to rush to the magistrate's office and ask the officials there to rescue her family.
The situation was already urgent, and under such circumstances, a new change made Isshikika's face change.
"I-Miss Isshiki! W-why are you here?"
Isshikika heard someone calling her stutteringly in front of her.
Isshikika's face changed drastically and she looked in the direction of the voice - it was Kitahara.
Kitahara, who was drunk and had a lisp, forced a smile and waved at Isshiki.
Kitahara's shout just now was particularly clear in this quiet street.
Facing Kitahara, who might have inadvertently helped the men in black to determine her location, Isshikika couldn't bring herself to blame him. After all, ignorance is not a crime. But she still couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards Kitahara.
But these complaints soon turned into joy .
Although Kitahara looked drunk now, he still seemed to be able to walk normally.
After all, he is a man, so his speed is naturally faster than Isshikika.
Having him rush to the magistrate's office to report to the authorities would provide an extra layer of insurance. Even if she was arrested, Kitahara could rush to the magistrate's office to seek help.
Kitahara happened to be right in front of Isshikika's direction, so after closing the distance between them to only 10 steps, in order to avoid the black-clothed man from hearing her position, Isshikika lowered her voice and said urgently:
"Kitahara-kun, go to the magistrate's office and report to the authorities. My house has been attacked by thieves."
Isika was now in an anxious mood, with a look of worry on her face, and naturally there was no smile on her face at this moment.
Isshikika didn't know that her face, which looked like she was in no mood to smile, instantly made Kitahara's mouth corners fall.
He had drunk too much just now and was in a... brainless state.
He heard Isshika's anxious shout just now.
But he subconsciously ignored it.
His attention at this moment... was all on Isshikika's current expression.
——It’s that expression again, with no smile at all…
——You always have this expression when facing me...but when facing that Majima Goro, you can smile so happily...
——Is it because that Majima Goro’s swordsmanship is better than mine and he has a better background…?
The resentment in my heart grew stronger.
As the resentment grew stronger... there were also waves of evil thoughts.
Isshiki Ka was now only wearing a thin white close-fitting yukata.
Because of the hurry, the yukata that Isshiki Ka was wearing had become a little messy.
The alcohol in his stomach made the evil thoughts in Beiyuan's heart grow exponentially.
Looking at the body in front of him that he had only seen in his dreams before, Kitahara's breathing gradually became heavy.
Seeing that Kitahara looked indifferent, Isshikika thought he didn't hear her. When she was about to repeat it again, she saw Kitahara suddenly jump up.
She was not on guard against Beiyuan, so she let Beiyuan rush to her easily and hug her.
Isshikika didn't even have time to scream before Kitahara covered her mouth.
Kitahara used his hands and feet to drag Isshikika into a dark alley nearby.
When dragging Isshikika into the alley, Kitahara carefully used brute force to snatch the katana from Isshikika's hand, and then threw it aside.
"Isshikika... I like you so much... I've been pursuing you for three years... Why don't you even smile at me..."
Kitahara hung his chin on Isshikika's right shoulder, breathing heavily and inhaling Isshikika's body fragrance.
His left hand continued to cover Isshiki's mouth, and his right hand grabbed the cloth behind Isshiki, trying to tear off the yukata that Isshiki was wearing.
He was in a state of confusion, and his hands' movements became disorderly. His right hand was just tearing randomly, so he only made Isshikika's yukata more messy, and failed to pull the clothes off successfully.
If she had a knife in her hand now, Isshikika felt that she could really kill Kitahara with one blow.
It's not just because of the rude things he's doing now.
Especially because this bastard was getting in her way when she was in a hurry to save her family.
“Hmm…Hmm…Hmm…”
Isshikika struggled desperately.
But women's strength is ultimately not as good as men's.
Unable to escape from Kitahara's control, and with his mouth covered, he couldn't make any sound.
The anxious feeling of rushing to save his family and the humiliation of being treated rudely by Kitahara condensed and transformed into waves of powerlessness and despair.
This feeling of powerlessness and despair made Isseka's eyes gradually moist, and a few crystal tears rolled out of her eyes.
She no longer cares about what will happen to her now, she just hopes that her family is safe now.
For some reason, at this moment, a person's face appeared in Isshikika's mind.
This is... the face of a certain young man.
——Master Ittosai…
Isshikika whispered the person's name softly in her heart.
She didn't know... why she thought of that person's face at this moment...
Just then—
whoosh!
All of a sudden.
Isshikika heard a sharp sound of breaking wind.
“Hmm…”
As soon as the sound of breaking wind died down, Isshiki heard a low cry of pain from Kitahara in front of her - there was a shuriken stuck in Kitahara's head.
The tip of the shuriken went straight into Kitahara's brain.
Beiyuan let out a low cry of pain, rolled his eyes, and slowly fell backwards.
"Men who are easily controlled by their lower body when they are drunk are really annoying." A pleasant female voice sounded from Isshikika's side, "But it's a good thing that this pervert was here, so I found you in time."
Isshikika just had time to turn her head towards the sound, and saw a slightly thin figure appear in front of her at flashing speed.
Then - a sharp pain came from the back of the neck.
The severe pain quickly spread throughout Isshiki's body. Under the stimulation of this severe pain, Isshiki's consciousness slowly disappeared.
Just before her eyelids completely closed, Isshikika heard the beautiful female voice again:
"I'm sorry, I have to let you sleep for a while..."
…
…
Crash!
Zhi Zhou felt like a handful of cold water was splashed on his face.
This handful of cold water immediately woke Zhi Zhou up from his coma.
——Where am I…
Zhi Zhou shook his head vigorously to get rid of the water droplets on his face while examining his surroundings.
He found himself seemingly locked in a place similar to a woodshed.
He was chained to a pillar.
Beside him are his son Rushui and daughter-in-law Asi.
Both of their faces were wet now, and they were forced to wake up by being splashed with cold water. Both of them were now looking around in confusion.
The memories before the coma gradually awakened.
After shouting loudly to Isshikika, asking her to run away and get help, he continued to concentrate on fighting the enemy.
After struggling for a while, he was still accidentally caught by a man in black.
The knife in his hand was knocked out, and then the back of his neck was hit hard, and he fainted...
Just as he finished recalling his memories before he fell into a coma, Zhi Zhou saw a man dressed as a Void Monk, slowly walking up to him.
"You're awake."
A cold voice came from the "sky-covered hat" on the head of the Void Monk, which covered his entire face.
"Tell me - where is Ogata Ittosai living in Osaka now?"
Without even saying hello, the Void Monk immediately spoke to Isshiki Naoshu in a tone that sounded like an order.
"Just to be clear - I'm not a very patient person."
"If you don't answer quickly, I will let my subordinates use the bodies of your daughter-in-law and your granddaughter to relax in front of you."