I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

I Became a Swordsman in Ancient Japan Volume 1 The Life of a Samurai from Zero Chapter 422 Ogata’s Longest Night in Edo [Burst Update 1W3] "Shuntaro, I have a mission now and I need your cooperation. For Taifu Furin If you don’t lack hands or feet, you will definitely cooperate with me, right?”

Shintaro was right in front of him.

As long as Shuntaro draws his sword, he can easily chop Shintaro.

In fact, the idea of ​​"drawing the sword and chopping Shintaro" has flashed in Shintaro's mind many times.

However——for this thought that flashed in his mind, Shuntaro could only use brute force to suppress it again and again.

"...Tell me." Shuntaro said in a deep voice, "What do you want me to do? Let me sneak into Edo Castle and assassinate the shogun?"

The relationship between Edo Castle and Edo is similar to the relationship between the Forbidden City and Beijing.

At present, the highest authority in Japan, the shogun, lives in Edo Castle.

Edo Castle was also the place where the important ministers of the shogunate discussed matters with the general.

As soon as Shintaro finished speaking, Shintaro shrugged and smiled:

"How is it possible, what do you think Edo Castle is?"

"If the shogun's head is so easy to get, the head of the shogun would have been taken off countless times."

"Edo Castle is the residence of the shogun. There are three steps, one post and five steps and one sentry. Even if there are 10 of you, it is impossible to kill the general."

"Even if you were lucky enough to get in front of the general, the general would have already escaped through various secret channels."

"The task I want to give you is the opposite of killing people, it is the task of saving people."

"We need you to rescue a person from the prison in the east of Edo Castle." Shintaro's expression became a little more serious, "Rescue a person named 'Lin Ziping'."

"Lin Ziping?" Shuntaro frowned slightly.

The surname "Lin" is also one of the common surnames.

After going through the name "Lin Ziping" in his mind, Shuntaro realized that he had never heard of this person.

"That's right, Lin Ziping."

Shintaro repeated the name word by word and then continued.

"We have already bribed a high-ranking official of Chengdong Prison in advance, obtained the prisoner list of Chengdong Prison, and found out which cell of Chengdong Prison Lin Ziping was locked in."

"So you just need to find that cell and bring Lin Ziping out. It's very simple."

"Hui Taro knows where Lin Ziping's cell is, I will let Hui Taro follow you and show you the way."

"And let Keitaro follow you, it should be able to help you a little bit."

"Help me?" Shuntaro sneered in a low voice, "Spying on me, right?"

Regarding Shuntaro's words, Shintaro grinned, and then said in a joking tone:

"Remember not to run away, and don't let Huitaro die. If Huitaro died, I might suspect that you did it, and then leave some ugly scars on Taifu Fengling's body."

The idea of ​​"drawing the sword and chopping Shintaro" came out of Shintaro's mind again.

"...Who is this Lin Ziping?" Shuntaro slowly suppressed the anger that had just surged up, and said in a deep voice, "A servant of your Toyotomi who was accidentally captured by the shogunate's officials?"

"He is not a subject of our Fengchen. I don't know who Lin Ziping is." Shintaro shrugged. The sooner they are rescued, the better."

——My lord... are you descendants of Toyotomi...

After hearing the word "Master" from Shintaro's mouth, Shuntaro couldn't help but secretly said this in his heart.

"My attainments in stealth are not high,

There is no guarantee that you can sneak into Chengdong Prison perfectly. "

Shintaro continued.

"While Keitaro is capable enough, if he is only allowed to go alone, that would be too much."

"As for the ninjas in Iga, they are not very good at sneaking in. It's okay to ask them to go to Yoshiwara to take a Taifu, but if they go to a government prison to take a person, it will be a bit embarrassing for them."

"So it's appropriate to entrust this task to you who have profound attainments in stealth."

"Let's do it now. This is the right time, when the guards are at their most lethargic and the prisoners in the prison are generally asleep."

"I wish you good luck, Shuntaro."

"When you come back after completing the task perfectly, I can let you and Taifu have a few words to report each other's safety."

Looking at the disgusting smile that Shintaro posed at him, the urge to chop Shintaro with a knife came out of Shintaro's mind again.

...

...

Edo, an unknown place——

The husband hugged his knees and curled up in a corner of the room.

The Iga ninja named "Sennosuke" with three tear moles under his left eye sat cross-legged next to Taifu.

The other three Iga ninjas, who were also in charge of monitoring Taifu, sat not far from Taifu and Sennosuke, gathered together, and passed the time by chatting.

Although it is very late at night, because of the unprecedented kidnapping incident tonight, the frightened Taifu is still very energetic until now, without the slightest sleepiness.

Sennosuke, who is sitting next to Taifu, just helped Taifu loosen the hemp rope that bound her hands and feet, so that Taifu no longer has to lie on the tatami like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

But because the hemp rope had been tied for a long time, the Taifu's wrists and ankles were still red, and part of the skin was scratched by the rough hemp rope.

The husband glanced at the wrists of both hands that were still red, then raised his hands again and rubbed them gently.

Sennosuke, who was sitting next to Taifu, noticed Taifu's action.

"...does it still hurt?" Sennosuke asked softly.

"It's really strange." Taifu Fengling said in a calm tone, "As a kidnapper, he still cares about whether the kidnapped person is strangled by the hemp rope."

"...I don't want to do these things." Frustration appeared on Sennosuke's face, "Although I don't know why the people above want us to kidnap you, but kidnapping is kidnapping."

"To me, there's nothing more shameful than being rough on a woman."

"But an order is an order, and I have to obey. If I had a choice, I don't want to do such a shameless thing..."

"...It seems that you still have a good conscience." Taifu's tone softened a little.

"...I used to be the son of an ordinary low-level warrior. When I was about 7 years old, my parents died of the plague."

A bit of bitterness appeared on Sennosuke's face.

"I lost my parents and no one to support me. I was adopted when I was starving to death, and I have been doing my current job."

"Before my father died of illness, he always taught me not to do any harm to women or children."

"Any behavior that hurts women and children is a shameful behavior."

"This teaching of my father has a deep influence on me, and I have always kept this teaching of my father in mind."

"However, since I started my current job, I can't remember how many times I have violated my father's teaching..."

"I'm sorry for my father..."

After all, the guilty look on Sennosuke's face became more intense.

What Sennosuke said just now is the truth.

After his parents died of the plague when he was 8 years old, he was adopted by Hannosuke and raised him as a ninja of Iga.

Sennosuke can't reveal their identities to Taifu.

Therefore, I can only briefly describe my past in such a roundabout way.

As soon as Sennosuke's words fell, one of the three Iga ninjas who had been chatting together not far away shouted at this time:

"Hey, Taifu. Why do you only chat with Sennosuke? Let's chat with us too! We are very curious about how Yoshiwara's oiran usually works!"

This person's words are full of frivolity.

"Stop talking nonsense." Sennosuke glared at the man.

After being reprimanded by Sennosuke, the man curled his lips in displeasure, then turned his head and continued to chat with the other two people sitting next to him.

"...You seem to have a very high status among you people." Tai Fu said softly, "I think the three of them seem to be looking after you."

"We attach great importance to seniority." Sennosuke said, "The higher the seniority, the higher the status."

"In terms of personal strength and ability, my level is average."

"The personal strength and ability of these three people are far stronger than mine."

"I'm only able to order them like this because my seniority is higher than them."

"Do you pay attention to seniority... Heh, it's the opposite of our Yoshihara girls' house. Whoever can make more money in our Yoshihara's girls' house has a higher status."

"Once you can't make money, even the old Younv who have worked for Younv's house for more than ten years may be left out or even abandoned."

After finishing speaking, the Taifu touched the spot on his chest.

"Ah, it's still there, great, it's not lost."

The husband opened the skirt of her bathrobe a little.

There is a small pocket sewn on the inside of her placket.

The bag was bulging, as if it was holding something.

The Tai Fu stretched out the index finger and thumb of his right hand to reach into the small bag sewn inside the skirt, and squeezed out a small disc that was about the size of an adult's thumb.

"What is this?" Sennosuke frowned slightly.

"Lip balm." Taifu opened it while talking, "Because of work, I often need to re-apply lip balm."

"So I have a pouch sewed on the inside of each of my bathrobes so I can carry lip balm with me."

Accompanying the guests who ordered her to drink and eat is the main job of the Taifu.

Because the lip fat will always be wiped off by drinks and food, the husband may reapply the lip fat many times after a meal.

For the sake of convenience, Tai Fu has always carried lip gloss by himself.

A yukata can be worn as pajamas or as a base layer.

When wearing the "Oiran Clothing" that is as heavy as a quilt, the Taifu will wear a yukata as a base layer.

The cost of "Oiran special clothing" is high, and the Taifu is not so prodigal that he sews a small pocket on the inner side of the "Oiran special clothing", which will directly reduce the value of the clothes.

So the Taifu sewed a pouch specially used for lip gloss on the cheap bathrobe.

The pouch contains the lip gloss she usually uses all the time.

Sometimes when I go to sleep, I forget to take out the lip balm in the bathrobe pouch.

But because the lip gloss box Taifu put in the pouch is so small that it hardly hinders her activities, so even if you don't take the lip gloss box out of the pouch, it will not affect Taifu's sleep.

"Can I have some lip balm?"

"Ah, please." It's just a lip balm. For such a trivial matter, Sennosuke, who felt ashamed of his husband for doing something like "kidnapping a woman", had no reason to refuse.

With skillful movements, the Taifu used the index and middle fingers of his right hand to try a little lip balm, and then spread it evenly on his lips.

The Taifu's originally ruddy lips turned a soft blush after applying this lip balm.

If you look closely, you can see that this soft light red is also mixed with a little gold.

"Does it look good?" the husband asked.

"Well, it looks good." Sennosuke praised sincerely without hesitation.

The Taifu who applied beautiful lip balm to his lips also attracted the attention of the other 3 Iga ninjas.

"Teacher, you still carry lip gloss with you."

"Women are troublesome. In order to please men, they have to rub so many messy things on their faces."

"I know this lip balm, this lip balm is called 'Sasa Se Hong', right?"

"That's right. The name of this lip balm is 'Sasse Red'." Tai Fu smiled, "The 'Sasse Red' I use is not the ordinary 'Sasse Red'. The type I use is very rare and the color is It’s also better looking and more special.”

After briefly introducing the lip gloss he used to Sennosuke and others, the Taifu slowly turned his head, facing Sennosuke, and said seriously:

"Your name is Sennosuke, right?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"When I was brought here, I heard that Yoshihara was on fire."

"Yoshihara is my hometown. I was born and grew up in Yoshiwara. Yoshihara is on fire. I can't just sit idly by."

"Can you please go to Yoshihara for me and see how Yoshihara is doing now?"

"Huh? This..." Sennosuke's face showed a little bit of embarrassment.

His current task is to watch Taifu Fengchi.

If Hannosuke and the others found out that he had left his post without permission, they would definitely be scolded.

"Please!" Tai Fu's face was full of sincerity.

The thin white bathrobe, coupled with the bright red on the lips, made the Taifu look pitiful at this time.

Seeing Taifu's appearance, Sennosuke pursed his lips tightly.

In my mind, heaven and man are at war.

Sennosuke has always felt ashamed of his husband for doing something like "kidnapping a woman".

This guilt slowly dissipated the hesitation on Sennosuke's face.

"...Yes." Sennosuke nodded vigorously, "I see. I will go to Yoshihara to help you check the situation."

"Thank you." The Taifu cast a grateful look at Sennosuke, then leaned towards Sennosuke's direction, and gently hugged Sennosuke.

The husband's sudden hug confused Sennosuke.

After a brief daze, a shy blush appeared on Sennosuke's face.

"It's just, it's just a trivial matter." Sennosuke stammered, "Taifu, there's no need to be like this."

The Taifu's sudden embrace of Sennosuke also confused the other three Iga ninjas not far away.

After being stupefied, these three people cast envious eyes at Sennosuke.

However, neither Sennosuke nor the other three Iga ninjas noticed a small move by Taifu.

When he was applying lip balm to his lips just now, Taifu left some lip balm on his fingers.

In order to avoid being discovered by the three Iga ninjas, Taifu turned his back to the three people, obstructing the sight of the three people.

When embracing Sennosuke, the right hand pretended to be on the back of Sennosuke's neck, but in essence, it wiped off the lip fat deliberately left on the index finger and middle finger of the right hand towards Sennosuke's neck, leaving an inch on the back of Sennosuke's neck. There are long bright marks outlined by lip balm.

After successfully leaving this mark on the back of Sennosuke's neck, the Tai Fu let go of Sennosuke.

"please."

"Yeah!" Sennosuke nodded vigorously.

"I'll go out for a while, and I'll be back soon." Sennosuke stood up and said to the three companions not far away, "I will treat you to a good drink later, so please keep it a secret for me."

Hearing Sennosuke's words, the envy and jealousy in the eyes of the three people dissipated a little.

Sennosuke is actually not very afraid of these three people going to inform.

Although his strength is mediocre, Sennosuke is considered an old veteran among Iga ninjas, and he has followed Hannosuke for more than ten years.

With this seniority and status, even if Hannosuke knew that he left his post midway, at most he would be scolded by Hannosuke and received some mild punishment-this is what Sennosuke dared to help One of the important reasons why the husband is so busy.

Sennosuke quickly left the Taifu's field of vision.

After Sennosuke left, the other three people complained about Sennosuke:

"Just now I kept saying some righteous and dignified things, making myself look like a gentleman, but in the end, I was dazzled by beauty..."

"That is, if it wasn't Yoshihara's oiran who asked him just now, but an ugly monster who asked him, he might not have done this favor."

"There is no real reward for such troublesome things as running errands. If you ask me to do it, I will not do it."

"That's right."

"Well, I agree."

The Taifu ignored the complaints about Sennosuke by the three people who were still here.

After watching Sennosuke leave, the big stone that had been hanging over Taifu's heart finally fell. .

He turned his head and looked at the only oil lamp in the room.

There was a bit of joy and gratitude in his eyes.

Because there is only one oil lamp in this room, the light in this room is extremely dim.

Thanks to the dim light, and thanks to the fact that these three people didn't pay much attention to Sennosuke, Sennosuke left here smoothly, and no one noticed a very bright red mark on the back of his neck.

——Someone must see it...

The husband prayed silently in his heart.

...

...

Edo, Yoshiwara——

Before getting close to Yoshihara, Ooyo could smell a faint burning smell in the air.

After boarding the Nippon embankment, Oubai saw the wandering girls who were returning to Yoshiwara with their luggage, and the common people living in Yoshihara.

Since the civilians who escaped from Yoshihara have all gone back, it means that the fire in Yoshihara must have been extinguished, and Ogata secretly gave a sigh of relief.

Walking up the Fifty Kendo that connects to the gate of Yoshihara, and passing through the gate of Yoshihara, after entering Yoshihara, Obiri saw an acquaintance of his at the gate of the Shirobei clubhouse.

"Keimon!" Ogata shouted to Keeimon who was sitting in front of the gate of the hall.

Keimon's face and body were covered with traces of being roasted by thick smoke. He was sitting in front of the gate of the clubhouse, gnawing on a roasted mochi.

Seeing Ogata approaching, Keemon quickly stood up and waved to Ogata:

"Oh! It's Mashima-kun! Why are you here? Huh? Who is the person behind you?"

Ogata didn't wear his white fox mask, only his human skin mask.

But Genichi still wore his tengu mask in order to deceive others.

Even his two sabers—Yangshen and Yan Rong—had sheaths and handles on them, so that no one could recognize him by his sabers.

"He's my friend." Ogata briefly introduced Genichi behind him and then got straight to the point, "I heard that there was a big fire in Yoshihara, so I rushed over to see how the fire is going now?"

"The flame is almost extinguished." Qing Weimen said, "The fire did not spread very badly. The people living near the fire scene ran in time, and no people were injured. It is a blessing in misfortune."

"Is there something wrong with Mr. Shirobei, other servants in the clubhouse, and the town firefighter who came to put out the fire?" Ogata continued to ask.

"Shirobei-sama has some burns on his left arm, but overall it's not a serious problem, and the others are basically fine. Only a few people are more unlucky. Like Shirobei-sama, his hands and feet were burned by fire."

"Master Shirobei is currently inspecting the damage and calculating the damage with others at the fire site."

"The other officials involved in tonight's firefighting either went home, or stayed in Yoshihara just like me."

Genichi, standing behind Ogata, was relieved when he learned that Shirobei was safe.

"Although the flame is extinguished now..." Keiemon said with a wry smile, "but new troubles have appeared..."

"New trouble?" Ogata asked suspiciously.

Keimon looked around, then put his lips close to Ogata's ear, and whispered to Ogata:

"Master Wind Chime is missing."

"Missing?" Ogata widened his eyes.

"Yeah." Keemon nodded a little seriously.

Keeimon told Ogata the ins and outs of the matter.

"...That's the way it is. The disappearance of the Taifu is beyond the scope of what our Shirobei Club can handle, so this matter has been reported to the enforcement office."

"Just now, the officials from the execution office also came here to investigate the case."

Ogata's brows were furrowed from just now.

The friendship between him and Taifu is not deep, it can only be regarded as a "mutual acquaintance" friendship.

Ogata has always held a respectful attitude towards Mrs. Wind Chime.

As a high-ranking oiran, she doesn't have the slightest airs. Whether facing Guasheng or Ogata, her attitude is quite friendly.

After becoming an oiran, most of the savings she had accumulated for a long time were used to repair the banks of the Rashomon River where she was born-this kind of selflessness, this kind of heart, even Ogata had to admire.

So even though he didn't have a deep friendship with the Taifu, after learning that the Taifu disappeared, Ogata still couldn't help feeling a sinking heart.

Keimon stuffed the remaining half of the roasted mochi into his mouth, and continued vaguely:

"Now the case has been handed over to the enforcement office, and we can no longer intervene."

"I can only hope that the officials of the enforcement office can find the husband as soon as possible, alas..."

Keeimon raised his hand and touched his stomach.

"I'm still a little hungry... Mashima-kun, I'm going to go to the Kasa tea house outside to buy some more food, do you want to go together? Let's have a drink together?"

"No." Ogata shook his head and politely declined, "I'm not used to drinking late at night like this."

"That's it... okay." After a bit of regret flashed in Keemon's eyes, he waved to Ogata, and then walked out of Yoshihara.

After Keeimon left, Genichi, who had been standing silently behind Ogata just now, lowered his voice and said to Ogata:

"Ogata-kun, tonight is really not peaceful..."

"Hmm..." Ogata nodded with a sullen face, "it's so uneven..."

"Just now that person said that Shirobei's hand was injured. I'm going to visit him." Yuan said, "Ogata-kun, what are your plans?"

"I'm planning to go to Jianmei House where Taifu works, maybe I can find some clues related to Taifu's disappearance." Ogata said softly, "Gua Sheng and Taifu had an accident on the same night... I doubt whether Taifu's disappearance will be It's related to Shiranui."

The reason why Ogata wants to contribute to the recovery of the Taifu is because he has always respected the noble Taifu and has a friendship with the Taifu.

Another reason is that he always felt that the Taifu's disappearance was a bit strange.

Guasheng's attack and Taifu's disappearance happened on the same night.

Such a coincidence made Ogata have to wonder-could Taifu's disappearance also be related to Shiranui?

Ogata always felt that such a possibility was not small, and such speculation made Ogata even more unable to regard Taifu's disappearance as an ordinary incident.

"I think the officials of the execution office can find the clues you can find, after all, they are all professionals." After making a little joke, Yuanyi continued, "Okay then, let's break up temporarily for now." Let's go."

"I might chat with Shirobei for a while, so if you want to go back to the hotel, you can go back first, don't wait for me."

"Well, you too." Ogata nodded, "You don't have to wait for me. If you want to go back to the hotel, you can go back first."

After a brief discussion, Ogata and Genichi separated.

Ogata went to Jianmeiya.

And Genichi went to find Shirobei.

...

...

Edo, Joto Prison.

In ancient Japan, where the concept of hierarchy was so strong that it was somewhat morbid, prisons were also divided into different grades.

The prisons where ordinary civilians live are completely different from the prisons where people with special status in society, such as samurai and doctors, live.

Prisons that specialize in detaining ordinary civilians basically have a dozen or twenty people living in a cell.

Prisons that specialize in detaining samurai, doctors, etc. have special status in society are all single rooms, and the treatment they receive is much better-Joto Prison in Edo is this type of prison.

The jailers were piled up in twos, holding lanterns and shuttled through each aisle according to a certain pattern.

At this point in time, the prisoners in every cell have fallen asleep.

The guards patrolling the aisle were all distracted and yawning.

At first glance, Chengdong Prison was as quiet as usual tonight.

Of course—it’s just a glance.

No matter which team of jailers it was, they didn't notice—two groups of black shadows had already sneaked into their prison in the east of the city.

Shuntaro and Keitaro walk down a certain passage in Joto Prison.

The movements of the two were so soft that they didn't make the slightest sound. Even the guards who were patrolling around didn't hear their footsteps, let alone the sleeping prisoners in each cell.

"Turn left next, Lin Ziping's cell is almost here." Hui Taro whispered to Shun Taro beside him.

After being forced to accept the "rescue mission" thrown to him by Shintaro, Shintaro had no choice but to rush to Chengdong Prison with Huitaro, who assisted him on the surface, but was actually monitoring him, to rescue that "Lin Ziping" come out.

The two of them are the top ninjas in Shiranui, and running fast together, they can rush from Shiranui to Chengdong Prison in less than half an hour.

Although the guards in Joto Prison are tight, they are not enough to stop Shuntaro and Keitaro.

The two of them had been sneaking in for some time.

Because they didn't know which cell Lin Ziping was detained in, the two of them could only look for it one by one.

However, Lin Ziping has not been found until now.

The two heard footsteps coming from ahead.

Knowing that the guards on patrol were coming, the two rushed towards the wall next to them, using the wall as a point of leverage, and quickly climbed up the beam above.

After the two people in pitch-black attire stepped onto the beam, their bodies merged with the darkness. During the whole process of stepping on the beam, there was no movement at all.

Not long after the two stepped on the crossbeam, two jailers appeared from the corner at the other end with a lantern, and then left along the passage below the crossbeam.

After the two guards left, Shuntaro and Keitaro jumped off the beam and stood back on the ground.

Taking advantage of his free time, Shuntaro asked Keitaro in a low voice in an indifferent tone:

"What method should I use to bring that Lin Ziping out? Knock him unconscious with brute force, and then carry him out?"

"How can you treat Mr. Hayashi Zihei in such a rough way?" Keitaro said without thinking, "Just tell Mr. Hayashi Zihei that we are people sent by Iwakura Zaemon."

"Iwakurazaemon?"

"He is Lin Ziping's best friend, and he recommended Lin Ziping to our lord." Hui Taro briefly introduced, "Just tell him that we are from Iwakura, and show him this, and Mr. Lin Ziping will understand Trust us, and obediently follow us."

Keitaro took out a small fan from his pocket and showed it to Shuntaro.

"This is what Iwakurazaemon gave us. He said that as long as he shows this to Hayashi Zihei, he will trust us."

After turning an unknown number of corners, Shuntaro suddenly heard some human voices.

It seemed to be someone's muttering.

Not only Shuntaro, Keitaro also heard this murmur.

"...The sixth cell on the left is Lin Ziping's cell." Hui Taro said.

Shuntaro looked over, his brows furrowed deeper—that seemed to be the place where the strange murmur came from...

With a puzzled mind, Shuntaro leaned towards the cell that Keitaro had just pointed to.

As Shuntaro approached, the scene inside the cell was reflected in his eyes.

It was an old man who first caught Shuntaro's gaze and attention.

An old man lived in this cell, probably in his early 50s, with mixed black and white hair and beard.

Both the hair and the beard are messy, and although he is old, his body is unexpectedly strong, and he is not the kind of person who is powerless.

The prisoners in other cells are sleeping soundly now, only this old man has not fallen asleep yet, sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding a small stone in his right hand, muttering something, but Shuntaro can't hear what he is saying .

After Shuntaro took a closer look, he realized that the walls and floor of this cell were covered with things.

The old man probably used stone as a pen to write on the stone walls and ground.

The walls and the ground are covered with words, which looks quite spectacular.

It's a pity that Shuntaro can't read Chinese characters, and the old man's handwriting is really sloppy, so Shuntaro can't understand what the old man is writing.

The old man sitting cross-legged on the ground seemed to be concentrating on something.

After writing something on the ground in front of him, he quickly wiped it off.

Because he was so focused, he didn't even notice that there were two more people in front of his cell.

"That's right, he is Lin Ziping." Hui Taro on the side looked at the old man's side face for a while, and then nodded vigorously.

"Is he Lin Ziping?" Shuntaro asked.

"There is absolutely no mistake. We have a portrait of Lin Ziping, and this person is undoubtedly Lin Ziping."

Huitaro cleared his throat, raised the volume a little, and said to the old man in the cell...or Lin Ziping:

"Mr. Lin Ziping, Mr. Lin Ziping."

After Hui Taro's call fell, Lin Ziping's consciousness was finally pulled back to reality.

When Lin Ziping turned his head to look at Shuntaro and Keitaro in astonishment, Keitaro continued:

"Mr. Lin Ziping, please..."

Before Hui Taro finished speaking, Lin Ziping interrupted in a displeased tone:

"You guys are really rude. Didn't you see that I was thinking just now? There was a new idea about how to guard against Lucia country just now, but because of your sudden interruption, I lost my train of thought. "

Lin Ziping's crackling words directly confused Shuntaro and Huitaro.

"That... uh... sorry to disturb your thinking... please don't panic, we are..."

Lin Ziping interrupted again before Keitaro finished speaking:

"I'm not panicked at all. I'm only angry and a little bit surprised. Looking at you, you don't seem to be jailers. Who are you? What are you here for? If you came to rob a prison, did you find the wrong person? I am Lin Ziping, a useless warrior who can neither write nor martial arts, Lin Ziping."

Fortunately, Lin Ziping and Hui Taro didn't speak loudly, and the prisoners in other cells around them were all sleeping soundly, so no one was woken up by their voices until now.

Since Lin Ziping spoke, Shuntaro's brows became more and more wrinkled.

Whether it's the weird behavior of not sleeping in the middle of the night, sitting cross-legged on the ground and thinking about something, or the way he speaks, it has cast a layer of "weird" on Lin Ziping.

"We were ordered by Iwakura Zaemon to rescue you." After saying that, Keitaro took out the small fan that Keitaro showed to Keitaro just now.

"Iwakura Zaemon?" Hayashi Ziping's tense face became a little softer at this time, and after glancing at the fan in Keitaro's hand, he continued, "I really gave it to Iwakura before. Where's the fan...Iwakurazaemon, is he alright?"

"That's right, Mr. Hayashi Tzu-hei, it's your dear friend—Iwakurazaemon, please let us rescue you." Keitaro's tone showed a little helplessness, "Iwakurazaemon is fine now, please Wait a moment, I'll hit the lock soon..."

Just when Hui Taro said this.

Lin Ziping shouted loudly enough to resound throughout the prison:

"There are thieves!!"

The prisoners in the surrounding cells were immediately awakened.

The jailer nearby was also alarmed instantly.

As Lin Ziping yelled, the entire Chengdong Prison instantly became "vigorous".

One after another footsteps began to approach Shuntaro and the others.

It was the sound of the jailers rushing over.

Lin Ziping's actions once again put Shuntaro and Keitaro into a state of confusion.

"Help me delay the time!" Keitaro shouted at Shuntaro angrily, and then accelerated the speed of picking the lock as much as he could.

As soon as Huitaro's voice fell, groups of jailers appeared at the end of the space on both sides at the same time, and they rushed towards Shuntaro and Huitaro aggressively.

The faces and hair of the two were covered with black cloth, only a pair of eyes were exposed, so there was no need to worry about letting the jailers see their faces.

Shuntaro really wanted to say "what are you doing" to that Lin Ziping angrily.

But because the jailers were already approaching, Shuntaro could only suppress the desire to anger Hayashi Tzu-hei, and focus on dealing with the incoming jailers.

Shuntaro didn't draw his sword.

In this rather narrow aisle, it is inconvenient to draw a knife.

And Shintaro didn't want to kill people in this mission that that bastard Shintaro forced him to do.

Shuntaro used his bare hands to meet the guards running from the left and right ends of the shaft.

One of the jailors waved his ten hands and slashed at Shuntaro.

Shuntaro used his left hand to control the jailer's right hand holding ten hands, then raised his right hand to grab the skirt of the jailer's shirt, threw the jailer out heavily, and pressed heavily on the other guards.

Another jailer came to kill Shuntaro, this jailer was holding a stab.

Shuntaro turned his body to one side, dodged the stab stabbed by the jailer, then raised his hand to grab the stab that went out, and before he could take it back, he directly snatched the stab back with brute force .

Use this thorn as a wooden stick again, and wipe out the last prison guards.

The four major ninjutsu in Shiranui-stealth, breath holding, jujitsu, and assassination, Shuntaro has practiced these four major techniques to the level of proficiency early on.

In the face of the jailers holding ten hands, stabs and other kinds of traps, even if they only use bare hands to fight the enemy, Shuntaro is not afraid at all.

After a while, Shuntaro knocked down a dozen people.

After showing their strength, the rest of the jailers cast fearful glances at Shuntaro.

After seeing Shuntaro knock down a dozen of their companions with his bare hands, some jailers even gasped.

After Shuntaro knocked down another jailer, Keitaro finally heard the crisp sound of the lock being unlocked.

After successfully picking the lock open, Hui Taro rushed into Lin Ziping's cell and ran to Lin Ziping.

Lin Ziping subconsciously wanted to hide.

But how could he avoid Keitaro?

"excuse me."

After whispering to Lin Ziping in an apologetic tone, Keitaro put his right hand into a knife, and hit Lin Ziping on the back of the neck, knocking Lin Ziping unconscious.

Except for a few ninjas, the vast majority of ninjas are "prop masters", with a large number of props that can be used in different occasions.

Keitaro took out the long rope that he carried with him, and tied Lin Ziping on his back with a special binding technique. Keitaro shouted at Shuntaro:

"Withdraw!"

...

...

Edo, Yoshihara, Miumeya——

Ogata wanted to try his luck, and went to Jianmei House to see if he could find any clues related to Taifu's disappearance.

However——an official of the execution office stood outside Jianmei House, and no one was allowed to approach Jianmei House.

So Ogata couldn't even go in to see Umeya.

At this time, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered outside Jianmei House.

At present, most of the people in Yoshihara don't know Taifu Fengling is missing. Those who are watching by Jianmei House are discussing and guessing what happened to Jianmei House.

Seeing that the Ume House could not be entered, and seeing that there was nothing to gain after wandering around outside the Ume House, Ogata let out a low, helpless sigh.

Unable to find any useful clues, Ogata could only give up and turned towards the direction of Yoshihara's gate, intending to leave Yoshihara and return to the hotel where he was staying first, and then make a long-term plan.

Ogata had already discussed with Genichi just now, if one of the two of them wanted to go back first, he could go back directly without waiting for the other.

Ogata guessed that Genichi might still be with his old acquaintance Shirobei.

The flow of people returning to Yoshiwara has gradually decreased.

The people who entered and exited here at the gate of Yoshihara became very few again.

When the gate of Yoshihara reappeared within Ogata's field of vision, Ogata looked around, but there were not many people in sight.

In front of Ogata, there was a young man walking straight towards the gate of Yoshihara just like Ogata.

Ogata's footsteps were faster than the youth walking ahead of him.

Originally, the distance between the two was nearly 10 steps, but after a while, the distance between the two was shortened to within 5 steps by the faster Ogata.

When passing through the gate of Yoshihara with the young man one after the other, Ogata suddenly noticed from the corner of his eye—there was a red mark on the back of the young man's neck.

In order to facilitate the return of those who escaped from Yoshiwara due to the fire, lanterns for lighting were hung around the gate of Yoshiwara, illuminating the surroundings of the gate of Yoshiwara like daytime, so that those returning to Yoshiwara can see the road under their feet clearly, so as not to Knocked, stumbled.

Because of the dim light just now, Ogata hadn't noticed the back of the young man's neck.

After passing through the Yoshiwara gate, which was now as bright as day, with the young man, Ogata finally discovered the red mark on the back of the young man's neck.

Looking at the red mark, Ogata was stunned.

He remembered the color.

The reason why he became acquainted with Mrs. Fengling was because he embarrassed Takigawa, who was always pestering Mrs. Taifu, and made Mrs. Taifu feel elated.

In order to thank Ogata, he called Ogata to her room that night, and then gave Ogata a box of her special "Sasaisehong" lip gloss.

After receiving the lip balm from Taifu, Obi handed it over to Ah Ding as a gift.

Ogata was very impressed with this lipstick.

The first impression this lip gloss gave Ogata was that it was expensive.

According to the Taifu, "Sasa Sehong" lip gloss is already expensive, and this special one for her is even more expensive, a small box costs one or two gold.

Because it is too expensive and difficult to buy, there are very few people in Edo who use this lip gloss.

Ogata's second impression of this lip gloss is that the color is beautiful.

Although it is very expensive, it is very reasonable. The color of this lip gloss used by Tai Fu is very different from other styles of lip gloss in color.

Putting 2 different styles of "Sasase Red" lipsticks together, anyone with good eyesight can tell which one is the one used by Taifu.

Ogata stared straight at the back of the neck of the young man in front of him.

The red mark on the back of the young man's neck is two slanted marks that gradually change in color from dark to light. Judging from this style, the mark seems to have been painted with fingers.

No matter how Ogata looked at it, the red on the back of the young man's neck was not a paint, and its color was the same as the lipstick used by the Taifu...

Ogata lowered his gaze to the young man's arms.

Ogata could vaguely see - the young man's hands and forearms were thick.

Ogata was too familiar with this kind of arm—his own arm looked like this too.

Looking at the young man's thick arms, Ogata's face gradually became serious.

The assumption that Taifu's disappearance is related to the ninja in Shiranui once again popped up in Ogata's mind.

Although the entire Edo must not be the only one who uses this lip gloss, but those who can afford it must be either rich or expensive.

And judging from the young man's clothes, this young man doesn't seem like the kind of person who can get in touch with Yueqing Yunke.

And who would use such an expensive lip balm to draw a line on the back of someone's neck for no reason?

Now there are 2 options in front of Ogata.

The first option is to run to inform the officials now, and tell the officials that he has found clues related to the whereabouts of the Taifu.

But when he turned around and ran to report to the police, the young man didn't know where he went.

The second option is a little easier - follow the young man.

This multiple choice question is not difficult to choose.

Ogata made a choice in an instant.

Ogata slowed down, and after getting a certain distance from the young man, he kept the distance and followed the young man secretly.

Tonight, Ogata was totally thankful that he had raised the "Shiranuri Stealth" to "Intermediate".

The first time was when climbing over the high wall of Yoshiwara for Guasheng.

The second time is now.

...

...

After being entrusted by the Taifu, Sennosuke hurried to Yoshihara.

The place where Taifu was imprisoned was not too far from Yoshihara.

After arriving in Yoshiwara, Sennosuke first casually found a few people to inquire about the fire-related matters, and then went to see the place where the fire broke out in person.

After confirming with his own eyes that the flames had been extinguished, Sennosuke strode away from Yoshihara.

After passing through the gate and leaving Yoshiwara, for some reason, Sennosuke recalled Taifu's hug just now.

Until now, Sennosuke still remembers the deodorant that penetrated his nostrils, and the feeling of being surrounded by a soft breeze.

Recalling this feeling, Sennosuke's cheeks blushed unconsciously.

——Will the Taifu praise me when I go back later? Will you hug me again?

Such thoughts couldn't stop popping up in Sennosuke's mind.

A smirk uncontrollably appeared on his face.

Indulging in fantasy, he didn't realize that someone had been quietly following him since just now.

In fact, even if he wasn't immersed in fantasy, he wouldn't be able to find the person who was following him right now.

Because just like what he said to the Taifu just now—his strength is mediocre, and the strength of the three Iga ninjas who are also in charge of guarding the Taifu are all higher than him. The reason why he is above these three is purely Because among the Iga ninjas who pay attention to seniority, his seniority is high.

*****

*****

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The Japanese place great emphasis on seniority - anyone who has watched Japanese TV dramas or Japanese anime should know this. Japan has always been like this.

Whether in school or in the company, status is ranked according to seniority, not strength. As long as you are a second-year senior, even if you are a waste, your status is higher than that of first-year students.

I will tell you in the next small class why Japan pays so much attention to hierarchy and seniority.