!【5000】

As Qingto stopped, all the members of the Third Division stopped.

Ahead, Keinosuke Yokokura heard the sound of footsteps suddenly disappearing, which was tougher than the stickiest glue in the world and could not be shaken off no matter how hard he shook it off. He quickly turned his head and looked back in confusion.

Seeing that Qingdeng and others were motionless, he was startled at first, and then showed the ecstasy of the rest of his life - he determined that Qingdeng and others should be... Correction. They must be tired! They can no longer pursue them!

He thought excitedly:

As an old bandit who has been accompanying the flowers, birds, and cordyceps in the mountains since I can remember, and has lived near the mountains for most of my life, I feel a little overwhelmed after running for so long in this primitive jungle where even wild birds are not close.

, I’m so tired that I’m almost out of breath. How can these stinky officers and soldiers who spend their days in the city having sex and playing with women be better at mountain running than me?

Thinking of this, Yokokura Keinosuke felt a new power surge in his body. He took a deep breath, mustered up his strength, and planned to take advantage of this opportunity to leave Aomori and others far behind in one breath.

But at this moment, Yokokura Kinosuke suddenly felt a pain in his chest. Every time he took a breath, his chest would throb with pain. This was a sign that he was pushing his body too hard and his lungs were almost overwhelmed.

——Hiss...it hurts...! It's okay, okay! Fortunately, my "magic medicine" never leaves me!

While Yokokura Keinosuke was thinking this secretly, he reached out his hand without thinking, took out a small porcelain bottle, and poured out a rather strange-colored red and purple pill from the bottle, and swallowed it into his mouth with a "Ah woo" sound.

, the Adam's apple moved up and down due to swallowing.

The next moment, Yokokura Kinosuke's facial features, which were wrinkled together due to the pain in his chest, suddenly relaxed, and his face had a hint of refreshing rosiness.

…

In just a few breaths, the figures of Kinosuke Yokokura and his subordinates once again disappeared from the sight of Aomori and others, and the sound of footsteps quickly moved away.

But Qingdeng completely ignored this and allowed the enemy chieftain, who had finally been found and represented a huge contribution, to escape far away.

As soon as the young man in his prime stood still, he showed a look of neither sadness nor joy.

His calm eyes swept across the faces of his subordinates from left to right.

In the fierce chase just now, several people accidentally kicked and stepped on uneven obstacles, injuring their bodies, or fell off because their physical and leg strength could not be sustained and they could no longer run.

Team.

Currently, only 27 team members remain within Qingdeng's field of vision.

To be able to hold on until now, this group of "survivors" can be called tenacious in terms of perseverance and physical strength.

Among them were several faces that looked familiar to Qingden.

Heijiro Shirasaki has deep qualifications and high self-esteem, and is unwilling to succumb to Aoto.

Gosaburo Midorikawa has a slippery personality and frivolous behavior.

Shiro Kuroba is a smooth-tongued man who likes to flatter others.

There is always a sense of unconfidence in Aoi's demeanor, and he is a bit submissive.

And Akabane Koichiro, who has a sinister face and a stern look on his eyebrows.

Aoi Jingyang was actually still there and didn't fall behind early - this surprised Qingteng.

After all, in modern popular terms - Aoi, who is thin, fair-skinned, not good at martial arts, and is in charge of paperwork in the army, looks like a weakling who is easy to bully.

Such a weak scholar with no physical strength was able to overcome many difficulties and follow closely at the side of the large army throughout the whole process... This made Qingdeng feel surprised and somewhat relieved.

It's just that... although Aoi Jingyang's hardness is commendable, he paid a heavy price for it - his current state is not good at all.

It should be said: All the team members who have gritted their teeth and persevered until now to pursue Keinosuke Yokokura, without exception, are in worse physical condition than the last - their eyes are dull, and at first glance, their eyes look like pitch black holes.

; The waterfalls of sweat stained everyone's face until it was shiny; the rich color of tiredness lingered on the face.

Swords, bows and spears were intertwined and hung in an orderly manner, just like a forest of dead trees with all the branches hanging down and the trunks completely decayed.

Such an appearance, such energy... just like a remnant army that has just lost a battle.

"Mountain Chase"... is just too tiring.

The bumpy roads and the ubiquitous tall rocks and giant trees are all far from the big city life the team members are used to.

Everything around them makes them feel out of place.

The pride of "capturing the enemy chief alive and accomplishing great feats" collapsed in the face of exhaustion as deep as the sea.

The fatigue that had accumulated to the limit resulted in the scene that unfolded before Qingdeng's eyes at this moment - nearly half of the team members were blatantly sitting and lying on the ground, ignoring Qingdeng's "pursue" order.

They made their position clear to Aonto with silent actions: We are tired and don’t want to chase anymore! Whoever wants to chase that Yokokura Keinosuke can go after him!

Aoi Aoi, who admires Qingteng deeply, is a member of the "Failure to Disobey Party" who still stands firmly behind Qingdeng.

At this time, I don't know if it was his imagination - he always felt that the mountain wind that had always been with him after entering the mountain suddenly stopped.

No.

It’s not just the mountain breeze.

The chirping of insects, the chirping of birds...these sounds that can be heard everywhere in the mountains and fields and have been used to since a few days ago seem to have stopped a lot now.

The quiet atmosphere filled the surrounding area in an instant.

This completely silent environment added a strange deterrent to Qingdeng's gaze at this moment.

Qingdeng's sight was like an invisible giant hammer, which pressed down many people, including Lan Jingyang, who couldn't help but hold their breath and their heartbeats quickened.

But there are also a small group of people... Not to mention Qingteng's sight, even Qingteng's whole person turns a blind eye - such as Akabane.

I saw Akabane sitting on a large flat rock at this time, with his legs crossed, his short and fat fingers like a meat insect repeatedly kneading the sore soles of his feet, with an arrogant look on his face that was not afraid of anything.

Dick-like.

Why does Akabane Koichiro, who is just a powerful man and has an official position one level below Aoto, dare to confront Aoto without any scruples?

In fact, the reason behind it is simple - although the Akabane family is not a powerful and famous family, it still has a banner of 800 Shi family wealth.

A family salary of 800 shi... This is not a small number in the flag book.

More than 90% of flag families have a family income of less than 500 koku.

To put it simply - in the "Hatata circle" of Edo, the Akabane family ranked high.

The energy possessed by the family behind him made Akabane Koichiro worthy of Aito, who was only a mere level above him.

What's more, he, Akabane Koichiro, also has a deep friendship with an important cadre of the "Shimizu Clan": Namikawa Chishio!

Both black and white have the strength to rely on - this is the confidence that Akabane dares to undermine Qing on stage, openly or covertly.

What about Nioh? What about being good at swordsmanship?

To get involved in the officialdom of the shogunate, you have to focus on connections and background!

Although Akabane looked down on Qingden, he felt that Qingden should still have the IQ and "sense" that an official should have, and know what should be done and what should not be done.

He expected that even if Qingteng wanted to touch him, he would not dare to make a big fight in a big way - this kind of thinking and this kind of judgment made Akabane feel confident when going against Qingteng.

——What does this Tachibana Aoden want to do? Why did he stop? Do you want to urge us to get up and continue to pursue that Yokokura Keinosuke? Ha...! Naive! So naive! Do you think we will pay attention to him? Humph!

The corners of Akabane's lips were slightly curved, with a hint of disdain and confidence. He remained motionless and continued to pinch his feet.

At this time, he suddenly heard a series of footsteps gradually approaching him at an unhurried speed.

Akabane looked up - it was Qingden.

The carved Qingdeng showed an elusive appearance.

There was no expression on his face. It was impossible to guess what emotions and thoughts he was having right now.

His eyes were so calm that even using the word "staring" to describe him seemed too intense and inappropriate.

As his arms and legs moved, he exuded a leisurely atmosphere as if he was about to go for a walk.

At this time, Akabane felt something was wrong.

And almost at the same time when Akabane noticed something strange...suddenly! Qingden suddenly raised his right hand and pressed the hilt of Dingguishen's sword!

The next moment, Qingdeng's elbow suddenly bounced away like a suddenly broken string. He pulled out the Ding Guishen, and a loud "pop" sound was heard in the air!

Before Akabane could recover, Qingden had already revealed his white blade from his left waist!

The blade and sheath separated so quickly that even the blade's light was compressed into a fuzzy silver light as thin as a thread!

In an instant, shock, panic and fear were like vines, locking all of Akabane's joints.

The strong cold wind blown by Ding Guishen wiped away the sweat on Akabane's forehead and the heat and blood on his face!

too suddenly.

Everything before my eyes happened so suddenly.

Suddenly, Akabane had to wonder for a moment whether he was dreaming.

As a swordsman with the Katori Shinto style in his body, Akabane showed the qualities that a warrior should have at this moment.

After seeing the silver snake popping out from Qingden's left waist and rushing towards him, although his head didn't have time to react, Akabane's body took action first - he acted instinctively

He stretched out his hand to reach his waist, ready to draw his sword to resist.

I have to say that Akabane's reaction speed is quite remarkable.

But it's a pity... everything he did at this moment was just a futile struggle.
To be continued...