"Um?"

"His Royal Highness Tianzhangyuan asked me to say hello to you."

The moment Qingdeng finished speaking, Gua Shengxiu suddenly looked surprised, as if he had heard something incredible.

"Tianzhangyuan...?"

Gua Shengxiu stared at Qingdeng blankly.

After a moment, she stopped laughing.

"What a nostalgic name..."

"Hanada-kun, could you please reply to His Highness Tenshouin on my behalf: Thank you for Your Highness's concern. I am doing well. Your Highness is welcome to come to Yoshihara as a guest again. I very much look forward to having a long conversation with His Highness again."

Qingdeng smiled and said:

"I will tell you the truth."

This time, Qingdeng did not stop.

The slender figure wearing a brown hat on his head, a black scarf around his neck, and a blue feather fabric gradually drifted away from Gua Shengxiu's field of vision, and within a moment he melted into the shadows on the street corner.

…

…

Yoshiwara, the gate——

"Line up! Line up! Everybody line up!"

"No crowding! No crowding!"

"Damn it! I told you to line up! Don't crowd, didn't you hear me?"

The long procession starts from the gate and extends along Nakano-machi to the depths of Yoshiwara.

At this moment, the officers from the Shirobei Club and the Enforcement Office cooperated with each other to check every person leaving Yoshiwara one by one, looking for the figure of "Nioh" Tachibana Aoden...

Qingden is currently one of the biggest suspects in the "Akafeta Destroyer".

Although the government has not posted an official arrest warrant, Qingdeng is indeed a "wanted criminal."

Although "Akaha Miemengu" has long been handed over to Huofu Thief Kai, it has fulfilled all its obligations to provide assistance to this case that has a great and far-reaching impact.

Therefore, after receiving the report of "Tachibana Aoden in Yoshiwara", the Executive Office did not dare to neglect and quickly dispatched troops and generals.

Yoshiwara has a permanent population of several thousand, and its daily flow of people is one of the best in and outside Edo, "Japan's No. 1 Red Light District."

Searching for someone in a large Yoshihara area with a lot of people... Although this cannot be called finding a needle in a haystack, it can also be said to be full of difficulties.

Even if officers from their own division were recruited to assist, the police force at the execution station was still pitiful - with such a meager police force, if one wanted to find someone in Yoshiwara, even if they found Tianliang, they would still find nothing.

Therefore, the officials at the enforcement office could only adopt a stupid but effective method: divide the manpower into two teams, one team of people searched everywhere in Yoshihara; the other team of people blocked the door and checked one by one to leave Yoshihara.

of personnel.

The wide wooden door, which can accommodate five adults walking side by side, is the only entrance and exit in Yoshiwara.

As long as this gate is blocked, unless you have the ability to climb over walls and swim across deep ditches, it will be impossible to escape from Yoshiwara!

The search by the officials undoubtedly caused a lot of trouble to the tourists in Yoshiwara.

Scolds and lamentations came and went in this "long dragon" that stretched as far as the eye could see.

After all, tourists do not dare to confront the government. Therefore, complaints are complaints, and they can only swallow their anger and silently accept the review of the officials.

It's funny - no matter whether it's a tourist or an official, no one would have thought that the person they were looking for was standing not far away from them, looking at them fearlessly.

…

Aoto stood carelessly on the street of Nakano-machi, raising his hand to push the bamboo hat on his head, looking forward along the edge of the hat, observing the movement of the door, his brows slightly frowning uncontrollably.

——It’s difficult to handle...

Aoto really wanted to know who had reported that "Nioh Tachibana Aoto was hiding in Yoshiwara".

Thanks to this person's "blessing", he is now a turtle in a urn.

If this person really discovered Qingdeng, then Qingdeng would like to know how he was exposed.

If this person was unable to discover Qingdeng, and it was just a false police report due to some kind of misunderstanding... then Qingdeng really didn't know what kind of expression he should put on right now.

——Forget it, now is not the time to worry about this kind of problem.

Qingden shook his head to get rid of the complicated thoughts in his mind.

Although Seito had anticipated that it would be very difficult to leave Yoshiwara when the execution station sent a large number of police to surround Yoshihara, the security at the gate was still tighter than he expected.

People with facial coverings on their faces will have their facial coverings pulled off.

Those who wear bamboo hats will have their hats removed.

It is simply not possible to hide your face to get away with it.

As for makeup, disguise... doesn't work either.

First of all, Qingdeng didn't have any makeup tools at hand.

Secondly, he doesn't know how to put on makeup at all.

Qingdeng thought about it and found that there were only two paths he could choose.

First, forcefully break into the blockade of the officials!

Second, climb over the wall and cross the deep ditch!

Qingdeng only thought about it for a moment before firmly choosing the latter.

The reason why I did not choose the former was due to many considerations.

At first glance, the blockade organized by the officials of the Administrative Office and the Shirobei Club at the Yoshiwara Gate seemed airtight, but in Ayoto's eyes... the plastic wrap was considered solid compared to it.

With Qingdeng's ability, it is not difficult to overthrow the officials on the blockade.

However, doing so will raise a problem that cannot be ignored——

While he was racing against time to get to Yamatoya, it was impossible for him to defeat every officer on the blockade.

At most, it would "kill" a passage that would allow him to fly far away.

As a result, those remaining officials who were not defeated by him will definitely pursue him like crazy.

With the blessing of Qingden's talents such as "Leading the Horse", "Bear's Waist +1", "Elephant's Core +1" and other talents, it is not difficult to get rid of the tracking of the officials.

However, the footsteps and shouts of the officials would most likely alert the gang suspected to be hiding in Yamatoya.

Sawa Town is not far from Yoshihara...

If your own reckless behavior leads to a sudden attack, then the gain will outweigh the loss.

——I can only try to get over the wall...

Qingdeng raised his head and stared at the majestic city wall nearly 10 meters high in the distance.

The last time I saw such a high wall was when I entered Edo Castle and met Tokugawa Iemo and Tenshouin for the first time.

The most terrible thing about Yoshiwara Castle Wall is not its height, but its "smoothness".

The 10-meter-high wall is straight and flat, without even a place to grab a hand.

If you want to climb over such a city wall...it's not easy.

Even Aoto, who has certain attainments in cloud-ryu ninjutsu and possesses a lot of powerful talents, is not 100% sure whether he can climb such a high wall.

However, apart from forcibly climbing over the wall, Qingto couldn't think of a better way to leave Yoshiwara.

——Come on!

Qingden tightened the bamboo hat on his head and the saber at his waist.

Whether in thinking or acting, he is extremely decisive - this is one of Qingden's most proud strengths.

Now that he has made up his mind, there is no reason to back down. With this thought in mind, Qingdeng strode towards the distant city wall.

But at this time——

"As expected...you still need my help."

Suddenly a female voice sounded from behind Qingdeng.

An old female voice.

To Qingdeng, it was a very familiar female voice, a female voice that they had just parted with not long ago.

Suddenly, Qingden showed a look of surprise and confusion.

He quickly turned back.

What comes into view is a beautiful smile that, although full of traces of time, does not look ugly at all.

"Gua Sheng...Mother-in-law...?"

Why are you here? Before Qingdeng had time to say this question, Gua Shengxiu smiled.
To be continued...