"Oh, it was such an enjoyable battle! I haven't had such a good fight in a long time!"

Goro Ugaki leaned on the armrest beside him and laughed heartily.

[Note: Elbow support: also called elbow rest. A handle used to lean on when sitting on the floor.]

About 20 minutes ago, Ugaki Goro, who was defeated by Aoto's sword and unable to fight anymore, passed out on the spot and fell unconscious.

No matter how Qingdeng shakes or shakes, his eyelids will not move.

As a result, now, he is like a normal person. He should eat, drink, talk and smile when he should.

If it weren't for the fact that his whole body was covered in paint and his exposed skin was covered with a large number of bruises, redness and swelling visible to the naked eye, it would be hard to tell that this man had just suffered a huge defeat.

It can only be said that "Rabid Dog" is not only rough-skinned and thick-bodied, but also incredibly durable, and his body's ability to recover is unparalleled by humans.

"Nioh, how is your health?"

Ugaki Goro asked.

"The left shoulder, right thigh and other parts of the body are still very painful, but it's nothing serious. I'll be fine if I get a good sleep tonight."

Qingden replied.

His words were not polite, he was telling the truth seriously.

"Fitness +1" that increases the recovery speed of injuries.

"Strong Essence +1" that increases the recovery speed of energy and stamina.

Improve sleep quality and reduce sleep time.

Strengthen the kidneys and kidney qi, thereby making the body healthier than ordinary people's "Yuan Yang + 1".

With the blessing of the above-mentioned talents, Qingdeng's physical recovery ability can only be described as "abnormal".

Therefore, what Qing Deng said about "just having a good sleep" was really not nonsense - it was indeed the case.

As early as when he discovered that Goro Ugaki got stronger the more he was beaten, Aoto speculated whether the opponent also had the talent of "Berserker".

In the end, it turns out that's true.

"Berserker +3"...no wonder it's so durable.

As far as the results are concerned, both sides gained a lot from the previous contest.

Goro Ugaki got what he wanted and had a good fight with Niou.

Qingdeng's "Berserker" jumped to "Berserker +4" in one go, greatly increasing his strength.

Everyone is happy, everyone is happy.

"Mr. Ugaki."

Qingdeng straightened his back and said seriously.

"The contest between you and me is over. Now, it's your turn to fulfill the promise you made in advance."

The "promise" Aoto mentioned naturally refers to the agreement between Ugaki Goro and Aoto before the official start of the competition: "Between you and me, the outcome will be determined by one battle! No matter what the final outcome is, no matter what you ask me in the future

I will tell you everything I know and will tell you everything."

Ugaki Goro heard this and waved his hand.

"I know, I know! Although I am not a decent person, I am not a villain who breaks his word! What do you want to ask me?"

"Mr. Ugaki, why did my father borrow a huge sum of 5,000 taels of gold? What did he do with such a large sum of money?"

"Oh! This is it."

Goro Ugaki changed to a more comfortable sitting position, resting his entire body on the elbowrest, raised his left arm, and rubbed his chin.

"This topic will take a long time to talk about... Can you allow me to smoke while talking?"

After finishing speaking, Goro Ugaki made a smoking gesture.

Japan has been a big smoking country since ancient times. Japanese people have a long history of smoking. As early as the end of the Warring States Period three hundred years ago, the smoking method of burning tobacco in pipes entered Japan with Western missionaries and quickly became popular all over the country.

The word "one serving" in the original tea ceremony was also borrowed from tobacco and became the meaning of "smoking a cigarette and taking a break".

In the Edo period, the shogunate issued smoking bans many times in order to prevent fires.

However...the authority of the shogunate and the will of thousands of smokers - it is obvious which one is prosperous and which is declining.

All smoking bans eventually come to nothing.

The habit of smoking has survived and spread more and more widely.

Today, smoking has even become a fashion, a status symbol, and even a taste.

Anyone who frequents Yoshiwara, Shimabara and other travel agencies will definitely find that many high-end travel girls...especially courtesans who are at the top of the travel girls' list, love to smoke.

The beautiful tourist girls in gorgeous costumes and exquisite makeup sit elegantly while holding exquisite pipes and puffing away smoke - this has almost become the iconic scenery of Yoshihara, Shimabara and other tourist groups.

The reason why this phenomenon occurs is that on the one hand, the work pressure is huge and the remuneration is extremely poor. Smoking can relieve stress very well, so wandering girls especially love smoking.

On the other hand, it is because this is a conventional "high-level interest technique".

During working hours, all traveling girls, including courtesans, will put on makeup.

When you put on makeup, there will be thick lipstick, and when you smoke, it will leave lipstick marks on the mouthpiece of the pipe.

Then, the wandering girls will hand out the pipes in their hands with the mouthpiece facing outward.

At this time, as long as a guest comes forward, holds the mouthpiece and takes a puff of cigarette, it means "I choose you today."

Over time, the smoker and the wandering girl are almost bound to each other.

Painters in the Edo period would always draw a pipe when painting beauties or even sertu paintings of wandering girls.

It is worth mentioning that in Youkuo, there are rules for what kind of vagrants use what kind of pipes.

Japanese tobacco pipes are roughly divided into three parts, namely: mouthpiece, Luoyu and Yanshou

Luo Yu can be understood as the middle part of the smoker, and the wild goose head can be understood as the head of the smoker.

The hierarchy and seniority among wandering girls are extremely strict.

In order to distinguish their identities, the clothing, makeup, and even the use of smoking guns of the wandering girls have regulations that cannot be exceeded.

The level of the smoking gun mainly depends on Luo Yu's position.

The more gorgeous Luo Yu's paint work is and the longer it is, the higher the grade is.

The length and sophistication of the pipe are linked to status - this unspoken rule appears not only in travel, but also in business, politics and other walks of life.

If a subordinate finds that the bong he is using is higher-end than his superior's, he will immediately switch to a lower-end bong overnight.

The pipes of wealthy businessmen, high-ranking officials and other senior figures from all walks of life are longer and more exquisite than the other.

It's like the smoking gun Ugaki Goro is taking out now.

While asking, "Can I smoke and talk at the same time?", Ugaki Goro took out a pipe, a bag of tobacco, a box of Western matches, and a cigarette specially used to put ashes out of nowhere.

pot.

I saw that Goro Ugaki's pipe was all black, about half a meter long, and the head, head, and mouthpiece were all carved with complicated and gorgeous patterns.

At first glance, you can tell that it is a high-end product that ordinary people can never afford.

This is normal.

After all, Goro Ugaki is the owner of a private bank, and he is also one of the most famous private banks in Edo.

According to Ugaki Goro's previous tone, when Tachibana Takayuki borrowed 5,000 taels of gold from him, he should have lent it.

I can easily lend 5,000 taels of gold... Looking around Edo and beyond, there are people who are so heroic.

Ayoto didn't know Ugaki Goro's specific financial resources, but he was sure that the kings of those small vassal kingdoms whose total territory was only tens of thousands of koku, or even only 12,000 koku, might not be as rich as Ugaki Goro.

Although Qingden does not smoke, he does not have a strong dislike for the smell of smoke.

Therefore, he naturally doesn't mind Goro Ugaki smoking.

However, at this moment, besides Aoto and Goro Ugaki, there were other people present - behind Aoto, there were two girls, one older and one younger.

Therefore, in order to respect the opinions of the two women, Qingden turned his head and consulted Zuonazi and Souji with his eyes.

The second daughter, like Qingdeng, does not smoke, but she does not object to others smoking either.

Therefore, after Qingdeng cast his gaze over, they nodded slightly in unison.

"Mr. Ugaki, please do as you please."

Qingdeng raised his hand and made a "please" gesture.

"Oh! Then I'm not welcome!"

Before he finished speaking, Ugaki Goro impatiently struck the match, lit the tobacco, and took a deep breath.

"Ah... it's so comfortable... I take a puff of cigarette after the fight. I'm happier than a god! Nioh, do you want to take a few puffs too?"

"No, I don't smoke."

"It's such a pity! Smoking is one of the great pleasures of life! It would be a pity not to experience it!"
To be continued...