Tortaro Ikeda is the Ikeda who appeared in Chapter 133 of Volume 3, everyone knows~

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Wow!

A basin of cold water was poured directly on Tortaro Ikeda's head.

Tortaro Ikeda's body suddenly trembled several times due to conditioned reflexes, and his consciousness suddenly woke up.

"Um...eh...?"

He shook his head, shaking off the water droplets on his eyelashes that obscured his vision, and then turned his head and eyes blankly, scanning all directions.

The cramped space, no doors or windows, the turbid and stuffy environment, the smell of putrefaction...

There was an oil lamp hanging on a pillar not far away - it was the only source of light here - and the dim light barely illuminated his feet.

The strange scene in front of him added another layer of fog to his already chaotic mind.

——Where is this? Why am I here?

Toriyama Ikeda frowned, concentrated his mind, and tried to remember.

Go out and drink happily...

Suddenly I heard a nice female voice coming from behind me...

I was hit hard in the abdomen, and then I couldn’t remember anything...

Just like a fish blowing bubbles, the fragmented memory fragments gradually revived and were connected together again.

At this time, a familiar, calm male voice suddenly came from in front of him:

"Ikeda-kun, you are fine."

As soon as he spoke, Toriyama Ikeda felt as if he had seen a ghost. His body suddenly stiffened and his pupils shrank to the size of pinholes.

He hurriedly raised his head and followed the sound.

I saw a tall figure standing directly in front of him.

With his tall stature, strong physique, and calm voice, he is the best among men at first glance.

The light of the oil lamp shone from behind him, drawing out a mountain-like shadow that pressed straight toward Ikeda Tortaro.

Even though he was in a sweltering environment, Toriyama Ikeda felt an icy chill rising from the soles of his feet and reaching his Tenreigai.

Stimulated by this chill, fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead, chest, back...all over his body.

At the same time, the blood on his face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning as pale as snow in just the blink of an eye.

"Tachibana, Tachibana Aoden...?!"

His throat seemed to be strangled, and he let out a shrill scream like a woman's.

Qingdeng slowly raised his right index finger, put it against his lips, and made a "shush" sound.

"Quiet."

"As you can see, it's me - Tachibana Aoden."

"If you can regain your composure as soon as possible, it will save you and me a lot of trouble."

Toriyama Ikeda stared blankly, motionless... to be precise, he forgot to move.

After about 5 seconds, his consciousness finally regained control of his body.

It was only then that he realized belatedly that his hands and feet were not tied and that his limbs could move normally.

Except for the fact that there is no knife on the waist, everything is as usual.

Then, he raised his eyes again and carefully observed his surroundings.

Seeing this, Qingdeng interjected:

"Stop looking around."

"This is my 'secret stronghold'."

"Besides you and me, there is no one else here right now."

After hearing this, Tortaro Ikeda silently withdrew his gaze and stared at Qingden in front of him with a complicated expression.

He secretly speculated that this place should be a place similar to a cellar.

——Why is Tachibana Aoden here?

——Did he bring me here?

——Does it mean that...our plan has been exposed?

All kinds of questions poured into his mind, almost filling his brain!

Although the current situation is confusing and confusing, what is certain is that Qingdeng brought him here, which is absolutely unusual!

Boom! Boom! Boom... Tori Ikeda felt his heart beating hard, sounding a panic alarm.

However, his psychological quality is still remarkable.

Although he was panic-stricken, he quickly regained his composure.

He swallowed hard and stood up slowly.

Although his hands and feet can move freely, he can't even think of resisting in front of Niou...

The reason why Qingdeng allowed him to have a "free body" must have been because he knew that he would not make any mistakes in front of him.

Tortaro Ikeda suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and asked calmly:

"Tachibana...ah, no, Nioh-sama, what do you mean? Why did you bring me here?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, Qingdeng waved his hands impatiently:

"Okay, Ikeda-kun, don't do this."

"Let's just open the skylight and talk openly."

"I know what you are trying to do."

"I also know that you have formed an alliance with the Tosa Kin King's party and are working together to overthrow the Shinsengumi."

Speaking of this, Qingden paused.

Suddenly, he changed into a tone that was half teasing and half sarcastic, and continued:

"Hmph, what you have in mind is not trivial."

"Today's Shinsengumi has grown into an army of 3,000 soldiers."

"You can actually muster the courage to fight against us."

"Although you are treacherous enemies, I have to make positive comments about your fighting spirit and courage."

Every time Aoto spoke, Toriyama Ikeda's expression changed drastically.

After Qingden finished speaking, he completely lost his cool and could no longer maintain his composure.

His expression was dominated by strong shock and panic, his legs became weak, and he almost collapsed on the ground.

He subconsciously wanted to say "Nioh-sama, what are you talking about?", "Nioh-sama, I don't understand you!" and other similar words to defend himself.

But... after seeing Qingdeng's confident expression, he immediately understood: the other party was not bluffing.

He really knows their details!

In the blink of an eye, the entire cellar fell into a dead silence, so quiet that even a giant whale swimming by could not stir up any movement.

After a long time passed like this, Toriyama Ikeda lowered his voice and said in a deep voice:

"...Ju Qingden, what do you want to do?"

"If you want to kill me, just go ahead and do it!"

"I have long been prepared to sacrifice myself for the righteousness!"

After saying that, he let go of his arms, raised his chest, and showed an awe-inspiring expression of death without fear of death.

But who would have thought that as soon as he finished speaking, Qingdeng sneered "ha".

"Ikeda-kun, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago."

"It's so easy to eliminate all these traitors."

"But just killing you will only add blood rust to our blades."

"Instead of doing this, it would be more valuable to let you die."

"I thought you could connect with Changzhou."

"Unexpectedly, Changzhou didn't pay attention to you."

"On the contrary, Tosa Kin's party contacted you and others."
To be continued...