"I don't know if it's because of blood or family tradition, but there are always weird people in the Shikizaki family who behave strangely."

"That's what Shikizaki Shiyō is."

"How should I put it? He is a... very evil person."

Boss Kiryu hesitated for a while before finally expelling the "evil" comment.

"If you ask him to forge ordinary swords of average quality, he will often mess up."

"However, if you let him forge a top-quality sword of superior quality, it will actually stimulate his fighting spirit."

"The more powerful the steel is, the more difficult the dilemma is, the more it can force its talents to work, and finally succeed in creating a masterpiece that exceeds everyone's imagination."

"If there is any swordsmith in the world who can control this piece of 'Ten Thousand Refinements of Steel'... the only person I can think of is Shikisaki Jiyoshi."

Having said this, Boss Kiryu paused for a moment, then raised his eyes and looked directly at Qingto.

"Tachibana-kun, what do you think? Are you interested in meeting Shikisaki Shiyō?"

As soon as Boss Kiryu finished speaking, Qingden grinned and said loudly without hesitation:

"Is there any need to ask? Since this person is the only hope, why should I not see it?"

"Boss Kiryu, do you know where this person is now?"

Boss Kiryu nodded lightly:

"Shikizaki Shiyō does not have a fixed address, but he prefers women, so he often wanders around Yoshiwara."

Qingdeng couldn't help but feel happy when he heard this.

Isn't this a coincidence? He happened to be planning to go back to Edo. In this way, he could take advantage of the opportunity to go back to Edo to discuss military aircraft with Tokugawa Iemo and look for Shikisaki!

At this time, Boss Kiryu suddenly changed into a faint tone:

"Mr. Ju, although I have no intention of pouring cold water on you, I still want to say something ugly first - you'd better be mentally prepared to 'return disappointed' in advance."

Qingdeng was stunned:

"Boss Kiryu, why do you say this?"

Boss Kiryu sighed softly:

"I don't know what the reason was, but Shikisaki sent him... He has been living in a state of depravity in recent years."

"I rarely take on the work of forging knives. At most I make some sickles and hoes."

"As soon as I make money, I immediately squander it all, either on wine or on women."

"As far as I know, he is now a frequent visitor to major tourist attractions in Yoshihara. He hangs out in the flower streets and willow alleys all day long, living a life of drunkenness and debauchery, just like a zombie."

"Whether he is still willing to forge swords now, and whether he still has the ability to recast Vairocana... To be honest, I am not sure."

After Qingdeng heard this, he was slightly stunned at first, and then smiled helplessly:

"Even so, we can only take a gamble."

Kiryu smiled bitterly and nodded:

"Yeah, that's true."

The old man seemed to have recalled something. He paused for a moment, and a look of emotion appeared on his cheeks:

"I think back then, it was the Shikisaki family who forged Vairocana."

"To this day, I have to ask the Shikisaki family to recast Vairocana again."

"The things in this world are really wonderful..."

…

…

In the next few days, Ayoto made careful preparations to rush to Edo.

The first thing he has to do is hand over the work.

Hijikata Toshizo, Shannan Keisuke and others are very accustomed to his "hands off boss" style.

Therefore, Qingdeng did not need to worry too much about work matters, and the handover was completed quickly and smoothly.

Then, Aoden went to Sanako and entrusted her with the power of "taking charge of Orange Mansion".

For official affairs, he relied on Hijikata Toshizo, and for domestic affairs, he relied on Sanako - this has almost become Ainto's path dependence.

Although Souji has a strong affinity that unites everyone, due to being too friendly, when she should be ruthless, she often shows a soft-hearted and hesitant side.

As for Ah Wu...there is no need to say anything about her.

Therefore, in the absence of Qingtou, Sanako, who has both sufficient prestige and courage, is the only one who can control Tachibana.

After everything was ready, Qingdeng left a message, "I'll come back as soon as I go." Then he got on the back of Luo Luo's cow and headed eastward under the watch of everyone.

Sanako and Amai were about to give birth, and Aoto had no intention of staying in Edo for long.

If everything goes well, he plans to settle everything within 10 days and return to Dajin as scheduled.

In order to improve the efficiency of the operation, Qingdeng did not bring any followers.

The only companion is Boss Kiryu.

The only person around Aonto who knows Shikizaki Shiyori is Boss Kiryu.

Therefore, whether you are looking for Shikisaki Shiyō or entrusting him to forge a sword, Boss Kiryu is an indispensable figure.

Boss Kiryu is indeed a ruthless man who is still active and active even when he is over ninety years old. His physical condition is just extraordinary.

Although he was not seriously injured during the duel with Katsumi, his physical strength was depleted due to entering the "selfless state" for a long time, and for a time he could not even get out of bed.

Thanks to his strong physical fitness, after a period of quiet recuperation, his condition has improved a lot.

Although he has not yet recovered, it is more than enough to ride a horse and go on a long trip.

Because they were traveling lightly, the master and the apprentice traveled extremely fast.

In less than four days, the majestic Edo Castle came into view.

"Tachibana-kun, you should go about your business first. I will collect the information sent by Shikisaki and see where he is fooling around again."

Having said that, Boss Kiryu turned his horse's head and headed straight towards Yoshiwara.

In this way, the master and apprentice were temporarily separated.

That night, Qingto went back to the trial defense hall first and reported to Kondo Shusuke and the others that they were safe.

Then, he went to Xiao Qianba Sword Hall and Xuanwu Hall to meet his father-in-law and uncle.

"Qingden! You are finally back! Is Sanako okay?"

As soon as he saw Aoto, Chiba Jutaro immediately couldn't help himself and rushed towards him, surrounding Sanako asking questions.

After Sanako became pregnant, her physical and mental condition always affected Chiba Jutaro's heart.

In fact, if it weren't for his busy schedule, Chiba Jutaro would have packed his luggage and gone straight to Otsu to visit Sanako.

As he grows older, Chiba Nobuyoshi has basically retired, and all the affairs of the sword hall are now taken care of by Chiba Jutaro.

Of course, no matter what, Sanako, who is about to give birth, is undoubtedly the top priority of the Chiba family at the moment.

Therefore, they planned to wait until the beginning of next month to entrust the sword hall to trusted disciples and let them help take care of it for a period of time, and then the family would go to Otsu to take care of Sanako.

Qingden took the trouble to introduce Sanako's current situation to his father-in-law and uncle.

Seeing the worried expressions of Chiba Sadakichi, Chiba Jutaro and others who wanted to rush to Otsu immediately, Ayoto couldn't help but smile.

He always admired the friendship and unity of the "Jianhao Family".

…

…

The next day——

Edo, Edo Castle, and Maple——

"Tangerine-kun, long time no see."

Tokugawa Iemo had a gentle expression on his face and looked at Aonto with a smile.

Qingdeng, who was sitting directly opposite him, showed the same kind smile and responded:

"Your Highness, you are well."

Today, the sky has just turned white. After changing into the formal attire of the samurai family, Aoshinobu rode the ox and rushed to Edo Castle.

As soon as he entered Edo Castle, Aomori was introduced to Kaede.

Maple Room was originally the place where General Zhengyi played Go or Shogi, which was the so-called "game room".

Out of personal preference, Tokugawa Iemo would always meet him in Kaede whenever he wanted to meet with Aoden alone.

The two often discussed government affairs while playing the game of Go, which can make professional chess players have cerebral hemorrhages.

Today was no exception. Qingdeng met a familiar person in this familiar place.
To be continued...