My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 500: Chapter 173: Who Told Me to Like Miss Sazanoko So Much! (Hug Tight) [6000]_2

The reason he was able to dodge the arrow from the ”middle-aged man with the beard” just now indeed had an element of luck.

But the main reason was the combined effects of the ”Gathering Spirit,” ”Lone Brave,” and ”Eagle Eye” talents, which endowed Aoto with astonishing dynamic vision and reaction speed.

His eyes sharply pierced through the trajectory of the arrow shot by the ”middle-aged man with the beard”! If not for this, he wouldn’t have been able to dodge the arrow!

——”Gathering Spirit” is truly powerful...

Silently praising this divine-level talent that had brought him a new breakthrough in his strength, Aoto slowly walked to the side of the ”middle-aged man with the beard” and squatted down.

The ”middle-aged man with the beard” had already recovered somewhat from Aoto’s shoulder hit, at least he could breathe smoothly now.

”Who are you?” Aoto’s tone was as cold as if the words coming out of his mouth were not words but knives.

After posing a question, Aoto immediately followed with a statement:

”You are from the Anti-foreigner Group, aren’t you.”

Before the chaotic ”1vs18” battle broke out just now, Aoto had clearly heard the discussions of these 18 people with the help of the ”Wind Sensor.”

Calling him a ”national traitor,” shouting ”avenge the comrades who died because of him”... Such rhetoric made Aoto highly suspect that these people were from the Anti-foreigner Group that had disappeared for a long time after the ”Foreign Language Research Institute Battle”!

After all, besides the Anti-foreigner Group, Aoto really couldn’t think of any other group with whom he had such a deep-seated blood feud.

Facing Aoto’s questioning, the ”middle-aged man with the beard” completely ignored him.

He cast a cold glance at Aoto and then retracted his gaze, not uttering a word the entire time.

”Don’t want to talk to me, huh... Fine.” Aoto stood up slowly with a calm expression, ”Then let’s wait until you’re thrown into the Prison Compound, and let the action officers there ’chat’ with you thoroughly.”

The Prison Compound... Upon hearing this term, the ”middle-aged man with the beard” trembled violently several times.

Despite trying hard to control it, a hint of fear surfaced on his face.

”Nagakura. Let’s go.” Aoto said, ”First, let’s escort these three back to the residence and rendezvous with Saito and the others.”

...

...

Edo, Mabu Longtu Town, Upper Residence of the Uwajima Domain, Date Family——

”Miss Chiba, thank you for your hard work today!”

”You’re welcome. Miss Date, your performance today was very good, keep up the good work.”

”Hee hee hee~ I will! Miss Chiba, when will you teach me some more powerful moves?”

”There’s no rush for that. You’ll need to solidify your foundations a bit more before I can teach you more advanced content.”

”I feel my basics are already quite good...”

”Miss Date, the most taboo thing in martial arts is impatience and restlessness.”

”Alright, alright, I get it. Miss Chiba, sometimes the way you speak really reminds me of my mother...”

...

After bidding farewell to the playful Princess Date, Sazanoko gracefully exited the Uwajima Domain’s residence, personally escorted by Princess Date.

The ”Miss of the esteemed Martial Arts Family·Chiba Family” and the ”genius female swordsman with divine-level talent”... Sazanoko’s daily identity continually shifted between these two roles.

Depending on the identity she needed to present, Sazanoko’s attire would also change accordingly.

When she needed to appear as the ”Miss,” Sazanoko would style her long, black hair into the Shimada Bun or other popular feminine hairstyles, wear vibrant and beautiful women’s kimonos, and if necessary, apply light makeup and wear some jewelry.

When she needed to present herself as a ”female swordsman,” Sazanoko liked to tie her long hair into a convenient, high ponytail for ease of movement, wearing a women’s kendo uniform that accentuated her figure, and avoided all obstructive accessories and cosmetics.

At this moment, Sazanoko was dressed as the ”female swordsman” – without makeup, her long hair tied into a neat and tidy high ponytail down to her waist, she wore a women’s kendo uniform with a white top and dark blue bottom, and white socks encased her slim feet inside a pair of blue-strapped flat geta sandals, while a blue-handled, blue-scabbard small tachi hung at her left waist for self-defense.

Why was Sazanoko, dressed as a ”female swordsman,” coming out from the Upper Residence of the Uwajima Domain? And why did she appear to be very familiar with Princess Date of the Uwajima Domain?

For those familiar with Sazanoko, these questions were easy to answer – Sazanoko was the swordsmanship teacher of Princess Date of the Uwajima Domain.

Due to concerns about ”male and female differences,” those prestigious families preferred to choose a female teacher when selecting martial arts instructors for the girls in their family.

Thus, proficient in the Glaive Technique and the Small Tachi Technique of the Beichen One-Sword Style, along with the shining aura of ”Miss Chiba,” Sazanoko naturally became the ”hot commodity” among the grand families in Edo who were looking for an excellent female teacher for their family’s girls.

Even when Sazanoko was only a 14-year-old girl, grand families were already extending invitations to her with ”Please come instruct our young ladies in martial arts!”

Over the years, the number of people and forces wanting to bring Sazanoko on board as a martial arts teacher was countless.

Among these numerous ”inviters,” if one were to determine who held the most prestigious identity... it was none other than the daimyo of the Uwajima Domain!

Four years ago, the daimyo of the Uwajima Domain warmly invited Sazanoko, hoping she could serve as the swordsmanship teacher for his young daughter.

Uwajima Domain – a Great Feudal Country governed by the Date Clan with a territory of 100,000 koku.

With the strict requirements of the ”Visit and Handover” system, nearly all daimyos of the vassal states were required to reside in Edo annually for a period of time.