novelnext Chapter 139 - 86: Gaining 3 Talents in a Row: Skillful Hands, Healthy Tongue, Iron Waist [6,700 Words]
Chapter 139 - 86: Gaining 3 Talents in a Row: Skillful Hands, Healthy Tongue, Iron Waist [6,700 Words]
After moving into Shiwei Hall, Aoto’s days finally became leisurely again.
Aoto originally thought that after such a severe incident as "rebels gradually gaining momentum and openly attacking foreign merchants", it would be a matter of days before someone from the top would summon him—the most important person involved—and inquire in detail about the various information regarding that "Snowy Night Chaos".
But unexpectedly, the government remained exceptionally quiet.
They didn’t summon Aoto and made no major moves.
There was no official response to the event that was already being talked about throughout all of Edo.
Everything proceeded in an orderly manner... as usual.
Though not knowing why the government was so quiet, since they didn’t summon him, Aoto was happy to enjoy the peace.
February was the month when the South Division managed Edo. The officials from the North Guard Station didn’t need to work this month. As long as nothing unexpected happened, Aoto and his peers could leisurely enjoy a month of paid leave before returning to work in March.
On February 1st, Aoto’s body, reinforced by the endowment of "Healthy Body", finally fully recovered.
The wounds on his body all healed, leaving only shallow scars.
With injuries healed and on paid leave, free from official duties for the moment, Aoto was finally able to concentrate and enhance his current strength through careful training.
The destruction of his own residence sounded a warning bell to Aoto: the "Mysterious Influence" that failed to assassinate Anthony and others would certainly not let him go easily.
The fat man captured by Aoto and Chokata was heavily interrogated by officials from the Judicial Examination Office after being taken to the Magistrate’s Office and imprisoned.
The Judicial Examination Office: a department responsible for investigation and deliberation in trials.
No matter the country or era, all feudal regimes have a commonality: remarkable imagination in devising "ways to torture humans".
The Magistrate’s Office held numerous methods to make people neither live nor die.
In just a few days, the fat man’s appearance changed so much that even his mother might not recognize him.
Yet, despite being tortured beyond recognition, the fat man kept his lips shut, refusing to speak, which showed a certain degree of grit.
The officials from the Judicial Examination Office remained calm and unfazed—they had seen many such criminals with a bit of spine before.
They had a wealth of means and time, and abundant confidence to gradually wear down the fat man’s will.
Although the fat man disclosed nothing so far, Aoto determined that he was most likely someone from the "Mysterious Influence" who came specifically to avenge him by burning down his home.
Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental? Just as Aoto returned to Edo, several arsonists emerged and burned his home.
Aoto and his team currently knew almost nothing about this "Mysterious Influence": its name, its people, or its leader.
However, Aoto speculated that this "Mysterious Influence" was likely linked with the group of lunatics who considered him a "Traitor" and had tried to assassinate him three times already.
That night, when fighting Mogami Shofu, Mogami recognized him, called out his name, and referred to him as a "Traitor"... So if this "Mysterious Influence" had nothing to do with the lunatics targeting Aoto, he wouldn’t believe it.
In any case—whether the two groups were connected or not, it’s beyond doubt that Aoto had thoroughly offended this "Mysterious Influence".
On the night Aoto returned to Edo, they impatiently set his home on fire... This "Mysterious Influence" conveyed to Aoto through their actions: We won’t spare you!
Since the other side had thrown down the "gauntlet", Aoto naturally had no reason to remain inactive.
To better fend off any possible future reprisals from the "Mysterious Influence", after recovering from his injuries, Aoto immediately resumed swordsmanship training and physical exercises.
Now settled in Shiwei Hall, living under the same roof as Kondo and others made swordsmanship training more convenient for Aoto.
There was a spacious dojo available.
An abundance of practice tools was provided.
If he encountered any swordsmanship theories or techniques he didn’t understand, he could immediately consult Zhouzhu and others.
Upon resuming training, Aoto immediately informed Zhouzhu and others that he needed less sleep and thus was accustomed to getting up to train before dawn. Thus, he requested permission from Zhouzhu to use Shiwei Hall’s dojo at early hours.
Upon learning about Aoto’s "need for less sleep" trait, Zhouzhu generously allowed, "You can practice in the dojo whenever you like! After all, the door connecting the dojo to our residence is never locked."
These days, Aoto spent the vast majority of the time in the dojo.
With arduous swordsmanship practice and body conditioning, though tiring, he was enthusiastic about it.
While dedicated to his practice, Aoto also didn’t forget to utilize his system—taking advantage of this excellent opportunity to stay in Shiwei Hall for extended periods, he sparred with everyone who came to the dojo to practice swordsmanship, whom he hadn’t yet competed against.
The results were rather dismal... He didn’t manage to successfully copy any endowments from any of his senior brothers.