My Gang of Swordsmen

"From that moment on, he seemed to be reborn, starting to achieve remarkable feats!"

"The rescue of the Foreign Language Research Institute was just the most inconspicuous among all his great achievements so far."

"Alright, let’s get back to the main story."

"At that time, the four samurai charging directly into the enemy’s formation with Tachibana Aoto were named Saito Ichiro, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sazō, and Fujimura Heisuke."

"These four, just like Tachibana Aoto, were undoubtedly heroes capable of facing a hundred foes!"

"Facing an enemy force dozens of times their number, these heroes showed no fear!"

"Only to see Tachibana Aoto brandishing his sword, casting blue-white arcs of blade light!"

"The long sword slashing down, thrusting straight, striking upward, side-cutting, and crossing horizontally."

"No one could come close! No one could withstand Tachibana Aoto’s sword!"

"His momentum was unstoppable, sharp and invincible!"

"To describe Tachibana Aoto’s swordsmanship, there’s no better saying than this eternal quote from the famous military strategy book of the Tang Dynasty, ’The Six Strategies,’ in the ’Dragon Strategy’ section—approach with awe, wield with frenzy, destroy those in the way, and annihilate those who come near, who can withstand this?"

"Terrifyingly unstoppable, Tachibana Aoto cut down, staining his robe with blood, making the beasts of the Anti-foreigner Group flee in disarray, their courage utterly smashed!"

"With a sword in hand, standing proud and valiant, he truly resembled the ’Niō’!"

Bang!

The sound of striking the gong exploded once again.

In the next moment, a tide of applause surged through the storytelling venue.

"Bravo!"

"Mengle, as expected of you! That was wonderful!"

"Mengle! Go on! Continue!"

"What happened to Tachibana Aoto next? Quickly tell us!"

The applause from the audience below continued, excited listeners generously tossing copper coins onto the stage, some even throwing silver coins, whether they were truly wealthy or just trying to show off.

"The money this way! The money this way! Thank you all for your support! Thank you for your support! We have dried radish, sushi, roasted melon seeds, and exquisitely flavored sasa maki saba sushi, Ube sushi, and Matsu sushi here!"

"Look, each of these delicacies is more mouthwatering than the last! The most expensive among them only costs 10 mon! For at most 10 mon, you can feast to your heart’s content!"

"Besides the food, we have tea, sweet water, and freshly iced water! On such a hot day, remember to drink plenty of water to avoid heatstroke."

In between storytelling, selling snacks and drinks was a common side business for storytellers, and the income from this side business was quite substantial.

Many storytellers made the bulk of their income from selling snacks and drinks, with the rewards from the audience being secondary.

As the sound of copper coins hitting the ground gradually subsided, Mengle cleared his throat forcefully a few more times.

"Alright, let’s get back to the main story..."

Mengle cleared his throat forcefully a few more times, preparing to continue narrating the story of ’Niō’ Tachibana Aoto.

Looking at the stage below, the audience, whose emotions had been completely stirred, held their breath and stared eagerly at Mengle on stage.

However, in a rather inconspicuous corner, two audience members showed expressions completely different from those around them.

One was tall, and the other was short.

The shorter one was pressing his lips tightly, trying hard to suppress his laughter.

The taller one had a complex smile, occasionally letting out long sighs.

"Mr. Tachibana... ah, no, Niō," Chokata stood on tiptoes, bringing his mouth close to Aoto’s ear, "this storyteller is doing quite a good job."

Aoto silently nodded.

"It is quite good."

"But as far as I know, I wasn’t that heroic at the time."

"’Approach with awe, wield with frenzy, destroy those in the way, and annihilate those who come near’... if I truly had such valor as Xiang Yu, I would have wiped out the Anti-foreigner Group from top to bottom on the night of the attack on the Foreign Language Research Institute."

After speaking, the complex emotions on Aoto’s face deepened further.

He opened his mouth again, letting out another long sigh.

Today was August 3rd, nearly two months since Aoto was discharged from the Ren Medical Hall.

In these two months, Aoto mostly spent his time recovering from his injuries.

At the time of discharge, his attending physician Beifang Ren clearly told him: being discharged does not mean complete recovery; Aoto still needs to recuperate at home for a long period and must return to Ren Medical Hall for a check-up every seven days.

One must not hide illnesses nor ignore medical advice, especially from a renowned doctor like Beifang Ren, who has excellent medical skills and noble medical ethics—this basic principle was something Aoto understood.

So, in these two months, Aoto had obediently stayed at Shiwei Hall to recover and take care of his body.

This era lacked entertainment, and with his inability to engage in strenuous activities, Aoto felt as though each day extended from 24 to 72 hours.

Although the days were boring, Aoto didn’t particularly dislike this tranquility.

Despite having saved the settlement and countless lives, the Edo Shogunate still hadn’t issued any clear rewards to Aoto—something he had anticipated.

The rigid class structure of the Edo Era was too severe; breaking through class barriers was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Therefore, rewards for meritorious individuals were cautious.

Following the principle of ’the greater the merit, the more cautious the reward assessment,’ coupled with the Edo Shogunate’s current political culture of ’loving to shirk responsibility and pass the buck’ and its suffocating administrative efficiency... Aoto probably wouldn’t know what rewards he would receive until the end of the month at the earliest.