I formed the strongest swordsman group

"Ah, Mr. Gu Mu!"

"Mr. Gu Mu, good morning!"

"Mr. Gu Mu, I'm sorry, we are disturbing you again."

The old people said hello to Goro Komu one by one.

Apparently, they were all acquaintances of this store.

Komaki Goro stuffed the white cloth for wiping his hands into his waist and said pleasantly:

"If you are willing to come and take care of our store's business, it's not too late for me to be happy. I'm happy to see you come to 'annoy' our store every day."

"Mr. Komu, every time I eat your wagashi, I feel very guilty."

As he spoke, the old man raised the steamed bun in his palm.

After "It's like seeing Dorayaki for the first time", the expression of "It's like seeing steamed buns for the first time" flashes across Qingden's cheeks.

This steamed bun is really big! It's as big as an adult's fist.

The old man has taken a bite of the steamed bun. Looking along the gap, he can see that the steamed bun is not only big, but also very thick. It is not a junk snack that is not worth eating.

Anyone who often buys flour products such as bread and pancakes knows that the most common fraud method used by merchants is to "fully expand" the dough.

At first glance, it seems to be very thick, but in fact it is so empty inside that it sinks in with just a pinch of your fingers.

On the other hand, the steamed buns made by Gu Mu and his wife... perfectly explain what "thickness" means.

The dough is tight and filled with red bean paste filling, which is a real thin-skinned filling.

To be honest, throughout his past and present lives, Qingdeng has never seen steamed buns with such high value for money.

Qingdeng looked at the old man's steamed buns, then looked at the dorayaki in his hand, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Mr. Komu, are all your wagashi so... high quality and cheap?"

"Young man, you don't know something."

The old man holding the steamed buns talked eloquently:

"This is the characteristic of 'Wolangpu'. The price is affordable and the quality is excellent, so everyone likes this store very much. But everyone who has visited 'Wolangpu' will become a repeat customer."

As soon as he finished speaking, another old man echoed:

"Really, the taste is so delicious, the portion is so big, and the price is so cheap. It's a shame that your shop can continue to exist today. Mr. Komu, I always wonder: your Japanese confectionery store Is the shop really making a profit?”

Komu Goro smiled:

"It's definitely profitable, but not much."

"I'm not a fool. I won't do the business of losing money and making a profit."

"I used to hate the kind of profiteers who keep asking for money."

"So when I was young, I secretly vowed: If one day I open a store and do business, I must become a well-known and well-loved conscientious businessman."

“The biggest costs of opening a store are mainly high rents and employees’ salaries.”

"This shop is an asset in my name, so I don't have to pay rent."

"Our store never hires employees, because my wife and I can run this small store very well."

"In this way, the operating pressure will naturally be much reduced."

"The remaining costs are nothing more than the water fee for using the well and the material cost for purchasing food."

At this time, A-Machi appeared next to Goro Komaki without anyone noticing.

"Neither of us has strong material desires, and we have no other aspirations except 'living a stable life'."

After saying that, she twisted her body dexterously, rubbed against Goro Komaki's body like a water snake, opened her arms, and embraced the blackened right arm affectionately.

On the physical level, the way he clings to Goro Komaki is like a very obedient and clingy cat.

Facing Atachi's sudden "jujutsu attack", Komaki Goro's expression was very calm, with a look on his face that said "I've long been used to it".

The old people are also not surprised:

"Here we go again, the relationship between you two as a couple is so good..."

Goro Komaki chuckled a few times:

"Atachi and I are truly a couple in need."

"Huh? Isn't it because I fascinate you?"

As he spoke, A-Machi raised his head and gave Goro Komaki a long look.

The eyes are flowing, and the eyes are as charming as silk.

At the same time, she consciously leaned forward and gently pressed the pair of extremely conspicuous existences - which made the cutter "rise" from the ground and turn into a "cliff" - against Goro Komaki's arms. bend.

Like sinking deep into a sand pool, Goro Komaki's arms were instantly swallowed up by the "gentle land".

"...I can't argue with this part."

A-Machi said "Yeah", nodded slightly, and smiled triumphantly.

Such an expression seems to be saying: "Yes, you can talk!"

It has to be said that the physical fitness of the residents of the low martial world is extraordinary.

Judging from his appearance, Atachi must be around 35 years old.

Logically speaking, in this era before the birth of medical beauty technology, it is quite normal for the waist to become thicker, the peach to sag, the papaya to be sagging, and other out-of-shape phenomena.

However, the nearly 40-year-old A-Machi still has a very hot figure, which is not inferior to young girls like Sanako and Kinoshita Mai.

In addition, her skin condition is also very good.

Not only is it very fair, but it is also very firm. There is no obvious sagging yet, and there are only fine lines around the corners of the eyes.

The so-called "charm remains" is nothing more than this.

Qingdeng saw the opportunity and asked:

"Mr. Komaki, Miss Atachi, have you finished your work?"

"Well, the busiest time has passed. I can finally leave the kitchen and get some fresh air outside."

Goro Komaki found a seat next to Qingden and sat down.

Atachi, who was hugging Goro Komaki tightly, also sat down.

"Just now, after Omachi slipped into the kitchen and mysteriously told me that 'a rare guest is coming to my door,' I have been guessing who this 'rare guest' she was talking about was who would come to visit me early in the morning. It’s not much, and I never expected that it would be you.”

A certain old man looked at Goro Komaki, then looked at Qingdeng:

"Mr. Gu Mu, do you know this person?"

Goro Komaki replied without thinking:

"Well, we are old acquaintances for now."

After explaining, he looked at Qingdeng and changed the subject:

"We are reunited after a long separation. Although there are countless words that need to be said urgently, we should wait for a while before speaking. For now, let's check on Mr. Heigoro's condition first."

After saying that, he turned his head, and the caring gaze flickering from his eyes fell on the old man who had not yet stopped crying.

"Mr. Heigoro, what happened? Why are you crying so early in the morning?"

"Mr. Gu Mu...!"

Heigoro wiped away his tears and said with sobs:

"I...what should I do...?"

The voice was out of breath and moistened with tears... It was obvious that Heigoro, who was extremely emotionally unstable, could no longer speak coherent words.

Then, the old man sitting on the left side of Heigoro explained on his behalf:

"Oh, Mr. Gu Mu, it's not because of those beasts of the Nanmu Group."

Komugoro frowned slightly:

"What's wrong with the Nanmu team again?"

"Well...this..."

The old man hesitated, his wandering eyes frequently glancing at Qingdeng and Sanako, his eyes filled with vigilance.

Goro Komaki saw through the old man's thoughts and smiled:

"Mr. Denrokuro, there is no need to worry. As I just said, these two are old acquaintances of mine, so there is no need to be taboo, but it doesn't matter."

"Then...ok, I understand."

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qingdeng turned his head and asked the Gu Mu couple beside him:

"What is the Kusunoki Group? Yakuza?"

Goro Komu opened his mouth and was about to explain. However, his beautiful wife spoke first:

"The predecessor of Kusunoki-gumi is the notorious Yakuza group: the Ayase clan."

"They are entrenched in Luobei, and they mainly make a living by extorting money and collecting protection fees."

"Originally, the power of the Ayase clan is not great. It is just a small organization with no influence and no place on the stage."

"However, their current leader Ayase Taichi is a very smart person."

"As the trend of respecting the king and resisting the barbarians in Kyoto became more and more popular, Taichi Ayase saw keenly: 'Respecting the king and resisting the barbarians' is an excellent banner. If used properly, it will bring countless benefits."

"So, about half a year ago, Ayase Taichi made a high-profile announcement: From now on, the Ayase clan will also work for the rise and fall of the country, and contribute all their efforts to the great cause of respecting the king and repelling the barbarians."

"In this way, the Yakuza of the Ayase clan transformed from Yakuza to people with high ideals."

"To show his determination, Ayase Taichi also changed the name of the organization to the 'Kusunoki Group'."

"The name 'Kusunoki' is taken from the general Kusunoki Masashige who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo until the last moment during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The implication is to imitate Kusunoki Masashige and be loyal to the imperial court."

"Even if I don't need to elaborate on what will happen next, you should be able to imagine it, right?"

"Under the banner of 'respecting the king and repelling the barbarians,' they have intensified their efforts to amass wealth, kill and exploit unscrupulously, and dominate."

"They forced their way into stores and forced merchants to pay money in the name of 'supporting the great cause of respecting violence.'"

"If you dare to refuse, you will be scorned as a 'national traitor' and mistreated."

"Because of their power, everyone can only obey."

“The Kusunoki-gumi’s style of work has attracted countless ronin who share their ‘like-mindedness’.”

"To be blunt, most of the people with lofty ideals who have come to Kyoto are just a bunch of people in name only, who only want to speculate and line their own pockets."

"For them, the Nanmu Group, which has a reputation for fighting and robbery, is actually the best place to go."

"In this way, a large number of ronin defected to the Kusunoki group, and their power grew rapidly."

"According to legend, the number of members of the Kusunoki group has exceeded 200, and this number is still growing rapidly."

When Sanako heard this, he couldn't help but asked:

"This Kusunoki group is so arrogant, won't the Kyoto Office of Justice intervene and regulate it?"

As soon as he said this, a certain old man sneered "hum" as if he had heard the funniest thing in the world.

"Kyoto Administrative Office? Those bastard bureaucrats in the Administrative Office have been corrupt for a long time! It's better to rely on my dog ​​than to rely on them!"

A-Machi shrugged, with a look of regret on his face:

"The Kyoto Administrative Office simply does not dare to oppose those with lofty ideals."

"Although anyone can see that the Kusunoki-gumi has just changed its skin and is still essentially the violent and evil-doing Yakuza group, no matter what, in today's Kyoto, 'respecting the king and rejecting the barbarians' is unquestionable. The moral high ground.”

"No one can doubt the great cause of respecting and fighting, let alone obstruct it."

"Anyone who violates this will be insulted at least, and brutally killed at worst."

"If we take action against the Kusunoki Group, it will easily lead to the stigma of 'obstructing the great cause of respecting the people', which will only cause trouble."

As soon as A-Machi finished speaking, another old man added:

"It would be fine if the dog officers at the execution office just stood by and watched. What's even more hateful is that they actually colluded with the Kusunoki group!"

Atachi took back the topic:

"That Ayase Taichi is indeed a very shrewd person."

"Under his leadership, the Kusunoki Group has become very close to the Kyoto Enforcement Office."

"He spends a huge amount of money every month to honor the officials at all levels in the office and works tirelessly to manage the affairs."

"In this way, when there is a dispute between the Kusunoki group and the people, it is naturally self-evident which side the Kyoto Office will take sides."

"In addition to this, there is another important reason why the Nanmu Group has been able to develop smoothly to this day. That is that they never act haphazardly. Every target they target is carefully selected."

"To put it simply, they only pick on the weak and never provoke merchants with powerful backgrounds or wealthy and powerful local families."

"In the end, only the helpless people will suffer."

"I have done nothing and my own strength is too weak, so I can only swallow the broken teeth and bloody water in my stomach."

Qingden nodded with deep understanding.

Although he had only set foot in Kyoto for the first time yesterday, he had already experienced the corruption in Kyoto through the few words in many reports submitted to Edo City.

Faced with the arrogant and aggressive people with lofty ideals, the Kyoto Office and the Kyoto Administrative Office, which were disarmed and corrupt, were completely helpless and lost their functions.

It is precisely because of the incompetence of the Kyoto Office and the Kyoto Executive Office that the shogunate set up additional "Kyoto Guardian Office" and "Gyeonggi Town Envoy" with both power and status.

"What about Higo-sama?"

Qingdeng interjected.

"Have Higo-sama and his elite Aizu troops stationed in Kyoto failed to improve the security situation in Kyoto?"

A-Machi shook his head:

"When Lieutenant General Aizu first came to Kyoto, the security situation in Kyoto did improve for a while."

"The evil people who usually run rampant and domineering, after hearing that the Aizu army was approaching, all of them clamped their tails and made a noise."

"However, Lieutenant General Aizu has too much responsibility."

"We have to protect the imperial court, monitor the Choshu Domain and Satsuma Domain, and maintain the security of Kyoto. It's basically impossible to do both."

"The gangsters and villains soon discovered that the Aizu Army had no regard for them, so they stopped keeping a low profile and returned to their high-profile, brutal nature."

"The security in Kyoto, which had finally improved, has returned to its old state."

Komaki Goro, who had been silent since just now, suddenly asked:

"So... Heigoro, are you being targeted by Kusunoki-gumi?"

At this time, after crying for a while, Heigoro's mood finally stabilized a lot.

He nodded and whispered softly:

"Yes...last night, three people from Nanmu Group forced their way into my shop and said they were 'collecting military expenses' and asked me to prepare 200 taels of gold within seven days."

"If I violate the deadline or don't pay enough, my shop will be demolished."

"I'm just a small fabric merchant. Where can I get 200 taels of gold for them..."

Saying that, Heigoro, who had just calmed down, started sobbing again.

Seeing this, Komaki Goro reached out and patted Heigoro on the shoulder.

"Mr. Heigoro, stop crying and cheer up."

"Human destiny is always strange."

"Although you are being targeted by the Kusunoki group, you seem to be very unlucky."

"But maybe tonight, there will be a knight-errant who sees injustice on the road and will kill all the people in the Nanmu Group to eliminate harm for the people."

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When writing today's chapter, I always subconsciously write "Komu Goro" as "Qingden". When I was checking the content, I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw the paragraph "Amachi holds Aoto in his arms".