The Cat Monk appears and disappears without a trace, so to this day, the government still knows very little about the Cat Monk.
Because the Cat Monk always wears a black outfit, with his hair and everything below his nose wrapped in black cloth, only a pair of eyes is visible, making it impossible to discern gender or age. As a result, the government doesn't even know if he is male or female, or approximately how old he is.
Currently, regarding the Cat Monk, the government only knows three useful pieces of information:
1. He only appears at night.
2. He only targets evil people and criminal forces in Edo.
3. His physique is rather petite, with an estimated height of no more than 1.5 meters.
A height of 1.5 meters was very common in the Edo Era of Japan due to reasons such as diet and genetics; there were plenty of men, let alone women, who were 1.5 meters tall in this era.
Aoto's 1.75 meters tall frame was considered a rather rare "giant" in this era.
"The Cat Monk is a female ninja... where did you hear this from?" Aoto put down the Wooden Sword in his hand.
Uehara responded with a somewhat excited tone:
"I heard it from my friends while drinking with them last night."
"My friends said: Recently, many people in the city have been speculating about the Cat Monk's identity."
"The Cat Monk's physique is quite petite, so it's very likely that she is a woman."
"And she can also move effortlessly on rooftops and walls. Wall-Climbing and Roof-Running—this has always been a ninja's specialty."
"So currently many people are spreading the rumor that the Cat Monk is a female ninja proficient in Ninjutsu."
"And I heard—this Cat Monk has quite a voluptuous figure."
With an uncontrollable lascivious smile on his face, Uehara raised his hands and gestured a few times around his chest.
"I've always been very interested in this Cat Monk, so I thought I'd come to verify with you, someone known as 'Three Times,' whether this is true."
—Are you interested in the Cat Monk, or did your interest only arise after hearing the Cat Monk is a voluptuous female ninja...
After silently ridiculing Uehara in his heart, Aoto chuckled:
"It's completely unfounded talk. These are just idle rumors in the city, just listen to them."
"I don't know if there are still any female ninjas left in this era where foreign powers have already knocked on the country's gates."
"But I can tell you with absolute certainty: 'The Cat Monk is a female ninja' is purely unfounded fantasy by the common folks."
"The Cat Monk is petite, so she is female. She can Wall-Climb and Roof-Run, so she is a ninja? How can you conclude the Cat Monk is a female ninja based solely on these two points..."
Aoto said helplessly.
"Petite physique—plenty of men have petite physiques as well."
Saying this, Aoto couldn't help but glance at a certain 1.55-meter pretty boy in the distance who was focused on teaching someone.
"As for Wall-Climbing and Roof-Running... the government has previously caught quite a few people with agile body techniques, capable of running swiftly on rooftops, and they're not ninjas."
"And as for being voluptuous... that's entirely baseless nonsense."
"Our government hasn't even determined the Cat Monk's gender, so how would people know about the Cat Monk's bust size? This is likely just a rumor fabricated by some bored individuals to attract attention."
"In conclusion—these urban legends, just listen to them without taking them seriously."
With that, Aoto raised the Wooden Sword in his hand and continued focusing on practicing.
"Bu-but..." Uehara stammered, seemingly wanting to say something more.
But at that moment—
"Uehara, what are you doing?" Chokata's voice pierced Uehara's eardrums, causing Uehara's expression to instantly freeze.
Chokata, arms crossed, walked slowly toward Uehara with a displeased look.
"Have you forgotten the rules of Shiwei Hall—that when others are practicing swordsmanship, don't casually chat and disturb them."
"Yes, I apologize..." Uehara, like a child who had done something wrong, quickly dropped his head and shrank his body.
Reminded by Chokata, Uehara no longer dared to talk to Aoto and focused intently on massaging and relaxing his arm muscles.
*******
*******
Today's update is nearly 8,000 words!
Requesting monthly votes! Asking for recommendation votes! Asking for bookmarks!