I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He pointed to the ground beneath his feet as he spoke.

"In a way, I should thank that Cialis."

"Thanks to his uprising, I was able to return to this land that I have long missed for so long."

……

……

Preparing the bear meat feast took quite a bit of time.

In order to reach Shikonkala before evening, Qingdeng and the others had to speed up.

As the sun gradually sank in the west, its orange-red hue filled the sky, and birds returning to their nests uttered cries that grew louder and louder.

After passing through a deep forest, Qingdeng suddenly felt a sense of openness—the setting sun bathed him in its light, and a vast plain covered with green grass came into view.

This is a plain surrounded by forests, with a river flowing in the distance. On the alluvial land where the river meanders, thatched houses are scattered like chess pieces in a well-organized manner.

Aoto and Ogata both tightened their grip on the reins, bringing their mounts to a stop.

A look of nostalgia crossed his face, and he muttered to himself:

"Murokonara... It's been so long. Please bring Atachi back to visit next time."

“That’s my home, Shikonkala!” (Ainu language)

Mona peeked out from behind Ogata, pointed at the village in front of her, and turned to Qingdeng with a look that seemed to say, "Look! Isn't my hometown beautiful?"

Even though she knew Qingdeng couldn't understand Ainu, she still enthusiastically introduced him to various aspects of her hometown.

Although they haven't known each other for very long, Qing Deng has already seen that Mona Xi is a cheerful and romantic girl.

Because she wasn't the type to be shy, after a brief exchange, she was no longer as reserved as she had been at first when facing Aoto—of course, the main reason was that Ogata's presence gave her the confidence not to be afraid that Aoto was a bad person.

Qingdeng lowered his eyelids slightly and, with the blessing of his talent "Fiery Eyes +7", carefully gazed at the distant village.

Judging from the number of houses, the total population of Shikonkara should be around three hundred.

Qingdeng was unaware of the population distribution of the Ainu people and did not know whether a village of about three hundred people would be considered a large tribe within the Ainu community.

Although it was only a glimpse from afar, Qingdeng could vaguely see that the houses of Shikongkala were all intact.

To assess the economic level of a village, it is sufficient to observe whether the houses in the village are intact.

When even eating is a problem, it's impossible to have the energy or money to repair a house.

This shows that Shikongkala is not an extremely poor village; the villagers' living standards are relatively good.

Having successfully located Shikongkala before dark, Qingdeng is no longer in a hurry.

He turned his gaze with interest, taking in everything about Shikonkala.

But at that moment, he suddenly focused his gaze and his expression changed slightly as he saw something unusual.

Almost at the same time, Ogata's expression also changed.

"...Mr. Ogata, do the Ainu people have a custom of burning down their houses?"

"How could such a custom exist?"

The village, which had been peaceful just moments before, was suddenly filled with wisps of thick smoke, and flickering flames could be faintly seen.

At this moment, Monaxi also noticed the strange situation in the village, and the color drained from her pretty face at a visible speed.

"The village...the village is on fire...!"

Qingdeng: "Giddy up!"

Ogata: "Giddy up!"

Without further ado, the two of them simultaneously thumped the ox's (or horse's) belly, and shot off like arrows toward the village.

……

……

"You despicable bunch!"

“You are despicable! A bunch of cowards! We are going to war with the Ainu to reclaim the land that rightfully belongs to us, but you are hiding in your villages! You refuse to fight alongside us!”

"Stop talking big! Don't we know you? You just want to use this as an excuse to get rid of us, Shikongkala!"

"Stop wasting your breath on those pigs and dogs of Shikunkala! Kill them all!"

"You bastard! Don't think you can bully us, the Shikonkara!"

"They're just a bunch of old guys, trying to show off?"

"You are utterly despicable! You dared to launch a sneak attack while the young people were out hunting Unkamui!"

"Hahaha! We've been waiting for this day for so long!"

……

At this moment, Shikongkala was enveloped in shouts of battle.

From the east to the west of the village, from the center to the outskirts, scenes of fighting, chasing, and death could be seen everywhere!

The entire village became a battlefield, with two distinct factions engaging in a relentless and deadly struggle.

One side consisted mainly of young and middle-aged men, all wearing matching red headscarves.

The other side consisted mainly of elderly people with silver hair. Despite their advanced age, they did not hesitate to pick up hunting bows and spears and fight the invaders one after another!

Although the latter were very brave, the gap in age and numbers was not so easy to overcome.

The Red Turban Army gained a significant advantage right from the start of the battle.

"Hahaha! That's it! Don't let them get away! Slaughter the Shikonkara!"

The commander of the "Red Turban Army" shouted arrogantly.

Just then—

"Moo moo moo!"

Because the Ainu people do not raise cattle, this sudden, unfamiliar roar was like a thunderclap, startling everyone present. They all turned to the same direction—the north side of the village, where two warriors stood side by side.

"Tachibana-kun, can you lend me a hand?"

"This seems to be the first time I've fought alongside you."

"I am looking forward."

"Each each other."

*******

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

PS: The statement mentioned earlier that "the Ainu numbered in the hundreds of thousands" is incorrect. The Ainu population at the end of the Edo period was at most 2 to 3. This data has been corrected. Please be aware.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day! So I'd like to ask for a day off tomorrow~ (Leopard excited.jpg)

Chapter 1060 Exchanging Swords: A Tacit Understanding Among Sword Saints [4200]

The two warriors stood with their backs to the blood-red setting sun.

Thousands of rays of light shot out from behind them, casting enormous shadows that pressed down on the village like mountains, and on the villains within.

Whew whiff whiff whiff...

The sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath.

Vairocana and Indra, one purple-black and the other silver-white, shone with the glow of the sunset, exuding a silent power that seemed to affect even the surrounding temperature, making it chilly.

Even though the two warriors did nothing but rush into the village like lightning and draw their swords inch by inch, every "Red Turban Man" who saw them seemed to be under a spell, frozen in fear for several seconds.

A few seconds later, they finally overcame the shock that had welled up from facing the charge of the King of Men and the Asura, and screamed in disbelief and exasperation:

"Waitsujin? Why is Waitsujin here?"

"Who cares who they are! Anyone who is human is our enemy!"

"Kill them!"

"Be careful! They don't look like ordinary samurai!"

The "Red Turban People" encouraged each other while grabbing their spears and hunting bows, launching a preemptive attack on the two.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Several arrows shot out into the air.

The Ainu people, being a people who live by fishing and hunting, were indeed very accurate; not a single arrow missed its mark, and they all aimed at Qing Deng and Xu Fang's vital points.

To be honest, Qing Deng has not fully grasped the current situation.

He simply wanted to get to Šikonkala before dark.

Unexpectedly, he had barely seen the entire village when he was suddenly caught up in a bloody battle.

Who were the attackers? Why did they attack Shikonkala?

Although his mind was filled with questions, Qing Deng didn't think too much about it. He instinctively spurred his horse towards the village, and then together with Ogata, they charged towards the battlefield with their swords drawn.

Since this village is where Ogata once lived, and the villagers have a deep bond with him, he has every reason to lend a helping hand!

Qing Deng lowered his eyelids slightly... his talent "Eagle Eye +7" activated!

Upgrading "Eagle Eye" to "+7" gives Qingdeng a "bullet time"-like vision.

With a focused mind, one can easily discern the trajectory of even a rifle bullet!

Those seemingly swift arrows were nowhere to be hidden from his eyes; he could even see the air currents at the arrow tails.

Due to limited productivity, the Ainu bow was very primitive.

Although it could still pierce flesh and bone, in terms of sheer power, the Ainu bow was not considered a particularly powerful bow.

Because of their weak power, the Ainu people mostly relied on poisoned arrows to hunt large animals such as bears and deer.

After discerning the trajectory of the arrow, Qingdeng gently twisted his body, moving and adjusting all parts of his body to a place where the arrow could not reach.