I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"A little girl, not even as tall as a katana... died tragically in the street..."

"From the left shoulder to the right side of the abdomen... such a delicate body... was neatly cut in two..."

"This little girl who died tragically... was not a lady from a prominent family... just an ordinary town girl..."

"Clearly, someone is testing their skills on civilians..."

"I quickly identified the culprit..."

"But...after finally catching the criminal...my superior demanded that I release him..."

"Although those guys gave high-sounding reasons, but... Nishino-kun, you should be able to guess what the truth is, right?"

Nishino pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a deep voice:

"...The murderer has someone protecting him, right?"

My grandson gave a sad smile.

"I was clearly a corrupt official who turned out to be a thief... yet I can't even stand up for a little girl..."

"The reason I joined the Great Salt Party and threw myself into the life-or-death struggle to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate... was perhaps to soothe the grief of helplessness I felt at that time... cough cough cough! cough cough! cough cough cough!"

My grandson started coughing again.

"Alright, stop talking!"

Nishino steadied my grandson, afraid that he would slip from his arms.

Despite Nishino's stern demand that my grandson shut up, he still managed to suppress a cough and intermittently posed a question to Nishino:

“Nishino-kun…you tell me…when I get to…that world…what kind of expression should I have…to face that poor little girl? Will she…forgive my weakness and incompetence back then…”

Nishino: "..."

A long silence fell between Nishino and my grandson.

The sound of the wind coming from afar sounded strangely distant.

About five seconds later, the myriad emotions hidden deep in his chest finally manifested as his voice.

"Who knows?"

"Hahaha...you really don't hold back when you talk..."

"but--"

Seeing that Nishino hadn't finished speaking, my grandson quickly stopped talking and listened attentively.

"If I were you... I would really hope that little girl would beat me up, preferably beat me half to death for being so useless."

Instantly, my grandson showed a surprised expression, which soon turned into a complicated expression of mixed feelings of laughter and tears, and finally replaced with the calm smile that he usually showed.

At that moment, my grandson looked ahead with surprise.

"Oh dear... Kadomatsu..."

Following my grandson's gaze, Nishino saw two still-green pine trees standing outside the door of a house not far away.

Kadomatsu, or New Year's decorations, are traditionally placed outside the door during the Japanese New Year period. They are typically made of bamboo, pine branches, bamboo poles, and wintersweet.

Shintoism in Japan is a typical example of animism, believing that all things possess a spirit.

There is a saying in Shintoism that spirits reside in tree branches, so it is possible that there are spirits attached to the Kabuteri.

Hanging a door pine tree in front of the door is to invite the God of the Year into the home, thereby wishing for good fortune in the new year.

The year god is a deity who brings harvest and happiness to every household during the first month of the lunar calendar each year.

Although it's almost February, many families still haven't closed their outer doors due to laziness or other reasons.

"Nishino-kun..."

"what?"

Do you know about... the Manyoshu...?

"What kind of stupid question is that? Anyone who is Japanese would know the Manyoshu, right?"

The Manyoshu is the oldest extant anthology of Japanese poetry, containing over 4500 poems of various lengths and styles, spanning 450 years from the 4th century to the late 8th century AD. It is similar to the Chinese classic, the Book of Songs.

"Do you know... the 'Anti-People Song' in the Manyoshu?"

"What? Have you lost so much blood that it's damaged your brain? Why do you keep asking me such stupid questions?"

The Manyoshu contains a total of one hundred "Songs for Protecting People", which are found in volumes 13, 14, and 20.

"Fangren" refers to the Japanese military personnel who, after their defeat at the Battle of Baekgang, were conscripted from various regions to defend against attacks from the Tang Dynasty and Silla. They were rotated every three years and stationed on the coast of Tsukushi (Kyushu Island) and islands such as Iki and Tsushima.

"Fangren Song" refers to songs composed by "Fangren" (people who guard against danger) and their families. It is similar to "Frontier Poems" in Japan.

My grandson chuckled softly a few times, his smile becoming even gentler.

As he gazed at the pine tree not far away, he softly sang a very famous "Song of Protection" from the Manyoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves).

"Those pine trees..."

“Standing side by side there…”

"Like family..."

"To see me off..."

In Japanese, "pine" and "waiting" are homophones, so the poem also implies "waiting for me to come home early".

"At times like these, it's best not to sing such unlucky poems."

"Nishino said irritably."

"..."

"What's going on? I told you to be quiet just now, but you insisted on talking. Now that I need you to respond, you're not saying a word."

"..."

"My grandson? Hey! My grandson?!"

"..."

Nishino stopped and stared blankly at the face of his grandson, who was still being supported by him.

……

The cold evening wind howled.

The night wind carried away his breath.

But the smile that was forever etched on his face could not be erased.

********

********

Fifty years in this world are like a dream, like an illusion.

Where there is life, there is death; what more could a brave man ask for?

——"Dun Sheng"

Goodnight, Fire Dragon.

Chapter 465 An Unexpected Powerful Reinforcement Arrives! [5200]

My grandson is a member of the Big Salt Party.

Ever since learning my grandson's true identity, Nishino has always regarded him as a traitorous and disloyal subject who brings disaster to the country and its people.

If it weren't for the pressure of reality, he wouldn't have even bothered to say a word to my grandson, let alone join forces to fight the enemy.

If my grandson were to die, Nishino would probably feel relieved, or even gloat.

However, when this "what if" actually became a reality, Nishino felt no joy whatsoever.

At the same time, he did not feel sad or bitter.

Nishino stared blankly at my grandson's face, which showed no pain, no fear, only a smile.

He kept his word—this thought popped into Nishino's mind for no apparent reason.

My grandson truly fought to the very last moment for his beliefs and the cause he believed in, and I am genuinely proud of that.

—On the verge of death…would I be able to smile as calmly as he did?

The moment this thought arose, an elusive bitterness flashed across Nishino's cheek.

"What's going on... You want me to both escort a 'fat pig' and carry a corpse in this state... Isn't that putting me in a difficult position..."

Just as Nishino was muttering to himself in the air, his expression suddenly changed.

"Cough! Cough cough cough! Cough cough cough cough!!"

Despite his efforts to control himself, he still bent over uncontrollably, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.

The mud, just inches from the tip of his nose, was gradually stained black by the blood he coughed up.

"Damn it...!"

A strong sense of dizziness surged through Nishino's brain like a tidal wave, and the world before his eyes seemed to be filtered through a lens, becoming shaky and blurry.

Everything happened too suddenly.

Just a moment ago, Nishino's physical condition was still good; he could hold the sword and stand up straight.

In the blink of an eye, it was as if his spine had been pulled out, and his whole body collapsed.

The rapid changes in the situation caught even Nishino off guard.

Upon hearing Nishino's cough and noticing that Nishino's knife had been removed from his neck, Phoenix House Yataro was startled at first, then cautiously turned his head to look at Nishino behind him.

After noticing his visibly weakened body, his small, mouse-like eyes darted around.

The next instant, he abruptly swung his thick arms, took long strides, and sprinted forward, away from Nishino, yelling like boiling water suddenly overflowing:

"Help! Help! Someone's trying to kill me!"

Nishino struggled to lift his head and cast a resentful glance at the receding Phoenix House Yataro.