Alone and Infinite

The ridges between the fields are narrow, and the soil is firm from being trampled for a long time, but it becomes extremely slippery when wet with dew.

It was twenty minutes later when he crossed the rice paddies and arrived at another house.

The farmhouse in front of us wasn't large. A small courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence had some vegetables growing inside, and a sloping thatched roof was built on the wooden walls.

Just as Li Xia was about to knock, the wooden door slid open, and a man dressed in dark blue coarse cloth "work clothes" stood in the doorway carrying a hoe and shouted loudly:

"Yumi, I'm going to the fields!"

The man turned his head and found that it seemed to have gotten dark. He looked up in surprise, his gaze gradually moving upwards, finally settling on Li Xia's smile, which was still stained with blood.

"what!!!"

Li Xia took a cup of hot water, sat cross-legged by the stove, and thanked him.

"It is extremely rude of me to have mistaken you for a bad person."

Murata lowered his head, his gaze shifting back and forth between the bloodstains on Li Xia's clothes and the axe, offering a half-hearted apology.

His wife, Yumi, huddled behind him, shivering, holding their two children.

Li Xia didn't pay any attention. He looked down at his clothes and saw that the hall had given him a Western-style suit, which was what the Japanese commonly called "Western-style clothing" at that time.

Having just fought a ghost, his suit was now riddled with tears and stained with blood, though his trousers fared somewhat better.

The consequences of wearing such clothes to town are predictable.

Li Xia took out a dragon talisman that couldn't be taken out of this world, placed it on the ground, and pushed it over. He noticed that Yumi, who was holding the child, immediately stopped trembling and just stared at the dragon talisman.

"This one yuan can buy a piece of clothing and a meal."

Then he took out another one and placed it next to him:

"In addition, I would like to ask you to be my guide and take me to a place."

The allure of two silver dollars to the farmers was undeniable. Murata even forgot his fear, and under his wife's longing gaze, he asked:

"Where would you like to go, sir?"

"Yunkokuyama"

"Mount Kumotake is very large. Do you have a more specific location, sir?"

Li Xia opened her mouth, as if she really didn't know where to go.

"It should be a village at the foot of Mount Kumotsu?"

“Then we’ll have to find it.” Murata suddenly knelt down and said sincerely, “Sir, I will lead you to it. Please give me some more money.”

As Murata handed all the money to his wife, the two hugged each other and whispered to each other.

As she spoke, Yumi burst into tears, which puzzled Li Xia.

It's just leading the way, why does it feel like we're going to war?

It wasn't until the hall gave a hint that Li Xia realized the extra dragon dollars he received were for Murata's life.

[Note: You have acquired a follower (valid for this trial)]

[Name: Ichiro Murata]

Category: Attendant

[Status: Schistosomiasis infection (mid-stage)]

[Attribute: Standard Template (Weakened, all attributes reduced by 1)]

[Skills: Planting Expertise Lv2, Basic Bamboo Weaving Lv3, Basic Wilderness Survival Lv2]

【Loyalty: 80】

[You cannot leave this world]

[Commentary: This poor farmer's only commendable act was selling himself after learning he had an incurable disease, leaving a final inheritance for his beloved wife and children.]

Your generosity earned you the loyalty of an insignificant nobody.

Schistosomiasis? Li Xia thought for a moment and closed the notification. Actually, there's some not-so-uncommon knowledge: the full name of schistosomiasis is 'Schistosomiasis japonicus'.

"My lord, if you are going to Kumotori Mountain, I suggest you take the waterway first. You can reach Saitama by following this river. It will take about a day's journey."

Taking the main road would take two to three days; going through the mountains is faster, but more dangerous.

Murata quickly proved his worth, which is why Li Xia wanted a guide.

He had lived in the mountains during his childhood and knew how dangerous it was to be in unfamiliar mountains.

Moreover, ghosts exist in this world, so who knows if a few will suddenly appear on the road.

If you don't have strong enough personal skills, hiring a local as a guide is undoubtedly the best option.

They at least have a basic sensitivity to rumors or danger.

These are the things Li Xia needs.

As for the dragon coins that were paid, they were originally taken from corpses and could not be taken out of this world. Could they generate money if kept?

"Okay, we'll go by water."

With a total of 15 days, the sooner the better.

Murata agreed and led Li Xia down the winding mountain road. There weren't many residents here; they were scattered across the gentle hillside.

When they encounter farmers working in the fields, they will stand up, wave their arms, and greet the farmers loudly.

Before long, the two arrived at the riverbank. Murata greeted the boatman warmly, and soon they agreed on a price. He said excitedly:

"Sir, it's 20 coins per person, plus a bento box."

Li Xia naturally had no objections; in fact, he still didn't understand the current prices.

The boat was not large, similar to a covered boat, and the boatman wearing a straw hat stood at the stern.

Li Xia sat at the bow of the boat, leisurely watching the scenery on both banks. The unusually cool morning breeze invigorated his somewhat drowsy spirit.

Murata chatted with the boatman for a while longer, and when he returned, he was carrying two wooden trays.

The food on the plate was simple: a small rice ball, a small fish that had been dried and then steamed, and a small dollop of natto.

Murata, however, ate with great relish and said to Li Xia, "Sir, we usually pay forty coins for a boat ride! We have to add five coins for a bento box."

"Oh?" Li Xia, who was about to eat, paused and asked in a low voice, "Did you ask why it's so cheap?"

"I asked—" Murata mumbled, his mouth full of rice balls, "Brother Shipsan said he was planning to go to Saitama today, so he'll give me a discount."

Because it's on my way, they offered me a discount?

Li Xia was silent for a while, then used her body to cover herself and poured everything from her wooden tray to Murata. Then she took out the rice ball that Yumi had prepared when they set off from her pocket.

They crushed the pieces, placed them on a wooden plate, and ate them slowly.

Anything unusual is suspicious; even if the price is reduced, there's no need to eat an extra meal.

Of course, it's also possible that I'm being too sensitive, but I simply can't afford the cost of trial and error.

Murata stared in astonishment at the extra item on the wooden tray: "Sir, this—"

Shh, don't make a sound! Just pretend nothing happened.

Well, although he didn't know why, the joy of being able to eat an extra serving put Murata's questions at ease.

Hey! It's great to be able to eat two portions!

If possible, Li Xia would rather he had guessed wrong.

But seeing Murata suddenly lose all his strength and collapse limply to the ground, he could only let out a long sigh.

I wonder if it will be 'wonton' or 'knife-cut noodles' later.

"Don't blame me if I don't do this, or that monster will come and eat me."

The boatman's trembling voice came from behind, slowly approaching.

Hmm. I guessed wrong again. It's neither 'wonton' nor 'knife-cut noodles'.

Li Xia slowly pulled the axe from his belt, turned around and stood up.

The wind by the river seemed to pick up a lot at that moment, blowing open the simple robes on my body.

His bare upper body was covered with hideous scars left from fighting with ghosts.

Simply standing there with an axe in hand exudes a fierce and awe-inspiring aura.

Just a day ago, Li Xia was a lukewarm young man, but now he seems to have found his true self through trials.

He looked at the boatman, who was standing there, staring at his upper body.

Li Xia inhaled the moist air into her lungs little by little.

"So, it was a ghost after all!"

Chapter 5 Shanmu Cave

The fact that there were two ghosts in such a small place was truly beyond Li Xia's expectations.

No, the ghost I encountered last night was a newly transformed one.

Even so, the number of ghosts was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Li Xia stared intently at the boatman, wondering how to deal with him.

The boatman's eyes were somewhat flustered. He was holding his straw hat and a bundle of hemp rope in his hand, not understanding why Li Xia was still standing.

What happened to those scars on his body? How many battles, how brutal, must it have taken to leave such scars?

Is this guy a samurai?

He was so tall, much taller than any samurai I had ever seen.

That looks terrifying! And what's with that axe? Am I going to die? I'm definitely going to die!

What should we do? What should we do? Should we run?

Li Xia loosened his grip slightly, then tightened it again, making the rough axe handle fit his palm more snugly.

He took a deep breath and stared at the boatman's neck.

At 1.5 meters tall, he's a bit short, so it's not a very comfortable position.

Having learned from past experience, I absolutely cannot afford to cut off the mark this time.

No, his gaze shifted slightly. Murata lay on the ground, helplessly watching but unable to move.

We also need to know what kind of medicine the boatman administered and how to treat him.

Li Xia took two steps forward, trying to keep her body steady, as making too much movement on the small boat could cause it to capsize.

These two steps, however, seemed to break down the boatman's defenses. With a 'plop', the boatman knelt on the ground.

Sobbing uncontrollably, she cried, "I'm sorry, I was forced into this!"

Li Xia:

Those who understand the times are wise; that's very Japanese.

After binding the boatman tightly, Li Xia sat down in front of him, pointed in the direction of Murata, and before she could speak, the boatman obediently knelt down again in the dogeza position.

"It's a mushroom. I've discovered a type of mushroom that makes people lose all their strength when eaten. All I need to do is feed them licorice powder."

Li Xia found the licorice prepared by the boatman in the cabin, and poured it and water into Murata's mouth. Soon after, Murata's fingers began to twitch slightly.

Barely supporting himself against the side of the boat, he first sincerely thanked Li Xia, then angrily questioned the boatman:

"We're all from the same village, why would they do this!"

"I...I didn't want to do this, but that monster said it would eat me and my family if I didn't. I didn't want to."

"How many times?"

Li Xia asked abruptly.

The boatman shuddered and suddenly fell silent.

"Thump!" The axe struck the boat plank with a dull thud.

"Number One"