Yashiro the Blind

Then he changed the subject: "...I've already heard about the village being burned down last night from Chuya. As for what happened earlier, although the little girl doesn't know much, she can piece together the general idea. Not only did you heal Chuya's legs, but you also saved her from a calamity. I really don't know how to repay this kindness."

"You've already said that once outside. If you're really that troubled, how about giving me ten or eight more fortune slips to keep you safe?" Yashiro joked.

To everyone's surprise, the woman actually nodded: "That's a good idea, ten will be enough?"

Yashiro paused for a moment: "...I was just kidding."

"Oh."

Because the conversation was so natural, even after the other person nodded, Yashiro still couldn't figure out whether they were joking or serious.

In any case, the two fortune slips she had just obtained had kept her running around for a long time. Although she hadn't suffered any hardship, she was still exhausted. This was enough to prove that these so-called fortune slips were not good things. She would avoid them at all costs, so how could she possibly put ten or eight of them into her pocket?

"Well, that's good!"

It was at this moment that the woman let out a satisfied exclamation, and the comb and the warmth and touch of her body once again distanced themselves from her.

The woman put the comb back into her sleeve, stood up, took two steps back, and admired her work.

As she left, sunlight once again streamed in through the window, illuminating the girl sitting upright, as if casting a soft glow over the fine downy hairs on her face.

After a lot of work, the dust, sand, pebbles, leaves and other debris buried in the girl's hair were basically cleaned up. Her originally messy hair now fell down obediently, covering most of her ears, leaving only a little bit of her red earlobes.

Her neat bangs were a little past her eyebrows, just long enough to cover her eyes but not quite. Her eyelids were closed, and her eyelashes seemed to be trembling slightly, as if they couldn't bear the weight of the sunlight. Then, her fluffy little head tilted to one side.

He tilted his head, turning his right ear and half of his face toward her.

This sight vaguely overlapped with a scene from her memory, causing the woman to feel a moment of disorientation. But before she could say anything, a gentle breeze blew in from the corridor, passing through the half-open sliding door. Besides the afternoon coolness, it also brought the sound of reading aloud from not far away:

"...the cold comes and the heat goes, autumn harvests and winter stores...leap years complete the year...the musical scales harmonize the seasons..."

A few childish voices were reciting an article in a scattered and somewhat disorderly manner.

After listening to a couple of sentences, Yashiro recognized what they were reciting: "The Thousand Character Classic?"

"Yes, it seems it's already time for afternoon classes..."

After the woman finished explaining, she glanced at the tattered clothes she was wearing, which looked like they had been worn for ages, and suddenly asked, "By the way, are you interested in the children's studies?"

……

"...Is it really necessary to change clothes just for a lecture?"

“It is necessary. Mind and matter are one, mind and matter are as one. A clean and tidy appearance can bring peace to the mind, which is very helpful for learning knowledge... So please change your clothes, benefactor.”

Although the other party spoke eloquently, Yashiro still felt a bit fooled, as if she had been treated like a doll at a doll festival. Unfortunately, she had no proof, so she had no choice but to obediently listen to them.

But putting aside combing her hair and wiping her face, changing clothes was something she definitely couldn't leave to someone else. After the woman brought the change of clothes, she left the room early, leaving her alone to take off her dirty, tattered clothes and fumble her way to change into the new ones.

The upper body was a simple linen short-sleeved garment that didn't feel prickly to the touch, indicating that it was probably not a brand-new garment that had just been made, but rather one that had been worn by someone for some time. As for other details such as color and pattern, Yashiro herself naturally had no way of knowing.

Judging from the size alone, this top was definitely not what that mage wore on a daily basis. Even so, it was still a bit too big for the girl. She folded it several times before it could barely fit her properly, so it wasn't loose and baggy like a sack.

Below was a similarly loose skirt and trousers. Although a woman dressed like this would inevitably attract strange looks from others, who might mistake her for a crazy girl or a tomboy, she was capable of both drinking and killing, and she never paid any attention to idle gossip.

He rolled up his trouser legs again and again until half of his ankles were exposed, tied the tops so they wouldn't get in his way, turned around, folded his original clothes and put them in the corner, picked up his cane, opened the partition door, and followed the sound of breathing from the room to the corridor.

The woman was standing in the middle of the courtyard, one hand behind her back, gazing up at the sky. Hearing footsteps, she turned around. Seeing the girl's appearance, her eyes lit up: "It suits you very well."

"Is it?"

With a flick of her toes, she lightly twirled around. Yashiro never really felt her own appearance, so she wasn't pleased by such praise. "However... this outfit is indeed quite nice, and very comfortable."

"I'm glad it suits your taste." The woman breathed a sigh of relief. "We couldn't find any other suitable clothes at the temple, so after thinking about it, we finally dug out this old dress from when I was a child. I was worried it might be a bit too narrow..."

"Your clothes from when you were little... So how old are you now?"

"As for age..." the woman counted on her fingers, "I'm exactly twenty this year, why?"

"No, nothing..."

Unintentional words can be the most hurtful. Having been unexpectedly hit with a critical blow regarding her height, Yashiro sighed softly and stopped talking about it to avoid further humiliation.

"Let's go."

"it is good."

The entire Thousand Character Classic wasn't very long, after all, it only had a thousand characters. While she was changing her clothes, the other person had already stumbled through it once, and was now reading it from the beginning: "...the sun and moon wax and wane, the stars and constellations are arrayed..."

The child's innocent voice recited the text in a serious and methodical manner. Occasionally, when there were some mistakes or pronunciation errors, another, more serious male voice would correct them.

The woman smiled and said, "That's Senior Brother Zongjun. Although his lectures aren't very interesting, his strength lies in his solid foundation. Teaching the children to memorize texts is quite fitting for him."

“Master Zongjun might not be happy to hear you say that.”

"That's why I didn't say it to his face."

“…That makes sense.” Such a frank response made Yashiro smile. Then she remembered something and asked, “So, I haven’t yet asked for your name, Master. How should I address you?”

"Indeed, it was my oversight."

The woman was taken aback upon hearing this. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that she had indeed not given her name before. So she smiled shyly and said, "However, I am still on the path of cultivation, so I dare not call myself venerable. Just call me Master Jiro."

Master Jiro...

Hearing these four words, Yashiro wasn't particularly surprised; he just thought to himself: "Just as I thought."

When it comes to nuns at Ryutaiji Temple, she is probably the most likely one—the name "Shintojiro" might not be familiar to many, but if you call her "Ii Naotora," she is likely to be more well-known.

Strictly speaking, she did not actually do anything spectacular in history, nor did she leave behind any well-known martial arts feats like Princess Kai, Ōshū Tsuru, or Tachibana Yamichiyo.

When later generations mention her, she is mostly known as the caretaker of Ii Naomasa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa and the "Red Oni." Before Ii Naomasa came of age, she governed the Ii territory as a female headman, and was a lord who succeeded and maintained the family business.

However, as we all know, any work, including historical works, will inevitably have a high proportion of female characters once it becomes more entertaining.

Just as a certain company, in order to attract players, almost every woman who was even remotely recorded in the official and unofficial histories of the Three Kingdoms was dressed up in flamboyant and glamorous attire, Ii Naotora, as a rare female lord with verifiable historical records in the more than one hundred years of Japan's Sengoku period—unlike a certain Uesugi sister who died of a cerebral hemorrhage while using the toilet—was naturally "not spared from this fate."

From single-player games to online games and various gacha mobile games, she always makes a grand appearance in various styles. There is even a Taiga drama with her as the protagonist. Compared to many other minor lords with similar circumstances, her posthumous fame is extremely illustrious.

By the way, that Taiga drama was so boring that Yashiro only managed to watch two episodes before giving up and never watching it again, so now she can't even think about rewatching it.

However, she recalled that the characters Ii Naotora, whether in various games or TV dramas, seemed to differ quite a bit from the one in front of her. Especially considering the commotion she had heard in the bandit camp, if she wasn't mistaken, the other party had probably just shot someone away with a single spear thrust... Judging from this scene alone, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the other party was a female version of Honda Tadakatsu or Musashibo Benkei.

Could this place actually be some kind of Lostbelt, where in a few years a little orange-haired girl will excitedly descend from the sky, leading a bunch of monsters and demons to wipe out the entire world with a laugh?

Hmm...

Maybe I'm overthinking things...?

……

Correct answer for Chapter 19

"...Ignorant and ignorant, like myself..."

"Etc. mockery—"

"Foolish and ignorant, you mock me! The predicate auxiliary words are... 焉 哉 乎 也."

Inside the meditation hall, four or five low tables were placed side by side. Six or seven children sat at the back, two or three of them with a book on average. They huddled together, reciting the text on the books in a halting voice.

One of the children accidentally mispronounced a word and hurriedly corrected himself with the help of the person next to him. Even so, he still received a light tap with the ruler, which made him grimace in pain, cover his forehead, and dare not speak out in anger.

A tall, thin young monk stood before him, slapping a ruler against his palm. "Be more serious," he said, glancing around. Two children who had been snickering immediately lowered their heads in fear when he glared at them.

"You lot are the same! Don't you remember what I taught you last time? 'No one is without fault, but to err is human, to forgive divine.' No one is perfect. If you laugh at someone else for making a mistake today, what will happen tomorrow? Then it will be other people laughing at you!"

His tone was stern, and not only the two children being scolded, but everyone else—including the one who mispronounced the word—sat upright, not daring to lift their heads, just staring intently at their hands on the low table, as if they could see a flower in them.

Seeing this, the monk snorted and stopped lecturing. He simply shook his head, looking like a hopeless case, and sighed, "Alright, it's about time. Take a break, and then copy down what you learned today for review. Make sure your handwriting is neat and legible. No slacking off or trying to use other people's work. I remember exactly what your handwriting looks like. Understand?"

"Understood!" the children answered in unison.

The young monk then showed a hint of satisfaction, tidied up his books and belongings, and once again instructed them not to run around or cause trouble, nor to disturb others in the temple. Then, he picked up his things, opened the door, and left.

The children left in the room exchanged glances. The one closest to the door quietly went over, peeked through the crack, and then turned around and gestured: "They're really gone."

"Wow--"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately relaxed. Some lay back and spread themselves out in a starfish shape, while others slumped on the low table as if they were completely exhausted. For a moment, they were all swaying and sitting in a slumped manner. If an uninformed person saw this, they might think that a fierce battle had just taken place here.

"I'm exhausted!"

"Master Zongjun is so fierce, and what he talks about is all dry and boring, not fun at all... Master Jiro is much better."

"That's right, Jiro-sama is beautiful and speaks so sweetly, I really like her... Hey, what kind of looks are those?"

"What's this about looking good or not? Master Jiro is a monk. Haven't you heard Master Zongjian say that after taking refuge in Buddhism, even a woman can become a man? What's it called again... Right, as long as you have Buddha-nature, a woman is also a man, and if you don't have Buddha-nature, a man is also a woman!"

"So, in that case, you're a woman too?"

"No, the doctrines of monks are for managing other monks. I haven't shaved my head, so whether I'm Buddhist or not is none of my business. Besides, I'm not talking about 'us,' but about Master Jiro—look, she even has the Dharma name Jiro, which means Master Nanxi must also think she has Buddhist nature, so he specially gave her a man's name!"

"Even if what you say is true, doesn't the book also say, 'A beautiful woman is sought after by a gentleman'? Jiro-hoshi is so handsome, what's wrong with me taking a few more glances!"

"It's slender, not a peach."

"I clearly remember it being peach-shaped..."

"You've got it wrong!"

"You're the one who's mistaken!"

In a short while, the group chattered and argued, changing topics several times, when suddenly, one of them spotted a figure walking towards them from the corridor and quickly stopped them, saying, "Stop arguing, someone's coming!"

"Who is it, Master Zongjun?"

"It's Master Jiro! And he'll be here soon—"

Upon hearing this, the quarreling stopped, the lying down stopped, and the children who were sprawled out jumped up. Even those who accidentally twisted their backs grimaced but still forced themselves to sit up straight. The noisy room instantly became quiet, and everyone became more well-behaved than the last.

Some picked up brushes, some spread out paper, and some hurriedly began grinding ink. But no matter what they were doing, they kept glancing at the door out of the corner of their eyes, waiting for that tall figure to appear. But they waited and waited, and even after the ink was ground, no one appeared.

Could it be that the kid is lying?

Thinking of this possibility, several pairs of eyes stared at them fiercely. The child who was suspected looked aggrieved, but dared not make a sound. He could only keep pouting, his meaning clear: "If you don't believe me, go and see for yourselves."

Would they dare to go see it?

It's obvious they wouldn't dare.

So they looked at each other for a long time, and finally, someone took the lead and they all obediently picked up their pens and began to carefully copy what the teacher had told them to do.

……

"The mage has excellent skills."

After standing outside the door for a while, hearing that there was almost no conversation inside, only the sound of pen tips rubbing against paper, Yashiro smiled slightly and praised.

The woman was modest: "It's hardly a trick; these children are just well-behaved and obedient. Would you like to go in and take a look?"

"Forget it, they've finally calmed down, so let's not disturb them... Besides, for me, there's really no difference between inside and outside, so there's no need to go through all that trouble."

"Then let's go for another walk outside?" Jiro asked instead of insisting.

The girl nodded this time: "Okay."

Having already experienced the hardships of studying hard in her previous life, she had no interest in staying in a small room listening to others read and write. In comparison, it was far more comfortable to go out for a walk and bask in the sun.

However, the other party had clearly brought her here under the guise of attending classes and learning, but now they were just a fleeting visit, making Yashiro somewhat suspicious of their true purpose—it couldn't have been just to get her to change her clothes, could it?

……

The sun shines brightly, the breeze is gentle, and birds sing among the blooming flowers.

I don't know if it's just psychological, but temples and other secluded places always seem to have a more elegant and tranquil atmosphere than other places.

The gentle breeze, carrying the faint scent of incense from within the temple, brings a sense of peace and tranquility, even with the sun still shining brightly overhead. It evokes a feeling of "coolness after the fire in one's heart is extinguished."

Yashiro's cane fell, brushing aside a small pebble at his feet. The sound of it rolling away was quite amusing, contrasting with the voices coming from behind him...

Indeed, after trying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, these mischievous kids finally couldn't hold back any longer. One of the particularly bold ones went over to take a look and made sure that no one was outside the door before they all started running around again.

Judging from the fact that none of them questioned whether someone had just given a false report, it's highly likely that this "Buddha-like" approach by Jiro-hoshi was not the first time.

Children are usually restless and prone to whispering and making noise, but the content of their conversation surprised the girl somewhat:

"...Hey, Nakamaru, have you figured out how to solve that problem that Master Jiro gave us last time?"

The voice that asked sounded familiar; it was one of the "two boys who debated the distance of the sun" who had come to ask her about the distance of the sun not long ago. According to Master Jiro, it should be the third son of the Okuyama family. As for who the Okuyama family was, she couldn't remember for a moment, but they were probably some small powerful family in the neighborhood.

"I've thought of something, but I'm not very confident. What about you, Kanzaburo?" As expected, the one called Nakamaru was also another member of the "Debate Duo." He was a boy from a farming family, and unlike Kanzaburo's rough and tumble manner, he spoke more slowly and deliberately.

"Oh, isn't that simple! Master Jiro is right. If we lead an army to confront the enemy, and both sides have very strong positions, and neither side is confident of taking them down, what should we do? In my opinion, the brave will win when paths cross. Just charge ahead and fight your way through!"

"No, you're being too reckless..."

"There's no such thing as recklessness. In battle, the brave take the lead. The more dangerous the situation, the more courageous you must be in fighting. Only then can you be considered a qualified warrior!"