Yashiro the Blind

"But I regret it now. You don't seem weak, but you don't have the feeling I'm looking for. Killing you is pointless, so..." As he spoke, he suddenly swung his broadsword, sweeping Tenji Muryu straight into the river!

The young man looked extremely weak, and seemed to have no strength left to swim or struggle. Once he fell into the water, he was like the wooden box, drifting with the current and being swept downstream.

Mishima Doppo once again shouldered his broadsword, shaded his eyes with his hand, and deliberately glanced twice in the direction where the young man had disappeared: "The current is faster than I thought. What, aren't you going to save him? I've heard that monks like you value compassion. If that Tiger Scroll is an inanimate object, you can just throw it away, but you can't just ignore a living person, can you?"

"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack, so you can leave as you please." He and Jiro looked at each other across the river, and he suddenly grinned. "Because the person I want to kill is not you."

"..."

After giving him one last deep look, Jiro-hoshi remained silent, turned and ran downstream. She ran extremely fast, her robes fluttering in the wind, until she was just a blurry black dot and finally disappeared completely.

Night was drawing closer.

The afterglow of the setting sun completely filled the sky, and the huge red fireball seemed about to fall to the ground, landing little by little on the branches of a big tree.

There are still many leaves on the branches, their tender green color radiating the colors of spring. At this moment, on one of the branches, a small apricot-yellow leaf is hanging down, touching the tip of the leaf and causing it to sway slightly.

Dewdrops then clung to the hem of her clothes.

"Gudong Gudong..."

A bamboo tube was being held in someone's hand, with wine pouring down. Because it was held too high, most of it spilled onto their face and clothes, making their entire outfit wet. Only a small portion managed to get into their mouth. To onlookers, it looked more like they were washing their face than drinking heartily.

Even so, the person drinking seemed to be quite drunk. She leaned against a forked tree branch, crossed her legs, and her eyes were half-open, revealing a small patch of dry, pale skin.

"……belch!"

The girl let out a drunken burp, wiped her face haphazardly, licked the wine off her palm, stretched lazily, and tossed the bamboo tube at the ronin. It was then easily shattered into pieces by a single slash, scattering on the ground with a clatter.

"When...did you find out about me?"

"A feint attack, a boring trick. Do you think it will work a second time?" Mishima Doppo turned around, his tone quite disdainful.

"You...uh, you're a Saint Seiya?"

"What leftover bean curd?"

"It's a kind of shiny, indestructible cockroach... You're probably going to ask what a cockroach is next, so a cockroach is, is... what was it again? Wait... Whoa!"

She covered her forehead and shook herself, trying to get up, but her foot suddenly twisted and she fell almost headfirst, rolling twice. She seemed uninjured, but her clothes were already dirty.

Even her cane fell to the side. The girl reached out and groped for it, then used it to support her body, finally managing to stand up with difficulty.

Throughout the entire process, Mishima Doppo never made a move to attack. He simply watched her stagger to her feet, looking like a typical drunkard, with a hint of contempt in his eyes.

"Anyway... I remember you hit Kato Danzo several times last time, or maybe just once... Whatever, he's my senior brother anyway. I can hit him, the old woman can hit him, but no one else can. You hit him, so I'm going to hit you to vent my anger—"

Swaying and staggering, as if even walking had become an extremely difficult task, she took one step forward and two steps back. With her eyes rolled back and everything pitch black, her cane wobbled erratically, and her gait was even more unsteady. Yet, the girl still tried her best to get closer to the other person.

"Hit me? With what?"

"Of course it's... hiccup, facing the wind... one slash..."

As they spoke, the distance between the two changed, sometimes close and sometimes far, until they were only about twenty steps apart.

The ronin, with a nonchalant air, slung his sword over his shoulder and beckoned to her: "Very well, come on, don't run away with your tail between your legs like last time."

Eighteen steps, seventeen steps, nineteen steps...

"Hiccup, then... open your eyes wide and look, look carefully... this is... the secret of the Heavenly Maple Style, facing the wind... one slash..."

The girl's steps were unsteady and weak, sometimes advancing and sometimes retreating. Suddenly, as if she had tripped on her ankle, she stumbled forward. The distance of more than ten steps was shortened and disappeared in an instant. At the same time, she was in mid-air when a flash of sword light appeared!

when!

The sound of metal clashing was crisp and melodious, echoing far and wide across this landscape!

"—Yeah, right."

"As expected, you were faking being drunk."

With his greatsword held horizontally in front of him, he narrowly blocked the sword light that had just appeared at close range. Mishima Doppo looked down at the girl before him, who was no longer drunk.

The latter knelt on one knee, his right hand gripping his cane, while the narrow blade of his sword, drawn back with his left hand, remained motionless in the center of the iron scabbard, like two mirrors reflecting each other.

"Discovered?"

After a few seconds of confrontation, Yashiro tilted her head and gave a sweet smile. However, before the smile could fully bloom, she suddenly let out another hiccup—this time, unlike the previous one, it was the real deal.

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly became slightly awkward and out of place.

"...Okay, actually it wasn't all an act."

"Your alcohol tolerance is really low."

"Hoohoo."

After the brief interlude, the girl laughed happily, then shrank her shoulders and curled up into a small ball. She rolled forward, just missing the scabbard that the ronin was throwing in a counterattack. The scabbard rolled out from under his ribs, and at the same time, the sword moved with her body to slash at his calf!

"Well done!"

The scabbard missed its target, and Mishima Doppo stepped on it. His specially thickened straw sandals barely blocked the sword, but were still cleaved in two, and even a wound appeared on the sole of his foot—although almost no part of his body was unharmed, only the sole of his foot remained intact.

This was the first time he had been injured in this area.

Feeling this relatively unfamiliar pain, the ronin laughed instead of getting angry: "Hahahaha! Very good, that's it! Whether it's scheming or a trick, abandoning sympathy and compassion, and using every means to take other people's lives, that's what it means to live!"

He burst into laughter, turned around abruptly, and stretched out his left hand, trying to grab the girl's cunning, serpentine longsword. However, the sword retracted as soon as it touched his palm, leaving only a long gash.

Mishima Doppo seemed completely oblivious to the pain, clenching his left fist so tightly that the blood gushed out even more, instantly turning his entire fist bright red.

He smeared the blood on his face, and when he looked up again, his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were all red and blazing, as if he were wearing a demon mask. His mouth was wide open, and his appearance was extremely terrifying!

"No matter how scary you dress up, I can't see it... Who are you trying to scare..."

Listening to the commotion, he could vaguely imagine what the other party had done. Yashiro sheathed his sword again, leaned forward slightly, ready to make a move, and muttered under his breath.

……

Chapter Twenty-Four: Three Points of Doubt

Let's go back to a little earlier, inside the guest room.

"The plan has been finalized, so why is the Master still looking so worried... Is he worried about Chuya's brother?"

"How did you know I was frowning?"

“Of course it is—” Yashiro tiptoed slightly and touched the other’s brow. “See, it is indeed furrowed.”

“As expected, I couldn’t hide it from you.” Jiro smiled helplessly. “Actually, I’m currently pondering the ins and outs of this matter. Everything seems to make sense, but upon closer inspection, there are a few suspicious points.”

"Oh?"

“There are three points of doubt. But before I go into details, there is another thing I must tell you frankly… Although I don’t need to say it, you probably already guessed it long ago—there is more than one ‘Dragon Palace Attendant’.”

"After all, the rumors about him can be traced back more than ten years. Even if he was young and strong back then, he would have become a withered old man by now..." The girl stroked her chin and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, the original Dragon Palace attendant should have been Master Nanxi, right?"

“Exactly.” The woman nodded. “Don’t let Master’s current appearance fool you. In his youth, he was known for his chivalry, always ready to help those in need and right wrongs. It’s said that he once incurred the wrath of some formidable enemies in the capital region, which led him to flee to Yuanjiang. After many twists and turns, he became a disciple of Master Mozong, where he cultivated his character, studied Buddhism diligently, and finally shed his violent and bloodthirsty nature…”

"But those with great compassion seek not only their own liberation, but also to help others and benefit all beings, and to save the world. Although Master is already a monk, he can never bear to see sentient beings suffer and weep, so he still secretly punishes evil and promotes good, and helps people solve their problems. Not only that, he also used his past savings to take in and raise many children who were abandoned by their parents or who could not survive for various reasons. The Ōzō, Yuno, Hikogorō, and the Tenji siblings that you met earlier are all among them."

"Later, as I grew older and was hampered by old injuries, my master gradually stopped taking action himself and passed on the title of 'Dragon Palace Child' to me... Unfortunately, I am far inferior to him in terms of strength, wisdom, and cultivation. I was unable to do everything perfectly, so I had to settle for second best and use the name of the Dragon Palace Treasure Sign to screen candidates. With the assistance of Tianzhi and the others, we barely managed to avoid any major mistakes."

At this point, she sighed softly, "Unfortunately, they still didn't think things through, which caused Tianzhi and the others to be targeted."

“There’s no such thing as being a thief for a thousand days without being able to guard against them for a thousand days. If someone is hiding in the shadows and trying to scheme against you, no amount of precautions will help… But if that’s the case, can I understand that the current Dragon Palace Child is you, and that Hatsume’s older brother and Hikogoro are all doing things on your orders?” Yashiro asked.

"Yes and no. That was true a few years ago, but since Tianzhi came of age and expressed his willingness, I gradually handed over most of the matters to him. Tianzhi is smart enough, but unfortunately not cautious enough. I originally planned to let him inherit the title after a few more years, when his temperament has been tempered and he is more stable..."

Master Jiro paused for a moment, “I know what you want to ask, benefactor. Indeed, what we have done could easily backfire. In order to prevent innocent monks from being implicated, my master and I have been trying our best to distance ourselves from the matter of the Dragon Palace Child. Even if someone suspects and investigates, it is difficult to find out the connection between the two.”

"So, this is the first point of suspicion you wanted to make." Yashiro drew a circle in the air with his index finger. "Why would those people want to use Hatsume's brother to exchange for the Tiger Scroll held by Master Nanke after they captured him? If I had to say, I can only think of two possibilities. One is that they have already investigated your relationship with Tenji. But in that case, wouldn't it be easier to target those monks at Ryutaiji Temple who don't know martial arts than to keep chasing after Hatsume's brother, who is such a tough nut to crack?"

“That’s right. Logically speaking, they shouldn’t have known this from the beginning, otherwise there would be no reason for them to choose the difficult over the easy… Thinking about it this way, it’s more likely that they learned this information from Tianzhi—that’s the second point of doubt.”

"Do you think Chuya's brother won't betray you?"

"No."

Master Jiro shook his head. "While I do believe that Tenji is not a coward, human nature can never withstand the test. Coercion, bribery, or threats using close friends and family—once the bottom line is abandoned, there are countless ways to get someone to talk. Even if Tenji did leak information or betray us, it wouldn't be surprising. The point of doubt I'm referring to is the demands made in that letter. From every perspective… they seem rather lenient."

"Relaxed?" Yashiro feigned ignorance.

But then the woman chuckled softly, "Why ask a question you already know the answer to?"

"Hey, this is called supporting you, it makes you seem more impressive, otherwise it would be no fun for just one person to talk."

“I see. I appreciate your kind offer, but my lips happen to be a little dry. I’ll take a break and listen to your thoughts.”

Is this a test for me?

"How dare you."

“A monk does not lie, Venerable Master, you have broken your vows again.”

The girl smiled and shrugged. "Alright, since you insist on listening, I'll just say a few words. I don't know about others, but if it were me, with hostages, I certainly wouldn't give the enemy that much time to discuss countermeasures... As the saying goes, delay breeds trouble. The longer it drags on, the more likely unexpected changes will occur. Of course, these things should be done swiftly and decisively, the faster the better."

"Moreover, I heard it clearly that night. Mishima Doppo and that unfortunate companion were talking about 'those treasures,' not 'that.' They were after the treasures that my father and the other two had stolen. The Tiger Scroll was at most one of them. Even if it was truly priceless, it wasn't enough to make them give up the other treasures for it."

"Unless Chuya's brother is a big mouth and has already told her everything in such a short time, they would never let her go so easily after finally capturing her... I can only think of two possibilities."

Yashiro first held up two fingers, then pulled one back... She originally wanted to pull back her index finger, but then she realized it wasn't right, so she quickly put her index finger up again and pulled her middle finger back.

Jiro looked at her blankly as she busied herself with this nonsense.

"Ahem, don't worry about it... In short, either this is a trap, and the other side has no intention of exchanging hostages but just wants to weaken your forces. Whether it's a trap to catch the thief or a diversionary tactic, it's just a choice between these two schemes. But as I said before, if you really wanted to make a move, you shouldn't have left a full day or almost two days for us to make preparations and discuss countermeasures."

"So, ruling out the possibility that the person in charge on the other side is a complete fool, I'm more inclined to another guess—this letter, these lenient conditions, are a signal that Brother Chuya intentionally sent out. If that's the case, it means that he's no longer just a prisoner, but has gained control to a certain extent... In the eyes of the Mage, what would this mean?"

After a moment's thought, Master Jiro replied, "The most reasonable guess is internal strife."

"If it is truly an internal conflict, does the Master have someone in mind?" Yashiro asked again.

"Have."

"Who?"

"Mishima walks alone."

……

Memories flash by, then return to reality.

The setting sun was like blood, its crimson light illuminating the earth and rivers, while countless fallen leaves drifted down between two figures, one tall and one short.

The fight has been going on for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and the once tranquil riverbank has been completely transformed. The huge tree that would take several people to encircle has been snapped in half, with a rough crack. It was clear that it was not cut by a sharp weapon, but rather smashed in two by the ronin with his sword sheath. The tree, carrying the weight of decades or even centuries of history, crashed to the ground, stirring up clouds of dust.

With a kick to the ground, he rolled and tumbled, seemingly in a disheveled state, but he just managed to dodge Mishima Doppo's powerful strike. He heard the heavy scabbard of the iron sword fall heavily, and for a moment even the ground beneath his feet shook.

What kind of brute force is this...?

She muttered to herself, gripped the sword hilt in a reverse grip, spun around, and the longsword slashed out like a top—

Swish!

A few drops of blood splattered out. Unfortunately, although the sword hit its mark, it only opened another flesh wound. It looked frightening, but it was not enough to cause serious injury.

Since the start of the battle, she had dodged and weaved with her strange movements, never being hit even once. Instead, her sword had pierced and slashed, leaving her opponent wounded repeatedly. At this moment, half of the ronin's body was covered in blood, and his face was flushed. Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, his momentum was frenzied and insane. Although he was clearly at a disadvantage, his overall aura was even stronger.

"Come on, run away, dodge, avoid! These weak and feeble moves, even if they hit a thousand or ten thousand times, will only make me bleed a little more. They won't kill me, they won't take my life! And you? Can you even withstand one of my moves? No way, hahahahaha!"

Amidst his maniacal laughter, he stepped forward, brandishing his long weapon with the force of a spear or a club, creating a powerful gust of wind. Even though he wasn't directly struck by the scabbard, the sheath alone was enough to make Hachiko struggle to breathe.

But the strong wind swept in from all directions, making it difficult to dodge to the left or right. She could only retreat further and further, hearing the sound of rushing water getting closer and closer behind her. If she took two more steps back, she would step into the river. If she were to be jolted by the current, it would be even harder to dodge. If things went wrong, she might end up bumping her skull against the iron scabbard of the other party's sword...

"Hey!"

Yashiro steeled his heart, seized the opportunity, slammed his cane down with his right hand, and suddenly somersaulted, not only narrowly dodging the oncoming attack, but also plummeting downwards. His body, weighing only a few dozen pounds, floated lightly like a maple leaf, landing on the scabbard that the ronin had not yet had time to retract.

The sudden and unexpected move surprised even Mishima Doppo. Before he could react and try to shake her off, the girl, like a juggler performing on a thin rope, had already rushed towards him on her scabbard!

The two-meter distance passed in the blink of an eye. She thrust her long sword in her left hand towards his face. The ronin turned his head and barely dodged. He also caught the cane that followed. Just as her attack was blocked, Yashiro raised her right foot and kicked him hard in the face with her straw sandal!

This kick was probably the most effective attack so far, sending Mishima Doppo flying backward, his nose bleeding profusely, his mind reeling, and his vision blurring. But this wasn't the end. A flash of apricot-yellow sleeve appeared before his eyes, and Yashiro swayed, landing on his shoulder, her cane tucked into her waistband, her hands supporting her head, poised to snap his neck—

"Wow!"

However, before she could exert any force, the ronin, who had regained his senses, grabbed her by the shoulder. After a brief struggle, the girl was too weak and was pulled off him and thrown heavily into the river!

Amidst the splashing water, Mishima Doppo gripped his scabbard tightly with both hands, his muscles taut and bulging, and with a full-force strike, he shattered the entire river surface!

But the reflection of the setting sun was shattered into pieces, floating and sinking, while the river water remained clear, with no bloodstains or corpses in sight.

Mishima Doppo didn't show much surprise on his face. When he turned around, sure enough, he saw that soaking wet apricot-yellow blouse again.

The sword was sheathed, and the girl still stood a few steps away in the same timid posture that outsiders would have. She hunched her shoulders, tilted her head, and her wet short hair clung to her face. She hugged her cane to her chest, and looked so pitiful that it almost seemed like a little pathetic.