Yashiro the Blind

……

The body leaning against him grew heavier and heavier until it pressed down like a small mountain. Yashiro craned his neck, trying his best to listen to the movements of the person behind him, wary of a near-death counterattack.

Only when his breathing and heartbeat completely stopped did she relax all her strength, slowly sliding down until her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground with him.

As her racing heartbeat gradually subsided, the girl remained in that unseemly sitting posture, silent for a long time. Then she released her grip on the sword hilt, clasped her hands together, and silently recited scriptures for rebirth towards the starry sky:

"Namo Amitabha Buddha, Tathagata Buddha, Tadyatha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha..."

……

Chapter Twenty-Six: Five Hundred Merchants

"I once heard a saying: In countless battles and defeats, with each survival comes a greater burden of resentment; this is the fate of a swordsman."

A few days later.

The sudden storm last night gradually subsided by morning. As dawn broke, the chirping of birds could be heard outside the meditation room.

The girl placed her cane beside her, drew her sword, and carefully applied powder and oil. Because she was blind, she used to cut her hand frequently, and her master would tease her for feeding the sword with her blood. However, she has become more and more skilled and can even chat with people while her hands are still moving.

Upon hearing this, the monk Jiro, who was reading a book nearby, looked up and asked, "Are you still thinking about the matter of Mishima Doppo?"

"I'm thinking about... everything that has happened so far."

The sword, after being wiped clean, was exceptionally bright, like a mirror, reflecting Yashiro's somewhat inexplicable expression.

"Mishima Doppo is an evil man, there's no doubt about that. Countless innocent people have died at his hands in the past. Killing is killing, it's only natural. I don't regret it... Although I don't regret it, I always feel very uneasy after killing someone, especially after hearing about his past..."

She sighed.

Based on the principle of knowing yourself and your enemy, Jiro, relying on the connections and intelligence network left to her by the monk Nanxi, managed to dig out the background and past of Mishima Doppo from various clues. Later, before going to the meeting to exchange hostages, the woman told her all the information she had found.

Including the ronin's original name.

"Jacobs...that sounds like a Dutch name."

"Netherlands?"

"They are the foreigners you see in the Sakai area. Because their hair and beards are mostly red, people generally call them 'red-haired'," Yashiro explained.

"I see, you are truly learned."

Jiro nodded admiringly, then smiled and said, "But it's incredible that there are red-haired people in this world." When she said the second half of the sentence, her tone became slightly more cheerful, revealing a lively temperament that matched her age.

"The world is full of wonders. On the other side of the ocean, there are many people with blonde or silver hair, and also people with black skin."

"Golden and silver hair... Does that mean they can just pluck a single hair and use it as gold and silver, essentially never lacking money for the rest of their lives?"

"Indeed. So everyone in that country is very wealthy, but there are also some greedy people who plucked out all their hair and became bald, which made them a laughing stock. In the end, they could only turn to Buddhism and pray to Amitabha Buddha."

"I see... This lie is a bit too outrageous, he deserves to be hit."

She rolled the book in her hand into a tube and gently tapped the girl's forehead.

Yashiro stuck out her tongue. Because she still held the sword in her hand, she dared not dodge with any big movements and could only take the hit. She cried out that she was wronged: "Master, please understand. I was just going along with what you said."

"kindness?"

"Okay, I shouldn't have joked about that." It wasn't good to scold a monk in front of him, so the girl quickly apologized before he got really angry.

Seeing this, Jiro, who had been about to strike a second time, put the book away: "It's good that you know you're wrong..." After a slight hesitation, "So, the previous content was also a lie?"

"How far ahead?"

"Hair can be plucked and used as gold..."

"fake."

"Couldn't those people with black skin and blond hair also be..."

"Oh, this is true, I saw it with my own eyes." Even though it was in her past life, Yashiro added in her mind.

To everyone's surprise, Jiro's face immediately hardened upon hearing this: "Don't joke like that."

Unlike his earlier teasing tone, his voice now sounded genuinely angry.

The girl was taken aback at first, then laughed: "Master, you've misunderstood. I'm not joking this time."

"Not a joke? But you..."

"I saw it in a dream." Since it was such a "nonsense" as time travel, she couldn't say it outright, so she thought for a moment and explained it in a different way.

Jiro, the monk, seemed to be deep in thought: "In a dream...?"

"Yes, it was a fleeting dream comparable to Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, so much so that even now I'm still a little unsure whether I am Zhuangzi or the butterfly."

"Neither is correct. Your name is Hachisuke."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me, Master. I almost forgot." She chuckled, dispersing the slightly tense atmosphere, then sighed softly.

"Speaking of this, I suddenly remembered a saying, I forget who said it... A name is the shortest curse, and different names often represent different meanings. Since Mishima Doppo chose to abandon the name given to him by his parents, it must be because that past was too heavy."

That being said, what the other party experienced is not particularly rare in this era.

According to information obtained by Jiro through an investigation, his mother was an ordinary fishing village girl from northern Kyushu who, by chance, met a foreign sailor who was rescued from danger.

The two fell in love, got married and had children. Later, the sailor returned to his homeland for some unknown reason and never came back, leaving behind a widow and her child. Because he inherited his father's red hair, Mishima Doppo—Jacobs suffered all kinds of rejection and persecution from a young age. He was even driven out of the village several times and wandered with his mother.

But the real suffering was yet to come:

The village where the mother and son were temporarily staying was accidentally caught up in a small-scale battle nearby. Because they had not paid the so-called "life-saving money," the entire village was wantonly looted by an army, and the mother and son were also kidnapped and sold cheaply, separated from each other.

In the years that followed, no one knew what Jacobs had gone through. When he reappeared, he had mastered amazing martial arts skills and managed to find out his mother's whereabouts. He rushed to her rescue, only to watch helplessly as his only relative died in front of him.

"...Later, he met an ordinary peasant girl, married her, and had a child. He thought he could live a peaceful and uneventful life, but one day after returning from buying supplies, he found his house in a mess. It turned out that the local lord had happened to pass by, and because he hadn't had much to hunt, and because the lord was a tyrannical and cruel man, he had ordered his wife and child to dress up as wild animals and shoot them with arrows for his amusement..."

Even when recounting this story from an outsider's perspective, Yashiro still couldn't help but feel a tightness in her chest, and the smile on her face had long since disappeared.

Jiro remained silent for a long time before letting out a sigh: "...Later, he fought desperately to kill that daimyo, avenged his great grudge, and miraculously escaped capture. After that, he called himself Mishima Doppo, abandoning his original name and past, wandering from place to place, his personality fickle, rushing to dangerous places countless times, as if he only wanted to kill...Now that I think about it, perhaps what he abandoned was not only his name and past, but also his own heart."

The girl shook her head: "At first, I just thought he was a belligerent and bloodthirsty madman, but after learning about his past, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Putting myself in his shoes, if I had gone through all that myself, I might have become just as extreme as him, or even committed more horrific acts..."

"More than that, every time I've killed someone, I feel confused. We're all living in the same world, with our own things we care about and hold dear. All living beings are equal, so what right do I have to judge good and evil, to decide someone's life or death based on my own opinion? Thinking about it this way, it feels like wielding a sword is becoming increasingly difficult..."

Unbeknownst to her, she had stopped maintaining the sword. She lowered her head, her bangs hanging down, covering half of her face. Only the narrow sword in her hand, like a mirror, reflected a bewildered, youthful face.

Jiro-hoshi watched her quietly.

"It's still different. Even if you really change your personality one day and even degenerate into a bloodthirsty monster, deep down, will you hope that someone can stop you? If someone steps forward and kills you to stop your evil deeds, will you hate him when you are dying? If not, that's the difference."

“But this is just my personal opinion, others may not be so…” the girl tried to argue.

“Actually, I once had the same doubts as you,” the woman added.

"You too, Master?"

"Of course, the first precept of Buddhism is not to kill, but in this world, evil people run rampant and bandits ravage... If we don't kill them, they will harm others. If we kill them, wouldn't we be breaking a major precept? It's wrong. I was very conflicted about this and finally couldn't help but go to question my master."

Since it was described as an interrogation, their conversation at the time must have been anything but amicable. However, Yashiro tried to imagine what the woman would look like when she was truly angry, but couldn't. Then Jiro continued, "My master wasn't angry. After thinking for a moment, he told me a story—or rather, a Buddhist koan."

"This story is said to have many versions, each with its own interpretation. The story my teacher told features the Buddha as the protagonist. It is said that five hundred merchants went to sea in search of treasure. However, after successfully finding the treasure, one of them suddenly became greedy and wanted to kill all the others so that he could keep the treasure for himself. When the Buddha learned of this, he was torn and did not know what to do."

"That man's evil intentions had already arisen, and his greed was too deep to dissuade him. If we stand idly by, he will commit a grave sin and will surely fall into the Avici Hell after death, suffering endless torment. But if we tell others this news, those hundreds of people will surely be enraged and kill him in return, and we will also bear the karmic consequences. The Buddha pondered this over and over, and finally sighed deeply, deciding to personally kill the man. This would save the lives of five hundred merchants and prevent the man who intended to commit the crime from doing so. However, the Buddha himself would thus create the evil karma of killing and would fall into hell."

"Master said again, there are three kinds of killing in this world. The first is killing for one's own benefit. Such people have evil thoughts, commit evil deeds and do not know how to repent. They are the most pitiful. The second is killing to save. If a robber wants to kill an innocent pedestrian, you kill the robber and save a life. Although it is out of good intentions, you still have to bear the sin of killing. The last kind is like the Buddha. He not only saves the innocent victims, but also has pity on the perpetrators and saves them all. This is true great compassion."

“But killing is still killing,” Yashiro said, frowning.

“That’s right. Even the Buddha would fall into hell if he killed someone, but it’s better for me to go to hell than to watch others go to hell.” Master Jiro put down his book and said solemnly, “These are the words of my master, which I pass on to you verbatim: ‘To be able to save and not save, to be unable to save and not kill, are two no different things; both are great evils.’”

She spoke earnestly, and the girl listened attentively. After a moment's thought, she raised the longsword in her hand.

After some maintenance and care, there was no trace of rust or bloodstains on the blade. It shone brightly in the rising sun, as if it had been reborn.

"Thank you for talking to me, Venerable Master. I hope you'll forgive my childish talk."

“Actually, I’m very happy,” Jiro said with a smile. “I was worried that with your age and such abilities, you might go astray. Now that I know you’re troubled by these things, I’m much relieved. After all… in this world, too many people take killing for granted.”

She sighed softly, seemingly lost in thought. "Including the Ii family, everyone is fighting endlessly for their own interests, neglecting those who truly need help... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said these complaints to you."

"It's alright. If the Master doesn't mind, you can vent to me as much as you like—I'm very discreet and won't go around telling people."

"really?"

"Even more real than pearls... but maybe not now. If I don't go find Hatsume soon, she'll throw a tantrum again." Yashiro tilted her head, barely making out the little girl's mutterings amidst the surrounding noises. "Honestly, even though her own brother is back, she still clings to me all the time..."

"She probably knows you're leaving soon. The young girl is afraid of being lonely, so try to spend as much time with her as possible these next few days."

"I understand, I'll be right back..." She sheathed her sword, stood up, and was about to leave when she suddenly turned back and asked, "By the way, there's something I haven't asked yet. What exactly happened on your end when I was fighting Mishima Doppo? After Hatsume's brother came back, he locked himself in his room for several days and wouldn't see anyone, saying he was focusing on recovering from his injuries. But I guess there must be another reason, right?"

"Well..."

"Oh, if you can't tell me, that's fine. I'm not particularly curious anyway... I'm leaving!"

"Wait, use the door properly, don't climb through the window..."

"It's closer to the window—"

Before he finished speaking, the person had already left, leaving only Jiro-hoshi staring at the half-open window, a helpless, bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"This feeling...it's like I've gained another disobedient younger sister. Sigh, they're all so troublesome, even Tianzhi..." Recalling the conversation...or rather, the argument a few days ago, her bitter smile deepened.

……

"Finally... I finally got it! The Tiger Scroll! With it, I can..."

Just as the battle on the riverbank was about to be decided, a faint light suddenly appeared in a dimly lit cave downstream.

The young man, soaked to the bone and ignoring the blood on his face and hands, carefully put down the wooden box he was clutching tightly in his arms.

His gaze toward the box was like that of a drowning man staring at the last straw in front of him.

"With this Tiger Scroll, I can become the second Minamoto no Yoshitsune and wipe out those villains. Father, Mother, and eldest brother... I will not only avenge you, but also revive the Tenchi clan and let Hatsume live a life free from want..."

……

But a moment later, with the sound of pages turning, his tone suddenly became somewhat panicked: "Wait, this... how is this possible? Why, the contents of the Tiger Scroll are actually—"

……

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Martial Arts

People tend to subconsciously idolize heroes.

Those heroes who could do what ordinary people couldn't, who accomplished great things that are hard for ordinary people to imagine, and whose names are recorded in history and passed down through the ages—just hearing their stories is enough to stir one's heart and even make one want to take their place and experience those legendary stories firsthand.

The same applies to Tenji Takeru, especially after his parents passed away, he, like his younger sister Hatsume, fell in love with the stories of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

He didn't know what his sister was thinking, but he himself seemed to see a shadow of his own aspirations in Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the man in the story who, despite his father's defeat and suicide and his subsequent wandering and becoming a monk, still became a great general. He thought to himself more than once how wonderful it would be if he could become a hero like Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

Unfortunately, there is no Kurama Ōtengu, no Musashibō Benkei, and no Yoshitaka Yoshitsune who wholeheartedly assists Minamoto no Yoshitsune in reality.

Although Master Jiro took good care of the two siblings, they could never repay the kindness of Master Nanke in raising them. They also had friends like Hikogoro, Ozō, and Yuno, with whom they had spent a long time and shared a deep bond, like that of blood brothers and sisters.

But... they are different after all.

Therefore, after accidentally learning that Master Nanxi possessed the legendary Tiger Scroll, even though Tenji Bulu tried his best to dispel a certain inappropriate thought, that thought was like a bone-deep affliction, following him everywhere and constantly on his mind. Now, by sheer coincidence, he took advantage of the opportunity to persuade Mishima Doppo to defect and managed to "trick" the scroll of military strategy out of Master Nanxi's hands.

He knew he had done wrong, and he had already decided that he would only look at the contents of the book and then return it to Nanxi. Even if the old monk got angry and beat him, or if he was reprimanded by Master Jiro, he would not have any resentment. He simply wanted to see this legendary military treatise and see if it was really as powerful as the stories described.

If it's really that powerful, and if Minamoto no Yoshitsune could win battle after battle using it, then maybe he could too...

Filled with anticipation and trepidation, along with a touch of guilt and shame for his past mistakes, Tenji Muryu opened the box with trembling hands and began to read the military treatise. But after only a few lines, he was suddenly stunned: "This... how is this possible..."

This book was clearly the first time I had ever read it, yet the words inside felt so familiar.

"...King Wu asked Taigong, 'In warfare, there are three formations: Heavenly Formation, Earthly Formation, and Human Formation. What are they?' Taigong replied, 'The sun, moon, stars, and the Dipper—left and right, facing and backing away—this is called the Heavenly Formation. Hills and springs also have advantages in terms of front, back, left, and right—this is called the Earthly Formation. Using chariots and horses, employing both civil and military tactics—this is called the Human Formation...' These, these are... these things..."

"These are all things that Master taught us, right?"

The sudden remark startled Tian Zhiwu, as if struck by lightning. He turned around in a panic and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure at the cave entrance.

Jiro, holding a vermilion spear, looked down at him from a high vantage point, his bright eyes gazing at him in the darkness.

"There are three suspicious points in this matter. The first two can be interpreted as signals you intentionally released, but the third one puzzles me—why the Tiger Scroll? If it was meant to remind us, fabricating something that doesn't exist would obviously be more effective. Thinking about it that way, it can only be that one of the parties needs the Tiger Scroll. This one party could be Mishima Doppo, or it could be...you."

"Big...eldest sister...I, I just..."

“I understand, you just want to avenge your parents and restore the reputation of the Tianzhi clan.”

The woman shook her head, interrupting his unspoken explanation. Her expression was obscured by the shadows, and her voice was indifferent, devoid of joy or sorrow. "You've projected yourself onto Judge Jiulang, and the mysterious Tiger Scroll from the story has naturally become your lifeline. But, my dear Tianzhi, there is never a shortcut to success in this world."

"So, this book is..."

"In the story I told you and Hatsune, it was mentioned that Minamoto no Yoshitsune received the military strategy of the gods from the Great Tengu of Kurama Mountain. However, in another version that is more widely known, he actually stole the family's military book from the Great Onmyoji Oni-ichi Hōgen, which is said to be the 'Six Secret Teachings and Three Strategies' written by Jiang Shang, Jiang Ziya."

"And this so-called 'Tiger's Scroll,' also known as 'Tiger's Strategy,' is only one of the Six Secret Teachings. Moreover, you have already mastered the other five secret teachings and three strategies. Your master never held anything back; he imparted all his knowledge of martial arts, military strategy, scriptures, and principles to you, and yet you repay him in this way..."