Yashiro the Blind

……

"Tenfu Goro...you mean, the leader used my father's name?"

"That's right. Or perhaps, he really is your father."

"Impossible, I clearly..."

“You haven’t, or rather, you can’t see the body with your own eyes, right? To tell you the truth, I went to pay my respects a few years ago and found that your father’s face was completely slashed and you couldn’t recognize him at all. I thought it was a bit strange at the time. If it was a fake death, then everything would make sense.”

"but……"

"However, I'm telling you this not so you'll dig deeper. After all, if that person really is your father, since he deliberately faked his death to escape back then, and even caused the whole family to perish, how could he now be so brazenly flaunting his real name? And if someone else is impersonating your father, there must be a reason. The most likely possibility is that it's bait, trying to lure out certain people or certain events using that name... In any case, this matter is too complicated, and someone as young as you definitely can't handle it. Take your uncle's advice—"

The smoke he exhaled overlapped with the old man's voice, transforming into another frozen image in my memory.

"Cherish your life, don't go any further."

……

"Just leave it here."

As the sun sets and the moon rises, Kato Danzo's words gradually fade away. In reality, a night breeze rustles, and the cool moonlight shines on the skin, bringing a subtle, flowing, and wondrous sensation.

A faint scent of grass lingered around my nose, along with the familiar, delicate aroma of tea emanating from someone I'd been accustomed to for some time now.

Jiro-hoshi loved drinking tea, but not the kind of matcha that required a lot of effort to make with a brush. Instead, he used a proper, or rather lazy, method: simply tossing tea leaves into hot water and steeping them. The aroma was wonderful, and he could leisurely enjoy drinking it for half a day.

As a result, Yashiro has recently started to get used to drinking tea. Although she still prefers drinking alcohol, it is still a bit inappropriate to drink heavily in front of monks while living in a temple and being drunk every day, even if they do not reprimand her.

However, the reason she took her leave was not... and not just because there was no wine to drink.

"Hey, why rush? It's not too late to wait until dawn."

The only person who saw him off was Master Jiro, who carried no gun, had empty hands, and wore only a simple Buddhist robe.

As for Yashiro, she was given back her tattered old clothes that looked like those of a beggar. It wasn't that the other party was stingy and took the clothes back; in fact, those old shojos were lying neatly in her bundle, one of the parting gifts from Jiro. The girl had politely declined twice at first, but eventually, she couldn't refuse and had to accept them.

But she felt it would be a waste to wear such clothes out like this, and it would be even more of a pity if they got dirty or torn, so she simply put them away and planned to wear them later.

As for the other gifts...

She thought about the ten Dragon Palace Treasure Fortune Sticks she had hidden in her bundle, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

What is something that others desperately want has become like a wholesale purchase when it comes to her, especially since she doesn't even have a need for it... Perhaps that's why Jiro-sensei is so generous in giving away such a large sum of money.

Regardless, it's the thought that counts, and these two gifts are by no means light. She lifted her shoulder, felt the heavy weight of the bundle, and smiled, "For me, there's no difference between day and night. Walking at night is actually a bit quieter—after all, there shouldn't be any bandits or outlaws around here, right?"

“That’s true…” Jiro smiled bitterly, “But are you really not going to say goodbye to Hatsume? When she wakes up tomorrow and finds out you’re gone, she’ll definitely be devastated.”

"There's nothing I can do. If I go to say goodbye to her, she'll definitely say she wants me to stay a few more days."

"Then let's stay a few more days."

"I can't let you stay. If you stay any longer, I might not be able to bear leaving," the girl said half-jokingly.

"Then why don't we just stay here?" Jiro asked in return.

"Is the monk joking?"

"What if I'm serious? After all, although Longtai Temple isn't wealthy, a simple set of bowls and chopsticks shouldn't be a problem."

With a question and an answer, understanding the meaning behind the words, Yashiro suddenly fell silent. The woman didn't urge him, but turned her head to gaze at the bright moon in the sky. After a long while, she heard the girl beside her sigh softly: "As expected, it still won't work."

"Why?"

"You ask why... Yes, why?" The smile was gone from her face, and her expression looked somewhat bewildered, just like the helplessness that filled her heart when they talked about the cause and effect of the murder yesterday. "Master... have you ever had the feeling that this world is very big and very wide?"

“The world is vast, and we are small. Because we are so small, we have endless possibilities. It’s as if we can just reach out our hands…” As she spoke, she actually raised her hand, as if trying to grab the moon above her head, but she only touched the invisible moonlight.

"As long as you reach out, you can easily grasp what you want. The future is the same. It's like standing at a crossroads where you can go anywhere with just one thought. It's precisely because the future is uncertain that you have a feeling that you can do anything."

She finally clenched her fist.

His palm was empty.

Only the faint moonlight peeked through the gaps between my fingers.

"That's how I feel right now. I don't know where I want to go, what I can do, or what I want to do... Maybe I'll find the answers on my journey ahead, but if I stay here, my future seems predetermined..."

Yashiro frowned, her tone somewhat unsteady, "I hate this."

“I see… Since you have made your decision, I will say nothing more. However, if one day in the future you find the answer you are looking for, you might as well reconsider my suggestion today.”

"it is good."

"Then...may we meet again someday?"

"See you again if we are destined."

The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow on, and the bright moon shines upon them. The young woman bows, turns, and leaves.

The figure walked slowly across the plain, waist-high grass swaying in the wind, the chirping of insects fading into the distance, the gray leather bundle slung behind the head swaying back and forth, the tapping of the cane carried on the wind, growing farther and farther away, until finally even the sound could not be heard anymore.

"gone?"

"gone."

Another voice came from behind. Tenji Muro carried the little girl who was fast asleep on his back and walked up. He looked around, as if he wanted to catch a glimpse of that thin figure again.

The woman glanced at him and said, "Your injury hasn't healed yet; you should rest more."

"It's because Chuya kept talking about it. I was thinking of bringing her here so I could at least say goodbye in person, but who knew the little girl would fall asleep again." The young man glanced at the girl's profile, who was drooling in her sleep, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"That's a good thing, after all, there will be opportunities to meet again in the future, so there's no need to rush."

"Is your eldest sister so certain that we'll meet again?"

"It's just that I had a premonition."

"so……"

The young man muttered something, then hesitated, "To be honest, I'm a little afraid of her... well, not really afraid, but it just feels a bit unbelievable. When I mentioned Lord Tianfeng's death to her, I thought she would be angry or sad, but... she seemed indifferent, as if she didn't care about it at all."

"Not only that, I can't even feel that there's anything she cares about. This feeling of estrangement makes me a little... I don't know how to describe it." He shook his head, carefully choosing his words, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't find a suitable description.

Jiro's expression remained unchanged, but he lowered his eyes slightly and sighed: "This is exactly the answer she is looking for."

"Does your eldest sister know the reason?"

"Let's go back."

Without directly answering the young man's question, the woman simply turned around, said something indifferently, and then started walking. Tianzhi tilted his head, hesitant to speak, but still followed—after all, this wasn't the first time his older sister had acted in riddles like this.

As expected of a monk, he has mastered the art of not speaking human language.

However, as he followed, he suddenly remembered the figure that had pounced on him so suddenly, its two fingers hooked straight at his eyes. At that extremely close distance, the girl's expression at that moment... that tightly pursed mouth, was she really just thinking about the secret transmission of ninjutsu?

……

Chapter Thirty: A Not-So-New Encounter

"Here they come! Don't miss out! Come closer and take a look! We have juicy eggplants and sweet melons!"

"Salt for sale! Salt for sale!"

"A sharp sickle is a good sickle; I'll buy one to keep at home—"

From near and far, various shouts and cries of vendors surged in from all directions, like a wave of heat hitting the face, making it hard to breathe.

The straw hat on her head was bumped and tilted slightly. The girl reached out to straighten it and wiped away the sweat that had already trickled down her cheeks with the back of her hand. But no matter how she wiped it, more and more hot sweat kept seeping out, making her wonder if she had turned into a jellyfish, looking as if she had just been pulled out of the water.

It's not even summer yet... Could it be that global warming and the greenhouse effect are already being discussed at this time? Damn the British—she couldn't help but curse inwardly, then remembered that the Industrial Revolution was something that happened in the 18th century, a full two hundred years away, so John Bull was truly wronged by the criticism.

Oh well, they can't hear me anyway.

"It's so hot..."

Based on the principle that ignorance is no excuse, Yashiro put this one-sided misunderstanding aside, tapped his cane, found a shady spot with few people, squatted down, gulped down the cold water he had brought with him, and sighed softly.

She had only been away from Longtai Temple for a few days, but she already missed the leisurely life she had lived there, where everything was done for her.

This place is still in Totomi. After saying goodbye to Jiro, the girl headed east and has arrived near Kakegawa Castle. Logically speaking, this journey is not far, and even at her tinkering walking speed, it shouldn't have taken this long.

The reason it's so slow is quite simple: there are too many obstacles in between.

She started her journey from Nara, passing through Owari and Mikawa. Although she inevitably had to pass through many checkpoints along the way, it was all within acceptable limits. Now that she thinks about it, it was probably because the Oda family of Owari owned the Chita Peninsula and made a fortune in the pottery business, so they were relatively less dependent on checkpoint income.

As for Mikawa, it had just undergone a power shift. Not only the leading Matsudaira family, but also many other manor houses and powerful clans under its control had inevitably been reshuffled. It is estimated that the victors are busy enjoying the taste of power and will not have time to repair or build new checkpoints or ask travelers for money.

Yuanjiang, however, is different.

Since the Flower Warehouse Rebellion more than a decade ago, there have been almost no large-scale battles on this land. Even when bandits occasionally cause trouble or samurai fight each other, they are all just minor skirmishes. The peace maintained for many years has attracted people who are tired of war to gather here, and merchants, sensing business opportunities, have naturally followed suit.

In order to extract every last drop of profit from these people, both Ii, Amano, and Asahina began to undertake massive construction projects, building gates every three steps and new buildings every five steps, trying to squeeze every last drop of oil from each person.

In a sense, this might be the normal order nowadays. If she were the lord of a country or a city, or even a daimyo, Yashiro felt that she might also be watching... listening to the clinking of copper coins with great pleasure, but since she was the one paying, her mood was definitely not much better.

Take yesterday's road, for example. It was probably less than 500 meters long, but there were three checkpoints there, and they demanded tolls from her three times. Two of the checkpoints were built by the Asahina family, so she paid them. But the third checkpoint belonged to a nearby temple.

Imagine two menacing-looking monks, one on each side, holding scabbards and demanding money while chanting Amitabha. The scene is undeniably surreal... but unfortunately, this is a common sight in today's world.

Although the young woman was furious at this excessive exploitation, she had no choice but to obediently pay up to avoid further trouble. On the bright side, she was all alone, while the merchant ahead of her not only had to pay for himself, but also for the horses carrying his goods. Thinking about it this way, she felt a little better.

Moreover, she wasn't short of money. Thanks to the donation from the "kind-hearted person who raided the hotel" earlier, she had a smooth journey and didn't cause any trouble.

I walked around and stopped, and this morning, I heard a chorus of shouts from afar. With a curious mindset, I went over to join in the fun, and sure enough, I stumbled upon the regular market being held in the castle town.

Similar markets are actually quite common in various places. She remembered that it seemed to be called the Six Fasting Market, which originated from the Buddhist custom of the six fasting days. However, it has evolved into a regular event similar to a market.

Depending on the circumstances of the lords in different regions, the number of times such regular markets are held varies, generally ranging from three to six times. The more times they are held, the more affluent the living standards of the local people are, and thus they become a stage for various daimyo to show off their abilities.

For example, in the territory under Yoshimoto Imagawa, there are usually six events per month, and sometimes one or two more depending on the situation. It seems that the Hojo clan in Odawara and the Nagao clan in Echigo are similar.

The market sells a wide variety of goods, from daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt to kimono sashes, sickles, pots, needles and thread, candles, and more. In addition to these everyday items, there are also seafood, fruits and vegetables, and foods like fermented bean curd.

Amid the bustling crowd, there were also those who took the opportunity to carry their wares on shoulder poles to sell tea, herbs, or wild pheasants or birds caught in the mountains. Ostensibly, they bought them to admire and play with, but in reality, most people would slaughter the chickens for a feast as soon as they got home, a tacit understanding among them.

There are all sorts of things to see and do. It is said that sometimes you can even buy imported goods from places like the Ming Dynasty and Korea in these markets. However, after walking around Yashiro, I didn't find any similar stalls. I don't know if it was just bad luck or if a small place like Tōtōmi doesn't have such a grand presence.

Since she was already there, she couldn't leave empty-handed, so she bought half a slice of melon, squatted under a tree, and ate it heartily. After wiping her mouth and discarding the rind, she thought about buying a new pair of straw sandals—not that she had no shoes, but the roads were rugged and difficult to walk on at this time, and straw sandals weren't particularly durable; sometimes they would break after a few days. If she happened to not have spares, she would have to run around barefoot, becoming a true mud-legged mess. Little did she know that this purchase would lead to an unexpected incident:

"Young lady, there's something wrong with this money."

The stall selling straw sandals was run by a thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man. He looked honest and simple, but when he spoke, his eyebrows were raised high, making him look rather intimidating. His tone wasn't particularly fierce, but rather one of annoyance.

"The money is wrong?"

“Look, this money of yours is chipped here and here, and here… the words on it are almost worn away. It’s a classic piece of bad money—I won’t take it.” He pointed to the copper coin the girl had just handed him and shook his head repeatedly.

So-called bad money refers to copper coins that have been worn or damaged for various reasons. Because their value has been diminished, it is only natural that they would be rejected by others.

But Yashiro was slightly taken aback when she heard this. She clearly remembered that when she took the coin out just now, there should have been no problem with its feel... This thought flashed through her mind, but thinking that it was pointless to argue with someone over such a thing, she took out another coin from her bag: "Then let's change to another one."

"No, your new one is also terribly broken."

"That……"

"Alright, alright, you look quite pitiful, so I'll take a small loss. I definitely wouldn't want coins of this quality normally, but I'll give you a discount. I'll treat it as five bad coins to one good coin. These straw sandals cost three coins in total, so just bring me fifteen."

The vendor spoke with a pained tone, as if he had suffered a great loss by making this concession.

As she spoke, the girl's brows furrowed more and more, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant: "A pair of straw sandals, and you want fifteen coins from me?"

"You have all this bad money that you can't spend. I'm just trying to help you out, so if you don't want it, fine, but why are you giving me that attitude... tsk!"

The vendor clicked his tongue loudly, as if he wanted to say something more, when suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and snatched the two copper coins from his hand, slamming them onto the table: "Buy a pair of straw sandals."

"you--"

This was tantamount to undermining him on the spot. The vendor's face darkened, and he was about to get angry when he looked over and suddenly paused. "So it's Brother Qingtian. What's wrong? Have you taken a fancy to this little girl and come here to stand up for her?"

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm here to help you. I know this girl, and she's not someone you can easily bully. Alright, alright, remember this favor for now. Treat me to a drink sometime, and we'll be even. Understand? If you don't, I'll take that as you do. That's all."

He chattered on and on, giving no one a chance to interrupt. He picked up a pair of straw sandals, held them in his hand, called out to the girl again, and turned to leave. Yashiro smiled slightly and followed, leaving behind only the vendor, whose expression shifted between pale and flushed, and the growing crowd of onlookers.

"Little girl, we meet again."

After walking a few steps, the short, stout ronin in front slowed down and walked alongside the girl, handing her the straw sandals he was holding and saying with a grin.

"It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Aota."

Yashiro smiled and replied.

This was none other than the ronin, Aota Inosuke, whom he had met once before.

Since that night when she gave away the first Dragon Palace Treasure Token and took her leave, she had never heard from him again. She thought he should still be near Ii Valley, but who knew he would inexplicably wander over here.

I wonder what wish he had that he was so insistent on getting the lucky charm...