Yashiro the Blind

"Wait, wait, wait! Miss Longzi, this isn't what we agreed on!" Just as he was about to reach out to pull her, the eagle in the sky let out a shriek, making a threatening gesture. He quickly withdrew his hand, only daring to call out, "Miss Longzi, wait a minute!"

The woman dressed in southern barbarian attire actually stopped: "What's different? You asked me to do you a favor, and now I've done it. Is there anything else?"

"That's not the favor I need from you!"

"Which one is that?"

“Well…” Inosuke’s eyes darted around, glancing at Yashiro and Toyogoro, seemingly hesitant. “I’ll explain in more detail later. Anyway, please wait here…”

“No.” Longzi refused decisively. “I’m very busy. I’ve finally come out for a trip. There are so many delicious and fun things waiting for me. I don’t have time to waste anywhere else.”

Inosuke gritted his teeth: "If you agree to help, I'll cover all your food, drinks, and entertainment expenses along the way!"

"As everyone knows, I, Lord Dragon Prince, have always valued benevolence and righteousness above all else. Now that a friend is in trouble, how can I sit idly by? Come, come, you want my help, right? Tell me exactly what it is!"

Upon hearing that someone was offering to pay, Longzi's attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change. Patting her two rather impressive breasts, she confidently agreed.

Inosuke, on the other hand, looked bitter for some reason, and secretly reached into his sleeve to weigh his money pouch, almost on the verge of tears. After a moment, he forced himself to compose himself, told Ryuko to wait over there, and then went to talk to Yashiro.

The first thing he did was inquire about Hiyoshimaru's whereabouts. Upon learning that he was safe and sound, Inosuke breathed a sigh of relief and then recounted his experiences over the past two days.

There's really nothing to say. He just happened to run into his acquaintance Ryuko on the street yesterday and heard that something had happened at the Matsushita residence, so he asked Ryuko for help. The two of them rushed over, fearing that if they were a step too late, whether it was Toyogoro killing Yashiro or Yashiro slaying the sword saint's nephew, things would get out of control.

"Thank goodness... I arrived at the last minute, otherwise, if I had been any later, I would have witnessed the horrific scene of heads rolling to the ground." He patted his chest, feeling extremely fortunate.

Longzi chimed in sarcastically, "I was lucky to be here; you were still crawling and rolling around in the forest back then."

"Hahaha!" Inosuke didn't seem embarrassed at all and laughed heartily. He then asked Yashiro about the specific cause and process of the incident. After listening, he glanced at Toyogoro beside him and his expression became awkward.

“I see, no wonder Xiaoqin is here too…” He coughed twice in an affected manner. “Well then, Mr. Xiaobo, since you can’t beat this Miss Yashiro anyway, and she just saved your life, I think we should just put this old grudge aside, smile at each other and let bygones be bygones, how about that?”

"it is good."

"Anyway, most of the people involved are already dead, so there's no point in continuing to argue. So... wait, why did you agree so readily?" Inosuke was stunned.

Toyogoro lowered his head, picked up his sword, and slowly sheathed it, his expression quite complicated: "As you said, now is not the time to continue pursuing this matter..."

"Indeed, after all, you were almost killed just now."

"……kindness."

"By the way, do you have any clue about the identities of these people?"

"No……"

"Really? You don't even know who wants to kill you?"

"I...I don't think I've done anything that would incur anyone's resentment..."

The more he answered, the lower Toyogoro's tone became, and he looked dejected. Inosuke, who had asked the question, also looked dumbfounded: "Are you serious?"

"Yes……"

“Alright, I’ll ask one last question: were all these people your trusted confidants who followed you from Ueno?” He pointed to the corpses on the ground.

Toyogoro shook his head: "When we set off, it was just me and another of my father's retainers. The others were all people I met along the way, who said they wanted to learn swordsmanship and military strategy from me, so..."

"So you just let them all stay?"

"……Correct."

"Okay, I understand."

His expression gradually changed from dumbfounded to one of complete understanding. Seeing that Toyogoro clearly knew he had done something stupid and looked dejected, Inosuke couldn't bring himself to say anything more sarcastic or mocking—but if he didn't say anything, someone else would.

"See? I told you he was a walking melon," Longzi added sarcastically.

Toyogoro was practically burying himself in the ground.

"Alright, alright," Inosuke quickly smoothed things over. "Since Mr. Hajime doesn't have a clue who wants to kill you, let's leave this matter for now... Miss Yashiro, I remember you mentioned that you're going to Suruga next? Is Koto going with you too?"

The next sentence, however, turned to Yashiro.

“That’s right,” the girl replied.

"kindness!"

Xiaoqin also peeked out from behind her and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“That’s good. We both happen to be going to Suruga. What a coincidence! Why don’t we travel together?” Inosuke suggested enthusiastically, though the idea sounded ominous.

Yashiro was indifferent to the idea of ​​having two more travel companions, but she had another matter that was more important to her. She stroked her cane with her fingertips, thought for a moment, and then asked Toyogoro, "Mr. Toyogoro, I have a question for you."

"...What?" Still seemingly unable to shake off his frustration, Toyogoro's voice sounded weak and helpless.

"Do you remember when and where you met these three attackers?"

“Where…” he recalled, “It should be near Shinano, but I don’t remember exactly where. As for the time, I only remember it was about half a month ago… What’s wrong?”

"If they wanted to kill you, would they really have done nothing for the entire two weeks?"

These words were like a wake-up call. Not only Toyogoro, but also Inosuke and Ryuko's expressions changed. "You mean..."

"excuse me."

Without directly answering the question, Yashiro took two steps forward, stretched out his left hand, and suddenly grabbed Toyogoro's wrist. The move was so fast that the latter didn't even have time to react. Just as he was trying to break free, his entire arm was already sore and numb, and he couldn't exert any strength at all.

He could only watch helplessly as the girl placed her fingertips on his wrist without saying a word. After a moment, she suddenly released her hand and, before Toyogoro could react, poked his lower right abdomen with two fingers.

"it hurts!"

Even though he hadn't used much force, Toyogoro gasped – his deathly pale face looked as if he'd been stabbed – and he staggered back a few steps to create some distance, only to see Yashiro standing quietly in place, her left hand bracing against the end of her cane.

"You've been poisoned."

She spoke softly, her tone light and casual, but to Toyo Goro, it was like a thunderclap.

"Poisoning?"

"The fact that they could commit suicide with poison shows that they must have some skill in this area. And when it comes to killing, there's no simpler, more convenient, or easier way to time it than using poison... I guess if everything went smoothly, they probably planned to gradually increase the dosage until you died from the poison at a specific time. Unfortunately, they were stopped by Long Zigu..."

Sensing a passionate gaze, she paused and changed her words, "...Lord Dragon Prince revealed his identity and acted hastily, which led to the plan being exposed."

"You mean... I've been poisoned?" Toyogoro's expression shifted, clearly disbelieving. "But I don't feel anything at all."

"Perhaps I am simply lacking in knowledge and have made a mistake."

Yashiro smiled slightly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xiaobo, please pretend I didn't say anything and don't take it to heart."

"Wait……"

"Then, Mr. Qingtian, Lord Longzi, and Xiaoqin, before we leave, shall we bury these people's bodies first? The weather is getting hotter now, and if we leave them here, it will be troublesome if they cause any diseases or even plagues later."

“Of course, that’s only right.” Long Zi nodded.

"it is good!"

Xiaoqin also shook her head.

As for Inosuke, being the only male among them, he naturally took the lead, rolling up his sleeves early on, ready to get to work. They were discussing the specifics of how to proceed, since burying several corpses would take considerable effort.

Suddenly, a "thump" came from behind him. Inosuke turned around in confusion and saw Toyogoro suddenly kneeling on the ground.

"Mr. Xiao Bo, what's going on here...?"

"Please, young lady, save me!"

If Yashiro had continued to explain and emphasize, Toyogoro might have maintained his skeptical attitude. But when she simply said, "I was mistaken," and seemed about to let the matter drop, it only made Toyogoro's mind tip even further.

Moreover, the inexplicable pain in his lower abdomen from her poking was not an illusion. After thinking it over, he realized that he had offended Yashiro, and it would probably be useless to speak directly. Toyogoro gritted his teeth and finally knelt down on both knees, disregarding the so-called dignity of a samurai, and pleaded loudly.

From his angle, he could only see the girl's back and couldn't tell what her expression was. But after a while, he heard her childish voice say, "I can't save you."

"Varied……"

In an instant, a surge of anger rose in his heart, and Toyogoro couldn't help but clench his fists. I've even knelt down before you, and you still refuse to save me. How hateful! But he immediately realized that his own thought was the most hateful thing. The other party was a complete stranger to him, so why should he have to help?

Strictly speaking, the two clearly had a significant grudge; calling them enemies might be a bit of an exaggeration, but they had ultimately reached the point of drawing their swords against each other. Given this, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for him not to save him? Putting himself in his shoes, would Toyogoro have been able to unhesitatingly help his enemy if he were in his shoes?

The answer appeared instantly, and his clenched fist unconsciously loosened. He was stunned and somewhat lost in thought, as if certain things that he had always held as gospel and never questioned had quietly begun to crack...

However, the next second, Yashiro said, "Don't misunderstand, it's not that I don't want to save you, it's that I can't. Although I know you've been poisoned, I don't know what kind of poison it is, and I don't have the corresponding herbs or tools... But I know someone who can save you."

As she changed the subject, Toyogoro felt as if he had been given a new lease on life. He looked up suddenly, both surprised and delighted.

"In fact, the reason I went to Suruga is to find a doctor. If you don't mind, you can come with us. As far as I know, that old gentleman is highly skilled in medicine and should have no problem curing the poison you have been afflicted with... Of course, that is on the condition that he hasn't starved to death yet."

For some reason, Yashiro's expression became slightly strange when he said the last sentence.

……

Chapter Forty, Eight Searches, Look!

Inviting Toyogoro to accompany them was not entirely a spur-of-the-moment decision.

While there was certainly a benevolent intention behind it—saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda—Yashiro was not entirely without selfish motives either. Putting aside everything else, the fact that he was the nephew of Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami was already quite useful.

Although the current Sword Saint Kamiizumi is honestly serving as the Lord of the Great Hu Castle and has not yet embarked on a journey to travel around the world to spread his teachings and resolve doubts, as a sword prodigy who has mastered the true teachings of Katori Shinto-ryu at a young age and created a new Kage-ryu technique based on Aizu Ikōsai's Kage-ryu, there are naturally all sorts of people who want to curry favor with him and fawn over him.

In fact, during the next few days of the journey, although they still passed through many checkpoints, apart from the checkpoints set up by the Imagawa family themselves, which still required them to pay money, the checkpoints for local tycoons and wealthy people from various places, as well as those near temples and shrines, all ordered them to let them pass on the spot as soon as they heard that the visitor was a disciple and nephew of Ise no Kami. They even smiled and asked him to be warm and caring, and were practically asking Toyogoro to go back and say a few good words to his uncle.

Along the way, everyone saved a lot of money, and they never encountered any extortion or blackmail like the one that was exploited. In their good mood, they also became much more agreeable to this silly young master.

Inosuke, in particular, was almost moved to tears of joy—not because he was truly that poor, but because he had made a boastful promise about paying for Ryuko's meals earlier. Yashiro hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation at the time; after all, she was just a young girl, how much could she possibly eat?

Later I learned that the world is indeed full of talented people. While others eat by the bowl, Longzi eats by the basin, two rice balls in one bite as just an appetizer. The key is that she eats a lot and very fast. In the time it takes Ba Xun to slurp down a bowl of tea-soaked rice, Longzi has already eaten and drunk her way through the entire teahouse, leaving not a single bowl of freshly cooked millet rice.

Because he hadn't expected her to eat so quickly, the first time, Toyogoro, who was used to eating slowly and carefully, didn't even get full and could only drink a lot of cold tea to fill his stomach.

Having learned his lesson, the second time, Toyogoro resolutely abandoned his elegant style and transformed into a starving ghost, attempting to snatch food from the dragon's mouth...

Unfortunately, it ended in a crushing defeat.

Inosuke, unable to bear the sight, dragged Kotori to the nearby riverbank and collected a bunch of snails. After rinsing them clean, he bought millet and soy sauce from the shopkeeper and cooked a meal for himself. He shared the meal with Toyogoro, who reportedly ate while shedding tears, praising Inosuke's unparalleled kindness and righteousness.

Then they held hands and got along very well, even though they both had diarrhea for a few days.

In this era, diarrhea can be a serious or minor ailment, and many people succumb to it every year. The two men looked solemn and tragic. It is said that Toyogoro had even prepared a farewell poem. Seeing that Inosuke was not well-educated and could not come up with any good lines, he still mustered his spirits to offer advice to his unfortunate friend. However, before the two of them could come up with a good poem, the diarrhea had already been cured.

“It might be the snails that are the problem…” Toyogoro hesitated before raising his suspicion.

"It must be a problem with the rice from the restaurant!" Inosuke argued forcefully.

"I think it's the two of you who have something wrong with their brains," Longzi jumped in to smooth things over.

"Xiaoqin, remember never to eat anything given to you by strangers, especially that fat uncle..." Yashiro pulled Xiaoqin aside to watch the commotion.

"Okay, I understand," Xiaoqin replied obediently.

"Hey, come on, this is a reward for good children. Eat slowly, don't choke." While they were arguing and bickering, the girl took out the pancake she had bought from the roadside stall yesterday from her bag. She and Xiaoqin each took half, and they ate it side by side, their relationship very affectionate.

This is probably the essence of traveling in a large group: noisy and bustling, full of unexpected events and chaos, yet preventing one from falling into feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Although everyone was just casual acquaintances who had only known each other for a short time, after spending a few days together, they gradually let down their guard and their conversations became less reserved and polite than at the beginning... Although Miss Ryuko never seemed to be reserved or polite, that's just a personal characteristic, so let's not dwell on it.

Thus, on the one hand, they were delayed for several days by the minor incident of snail diarrhea, and on the other hand, thanks to the tiger-skin banner of Toyogoro, they were saved from many troubles on the road. The increase and decrease just offset each other. Traveling and stopping, the group of five finally left Tōtōmi and arrived in Suruga.

As the main base carefully managed by the Imagawa family for generations, Suruga has a different appearance from Mikawa and Tōtōmi.

There's a children's rhyme that goes like this: "The people of Mikawa are fighting and charging into battle, the people of Tōtōmi are fishing and farming, and what about the adults of Suruga? They're busy composing poems!" Although it's a childish saying, it can, to some extent, reflect the distinct styles of these three neighboring countries.

The Imagawa family was a prestigious clan, related to the Ashikaga Shogun. In the chaotic Sengoku period, where the practice of gekokujo (overthrowing one's superiors) was rampant, they were one of the few noble and powerful families that enjoyed a period of great influence. Perhaps to distinguish himself from other country bumpkins, Imagawa Yoshimoto greatly admired Kyoto culture and consciously imitated and followed the style of the Kyoto court nobles in all aspects of his life.

Following the example set by his superiors, the retainers also became extremely enthusiastic about traditional learning and knowledge. Under Yoshimoto's efforts to promote it, Suruga Province attracted many impoverished nobles, wandering monks, and literati. The province had a rich cultural atmosphere and profound heritage, and even earned the reputation of "Little Kyoto".

In a time when Kyoto is ravaged by war and increasingly in ruins, some people place their hopes on the Suruga governor, Daisuke Jibu, hoping that he can restore order, quell the chaos of war, and single-handedly quell the conflicts.

As for what Yoshimoto himself and his unparalleled strategist were thinking, and whether they had any intention of saving the world and helping the people, the general public had no way of knowing.

However, a rumor has recently been circulating among the people that, under the planning of Zen Master Sessai, the Hojo and Takeda families, who have always been at war, are actually going to form an alliance with the Imagawa family. This news has caused an uproar, since these three daimyo are all the dominant powers of their time. If they were to form an alliance and cease hostilities, the situation in the entire eastern Japan would obviously undergo a dramatic change.

Hojo is easy to deal with; he can finally free up his hands to focus on beating up all the big and small thugs in Kanto. As for Takeda Shingen... of course, at this time he is still called Takeda Harunobu. He has more than one option: either advance westward, go north, or march east to attack Kozuke.

Only the Imagawa clan, with their northern and eastern routes blocked, had only one remaining direction for expansion:

Head west and attack Owari.

The feud between the Imagawa and Oda families was nothing new, so when news of their alliance spread, various factions, each with their own agendas, dispatched spies to verify its veracity, resulting in mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. Rumors also quickly spread that Imagawa Yoshimoto intended to march on Kyoto to support the emperor and ultimately unify the country…

Having only been in Suruga for two or three days, Yashiro had already heard people talking about whether Imagawa Yoshimoto would come to Kyoto more than once. Most of them were ronin and merchants. The former were either worried about another upheaval in the world or eager to make a name for themselves; the latter were worried about losing their money but couldn't help thinking about whether they could make a profit from it.

As for ordinary people, the annual tribute and the endless burdens of general labor and military service are already overwhelming them. They are busy with their daily tasks and have no time or ability to analyze the general trend of the world.

All I'm thinking about is how to get through today and how to live to see tomorrow.

As for who would ultimately control the world, they didn't care much.

"The Prime Minister is going to Kyoto..."