Yashiro the Blind

A pungent, metallic smell of blood filled the air, and even from a distance, it made Yashiro frown. A bad feeling crept into her heart, so she stopped listening and waited for Ryuko to return and tell her the result.

A moment later, a fragrant breeze wafted over, and Longzi strode over, patted her shoulder, and said, "Let's go." Without lingering, he headed straight out of town.

Yashiro tilted her head and followed closely behind.

In the countryside, a cool breeze rustled through the air, and the rhythmic tapping of canes mingled with the footsteps of the two in their straw sandals. After a moment, Yashiro suddenly said, "What do you mean, one for each of us?"

"Need not."

Long Zi raised his left hand, and the falcon flew out swiftly. At the same time, he spun on his heel, drew his bow, and shot an arrow like a meteor. It was impossible to tell whether the falcon or the arrow was faster. In the blink of an eye, two short screams were heard in succession. The falcon flew back, its claws and beak covered in bright red blood.

It even had an arrow clutched in its left paw, with bits of flesh still stuck to the shaft.

Once the eagle landed, Ryuko skillfully took the arrow, wiped it clean with a cloth, put it away in the quiver, slung his rattan bow over his shoulder, and, as if nothing had happened, raised his chin at Yashiro with a smug tone and a boastful expression: "See, it's done."

"Amazing!" The girl clapped enthusiastically.

Lord Dragon Prince became even more smug: "It's just a trivial skill, hahaha, nothing special... but if you insist on praising it a bit more, I don't mind."

"so amazing!"

"Hahaha--"

Before the smug laughter had stopped, Yashiro's expression turned serious: "So, who are those two people?"

"Haha...ha?" Longzi blinked. "Praise me a few more times...but I don't really care about such trivial things. Cough cough, just pretend I didn't say anything. As for who those two are, I don't know the specifics, but I feel they should be the same group of people."

“How come you see?”

"Their expressions changed the moment they saw me, and they even showed surprise and murderous intent."

"So they chased after us because..."

Long Zi shrugged, his meaning clear.

Yashiro pursed her lips and asked again, "Why are those people gathered together? What did you see?"

"A corpse. A... a gruesome corpse, dumped in front of some inn. To be honest, just one look at it and I guarantee you won't be able to eat for at least three days..." Ryuko grinned, recalling the scene he had witnessed, and couldn't help but gasp.

"Is this... a deterrent?"

"Probably."

The two of them thought of this possibility at the same time, and deliberately brought one of the corpses all the way to a nearby town and dumped it in front of a certain inn. The only explanation they could think of was to use this to frighten someone in the inn - that is, to make an example of someone.

But who is the murderer, who was killed, who lives in the post station, what is the relationship between these people and Mankisai, and are they the same people who poisoned and murdered Toyogoro?

"Things are getting more and more confusing..." Yashiro muttered.

Longzi shook his head: "Anyway, let's go back first. I'm not comfortable leaving Melon Head and Toad Uncle there."

"Let's go."

The two said no more and hurried back to the vicinity of the thatched hut where Manguisai lived. However, before they even got close, Yashiro heard a cow moo, the sound seemingly coming from near the hut. She was slightly taken aback: "A cow?"

"An old ox."

The dragon prince narrowed his eyes slightly and answered.

Not only that, she even saw through the half-open door that Toyogoro was sitting there and Inosuke a little further away, holding the smoky jewel like a precious treasure, and an old man with white hair sitting opposite Toyogoro, taking his pulse with his eyes closed.

With his white hair, wrinkled face, and a knife scar across his face resembling a centipede, the old man's profile looked somewhat frightening. Coupled with his stern and unsmiling expression, it was enough to make anyone tremble with fear.

Especially Toyogoro, who was having his pulse taken, was trembling with fear, as if he would faint at any moment.

It's not that he's too cowardly; if you put yourself in his shoes, anyone would feel bad seeing the doctor's expression.

In a daze, Longzi seemed to have heard the old man's next words—of course, at this distance she couldn't hear the voice, she could only barely make out the general meaning of the sentence from the shape of his lips.

Yashiro, however, heard everything clearly. The old man first sighed deeply, a sigh that seemed to carry a thousand turns of emotion, chilling the heart. Then, after a moment's hesitation, with three parts helplessness, three parts hesitation, and four parts the compassionate heart of a healer, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Toyogoro.

"Your illness... alas, I'm afraid I can't help you. Farewell."

……

Chapter 42 Tao Tao's Ten Thousand Ghosts Abode

What kind of situation makes people most anxious?

Is it on the battlefield, with swords drawn and bows drawn? Or in the bedroom, with horses mounted and spears drawn? For Toyogoro, neither of these is true. Rather, it is the old doctor who, after taking his own pulse, suddenly reveals a complex and unspeakable expression, as if he wants to say something but cannot.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with your illness."

The old man clasped his hands in a fist salute, his tone tinged with apology, the meaning of which made his heart sink little by little.

"Why don't you...take another look?"

"I can't see it, I can't cure it." The old man continued to shake his head slowly, his voice not loud, but resolute.

After a long silence, Toyogoro finally managed to accept reality. He never expected that at less than twenty years old, in the prime of his youth, he would not only suffer a great loss at Yashiro's hands, but also have a group of people inexplicably appear to kill him—most importantly, he had no clue what was going on, and even his death was shrouded in confusion—and now he was being given an ultimatum by a highly respected old doctor who clearly wouldn't joke with him.

His emotions were a mix of all sorts of feelings, a bittersweet mix of sour, bitter, spicy, and salty, but no sweetness at all. He clenched his fist tightly, and despite his reluctance to ask, he mustered his courage and asked, "Then... sir, how much longer do you think I... how much longer can I live?"

"Not long." The old man shook his head again. "In this world, who can be sure how long they will live? If I had to say, at your rate of living, you'll probably live for three to five days at the shortest, and at most a few decades."

“So that’s how it is…” Sure enough, the thought that he only had a few decades left to live filled Toyogoro with sorrow. Even though the sun was shining brightly outside, he felt as if he were in an ice cave. “I can only live for a few more decades… Wait, a few decades?”

Suddenly realizing something, he looked at the old man in surprise.

The old man looked impatient: "What, you think you can live to be over a hundred years old with your condition?"

"That's not what I meant... Didn't you say my illness was incurable?"

"Nonsense, you're not sick at all. Even if Bian Que were reborn or Hua Tuo were alive again, they still couldn't cure your non-existent illness—are you here to make fun of me?" He rolled his eyes, and the scar on his face twitched, making him look extremely frightening.

Toyogoro swallowed hard, the slight anger that had been rising within him immediately receding after being startled: "You mean... I'm not sick?"

"Now I suspect there's something wrong with your ears. Come here and let me take a look."

"Forehead……"

Unsure whether the old man was serious or joking, Toyogoro felt rather uneasy. Just then, a soft laugh came from outside the door: "Old Master Mankisai is still as humorous as ever."

Yashiro pushed open the door and entered, with Ryuko following behind. Toyogoro and Inosuke both breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Koto sat beside her, holding a bowl of hot sweet soup and drinking it with her mouth full. She only looked at the girl with her big eyes and made a few "mmm" sounds as if to greet her.

"Haha, it's Yashiro." Seeing the two enter, the old man stopped teasing Toyo Goro, clapped his hands, and laughed heartily. "It's been three years since we last met, hasn't it? How have you been, Koshin-koji?"

"Thank you for your concern. My master is in good health. She can eat and sleep well, run and jump. She probably won't have any problem living for several more decades."

"I guessed so too. The laywoman is truly a remarkable person of our time. She looked exactly the same when I first met her more than ten years ago, and when I visited her three years ago, she still looked exactly the same, without any change. On the other hand, I have become a frail old man in my twilight years."

Mankisai burst into laughter, a far cry from the stern and unsmiling demeanor he had shown when facing Toyogoro, his brows furrowed as if they could trap mosquitoes and flies. The victim stared in disbelief, lamenting his own lack of discernment and how he had been thoroughly tricked by this old scoundrel.

"Alright, alright, since these people were brought by you, Yashiro, I'll let him go this time." He waved his hand. "I've already found out from these three why you came. They say this kid was poisoned and someone wants to kill him?"

“That’s right.” Yashiro nodded.

"That would be interesting."

Mankisai clicked his tongue, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Toyogoro's wrist again. He first took his pulse, then lifted his eyelids and examined him for a moment. "Indeed, now that you mention it, there are signs of poisoning, although it's very diluted, barely a little bit left... Kid, you have indeed been poisoned."

"You were poisoned?" Toyogoro was taken aback.

"But it's been cured now. Judging from your weak lower body and overall lack of strength, the person who cured you probably didn't use the right medicine, but rather a clumsy method of brute force..." Wan Guizhai chuckled. "Kid, you've had a lot of vomiting and diarrhea these past few days, haven't you?"

“That’s certainly true. Could it be…” Toyogoro and Inosuke exchanged a glance.

Neither of them were truly stupid. Since the old man had already said so much, they only needed a little more prompting to understand, and they immediately grasped the point.

Unbeknownst to them, not only was Toyogoro poisoned, but someone also secretly intervened to cure him—although this method was a double-edged sword, leaving them both in agony—at least their lives were no longer in danger.

It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Even someone as experienced as Inosuke was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. It's even more so for Toyogoro, who was at the center of the vortex. He already couldn't figure out who wanted to kill him, and now, out of nowhere, someone secretly saved his life. The silent battle of offense and defense was especially terrifying.

But Wan Guizhai showed no consideration for their feelings. He propped himself up on his knees and stood up unsteadily, saying, "Someone just died in this house. It's very unlucky. I'll take you to a nearby hotel." With that, he turned and left.

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you."

Knowing the old man's personality quite well, Yashiro wasn't surprised. He smiled slightly and followed along with the others.

……

When Wan Guizhai gets down to business, he truly lives up to the name "swift and decisive." After leaving the thatched hut, he mounted his old yellow ox and led the way at a leisurely pace, not too fast, so that the people behind him wouldn't lose him.

Halfway there, Yashiro quietly asked Inosuke and the others, and it turned out that not long after she and Ryuko left, the old man had already slowly ridden back on his ox.

Seeing the three of them at home, with a corpse by the window, Wan Guizhai was not surprised at all. He didn't even ask any questions. He immediately ordered them to wipe the bloodstains and move the corpse. After cleaning the house, he sat down with an air of authority, drank three bowls of cold well water, and then asked them their names, where they came from, and what their purpose was.

Only when he heard Yashiro's name did the old man's attitude soften slightly. At the same time, he seemed to see through Toyotaro's problem at a glance, beckoning him over to take his pulse. Then, Ryuko saw what Yashiro could hear from afar. Mankisai pretended to be deep in thought, almost scaring the poor Toyotaro half to death.

"Has this old man always been like this?" Longzi asked with great interest, looking at the white-haired figure on the ox's back.

Yashiro thought for a moment and said, "Probably."

"I thought you and him were quite close."

"We weren't very close. It was just that three years ago, the old gentleman came to visit my master and stayed for about half a month. We got to know each other after that."

"I see." Longzi stroked his chin. "He's quite an interesting old man."

"really."

Thinking of the conversation where the other party had scared Toyotaro, Yashiro couldn't help but chuckle. Then, a resentful gaze pierced her from behind—out of sight, out of mind, the girl simply ignored it.

The journey was uneventful, and Wan Guizhai leisurely led his group to an inn in the town.

Whether intentional or purely coincidental, this inn happened to be the same one where a body had been dumped not long ago. However, after some time, the local townspeople, who were maintaining order, arrived early to disperse the crowd, and the scene was mostly cleaned up. There might still be some bloodstains left on the ground, but it was no big deal, and nobody cared anyway.

Lifting the curtain to enter, Wan Guizhai seemed to know the owner of the place well. They nodded to each other in greeting, and without saying a word, he took out a small piece of gleaming gold and handed it over: "How many rooms do you want?" He turned around halfway through the sentence and asked.

"This……"

He had originally thought he would have to pay out of his own pocket, and he was almost ready to take out his purse. He was taken aback when he heard this. Did this mean he was going to treat everyone?

"One, two, three, four, five... open six rooms, I want to stay too."

Before she or anyone else could answer, Wan Guizhai glanced around and immediately asked for six guest rooms, one for himself, showing extreme generosity.

The shopkeeper stared wide-eyed at the gleaming gold, slurped his saliva, and exclaimed "Good!" before he hesitated, "But sir, this gold is quite heavy... you might not be able to make change."

"No rush, let's stay a few more days and include the food and drinks during this time. If there's anything left over, it's all yours."

Upon hearing this, the boss's old face practically lit up with a smile. He quickly called over a few waiters, who busily helped the three men untie their leg wraps, remove their straw hats, and led them to the lobby for water and rest. Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to go upstairs and tidy up the rooms.

As for Yashiro and Kotomi, the two young girls, it was naturally inappropriate to let those clumsy waiters do the work. The boss directly called over his own daughter to help out. Yashiro was completely at ease, while Kotomi seemed a little flattered. She was busy for a long time before she finally settled down and sat down.

Finally, there was the Dragon Princess. Her unique southern barbarian attire was clearly expensive, and no one dared to touch it, but she didn't care. She took off her bright red cloak and hung it on the wall. Her other shirt and trousers were light and easy to move in. She sat cross-legged next to Yashiro with a bold and unrestrained posture, not inferior to any man.

I overheard Mankisai chatting with one of the inn's staff, while Toyogoro and Inosuke were resting in a corner. Kotoko, on the other hand, seemed a little sleepy, sitting next to him yawning and nodding her head back and forth, just like when she was fishing.

With no one around to chat with, she had no choice but to bring up the topic of the dragon prince in order to pass the time: "Lord Dragon Prince, where is your eagle?"

"Let it go out and play by itself," the dragon prince replied casually as he adjusted the bowstring.

"Going out to play..." Yashiro paused, "Will it come back?"

"Probably...maybe."

"Probably?" Sensing a hint of uncertainty in his voice, the girl became even more doubtful.

Longzi laughed and said, "It's alright. If they really don't come back, I can just go back and ask Grandpa for another one."

Yashiro was immediately filled with awe. It might be an exaggeration to say that such a well-trained and intelligent falcon was worth a thousand pieces of gold, but if it were given to an ordinary daimyo, it would certainly be treated as a treasure and carefully protected, for fear of hurting or damaging it.

Now, judging from Longzi's words, she clearly only treated the eagle as an interesting toy, replacing it with another whenever it disappeared. Anyone who didn't know better might think she was talking about a little sandbag or a childhood sweetheart. Coupled with her exquisite exotic attire, Longzi obviously comes from a wealthy and noble family; she might even be the daughter of a prominent clan.

I don't know why someone like that would know Inosuke...

The thought crossed her mind. The two had only known each other for a few days and could not speak too deeply. Yashiro had no intention of inquiring about the other's family background. After all, no matter how rich the other's family was, she had no connection with them. She couldn't just rush to become their goddaughter, could she?

Even if she wanted to, the other party would have to agree.

"Speaking of which, this old man is truly a man of few words." Just as her thoughts were drifting further and further away, Longzi suddenly changed the subject.

"how you said that?"

"Didn't you see the gold he just took out—oh, you didn't. Anyway, that was genuine Koshu gold, and from the best quality batch. Ordinary rural doctors can't easily get their hands on something like that."

Koshu is the common name for Kai Province, and the so-called Koshu gold is a gold coin minted and issued by Takeda Harunobu, the lord of Kai.

Compared to other popular gold coins on the market, Koshu gold is most famous for its purity, with an average of 80% gold content per unit. Among the daimyo who tried every means to reduce the metal content of their coins, Koshu gold stood out from the crowd. As a result, Koshu gold was widely used not only in the Kai and Shinano regions of the Takeda clan, but also in neighboring areas.

However, gold and silver currencies are still rare in the market nowadays, and copper coins are still used for measurement most of the time. Doctors like Wan Guizhai, who live alone in the wild, should not have much opportunity to come into contact with such large sums of money. Yet he just casually took it out, and the innkeeper was not surprised at all. If it were any other outsiders who did not know the details, he would probably have secretly sent someone to report to the authorities.

This means that this is not the first time Wan Guizhai has "flaunted" his wealth like this, so others have long been used to it and it has not aroused any suspicion or commotion.

"This is the biggest mystery surrounding the old man."

Sensing the doubt in Ryuko's words, Yashiro smiled and answered.