The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 534 Izumo Taisha
Five days after Li Miao and his party left Hirado Castle.

Izumo Province, Mount Gassan, Tomita Castle.

"Matsuura Takanobu, dead?"

"Are all the soldiers and samurai of Hirado Castle dead?"

The dim candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows on the man's face. In his left hand, he held a string of prayer beads, turning them one by one, while his right hand rested on the hilt of a knife, supporting his arm.

The sword was not sheathed, but with the movement of his arm, it cast shimmering light like water onto the face of the kneeling person in front of him.

"Yes."

The kneeling person answered succinctly and firmly.

The man was silent for a moment, then continued to ask.

"The murderer, the reason, and the purpose."

The kneeling person answered succinctly once again.

"Two men from the Central Plains accompanied a Japanese girl. They entered the city at noon and left at sunset."

“The daimyo of Hirado, Matsuura Takanobu, Lord Kaguteda Yasutsune, and 217 samurai and 2,078 foot soldiers of Hirado Castle all died; not one survived.”

The man stopped fiddling with the prayer beads.

"Three people destroyed Hirado Castle?"

He was already shocked enough, but the other party's reply was utterly merciless.

"one person."

"According to the residents of Hirado Castle, only one man carried out the attack. After killing more than a thousand soldiers in the dojo, he killed Lord Kaguteda Yasutsune in the street, annihilated the remaining soldiers, and abducted Matsuura Takanobu into the dojo before leaving at sunset."

"Moreover, Lord Yasunori Gauntetada revealed his 'true form'."

Brush and pull!

The man gripped the prayer beads tightly, his gaze dark and brooding.

How many people saw it?

"All 3,712 people have been 'taken care of'."

The other party's response was as casual as if he had just gone for a walk, and indeed it was. The common people of Japan were generally thin and short, so for someone like him, cutting off more than three thousand heads that could only cry and beg for mercy after the military strength of Hirado Castle had been completely wiped out was not a difficult thing.

The man's expression relaxed slightly.

"Is there any news about the origins of that man from the Central Plains?"

When he asked the question, the kneeling man's expression and tone fluctuated for the first time, seemingly showing both joy and some hesitation.

He took out a roll of cloth from his pocket and spread it out on the ground.

“This is the message the murderer left on the wall of the dojo, which I copied down. He doesn’t seem to want to hide his identity.”

The man glanced at it, his pupils contracted sharply, and he muttered to himself.

"Izumo Taisha Shrine, Toshodai-ji Temple, Enryaku-ji Temple, Hachiman-gu Shrine. Kyoto... Ise Grand Shrine."

"Li...Miao".

"This is... a route? Is he telling us that he will go through these places one by one!?"

"And the next place to come is my territory!?"

The kneeling man answered.

"That seems to be the case. Moreover, the other party has no intention of concealing their whereabouts. After leaving Hirado Castle, they have been heading straight here. Whenever they encounter someone carrying a sword, they kill them without asking any questions."

"He should arrive in about three days."

The man, or rather, the Japanese daimyo, Danjo Shōbō, the governor of eleven provinces, and the guardian of Izumo, Amago Haruhisa, remained silent for a moment before pointing his finger at the name written on the cloth.

"I recognize this name."

"The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the Central Plains, the most powerful man in the Central Plains martial arts world... and also the man in the Central Plains world who has killed the most people and whose methods are the most cruel and ruthless."

"Judging from his past actions, negotiation, threats, bribery, and even deception are all ineffective against him."

The kneeling person nodded.

“That’s right. This person is stubborn and arrogant. He disdains to cooperate with anyone and does not believe any information given to him by anyone. He only believes in his own methods of interrogation.” “Moreover, it is said that he is well-versed in a wide range of things, including investigation, poison making, hidden weapons, interrogation, and even military formations. It can be said that from the moment he regards someone as a threat, there is no way to turn the tide unless he is killed in the face.”

Niko Haruhisa remained silent for a long time.

He finally empathized with those who had been enemies of Li Miao.

Facing Li Miao always leaves one with a feeling that is difficult to explain. Perhaps he is just a reckless fool, but a reckless fool with unparalleled martial arts skills, endless tricks, a ruthless and arrogant mind, and a refusal to communicate is undoubtedly an opponent that no one wants to face.

After hesitating for a long time, Haruhisa Amago finally stood up.

"Judging from the destination, his purpose is obvious."

"You all must have realized this, which is why you came to me, right?"

"Happiness in the mountains."

The kneeling person nodded in agreement.

If anyone from Izumo were present, they would probably exclaim in surprise.

Because Yamanaka Yukimori was the most capable military commander under Amago Haruhisa, serving the Amago family for two generations with utmost devotion, and his relationship with Amago Haruhisa could be described as that of ruler and subject.

However, although Yamanaka Yukimori was kneeling on the ground, his attitude was not respectful to his lord, and Amago Haruhisa did not show any intimacy in his speech.

Rather than being ruler and subject, they were more like partners who distrusted and guarded against each other.

Neither of them intended to continue the conversation. As partners, it was inappropriate to spy on each other's plans and methods. Now that they had identified each other as enemies, all that remained was for them to use their own methods.

So Yamanaka Yukimori got up, said goodbye under Amago Haruhisa's gloomy gaze, left the room, and departed from the mountain town.

An hour later, he dismounted.

He tied the horse's reins to the side of the road and slowly stepped up the stone steps.

As he approached the stone steps, he finally passed through the dense forest and the majestic vermilion torii gate, reaching his destination.

Izumo Taisha Shrine.

This oldest shrine in Japan is not large, with only one main building, a towering hall about ten feet square. Several shrine maidens dressed in red and white striped hakama were sweeping and cleaning. When they saw Yukimori Yamanaka arrive, they immediately knelt down and pressed their foreheads to the ground.

Yamanaka Yukimori paid no attention and stepped into the main hall.

It wasn't until after a short while that the priestesses slowly raised their heads, revealing their beautiful, young faces, though their lips were tightly sealed with black cotton thread.

They remained silent and continued sweeping.

When Yamanaka Yukimori entered the main hall, he did not bow like ordinary believers. Instead, he looked solemn and showed no respect in his actions.

He stood in the hall for a while, and then someone came out from behind the hall.

"Haruhisa Amago agreed?"

"Ah."

Yamanaka Yukimori nodded.

“He had to agree that Matsuura Takanobu was dead, and he wouldn’t gamble on whether the other party would let him go… Moreover, if the secrets of Izumo Taisha were revealed, we would kill him too.”

Where did that person go?

"Two hundred miles away."

"Do you need me...?"

"We'll talk about it after he kills me and Amago Haruhisa."

"it is good."

The two remained silent, then turned to look at the statue of the deity enshrined in the shrine.

The deity has his hair tied up and wears a crown. His face is solemn and kind. He is dressed in ancient-style divine robes and holds a tablet symbolizing divine power in his right hand. He sits upright and his surface is decorated with gold lacquer, making it shine brightly.

【Ōkuninushi-Ōkami】, son of Susanoo-no-kami, holds titles such as Ōki-no-kami, Yachimoku-no-kami, Akikoku-no-tama-no-kami, and Ashihara-no-shino-kami. He is a deity that Izumo Taisha has been worshipped to this day since an untraceable mythological era.

But the two people in the hall looked at the statue with no respect whatsoever, but rather with gloom and hostility.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the two people's gazes weren't fixed on the gold-painted surface of the statue, but rather seemed to penetrate the statue itself, looking at... someone hidden inside.

(End of this chapter)