The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

Chapter 110 The Secret of the Steam Research Institute: The Dream Water Divination Method Nijo Castle

The man on the left, dressed in simple samurai attire, with disheveled gray hair and a wounded face, but a calm expression, was Yagyu Muneyoshi. He glanced at Zhang Chang'an, then lowered his eyes again, as if he hadn't seen anything.

The one on the right looks completely different.

Munege Tachibana.

He was still wearing his silver armor, not a single piece removed. However, his helmet had been taken off, revealing a sharply defined head.

His short hair was disheveled, but it couldn't hide the murderous intent in his eyes. His gaze was like that of a caged beast, constantly searching for an opportunity to tear its prey apart.

"This is a famous name, but it looks more like a ferocious beast." Zhang Chang'an shook his head helplessly, watching the iron chains rattle as he struggled.

Hijikata, who followed him in, said coldly, "His armor and mask are directly nailed to his body. Just like you said."

This is why he was willing to let Zhang Chang'an in for interrogation.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that these people could do something like this.

Zhang Chang'an nodded without saying anything. He walked over to the two men, squatted down, and opened his toolbox.

Yagyu looked at him, his gaze scrutinizing him. Tachibana's eyes grew even more fierce, as if she wanted to devour him alive.

For the two of them, Zhang Chang'an was clearly more dangerous than Hijikata Toshizo, who never got the better of Honda Tadakatsu.

Yagyu was captured by him. Tachibana saw him suppress Takeda Shingen and overheard his conversation with Takeda, so he knew that Yagyu had some knowledge of their group.

But to their surprise, Zhang Chang'an completely ignored them.

He calmly took out a few items from the box: some dried herbs, a small mortar and pestle. He immediately began processing them silently. Hijikata frowned: "What are you doing? These aren't—"

Because of Dai Qing's strange reputation these days, and considering Tie Zhou Gong's background and the strange herbs, he immediately had a strange misunderstanding.

Zhang Chang'an immediately retorted, "Of course not, this is just one point, a little trick from the West."

He placed the herbs into the mortar and began grinding them. The sound of the herbs cracking was exceptionally clear in the cramped room, mixed with the rattling of Tachibana struggling with her chains, creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.

Saito Hajime's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, equally unaware of what he was about to do.

After grinding the medicine, Zhang Chang'an poured the powder onto a small cloth, wrapped it up, and then took out a tinderbox and lit it.

Smoke rose, carrying a peculiar smell, unlike the pungent odor of ordinary herbs; instead, it had a faint, sweet, and slightly fishy aroma. The smoke curled and slowly dissipated into the air.

Hijikata and the other man cautiously stepped back slightly. Zhang Chang'an also covered his mouth and nose, and held the smoking herb packet to their noses for a while before placing it in front of them.

Yagyu frowned slightly. Tachibana's reaction was even stronger, looking as if she was about to bite him.

However, they were tied too tightly and ultimately could not break free.

Zhang Chang'an turned his head and said, "Could you bring me that basin of water over there?"

Hijikata immediately turned around, hesitated for a moment, and brought over the basin of water used to wash the torture instruments in the room. Zhang Chang'an took it and placed the basin in front of the two of them. Then he squatted down and looked down at the water.

The room fell silent. Hijikata and Saito exchanged a glance, wondering what he was up to.

The smoke in front of the two men continued to rise, which they inevitably inhaled and exhaled, drifting upwards and gathering into a cloud on the roof.

At that moment, the water surface began to change, but not the water itself, but the reflection.

The reflection of that plume of smoke in the water gradually distorted and deformed, eventually solidifying into a picture.

Hijikata's pupils contracted sharply, and Saito was also shocked.

Together with Zhang Chang'an, they saw a middle-aged man standing in the center of the dojo, holding a wooden sword, sparring with someone. Every move was precise and skillful, purely technical. They were all techniques from the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school.

But then the scene changes.

A young man, bearing a striking resemblance to him, dressed in coarse farm clothes, worked in the fields. Sunlight shone on his back, and sweat streamed down his neck. He straightened up, gazing at the distant mountains with a lost look in his eyes.

That was Yagyu, or rather, the original owner of this body of Yagyu Muneyoshi. Yagyu Kazuma.

The scene changes again, and a young man in guard uniform stands at the city gate, yawning lazily and perfunctorily checking the passersby.

He had a knife at his waist, but his grip was awkward, clearly not his usual way of using it.

But in the next moment, the young man's face suddenly turned mature and murderous. He was fully armored, mounted on a warhorse, and wielding a large katana. He charged into the enemy ranks, extremely fierce.

That was the original owner of Tachibana's body.

One of the two men was originally just a farmer. The other was an ordinary guard in Kyoto.

Hijikata and Saito both frowned, partly because of these truths, and partly, of course, because of Zhang Chang'an's calm and collected use of such miraculous methods.

He didn't react much to the previous images, just quietly watching them continue to unfold.

These two people, in different places, were pinned to the ground by people dressed in the same official uniforms.

They struggled and screamed, but to no avail. Their hands and feet were bound with ropes, their eyes were blindfolded with black cloth, and they were dragged into a black carriage.

The carriage traveled through the night. The scene was blurry, with only occasional glimpses of street corners, rooftops, and lanterns. It continued until it entered a massive complex of buildings: high walls, deep courtyards, and layers upon layers of rooftops. Guards patrolled back and forth, and the lanterns bore the emblem of some kind.

Hijikata and Saito immediately perked up, but the scene flashed by too quickly, and before they could see it clearly, the image in the basin transformed into a vast underground space.

Countless sophisticated instruments were arranged in rows, copper pipes, gears, and pressure valves, gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the oil lamp.

People in white coats moved about, making notes. In a corner, several bound people huddled together, their eyes vacant.

The original owners of Yagyu and Tachibana's bodies are among them, experiencing a long, fragmented series of scenes.

The needle pierces the skin. Medicine is injected into the vein. High fever. Coma. Nightmare. Ancient warriors wield their swords in their dreams. The sounds of battle echo in their ears.

Then, in the next flash, two people stood in front of a mirror. One wore a simple kendo uniform, his gaze calm and composed. The other wore silver armor, his eyes sharp and piercing. They looked at their reflections as if they were looking at someone else entirely.

"I am----"

"Yagyu Muneyan."

"Tachibana Munege."

The water in the basin rippled slowly, and surprisingly, it even produced a sound.

However, the scene was not over yet, and this time, Zhang Chang'an paid special attention to it.

It was a spacious hall. High ceilings, thick wooden pillars, and walls decorated with gold leaf. Several people in official robes sat around a long table, which was covered with blueprints and documents.

Tachibana seemed to be on guard duty here, so he could hear the conversation among the people there: "These ancient pages from China—they're truly amazing."

Another person chimed in, "Unfortunately, we still haven't found a way to decipher it. We can't make those blurry traces clear."

The third person's voice carried a hint of impatience: "It doesn't matter. As long as the research makes further progress, it can have a wide-ranging impact on the entire Kyoto area. Then—"

"A large number of people are awakening to ancient consciousness. If we restore the order of the early Edo period, no one will think of rebelling against the Shogun, and more people will awaken the abilities of their ancestors."