Yashiro the Blind

Toyogoro had overheard the conversations of others along the way, and now he muttered to himself, looking somewhat worried.

"We don't even know if this is true or not."

Inosuke waved his hand. "The Hojo and Imagawa, the Imagawa and Takeda, have been locked in a bitter feud for decades, their grudges and grievances could fill a hundred pages. How can they be so easily put aside? Besides, even if they did form an alliance, fighting their way from the Tokaido to Kyoto wouldn't be a simple matter. Even if that big fool Owari is insignificant, there's still Saito of Mino and Rokkaku of Southern Omi standing in their way—not to mention that viceroy of Japan."

As expected of a seasoned traveling entertainer, Inosuke spoke eloquently about world affairs, displaying the same commanding presence as the park elders in Yashiro's past life. Toyogoro listened attentively, nodding repeatedly. As a member of a samurai family, he was familiar with the forces Inosuke mentioned.

With such a supportive audience, Inosuke was clearly pleased and continued to chatter on, starting with his observations in the Kinki region and gradually moving on to the present and future of Owari and Mino. He confidently asserted that within five years, Oda Owari would either be defeated by Saito Yoshitatsu of Mino or be intimidated by Imagawa Yoshimoto's army marching to Kyoto and submit to him.

Toyotaro agreed, given the vast disparity in strength between the two sides; practically anyone but a madman would disagree. After finishing, Inosuke turned to the girl and asked, "Yashiro-san, what do you think?"

"I am too inexperienced to presume to discuss important matters," the girl said with a smile and a shake of her head.

"Hey, don't be so polite! Just tell me, it's not like we're betting. It's okay if you're wrong, I promise I won't laugh at you."

“Well…” Yashiro hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, “Never mind, spoilers are not good.”

"What's a spoiler?" Inosuke asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Hoohoo."

"Alright, it's like this again. It's not the first time I've heard that you're acting strangely, Yashiro-san. Anyway, if Imagawa really goes to Kyoto, then there will be quite a show to watch."

"It's just a dead person, what's the big deal about it?"

Ryuko, who had shown little interest in the topic, finally chimed in, "I'm not trying to be mean to you two, but Sweet Melon Head is one thing, at least he's from a respectable background. But Toad Uncle, you're a ronin who barely has enough to eat, who doesn't even have a territory or a penny of salary. What's the point of talking about these things all day? Whether it's Imagawa or Hojo, who sits on the throne, what does it have to do with a penniless pauper like you?"

“That’s not right!” Inosuke shook his head. “As the old saying goes, it’s better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos. The reason why everyone is suffering now is because of the endless war. In order to fight against neighboring countries, daimyo in various places have to devote most of their energy to military preparations. They fight year after year and plunder day after day, which has led to the current chaotic and displaced situation.”

“Miss Long, think about it: if the world were at peace, and an order could be issued from the capital, it could be obeyed without hindrance by all sixty-six kingdoms in the five regions and seven provinces. If generals were diligent, ministers were loyal, and the people lived in peace and prosperity, would there still be such a situation with so many checkpoints and restrictions? Besides, although I am indeed a penniless pauper with nothing in my hands right now, just like the ebb and flow of the tide, as long as I can seize the opportunity, I might become rich one day and leap over the Dragon Gate to become a remarkable person.”

As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with ambition, and his tone was full of confidence and longing. This was quite similar to Hiyoshimaru, which explains why the two became good friends—but on second thought, heroes emerge in chaotic times, and how could there only be one or two people like Hiyoshimaru and Inosuke who harbored ambition and sought to rise above others?

But only one in ten thousand will ultimately be remembered in history; most others will turn into obscure dust along the way, their names never even being passed down.

Which one is Inosuke?

Yashiro tried to recall, but couldn't remember the name Aota Inosuke from her original timeline. She wondered if he was a complete stranger, or if he had never left a mark on history... And what about herself? If she hadn't traveled here, in another world, on another timeline, would there still be a blind orphan girl from the Tenfu family?

What fate awaits the other party?

Thinking about it this way, one can't help but feel a great absurdity. People call things that have happened history and things that have not yet been experienced the future, but she is standing here perfectly fine, gazing at the future from the perspective of "history"—and she happens to be blind.

"Hoohoo."

She couldn't help but chuckle softly. This chuckle, however, drew the attention of Inosuke and Ryuko, who were arguing nearby: "Yashiro, you suddenly laughed, is it because you also find what this toad uncle said particularly funny?"

The dragon prince, seemingly eager to stir up trouble, asked.

"Impossible! I know what kind of person Yashiro is. She would never laugh at me; she'd be laughing at you instead!"

"Tsk tsk, still being stubborn, still being stubborn. If someone with your looks can get ahead, then the world is truly doomed." The two of them went back and forth, arguing fiercely while constantly asking Yashiro questions, trying to pull her into their camp.

"I just... hehe, I thought of something happy." Yashiro tried to remain neutral.

"Nonsense, you're clearly laughing at him, you haven't stopped!"

"They're clearly laughing at you!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing..." Hearing the topic veer off course, the girl quickly pulled on the reins before it was too late, bringing the matter back to the main point. As she spoke, she stopped, raised her cane, and pointed ahead, "The person we're looking for should be over there."

"But there's nothing there where you're pointing," Longzi said, puzzled.

"Um... I mean this way."

"There's nothing here either... Oh, there was a rabbit, but it ran away."

"..."

"There is a thatched hut over there. I wonder if it's the doctor we're looking for... what's his name again?"

Yashiro remained silent for a long while: "Call it Mankisai."

"Oh, right, right, Wan Gui Zhai! That name sounds impressive, but it doesn't really sound like a place that helps people with their illnesses." Long Zi clapped his hands and said excitedly, but didn't forget to add a sarcastic remark.

Inosuke chimed in, "It's not just the name that's not right; if what Yashiro said is true, then this person doesn't look like a doctor at all."

On the way here, in order to put Toyotagoro at ease—after all, they were going to find a doctor to cure his poison and illness, so they had to find out the details first—Yashiro specifically explained the old doctor's situation to the others. However, it would have been better not to say it, as it had the opposite effect, making Toyotagoro even more uneasy.

“I remember that according to Yashiro, this old man Mankisai seems to have a saying about three things he doesn’t treat? One is that he doesn’t treat the rich, he doesn’t treat the noble, and the other is… he doesn’t treat those he can’t cure?” Inosuke counted on his fingers and repeated it, his expression becoming somewhat strange.

“That’s right.” The girl nodded. “The old man explained that rich people don’t know how to behave properly, and noble people don’t know their place. Whether these two are cured or not, they will cause a lot of trouble, so he simply decided not to treat them.”

“That makes some sense.” Inosuke shook his head, then added, “But this last one, ‘Don’t treat those who can’t be cured,’ isn’t that obvious? Of course, there’s no way to cure those who can’t be cured, so why would he specifically bring it up as a rule!”

"Well..."

Before he could explain, Longzi had already rushed over to the thatched hut. Without knocking, he peeked through the window and looked inside. Then, seeing something, he suddenly turned around and called out from afar, "Yashiro, come here!"

The girl paused slightly, sensing a hint of tension in the other person's words, and stopped talking to Inosuke, quickly walking over while tapping her cane.

Upon reaching her, before she could even utter a question, a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted past her, and Long Zi appeared behind her. With a swift movement, he lifted her up, placing her face-to-face with the window, and asked matter-of-factly, "Look, there's a corpse lying inside. Is this the Wan Gui Zhai you're looking for?"

"..."

I think you're a big idiot!

……

Chapter 41 The Divine Doctor's Triple Strike

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Because you acted just like a normal person the whole way, I almost mistook you for an ordinary little dwarf."

Once he realized what was happening, Longzi burst into laughter, claiming it was an apology, but there was absolutely no remorse in his words.

With important business at hand, Yashiro didn't bother arguing with her. As the shortest and smallest among the people present, and a member of the Shinobi family with a foundation in agility, she naturally took the lead. Using her cane for leverage, she easily climbed over the window.

The smell of blood hit me in the face.

Yashiro first opened the door to let the others into the house, and then he, Inosuke, and Ryuko separated to investigate the surrounding situation. The corpse on the ground seemed to have just died and was still warm. The fatal wound was on the chest, a clean and neat stab.

"It's not Wan Gui Zhai."

She reached this conclusion in no time.

There are two reasons. First, in Yashiro's memory, the old doctor was over sixty years old and still vigorous, but this person's skin felt smooth and elastic, obviously a young man with a good diet and regular habits, and his age could not exceed thirty.

The second reason is that Wan Guizhai is an old man, while the one on the ground is clearly a woman no matter how you touch her.

"...Why don't you just go straight to the second point? The first point is redundant," Longzi complained.

“It’s better to be more careful,” Yashiro replied seriously. At the same time, he rummaged around on the other person for a while and skillfully pulled out a small money pouch. Just as he was about to naturally put it into his sleeve, he noticed several gazes around him, stopped, and held up the light money pouch to show it off.

"I still have the money on me; it wasn't stolen."

“The clothes are neat, so it wasn’t a robbery,” Longzi replied.

She was the only one present who could respond to that statement. The other two men would have sounded somewhat inappropriate, but Xiaoqin was still blinking her eyes, revealing an innocent gaze that had never been corrupted.

"Lord Dragon Prince, could you describe her clothing and appearance in general?" the girl asked again.

Longzi understood what she meant and replied directly, "She doesn't seem to be a relative living here, nor does she seem to be a patient... Her cuffs and trouser legs are tied tightly, and she also has handcuffs and leg wraps. Although I can't see any weapons, this person is most likely a martial arts expert."

“And the calluses on her hands…” Without hesitation, he took the woman’s hand and rubbed it with the pad of his thumb. He pondered, “This spot… is from practicing swordsmanship, most likely short swords or daggers… and she may have also practiced throwing techniques.”

At this point, the identity of the deceased is already quite clear.

Ryuko gave Toyogoro a strange look: "Ninjas again... Could it be the same group? To ensure this melon-headed guy is dead for sure, they even went to the trouble of taking a detour to kill the doctor who can save him from the poison?"

“That’s possible… but that would be too much trouble.” Yashiro hesitated and shook his head.

"So, this doctor named Wan Guizhai must have offended some enemy who hired ninjas to commit violence?"

"I don't know, but what I care more about is where the old man is now, and who killed him..." She frowned, released the female ninja's soft hand, and squatted down to ponder deeply.

Ryuko stroked his chin, also deep in thought. As for Inosuke and Toyogoro, these two unfortunate brothers had not yet fully recovered from the diarrhea of ​​the past few days. Pale-faced, they supported each other as they wandered around inside and outside the house, trying to find some clues so that they could appear somewhat useful.

Before the two of them could make any progress, Xiaoqin, whom no one had any hope of finding, made a discovery first: "Blood, come here, there's blood here!"

"what?"

Longzi took the lead and strode ahead, followed by the two brothers in a three-legged race. Yashiro walked the slowest—since she wouldn't see anything anyway—and the three pairs of eyes followed the direction Koko pointed. Sure enough, in a patch of grass outside the house, they saw a line of bloodstains that had been deliberately covered up.

The blood was on the grass, speckled and swaying in the wind; it was easy to miss if you didn't look closely.

Upon noticing the bloodstains, the expressions of the group became serious.

"Could this be... that old man's blood?"

Toyogoro stammered, his voice filled with apprehension. He had been terrified by the diarrhea and dysentery that had plagued him for the past few days, barely managing to pull through. He was just waiting to find a renowned doctor to diagnose and cure the poison, but now, one problem after another seemed to be brewing. It looked like there might be more trouble, and the doctor himself might even be killed... Thinking about this, he suddenly became gloomy and dejected.

"Oh, Mr. Xiaobo, don't worry, you're lucky and you'll be fine! There's a saying that goes, 'Those who are meant to live won't die!'" Inosuke saw his worry, smiled and patted him on the shoulder. Toyogoro looked at him with some emotion.

"Besides, even if something were to happen, you've already written your farewell poem. A true man dies when he dies!"

"...Thank you."

"No need to thank me, we've been through thick and thin together, there's no need to be so formal!"

In just a few words, Toyogoro had practically turned into a wilted eggplant, his face changing from white to yellow, then from yellow to purple—a riotous array of colors that was quite moving. Unfortunately, no one even glanced at him; both Ryuko and Yashiro were engrossed in their serious discussion.

"In any case, it's necessary to follow the trail of blood."

"That's right, the key question is who will go?"

“I can do it alone.” Yashiro volunteered to take on the most dangerous task, but Ryuko shook his head. “No, no, I’m not worried about your skills, but tracking bloodstains, I’m afraid you can’t do it alone.”

"……really."

That's true. No matter how keen a girl's nose is, it can't compare to a hunting dog. The bloodstains look like they've been there for a while, and they're in the wild, exposed to the strong winds for so long. If a professional ninja dog had been brought along, it might have been able to track the scent, but she really couldn't do anything about it.

Besides, even if she could really do that, Yashiro wouldn't lie on the ground like a dog in broad daylight; she still has her pride!

With her sense of smell ineffective and her keen hearing temporarily useless, the girl stopped trying to be brave and obediently accepted the dragon prince's offer to accompany her.

Firstly, with a falcon in hand, when it comes to hunting and tracking, no matter how much a two-legged person can do, they can't compare to a falcon flying in the sky. Moreover, the dragon prince uses a bow and arrow, so his eyesight must be excellent. With the cooperation of one person and one falcon, if there is still something that cannot be found, it would probably be futile to ask others to take action.

Once the plan was decided, he asked the other three how to proceed. Toyogoro wanted to go with them, but unfortunately, he had diarrhea so badly that his legs were weak and he had to use a bamboo cane to walk slowly. It was fine for traveling normally, but if they really encountered an enemy, he would probably only be a burden in his current condition.

After saying this, despite his reluctance, the silly young master still obediently agreed to stay.

Of course, the official purpose was for him to stay in the house and guard the body that was suspected to be a female ninja. In case the old man Wan Guizhai returned, or someone came back to attack, having someone present would allow for timely response.

Inosuke's condition was slightly better. After all, given his weight and size, even if he was weak, his center of gravity remained stable. However, seeing Toyogoro's condition, he was naturally worried about leaving him alone. Yashiro had the same idea, so he let him stay and take care of Toyogoro.

As for Kotori, there might be danger if she stayed. Considering everything that had happened before, Yashiro was worried that even if Kotori didn't say it, she probably still harbored some resentment towards Toyogoro. With this thought in mind, she pulled the girl aside and asked indirectly, but Kotori didn't hesitate much and said directly, "I'll stay."

"Really? Don't worry about anything else, do whatever you want."

"Yes, I know. You're worried about me, but I don't really dislike him, and Mr. Inosuke is here, so it's okay." Kotori answered earnestly, her tone revealing no sign of forcing herself.

She took Yashiro's hand again. "You don't need to worry about me like this. Kotori knows she's not very bright, so she doesn't think about complicated things. That's why she can be happy every day. Just like now!" She finished speaking with a bright and radiant smile.

Although she couldn't see her expression, the palm of the hand that Yashiro touched was warm. She had once heard people say that people with warm hands have cold hearts, but that saying certainly couldn't be applied to Kotori.

The girl suddenly realized that the person in front of her was not as dull and foolish as she had originally thought. Or rather, it was precisely because of this purity that she was able to see through the twists and turns and understand the essence of many things.

This may also be why the Matsushita Kahei couple liked her. By taking others as a mirror, one can understand one's own gains and losses. And what mirror can be as clear as Kotomi's?

"Okay, then you stay here for now. Remember to hide if you encounter any danger."

"Okay." Xiaoqin was always very obedient.

But Yashiro was still worried. After thinking for a moment, she took out a smoky jewel that she hadn't had time to use—it seemed that she had taken it from Kato Danzo when she was in Totomi, and she didn't know if he had found out yet—and stuffed it into Kotomi's hands: "Take this safe. If anyone tries to harm you, remember to close your eyes, throw it hard on the ground, and then run away as far as you can... Don't worry, I'll definitely find you."

"kindness!"

After giving her instructions, she turned around. Ryuko, who had been waiting beside her with his arms crossed, asked with a smile, "Well, Yashiro-mama, can we go now?"

With a "pfft," Inosuke couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered his mouth and pretended to be mute the moment Yashiro rolled her eyes at him.

Yashiro pouted: "Lord Ryuko, have you ever been beaten up because of that mouth of yours before?"

"No, quite a few people did want to beat me up, but I beat them all back in the end," Longzi said proudly.

"I think so too."

……

The bloodstains meandered and twisted, like a faint line in the grass, appearing and disappearing, but even the slightest trace could not escape the eyes of the dragon prince and his eagle. As they walked, they gradually left the countryside and came to a town.

The town was a small town, and even small towns have lodgings. From afar, one could hear the cacophony of voices. Because many people were talking at the same time, it was a chaotic mess. Yashiro couldn't make out the specific words at first. Just as she was about to listen carefully, Ryuko called out to her, "Yashiro, wait a minute, I'll go take a look ahead."

"it is good."

There seemed to be a hint of seriousness in his voice.

She nodded, listening to Longzi's footsteps as he walked forward and merged into the noisy crowd.