Yashiro the Blind

"Old sir?"

"Yes, it didn't say anything specific. I'm just passing on a message. Go ask them yourself."

"Ok."

Yashiro nodded, touched the railing and went up to the second floor. As for Ryuko, she went to feed Xiaochu. Xiaochu was the name of her falcon. A majestic eagle, yet it had such a cute and obedient name, which was a kind of unexpected charm.

"Yashiro, come here."

The door to the room in Wan Gui Zhai was open. As soon as she came up, the old man sitting inside immediately waved to her. Judging from his reaction and tone, he probably had his eyes glued to the stairwell the whole time.

When Yashiro went inside, she found that not only was Mankisai there, but Kotoko was also there. However, she had already fallen asleep, lying next to a candle, drooling in her sleep.

"Xiaoqin, have you been with me all day?"

The girl was somewhat curious.

"It's a long story."

Wan Guizhai explained with a smile, "I have a friend who lives nearby. Recently, a relative of his caught a cold, so he asked someone to find me to come and treat him. I originally planned to set off in the cool morning, but as soon as I stepped out the door, this girl suddenly followed me. I didn't dare let her wander around alone, so I simply took her with me—and guess what happened?"

He stroked his beard, chuckled, and continued, "Don't let her seemingly dull appearance fool you; she's actually quite clever, especially in medicine. I only performed acupuncture in front of her once, and she remembered most of the acupoints... What's even more impressive is that she seems to have some understanding of pharmacology. I jokingly asked her to try prescribing a prescription, and although there were a few errors, the overall result was flawless. With this level of skill, she'd be more than qualified to be a quack doctor."

"Kotoko has this skill?" Yashiro was truly astonished this time.

"That's right. That's why I wanted to ask you about it. According to this girl herself, you met her in Yuanjiang?"

“That’s right, speaking of which, this matter is somewhat related to Mr. Xiao Bo…” And so on and so forth, Yashiro briefly recounted what had happened at Matsushita Kabei’s house. Mankisai listened attentively, occasionally offering a few comments. For example, her killing spree on the training ground made the old man’s brows lift, and he slapped his thigh forcefully: “Well done!”

Then, when Toyogoro caught up, one of his followers suddenly attacked, nearly injuring himself. Mankisai shook his head again: "Toyogoro is truly hopelessly stupid. But according to this logic, while he is stupid, he's not all that bad... So, has Kotomi been living in Matsushita Kabei's house since she was a child, dutifully serving water and doing chores all these years?"

"This should be."

"That's strange. Ordinary servants and maids couldn't possibly learn such medical skills, let alone..."

He ran his thumb along his short, razor-sharp beard, glancing at Xiao Qin, who was fast asleep beside him. The flickering candlelight cast soft shadows on her profile; her smile was sweet, as if she were dreaming of something wonderful. Suddenly, Wan Guizhai seemed to realize something, and his movements abruptly froze.

"you--"

The old man's eyes widened, and his gaze towards Xiaoqin suddenly became complicated. His heart pounded rapidly like a drum. Yashiro tilted his head, feeling as if his heart would jump out of the other's throat at any moment. He was both surprised and worried, and called out, "Old sir?"

"I...it's okay."

But just a few seconds later, Wan Guizhai seemed to have calmed down, only his heartbeat and pulse, which were still at a high level for a while, revealed that his mind was not as peaceful as he appeared.

"Are you... really alright?" the girl asked again.

The old man didn't answer. He seemed to be preoccupied with Xiaoqin, muttering to himself in a very soft voice. Even with Baxun's keen hearing, he could only barely make out a few words: "Xiaoqin, could it be... wait..."

The fragmented words seemed to subconsciously deny something. Just as Yashiro hesitated whether to continue questioning, suddenly, another set of footsteps came from the other end of the corridor. Thump, thump, thump, thump, each step was powerful, making a drum-like sound as they stepped on the wooden floor.

She was already familiar with this gait; it belonged to Hikita Toyogoro.

After being cooped up in his room all day, he finally came out—the girl thought he was hungry and had come downstairs to find food, but the girl's ears twitched and she noticed that he was carrying a sword. Judging from the sound of his footsteps, he was also wearing leggings, a straw hat, and other items for traveling.

Where is this going?

The footsteps stopped outside the door. The sound also brought Mankisai back to his senses, though his expression remained somewhat dazed and complicated. He turned his head and saw the fully armed Toyogoro, and couldn't help but be taken aback: "Kid, where are you going?"

After a moment of silence, Toyogoro said, "I have come... to say goodbye to you all."

……

Unexpectedly, it makes sense.

Toyogoro was not on their side, or rather, this group of people had different purposes to begin with. Inosuke found his junior sister, and the two talked and cleared up the misunderstanding. Next, they had to face the real enemy who killed their master, Amano Dokura.

It seems that Longzi is simply out sightseeing and learning the "carefree archery" that her grandfather talked about;

As for Yashiro herself, after learning that the so-called Tenfu Goro was not the real deal, she had already achieved most of the purpose of this trip to Suruga. The next thing to consider was how to settle Koto – after all, she couldn't possibly take a helpless little girl to visit the bandits every now and then, could she?

Toyogoro was a different story altogether. He set out in great style, aiming to establish himself as a master of the Shinkage-ryu school and pave the way for his future career and martial arts. However, after most of his followers were killed, his youthful vigor had been almost completely worn down by the events of those few days, leaving him trembling like a frightened bird.

Until yesterday, he learned from those people that the reason he was poisoned and hunted down was not because of him personally, but simply because they wanted to use his death to destabilize his uncle, Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami, who had always doted on him, and cause him to make a mistake. This cruel truth was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely crushing his last remaining pride. After returning home, he stayed in his room, refusing to see anyone or utter a sound.

Yashiro thought that the other party's condition might continue for a few more days, but to his surprise, just one day later, Toyogoro had already packed his luggage and came to say goodbye.

"My uncle is about to engage in a life-or-death duel. It is both a matter of duty and reason that I should return to Ueno as soon as possible to witness that scene with my own eyes... Although I regret that I was unable to say goodbye to Brother Aota, I can't worry about that now. Thank you for taking care of me during this time. I hope we can meet again in the future."

Toyogoro cupped his hands in greeting. It was unclear what he had been thinking about when he was alone, but his expression at this moment was quite different from the previous few days.

"You want to go back to Ueno? Now?"

Yashiro remained silent; instead, Mankisai spoke first.

He looked at the young man with a scrutinizing gaze: "Don't forget that there are others watching your life."

“That’s why I’m going out at night,” Toyogoro replied.

"Compared to traveling in broad daylight, the cover of night can indeed shield you from some risks. But that's far from enough—among the people here, Yashiro and that dragon girl who uses a bow and arrow are the most skilled. Why don't you ask them to escort you for a while?"

As Wan Guizhai spoke, he glanced at Ya Xun again, "Or is it because of what happened before that you feel embarrassed to speak up? If that's the case, you can rest assured that this girl is not the kind of person who is petty and narrow-minded, otherwise she would have killed you a few days ago."

His words were quite blunt; rather than offering advice to Toyogoro, they seemed more like verbally provoking him. However, the advice itself was not wrong.

Yashiro could only smile wryly. Although there was a rift between her and Toyogoro, to be honest, she had already killed several of the culprits. To continue arguing would be a bit like being unreasonable. Moreover, after spending the past few days with him, she knew that he wasn't a bad person. He was just a teenager. If she were in her previous life, she wouldn't have been much better at dealing with people.

Although we weren't friends yet, if he were killed like this, it would still feel a bit awkward to hear the news later.

Thinking this, just as he was about to speak, he heard Toyo Goro shake his head. What he was about to say seemed to make him quite hesitant, as if he had desperately mustered up his courage: "Old sir, what you said is indeed true... but I have decided that I must walk this last leg of the journey alone."

"Oh?"

Wan Guizhai raised an eyebrow.

Yashiro was also somewhat surprised, as if she was only getting to know the other person for the first time at this moment.

"Even if you are very likely to be killed on the way?" the old man asked.

Upon hearing this, Toyogoro hesitated for a moment before replying, "Life and death are predestined. If I am killed, I can only blame myself for being less skilled. But even in death, when people mention me, they will remember me as Hikida Toyogoro, not just as the nephew of Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami. On the contrary, if I continue to rely on the strength of others here, I will certainly never be able to escape her shadow for the rest of my life—"

He did not name names, but his gaze was fixed on Yashiro.

"Miss Yashiro, if I am fortunate enough to survive in the future and gain further insights into swordsmanship, would you please have a real duel with me then? Don't worry, the audience and referees will witness it, and the challenge letter will be presented."

The girl tilted her head, a smile appearing on her lips: "If you don't mind losing again in front of a lot of people, I'm naturally willing to oblige."

"Alright! Then I'll try my best to make sure I don't lose too badly—farewell!" With a fist salute, Toyogoro's youthful spirit, once broken, finally rekindled. Before the two inside could reply, he seized the momentum and turned to leave with a triumphant air...

"what!"

"……what!"

"--ah!!!"

As a result, his joy turned to sorrow. He lost his footing and fell down the stairs with a thud.

"..."

"..."

An eerie silence fell over the room.

“I have a feeling… he’s probably not going to make it this time,” Wan Guizhai said quietly.

Meanwhile, Yashiro had already put his hands together and was reciting the Rebirth Mantra with practiced ease: "...Namo Amitabha, Tathagata, Tadyatha, Amitabha...Gamini, Gagana, Jitakali, Svaha."

Rest in peace and become a Buddha, Mr. Xiao Bo.

May there be no stairs in the Pure Land.

……

Chapter 53 I'm Getting Angry

Under the cover of night, Toyogoro left the town and headed north to Ueno.

This journey may end peacefully, or he may use this crisis to break through his limitations, or he may be harmed along the way and become one of the countless withered bones and desolate graves by the roadside. In any case, since this is his choice, others have no right to interfere.

Compared to the beginning, Yashiro's opinion of this silly young master has changed somewhat. Perhaps after this ordeal, he can truly transform into a highly skilled swordsman and defeat Yagyu Muneyoshi like in the original timeline—but that's another story that has nothing to do with her.

Everyone has their own story, and Xiaoqin is no exception.

Ever since that night when Wan Guizhai seemed to have discovered something about the other person, the relationship between the old man and the young man suddenly became subtle and strange.

The old doctor, who was usually indifferent to everyone else, always smiled and laughed when he was with Xiaoqin. He would always buy all sorts of snacks and desserts to feed her. This method of dealing with children was particularly effective on the simple-minded Xiaoqin. In just two or three days, the two of them had become close friends despite their age difference.

Xiaoqin stopped clinging to Baxun and instead followed Wan Guizhai, accompanying him on his house calls. I heard that she could occasionally offer a suggestion or two, but I don't know if it's true or not.

The old man's change in attitude was so abrupt that it was clearly impossible to hide from the eyes and ears of others—but the respectful and kind-hearted Ryuko and Yashiro certainly wouldn't make wild guesses; they would only whisper among themselves:

"What do you think?"

"Could it be... a child who was accidentally separated from her before?" After much thought, Ba Xun concluded that this was most likely the reason. After all, she had been "poisoned" by various creative works for many years in her previous life, and she had seen and heard most of the random ideas and plots. Wan Guizhai's reaction seemed to be a script about a father and daughter reuniting.

Judging by age, she didn't know Xiaoqin's exact age, but from her voice, she was probably around the same age, maybe a year or two older. Usually, someone that age would have married and had children long ago, but perhaps because Xiaoqin was innocent and carefree, and deeply loved by the Matsushita couple, who were afraid she would be mistreated after marriage, they simply kept her at home.

As for Mankisai, he is around sixty years old. More than ten years ago, he was in his prime and it would have been normal for him to have several children. However, the two of them were separated for some reason and have been separated ever since. They were reunited by chance. In a short moment, several classic story developments flashed through Yashiro's mind, all of which were popular and powerful.

She randomly picked the most touching part and told it to Longzi as a story. As a result, he teared up halfway through, sniffling and sighing, "It's so tragic! I never imagined that those two had such a past. No, I must go and comfort them!"

"Wait, wait, Lord Dragon Prince, don't go! This is fake!" Yashiro finally managed to grab him.

"Fake?" Longzi asked in surprise.

“It’s fake!” Yashiro nodded.

"But it sounds so real to me?"

"Because...I'm very eloquent?"

"I see, that's amazing. I'm not good at telling stories," Longzi praised frankly.

Even when praised to her face, the girl felt no joy—perhaps this was precisely what made Lord Dragon Prince so remarkable.

Perhaps because of this conversation, Ryuko also began to take the matter to heart, secretly observing the two of them every now and then, before turning back to Yashiro and whispering, "I think what you said makes sense. If you look closely, the two of them do have quite a few similarities..."

"Really?" Yashiro asked, equally curious. "Where exactly does it resemble?"

"Hmm...eyes?"

"The eyes look very similar?"

"They all have two eyes."

"..."

Well, it was her problem to have expectations of Ryuko—that being said, when Ryuko came running over excitedly again the next time, she still forgot her mistake and happily discussed all sorts of possibilities, some plausible and some utterly absurd.

"If only it were true." Occasionally, one could hear the dragon prince sighing.

When asked why, she replied, "Because Xiaoqin is all alone and pitiful. If she had a relative by her side, even just one, her life would be much better."

“Indeed.” Yashiro nodded with a smile, then sighed softly after a moment, “…Indeed.”

She actually hoped that this guess was true. Firstly, as Longzi said, it is always hard to live alone in this world, and it is always better to have someone with you. Secondly, there is the question of Xiaoqin's future.

Matsushita Kabei initially entrusted Kokoro to Hiyoshimaru, probably not only because of their close relationship, but also because Hiyoshimaru's hometown was in Owari. In any case, with the money he gave her, and considering that the monkey himself was not a heartless person, he would not let Kokoro go hungry or cold easily.

Yashiro, however, was different. She had no relatives left in this world, no one to rely on, and all alone. Because of this, she had no worries and could go anywhere in the world, but she couldn't let Kotori follow her and live a life of wandering and hardship.

The road is treacherous, and people's hearts are unpredictable. The young girl has martial arts skills and can protect herself, but Xiaoqin is different. If something were to happen to her and she were to die tragically, not only would she feel guilty for betraying Jiabingwei and Monkey's trust, but she herself would also be unable to live with her conscience.

Therefore, finding a stable home for the other person became the top priority. Unfortunately, Yashiro was completely clueless in this regard. If he had to say, Jiro and the others probably wouldn't mind taking in another person, but whether it was letting Koto follow Tenji and his sister to be some kind of dragon palace attendant, or letting her enter Ryutaiji Temple as a nun early on, neither seemed to have much to do with the word "stable".

Besides, they had only known each other for a short time. Although they had the Dragon Palace Treasure Slip in hand, which theoretically allowed them to make a wish, most people's wishes were only valid for one time. However, she asked to eat and live for free for half her life, which seemed a bit too much.

Unfortunately, there was no one else she could entrust with this matter. Yashiro had originally thought that if all else failed, she would ask Kato Danzo for help. Although her senior brother had that kind of personality, he had a wide network of connections, and most people in both the legitimate and underworld circles would give him face. As long as she softened her stance and said a few nice words, the other party would most likely laugh and take on the task.

However, Kato Danzo's whereabouts are elusive, just like his nickname "Flying Kite," appearing and disappearing without a trace. Finding him is truly difficult, no easier than getting him through a single pull in a gacha pool with a 0.3% drop rate. If Mankisai and Kotomi really had some kind of relationship, she wouldn't need to go to such lengths... Of course, that's assuming Mankisai doesn't have any ill intentions or schemes.

Let's take another look... let's take another look.

Thinking like this, several more days passed in the blink of an eye.

There has been no news of Toyogoro dying by the roadside yet. It is unknown whether he died silently or truly made it through unscathed.

Wan Guizhai still went out early and returned late every day, riding his old yellow ox around to diagnose people without charging a penny, and even spending a lot of money on medicine. Xiaoqin usually followed along. If she returned early, she would pull Ba Xun to her room, yawning and happily describing what had happened that day, how the old man took pulses and diagnosed patients, how he prescribed medicine and performed acupuncture, and how she helped out. However, she would often only get halfway through her story before drifting off to sleep.

Once the other person's breathing gradually became regular, Yashiro quietly got up, draped a light garment over Kotori to keep her from catching a cold, and then quietly left the room, brushing past Mankisai who was standing quietly by the corridor, before returning to his room to rest.

Since the old man didn't speak, the girl didn't ask either. They maintained this peculiar tacit understanding, neither of them trying to break through that thin veil of secrecy.

The room was pitch black, without any light. She maintained the sword blade again by herself. When sleepiness came over her, she didn't take off her clothes or cover herself with a blanket. She just put the bundle behind her head and fell asleep alone, fully clothed. If you are too used to life in the city, it is difficult to fall asleep in the wild.

A dreamless night.

But then came the clear chirping of birds from outside.