Yashiro the Blind

Chiyo swallowed hard and asked in a trembling voice.

But the girl in front of him did not react at all, still with that blank expression. He just tightened his grip on the sword slightly, then relaxed, tightened again, and relaxed again. With a turn of the blade, he cut a small wound on her skin.

"Did you manage to hit it?"

She didn't miss the other person's whispered words, and immediately shouted, "He's got it! He's got it! We surrender! We surrender—"

"what?"

"Surrender!" Chiyo stared fearfully at the sharp sword, terrified that her head would roll to the ground at any moment, and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"...Seeking shade?"

"Surrender, surrender! We're not fighting anymore. If I had known I would be facing a little monster like you, I would never have listened to that cripple's nonsense and come to Suruga!" Chiyo was almost in tears. It was one thing that she couldn't see, there had been several blind masters in the past, but now she couldn't even hear, yet she could still accurately put a sword to her neck.

Is that human being!

"You want to... surrender?" Yashiro seemed to finally understand.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chiyo cried tears of joy. The next moment, the girl took a step back, sheathed her sword, leaned against the wall, and waved her hand: "Then... let's go."

"Alright, alright, let's go, let's go..." Chiyo nodded vigorously, determined to settle accounts with the old cripple who had instigated her as soon as she got back. With a wave of her hand, the Toha members who were still playing stopped and scattered.

Just as she was about to make a hasty retreat, she suddenly heard the girl behind her say, "Wait."

Chiyome instinctively turned her head and was shocked to see the cane pointed at her again. Her heart skipped a beat. Before she could say a word, she saw Yashiro press the mechanism indifferently. "Click!"

My life is over—

A wave of sorrow washed over her, and then she watched helplessly as the cane head cracked, the mechanism activated... spraying water all over her face.

Wait, this is... wine?

Chiyo wiped her face. The makeup she had painstakingly applied when she left home that morning had been completely ruined by cold sweat, and now, with her face covered in alcohol, she probably couldn't look at all.

When she lowered her hand, the girl, who had been expressionless, suddenly laughed: "Surprised?"

"..."

She paused, a mix of emotions swirling within her, before finally letting out a soft laugh. The laugh grew louder and louder until she clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

"That was a real surprise!"

……

"hiss……"

The person was gone, and through the hazy veil, the faint melody and voice had completely vanished. Only then did Yashiro pull the needle out of her ear, and amidst a sharp pain, the world became clear and bright once more.

This trick really shouldn't be used too often...

Although the Life-Locking Needle can shut down the five senses, its use is extremely dangerous. A slight mistake could result in permanent damage or even death on the spot. Perhaps that's why her master initially told her that it was only a temporary method for detoxification.

It wasn't until later, after repeated inquiries, that she learned the complete acupuncture technique from Master Guoxin. Unfortunately, the young girl had only mediocre talent in medicine; otherwise, with just this skill, she could have become a royal physician in the homes of famous doctors and lived a life of comfort and ease.

"It hurts..."

These silver needles were obtained from Wan Gui Zhai. The old man was wealthy and always kept three sets of silver needles in his medicine bag: one set for his own use, one set as a backup, and another set specifically for giving away. He even sterilized them by burning them with fire, so he wasn't worried about hygiene.

But even after the needle was pulled out, blood continued to flow from her ears. She used her teeth to bite open her sleeve, rolled it into two balls and stuffed them into her ears, and then took out two small cloth balls from her nose—Chiyo's fragrance smelled strange, and she dared not smell it for too long, lest something go wrong.

As the saying goes, "better safe than sorry," and if you're not careful, you might end up like that future leader of the two shrine maidens, who crashed twice in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Even Yashiro felt ashamed for her... Fortunately, Chiyome never showed any murderous intent from beginning to end. Her goal seemed to be to capture rather than kill, so she didn't go for the kill. In a sense, it could be said that they became friends after a fight.

He's quite an interesting person...

Although her ears were blocked with silver needles, Chiyo had still vaguely heard her tearful pleas for mercy. Thinking back on it now, she found it quite amusing and chuckled twice. Then, through the bandage used to stop the bleeding, she heard the sound of the pipa again.

The voice was mellow and clear, no longer as sharp and menacing as before, and seemed to be an invitation. The girl thought for a moment, then, leaning on her cane, she followed the sound.

The person playing the pipa wasn't far away. After walking across two streets, the music suddenly stopped, and a man sitting on a large rock by the roadside looked over with a gentle gaze.

"Are you alright?"

As expected, it was indeed "Tenkaze Goro".

……

Chapter Fifty-Five: Grafting

A pipa, a solitary rock.

The man sat on the rock, quietly watching Yashiro.

Although he had lured the girl here with music, once she arrived, he remained silent for a long time, letting time pass. After a considerable while, he finally let out a soft breath and asked, "Are you... alright?"

There was a clear concern in his tone.

"I'm fine." Yashiro shook his head and said, "Thank you for your help just now."

"Haha, how could I not help Brother Wulang's daughter when she was in danger?" The man laughed heartily, then waved his hand. "But now it seems that even if I hadn't intervened, you should have had your own way of getting away. It's as if I've been meddling in other people's business. I don't deserve your thanks!"

"I still have to thank you." Yashiro smiled slightly, not denying that she did have a way to protect herself.

"Yes, with such a woman, my brother should have no regrets. Come, walk with me for a few steps."

As he spoke, he stood up from the large rock, and without waiting for the girl's response, he slung the pipa behind his back and started walking away on his own.

A moment later, another set of footsteps followed.

"From what I'm saying, you used to have... a very good relationship with my father?"

"That's a silly question. Anyone who has spent time with your father will be convinced and consider him a lifelong friend. It's hard to describe that feeling in a short time, but Brother Goro has a heroic spirit that is enough to win over everyone. That's why he has the nickname 'Ninja Knight' - a knight among ninjas and a ninja among knights. Both are indispensable."

The man then changed the subject, "And you, my dear niece, what kind of person is your father in your opinion?"

"I am not sure."

"Not sure?"

“I didn’t have many opportunities to spend time with him, so I didn’t feel the heroic spirit you described. If I had to say something…” Yashiro pondered how to phrase it, “In my heart, my father… was generally a good person, an ordinary good person.”

“I see, that’s an angle I hadn’t considered… Indeed, even the same person can appear completely different in the minds of different people. How interesting.” The man said cheerfully. He took large strides, and when he landed, he would often make a thud, which sounded to Hachiro’s ears like the movement of a huge beast.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, I've finished asking my questions. Now it's your turn, my dear niece. If you have any questions, just ask."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Yashiro pursed his lips, stopped, and pulled his cane closer to his body. At the same time, the man walking in front also stopped, turned around, and stood facing each other, about five or six steps apart.

"I don't know how I should address you, should I be Kanna or Amano Dokkura?"

Without beating around the bush, she went straight to the core question.

Even upon hearing this question, the man's expression remained unchanged, still cheerful. His eyes lingered briefly on the girl's right hand holding the cane before shifting away, and he chuckled, "It seems that the shrine maiden named Shizu has already told you everything."

“I don’t know if she told me everything, I can only say… I know a little bit,” Yashiro replied.

"Haha, well said, you know a little bit." The man clapped his hands. "According to my usual practice, if someone else asked me this, I would tell them to just call me Tianfeng Wulang. But you are Brother Wulang's daughter, his only bloodline left in this world. If I were to impersonate him again, it would be really unreasonable... Sigh!"

He sighed, seemingly quite annoyed. "In that case, just call me Shenwu. I'm more used to that name."

"Kanna, the former leader of the Tōbō clan whose whereabouts are unknown?"

"Missing?" The man seemed taken aback for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha, so that's the excuse they use. How boring!"

Sensing the implication in his words, the girl frowned: "Could it be... there's more to it than meets the eye?"

“My dear niece, have you ever heard of the upheaval that occurred more than ten years ago in the Kai Takeda clan?”

The man—Shinmu—asked a question first.

But his purpose in asking the question was clearly not to get Yashiro to answer, but to elicit what he was about to say.

He then continued, "Of course, 'rebellion' might be a more appropriate word than 'turmoil.' The current head of the Takeda clan, Takeda Harunobu, is only in his thirties, but he has already shown the qualities of a strong general and a powerful leader. He has conquered the east and west, defeated Suwa, and pacified Shinano, thus establishing the Takeda clan's dominance. However, more than ten years ago, the head of the Takeda clan was not him, but his father, the Left Capital Governor Nobutora."

"Although the Left Capital General was a renowned general with a lifetime of military service and brilliant achievements, he was unfortunately wicked and tyrannical, with a cruel and perverse nature. He committed countless acts of perversion and was eventually driven out of Kai and exiled to Suruga by his own son, Harunobu, and a group of retainers."

In this way, he probably felt that young people like Yashiro would not be very familiar with events from more than ten years ago, so he gave a brief explanation.

Although the girl knew this history, she didn't show it. She just listened quietly, and when Shen Wu stopped speaking, she asked at just the right moment, "I didn't know there was such a story... But what does this have to do with your 'missing whereabouts'?"

"It's very simple. As the saying goes, you can't see into someone's heart. Different people naturally have different thoughts in their hearts. Even though everyone wanted to get rid of Zuo Jing Dafu, the specific method and who should do it were the main points of contention. In addition to exile, several important family ministers put forward another proposal at the time—since the root of the problem was Zuo Jing Dafu's wickedness and immorality, wouldn't it be better to just make him repent and become obedient?"

"I'm not kidding," Shinmu said somewhat jokingly.

When Yashiro heard this so-called proposal, his first reaction was that those Takeda retainers were talking nonsense. If Takeda Nobutora was really as they said, a stubborn and perverse ruler, how could he so easily change his ways? People's hearts are not clay that can be kneaded at will...

and many more.

She suddenly paused, startled.

"It seems you've realized that Dr. Zuo Jing can't easily change his ways, but those who do change their ways don't necessarily have to be the real Dr. Zuo Jing."

"They want you to... be used to impersonate the Left Imperial Physician?"

"Exactly! It's a pity that the plan was exposed halfway through. The bond between father and son was there, and Takeda Harunobu ultimately didn't want to go too far. He not only stopped the plan itself, but also killed all those involved... The reason he used such drastic measures was probably because he thought he might become a target in the future, so he decided to take precautions and eliminate the root of the problem."

As she spoke, Shenwu chuckled smugly, "Despite their elaborate schemes, they still couldn't kill me. But after this incident, I couldn't stay in Kai any longer, so I had to flee in haste, wandering from place to place. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed... I didn't expect those guys from the Tōbō clan to still not give up. As soon as they heard news of me, they immediately came after me without stopping, even going so far as to join forces with outsiders. Tsk tsk tsk, it seems they are quite wary of me, their former leader—hahaha!"

He then burst into laughter again, tilting his head back and raising his eyebrows, his tone triumphant.

"Speaking of outsiders..."

Yashiro's furrowed brows did not relax. After a slight hesitation, she asked again, "Did you really kill Mr. Aota and Ms. Shizu's master?"

"That's another stupid question!" Shen Wu clicked her tongue. "Good niece, if I answer yes, what will you do? Will you draw your sword and avenge him?"

"Do not."

The girl shook her head.

"And if I answer no, what will you do? Will you stand up for me and confront those two people?"

"Do not."

She gave the same answer.

"So, asking this question is pointless. No matter how I answer, whether it's yes or no, it's all nonsense," Shen Wu laughed.

Yashiro thought for a moment and nodded: "Indeed."

“But speaking of those two from Big Float, it’s not right to keep dragging this on. It’s about time I met with them… Everyone has to make a decision about their past eventually.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Unfortunately, this means we’ll have to say goodbye forever.”

"Why?"

"Once we meet, we'll inevitably fight to the death. If I die at their hands, that would be the end of it all. But even if I manage to win by a single move, let's not even talk about that shrine maiden named Shizu. You and Aota Inosuke have a past relationship, even if it's not deep. If I kill him, you certainly wouldn't want to see me again, right?"

Despite discussing a matter of life and death, the man remained cheerful, grinning broadly and speaking in a light tone, "But if we were to part ways forever and never meet again, firstly, I am an old friend of yours, and I helped you out of a predicament this time; secondly, I informed you of the mastermind's identity last time. Although these three things are not great favors, I believe they are enough to make you spare my life."

"Why bother? I may not be your match."

"Hahaha, not 'absolutely not' but 'not necessarily,' this confidence is quite reminiscent of your father's! Farewell, farewell—farewell!"

He said goodbye three times. The first time he was still in the same spot, the second time he had drifted more than ten meters away, and the third time it was carried far away by the wind, and he was nowhere to be found. A moment later, the sound of a pipa tinkled and sang, like a high mountain or flowing water, resounding between heaven and earth.

Yashiro tapped her cane on the ground a few times, her pretty little eyebrows furrowed tightly, and her lips were pressed so tightly together that they turned completely pale.

"wack……"

After a long while, she muttered to herself, her face full of confusion.

……

However, good fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortunes never come singly.

She returned to her inn that day and the night passed without incident. The next day, she was half asleep when she was suddenly shaken awake. Given Yashiro's usual alertness, even a mouse darting past her would instantly wake her. The only people who could approach her while she was asleep were a handful of people who had let their guard down.

Of the group so far, only Xiaoqin belongs to this category. The others, including Longzi who plays with her almost every day, have not yet enjoyed such an honor. The reason is simply that Xiaoqin is so innocent and carefree that no one can be wary of her at all.

Imagawa Yoshimoto probably thought the same thing, which is why he was beheaded by Nobunaga at Okehazama.

At this moment, Yashiro felt as if she had encountered her own Okehazama—she felt her head was about to be shaken off, and while reaching out to pry the other person's fingers off, she shouted, "I'm awake... I'm awake, so stop shaking me!"

"Yashiro, Yashiro!" Unlike her usual carefree tone, Kotori's voice was filled with anxiety. "Grandpa is missing!"

"Gone?"

The girl instantly snapped out of her daze upon hearing this, sat up abruptly, grabbed her cane, and twisted her neck twice to make sure her head was still securely resting on her neck and hadn't suddenly transformed into a flying head. She then turned to Xiaoqin beside her and asked, "You mean the old master of Wan Gui Zhai is missing?"

The old man, relying on his wealth, showered Xiaoqin with all sorts of delicious food, drinks, and fun things over the next few days, making the little girl very happy. She even changed her way of addressing him, sweetly calling him "Grandpa" all the time, acting like a very sweet and considerate daughter.

"Yes! He disappeared yesterday. He said he would be back before morning. I waited and waited downstairs, but no one came out. I came back upstairs to check, but still no one was there!" Xiaoqin gestured wildly, as if these actions would make it easier for Yashiro to understand what she was saying. It was like talking to a brick wall.

Fortunately, what she said this time was not complicated, nor was it incoherent. Even without the aid of body language, Yashiro quickly grasped the key point: "The old gentleman disappeared last night?"

“No…no!” Xiaoqin nodded first, then shook her head. “It wasn’t at night! It was earlier, before the sun went down. Grandpa told me to ride the ox back first. He was going to another place, which was more complicated, and he couldn’t take me there. He told me to come back.”

"I see……"

Hachiro understood, but was also somewhat curious. Given Mankisai's attitude over the past few days, where he practically clung to Koko to please the girl, it was hard to imagine that he would actually send Koko back and go somewhere else on his own...