Yashiro the Blind

"Let's do it."

He sighed, "I have been waiting for this strike for more than ten years. It has been far too long... far too long."

……

Chapter 57: Xinhu enters Taoism

That was a very, very long time ago.

The mountains of Kai are swept by a biting wind, and white clouds rise and fall in the sky, creating a refreshing blue sky that soothes the soul.

In the shadowy woods, the swaying branches cast shadows that concealed the movements of wild beasts. Someone drew their bow and nocked an arrow, and with a swift motion, released it—

Whoosh!

The arrow pierced the tree trunk, causing a flurry of falling leaves, but the rabbit that had been aimed at it had already darted away, disappearing in a flash as a gray shadow.

"hateful!"

The archer cursed angrily upon seeing this, throwing his bow behind him, which was quickly caught by his attendants. Another man stepped forward, approaching him hesitantly, and advised, "My lord, it's getting late, it's time to return..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly glared at by a pair of red, murky eyes. Those eyes shone with an unusual light, fierce as a tiger, which made him choke and swallow the words he was about to say.

"Don't even mention deer, we haven't even caught a pheasant or a rabbit yet. Go back? Do you expect me to go back empty-handed and be laughed at?" The middle-aged man with eyes like a fierce tiger shouted, and the person being scolded and the several servants beside him trembled with fear, afraid that the middle-aged man would draw his knife at any moment and kill them on the spot without any reason.

Similar incidents had occurred several times in the past, with many of the victims being senior retainers of the family. From top to bottom, almost no one in the Takeda family was unafraid of their eccentric patriarch, Takeda Nobutora, who lived up to his name, being as brave and ferocious as a tiger.

"But..." The retainer who offered the advice was inwardly distressed.

This was originally an ordinary hunt, with the initial purpose of helping Xinhu relax. However, due to bad luck, they didn't catch a single prey, big or small, for half a day. As Xinhu's mood worsened, his heart pounded with anxiety.

Suddenly, Xinhu's gaze shifted away from him.

"what is that?"

As Xinhu pointed, the others looked in that direction and could vaguely see a gray shadow moving in the distance through the foliage.

"Is it that rabbit that came back again?" someone guessed.

"No, rabbits aren't that big," someone else disagreed.

"How about... I go take a closer look?" The retainer thought for a moment and offered his suggestion, but Xinhu shook his head. The displeasure on his face had disappeared, replaced by a chilling smile.

He reached out and retrieved his large bow, took an arrow from the flask, aimed briefly, and released it swiftly—

The arrow pierced the air, and the gray figure, caught completely off guard, immediately fell to the ground!

"Hahaha, what's that? My shot was pretty accurate." Xinhu laughed loudly, and the people around him immediately showered him with praise. However, while praising him without restraint, the retainer recalled the appearance of the gray figure, and a bad feeling lingered in his heart.

"Go, bring that thing here!"

Even without Xinhu's command, the clever man had already sprinted over, intending to bring back this memorable first prey as soon as possible to put his master's mind at ease. However, upon arriving there, the man looked down at the gray shadow and suddenly froze on the spot.

"My...my lord, this isn't a rabbit, it's...it's a person!"

The so-called "gray shadow" that was shot to death by an arrow was actually a young woman dressed in simple gray clothes. She was pretty and thin, except for her protruding belly. She was carrying a bamboo basket on her back, which contained a few wild vegetables.

Clearly, these must have been villagers from nearby villages who, due to food shortages—the Kai region is surrounded by mountains and frequently suffers from floods, so the people have always been hungry—went into the mountains to find wild vegetables, only to be met with this unexpected disaster.

And judging from her appearance, she is even pregnant.

"This...what should I do?"

Everyone looked at each other, their faces showing varying degrees of apprehension. Only Xinhu continued to grin: "A bunch of idiots! Why did you need to get so close? You should have known from the first glance that this was a living person!"

"Varied……"

The retainer was taken aback upon hearing this.

Judging from this, Xinhu was clearly aware that the other party was human and not beast, yet he still shot without hesitation... Even though he had anticipated the patriarch's character, he still couldn't help but feel a chill at this moment.

"My lord, I'm afraid..."

"Hmph, so what if they're human? This is the territory of the Takeda clan. Everything on this land belongs to me. Birds and beasts alike, this mountain, this forest, and the people living here—they are all my property. In that case, what does it matter if I kill one or two of them?"

Xinhu sneered and asked again, "What, do you have a problem with that?"

"No, I don't dare."

"Since there are no objections, why not do something for me?"

"May I ask what is the matter, my lord?" the servant asked tremblingly.

"It's simple. I want to see if this woman is carrying a boy or a girl. Pull out your knife and cut her stomach open. Try to be quick and clean, don't make it too bloody and disgusting—"

He casually pointed to the corpse on the ground, speaking in a nonchalant tone, as if he were just talking about the most ordinary topic.

Suddenly, Xinhu seemed to have thought of something amusing. He glanced around and chuckled, "Right, since we have this rare opportunity, why don't you all try to guess? If anyone guesses correctly, each of you will receive ten strings of cash! That way, the trip won't be in vain! Hahahaha!"

A gentle breeze blew, and in the stillness, only the triumphant laughter echoed far and wide through the mountains of Kai...

……

It was later learned that the woman's name was Mitsu, and she was indeed a villager from the vicinity. Her husband was a ronin from Mikawa, one-eyed and lame, named Ōbayashi Kansuke. He later changed his surname to Yamamoto and rose to become Takeda's strategist, highly valued by Takeda Harunobu.

Do you still remember that day?

Inside the thatched hut, one sat and one stood, their swords raised high above their heads. The lame man's one exposed eye was filled with hatred, and the blade in his hand was slightly tilted, reflecting the old man's closed eyes as he awaited death.

"Naturally remember."

He replied.

"Ever since I learned of Mitsu's death, I have wanted to take revenge on you. Unfortunately, I was just a ronin, while you were a powerful daimyo. Revenge was simply a pipe dream... But things are different now."

The cripple—Yamamoto Kansuke—sneered coldly, “Ten years ago, killing you would have been as difficult as ascending to heaven. Fortunately, a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Xinhu, do you have any last words?”

"I am an old man, subject to the retribution of karma... Let's begin."

"it is good!"

With a low growl, filled with resentment, the raised blade hesitated to fall for some reason.

Until Yamamoto Kansuke gritted his teeth and swung his sword... in one strike!

Snapped!

No blood was visible, but a section of gray hair rolled to the ground.

His neatly tied hair was now loose again, making the old man look somewhat comical and strange. Wan Guizhai remained sitting there steadily, motionless, seemingly without even his breathing becoming disordered. Only after feeling a cool sensation passing over his head did he slowly open his eyes.

Those dark red pupils no longer held the fierce glint they once had.

"You missed."

His tone showed no surprise, but rather a hint of regret.

Yamamoto Kansuke's sword was already hanging at his feet, but there was still light in his eyes, a light that burned from the raging fire of hatred, yet it was mixed with another completely different, cold radiance.

"Are you really not afraid of death?"

"What's so scary? If it weren't for Taro's kind heart, I would have lost my life more than ten years ago."

Wan Guizhai smiled self-deprecatingly. "If it were me, I would never choose such a lukewarm method as exile. I would definitely eliminate the problem completely... Haha, that's probably why I've ended up in this state of being abandoned by everyone."

He raised his head and asked again, "Yamamoto, why don't you use your sword to take my head and avenge your dead wife? You've been waiting for this for over a decade. What are you still hesitating for? If you're worried that the upcoming trilateral alliance might be disrupted because of this, there's no need for that. If I die, Taro can take the opportunity to make trouble. This negotiation will only be more advantageous to Takeda... This is the last thing I can do for that kid."

"I..." Yamamoto Kansuke gritted his teeth, as if he himself was struggling. Several times he was about to raise the sword in his hand, but each time he put it back. After an unknown amount of time, he finally let out a long sigh. It was a short sigh, but the emotions contained within it were extremely complex.

"I won't kill you."

"Why?"

"Because my enemy is the former head of the Takeda clan, Nobutora, the Left Minister."

"That Xinhu is right here."

"No, what I see in this eye is not that evil spirit, but a frail old thief, waiting to die. Killing him is my long-cherished wish, but killing you will only bring ridicule."

Yamamoto Kansuke took one last look at the old man, sheathed his sword, and turned to leave.

But after stepping over the threshold, he suddenly stopped.

"If only I could have killed you back then..." He sighed, his back to them.

"Yes, if only I had died by your sword more than ten years ago."

The old man sighed softly, his voice barely audible, and it was unclear whether the other person heard him. His slow, hesitant steps had already faded into the distance. Only the last rays of the setting sun remained, casting an orange-red hue across the ground, making his half-up hairstyle appear as if it were soaked in blood, a particularly poignant sight.

"It's getting dark and windy outside, come in."

Suddenly, Wan Guizhai raised his voice slightly and shouted towards the door.

About half a minute later, a flamboyantly dressed figure finally dawdled in, half-pushed and half-reluctant.

"Don't, don't push, we'll come in by ourselves..."

It was indeed a case of half "pushing" and half "accepting".

With his cane in his left hand and his right hand against Chiyo's back, Yashiro pushed the ninja who was trying to escape into the room. Chiyo's eyes darted around, but she couldn't hold on any longer and forced herself to meet the old man's gaze.

"Um, I didn't mean to eavesdrop outside, and I didn't intend to uncover this secret. You have to believe me, sir... In fact, I wanted to run away as soon as I heard the first sentence, no, no, the first word, but this guy kept holding me. If you're angry, sir, please don't take it out on me. I'm innocent!"

He stammered and hesitated, and by the end, he was almost in tears.

Yashiro couldn't help but wonder if the coward in front of her was the same person as Mochizuki Chiyome who had stopped her on the way yesterday and kept saying, "Sister will take you to experience the adult world."

Could it have been secretly switched out sometime ago?

"Why be so cautious? You seemed quite relaxed when you came to deliver the message yesterday," Wan Guizhai chuckled.

"Well, well, well, it's because we didn't know you were... well, sir..." Chiyome hurriedly explained, "They say ignorance is no excuse, please forgive us this time!"

"Alright, I'll spare you this time."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you—then, then, then we won't bother you any longer. You two can chat anytime, we'll be going now..." She probably didn't even know what she was saying for a moment, and she also used "you" to refer to Yashiro. As she spoke, the bell jingled as she approached the door, but she was stopped by the old man after only a few steps.

"and many more."

"What else is there?!" Chiyome acted like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"If you have some free time, how about running errands for me these next few days?"

"You, you ...

“It’s nothing serious, no need to panic.” Mankisai shook his head. “I just want you to go to Kofu and find a doctor named Nagata Tokumoto, and ask him one question: how is that baby from nineteen years ago doing now?”

"Just passing on a message?"

"It's just a message."

"No, no, no, no problem, sir, please wait for good news!" Before she finished speaking, Chiyo had already moved out the door in a few quick movements, and with a turn of her head, she disappeared without a trace.

"She seemed quite frightened."

The girl who remained covered her mouth and chuckled, "Speaking of which, having accidentally stumbled upon this huge secret, am I going to be silenced tonight?"

Wan Guizhai snorted: "What secret? I have never hidden my identity. This way, it will be easier for those enemies from the past to come to my door. I will repay kindness and avenge wrongs."

"Just like that person from before?"

"more or less."

The old man picked up the empty bowl in front of him, scooped up some water, and slowly drank it. After half a bowl of cold water had been downed, he looked at the silent Hachiro and asked, "Aren't you going to ask?"

"what?"

"Ask me what grudge I have against him."

“There’s no need for that.” Yashiro shook his head. “Although I’m young, I’ve heard some rumors about the previous head of the Takeda family.”

"I doubt it's anything nice," Wan Guizhai said with a wry smile.

Because this statement is true, the girl has no way to correct it.

Moreover, she had always suspected this. An old man living in Suruga, with a large amount of gold—Koshu gold—and a powerful background, and who was also acquainted with the Takeda Toha clan, could easily be associated with a former lord who had been exiled by his eldest son.

But whether it's the unofficial history or anecdotes I read in my previous life, or the rumors I occasionally hear in this life, the image of Takeda Nobutora is completely different from that of Mankisai. One is brutal and bloodthirsty, while the other is focused on healing and saving lives. The contrast between the two is too great to be considered as the same person.

"So, sir, all these years you've actually been... atoning for your sins?"

After hesitating for a moment, she asked this question.

Wan Guizhai remained silent for a long while before responding with a low, ambiguous laugh: "Yaxun girl, do you think that so-called sins can be offset by good deeds?"

"Hmm..." Not quite sure what the other person meant, Yashiro didn't answer immediately.

The old man was clearly not really asking a question. He paused slightly before continuing, "If I save one person today, will the other person I killed yesterday come back to life? What if I save ten people? A hundred people? The result remains the same—"