Yashiro the Blind

Back when there was only Wan Guizhai, he liked to feed Xiaoqin from time to time. Xiaoqin was happy to share and would give the food she couldn't finish to Yashiro. If Yashiro couldn't finish it either, there was also Longzi as the final gatekeeper to ensure that no food was wasted.

With Yamamoto Kansuke and Nagata Tokumoto, two men with plenty of money, accompanying Chiyome and revealing Kotoko's background, the number of people feeding her suddenly increased to three—Kotoko and Yashiro didn't get much more food; most of it went to Ryuko.

Because of this, Yashiro was already used to Kotori's generous sharing, and opened his mouth without thinking. Kotori, with a smiling expression, handed him the pill that smelled strongly of medicine.

Wait, a strong... medicinal smell?

A bad feeling flashed through her mind, but before that, the girl had already subconsciously bit down.

Strangely enough, despite possessing an absolute memory of "photographic memory," she had no recollection of what happened after taking the pill. Her mind was completely blank. All she knew was that when she came to her senses, the two doctors, Mankisai and Nagata Tokumoto, were standing shoulder to shoulder, head to head, observing her condition. The atmosphere was heavy and somewhat pessimistic. After confirming that she was awake, the two doctors even let out a long sigh of relief and chanted "Amitabha" in unison.

"May the gods and Buddhas protect us, may the gods and Buddhas protect us..."

"In the end what happened?"

Afterwards, she asked others, but everyone shook their heads and remained tight-lipped about the matter: "Some things are better left unsaid."

"All right……"

In any case, since she's still alive, it must not be a big deal. Yashiro thought this, completely forgetting about this little incident—and this was the third reason she ultimately let Kotoko follow Nagata Tokumoto:

She was quite interested in medicine.

Although Xiaoqin appears somewhat slow-witted due to the ordeal at birth, she is not a true simpleton. Even during the time she accompanied Wan Guizhai on her rounds, it was clear that she had no major intellectual problems; it's just that compared to ordinary people, there seems to be a thin layer of fog in her mind, making her seem a step behind in everything she does. However, when faced with something she is genuinely interested in, Xiaoqin also demonstrates a learning ability that is unparalleled.

For now, the only thing that can keep her focused on learning is medicine. Whether it's purely a hobby or a case of loving what Nagata Tokumoto has to offer, she can't just leave it unattended and let it go to waste since she has an inclination and talent in this area.

Considering this, Yamamoto Kansuke, however unwilling, had no choice but to reluctantly agree to let Nagata Tokumoto temporarily continue to be Kotomi's "father".

Of course, there is also the last and most important point: Nagata Tokumoto lives in the castle town of Tsutsuzaki-kan, not far from Yamamoto Kansuke's residence. If he wants, this cripple can drag his bad leg to see Kotomi at any time, and the two will have plenty of time to slowly cultivate their feelings for each other.

Otherwise, no matter how much he pleaded, Yamamoto Kansuke would never agree to give away the daughter he had finally found.

That settles Xiaoqin's matter.

Everyone, including the little girl herself, seemed fairly satisfied with the result—except for one person.

……

"I thought... you would say something to Xiaoqin when she left yesterday."

"What are you saying? Heh, I am the enemy who killed her mother, how could I have such a right... A butcher with blood on his hands is lucky to still have this life, how can he ask for more?" Wan Guizhai chuckled softly, his words full of self-mockery.

Unwilling to continue the conversation, he changed the subject: "But you, Yashiro, I heard you're going to Kashima Shrine to study under Ryuko?"

"Correct."

"But why haven't I seen that crazy girl?"

"She said she was starving and wanted to buy something to eat, so she told me to go ahead a few steps," Yashiro replied with a smile.

"Really, travel companions should stay together throughout the journey. How can someone with poor eyesight be allowed to leave first?" Wan Guizhai rolled his eyes, quite disgusted, but then sighed, "But that crazy girl has always been unconventional and does whatever she wants, so it's not surprising."

"Hoohoo."

"Alright, if you don't mind, why should I be upset for you... Tsk, just be careful on your journey. If you encounter any difficulties, ask someone to write you a letter. Although I don't have much ability now, I can still help you with my old face."

"Then I'll thank you in advance, sir."

"Tsk, that sounds like a perfunctory excuse... Hurry up and leave, just looking at you is annoying."

The old man waved his hands repeatedly as if shooing away flies. Yashiro smiled again, bowed to him, put on his straw hat, adjusted the bundle hanging around his neck, tapped his cane, and took a step forward.

It's early morning, another beautiful day with clear skies and golden sunlight streaming through the clouds, warming you up. The occasional chirping of birds in the distance adds to the relaxed mood.

The road was heading east. After walking for a short while, they came to a fork in the road. A figure was already standing in front of them, dressed as a traveler, with a square wooden box on his back and two swords at his waist. He was looking up at the sky and turned his gaze when he heard footsteps.

"Miss Yashiro".

That was Inosuke's voice.

Yashiro tilted her head, seemingly surprised: "Mr. Aota... I heard people say you had left when I woke up this morning. I thought you had already gone far away."

"I had already walked quite a distance, but then I realized I hadn't properly said goodbye to you, so I turned back," Inosuke replied.

"so……"

The girl suddenly realized.

“That’s right, that’s how it is. We’ve been through a lot together, and to part ways like this without saying a word seems a bit heartless… Haha, I know you wouldn’t care about that, Yashiro-san, it’s just my own overthinking—by the way, are you going to Kashima-san next, Yashiro-san?”

"I have this plan."

"Yes, Kashima is a great place. The scenery is beautiful. Even if you can't see, you can feel the weight of history just by listening and feeling your body... Not to mention the famous Shinto-ryu swordsman there. Really, I never thought that Miss Ryuko was actually the granddaughter of Lord Tsukahara Bokuden. This world is sometimes very big, but sometimes it is really too small."

"Who says otherwise... And Mr. Qingtian, what are your plans for the future?"

"Plans..." When asked about this, Inosuke suddenly fell silent, as if he was thinking seriously. After a moment, he sighed, "To be honest, I don't know either. At first, I was chasing after Shizu everywhere, wanting to avenge my master. Later, I learned that the enemy was someone else, but not long after, the real enemy died, and Shizu died too... I became alone again. It felt like I could go anywhere, but it also felt like nowhere was quite right."

"Would you like to come with us?" the girl asked.

"Forget it, you two young ladies are having a great time sightseeing, it would be unpleasant for me to come along."

He shook his head and laughed. "Let me think. Since we came from the west, let's go to Kai first... and then go to Echigo, heading north to see that snowy landscape... Once we've traveled all over the country and seen enough of the scenery, we can slowly decide what to do next."

"That sounds very pleasant."

"Haha, I also envy you and Miss Ryuko. Having someone to accompany you makes the journey less lonely—unfortunately, I am destined to travel alone. Well then... farewell?"

"...Wait a minute."

"kindness?"

Having already turned halfway around, Inosuke turned back in confusion upon hearing Yashiro's voice. "Is there anything else?"

"Mr. Qingtian, have you forgotten that there is still a score to settle between us?"

"A debt, what does it mean... Ah, I remember now!"

Inosuke recalled for a moment and then said with a start, "I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. At the time, I thought I was definitely going to die, so I entrusted the school's military strategy book to you, Yashiro, for safekeeping... I never expected that the one who died would be Shizu, haha... How ironic."

He finished speaking with a bitter laugh, and the girl lowered her head without replying.

"But Miss Yashiro is truly a trustworthy person. If it were me, and the person who entrusted me with something didn't even remember it, I definitely wouldn't offer to return it. Hmm... is that book of military strategy with you now?"

As Inosuke spoke, he glanced at the small bundle on the girl's shoulder.

Judging by its size, it really doesn't look like it contains a wooden box with a scroll.

"Not here," Yashiro replied as expected.

"Oh? Where is that?"

"Well... where is that book of military strategy, and what does it have to do with Mr. Qingtian?" the girl replied with a smile. Although her voice was as pleasant as ever, her words were not pleasant to hear.

Inosuke couldn't help but frown, his expression somewhat displeased: "Miss Yashiro, what do you mean by that? Putting aside the fact that the military strategy book originally belonged to my sect, wasn't it you who brought up this topic?"

"Hoo hoo, Mr. Qingtian must have misunderstood. I only said that there is a score between us that we haven't settled. From beginning to end, I haven't mentioned a single word of military strategy."

"If it's not a book of military strategy, then what is it? Since we met, I haven't had one..."

Inosuke paused, seemingly striving for accuracy, and then frowned and pondered for a while before confirming, "Hmm, I really don't remember owing you anything. Or are you going to bring up that Dragon Palace Fortune Slip from before? If it is, I, Inosuke, am not incapable of repaying that favor, but to deliberately use this method to coerce you is rather disheartening."

"Why do you ask a question you already know the answer to..."

Yashiro shook his head, his voice gradually lowering, and his left hand was already on his cane, his five fingers tightening as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

The bright morning light poured down like a waterfall, illuminating the crossroads and the girl's tightly pursed lips hidden beneath her straw hat. She sighed softly, "The debt I'm referring to is, of course,... the lives of the three masters and disciples of the Great Floating Stream."

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Hearing the Lingering Sound Again

A soft whisper, yet it resounded like thunder.

Inosuke was initially stunned, seemingly not understanding the meaning of those words at all. After a couple of seconds, his eyes widened and anger appeared on his face: "You...you suspect I'm Kanna?"

"Aren't you the same?" Yashiro retorted.

"Outrageous...outrageous, outrageous!"

Inosuke's voice grew louder and louder, barely concealing his anger, "Even if I have offended you in some way, you don't have to humiliate me like this! How dare you call me that bastard Kanna—that guy killed my master and Shizu!"

As he spoke, it almost turned into a low growl.

Perhaps feeling that this was a bit inappropriate for a young girl, he tried to adjust his breathing and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down a bit: "Apologize now, and I can pretend that what you just said never happened. But if you continue to spout nonsense... even if it's you, Miss Yashiro, I will have no choice but to draw my sword and fight to the death."

As he spoke coldly, Inosuke had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, instantly tightening the atmosphere. It was as if a single word from Yashiro, refusing to back down, would immediately ignite a life-or-death battle.

Being falsely accused of being the murderer of one's master is a perfectly reasonable reaction.

But the girl only sighed softly: "Even the wisest person can make a mistake. Aren't you surprised that no one else noticed, but I was the only one who noticed your true form?"

"Shut up!"

"Because I can't see."

As if she hadn't heard Inosuke's threatening words at all, she pointed to her ears and said, "Because I can't see, I can only experience the world by hearing... You know, besides the sound of talking, people can also hear subtle sounds and movements such as the frequency of breathing, the rhythm of their heartbeat, the weight of their footsteps, and the friction of their joints. Ordinary people might not even be aware of these, but my ears are more sensitive, so I can usually hear them."

"...That's how I remember someone. Your disguise skills are perhaps truly miraculous. Even the highly skilled physicians, Mr. Mankisai and Mr. Nagata, who should be the most adept at observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation, didn't notice anything amiss. The discerning Yamamoto-sama also mistook you for the real Aota Inosuke..."

"However, outward disguises are meaningless to me. Even if I could change my skin and bones, the speed at which this heart beats would never change. To be more precise, whether you are excited, happy, or just showing anger, your heartbeat never changes at all. It is surprisingly calm. From beginning to end, whether you are 'Tenfu Goro' or 'Aota Inosuke,' you have always been acting and have never put in any real emotions."

Yashiro's expression turned cold. "The truth will out. Now that things have come to this, Kanna, are you going to keep pretending?"

"..."

His face, which had been full of anger, vanished without a trace the moment the girl uttered her last words.

The ronin's hand remained on the hilt of his sword. With a flick of his eyes, all the overwhelming emotions, the overflowing grievances and anger, vanished. His face remained expressionless as he scrutinized the girl in the straw hat before him with an utterly indifferent gaze.

That gaze was as if it were scrutinizing a dead person... a lifeless object.

After a moment, he tilted his head slightly. His voice was still Inosuke's, but his tone of voice was completely different from that of the short, fat, talkative ronin.

"So that's how it is. The flaw was revealed here... Indeed, Brother Goro's daughter is not to be underestimated."

Snapped!

Crack! Snapped!

The first sound was abrupt, a crisp sound similar to beans being fried in a large iron wok. The second sound followed, and then the third sound. The crackling sound of frying beans continued incessantly, and "Inosuke's" body gradually rose higher and higher. He was not much taller than Yashiro to begin with, but in an instant, he had grown more than two heads taller!

And that originally chubby body, due to the change in physique, became like a bamboo pole, swaying and frightening to look at, as if a gust of wind could easily blow it away.

"You seem... to have grown taller?"

Yashiro listened intently for a while, then pondered, "No, it must be that I deliberately shrunk before... Was it some kind of bone-shrinking technique?"

"Inosuke"—Kanna didn't answer, but said in a tone that was neither a sigh nor a laugh, with little inflection: "I thought that as long as I changed my body shape and appearance, I could fool most people, but I didn't expect that there would be a flaw in my voice. After all, I haven't dealt with blind people much so far... Thank you for pointing this out. Next time, there won't be a similar oversight."

The voice he was using was no longer Inosuke's, but a different, elusive, and unfamiliar one, eerie and ghostly, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes in front, sometimes behind. Even though the person was standing right in front of him, if you only listened to the voice, you could hardly pinpoint his exact location.

It's unclear whether this is Shinna's natural way of speaking or a "voice" he specifically chose to deal with the girl.

In any case, as long as she can still hear a heartbeat and breathing, she will not misjudge the other person's location.

"Are you so sure... you'll have another chance?"

Yashiro asked softly.

"So you're saying you're willing to fight me to the death for the sake of the three from the Great Floating River?"

Shen Wubu countered with a question, "You and Maki Ryusai are complete strangers, and Shizu has only met you twice. Even with Aota Inosuke, with whom you've known each other the longest, I think given the relationship between the two of you, it shouldn't be to the point where you'd risk your lives to avenge him, right?"

"Indeed, that's what I thought at first, but I later realized that even if it's just a casual acquaintance... you can still be sad when the time comes."

Yashiro shook his head, his tone wistful.

To be honest, it wasn't the kind of heart-wrenching grief I felt. It was more like the feeling of suddenly stepping into thin air while sleeping and waking up with a start, that empty feeling in my heart, thinking about a life, someone I knew, someone I had even talked to and eaten with not long ago, and now suddenly dead...

Life and death are unpredictable; how can one not feel sorrow?

"Of course... if you think this reason isn't strong enough, I don't mind settling another score with you—remember when we first met, you said that my father was betrayed and ambushed by Momochi Tanba-no-kami, ultimately dying a tragic death... that betrayer was you, right?"

she asked.

Shen Wu chuckled softly: "A reasonable guess, but do you have any evidence?"

"I really have no evidence..."

"That--"

"But I don't need evidence."

Before the other person could continue, Yashiro interrupted him, "Similarly, you can explain as you please, but I won't believe a single word of your explanation... Alright, now you can start explaining."

"...Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

After a brief silence, Shen Wuhu burst into laughter, "You are indeed very interesting, extremely interesting. If I could, I would like to let you grow for another five years... no, ten years, and then replace you. At that time, I am sure I will be able to experience a life that is far more enjoyable than this one. But alas, what a pity, I have to kill you here!"