Yashiro the Blind

"Oh...that's a topic that has nothing to do with me."

"Who said that? Didn't you just drink the moon?"

Yashiro rubbed the rim of her wine glass with her thumb and laughed, "Well, this moon is quite delicious."

"Haha." Tsukahara Bokuden chuckled and waved, "Come over here."

"it is good."

The girl took a straw mat from the side, spread it on the ground, and sat down. She held the wine cup in both hands and sipped it like a cat.

"Why did you wake up so early today?"

"I don't know, it seems like... I had a dream."

"Nightmare?"

“No.” Yashiro shook her head. “Although I can’t remember the details of the dream, I feel like I dreamed about something good.”

"That's it."

The old man poured himself another glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, clicked his tongue, and suddenly said, "You must have noticed it recently, right?"

"what?"

"Taro, he comes over every few days. He doesn't say anything openly, but he's subtly urging me to go back. He says he's been hiding it for half a year and it's about to become unbearable, and he says that the family can't do without me as their pillar of support... Honestly, I'm such a grown-up, and I still have to rely on a sixty or seventy-year-old man all the time. I'm so pathetic!"

He cursed somewhat angrily, then added, "But then I thought about it again. As parents, we can't be too willful and make things difficult for our children. So I'm thinking that after a while, around the time spring arrives, I'll take Longzi back home..."

"Oh."

"And you, Yashiro, what do you want to say? You can come back with me, or you can continue to live here. If you choose to stay, I will officially give you this house. But if it's up to Ryuko to choose, she will definitely want you to come back with her."

"Oh... never mind."

"Without any beginning or end, which one is it that's settled?"

"Never mind." Yashiro finally finished the small glass of wine in his hand, licked the water stains from the corner of his mouth, and smiled slightly. "Grandpa, I want to... continue traveling."

"Wanting to travel is fine, but what you're implying... are you finally realizing you can't learn anything from this old man and are planning to pack your bags and run away?" the old man asked, stroking his beard, half-jokingly.

"Of course not, I've learned a lot during this time."

"For example?"

"For example... clearing land and cultivating crops is an incredibly tiring task, far more tiring than killing someone, but this exhaustion, ironically, brings a sense of peace. I've thought about why, and it's probably because killing... taking someone's life shouldn't be so easy..."

She finished speaking softly, then sighed, "I've been struggling with who should be killed and who shouldn't. Even robbers or murderers who have killed countless people feel sadness for their deaths... But even that sadness itself is light and weightless. Just like you said, those who have never held a hoe will not know how heavy a bowl of rice is. The reason I feel this way is probably because I know too little about the world today."

"That's why you want to go out for a walk and see the world." The old man's expression gradually became serious, and his eyes shone in the moonlight.

“Yes.” The girl nodded. “Even though I can’t see, I can still use this cane and my legs to experience this world. Even though I can’t see the colorful things, I can still use my ears and nose to smell, my tongue to taste, and my hands to touch. Although I don’t know what I’m looking for yet, the answer must be in this world.”

Originally, she hadn't had this idea, but after hearing the old man say that she would be going home soon, a thought suddenly surfaced in Yashiro's mind:

Where does she live?

Does she...have a home?

After a brief moment of confusion, another thought flashed through her mind like lightning: The Tenfu Castle in Iga had fallen into enemy hands; her parents and relatives were all gone; even if she had other distant relatives, their homes were not her true home; and even this place she was living in now—Tsukahara Bokuden and Ryuko were good people, but not family. This thatched hut was not her home—

But so what?

If there were no roof tiles to shield her from the sun, why couldn't she use the blue sky as her tent and the earth as her bed? Although she didn't have a home in the narrow sense to return to, when she took a step out and stepped onto the yellow earth, with the sky covering her and the earth supporting her, wasn't this land that gave her birth and nurtured her her home?

If your eyes are clouded, the three realms seem narrow; if your heart is free of worries, even a bed feels spacious.

So far in her life, the first nine years were spent in a daze, and the last five years were filled with unbearable suffering. Although she had mastered a great deal of skill, looking back, she never really wanted to calm down and experience the world. It was precisely because she had never been in it that she was able to easily draw her sword and kill. Perhaps, subconsciously, she only regarded this period of time as a game, or a nightmare.

That's why I'm afraid.

In her past life, she was bound by layers of laws and morals. At the same time, her firm values ​​and simple thoughts made Yashiro feel that being a good person was a matter of course. Not to mention murder, even theft was unimaginable. The most heinous thing she had ever done was probably running two red lights.

But upon arriving in this world and regaining her senses, she already possessed exceptional swordsmanship. The people around her seemed to take killing and death for granted. Whenever she wanted, she could kill—bad guys, good guys, those who provoked her, and those who had never provoked her… She could kill bandits who challenged her, or a villager who just happened to be passing by. If she could kill Mishima Doppo, she could certainly kill Jiro, Hatsume, Ryuko, Koto, and Mankisai…

The constraints that were once taken for granted suddenly disappeared. All that remained to restrain her were her own thoughts and the most unreliable values—every time she thought of these, Yashiro felt terrified, as if she were standing on a bottomless abyss, and one wrong step would send her plummeting to her doom.

She was troubled by this for a long time, unable to find an answer. Shouldn't the evildoers in this world be killed? But what if she accidentally killed an innocent person? If she let one evildoer go free, more good people would suffer misfortune. But what if her rash sword strike destroyed a happy family?

All this entanglement suddenly gave way to a different kind of understanding the moment I picked up the hoe.

Farming is a tiring job, but this exhaustion, in a sense, is proof of the continuation of life—human life and the life of all things have their weight. To look down on others and lightly judge or grieve the passing of other lives is nothing short of self-satisfaction.

Having figured this out, Yashiro suddenly felt that she should embark on her journey again.

This time, he is not a chivalrous swordsman who upholds justice and eliminates evil, nor a martial artist who travels the world to learn military strategy, nor even a transmigrator with the advantage of foresight who is always sighing and complaining in his heart. Instead, he travels to all corners of the world under the name "Hachiko".

In that way, when she finds the answer to a question she's been pondering, she probably won't be troubled or conflicted about it anymore.

……

A night wind came, rustling through a thousand branches. The girl held a small cup in her hands; the wine in the cup was empty, and the moonlight that had once reflected on the water's surface had long since disappeared.

But she tilted her head back, her pale, lifeless eyes slightly opening, as if trying to see another bright moon emerging from a deep, unchanging darkness—

The bright moon hangs high in the sky.

……

Volume Two: New Events in Tōmi Province

Chapter 84: The First Year of Yonglu

Time flies like water, passing by in a flash.

The cherry blossoms on the branches bloomed and faded, faded and bloomed again. When they bloomed for the fourth time, the country's era name had changed from Hongzhi to Yonglu, which was the first year of Yonglu. According to the Gregorian calendar, it was now the spring of 1558, a sunny and breezy day.

In the warm and comfortable breeze, the group was traveling wearily.

Leading the way was a man dressed as a warrior, with a short sword at his waist and a long sword slung across his shoulder. He looked shrewd and capable, and as he walked, he kept a sharp eye on his surroundings, especially the tall weeds that were taller than a person. Whenever the wind blew and the grass rustled, his hand would instinctively reach for the hilt of his sword.

A little further back was a middle-aged man of unremarkable appearance, wearing an old straw hat, shorts and a t-shirt, and coarse cloth leggings. He carried only a short knife for self-defense. At first glance, he looked like a merchant who could be seen anywhere.

He was leading two small packhorses, one carrying several bundles of goods, while a person sat on the back of the other horse.

A petite young woman.

Judging from her appearance, she was probably not even twenty years old. She had a slender figure and jet-black hair that was neither long nor short, reaching down to her shoulders.

Although it was already spring, the weather was still a bit chilly. She was only wearing a light-colored blouse with patched edges, her eyes were slightly closed, revealing a little bit of the whites of her eyes, a cane was tucked into her belt, a small bundle hung behind her neck, and a tattered pipa was slung over her back.

As the packhorse moved, she swayed as she sat on it, as if she might fall off at any moment. Yet, she didn't hold onto anything with her hands, or simply lay down on the horse's back, appearing quite relaxed and carefree. Not only that, she even took out a few red wild berries from the small pouch at her waist and ate them in small bites.

The way it eats reminds one of a squirrel in the forest.

"Click..."

The crisp sound of chewing rang out from time to time, and the merchants couldn't help but glance over sideways: "Is it delicious?"

"It doesn't taste good, it's very sour."

"But I clearly saw you eating with great relish."

"Because I was hungry. I had no money and couldn't afford food, so I had to fill my stomach with these sour fruits... Because they are very sour, eating a few will make me feel full." As she said this, the woman carrying the pipa put a fruit in her mouth and then spat the pit of the previous fruit into her palm.

"Really?" The traveling merchant still looked unconvinced. "Give me one to try too."

"It's really sour."

“Sour ones are fine too. I especially like the dried plums in rice balls… By the way, I already promised to give you a ride for free. It’s just a wild fruit, you don’t have to be so stingy, do you?” He seemed a little unhappy, as if he thought the woman was being stingy and unwilling to share.

"Alright." The woman sighed, tilted her head to listen, and casually tossed a small fruit out. It landed squarely in the merchant's mouth—he had been talking and hadn't had time to close his mouth; upon the foreign object entering, he instinctively took a bite…

"Ptooey!" She spat it out immediately the next second. "So sour! What is this stuff?! It's so sour it's killing me!"

"That's why I don't want to repay kindness with enmity." The woman had expected this, and sighed softly, her voice seemingly tinged with a hint of schadenfreude.

The traveling merchant didn't bother arguing with her. He gulped down several mouthfuls of water, which calmed him down a little, but the lingering sourness in his mouth still made him grimace: "How did you manage to eat something so sour!"

"Sweetness has its advantages, and sourness has its advantages. In this world, we should savor every flavor—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty—to achieve a healthy life."

"Your words sound like something a monk in a temple would say. You truly are worthy of someone who once served under Master Guangyu at Linquan Temple."

"I'm just learning to play the pipa from a master. After all, blind people can only make a living with these few skills... It's just a pity that my skills are not good enough, and no one is willing to give me any rewards. I often go hungry, so I can only fill my stomach with these sour fruits."

The woman smiled wryly, while the traveling merchant glanced at the pipa on her back and advised, "I think if you really want to make a living with this skill, then no matter how good you are, you should first get a better pipa—even if you have to borrow money from others. After all, this thing is like a samurai's sword. If a samurai's sword is dull, broken, and full of rust, he will definitely be looked down upon."

“That makes sense… but this pipa is a keepsake from my father, and I can’t just give it up easily.”

“My father’s belongings, they really can’t be replaced casually.”

"Yes."

Amidst the casual conversation, the woman spat the fruit pit from her mouth into her palm, then took out a leaf, wrapped them up, and put them away.

The merchants glanced over every now and then, walked a little further, and suddenly asked, "Judging by the time, at this speed, we should be able to reach the nearby town before dark, so we won't have to camp in the wild like we have for the past few days. What do you think, young lady? Are you still going to continue with us?"

"Forget it." The woman thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't have much money left, and I probably can't afford a proper hotel. It wouldn't be right for me to drag you two along to a rental shop with me..."

The so-called timber rental shops were cheap inns that did not provide meals and required guests to bring their own rice to cook. They were generally only chosen by itinerant performers, traveling monks, itinerant craftsmen, and day laborers. Ordinary merchants would not even consider staying there, and would rather stay as far away as possible, for fear that their goods might be stolen.

It should be known that among all sorts of people, there is never a shortage of petty thieves and scoundrels.

Sure enough, after hearing the woman's words, the traveling merchant couldn't help but show a troubled expression and sighed, "I see... There's nothing we can do. Once we reach the town ahead, we'll say goodbye and go our separate ways."

The woman replied, "There's no time like the present; let's part ways here."

"Here?" The merchant was taken aback, looking around in confusion. "But this is still the wilderness!"

"For someone who can't see, whether it's the wilderness, a town, or even a castle towering high in the clouds, it's all the same... The weather is nice today, the wind is quite pleasant, perfect for a walk."

"In this case……"

Although the merchant hesitated for a moment, he did not stop her. He stopped his horse and helped the blind woman down from her horse. After she stood up, he was about to say something when he saw the woman reach into her sleeve, take out a few copper coins, and hand them to him.

"I told you I wouldn't take your money." He reached out to block him.

The woman did not take it back: "So this money is not a reward for borrowing the horse from you, but my humble gratitude... Please accept it." As she spoke, she handed it forward again, and the merchant could not refuse, so he sighed and accepted it.

“You’re quite the oddball…” he clicked his tongue, his face full of wonder. The woman pursed her lips and smiled slightly: “People often say that… Since you two are in a hurry to check into the inn before dark, I won’t delay any longer and will take my leave now.”

After she finished speaking, she cupped her hands in a respectful bow to the merchant, then took out her cane from her waist, tapped it twice, turned around, and walked out in another direction. Behind her, the merchant shouted, "Wait! There are no towns or villages over there!"

"It will happen eventually."

The woman waved casually, her steps unwavering, tapping her cane as she walked further and further away. The merchant watched her retreating figure with a strange gaze until she completely disappeared from sight, then let out a long sigh, a complex expression on his face, and muttered to himself:

"What a weirdo..."

……

The gaze that had been fixed on my back finally disappeared.

The sounds of the other person's heartbeat and breathing had completely faded away, becoming a faint murmur in the spring breeze. Only then did a cheerful smile appear on the woman's face: "We'll be in the town soon... I don't want to be working with Echigo's spies; it'll be easy to get blamed..."

Looking back, the "traveling merchant's" disguise was really not very good. Although he tried his best to hide it, you could still hear a hint of Echigo accent. His steps were steady, his heartbeat was strong and powerful, and the palms of his hands that you occasionally touched had unique calluses, which clearly indicated that he was a veteran who had practiced martial arts for many years. As for the so-called bodyguard, his martial arts skills were mediocre and he was probably just a shield that the other party found randomly in the local area.

The flaws didn't stop there. Along the way, she noticed that the other party seemed to pay more attention to the terrain of the surrounding mountains and rivers, as well as the reputation of the local lords, than to buying and selling goods. Also, even though she had only mentioned that she had learned the pipa from Master Guangyu, the other party immediately mentioned the name of Linquan Temple... There were countless other clues. As for the most important flaw, it was that the bundles of cloth he had the packhorses carry had a special smell. It was blue ramie cloth—a famous product of Echigo.

This place is the easternmost part of Kanto, the border between Shimotsuke Province and Hitachi Province. In other words, this "traveling merchant" who speaks the Echigo dialect and is skilled in martial arts managed to leisurely traverse half of eastern Japan with two ponies and several bundles of Echigo's famous blue ramie cloth, but he still couldn't sell his goods.

Either the fabric is too cheap and nobody wants it, or... this person is just weird.

Then, thinking back to just last year, Uesugi Norimasa, the former Kanto Kanrei and head of the Yamanouchi Uesugi family, was defeated by Hojo Ujiyasu and fled in disarray to Echigo for protection. He then adopted Kagetora as his son and offered the position of Kanto Kanrei in exchange for Nagao Kagetora's military assistance in attacking the Hojo... These events all happened within the last year or two.

Although historically, Nagao Kagetora did not begin to rally the warlords of Kanto and besiege Odawara Castle until three years later, it now seems that the Dragon of Echigo may have already begun his plans at that time.

"He who calculates more wins, he who calculates less loses... He truly deserves to be called a famous general. It's a pity I never had the chance to meet him."

She murmured softly, but her thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere, "It's been years since I've seen him. I wonder if Longzi and Grandpa are safe and sound... and the others." Her voice was full of longing.

This woman was none other than Yashiro.

After three years, in the spring of 1554, Tsukahara Bokuden finally could not resist his son's repeated, open and covert pleas and returned home from his reclusive state to take charge of the overall situation.

Ryuko hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to go back with her grandfather. However, she deliberately pulled Yashiro aside and whispered something to her: "Grandpa is almost seventy years old and won't live much longer. Yashiro, you are still young. I'll stay with Grandpa first, and I'll come find you to play after he's gone."

"Well, Grandpa's right next to us, he can hear us..."

“So what if I heard it? It’s not like it’s something I can’t let anyone hear,” Longzi said matter-of-factly.

Yashiro was very worried.

But instead of getting angry, Tsukahara Bokuden laughed heartily: "That's right, the old man doesn't have many years left to live. He wants to spend as much time as possible with his granddaughter. Yashiro, you should also stay out there for too long, lest you miss the last time you see me."

"That's true. Grandpa, you're so healthy, you'll definitely live to be a hundred."

"Don't say such deceitful things. How many people throughout history have lived to be a hundred? Instead of saying nice things to coax me, let me see you a few more times. Go, go, hurry up and set off. Otherwise, that girl Longzi might change her mind and want to go out with you. Then this old man will be all alone in his empty room. How lonely will that be?"