I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

"Then again, His Majesty the Emperor will really find us something to do..." Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone was somewhat dissatisfied and displeased, "Can't you just study with peace of mind?"

Listening to Matsudaira Sadanobu's sudden complaint, the wry smile on Tachibana's face was a little more helpless.

Tachibana didn't know exactly what Matsudaira Sadanobu's feelings for the Emperor were, but he guessed that Matsudaira Sadanobu must have been quite critical of the Emperor.

Two years ago, Matsudaira Sadanobu had an incident with the emperor that might be recorded in history.

Two years ago, in the first year of Kansei (1789 A.D.), the emperor wanted to confer the title of "Emperor Taishang" on his father, Prince Norinhito, but was strongly opposed by Matsudaira Sadanobu.

The reason for the objection is: conferring the honorary title of "Emperor Taishang" to a non-imperial heir is a private act of honor.

Matsudaira Sadanobu's direct opposition to granting her husband the honorary title naturally annoyed the emperor.

Tachibana heard: When the Emperor learned that Matsudaira Sadanobu did not give him face so much, he was furious, and he was so angry that his seven orifices were full of smoke-whether it was true or not, Tachibana did not know, the only thing that was certain was that the Emperor was really very angry at that time.

But it was useless for the emperor to be angry.

The emperor is only the head of state in name. He has no power or wealth in his hands, and he has no soldiers under his command. How can he take the shogunate? How about Matsudaira Sadanobu, who has no power over the world?

In the end, under the pressure of Matsudaira Sadanobu, the emperor had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​conferring on his husband the title of "Emperor Taishang".

So - Matsudaira Sadanobu can be regarded as having had a feud with the emperor, which is not a small festival.

Hearing the displeasure in Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone just now, Tachibana thought: His Excellency must be a little displeased with the emperor's behavior, which is tantamount to directing the shogunate's political administration.

Matsudaira Sadanobu also said to Tachibana more than once: the emperor only needs to concentrate on learning and should not interfere with political affairs, and all political affairs should be handled by the shogunate.

"...My lord, should we try to form a team dedicated to chasing Ogata Yishi?" After Tachibana pursed his lips, he put forward his own suggestion, "Gather the best thief catchers in the country, Chase Ogata Yishi everywhere."

"A team dedicated to chasing Ogata Itsuki..." Matsudaira Sadanobu murmured, "Then who do you think is more suitable to join this team?"

"I think Hasegawa Heizo-sama is very suitable!" Tachibana said without hesitation, "Although Hasegawa Heizo-sama has done such despicable things as embezzling public funds, it is undeniable that his ability is quite outstanding.

"

"Hasegawa Heizo..." After muttering Hasegawa's name once, Matsudaira Sadanobu fell silent.

After being silent for a while, Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly said:

"As for the pursuit of Ogata Itsuki, let's save it for later."

"Let's focus on the upcoming attack on the Red Moon Fortress and the development of Ezo Land."

"Tachibana, go and help me see if the bath water is ready."

"I want to take a shower now."

Tachibana: "Yes!"

...

...

In Ezo, somewhere in the wild—

"Unkamuyi?" Ogata frowned slightly.

A certain memory began to emerge in Ogata's mind.

Ogata still remembers what Shimasuke told him when he heard the hunting story of the "former hunter" Shimasuke for the first time: Unkamuyi is an Ainu language, which means evil god, and the Ainu will eat it Bears with human flesh are called "Unkamuyi".

"You called the bear that escaped just now 'Unkamuyi'." Considering that the person in front of him is Ezo, he may not be particularly proficient in Japanese, so Ogata spoke slowly, "Could it be possible that just now Did the escaped bear eat human flesh too?"

"Oh?" Ezo cast a surprised look at Asaogata, "Kazuto, you actually know what 'unkamuyi' means?"

Ogata said: "I heard a friend introduce it."

"So that's it... That's right, the bear that escaped just now was also a bear that ate human flesh."

"The dead bear at your feet, and the bear that escaped just now, are a couple."

Ogata and Atachi: "Husband and wife?"*2

The two spoke in unison, and then involuntarily glanced at the dead bear at their feet.

"Yeah. That's right. It's a couple. The couple act together, and they're both bears that have eaten people—this is the first time I've seen this kind of situation."

Ezo let out a low sigh.

"According to our rules, any bear that has killed or eaten people must be hunted and killed."

"Half a month ago, we discovered this pair of man-eating bears, and then several of our settlements joined forces to search for and kill this pair of man-eating bears."

"I was one of the hunters who came to hunt this pair of man-eating bears."

"My respect and thanks to you two for killing the mother bear of the man-eating bears."

Ezo bowed to Ogata and the others as they were friends.

"Now only the male bear remains..."

"Just listening to the roar, I could tell that the bear that ran away was the male of the pair of man-eating bears."

"I've come across it twice and it escaped each time."

"This male bear is very cunning, and far more spiritual and intelligent than ordinary bears."

"The reason why he suddenly ran away just now and didn't attack you is probably because he sensed that the two of you are not easy to deal with, and he smelled me and knew that I was approaching."

"I've encountered it twice, and it probably has already remembered my smell."

After quietly listening to Ezo's big words, A-Machi seemed to have suddenly realized something, and hurriedly asked Ezo:

"The two of us killed its wife, so it shouldn't seek revenge from us, right?"

"This..." Ezo smiled wryly and shook his head, "It's hard to say."

"That male bear is exceptionally smart, and it's hard for me to predict his actions."

"It may stop approaching you because it thinks you two are difficult to deal with."

"It is also possible... to follow you quietly, and then take advantage of the opportunity to attack you when you are not prepared."

"...So far, I have made many enemies." Ogata said in a joking tone, "I didn't expect that I would have a day of enmity with 'inhumans'."

"My life is getting richer and richer."

Hearing Ogata's joke, a bit of surprise appeared on Ezo's face.

"You are really calm, you may already be missed by the bear. Don't you feel scared?"

"There's nothing to be afraid of, right?" Ogata said in a calm tone, "If it comes to your door, just kill it."

Ezo raised his eyebrows, then smiled and said:

"What courage. If you are an Ainu, you must be one of the bravest hunters in the settlement."

After all, Ezo moved his eyes, looked Ogata and A-machi up and down several times, and said seriously:

"You two, I have an unfeeling request."

"As I said just now, I was one of the hunters who came to hunt this pair of man-eating bears."

"Once a bear eats a human, it can only survive by eating human for the rest of its life."

"If we don't hunt down the remaining male bear as soon as possible, then maybe it will break into our settlement and eat people again."

"Since the male bear that is still fleeing may have missed you, I hope you can help me."

"Please let me act with you two."

"If the male bear came later and wanted to avenge his wife, I would kill him in one go."

"It's not only good for me, it's good for you too."

"Although it is a bit boastful to say so, I am actually one of the best hunters in our settlement."

"With me at your side, if that male bear comes to your door, you will be much safer."

After patiently listening to Ezo's stuttering Japanese, Ogata pondered for a moment, then said:

"Bear hunting..."

"Well, if you want to cooperate with us, it's not impossible."

"But I have one more condition."

"What condition?" Ezo asked.

"We are looking for two people now." Ogata said, "According to the existing investigation, the two of them went deep into the hinterland of Ezo."

"So I hope you can take us to the settlement where you live in the future, so that we can ask the people in the settlement where you live, whether they have seen the two people I am looking for."

"At that time, I hope you can persuade those who do not want to cooperate with us."

"By the way, help us with the translation. The two of us can only speak a little Ainu language, and we can't communicate fluently with Ainu yet."

"In addition, I hope you can take us to other settlements and help us find the two people we are looking for in other settlements. Help us translate and explain to us that we have no malicious intentions."

Just now when he heard that Ezo expressed his desire to cooperate, Ogata keenly realized that this was a good opportunity.

A good opportunity to hook up with Ezo, and then make the search for Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen a lot smoother.

After Ogata told Ezo what he wanted in one breath, Ezo lowered his head and thought.

"Looking for someone..." Ezo only thought for a while, then nodded, "Okay. This kind of trivial matter is no problem."

"But there are not many settlements that I can take you to. I can only take you to the few settlements that have a better relationship with my settlement. I can't take you to other settlements."

"No problem." Ogata said, "Take me to as many settlements as you can."

"Then wish us a happy cooperation." Ezo smiled, "My name is Aiyaka."

Ogata: "Mashima Goro."

A-cho: "A-cho."

Ogata and A-Machi both reported their names.

...

...

"It's getting dark now." Aiyaka looked at the current sky, "Hurry up and harvest your spoils, both of you."

Aiyaka pouted at the dead bear whose blood had drained dry.

"According to our rules, the prey will belong to whoever catches it."

"So everything on this dead bear is yours."

"This bear is so big. Although the skin on its body is somewhat damaged, it can still be sold for a lot of money if you take its bear skin and bear bile to your market."

Ogata happened to be planning to take off the bear's hide and bile, so that they could be used for bartering with the Ezos later.

"Speaking of this..." Ogata raised his hand and scratched his hair, "Neither of us know how to skin a bear, nor do we know which organ is a bear's gallbladder..."

"Oh." Aiyaka said softly, "Is that so... Then do you want me to help? I am also one of the best players in the settlement when it comes to skinning."

After all, Aiyaka puffed out her chest with pride.

"Would you like to help us peel the skin?" Ogata nodded, "Then I will thank you."

"You're welcome. It's just a trivial matter." Aiyaka pulled out the dagger from his waist, then walked quickly to the side of the dead bear, and began to skin the bear.

Aiyaka just said that he is one of the best skinners in the settlement, and it seems that he is not bragging.

The peeling technique is so skillful that it produces a strange beauty.

When Aiyaka was concentrating on skinning the bear, in order to pass the time, and by the way, to learn more about his current partner, Ogata asked:

"Your Japanese is really good. Did you learn it specially?"

"Well, that's about it." Aiyaka nodded, "Our settlement has always been doing business with your Heren merchants."

"Thanks to those 'peace merchants', our settlement is fairly rich."

"So the people in our settlement don't hate Kazuto."

"I have been dealing with 'Heshang' for a long time, so many people in our settlement can speak Heyu."

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot to remind you."

Aiyaka turned her head and looked at Ogata and Acho.

"Although we know that 'Ezo' is what you and others commonly call us."

"But we still prefer you to call us 'Ainu'."

"'Ainu'?" A-Ming asked puzzled.

"'Ainu' means 'human being' in our language." Aiyaka said with a smile, "Some people quite mind the title 'Ezo'."

"So if you want to find the two people you just mentioned in various settlements in the future, you'd better reduce the use of the name 'Ezo' as much as possible."

"So that's how it is...Thank you for reminding me." A-Ming nodded, "Speaking of which, Aiyaka, don't you have any companions?"

A-cho looked around and asked:

"Are you the only one chasing down this pair of man-eating bears?"

"Well, that's right." Aiyaka has successfully peeled off the bear's skin, and now he cut open the bear's belly with a knife, and began to search for something in the bear's belly, " But that’s just my personal preference.”

"Among us Ainu, there are quite a few people like me who like to hunt alone."

"However, when most people are hunting, they will still bring one or two companions to hunt together."

"Generally speaking, you will only bring up to two companions to hunt."

"Hunting can't bring too many people. If you go hunting in groups, the noise will be very loud, and the prey will run away."

After finishing speaking, Aiyaka happened to have cut something from the belly of the dead bear, and then held it and handed it to Ogata.

"That's the guts of a bear."

"You get something to put it in."

"The weather is cold now, this bear bile should be able to keep for a long time."

This is the first time Ogata has seen bear bile.

Round, about the size of an adult's fist.

Ogata took out the bamboo box he carried with him, and packed the bear gall.

This bamboo box is Ogata's lunch box.

Ogata has a total of 2 lunch boxes, so even if you use one of them to hold bear bile, there is another lunch box that can be used for eating.

Bear skin and bear bile - Ogata heard the introduction from the "former hunter" Shimasuke before that these are the two most valuable parts of a bear.

If possible, Ogata would like to take all the valuable parts of the bear.

But that would be too much, too heavy.

Therefore, Ogata only intends to take away the more convenient and most valuable bear skin and bear bile.

Although the bear skin is very wide and large, it can be folded, rolled up, and carried on the back.

The bear bile is only as big as an adult's fist, and Ogata's lunch box just fits it.

After helping Ogata and the others peel the bear skin and take out the bear bile, Aiyaka raised his head to look at the current sky.

"It's getting dark now." Aiyaka said, "Come with me. There is a hunting lodge nearby. I'll take you to spend the night in that hunting lodge."

"Ah, the so-called hunting lodge is a temporary resting place built by us Ainu in the forest."

Aiyaka knew that Ogata and Atachi might not know what the hunting lodge was, so she hurriedly explained.

"It's common to go hunting and spend days and nights in the wild."

"So for the convenience of hunting, there is a place where we can spend the night. We Ainu have the habit of building a temporary resting place in the mountains. We call this temporary resting place a 'hunting lodge'."

"Come with me, there is a brand new hunting lodge not far away, enough to accommodate 5 people to spend the night in it, let's spend the night in that hunting lodge tonight."

In such a world of ice and snow, no one would be reluctant to spend the night in a place with a roof.

So Ogata and Ating followed Aiyaka, led by Aiyaka, to the hunting lodge he mentioned.

When following behind Aiyaka, Ogata was not idle.

He asked Aiyaka the question that he was destined to ask many times in the following period of time:

"Aiyaka, have you seen these two people?"

Ogata reported the appearance characteristics of Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen.

After Ogata finished speaking, Aiyaka turned around and asked:

"Is this the man you said you were looking for?"

"Yeah." Ogata nodded.

"Are there two gentlemen, one old and one young..."

Aiyaka muttered, recalling.

"...I don't seem to have seen such a person." After recalling, Aiyaka said softly, "In my memory, there are Kazuto who have been to our village in the past two years, except for those Heshang. Besides, there's only one weirdo."

"Weird?" Ogata raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Aiyaka nodded, "It's a weird old man. He can speak our Ainu language fluently."

"After entering our village, he only asked us where the nearest river is, and left directly."

"He mentioned his name, it seems to be Lin Ping... I don't remember the name."

Ogata had no interest in the strange person that Eyaka mentioned had visited their settlement.

Seeing that Aiyaka has never met Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen, Ogata is not disappointed or frustrated. He was already mentally prepared to ask 100 people and get nothing.

Like last time, it is very difficult to get the super good luck of asking relevant clues from the old man Tangshen who set up the pet stall immediately.

"When the last male bear is successfully hunted down. I will keep my promise and take you to the settlement where I live and other settlements that have made good friends with our settlement."

Aiyaka smiled.

"Maybe there will be someone who went out to hunt and just met the two people you are looking for."

"Those settlements that have good friends with your settlement, shouldn't we be allowed to enter because we are Kazuto?" Ogata said this in a half-joking tone.

"They won't do that." Aiyaka shook his head, "Those settlements that have a good relationship with us, like the settlement I live in, have always done business with Heshang."

"So they don't hate Kazuto either."

"So you can rest assured that as long as you don't make trouble, they won't do anything to you."

"Do you Ainu have any taboos that you must never do?" Ogata asked.

"There are no taboos that absolutely cannot be done." Aiyaka shrugged, "As long as you are polite, don't make trouble, and don't make trouble."

...

...

After chatting for a few words, the three fell silent because they couldn't find a new topic.

But it was not silent for too long.

After only a while, Aiyaka suddenly raised his hand and pointed forward.

"Look, here we are, and that's our hunting lodge."

What Aiyaka said just now was true, the hunting lodge was indeed not far from them.

After walking for just over 20 minutes, Xu Jian saw a triangular object appearing in front of him.

"That's the hunting lodge." Aiyaka pointed at the triangular object in front, "It's made of fir wood. Although it looks like it will collapse when touched, it's actually very strong."

After getting a little closer, Ogata saw the whole picture of the hunting lodge clearly.

If Ogata had to use one word to describe this hunting lodge, it would be a "pyramid" made of branches and leaves.

The skeleton of the "pyramid" is pieced together with branches, and then the walls and top of the tower are made of leaves.

"With luck, no one seems to be using this hunting lodge."

"We all share these hunting lodges."

"I hope the last person who lived in it didn't make you too dirty."

Aiyaka took the lead and got into the "pyramid".

Ogata followed closely behind.

Although this hunting lodge is made of branches and leaves, it is surprisingly warm inside and has a lot of space. It must be more than enough for three people to rest in it.

Not long after the three got into the hunting lodge, it was completely dark.

After dark, Aiyaka lit a small bonfire in the middle of the hunting lodge.

As well as being used for lighting, it is also used for heating.

Hastily ate the dry food that each other was carrying, and after filling their stomachs, Ah Ding looked at Aiyaka and asked him abruptly:

"There's a question I've wanted to ask you from the beginning."

"Huh? What's the problem?" Aiyaka asked back.

"Why do you call the bear that ate human flesh 'Unkamuyi'? Is there any meaning in it?"

"Oh, this." Aiyaka smiled, "Actually, there is no deep meaning in it."

"The reason for this is quite complicated, so let me explain it to you as briefly as possible."

"First of all, let me explain to you what 'Unkamuyi' means. It has something to do with our Ainu beliefs."

"I know a little about your Shintoism."

"Our Ainu's beliefs are somewhat similar to your Shintoism."

"'Kamui' means 'God' in our language."

"And 'Unkamuyi' means 'evil god'."

"We Ainu have always believed in the elements of fire, water, and wind. Natural phenomena such as rain, avalanches, and cold waves; animals and plants; and all the utensils we use in our daily lives are inhabited by gods."

"So in simple terms, we think that every animal has a god living inside it."

"If animals hurt people, it means that the gods living in them have degenerated into evil gods."

"That's why we call these animals that hurt people 'unkamuyi'."

"So 'unkamuyi' is not just a name for bears who hurt people."

"Any animals that cause harm to people, whether wolves or deer, we will call them 'unkamuyi'."

Because Aiyaka's Japanese is barely enough to communicate with people, it is impossible to explain the origin of the word "Unkamuyi" with too gorgeous rhetoric.

It can only be explained in the most straightforward language.

But this overly straightforward language is also beneficial, Ogata and A-Machi both quickly understood what he was trying to express.

"It is indeed somewhat similar to our Shintoism." A-Ming said, "Our Shintoism also believes that all things have animism."

"Actually, I have a question I've been wanting to ask you two for a long time." Aiyaka glanced at Ogata and Atachi, "Looking at you, you are husband and wife, right?"

"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "That's right."

"Why do you still have eyebrows, but your teeth are still white?" Aiyaka cast a puzzled look at A-Ming, "Didn't Kazuto's women shave off their eyebrows and dye their teeth black after they get married? "

"That was in the past." Ah-ding said helplessly, "In the past, all married women had to shave their eyebrows and dye their teeth black."

"This tradition is still very popular among ministers and nobles, but it is not very popular among ordinary people."

After finishing speaking, Ah-ding raised his hands to touch his beautiful willow eyebrows.

"So it's like this..." Aiyaka smiled awkwardly, "It turns out that not all married women shave their eyebrows and dye their teeth."

...

...

It was completely dark outside.

Fortunately, tonight is a sunny day, with a crescent moon hanging in the sky, bringing some light to the dark land.

"Let's take turns to rest." Aiyaka suggested, "The male bear may attack us while we are sleeping."

"So you have to be vigilant."

"While one of them was sleeping, the other two kept vigil."

"What do you think?"

Ogata and A-Machi nodded, expressing that they had no objection.

"When you're sleeping, remember not to fall asleep." Aiyaka continued, "The male bear might attack in the middle of the night. At that time, you have to get up quickly and take up your weapon to fight."

"That male bear is very smart. He attacked us while we were sleeping—it's really possible for him to do such a thing." Aiyaka smiled wryly, "It's the smartest bear I've ever seen. Bear."

"The hunters from several of our settlements have been chasing it for half a month. We have been unable to catch it."

"Because of it, I have lived a life of living and sleeping for half a month."

"I wish I could hunt it down quickly. That way I can go back to the settlement quickly."

"What if the male bear never shows up and seeks revenge on me and my wife?" Ogata asked.

"At that time, we can only start from scratch and find another way to find the male bear."

After all, Aiyaka sighed.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Aiyaka." Ogata smiled and comforted him, "Although the bear may never come."

"But it is also possible that tonight, while roaring, they attacked."

"Aoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

As soon as Ogata's voice fell, as if in response to what Ogata said just now, a roar suddenly exploded.

The expressions of the three Ogatas changed one after another.

"It's the voice of the male bear!" Aiyaka said anxiously, while grabbing the bow and arrow placed beside her. "This growl is so close! It's near us!"

Ogata has a complicated expression now.

At the side, A-Machi also cast complicated gazes at Ogata.

Because both of them vaguely remembered——During the day today, Ogata said, "Man-eating bears don't appear so easily."

Then came the cannibal bear.

And now it was Ogata who said, "That male bear might attack tonight while roaring."

Then the male bear came.

"Ayi." Ah Ding took out her Su Ying, and said to Ogata in a low voice, "You are not the kind of person who is particularly attractive to bears, are you?"

"Can you try saying 'a bear covered in gold is coming soon' next time? I want to see if a 'golden bear' will appear immediately."

"... If I have a chance in the future, I will try..."

The three Ogata picked up their weapons and rushed out of the hunting lodge.

The three of them ran in the direction from the roar just now.

The sky is beautiful, with moonlight lighting.

Even without lighting the torches, the three of them could clearly see the way ahead.

The roar was very close, and according to Ogata's guess, the male bear was less than 400 meters away from them.

Sure enough—after running nearly 400 meters in the direction of the roar just now, Ogata saw a bear.

It was the giant bear that suddenly ran away during the day today.

Besides this bear, there are 2 other people.

2 Ezos wearing Ezo costumes.

One was lying not far away moaning while crossing his arms.

Another person was being crushed by the bear covered in blood - he was struggling to get free from under the bear.

However——a mere human being, if you fight hard, how can you beat a bear?

No matter how hard he struggled, the man couldn't escape from under the bear.

"Aoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

After the bear snarled several times at the Ezo under him, it opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and bit the head of the Ezo under it.

Seeing this, Ogata stopped hesitating. He quickly took out Kasumi from his arms, aimed at the bear, and fired all the bullets in the gun chamber in one go.

The flank of the bear happened to be facing Ogata.

Kasumagi's four bullets all sank into its flanks.

"Aoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

It let out a shrill cry of pain.

Then turned to look at Ogata.

I don't know if it's Ogata's illusion—he always felt that the bear's eyes suddenly became fierce after he found it.

"Aoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

After another series of growls, the giant bear let go of Ezo under it and rushed towards Ogata.