I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

"..." After the voice of Matsudaira Sadanobu's question fell, Ogata's body was slightly startled.

Immediately afterwards... the strange expression that had been floating on Ogata's face just now gradually changed into a somewhat helpless smile

But at this time, Matsudaira Sadanobu continued to speak with his hands behind his back.

"Back then, when I was in Ezodi, I heard someone tell me that the Mashima Goro I admired so much was that Ogata Itsuki, I didn't dare... or I didn't want to believe it."

"It wasn't until I heard Mashima Goro's voice from Ogata Itsuki on the battlefield attacking the Red Moon Fortress... I finally faced reality squarely."

"Actually, at that time, I still didn't want to believe that Mashima Goro was Ogata Itsuki."

"But no matter how much you deceive yourself, seeing that your two knives are exactly the same as those worn by Mashima Goro... you can't continue to lie to yourself and say: Mashima Goro and Ogata Itsuki are two people... "

Matsudaira Sadanobu squinted his eyes, and glanced at Da Shitian and Da Zizai who were placed on Ogata's bedside.

"The two of us really have a special fate."

"Whenever I think we won't have the chance to meet again...you will appear in front of me again in a way that I didn't expect."

"..." Ogata, whose head had been hanging on his chest since just now, finally raised his gaze slowly, and calmly met Matsudaira Sadanobu's gaze without any emotion, "...Long time no see Yes, Matsudaira-sama."

Just now, after learning from Qingyan that it was Matsudaira Sadanobu who rescued him regardless of danger, Ogata had already guessed—Mashima Goro's true identity... I'm afraid Matsudaira Sadanobu has already known it.

I saw him smiling, and whispering to Matsudaira Tingxin in a tone like greeting an old friend:

"Anyway... please allow me to thank you first, thank you for saving me."

"There's no need to thank you." Matsudaira Sadanobu said quickly without thinking, "The reason why I saved you... is simply to ask something meaningful from you, who seems to know a lot of things that I don't. information."

"Instead of saying dry 'thank you' to me here... why don't you come and tell me something more meaningful."

"Mashima...no, Ogata Itsuki, come and make a deal with me."

"I ask you questions, and you answer my questions."

"Just answer all the questions I ask and I'll... let you out of here."

"Ha." Ogata chuckled, "If I want to leave here, I don't need your permission at all, do I?"

After finishing speaking, Ogata turned his head to the side, and stared unabashedly at the saber that was placed by the head of his bed.

"Ogata Isshi." Matsudaira Sadanobu's mouth curled into a cold smile, "How can I put it...he is also a samurai who practiced hard on swordsmanship when he was young."

"Do you think I can't see it? Just from your current actions, I can tell that it's difficult for you to even draw a knife right now?"

Ogata narrowed his eyes slightly.

——Ha...have you been seen through...

Ogata let out a wry smile in his heart.

What Matsudaira Sadanobu said was absolutely right.

His current physical condition is indeed extremely bad.

Every muscle in the body is so sore that it is difficult to exert strength.

He guessed—this should be the side effect of entering the "Selfless Realm" and "Yasha Realm" at the same time.

Just based on the current body where not a single muscle is not sore... Let alone swinging a knife, whether the heavy sword can be pulled out of its sheath is still a problem.

"Now outside the tent, there are more than 30 of my guards. As long as I give an order, they will rush in and chop you into meat paste." The cold smile on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face dissipated, and his face recovered. With that stern look on his face, "make this deal with me, you have no other choice other than that."

Ogata stared straight at Matsudaira Sadanobu.

I saw him with a pensive look on his face, and after a long while, he shrugged his shoulders with a helpless smile:

"It seems that if you don't answer your question, you won't let him go no matter what..."

"...All right. You can ask."

"This should also be regarded as... the compensation for cheating you for so long as Mashima Goro."

Hearing Ogata's words, Matsudaira Sadanobu frowned slightly, but this small "wrinkle" was quickly smoothed away.

"I... have a mountain of questions to ask you."

"If my guess is correct, the thieves who attacked Osaka a few days ago and the thieves lurking in Koyasan are the same group of people."

"Tell me—how much do you know about those thieves?"

"And why are you chasing down the thief who escaped on a Western ship?"

"And... when you passed out, what exactly was the woman's head contained in the brocade box that you were holding tightly in your arms?"

After throwing a series of questions to Ogata like a cannonball, Matsudaira Sadanobu once again squinted his eyes and glanced at the exquisite brocade box placed on Ogata's bedside with Da Shitian and Dazi.

"It has been so many days, but this broken head has not rotted at all. It is really shocking."

"You didn't throw away this brocade box as trash, but recycled it together. I'm very grateful for that." Ogata said in a somewhat joking tone, "But you can check the contents of the brocade box without authorization. , wouldn't it be too impolite?"

Matsudaira Sadanobu ignored Ogata's joke, just continued to look at Ogata with his hands behind his back, with a scrutinizing gaze.

Matsudaira Sadanobu opened the brocade box without authorization - Ogata was not very surprised by this.

After all, if it were him, he might not be able to help but look at what is inside this brocade box.

"...I'd be happy to tell you what I know." Ogata pondered for a moment, then said quietly, "But even if I tell you everything I know, you might not believe it."

Ogata selectively... told Matsudaira Sadanobu concisely about the Toyotomi clan.

The existence of the Toyotomi Clan, the battleships of the Toyotomi Clan, the ambitions of the Toyotomi Clan...

Matsudaira Sadanobu has been in charge of the old middle school for many years, what kind of storms and waves have you not seen?

He has already cultivated a strong heart that can remain calm no matter what accidents he encounters—but at this moment, facing the words Ogata said at this time, this strong heart possessed by Matsudaira Sadanobu, Also overwhelmed.

Ever since Ogata started talking about the Toyotomi clan, Matsudaira Sadanobu's expression "collapsed".

The eyes are wide open, the mouth is slightly opened, the skin and muscles on the face seem to have drooped, and there is no longer the calm look that was neither sad nor happy.

Due to various reasons, it is naturally impossible for Ogata to tell Matsudaira Sadanobu everything.

He concealed the existence of the "power of immortality".

It also concealed the existence of the eight hundred bhikkhunis.

The reason for concealing the existence of the "power of immortality" was not because he was on guard against Matsudaira Sadanobu.

Instead, they are guarding people's hearts...

After going through so many things, Ogata understood it—this "power of immortality" is a Pandora's box.

It would be a disaster if it was held by someone with bad intentions.

The complexity of the human heart makes Ogata really unsure - if Matsudaira Sadanobu knows the existence of the "power of immortality", will a second Toyotomi Nobuhide appear...

Ogata, who was determined to conceal the "power of immortality" and "800 nuns", only said that the head contained in the brocade box was the head of a friend he had taken back from the Toyotomi family, because it was used The special potion has been treated with antiseptic, so it will not see corruption for several days.

After Ogata finished saying everything he was willing to say to Matsudaira, Matsudaira stayed silent for a long time.

It took him a long time to regain his expression on his face.

After a long time, I finally heard him say again:

"...Then what happened to your body and the sky thunder you moved at that time?"

"Bearing so many injuries, but being able to heal all of them in less than 2 days... This is not like a body that ordinary people can have."

After finishing speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu's expression returned to seriousness, and he raised his eyes to stab Ogata with a meaningful and sharp gaze.

Facing the gaze cast by Matsudaira Sadanobu, Ogata couldn't help but smiled wryly.

He knew that it would be impossible to get around the issue of his body's recovery ability and the thunder he "swayed" to defeat Toyotomi, so he had already thought up the wording just now.

Oto explained the so-called "truth" that is half-truth to Matsudaira Sadanobu.

Regarding the resilience of his body, Ogata only casually said that his body is born with this, and his resilience is far superior to that of ordinary people.

As for how to "move" Tianlei... Ogata only said that he... didn't know at all.

All he knew was that when the fierce battle was in full swing, he suddenly heard a strange sound. Following the sound, he ran to the top of the mainmast and raised the sword high, and then thunder fell on his sword.

The explanation about "hooking" Tianlei... is actually basically correct.

It is true that Ogata heard a strange sound suddenly, and then followed the guidance of the strange sound, and succeeded in defeating Toyotomi Nobuhide with the power of thunder.

Ever since Ogata began to explain the origin of his body's strong resilience and how he "swayed" Tianlei, Matsudaira Sadanobu's brows frowned slightly, and the emotion in his eyes gradually became strange.

"...What you said just now...whether it's about that Toyotomi family, or your explanation of why your body has such a powerful recovery ability...I personally feel that there seems to be a lot of concealment, Made it up."

Matsudaira Sadanobu pointedly questioned Ogata.

Faced with Matsudaira Sadanobu's questioning, Ogata just shrugged his shoulders without blushing or heartbeat.

"Everything I said just now is true." Ogata said casually, "Do you believe it or not."

Matsudaira Sadanobu: "..."

Although he questioned Ogata, Matsudaira Sadanobu seems to have no intention to delve into this issue.

Just remained silent, and continued to look at Ogata...

Not long after allowing the atmosphere between the two to fall into deathly silence, Nobunaga Matsudaira closed his eyes and took several deep breaths:

"...if what you just said is true...that's really ridiculous."

Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly opened his eyes.

"The most wanted criminal of the shogunate... actually saved the shogunate from fire and water."

"However, now that I look back and think carefully about the whole story of the two of us getting acquainted...it was very funny."

Matsudaira Sadanobu's expression was always solemn.

But at this moment, the solemn expression on his face showed a little... loneliness.

"When I first met you in Edo, I thought I had finally found a young man worth cultivating."

"In the end, I discovered that the young man I admired so much was actually an enemy of the shogunate..."

After finishing speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu closed his eyes again, took a deep breath, and then slowly released the air inhaled into his lungs through his nose.

At this time, Ogata asked Matsudaira Sadanobu in a half-joking tone:

"Any more questions to ask?"

"If it's gone, can you let me leave here according to the trading conditions we set?"

Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly opened his closed eyes.

"...Whether what you just said is true or not, it is an ironclad fact that you destroyed Osaka and destroyed the two Western ships that were a major threat to the Edo Shogunate."

"From this point of view alone, you have done us a great favor."

Having said that, Matsudaira Dingxin paused.

Then, he changed into a tone like talking to himself:

"You once... saved my life in Ezo."

"And now, you have helped our shogunate a lot."

"Honestly, emotionally, I really want to just let you go from here."

"But, sure enough...it can't be done."

Matsudaira Sadanobu's eyes flashed fiercely at this moment.

"Even if you saved my life, even if you helped our shogunate a lot, it still can't change the fact that you are Itsuki Ogata, the villain who has caused the shogunate to lose face many times...!"

"After seeing your terrible wound recovery ability and the figure of using the power of thunder to kill the enemy with my own eyes, I am even more convinced that you... you really can't stay...!"

"What's more, I can still feel that you have hidden a lot from me."

"Even if I don't kill you... I have to imprison you and interrogate you slowly."

As Matsudaira Sadanobu's whispered words came out of his mouth one by one, the air between him and Ogata... gradually became colder.

"Hey, hey..." Ogata seemed to have expected Matsudaira Sadanobu to be like this, with his usual expression, he just sneered, "As long as I have answered all your questions, you will let me go?"

"The premise for me to fulfill the agreement is that you really answered all my questions truthfully, right?"

Matsudaira Sadanobu also sneered.

"Did I say that just now? I feel that you have hidden a lot from me."

"You broke the contract first, so don't blame me for breaking the contract."

The atmosphere between the two of them...in an instant, it became solemn and suffocating.

Inside the small tent, the only sound left was the breathing of the two of them.

In the small tent, only light and shadow remained, only the firelight of the candlestick, and the eyes of the two who were staring at each other, both of which were shining with complex lights.

After a long time, Ogata's soft voice broke the suffocating silence:

"...Then what do you want to do?"

he asks.

"Are you going to kill me now?"

"Or are you going to take me back to Edo and interrogate me slowly?"

The voice of the question fell.

The tent returned to deathly silence.

Songping firmly believed in his hands behind his back, clenched and then let go, let go and clenched again.

The extremely complex light flickered wildly in his eyes at this moment.

The man in front of him is the most wanted criminal by the shogunate.

He is now extremely weak, unable to resist his guards at all, his life and death, his future, now all depend on his own words.

For myself...

Also for the shogunate...

My best solution now... is to take him back to Edo, interrogate him slowly, and torture him to find out all the information he has concealed from his mouth.

yes……

No need to hesitate...

completely……

No need to hesitate...

...

Matsudaira Sadanobu closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"Tachibana!"

Matsudaira Sadanobu turned around, poked his head out of the tent, and shouted:

"Turn up all the guards—"

...

...

...

...

Wow... Wow... Wow...

The waves beat rhythmically on the coast, and there was a very regular sound of waves.

It is now approaching evening.

The sky was as clear as it had been after a shower.

The sun that set in the west began to dye the sky with the color of sunset, and under the reflection of the sunset, the ground was still bright.

Lin and Mucun stood side by side at a corner of the coast, looking at the sea in the distance.

"How is it? Did Ms. Machi eat anything today?"

"I have something to eat..." Mucun Xianglin sighed softly, "During the day, I almost didn't eat anything."

"Until just now, I finally ate some porridge brought by Azhu, but I didn't eat much, it was only half a bowl of porridge."

"... as long as you have something to eat." Lin sighed.

In the past few days, there have been showers or two almost every day, and the mood of Lin and the others these days is also very similar to this weather - continuous rain...

Nearly 10 days have passed since the decisive battle with Toyotomi at sea.

It's been nearly 10 days... until now there is no sign of Ogata.

At the end of the night of the decisive battle, Lin, who was knocked out by Toyotomi, finally woke up.

After waking up and knowing what happened, Lin gave the death order without hesitation: Find Ogata at all costs!

In order to improve the efficiency of the search, Lin once again activated her usual banknote ability: go to a distant fishing village to borrow a few more boats, hire all the villagers that can be hired, and ask the hired villagers to assist them Let's find Ogata together.

No matter day or night, the people drove the small boat almost non-stop to the surrounding sea area where the warship was destroyed, searching for the figure of that person.

Ogata should be hugging a piece of wood, waiting for their rescue on the sea with difficulty——everyone thought so.

Or rather... trying to think about it in this optimistic light...

However... as time goes by bit by bit, day by day, no matter how optimistic the attitude is, it will inevitably reach its limit after all.

It's been almost 10 days and still nothing...

Lost contact at sea for nearly 10 days... Everyone vaguely realized something...

However, everyone did not make it clear.

Everyone kept silent as if they had made an appointment in advance, no matter whether it was in front of everyone or in private, they didn't mention any topics related to Ogata's life and death.

Just as if still acquiescing that Ogata is still alive, he kept going to sea to search.

just kept silent...

No one has the guts to say "Ogata may not be found anymore"—especially when A-Machi is present.

These days, apart from Ogata, Lin and the others are most worried about A-Machi.

Since Ogata's disappearance, Lin and the others have been worried about Ah-cho's mental state.

If she was crying and making a fuss, Lin and the others would be more accepting.

However, Ah-cho has been very quiet these days...

Quietly, neither showing any expression nor saying anything...

Only has been silently participating in the search for Ogata.

At the beginning, Ah-cho could barely eat and sleep normally.

But as the search for Ogata has been fruitless, Ah-Machi's mental state is deteriorating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Since about 5 days ago, Machi hasn't eaten much every day.

Did she sleep well? Looking at A-Ming's increasingly pale skin, increasingly haggard hair, and those eye sockets with increasingly heavy dark circles, Lynn guessed that there should be no...

Lynn doesn't know how to make Ah Ding's condition better...

For the situation Ah-Ming is facing, I am afraid that any words of comfort will be powerless.

"...Makimura. Look at Ms. A-Machi more these days." Lin softly ordered Makimura, who has the closest relationship with the Ogata couple, "If Ms. A-Machi doesn't eat, find a way to make her eat Download something."

"If Miss A-Ming... wants to do something stupid, you have to stop her immediately."

"I know..." Chief Mucun let out a sigh of relief, and nodded vigorously with a dignified expression.

"My lord! My lord!"

At this time, Shimada's voice came.

Following the sound, Shimada hurriedly rushed towards the beach where Lin and Mucun stood.

"What's wrong?" Lin frowned slightly.

"You... come here..." Shimada said slowly with a strange expression, "Mamiya-senpai... found Yukimura..."

...

...

Under Shimada's guidance, Lin and Mucun strode to another beach not far away.

As soon as he arrived here, Lin saw that it was his turn to search for Ogata by boat this afternoon. He had just returned, and now he was standing next to the small boat docked by the beach.

Around Mamiya, Qian Jing, Yuan Yi and others have already gathered.

Everyone surrounded a middle-aged man who was kneeling on the ground, quite familiar to Lin...

After her eyes fell on this person, Lin's eyes slowly glowed with indifference:

"...The person I wanted to find was never found. The person I didn't want to find was found. Yukimura, I didn't expect that there would be a time for us to meet again."

As soon as Lin's words fell, the body of the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground trembled suddenly.

"Lin, Miss Lin..." The middle-aged man slowly raised his head, and cast a complex look at Lin mixed with fear, annoyance and a touch of regret.

This middle-aged man was trusted by Lin Moda. Before he made a fortune, he helped him become a "well-known rich businessman in Osaka". He was also entrusted to help investigate the "disappearance case in Osaka", but in the end it was him Yukimura betrayed Rin and revealed information about Rin and others to Toyotomi.

Lin turned her head to ask how Jiangong found this person.

It turns out that since 3 days ago, Mamiya has been holding the idea that "Ogata-kun may have drifted far away", and went to further sea areas to search for Ogata.

Although Gamiya's idea is beautiful, the reality is still cruel - even if the search area is expanded, the familiar figure has not been found at all...

Just when Mamiya thought he was going to return in vain today and was about to return to the shore, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Yukimura hugging a piece of driftwood on a piece of sea not far away, struggling to survive...

When the Hiki Maru exploded, Yukimura, who was also on the ship at that time, was very lucky not to be killed on the spot. After the ship sank completely, he was lucky enough to hug a piece of driftwood.

For nearly 10 days, Yukimura just hugged this driftwood, drifted with the waves, and barely survived by drinking rainwater.

After Lin woke up, she explained to everyone the complete story of her encounter with Yukimura at Riki Maru.

Now that he met this guy who betrayed their gourd house, there was no reason to let him go—Gamiya dragged him back to the shore and asked Lin to deal with the traitor.

Because he hadn't eaten in the past 10 days, Yukimura was already thin and out of shape.

The dull skin was tight on the bones, the cheeks and eye sockets were severely sunken, and the lips were severely peeled due to lack of water, showing a kind of bloodless paleness. His face was as black as his dark circles. Make people think only of ink.

"Miss Lin..." Yukimura, who has survived so many days by drinking rainwater, is extremely weak, and when he speaks, his voice trembles.

But even so, he still tried his best to kowtow to Lin and apologize to Lin.

"I'm sorry...! I'm obsessed...! I'm sorry...! I'm sorry...! Spare me...!"

"... Yukimura." The indifference in Lin's eyes was not weakened by Yukimura's begging for mercy, "I... really don't understand."

"Is there anything I can't do to you?"

"When you were just an unknown junior, it was I who supported you vigorously, allowing you to have your current status."

"After you gained power, I still value you, take care of you, and never treat you badly."

"When I encounter a good business, I will find you to cooperate. If you are in trouble, I will do my best to help you."

"I really don't understand...what is it about me that I have failed you that caused you to seek refuge with Toyotomi and put me and my companions in danger of being wiped out?"

Lin's tone has always been flat.

But under this plain tone, every word that Lin complained is as important as a thousand.

"Woooo..." Yukimura's body was so dehydrated that tears were still streaming from Yukimura's eyes, "I'm sorry...! It's me... I'm obsessed!"

Yukimura fell to the ground, crying bitterly.

"Two years ago... Nobuhide Toyotomi learned that I have a very close relationship with you through some unknown channel!"

"He came to me because of this, and asked me to report your whereabouts and information to him regularly... As a reward, he will give me some of his overseas smuggling channels..."

"I, I... was planning to open up overseas markets at that time, so Yu, I obsessively agreed to him...!"

After saying that, Yukimura cried louder and kowtowed harder to the ground.

"I'm sorry! Miss Lin...! I'm the one who's sorry for you!"

Rin quietly looked at Yukimura who kept kowtowing and shedding tears of fear or genuine regret.

"...I see." Lin took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes, "That is to say...you betrayed me for money..."

"Oh... What a funny and realistic reason."

Yukimura's begging for mercy continued.

He wasn't tired yet, but Lynn was tired of listening.

"Enough!" Lin interrupted Yukimura's prayer with an impatient growl, "You cruel, ungrateful, barbaric, inhuman thing! You beast!"

After saying that, Lin kicked up and kicked Yukimura to the ground.

"Just for money, did you betray me?!"

"Just a little money, can you squeeze enough malice from you to harm me?"

"My companions and I almost died because of your betrayal!"

"Spare your life? If my companions die because of your betrayal, who will spare their lives?!"

After venting out the emotions accumulated in her chest in one breath, Lin panted heavily like a tiger with a wounded head.

And Yukimura, who was kicked flying, trembled even more, crawled back to the place where he was kneeling before, and continued to cry and beg for mercy.

"...It's ridiculous." Lin straightened her back and took a deep breath, "Although the facts are presented in black and white, I still can't believe my eyes..."

"You are obviously such a highly valued and trusted companion to me."

"Your betrayal makes me feel that the world has lost its original luster."

"I will feel sorry for you."

"Because your betrayal is like turning the world upside down to me."

bass!

The sound of drawing the sword sounded.

Lin pulled out the saber from her waist, and slit the throat of the traitor she was no longer interested in listening to beg for mercy with just one blow.

Yukimura's throat was cut open, and blood poured out like a hot spring. After clutching his throat and struggling a few times, he slowly lost his vitality and collapsed on the ground...

Lin shook off the blood attached to the saber, put the saber back into its sheath:

"...Yahachi, find a place to bury Yukimura."

"Yes..." Mucun nodded slightly.

Lin turned to look around.

"Why didn't you see Ms. A-Machi? Where is Ms. A-Machi now?"

"Miss A-machi has been going out to sea with other people to find Yidaosai since early this morning." Asai said, "Almost never stopped."

"Because I was worried that Ms. A-Machi would be so tired, so Azuki just forced Ms. A-Machi to rest."

"Miss A-Machi should still be sleeping now."

Finally, after a pause, Asai added another sentence:

"...My lord. Please forgive me." Asai looked around, and after confirming that there were no outsiders around, he put his lips next to Lin's ear, and whispered, "Ms. It's not good...you have to find a way to cheer her up as soon as possible."

"otherwise……"

Asai didn't continue to speak, and closed his mouth in a timely manner.

"...Of course I can see that Ms. A-Machi is in a bad state right now."

"But the question is: is there any way to cheer up Ms. Machi?"

A heavy and slightly suffocating atmosphere lingered around Lin and the others.

...

...

Wow... Wow... Wow... Wow...

A Ding, who was forced by A Zhu to rest just now, sneaked to this secluded beach where no one was watching, and sat on the ground with his legs folded, watching the waves in front of him motionless.

With the ebb and flow of the waves, the reflection reflects pale skin, dry and cracked lips, long-sparing and messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and pupils that have lost their brilliance.

Cloudy consciousness...chaotic thoughts...everything in the mind feels fragmented.

In her mind, the chaotic and various things were like a vortex in a raging sea, rumbling and spinning.

Keep up your spirits, Ah Yi will be very sad to see you like this—for no reason, Ah Ding always feels that the reflection in front of him seems to be preaching to her.

Tired of the reflection's preaching, A-Machi stretched out his rough and calloused hands, which had become rough and callused from practicing ninjutsu since childhood, and explored the sea, trying to break up the waves and the reflection.

It has been rainy recently, and it is the season when the sea water is still very cold, but after putting her hands into the sea, A-Ming did not feel the cold at all—because her hands and feet were colder than the sea water, and after putting her hands into the sea, she did not feel the cold at all. Did not experience the slightest chill.

(Machi!)

Suddenly! Ah-Ming suddenly heard the extremely familiar call from behind!

Atachi, whose eyes were suddenly lit up, cast an impatient, expectant look behind him, as if he was about to cry.

Behind Ah-Machi... there is nothing...

Her pair of eyes that had just been ignited quickly changed back to the dim and dull look just now...

——Are you coming again...

This is not the first time that Machi mistakenly thought he heard Ogata's voice.

These days, how many times have I heard "Ogata" calling her - she has lost count.

Machi, whose face was covered with an expression that made people feel heartbroken, turned his gaze back to himself, and buried his cheek between the knees that were being held by both hands.

What A-Ming is most afraid of now... is when he is free.

Because once you are free, the memories about Ogata will flash in your mind like a revolving lantern.

This series of memories, like a boulder pressing on A-Ming's chest... made her feel breathless.

And along with these memories flashing in A-Machi's mind, there is also the fantasy of "if Ogata is gone"...

A-Machi has been trying not to think about these unlucky things.

But no matter how hard she tried to contain it, this terrible fantasy kept coming out.

A-Machi only felt that gravity seemed to have disappeared.

Even though I was sitting on the ground, I felt like I was floating in the air.

The world in front of me seemed to be covered with a thick layer of fog, and images and sounds became blurred and difficult to distinguish.

The only clear sound... was only the sound of sobbing.

Two warm currents slowly enveloped Ah-Ming's eyeballs.

Another reason why she hates being idle now is that once she is idle, tears will roll down without disappointment.

She never cried in front of Lin and others.

She was afraid that her crying would cause Lin and the others to feel depressed, and it would increase the psychological pressure on Lin and the others who helped her find Ogata.

She dared to shed tears of worry and pain only when she was alone.

A-Ming raised his hand and wiped two fistfuls on the eye sockets, and pressed the backs of his hands against the eye sockets, trying to block the source of tears.

The barely choked tears flowed back.

The salty, crying taste poured down the nostrils and into the throat, making Ah-Ming's mouth full of bitter taste.

She is Ogata Ittosai's wife, a woman who has seen countless storms.

But after removing these glamorous titles, she is just a young wife who just passed her 19th birthday.

Will be so worried because of her husband's disappearance.

Because of worrying about her husband, she couldn't help crying day and night.

"Machi...?"

At this time, Ah-machi heard Ogata's voice behind him again.

——why...the auditory hallucinations again...

He only thought that he was A-cho who was having auditory hallucinations again because of thinking about Ogata, and ignored the auditory hallucinations behind him, just continued to wipe his eye sockets vigorously, and took deep breaths, trying to stop the tears from flowing.

"Machi...!"

Ogata's voice... came from behind him again.

But this time, the sound was much closer and clearer at the same time.

A-Machi wiped away the tears with his hand, and slowly stopped...

If the voice heard this time is still an auditory hallucination... that would be too real...

Thinking of this, Ah-Ming showed a dazed expression.

It took a while until I regained my perception of the world.

Atachi, who had just stopped crying, felt that he forgot to blink and his eyes were dry.

Machi slowly lowered her trembling hands that were wiping her eye sockets.

Cautiously... shrinking... turned his gaze to behind him.

Behind her, stood a... tall figure with a shameful smile on her face, looking at her with red eyes.

...

...

Ogata, who was holding the brocade box containing the heads of 800 nuns in his left hand and a simple walking stick made of branches in his right hand, looked at the haggard A-cho in front of him with distress.

Ogata naturally knew exactly why A-Machi became what he is now.

Thinking that it was all because he had been "missing" for too long, Xu Fang felt a tingling sensation emanating from his chest.

"A-Machi..." Ogata called A-Machi's name again, trying to keep his expression and tone as normal as possible, "I'm back..."

Ogata's voice swirled, intertwined, and entangled in Ah-Machi's mind.

She felt light and heat in the corner of her vision like fire—the corners and sockets of her eyes were wet with tears again.

Ogata's "I'm back" just now made Ah-Ming feel his eardrums go numb for an instant, and all the sounds around him were gradually drifting away

"Wuuu..." Ah-Ming opened her pale, peeling lips to Ogata, as if she wanted to say something to Ogata, but her incoherent words simply vibrated her vocal cords.

As if she was afraid that Ogata would disappear from her vision, she stared at Ogata without daring to blink, and stood up hastily. Because she got up too quickly, she fell on the ground once, but soon Getting up again, he stumbled and ran towards Ogata.

Machi's mind...has been blank since just now.

At this moment, her body moved completely on its own.

Stand up like a conditioned reflex, and run towards Ogata like a conditioned reflex.

At this time, Ogata also threw off the crutch and brocade box in his hand, and limped towards A-Ming.

The two who were rushing in both directions bumped into each other and hugged each other.

A-Machi threw himself into Ogata's arms in one breath, wrapped his hands around Ogata's neck, and then put all the strength of his whole body on Ogata's body.

Ogata, whose body hadn't recovered yet, couldn't resist the full weight of A-Machi, fell face-up with A-Machi on the soft sand.

"I can touch it...it's not that I'm hallucinating..."

A murmur that made Ogata want to laugh and feel sad floated in his arms.

Atachi, who hugged Ogata tightly, put his face on the socket of Ogata's right shoulder, and remained still.

Ogata looked down at Ah-Ming's face, and saw that she was biting her lower lip, as if she was about to cry.

But at the same time that he was about to cry, there was a smile full of emotions on the corner of Ah Ding's mouth.

Feeling the warmth coming back from Ogata's body, A-Machi kept tightening his arms around Ogata's neck as if he didn't intend to let Ogata leave her like this again.

The softness and gentle touch in the arms, the strength from the tightly clasped arms around the neck.

Just like that, Ogata was frozen by the warmth from behind.

As if it was about to dissolve, Ogata could only feel the aches and pains in all parts of his body rapidly dissolving.

Like A-Machi, Ogata showed an expression that looked like he wanted to cry, but also wanted to laugh. He continued to hug A-Machi with his left hand, and raised his right hand to caress A-Machi's hair.

No need for any excessive words.

The hug between the two is worth more than a thousand words.

"Really... where is Miss A-Machi..." Azuki looked around anxiously for A-Machi.

Because of her carelessness just now, Ah Ding sneaked out, and now I don't know where she went.

Azuki walked forward along the beach, while putting his hands on his eye sockets, looking around, looking for Acho's figure.

At this moment, she caught a glimpse—on the beach not far away... a strange shadow was lying there.

Looking intently, A Zhu's eyes immediately widened as if he had seen a ghost.

That strange shadow was two figures who were embracing each other and fell to the ground.

One of them was Machi.

And the other person...

As if he had been hit by shelling, Ah Zhu stood there dumbfounded with a face full of shock...

After a while, she finally recovered.

"Miss Kinoshita! Miss Kinoshita! Lord Yidaosai is back!" Azuki, with a face full of ecstasy, spread his legs and ran to look for Lin and the others.

...

...

Vaguely, Ogata seemed to hear the sound of Huluya's group hurrying towards him.

Hearing the sounds that kept approaching him, the expression on Ogata's face slowly changed into a relieved smile.

Ogata, who was still lying face up on the beach, saw a flying swallow passing in the sky above his head.

The swallow flew across the sky, climbed over several hills, and flew over the top of a path on which a convoy was crisscrossing.

"...My lord."

In the car in the middle of the convoy, Tachibana took a few glances at Matsudaira Sadanobu who was silently staring at the scenery outside the window, and boldly asked in a cautious tone:

"That guy... No matter how you look at it, he is that Ogata Issai, right? It's exactly the same as the portrait on the arrest warrant."

"Let go of Ogata Yidaosai...is it really good?"

...

...

"Raise all the guards - pack up the camp and leave here tomorrow morning!"

After yelling at the outside of the tent, Matsudaira Sadanobu took his head back from the outside of the tent.

"...Going all the way north from here, you can go to Mount Koya, and going all the way south, you can go back to the sea where you almost died."

"Before tomorrow morning... take your things and get out of here."

After all, Matsudaira Sadanobu no longer spoke to Ogata.

He didn't explain anything to Ogata.

He didn't ask Ogata any more.

Just turn around.

As if... not daring to stay here any longer, he left in front of Ogata.

There was one... with a somewhat lonely figure behind.

Looking at the side of the bed where Matsudaira Sadanobu was no longer seen, Ogata was taken aback for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, the stupefied look on his face slowly turned into a weird wry smile.

"Yi Dao Zhai." At this time, Ogata saw Qing Yan get into the tent again, "What did you say to Master Matsudaira just now?"

Qingyan looked out of the tent suspiciously.

"Why does Matsudaira-sama look... sad?"

"... Nothing to talk about. It's just... being honest with him."

Seeing that Ogata didn't seem to want to talk about the content of his conversation with Matsudaira Sadanobu, Qingyan didn't ask any more questions.

"Mr. Ogata."

I only heard Qingyan ask Ogata in an impossibly excited tone.

"I was driven away by Matsudaira-sama just now, so I didn't have time to ask."

"May I... ask you a question?"

"How did you hook Tianlei at that time?"

"Do you believe in Buddha?"

Qingyan asked a series of questions related to "Tianlei" like a cannonball...

...

...

"... Tachibana."

Matsudaira Sadanobu said coldly without taking his eyes off the window.

"We have never captured Ogata Yidaosai alive."

"Huh?" Tachibana opened her eyes in astonishment.

"What? Do you need me to repeat it?" Matsudaira Sadanobu cut his cold eyes to Tachibana.

"No, no, no..." Tachibana hurriedly shook his head in fear, "No need, no need... You are right, we have never captured Ogata Yidaosai alive."

After glancing at Tachibana who had successfully "self-corrected", Matsudaira Sadanobu turned his gaze back to the window, looking into the distance.

The convoy moved forward.

Moving forward in a direction away from Ogata.

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