"We're here," the woman said weakly, pointing behind Ichiyo Sora, "Fortunately, I didn't forget."
This abandoned temple is said to have been built by the famous local monk Lian Xiu a hundred years ago, but it has been abandoned for a long time due to unknown reasons. Even the local mountain people now rarely know that there is a temple located in a deep mountain col. But even if there is no
It is abandoned. It is estimated that no believers and pilgrims come to worship Buddha and pray on weekdays. After all, it is too remote.
Along the mountain road that had long been invaded by shrubs and weeds, the two, one and the other three walked for nearly a day and two nights before arriving in the early morning. During the last part of the journey, Yiye, who was on the empty mountain, carried a woman who was coughing constantly on his back. He was very worried that if the woman died suddenly,
Halfway through, he wondered whether he could return along the original path. In his opinion, every hilltop was exactly the same size, with the same trees, and basically no coordinates for anchoring.
Fortunately, we finally arrived.
The environment is quite quiet. If it weren't for the occasional pair of cruel and treacherous eyes, the woman would say that these are fox fairies guarding the mountains and forests. Ichiye Sora is not sure whether they are fairies or beasts. You need to cook them and taste them to know.
The gate of the temple has long been corroded into a pile of rotten wood. The originally not very tall courtyard wall seems to have suffered many earthquakes. Except for a short section around the door frame that can barely see artificial signs, the rest has been hidden under the dense vegetation.
among the grass.
Late at night, inside the dark gate was an even darker courtyard, with a Buddhist temple standing in the distance. Kazuo Kuzan decided that he would never take a step forward unless he strengthened and repaired it after dawn. He would not be trapped in his sleep.
Next, the shogunate really wants to thank the Bodhisattva for his appearance. Maybe it will vigorously repair the temple, invite eminent monks and great virtues to sit there, and make it an official place of worship.
Facing the darkness, he walked into the courtyard and found a relatively flat place to put the woman down. Sorayama Kazuyo took a slight breath. He felt it carefully and found that there was nothing wrong. "I'm going to light a fire." Then he walked out of the hospital.
The door disappeared.
The dark night not only obscures people's vision, but also puts pressure on the soul due to fear of the unknown.
When Sorayama Kazuyo was around, the woman didn't think anything of it. Once he left, she instantly felt that everything in this temple was weird. Whether it was the broken Buddha statue with a ferocious face, or the dark corner where the moonlight could not penetrate, it seemed that the next second...
An unimaginable demon appeared and devoured the mother and daughter alive, making her unable to help but tightly hold on to the sharp Kodachi that originally belonged to the Miteiban ninja.
The feeling of waiting in fear was extremely long. The woman couldn't help but talk to herself, and sighed to her daughter who had been silent: "When he was fighting with the ninja, he was so far away, and his skin would become tight because of the murderous aura he exuded.
I just want to run away far away.
Now that I'm out of sight, every second seems to be so difficult. Sure enough, my body can't hold it anymore? Otherwise, I can't be so weak. You know, when your father and I were on a mission, we were alone in this temple.
I have been waiting for many days... I hope I can persuade him to agree to take care of you before I die, Wuzi, are you willing?"
The little girl didn't make any movements, her face was still as expressionless as a real sculpture, but the corner of her eyes blinking rapidly did not escape the woman's eyes. This was an expression of joy! The woman was determined, but at the same time she felt a little inexplicable.
Not long after, Sorayama Kazuye walked into the courtyard with a bundle of dead wood tied with rattan. He was holding a huge hare dripping blood in his hand. He lit a fire and said: "There are many wild animals here, and there is a river nearby."
, there must be no shortage of fish, maybe I need to go out to the mountains to exchange for some salt..."
The woman pursed her lips and smiled, "Are you worrying too much? Why do I still take Kiriko here to take refuge in such a remote and desolate place? You know, my husband is an outstanding ninja. In terms of earth escape ninjutsu alone, in this place,
He is also considered the best among the many ninjas in Japan." After saying this, she couldn't help but glance at Kazuyo Sorayama. If it weren't for him, maybe there would be no need to leave home and flee here now.
"I know, what next." Kazuyo Sorayama lit the fire skillfully. If you hadn't seen his embarrassed appearance two days ago, you would have thought that he was a master of wilderness survival.
"He discovered rock salt in a nearby mountain col! I once collected it with him. It is as crystal clear as a gem and shimmers with a faint cherry pink color. It is the best rock salt. I heard that even the daimyo are proud of their ability to eat rock salt.
.If transportation hadn't been too difficult, we in Fengmo wouldn't be so poor." The woman said with some regret.
As the fire ignited, the woman gradually regained some of her strength and introduced enthusiastically: "More than that, there is wild rice growing in a depression not far from here. Although the yield is not high and it is often eaten by birds, it
Collect them together with mountain nuts to make porridge. There are also some radishes growing in the vegetable garden opened by monks..."
It seems that this is the escape route that the woman has prepared for a long time. No wonder she has the courage to take her young daughter to this place for refuge alone. She will have no problem feeding them mother and daughter with the products here. Maybe her life will be richer than living outside the mountains.
If they could occasionally catch one or two prey to improve their food, it would be like a paradise on earth for them!
But now everything is cheap. If you really want to stay here wholeheartedly, it won't be a problem in thirty to fifty years.
"We've been together for two days, and I still don't know your name."
"I have had many names... you can call me pine nut." "Pine nut... pine nut, have you ever thought that there is no shortage of anything here, but the only thing missing is the medicine that can heal you. With your body, every day
One more day is an extra gift from God."
"Oh, the doctor in the village said three years ago that I would not survive the Cherry Blossom Festival that year... Sometimes these are not issues we mortals should consider." Matsuko touched her chest and coughed violently, but the wind brought by it was not even noticeable.
The nearby flames did not move away, and it was obvious that the energy contained in the body had reached its limit.
Kazuyo Sorayama frowned, and handed the hare in his hand to the little girl who was still staring blankly at the bonfire. He no longer cared about the etiquette between men and women, covered Matsuko's chest with one hand, and pressed her back with the other hand and rubbed it slowly.
"You don't have to do this, it's just a waste of effort." The woman's face remained unchanged, without any awareness of being violated, and she looked directly into Kazuyo Sorayama's eyes in a calm tone.
"You have to tell me the location of the rock salt even if you die. I won't escape from the earth. And..." Kazuyo Sorayama looked at the little girl, "She is still young. Do you feel relieved to be left alone in the wilderness?"
"Can I ask you something..." "I refuse." "She's still young!" "What does it have to do with me?" "I can..." "You have nothing that I need."
"I can give you the secret ninjutsu passed down through the generations in Fuma. Although as a sword master, you may not care about the superficial skills of a small ninja school, but you should need the means to defend against ninjas." Songzi was afraid of Sorayama Kazuha.
He refused again and forced himself to speak quickly in one breath, only to be met with a more violent cough.
To the surprise of the pine nuts, Kazuyo Sorayama still quickly replied: "Not interested." As if he was afraid that the woman would ask something again, Kazuyo Sorayama continued: "Do you think it is safe for her to stay here, or to accompany me, a person called me by the shogunate?"
For the safety of the ‘national thieves’?”
What's more, as soon as I said my promise to you, I'm afraid you will die immediately after getting what you want... Sorayama Kazuyo thought to himself.
The woman smiled miserably and did not entangle again. She gently pushed Sorayama Kazuyo's hand away, took out an old map from her tattered arms, pointed to the marks on it and said: "From here, go south over two mountains.
There is a land with sparse weeds on the mountainside. If you peel back a few stones, you can find the salt on the mountain wall. After walking for nearly five miles along the river, there are rice fields hidden somewhere downstream. I don’t know if they are still there now.
besides……"
Ichiyo Sorayama let her finish, looking at the woman who was getting weaker and weaker, and sighed secretly in his heart.
"I don't know how long you will stay here, but you will always need these things. Although you refuse to take care of Wuzi, you probably won't be leaving the mountain for a short time. During this period, you will definitely not be abandoned as a person.
." The woman's eyes sparkled, and she took out a small scroll from her sleeve and handed it to Kazuyo Sorayama: "This is the ninjutsu secret book in Fuuma, including detailed training methods."
Kongshan didn't even look at a leaf, and threw it directly back to the woman, "I said, I don't need this thing, I'd better pass it on to your daughter."
The woman took the scroll and was stunned. She didn't seem to expect that Sorayama Kazuyo really didn't care about the centuries-old essence of a ninja sect. This kind of thing should have unparalleled appeal to any cultivator. After all, those who also practice ninjutsu
There are countless schools of kendo, but few of them have access to the core secrets of the ninja.
"You don't understand." As if he could see the woman's confusion, Sorayama Kazuyo said calmly: "I might have been very interested in this thing ten years ago, but now it is not only useless to me, but actually harmful."
When swordsmanship has reached his level, the most important thing is to cultivate the mind, while ninjutsu is another system of martial arts. The more exquisite it is, the more pure it will be.
"In that case..." She threw the scroll into the fire, and a light blue flame ignited. The scroll that had been passed down for an unknown period of time immediately turned into ashes, "The ninja is dead, and the ninja village has disappeared. Keep the
It only brings disaster."
He turned around and hugged the silent little girl, stroking her bun with pity: "Wuzi, your father is the hero of the village. Don't hate him. In order for everyone to survive, he chose to die. I'll teach you the secret."
The same reason applies to martial arts. In such troubled times, many women without force end up worse than death. But from now on, you are no longer a ninja, and you don't have to carry the past. I hope you can forget those cruel practices."
The little girl still listened motionless, her expression unchanged.
"Although this Master Sword Master indirectly killed your father, there is nothing he can do about it. Who made us ninjas? After I die, you must listen to his words..." "I didn't promise you to take care of her!"
"Haha, you can leave by yourself, or you can kill her. She can't resist anyway."
A leaf in the empty mountain burst into flames, and a cold murderous intention enveloped the woman: "You think I don't dare?"
"Don't put on that scary look. Why save us if you want to kill us?" The woman didn't care about the murderous intention that could make people's hearts stop. There seemed to be another, more powerful force supporting her spirit: "To a general,
It's useless for a dead person to release murderous intent, Ichiyo Sora, don't you regret it very much?"
"Hmph." Kazuyo Sorayama was a little angry, "You can go die, she is your daughter, not mine. I have no obligation to help you take care of her. Even if you die in front of me, I will not frown."
"Wuzi has never had a good life. In the past, even filling his stomach was a luxury. Dying like this might be a good ending, so...it's up to you." The woman seemed to be determined to get nothing out of him.
The threat remained unmoved and continued to say to the little girl: "After I die, you must listen to this man and do whatever he asks you to do. Remember, this is my mother's last wish, to live well..."
…” The voice stopped abruptly.
The woman hugged the little girl's arm and dropped it to the ground, with a smile on her lips, as if she had no regrets.
Looking at the woman's gradually stiffening body and the girl who still looked dull, Sorayama Kazuyo felt a huge headache.