In the eyes of Sorayama Kazuyo, the mountain gate of Hiten Mikaru-ryu is actually not much better than his ruined temple in a barren mountain. It has the same barren mountains and ridges, and the same few shabby houses. The only thing that is good is that it is along the road with the nearby castle town.
The mountain path is only half a day away, making it very convenient for shopping and going out. From this point, we can see that the Hiden-Uken-ryu is not a purely secluded school. It is just because of the single transmission of the past generations and the fact that it will never serve the powerful.
Keep this genre unknown to the public.
After being abandoned by his master Hiko, Kazuyo Sorayama had no choice but to follow the direction in his memory to the outer town of this small town. He had drank all the fine wine Hiko had collected. Since it was located along the coast, the smuggling business was rampant.
This small town is as prosperous as Edo, with casinos, brothels, and businesses all around. Of course, there are restaurants where you can have a drink after a busy day.
"This is it." After looking around, Kazuyo Sorayama and Kiriko walked into a restaurant with "Aoi House" written on it. They ordered a pot of wine, a plate of natto, and an eel for Kiriko.
After dinner, he started to pour and drink himself comfortably.
It was just after noon, and the business in the store was quite booming. All kinds of information were constantly poured into Kazuyo Sorayama's ears along with the unscrupulous chatter of the people. All kinds of interesting stories were served as side dishes with drinks, which made Kazuyo Sorayama feel very happy. This kind of life is like a life in the mountains.
It can't be done no matter what.
"Hey, the domain is recruiting troops. Your martial arts are so good, why don't you apply. I heard that the domain has recently purchased a lot of new muskets and trained a new army composed of ordinary people, small townspeople and even mountain people in the domain of the domain.
What martial arts do they know?"
The ronin who was asked sighed: "You don't know something. They would rather recruit idiots who are not proficient in martial arts but have an innocent identity. They rarely recruit ronin with unknown origins like us. The selection is very strict."
"I don't know what they think! Do you really think that with a gun, you can respect the king and fight against the barbarians? It's really ridiculous. A few years ago, the Shura in Edo killed the shogunate with just a knife and frightened the shogunate. He still doesn't know where he is at ease.
, maybe just drinking in a big way next door."
Sorayama Kazuyo's hand holding the wine glass froze slightly, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. This ronin is really a talent!
"Yes! What can he do with his martial arts skills and the latest muskets? It's just that there is only such a character in two hundred years. It's too difficult!"
"Hey, what are you planning to do? Leave the Choshu Domain?" "This is the only way, but I only have a few copper coins on hand, and I can't even pay for travel." The ronin suddenly showed a fierce expression and whispered: "Let's go together.
Do it? You know, I found that there is a businessman and his daughter in the city who go to a nearby temple to pray for blessings almost every few days, why not...hehehe..."
"You're crazy! There are people everywhere on the official road. If any nosy samurai or patrolling officer sees it, you and I..." As he said this, the ronin made a gesture with his palm across his neck.
"What are you afraid of! I've already observed it, and I'll do it when they come back. It's still five miles away from the town. I'll take them directly to the nearby dense forest. I'll sleep with them long enough. Then I'll shut them up forever."
Already."
"Um... when?" "Today! It's still early, let's drink and drink."
Interesting. Ichiyo Sorayama is not a person who likes to meddle in other people's business, but since I encountered him, I might as well do something good if I think about it.
"Wuzi, I have some things that need to be taken care of. Do you want to come with me or go back to the mountain first?" Wuzi glanced at Kazuyo Sorayama with a faint, idiotic look. He instantly understood what Wuzi meant: Please don't
Talk nonsense, thank you.
Kazuyo Sorayama discovered that since Kiriko left the mountain with him, although she still remained silent and her facial expression remained cold, her eyes had become much more lively, no longer indifferent and indifferent, but from time to time she would reveal a trace of a normal girl.
The expression you should have, even just a little bit.
Sorayama Kazuyo was of course very pleased with this phenomenon. He did not want the girl who had been with him for the longest time in this world and was considered half a disciple to remain a living dead for the rest of her life.
Life is not just about the past. In fact, at her age, the past is just appetizers, sour and bitter, just to better enjoy the feast later.
There were already quite few people in the store. The two ronin got up and left. Kazuyo Sorayama packed up two jars of fine wine and handed them to Kiriko unceremoniously, "Like before, don't use muscle strength to lift, use the skills of swordsmanship."
force method and pace.”
"I got it, don't worry." Wuzi slightly showed this meaning in his eyes.
Kazuyo Sorayama nodded and led Kirizi to hang far behind the two ronin.
"Oh? I didn't expect that there are people who like to meddle in other people's business like me? Why didn't I find that other customers in the store have such superb martial arts?" Just as he walked out of the store, he suddenly felt an extremely weak and rhythmic footsteps.
, if he had not always adjusted his pace according to the speed of the ronin, he would not have been able to distinguish this person's purpose in this crowded street.
It seems that there is no rush to take action... He thought secretly.
The sky is still far from dark. As the bandit said, this is the most remote corner of the official road. Next to it is a patch of strange trees and white thatch that have not been cleaned up. It is difficult to see what is going on inside from a few steps away.
of any sin.
Not only did the two ronin not lie down in the grass and ambush, but they just leaned on the side of the road and continued drinking. They looked quite normal, and even the passers-by were not interested in doing more research.
Kazuyo Sorayama's attention at this time was entirely on the other master who was following the ronin. With his attention all the way, he carefully examined the figure that the other party occasionally exposed. From his body movements, he found that the other party was not a master of swordsmanship. Of course,
It's not because this man doesn't have a sword.
Swordsmen generally walk with their upper body upright. Even if there is no sword in their hands, their left hand swings much smaller than the right hand, and their steps are smaller. Their pace is faster than that of other categories of warriors, perhaps only the fastest in a hundred steps.
So three or two steps, but it is enough for the perception of an empty mountain and a leaf.
In his opinion, this person seemed to have practiced some kind of unusual weaponry, most likely dual-wielding weapons, and his martial arts tended to be more vigorous physical skills, but judging from the flexibility of his body, he was not specialized in it.
A monk who has refined his body. "This person is definitely not a samurai. Could it be...a ninja...it's getting more and more interesting." Kazuyo Sorayama thought silently.
There was a burst of laughter from a girl, and not long after, three figures appeared on the road. A young woman was followed by a girl who was not much older than Mitsuko. The mother and daughter came to the corner unprepared. At this time, the road was empty.
one person.
The two ronin looked at each other in tacit understanding, pulled out their wakizori and placed it between the mother and daughter's necks. Before they could react from the shock, they covered their mouths and dragged them into the dense forest.
Skillfully, he tightly strangled the woman's mouth with a piece of coarse cloth, then put down the knife and said with a low smile: "Madam, Miss, there is no need to panic. The two brothers just want to borrow some money and return to their respective vassals. Don't worry, we never do.
It hurts people's lives, as long as you don't report it to the official."
The girl had been so frightened by the incident that she fell to the ground with tears in her eyes. The young woman with a huge round bun and a plain white shirt nodded tremblingly, groping for the money and even the money on her body with her hands.
Give all the gold jewelry to the ronin, hoping that they are really just robbing the money.
One of the ronin weighed the harvest in his hands and nodded with satisfaction, "Madam, since you have been praying to Buddha for a long time, can you show some kindness?" The ronin cut off the woman's belt with a knife and threw her to the ground, "Our brothers have already
I haven’t had money to find a woman for a long, long time. Please do some good deeds, madam and young lady, hehehe..."
No matter how fiercely a woman struggles, how can she be defeated by a strong man with strong martial arts skills? Just when the two women were almost inseparable, Sorayama Kazuha once thought that the guy hiding in the dark was ready to wait until the ronin was in high spirits before taking action.
The figure approaching silently rushed through the last few steps, and a short iron rod with a dark light shining from the cuffs of his hands stretched out and hit the ronin on the back of the head.
There was no "thunk" sound like Kazuha Sorayama imagined when a blunt instrument hit the skull. Instead, there was a subtle "crack" sound. This was caused by the fact that there was no waste of force when hitting the target, and the head completely withstood the entire blow.
Shattered into slag!
Kazuyo Sorayama's eyes narrowed. This level of control over the body and power... Of course he and Higu can easily do it, and those well-known swordsmen will definitely not have a problem, but in an unknown coastal town in the Choshu Domain, there are actually
Such a master's identity and purpose are highly questionable.