Chapter 24 The warriors who came one after another [Part 2]
Katsushiro's neck was wrapped in a white cloth, and there were faint blood stains on it, which looked very serious. His head was drooped, and he followed Kanbei lifelessly, not at all as lively as he was in the first few days. Kanbei
Wei Momo sighed. This kind of thing can only be understood by oneself. It is useless to rely on comfort. After all, life and death are a great horror. Anyone who is almost decapitated cannot be dealt with safely, let alone a person who has not yet entered the Yuanfu.
juvenile.
In the bustling downtown, various hawkers were coming and going. Kanbei hoped to use the lively environment to ease his disciple's mood. As for recruiting samurai, although he was urgent, he didn't care about the half-day time.
At this moment, there were shouts and curses nearby, and Katsushiro raised his head blankly and looked in the direction of the sound. Seeing this, Kanbei immediately pulled Katsushiro, and the two squeezed through the crowd and got closer.
Straw shoes and various knitted items were scattered on the floor.
A drunken ronin pointed at a tall hawker and cursed loudly: "Baga! You untouchable, how could you see that I was wearing your straw sandals! Huh? The shoes are no longer yours when they are on my feet.
, if you say anything again, I will chop you to death with a knife."
Someone in the crowd watching the excitement murmured: "Humph, can a samurai buy something without paying for it? If you take something into your own hand and say it is yours, what is the difference between that and a robber?!" "Keep your voice down.
Be careful that he hears it!" "So what if he hears it, the government won't take care of it." "The government is also handled by warriors. How can they speak for this hawker? At most, they disperse the crowd, scold each other and end the matter.
You might even blackmail the vendors when you come."
Seeing that the people around him were talking louder and louder, the ronin pressed his hand on the handle of the knife, pulled out half of the sharp blade with a swipe, and shouted to the surroundings with a ferocious face: "Who is coming! Who is going to try Master Sakamoto's knife!"
Seeing everyone's silence, he proudly shouted to the vendor in front of him: "Get out of here!" The vendor's face remained unchanged, and he stood firmly in front of the ronin and said gently: "Please pay, please, or you can take off the straw sandals under your feet."
Give it back to me."
Kanbei led Katsushiro to push aside the crowd in front of him. When he saw the vendor's profile, he felt confused in his eyes. He seemed to have thought of something, but he was not sure. When he heard the vendor speak, he suddenly showed excitement.
His chest rose and fell several times before he managed to calm himself down.
Taking a deep breath, Kanbei walked slowly to the front of the vendor and shouted to the ronin: "Stop! This robbery is being carried out in broad daylight. Do you think there are no righteous men to uphold justice?!"
The ronin saw that Kanbei's temples were gray, but he was holding a katana calmly. Katsushiro standing side by side with him was young, but the blood-stained wound on his neck also meant that he was not a rookie with no combat experience.
A hawker with a strong build and an upright face.
Although it may not be impossible to win in a one-on-three match, wouldn't it be foolish to get injured or even die for a pair of straw sandals? The Ronin's footsteps quietly rubbed backwards, and he yelled with an inward look: "Who are you? Do you want to meddle in other people's business!"
Katsushiro was awakened by the shouts. He looked at Ronin's exposed half of the blade, looked at the crowd around him, looked at the master's calm momentum, and the courage that had been shattered by the blow from Sorayama seemed to be gathering again, and that passionate and righteous heart
, beating with a more determined frequency than before.
Kanbei seemed to feel the change in Katsushiro next to him, and he couldn't help but smile a little, and stared at Ronin with brighter eyes.
The ronin saw the momentum of the two warriors on the opposite side rising steadily, and a layer of sweat broke out on his back. He snorted, and quietly put the half of the blade back into the sheath, muttering: "Who said you won't pay me?"
, Just trying to see if it fits." He took out a few copper coins from his arms and threw them on the ground, then disappeared into the crowd without looking back.
Kanbei leaned over to pick up the copper coins on the ground and handed them to the vendor. The vendor hurriedly bent down and bowed to thank him. Feeling that the other party was still holding his hand, he slowly raised his head and looked at Kanbei: a familiar face.
But even though he has aged a lot, his wise eyes and gentle smile have not changed at all.
The hawker said excitedly: "Kanbei!" "Long time no see, old man!"
Several people returned to the shop. The hawker had already calmed down, but Kanbei was still excited and said: "It's so great to meet you again, Shichiroji! For so many years, I thought you had died in battle." Shichiroji used
He wiped the sweat from his chest with a towel and said shyly: "I thought I was dead too."
"Ah! How did you escape when the city was attacked?" Shichiroji stopped his movements and recalled: "At that time, fire broke out from the city gate and crashed down. I thought I was doomed... There were enemy troops everywhere.
I hid under the water plants in the river outside the city for a day and a night, and then I saved my life."
The two of them lowered their heads and were relatively speechless. For a long time, Kanbei raised his head and said with difficulty: "I still have a battle to fight this time..." Before Kanbei could continue, Shichiroji interrupted him and said: "
Follow your orders!" "Maybe I will really die this time," Kanbei said with some guilt.
Shichiroji said no more, but the smile and firm expression on his face had already revealed his determination: to follow Kanbei through life and death without saying a single unnecessary word!
Kanbei pointed to the young man standing aside and said to Shichiroji: "This is Katsushiro, the apprentice I took in a few days ago. But he is not needed to fight against the bandits for the time being. There is also a great master here, he...
…”
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly realized that Kazuyo Sorayama was not in the store. Unlike everyone else in this era, Kazuyo Sorayama had to eat three meals a day. Usually, this time was exactly the time he had set for the farmers to prepare for lunch.
Didn't come back today.
Turning to look at the farmers on the side, Kanbei asked: "Where has Mr. Sorayama gone?" Yohei said cautiously: "Sir, not long after you left, a samurai came to see Mr. Sorayama." "Samurai?
"Yes, it must be a samurai! The samurai glanced at me before entering the door, and my teeth couldn't help chattering. That look was exactly like being stared at by Lord Sorayama."
"Oh?" Kanbei was curious and thought to himself: He must be a great master if he can make the peasants feel like this! He continued to ask: "Do you remember what the samurai looked like? Did you hear what they said?
?" "The samurai is thin and looks very serious, yes! There seems to be a scar on his eyebrow. It seems that he told Master Kongshan to compete in martial arts or something..." Yoping scratched his head, and then muttered: "Otherwise, I
I don’t quite understand, but it should be to the open space outside the shrine in the west of the city, where there are often martial arts competitions.”