I saw the owner of the plum house looking up and down at Ogata in front of him.
His eyes were full of undisguised suspicion.
"Yes." Ogata nodded, "I am a former employee of the Shirobei Club - 'Mashima Goro'. I have to leave Edo due to some things and will no longer work at the Shirobei Club."
"During the time I was working at the Shirobei Club, I received a lot of help from my husband."
"So before I leave, I want to pay a visit to the Taifu and express my gratitude to him personally."
Just now, after saying goodbye to Shirobei and others, and leaving the club, Okonon rushed to Yoshiwara's Mimeya.
After entering the Plum House, Oban bluntly stated his identity as a "former servant of the club" and bluntly stated that he wanted to meet the Fubell Taifu.
Because Ogata said that he was a "former servant of the club," the staff of the Ume House did not dare to neglect Ogata, so they invited the owner of the Ume House over.
Taifu had just been kidnapped a few days ago, so the owner of the Plum House became nervous immediately after learning that someone was looking for Taifu.
Naturally, the owner of Ume House has heard of the name "Mashima Goro".
After Ogata's words fell, the middle-aged woman who was following her boss, the middle-aged woman who was responsible for taking care of the daily life of the wandering girls, let out a low exclamation and said:
"My boss, I recognize him. He is indeed Goro Majima."
This dispatcher must have met Ogata, who was well-known in the Shirobei Club, some time before, so he recognized Ogata's face.
After one of his subordinates personally revealed that this person was Goro Majima, the suspicion in his boss's eyes was slightly reduced.
"...Wait a moment." The boss said after a moment of silence, "I'm going to ask the Taifu if he wants to see you."
After saying that, the boss quickly left from Ogata, ran to the stairs not far away, and ran to the upper floor.
Not long after, the host returned to Ogata.
"Mashima-sama, come with me," the host said.
Ogata followed his employer, slowly climbed to the top floor of the Plum House, and then came to a gorgeous paper sliding door.
"The master is in the room." The host said, "You can just go in."
After Ogata bowed to express his gratitude to his employer, he slowly opened the paper sliding door in front of him and walked into the room.
Previously, on the first night when Ogata came to work in Yoshiwara, he was invited by the Taifu and came to the Taifu's room once.
The layout of the Taifu's room was exactly the same as the last time I visited the Taifu's room - just as simple.
As soon as he entered the room, Ogata saw Taifu kneeling by the window.
The husband was holding a book in his hand, and he seemed to be reading just now.
At this time, the Taifu had his long hair loose and was wearing a bright red kimono.
After Ogata entered the room, Taifu turned his head and cast complicated eyes on Ogata.
Ogata knelt down beside the Taifu and placed Daishukten on the tatami on the right side.
"Tafu," Ogata said with a smile, "Long time no see."
"Well, long time no see." Looking at Ogata who was so close, the complicated look in Taifu's eyes became more intense.
After looking Ogata up and down several times with eyes filled with complex colors, Taifu sighed:
"I never expected...a living legend is actually in Yoshihara, right in front of me...I even talked to this living legend and gave him lipstick..."
Previously, during the duel between Ogata and Shuntaro, Taifu recognized Goro Majima as Issei Ogata based on Ogata's voice and sword.
After successfully rescuing Taifu from Shiranui, Ogata knew that Taifu already knew that "Mashima is Ogata", so he only smiled slightly at Taifu's words, and then whispered:
"Tafu, I have to leave Edo because of some things. I should be away for a long time."
"So I came to say goodbye to you."
Taifu can be regarded as one of the friends Ogata made after coming to Yoshihara. Although the relationship is not particularly close, Ogata did receive care from Taifu during the time he was lurking in Yoshihara.
The box of lipstick given to him by Taifu was still used cherished by Omachi, so Ogata felt that he should come and say goodbye to Taifu properly.
"Are you leaving Edo?" A look of surprise flashed in Taifu's eyes.
"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "I'll probably leave in a few days."
"Before leaving, I want to meet one by one those people who need to say goodbye."
"so--"
Ogata's conversation changed.
"Tafu, tell me Shuntaro... no, tell me where Goryoku is."
After Ogata finished speaking, Taifu was stunned for a moment.
Then a faint wry smile appeared on his face.
"At the beginning, when you told me that Wuliu escaped on his own, I knew you were lying." Ogata said softly, "I was the one who attacked Wuliu at that time."
"So I know very well - Wuliu was in the same situation at that time. He couldn't even stand up. How could he still have the ability to escape?"
"You must know where Wuliu is now, right?"
"Tafu, don't worry. I won't do anything to Wuliu."
"I don't have any personal grudges with Wuliuben."
"The previous showdown with Wuliu was just forced by the situation."
"I have some friendship with him."
"So before leaving Edo, I also want to say goodbye to him."
The husband looked straight at Ogata.
Then he let out a sigh with a hint of helplessness.
"Go to the bank of the Rashomon River." The husband said softly, "Look for a wandering girl named 'Japanese Wind'. He is now at the home of 'Japanese Wind'."
Ogata's eyes showed a bit of astonishment due to the surprise.
Noticing the astonishment in Ogata's eyes, Taifu asked:
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing... I just feel a little surprised. I thought it would take a lot of effort for you to be willing to tell Wuliu where he is now..."
"Wu Liu asked me to do this." Taifu once again let out a helpless sigh, "Wu Liu told me before: If you come later and express your desire to see him, don't worry.
Boldly tell you his location."
After saying that, the Taifu turned sideways and took a headdress from a table next to him.
"When you see Ze Feng, give her this headdress."
"When you see Wu Liu, don't fight."
"Don't worry." Ogata smiled as he took the tiara, "I just said that he and I don't have any personal grudges."
After handing the tiara to the buyer, Taifu raised his gaze and looked directly into Ogata's eyes.
"Since you will be leaving Edo in a few days, I will take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you."
After the words fell, the Taifu faced Ogata, then bowed solemnly, supported the tatami with both hands, and rested his forehead on the tatami.
"I heard Gua Sheng say it before."
"The night I was kidnapped, you noticed the mark I left on the neck of the person who kidnapped me, and then you tried to rescue me."
"Thank you very much for the helping hand you gave me at that time."
"I will never forget your kindness."
"Tafu, please raise your head." Ogata said quickly, "I didn't succeed in rescuing you, so you don't need to thank me."
The doctor smiled and shook his head gently.
"I don't pay attention to results, I only pay attention to the process."
"Whether you succeeded in rescuing me or not, your attempt to rescue me is enough for me to express my gratitude to you."
"When you come back to Edo in the future, if you encounter any trouble, you can feel free to come to me."
The Taifu raised his head, and a charming smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Anything I can do to help, I will definitely help."
"I am also an oiran after all, and I know some high-ranking officials who hold high positions in the shogunate."
"So there's still a lot I can do to help."
"Yes." Ogata smiled and nodded vigorously, "If I return to Edo in the future and encounter any trouble, I will definitely come to you for help and catch up with you by the way."
…
…
Edo, Yoshiwara, Rashomon Riverbank——
After leaving Mimeya, Oban followed his memory and came to the bank of the Rashomon River located at the westernmost edge of Yoshiwara.
Because it is morning, there are not many tourist girls standing on both sides of the road soliciting customers.
Ogata just asked casually and found out the home of the wandering girl named "Japanese Wind" - located in a relatively remote place on the banks of the Rashomon River.
Ogata arrived at the door of Zefeng's house and knocked on the door.
Not long after, I saw a woman in her 30s opening the door.
More than 30 years old - this is the age for middle-aged women in this era.
"Hello. Are you Miss Hefeng?"
The woman nodded and turned her wary gaze towards Ogata: "I am. Who are you?"
While saying hello, Ogata handed the headdress that Taifu had just given him to Zefeng.
After taking the tiara from Ogata's hand, the woman raised her eyebrows.
After glancing at Ogata again with a surprised look, Zefeng turned her body to one side to make way for an entrance into and out of her house.
"come in."
Zephyr's house is considered a relatively large one on the banks of the Rashomon River.
There are several rooms.
Zephyr led Ogata to the door of the room located at the deepest part of the house, and then opened the door.
The room behind the door is not big, only about the size of 3 stacks of tatami mats.
A person who was quite familiar to Ogata was sitting on a quilt in this room.
His body was wrapped in linen like a mummy, and he was stretching his left arm, seemingly rehabilitating it.
After Ogata appeared within his field of vision, he looked surprised at first, and then the surprise on his face quickly turned into a faint smile.
After Zefeng brought Ogata here, he left silently.
Ogata entered the room, closed the door, and then took the lead in saying hello:
"Long time no see. Wu Liu."
…
…
Time goes back to 5 days after Shiranui was destroyed——
Edo, Yoshiwara, Rashomon Riverbank——
Nice smell...
Quite a nice smell...
A rather pleasant smell penetrated Shuntaro's nostrils.
The hunger in my belly was aroused.
Under the raging fire of hunger, Shuntaro gradually regained consciousness.
Shuntaro's eyes slowly opened as he regained consciousness.
After opening his eyes, the first thing that shone into Shuntaro's eyes was dim light.
Shuntaro followed the dim light and saw that the dim light was an oil lamp.
The faint light emitted by the burning wick brought the only light to this narrow space.
After taking his eyes away from the oil lamp, Shuntaro began to carefully examine his current environment.
It was a narrow room about the size of four tatami mats, with very little furniture.
He was lying on a relatively clean bedding, covered with a thin quilt.
Shuntaro sat up subconsciously.
However, as soon as he touched the muscles in his waist, chest and other parts, Shuntaro instantly felt as if countless needles were pricking his body.
This sharp pain almost made Shuntaro scream.
Shuntaro moved his limbs slightly and found that only his right hand was still free to move.
Turning his right hand and gently lifting the thin blanket covering his body, Shuntaro looked at his current body.
He was wearing a thin white yukata. Underneath the yukata were layers and layers of thick linen covering his entire body. Nearly 80% of his skin was wrapped in linen.
One question after another popped up in Shuntaro's mind.
Where is this?
Where is Ah Chang?
Why am I here?
What about Ittosai?
How's it going in Shiranui?
Who healed me?
…
Shuntaro was just about to shout to see if there was anyone else here, when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from far away outside the sliding paper door of the room.
After the footsteps stopped outside the paper sliding door, the paper sliding door was slowly opened.
The person who opened the sliding paper door was a middle-aged woman about 35 years old.
She didn't have a bun, her hair was hanging around casually, there were fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth, her skin was a little sallow, and she was wearing a somewhat worn light red kimono.
Although there are signs of age on her face, it can still be seen that this woman must have been a beauty when she was young.
The woman opened the door and raised her eyebrows when she saw Shuntaro waking up, with a bit of surprise flashing in her eyes.
"You're awake." The woman said softly, "How about it? Do you feel hungry? If you feel hungry, I can go and cook some porridge for you now."
After hearing the woman's reminder, Shuntaro remembered that he was very hungry now.
"Then I'll trouble you..." Because his body was still very weak, Shuntaro was a little weak when he spoke.
"You're welcome." The woman smiled.
After saying that, the woman slowly left Shuntaro's sight.
Don't forget to help close the door before leaving.
However - not long after the woman's footsteps left, Shuntaro heard another set of footsteps approaching him.
However, this series of footsteps was different from the footsteps of the woman just now.
This time the footsteps were deeper and heavier.
More like a man's footsteps.
Wow.
The paper sliding door was opened.
This time it was no longer the woman who opened the sliding door.
It was a man who looked familiar to Shuntaro.
"You actually woke up." The man's tone was full of surprise, "It's incredible that you can still wake up after being so seriously injured..."
"Are you...?" Shuntaro's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "Lin... Ziping...?"
This man was none other than the weirdo whom Shintaro was forced to rescue from the prison in the east of the city under Shintaro's order - Lin Ziping.
"Oh? Do you still remember me?"
"Of course I remember...Have you forgotten that I was one of the two people who rescued you from prison?"
"Of course I haven't forgotten it. How could I forget such an impressive thing."
As Lin Ziping spoke, he quickly walked to Shuntaro's bedside and sat down cross-legged.
"Hey." Shuntaro said seriously, "Where is this place? Why am I here? Why are you here?"
Faced with so many questions thrown out by Shuntaro in one breath, Lin Ziping was neither anxious nor slow.
"You ask so many questions at once, it's hard for me to answer them."
"Anyway..." Lin Ziping folded his hands on his chest, "Let's start from the day I rescued you."
Lin Ziping slowly told what happened on the day Shiranui was attacked.
After being taken from the prison to Shiranui, Lin Ziping was imprisoned somewhere in Shiranui by Shintaro.
Although they are well fed and clothed, their movements are restricted.
There are two ninjas guarding outside his residence.
In name, they were protecting him, but in reality they were monitoring him.
Just when the time came to noon, the bombardment of the big tube resounded throughout Shiranui.
Lin Ziping was not someone who had never seen the world. He could still recognize the sound of large cannon fire.
After the bombardment of the big cannon sounded, Lin Ziping immediately went out to ask the two ninjas responsible for monitoring him what was going on.
Naturally, the two ninjas didn't know what was going on, so they could only answer Lin Ziping's questions vaguely, allowing Lin Ziping to continue to stay here peacefully.
But gradually, the bombardment of the big tube became louder and louder, and it got closer and closer to them.
Finally - the two ninjas received the news: Shiranui was attacked by unknown people, and they were completely defeated.
This group of unknown people suddenly attacked them in Shiranui, and the released "Ku" was chasing the defeated ninjas.
Although the mission is important, it is not as important as life.
So after receiving the bad news, the two ninjas responsible for monitoring Lin Ziping ran away.
Lin Ziping saw that the two ninjas responsible for guarding had run away. Although he still didn't know what happened, he instinctively sensed that it would be dangerous to stay here, so he ran away.
Lin Ziping, who was not familiar with Shiranui, could only run around.
Through accidental collision, he avoided the "Ku" who were chasing the ninjas everywhere.
At the same time, by accident, we came to the place where Ogata and Shuntaro had a decisive battle.
At that time, Ogata had already relied on the "Transparent Realm" to instantly kill Eitaro.
So when Lin Ziping came to the place of the decisive battle between Ogata and Shuntaro, he only saw Ogata and Shuntaro who had fallen to the ground, Eitaro who had turned into a corpse, and the wind chime that had been tied up with five flowers.
Taifu.
Lin Ziping still has a simple sense of justice.
Seeing the woman who was suspected of being tied up by the gangster, there was no way to pretend that she hadn't seen her, so after confirming that there was no one else around, she quickly ran to the husband's side and untied him.
An old man in his 50s who he didn't know suddenly appeared to untie him - the husband was briefly stunned.
But after the confusion, Taifu loudly begged Lin Ziping to take Shuntaro away and bring him to a safe place.
The prince did not know Lin Ziping.
Whether the old man in front of you is trustworthy or not is a question.
But in the desperate situation, the husband could not care so much.
If Shutaro continues to lie here like this, it will be very bad.
She was just a weak woman, it was difficult just to carry Shuntaro on her back, let alone bring him to a safe place.
Although Lin Ziping was old, he had a strong body that even a loose kimono could not cover - so the wife had no choice but to bet that this old man could help her.
When hearing the Taifu's request, Lin Ziping was a little hesitant.
He is still capable of doing things like loosening people's bonds.
But carrying a large living person on his back and escaping to a safe place... Lin Ziping hesitated.
Just when Lin Ziping was hesitating, Taifu said something.
It was this sentence that directly made Lin Ziping make up his mind - he decided to assist Taifu and bring Shuntaro to a safe place...
…
…
"...Anyway, that's it."
Lin Ziping, who was a little thirsty after talking, looked around, looking for some water to drink.
After discovering that there was no water nearby, Lin Ziping could only swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva to barely moisten his throat.
"Boy, you and that girl are really lucky to have met me."
"I lived here in Edo for a long time."
"So I'm fairly familiar with Edo."
"I happen to know that there is an izakaya in the northern suburbs of Edo that no one is running anymore."
"That's an izakaya opened by someone I know. Because he returned to his hometown to inherit the family business, the izakaya has been closed."
"When my friend left Edo, he gave me the key to this izakaya so that I could use it when needed."
"That izakaya is located in a very remote location, which is perfect for hiding people."
"So I made an appointment with the girl - I will take you to the izakaya first, and then the girl will send someone to take us to a safer place."
"There is nothing to say about what happens next."
"I carried you to the long-abandoned izakaya built by my friend."
"Not long after I gave you a simple bandage, the girl sent two young men over and stuffed you into a sedan, pretending to be sending a doctor to Yoshihara, and sent you all the way to Yoshihara."
Speaking of this, Lin Ziping smiled.
"It wasn't until I sent you to Yoshiwara that I found out that the girl was the oiran of Yoshihara... No wonder she is so beautiful."
"You mean...I'm in Yoshiwara now?" Shuntaro's eyes widened in surprise.
"To be precise, it's on the bank of the Rashomon River in Yoshihara." Lin Ziping said, "We are now at the home of a wandering girl on the bank of the Rashomon River."
"You should have seen that woman just now, right? Her name is Hefeng, and she is the owner of this family."
When he heard the name "Japanese Wind", Shuntaro immediately remembered who she was.
He had heard Mrs. Feng Chime talk about this person before.
Zefeng is one of Feng Ling Taifu's friends.
She was once a wandering girl in a certain wandering girl's house, but because of her old age she had to live on the banks of the Rashomon River.
Not long after he drifted to the banks of the Rashomon River, he suddenly fell seriously ill.
Thanks to the timely help from the husband, Hefeng saved his life.
So for Hefeng, Taifu is her savior.
Probably because Taifu was kind to her and the two of them had a good relationship, Zefeng was willing to let Shuntaro stay in her home temporarily and take care of Shutaro.
As for the two young men who put him into a sedan and sent him all the way to Yoshihara, pretending to be a doctor, Shuntaro guessed that they were the ones who usually received favors from the master.
My wife has always been kind and charitable.
Not long after he became an oiran, he used his hard-earned savings to renovate a house on the banks of the Rashomon River, and he often helped those he could.
Those two people may be the children of two wandering girls on the banks of the Rashomon River.
The Taifu spent his own savings to repair the houses along the Rashomon River, and often took care of some sick wandering girls on the Rashomon River. All the wandering girls on the Rashomon River were grateful to the Taifu.
Therefore, when the prince was in need, the wandering girls and their families on the banks of the Rashomon River were naturally eager to help him.
After knowing the general cause and effect, Shuntaro asked:
"You said you decided to help me because of Chang... ah, no, because of what the Oiran said."
"What did the oiran say to you?"
A somewhat self-deprecating smile appeared on Lin Ziping's face.
Then he raised his right hand as if giving money.
"At that time, the oiran told me that as long as I was willing to help her, she would give me 50 taels of gold as a reward afterwards."
"I happen to be short of a lot of money to pay for my trip to Ezo."
"So I decided to take a gamble."
"Bet this girl who asked me for help is really rich and will actually keep her promise and pay."
"I'm very lucky, I won the bet."
"Just the day before yesterday, I received 50 taels of gold from the oiran."
"This money is so timely." Lin Ziping let out a sigh of relief, "This way, I will have enough money to go to Ezo."
"Ezo land?" Shuntaro looked confused.
"Before I was imprisoned, I planned to re-compile the military and geographical records of Ezo." A solemn look gradually appeared on Lin Ziping's cheeks. "It's a pity that I didn't have time to implement my plan.
Arrested and jailed.”
"Since it is rare to regain my freedom now, I also want to restart my plan and do as much as I can for this country."
"After receiving the 50 gold reward from the oiran, I will stay here temporarily and help Miss Hefeng take care of you while buying various things needed for the trip."
"Now I have bought all the things I should buy."
"You've woken up too."
"So I'm going to officially leave for Ezo in 2 or 3 days."
"...Speaking of which," Shuntaro said softly, "Although I helped you regain your freedom, I still don't know why you were imprisoned."
"This is not the first time I have been imprisoned." Lin Ziping laughed at himself, "This is the third time I have been imprisoned."
"The reasons why I was imprisoned these three times were all the same: I wrote to the shogunate and made proposals such as opening up the sea ban. Then I angered the shogunate and was imprisoned."
"It's just that this time it's more serious."
"Maybe it's because my words in this petition are sharper than before."
"As far as I know, I should be sentenced to death or imprisoned until death."
"I was already determined to die and prepared to die in prison."
"I didn't expect that I would be rescued by you."
"Maybe I shouldn't die."
After saying that, Lin Ziping slowly stood up.
"Wait a moment, I'll get you something."
After leaving these words, Lin Ziping quickly left Shuntaro's sight.
Then not long after, he returned to Shuntaro's eyes again.
After returning, Lin Ziping had a cloth bag in his hand.
"This is your belongings. Return them to their original owners."
Lin Ziping sat back down beside Shuntaro's bedside, and then handed the cloth bag to Shuntaro.
Shuntaro used his hand that could barely move freely to untie the cloth bag.
What was contained in the cloth bag was all the equipment Shiranui had on him on the day he was attacked.
He has two ninja swords, several kunai, and some small props.
And...a black pill.
Shuntaro twisted the pill, played with it for a while, and whispered in a voice that only he could hear clearly: "I didn't lose it..."
"Here comes the porridge!"
At this moment, the sound of gentle breeze sounded.
Zephyr entered Shuntaro's room carrying a bowl of steaming porridge.
"How?" Zefeng placed the bowl of porridge next to Shuntaro's quilt, "Can you drink the porridge by yourself?"
"Well... I can move my right arm freely, so drinking porridge shouldn't be a problem."
"Then I'll leave first. Call me if you need anything."
"Miss Zefeng!" When Zefeng was about to get up and leave, Ogata stopped her.
"What's up?"
"Can I trouble you with something?"
"Please say."
"Please help me bring a message to Taifu later." A strange smile appeared on Shuntaro's face, "If Majima Goro comes later and expresses his desire to see me, feel free to tell him my location.
he."
…
…
The timeline goes back to the present——
"It's a blessing that you were able to escape even though you were so seriously injured." Ogata said softly, "Someone should have taken you to escape, right? If no one helped you, you wouldn't have been able to escape at that time.
I can’t even stand up.”
"Well, that's right. Someone who was imprisoned in our Shiranui prison escaped during the chaos."
"He and I... have some friendship. Chang asked him for help, so he helped me and fled to a safe place while carrying me, who was seriously injured at the time."
"Then he brought me here with the help of Chang. Not long after he brought me here, he left. I don't know where he is now... I hope he has a safe journey."
Speaking of this, the figure of the old man who was surprisingly strong despite his age appeared in Shuntaro's mind.
The old man who saved his life had left five days ago and officially set off for Ezo.
"...You are calmer than I thought." Ogata said.
Shuntaro: "Why do you say that?"
"I was just wondering whether you would show dissatisfaction to me after seeing me, the person who launched a surprise attack on Shiranui and destroyed Shiranui."
"You're overthinking." Shuntaro smiled and shrugged, "I don't have any feelings for Shiranui."
"The reason why I joined Shiranui and became a ninja is just to meet strong enemies more easily and to hone my skills more easily."
"I don't care if Shiranui is up or down."
"I'm not even interested in why you attacked Shiranui."
"It would be better to say - now that you have helped me destroy Shiranui, I would like to thank you very much."
Shuntaro cast a grateful look at Ogata.
"Originally - before you and your companions attacked Shiranui, I found that staying in Shiranui would no longer help me improve my skills, so I planned to leave Shiranui and try to practice as a warrior. "
"Now that Shiranui has been destroyed by you, it saves me trouble."
After saying that, Shuntaro changed the topic and asked Ogata:
"Okay, let's talk about your affairs."
"What's the reason for the sudden visit?"
"Are you here to confirm whether I am dead or not?"
"Or are you here to kill me, the remnant of Shiranui?" Shuntaro's last words were in a joking tone.
"None of them." Ogata responded in the same joking tone, "I'm here to say goodbye to you."
"Because of some things, I have to leave Edo."
"We'll probably leave in a few days."
"After all, you can be considered a friend who has some friendship with me."
"So I planned to come and say goodbye to you."
"Is that so..." After learning that Ogata was leaving Edo, the surprise on Shuntaro's face fleetingly disappeared.
"Ogata Ittousai...are you going to a new place to create a new legend?" Shutaro grinned.
"If possible, I want to complete this journey safely and without any disturbance." The smile on Ogata's face became more helpless.
"Since you are leaving Edo... let me give you a farewell and thank you gift."
After that, Shuntaro untied the cloth bag placed next to his futon, revealing the items contained in the cloth bag: 2 ninja swords, several kunai, some props that Ogata couldn't name, and— —A black pill.
Shuntaro picked up the black pill and handed it to Ogata.
"Ogata Ittosai, I'll give this to you."
"Yakshamaru?" Ogata raised his eyebrows suddenly and exclaimed.
"Yes, it's Yashamaru." Shuntaro smiled and nodded, "Yashamaru is a drug that Enma finally developed after spending countless manpower, time, and money in order to improve the strength of the ninjas in the village."
"But only those who are physically strong enough can take Yasha Pills."
"If you are not physically fit enough, you will die if you take Yasha Pills."
"Because the conditions for taking Yasha Pills are strict, only Enma and the Four Heavenly Kings in Shiranui have Yasha Pills."
"Because Yasha Pills are difficult to make. So since the birth of Yasha Pills to now, I have only received 3 Yasha Pills."
"The first Yaksha Pill was already used in a fierce battle before."
"The second Yasha Pill was used in the battle with you."
"Two of the three have been removed. The Yasha Pill in my hand now is the last Yasha Pill on my body."
"You are kind to me."
The gratitude in Shuntaro's eyes became even more intense.
"Thanks to you and your companions, Shiranui died."
"Ah Chang was also saved because of you."
"I am also free because of you."
"This is a kindness that is difficult to repay."
"So——Ogata Ittosai, please accept this Yashamaru."
"This is my farewell and thank you gift."
"Your physical fitness is definitely qualified to take Yaksha Pills."
"Although this Yasha Pill may be just the icing on the cake for you, it may be able to save your life at a critical moment."
"...Are you really going to give me the only remaining Yasha Pill?" A hint of hesitation appeared on Ogata's face.
"Of course." Shuntaro replied without thinking, "Although Yashamaru is precious, it is more important to repay your kindness."
"Please accept this Yashamaru with peace of mind, Ogata Ittosai."
Now that Shuntaro has talked up to this point, if he refuses again, it will be a bit disrespectful.
"...I understand." Ogata nodded solemnly, and then took the Yashamaru with both hands, "Yakshamaru - I will accept it."
Yasha pills are only as big as an adult's thumb and exude a faint medicinal smell.
"Such a powerful medicine should have some side effects, right?" Ogata asked.
"The only side effect of taking Yasha Pill is that you will be quite tired after the effect of the drug wears off." Shuntaro said, "As for why this is the case, I don't know much about it. I don't know much about pharmacology."
——Have you become very tired?
Ogata lowered his eyes and glanced at Yashamaru lying on his palm.
——The side effects are the same as the "selfless state"...
——What will happen if you take Yasha Pill while entering the "state of selflessness"?