Chapter 709 The real boss looks unremarkable [5400]
An old man who didn't seem to be worth paying attention to suddenly said something astonishing. Everyone in the first class cast their astonished gazes on the old man who was still smiling "ho ho" in the cell.
"Miss Hatsumi, Mr. Shibata." Amachi asked Hatsumi and Shibata beside him, "Do you know this old man in the prison?"
The two stared at the old man in the prison, and then shook their heads at the same time.
"I've never seen him." Chu Guang said.
Shibata also nodded in agreement.
"Oh?" The old man in the cell looked at Hatsumi and Shibata with interest, "You two are wearing Iga no Sato ninja costumes..."
"You two...couldn't you be renegade ninjas who betrayed the Toyotomi clan's enemies?"
"It's normal that you don't know me."
"After all, the place where I used to work was a place where there was no sunlight."
"Hey." Makimura stepped forward and grasped the bars of the cell with both hands, "Who are you?!"
Based on what the old man said just now, it is not difficult to tell that this person seems to have a lot of knowledge about the Toyotomi clan.
"Who am I..." The old man with no fear on his face looked directly at Makimura, "I can tell you who I am... it's not impossible."
"But...before I introduce myself, can you let me know who you are?"
"Who are you?"
"This should not be a place where idlers can come and go at will."
"What happened outside? How did you get in here?"
Although this old man was disheveled, he was still in good spirits. He asked Chao Yuan and others one question after another in clear words.
Mamiya frowned slightly at this time.
"Lord Genichi." Mamiya turned to Genichi beside him and said, "The mountain fire outside is still raging. If the mountain fire comes here, it will be troublesome."
"This is not a place to stay for a long time."
"And since my lord is not here, there is no need to stay here any longer."
"Let's take the old man in the prison away first. While leaving this underground prison, we can slowly question the old man."
"Yes." Yuan nodded, "I happen to be thinking so. Mamiya, please open the door."
"yes."
Mamiya suddenly raised his hands, holding the scabbard with his left hand and grabbing the handle of the saber with his right hand.
Step forward and draw the knife!
The purple sword light of Vairocana illuminated the narrow cave.
Naturally, they did not have the key to unlock the cell door.
But who said you need a key to open the door?
The purple sword light flashed once and then again.
Click.
At the same moment when Mamiya put away the knife, the sound of wood breaking was heard.
On the wooden cell railing, a hole large enough for an adult to enter and exit was cut out by the light of a purple knife.
When Mamiya was talking to Genichi just now, he didn't lower his voice.
Therefore, the old man in the cell clearly heard the conversation between Mamiya and Genichi.
When the conversation between the two ended and Mamiya drew the knife to "open the door", the old man seemed to have heard something extraordinary and kept looking at Genichi outside the prison with surprised eyes.
"Master Yuan Yi..."
After repeating in a low voice what Mamiya had just called Genichi, the old man who had been huddled in the corner of the cell suddenly used his hands and feet to crawl to the center of the cell and get closer to Genichi.
The place.
"Source Yi..."
The old man stared at Yuan Yi's face.
"You can't be 'Toyotomi Genichi', right?"
Yuan Yi's brows jumped slightly.
He stared at the old man for a long time with a sharp gaze that seemed to penetrate the whole body of the old man.
"...Yes. I am Toyotomi Genichi." Genda admitted generously, "It seems that your status in the Toyotomi clan is really not low. You even don't even have the name 'Toyotomi Genichi'."
all know."
Hasegawa and his subordinates, who knew very little about Toyotomi, were now staring in confusion...
Especially Hasegawa.
At this time, he looked at Genichi who had just called himself 'Toyotomi' in shock, his brain falling into a state of near chaos because his thinking speed could no longer keep up with the changes in reality.
"Hahaha." The old man grinned, revealing a pair of teeth that were extremely yellow from not having been brushed for an unknown amount of time. "You are really Toyotomi Genichi... I have admired your name for a long time. I used to hear Nobuhide mention you all the time."
"Ha." Yuan Yi let out a laugh that was either joyful or sad, "Nobuhide has told so many people about me... He really cares about me more than I thought..."
Mamiya had already opened the cell at this time.
Makimura took the initiative to step into the cell that was exuding an unpleasant stench, and took the old man out of the prison who was also exuding an unpleasant stench.
Then, under the command of Yuan Yi, everyone began to turn back along the road they came from, preparing to leave this underground prison where there was no longer any need to stay here for a long time.
Perhaps because he had lived in prison for a long time and exercised for a long time, the old man's body was visibly weak.
Walking is okay, but running is a bit difficult for this old man.
Fortunately, Makimura is a person who does things informally.
Seeing that the old man was weak, he simply carried the old man on his back, regardless of the dirt and unpleasant smell on the old man's body.
"We can tell you our situation." Yuan Yi ran to the front to lead the way, and said quickly to the old man lying on Makimura's back next to him, "But on the contrary, I hope you can finish our work
After 'introducing yourself', be able to tell me everything you want to know, and at least let us know who you are."
"We are here to find our companions..."
Yuan told the old man their identity, purpose of coming, and how to find this place in a concise and concise manner.
After listening carefully to what Yuan Yi said, the old man murmured:
"So that's it..."
"Ha, Mr. Genichi Toyotomi, you are exactly what Nobuhide said. You are a man who never lacks courage...how dare you take Mount Koya with so few people."
"Hahaha, what a joy!"
The old man laughed loudly.
"If I have the chance, I really want to see Nobuhide's expression after learning about the attack on Mount Koya..."
"Well, I guess he won't show any rude expression."
"After all, he is the kind of person who can keep his expression unchanged even if he is extremely unhappy."
"Hey, can you tell us: who are you?" Makimura, who had been carrying the old man forward, turned and glanced at the old man on his back impatiently, "We are just as you asked
, we have introduced ourselves. It’s your turn to introduce yourself.”
"Me?" A faint look of reminiscence slowly appeared on the old man's face, "I... I am... no, I used to be a doctor under the Toyotomi clan who was responsible for doing some shameful research.
.”
As soon as the old man said this, A-Machi on the side seemed to have remembered something. He twisted his beautiful eyebrows, then raised his eyes and carefully looked at the old man from head to toe.
The old man, who didn't notice Atachi's scrutinizing gaze, continued slowly:
"I worked very hard for Nobuhide and successfully accomplished some things, so I was personally visited by Nobuhide many times."
"After going back and forth, I became familiar with Nobuhide."
"Haha...it's a pity...no matter how familiar the relationship is, once it encounters a conflict of dreams, it will be extremely fragile..."
The old man's hands around Makimura's neck slowly tightened.
The look of reminiscence on his face slowly turned into anger and...a touch of regret.
"I gave everything I could to Nobuhide."
"But in the end, all I got was jail time."
"Haha, I didn't expect that I also felt that Xuan Zhi's choice to run away directly back then was a wise move..."
Hearing what the old man just said...or rather, hearing the name "Xuanzhi" mentioned by the old man just now, A-Machi's pupils, which had been staring at the old man closely with a scrutinizing gaze, suddenly shrank.
"Wait a moment!"
A-Machijiao shouted.
"You...could you be Xuanzhi's master, Xuanzheng?"
"Oh?" The old man tilted his head and looked at A-Ding doubtfully, "Little girl, you... know me?"
"It's really you..." Atachi clenched his teeth, his expression becoming weird as he showed joy, resentment, relief, doubt... and other various emotions.
As for the name "Xuan Zheng", A Ding felt that he might be able to remember this name even after decades.
In order to find this man and his apprentice Xuan Zhi, she and Ogata traveled across most of Japan.
For a person like Xuanzheng, whom Ogata and Atachi have spent countless efforts to find, it is natural that everyone of his name has heard about him for a long time.
"You are that Xuan Zheng..." Yuan Yi stared at Xuan Zheng's eyes and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Hey..." Xuanzheng looked at A-Machi, and then at Genichi, "Do you actually know me? This actually surprises me..."
During the conversation, everyone had turned a 90-degree corner.
As soon as he turned the corner, Hasegawa saw an opening in front of him that was only large enough for two adults to enter and exit side by side.
The light emanating from the entrance of the cave made Hasegawa, who had been underground for a long time, couldn't help but lower his eyelids and use his eyelashes to filter out the dazzling white light.
Looking at the entrance of the cave, which was already close at hand, joy slowly climbed onto Hasegawa's cheeks and eyes.
He couldn't wait to bathe in the long-lost sunshine and breathe the long-lost fresh air.
When he thought that he was finally leaving this damn underground prison, Hasegawa felt that the pain in the wound on his leg had reduced a lot, and his steps became faster.
However, the cruel fact that was about to come made the joy that originally hung on Hasegawa's cheeks and pupils freeze instantly.
After rushing out of the cave with Genichi and others impatiently, what hit Hasegawa's face was not fresh air.
It's a burning stench that's nauseating.
Along with this burning smell, came the scalding hot wind that made Hasegawa suspect that his eyelashes might be set on fire.
"This is..." Hasegawa stared blankly at the sea of fire in front of him.
Not far in front of them, they saw Zhu Rong wreaking havoc.
It seemed like a boundless sea of fire was devouring the vegetation, spewing out a large number of sparks, falling trees, the "moaning" of broken wood, and the scorching hot wind constantly blowing on Hasegawa's face.
"Tsk..." Mamiya's face darkened, "Even if the current season is when fires are most likely to get out of control, it is impossible for wildfires to spread to this extent in such a short period of time."
"To allow the mountain fire to burn like this in such a short period of time... Toyotomi's people used so much kerosene...!"
Atachi didn't say anything.
But she still cast a worried look at the sea of fire ahead uncontrollably.
On the other side of this seemingly endless sea of fire is Xianyuan Temple.
This is the direction Ogata attacked in order to attract the Toyotomi clan to attack.
"...Don't worry." Makimura, who has a rough and delicate personality, noticed the worry in Amachi's eyes, and heard him comforting him softly, "It's just a mountain fire. It's impossible to do anything to get rid of Brother Ogata."
"He should be able to join us soon."
Makimura just finished speaking
"Atachi! Lord Gendai!"
Makimura, who had just finished comforting A-Machi, looked startled, then smiled.
"Look, Amachi, am I right?"
Makimura raised his eyes following the sound.
After raising their eyes, everyone saw a familiar figure on the hillside in front of them.
Looking at this figure, the worry in A-Machi's eyes quickly turned into relief and joy.
…
…
"By the way, I don't know your name yet." Ogata asked the old monk behind him, "Can you tell me your name? It's rude that I don't know your name all the time."
"...The poor monk's dharma name is Qingyan."
"Qingyan...it's a very artistic name."
Compared with wandering around unfamiliar mountains alone, it is obviously more convenient to take someone with you who is very familiar with this place.
The Toyotomi clan who set fire to the mountain obviously did not want to have any entanglement with Ogata at all.
The "Woodpecker Tactics" that attracted the main force of the Toyotomi clan to attack and helped Minamoto and others find the Toyotomi clan's stronghold in the back mountain went bankrupt. Faced with this situation, Ogata's top priority now is to rush to the back mountain and find Minamoto and his party.
People, join them.
Therefore, after the "Old Monk with Goatee Beard" proposed to act with him, Ogata, who was eager to join Genichi and others, agreed to the proposal after simply thinking for a while.
Since the legs and feet of the "old monk with a goatee" were not very agile, Ogata directly carried him on his back and let him lie behind him to guide him.
Bringing along someone who was familiar with the topography of Mount Koya was, as Ogata expected, much more convenient.
Under the guidance of the "old monk with a goatee", Ogata avoided places with many trees that were easily affected by wildfires. Although he took a lot of detours, his progress actually increased.
"This fire... seems to be burning too much..."
At this time, a large-scale mountain fire also occurred in the back mountain of Koyasan. The speed of the mountain fire spread was so fast that the "old monk with a goatee" lying on Ogata's back also discovered that the speed of the mountain fire was unusual.
.
"It's probably because the thugs lurking in Mount Koya spread fire oil everywhere." Ogata said with a sullen face, "It's crazy to set fire to the mountain... Once the fire gets out of control, it won't just be Mount Koya."
It’s so easy to suffer...even Osaka and Nara, which are close to Mount Koya, will be implicated..."
"...Are there really a large number of thugs lurking on Mount Koya? The old monk with a goatee" asked Ogata this question that he had asked countless times.
But this time, the tone of the "old monk with goatee" was obviously much softer than the previous times, and not as aggressive as before.
"Yes." Ogata answered patiently, "I can't possibly light this mountain fire, right? If I wanted to set the mountain on fire, I wouldn't have to show up at Sengenji Temple from the beginning."
"Who are these thugs?" the old monk with a goatee asked.
"You wouldn't believe it if I told you."
"Just say it. Whether you believe it or not, I will make a decision later."
"...the thugs lurking in Mount Koya are the descendants of 'Taiko' Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his party members. They have been dormant to this day in order to rebuild the Toyotomi world."
"I have some issues with them, so I came here to settle the score with them."
"...Are you kidding me? The old monk with the goatee" opened his mouth wide.
"I said it all...you don't believe it even if I say it."
The "old monk with a goatee" pursed his lips with a complex expression: "I, Koyasan... have always been penetrated by thugs, but I have never known it..."
After murmuring like this, the "old monk with the goatee" stopped talking at all except giving directions to Ogata.
And Ogata is happy to use this to concentrate on finding the source of the first class.
After being strengthened by the "power of immortality", Ogata's vision, hearing and other five senses have been greatly enhanced.
I can clearly see the flight path of a fly dozens of meters away. Amachi, who has excellent eyesight, once said this to Ogata.
In the past, Ogata could never understand what level of vision this was.
But now, he understands.
Things that could only be seen clearly with a telescope before, Ogata can now see clearly with the naked eye.
The raging wildfires, to a certain extent, made it easier for Ogata to find people, because Genichi and others could only appear in places where there were no wildfires.
Ogata originally thought that it would take some time for him to find Genichi and his group. After all, the mountain behind was huge. Who knew where Genichi and the others were currently.
Unexpectedly, perhaps due to luck, when he was coming down a steep hillside, Ogata suddenly caught a glimpse of familiar figures emerging from the entrance of a cave not far away from the corner of his eye.
"Atachi! Lord Gendai!"
Ogata sped up the speed of going downhill, and after descending smoothly to the bottom of the slope, Ogata quickly walked towards Minamoto and his group, carrying the "Old Monk with Goatee" on his back.
"Ayi!" Ating was the first to rush to Ogata and carefully looked at Ogata from head to toe, "Are you okay? Who is this?"
Amachi looked at the "old monk with goatee" on Ogata's back in confusion.
"I'm fine, it's just a few spots on my face and clothes that were blackened by the mountain fire." Ogata replied, "The person on my back is a monk from Mount Koya. Thanks to his help, I was able to get around it smoothly.
Places with more wildfires.”
Having said that, Ogata looked at Hasegawa and others standing behind Genichi and others, as well as the Isshiki Naozu family, with complicated eyes that were mainly surprised.
Just now, while walking down the hillside, Ogata had already discovered Naoichi's family and... this official official who had always had a wonderful fate with him.
Ogata didn't talk to Hasegawa.
After taking a deep look at Hasegawa, he immediately looked away as if he didn't recognize Hasegawa.
All this happened because he saw the official servant behind Hasegawa who was wearing a uniform modified by a thieves.
If Hasegawa's subordinates were to know that their leader seemed to have a close relationship with the notorious Ogata Ittosai, it would definitely bring a lot of trouble to Hasegawa.
Therefore, even though he was extremely confused as to why Hasegawa was here, Ogata still pretended not to recognize Hasegawa and did not even say hello to Hasegawa.
And Hasegawa is not a stupid person.
Ogata ignored him.
And he ignored Ogata.
The two of them tacitly regarded each other as strangers.
However...Although Hasegawa wanted to pretend that he didn't know Ogata and took the initiative to look away from Ogata's direction, he couldn't help but stare at the "goatee" behind Ogata...
"Old Monk".
Um?
Hasegawa stared closely at the face of the "old monk with the goatee".
This old monk...have I seen it somewhere before...
He seems to be from Mount Koya...who is that?
Hasegawa thought hard.
But after thinking hard for a long time, he still couldn't remember who this "old monk with goatee" was.
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Can anyone blindly guess who this "old monk with goatee" is? There is actually some foreshadowing of the identity of this "old monk with goatee" in the previous article.