Volume 3 Buddha's Enemy Chapter 125 Negishi Family
"Hello!"
Ogata leaned over and spoke loudly to the man squatting in the snow.
"How are you?"
After hearing Ogata's loud shouts, the unidentified person squatting in the snow raised his head and looked at Ogata.
It was the face of a weather-beaten middle-aged man.
But for some reason, there was a hint of pain on his face.
"Samurai-sama..." The middle-aged man looked at the sword on Ogata's waist, "Please...can you help me..."
"I... just now I accidentally fell and I think I hurt my foot..."
"I can't walk back to the village on my own with this injured leg..."
"Can you help me get back to the village?"
"The village where I live is not far from here, please!"
"Send you back to the village..." Ogata looked the middle-aged man up and down, "I am happy to do this kind of thing within my ability. But before I help you--"
Ogata stretched out his hand and began to feel the middle-aged man's body up and down.
"Master Warrior..." the middle-aged man asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"I'm just checking if you have any weapons like knives or poison on you."
After searching the middle-aged man's entire body, Ogata clapped his hands.
"Well, you don't have any weapons on you, so it seems you are not planning to use dirty tricks to deal with my assassin."
"Master Warrior, you are joking." The middle-aged man said with a wry smile, "Why would I want to harm you for no reason?"
In response to the middle-aged man's words, Ogata gave a meaningful smile.
Ogata pulled the middle-aged man onto his back and carried him on his back.
"Hold on tight."
"Okay, samurai-sama, thank you." The middle-aged man said in a sincere tone, "In this world today, there are not many samurai with a kind heart like you."
"You're welcome." Ogata smiled, "It's just a trivial matter for me anyway. Please show me the way. Which direction is your village?"
…
…
Following the guidance of the middle-aged man, Ogata slowly walked towards the village where the middle-aged man lived.
What a coincidence - the direction of the village where the middle-aged man lived coincided with the direction Ogata originally wanted to go.
So Ogata also took the opportunity to send the middle-aged man home.
While sending the middle-aged man home, Ogata chatted with him casually.
Through chatting with the middle-aged man, Ogata learned that the man's name was Yoshiro and the village he lived in was called Shihe Village.
He left the village this time to find something edible in the wild.
"Looking for food?" Ogata raised his eyebrows. "On a snowy day like this, what can we eat in the wild?"
“Haha…” Ji Lang laughed helplessly a few times, “So I just came here to try my luck… maybe I can find something to eat… My family and I haven’t had a full meal for a long time…”
At this point, Jilang let out a long sigh.
"Alas... it's all because of that hateful Negishi family... if it weren't for them, our village wouldn't have become what it is now..."
"The Negishi family?" Ogata asked doubtfully.
"It's the 'Yakuza' that's entrenched in this place..." At this point, Yoshiro sighed again, " The only thing the Negishi family knows how to do is to oppress ordinary people like us."
"It is said that the influence of the Negishi family covers half of the Tatsuno domain."
"All nearby villages, including our Yokawa Village, are targets of oppression by the Negishi family."
"They send people to every village every month to demand large amounts of money from every household."
"They put it nicely as collecting 'protection money'."
"But it's just naked blackmail against us."
"We ordinary people already have heavy taxes to pay."
"After paying taxes, we still have to pay a large sum of money to the Negishi family."
"If I don't pay the Negishi family every month, I will be harassed endlessly by the Negishi family..."
"It's because of these bastards that everyone in the village can no longer make ends meet..."
Yoshiro's tone was full of indignation and... grievance.
At the end of his words, Ogata could hear a hint of crying in his tone.
"Didn't you report this to the people in the feudal government?" Ogata asked, "The Negishi family is so powerful and their people are so arrogant, so it's impossible that the people in the feudal government don't know about this group of people, right?"
"My Lord Samurai..." Yoshiro smiled bitterly, "If officials could be so reliable... we ordinary people wouldn't have to go hungry anymore..."
"The people in the feudal government have long been colluding with the Negishi family."
"The Negishi family sends a large amount of money every month to bribe officials in the domain."
"So the people in the feudal government have always turned a blind eye to the various actions of the Negishi family."
"We have tried to report the Negishi family's actions to the authorities..."
“We’ve tried many times.”
"But no matter how many times we tried, the people in the prefecture ignored us."
"It would have been fine if they just ignored us, but they also told the Negishi family who came to report the Negishi family's actions today..."
"Because of the leaks from the feudal government, those who dared to report the Negishi family to the feudal government were beaten to disability or killed directly by the Negishi family..."
"Over time, everyone became angry but dared not speak out, and could only silently endure the oppression of the Negishi family ..."
After listening to Yoshiro's words quietly, Ogata remained silent.
After being silent for a long time, he let out a long sigh:
"These dog officials are so hateful..."
“Yeah…” Jilang slowly clenched his fists, “Those crooked officials are really… so hateful…!”
…
…
When carrying Jilang back to his village, the heavy snowstorm gradually subsided.
Not only did the wind and snow stop, but the dark clouds that had been pressing against the sky also gradually dispersed, revealing the faint sunlight.
Without the obstruction of wind and snow, Ogata found it easier to walk.
Carrying Jilang on his back, he continued walking forward along the country dirt road covered with thick white snow.
Finally - Ogata saw many thin wisps of smoke ahead.
"Master Samurai!" Yoshiro said excitedly, "We are here! My village is just ahead!"
"Alright." Ogata lifted Yoshiro on his back and said, "Hold on tight. Let's speed up a bit!"
