Edo, the inn where Ogata and others stayed——
"Master Genichi, I bought everything on your list."
As Shimada spoke, he placed a large cloth bag on his back in front of Genichi, who was huddled in the corner of the room drinking. He then untied the bag, revealing what was inside - a pile of messy things.
Rattles, masks, spinning tops, flower cards...are all toys.
"Oh! Thank you for your hard work. Shimada, you came back much sooner than I thought."
Genichi quickly put the bottle aside and thanked Shimada while checking the pile of toys in front of him.
"Fortunately, there is a store not far away that specializes in selling these toys." Shimada said with a wry smile.
The movement from Genichir and Shimada alarmed Mamiya who was nearby.
"Master Genichi, what is this?" Mamiya frowned slightly.
"Nothing, I just stayed in my room lately and was bored, so I asked Shimada to buy me some toys to relieve my boredom."
After saying that, Genichi put on one of the toys that Shimada had just bought for him - a dark red Tengu mask.
"How is it? Shimada, does this mask fit me?"
"Yes, it fits perfectly." Shimada nodded. "The size of this mask is just right for your face, Master Genichi."
Shimada's words just now were not meant as a compliment.
The size of this Tengu mask is indeed very suitable for Genichi's face.
"Well, as long as it fits."
Yuan nodded with a look of satisfaction on his face, then took off the mask on his face and continued to play with each of the toys that Shimada had just bought for him.
…
…
Seeing that Hasegawa had sent someone, Obe asked Uesugi, who happened to be next to him, to stand guard for him while he went to talk to his friend and would be back soon.
Uesugi had no reason to refuse Ogata's small request and nodded in agreement readily.
Ogata followed behind "Yashima", turned around and around in Yoshiwara, and finally entered a remote and deserted alley in Yoshiwara.
As soon as he turned into the alley, Xu Fang saw a person standing at the end of the alley.
A man wearing a thick hat on his head.
The man lowered his head slightly, and the thick hat just covered his entire face, so Ogata could not see his face clearly.
Just when Ogata was wondering who this person was, he heard footsteps coming into the alley. The "man in the bamboo hat" raised his head slightly and showed Ogata his face which had been hidden by the .
"Mr. Hasegawa?" Ogata let out a low exclamation.
The face hidden under the bamboo hat was exactly Hasegawa's old face which bore many traces of time.
Seeing Ogata coming, Hasegawa smiled slightly, then waved to "Yashima" who brought Ogata here.
"Yashima" understood what he meant and immediately bowed to Hasegawa, then quickly left the alley, leaving Ogata and Hasegawa some alone time.
After Yajima left, Hasegawa looked around the circle and confirmed that there were only solid earth walls on the left and right, and no one else in front or behind. He smiled at Ogata:
"Congratulations, I didn't expect you to get first place in the written test."
"To be honest, when I learned that you were the first in the written test, I was so shocked that my jaw almost dropped."
"Thank you." Ogata smiled bitterly.
It has been a while since the results of the written test were announced, so Ogata was not surprised that Hasegawa already knew who took the top spot.
"To be honest... when I found out that I actually won the first place in the literature test, my jaw almost dropped... I never thought that someone like me who hadn't touched the Four Books and Five Classics for a long time could actually win the first place in the literature test."
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Hasegawa smiled:
"You actually call yourself a 'half-baked'. You don't need to be so modest."
Seeing that his honest speaking was once again regarded as modesty, Xu Fang sighed helplessly.
"Okay, let's not talk about this essay test for now."
Ogata put on a more serious expression.
"Let's talk about business."
" Mr. you actually came to Yoshiwara to see me. Did you find out something extraordinary about Shiranui?"
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Hasegawa shook his head:
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. I didn't find out any information about Shiranui."
"The reason I came to Yoshiwara in person is simply because I happened to be handling some official business nearby. After learning that you were the top scorer in the literary examination, I decided to come in person to tell you the good news."
"But it's not true to say that we didn't get any information about Shiranui."
Having said this, Hasegawa adopted a more serious tone.
"That Gokutaro also passed the literary test."
"...It's as expected." Ogata shrugged. "Since Shiranui sent him to participate in the 'Gozen Exam', it means that Gokutaro must have the ability to pass the exam."
"I just saw the name 'Gokichiro' on the list. This name should be the alias of Gokutaro, right?"
Although Ogata's sentence is structured as a question, the tone is that of an affirmative sentence.
During this period, Makimura and Asai have been lurking in the Four Seasons House where Gokutaro often goes to eavesdrop on Gokutaro's conversations with others.
Makimura and his friends overheard that both the "hostess girls" and Gokutaro's follower named Keitaro called Gokutaro "Gokutaro".
So when he didn't see "Gokutaro" on the list just now, but only saw "Gokutaro", Ogata guessed that this "Gokutaro" should be Gokutaro.
"Yes." Hasegawa nodded, "Jiuyilang is indeed the pseudonym of Jitaro."
"It was only a few days ago that we found out that Gokutaro was participating in the 'Gozen Trial' under an alias."
"I had hoped that Gokutaro would fail the exam. As long as he failed the exam, it would save a lot of trouble. But now it seems that I can't count on such a thing."
"Back to the point," Ogata said, "Mr. Hasegawa, you sent other people to participate in the 'Imperial Examination', right? How many people did you send in total? Did they all pass the examination successfully?"
In order to successfully prevent Gokutaro from winning the first place in the martial arts test, Hasegawa used the "human wave tactic".
According to what Hasegawa said before, in addition to Ogata, he also planned to let other people he could call participate in the "Imperial Examination", but Ogata still doesn't know the exact number of people.
Hearing Ogata's question, Hasegawa smiled bitterly and raised four fingers.
"I wanted to trick...ah, no, to persuade some of my friends who are quite skilled to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'."
"But they either don't have the time or the interest. No matter what I say, they are unwilling to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'."
"So in the end, apart from you, I only managed to convince four masters of my Fire Thief Kai to participate in the 'Gozen Trial'."
"Fortunately, these four of my subordinates listened to me very much. After I told them that I hoped they would use the 'Imperial Trial' as a springboard to improve their knowledge and swordsmanship, they all agreed to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'."
"And all four of them have successfully passed the written test."
"So, they don't know your real purpose of asking them to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'?" Ogata asked.
"As for the truth about why I let so many people participate in the 'Gozen Test', the fewer people know, the better." Hasegawa said with a wry smile, "Since I can make them participate in the 'Gozen Test' willingly by just fooling them, there is no need to spend the effort to tell them the real reason."
…
…
at the same time--
Edo, Yoshiwara, inside a certain house of a wandering girl.
Makimura and Asai were originally going to Yoshiwara tonight, intending to sneak into the Shiki house as usual and eavesdrop on Gokutaro's conversation.
Unfortunately, Makimura and Asai came to nothing.
Although Gokutaro likes the izakaya Shikiya, he doesn't go there to drink every day.
Basically, I go there 4 or 5 times in 7 days.
Unfortunately, Makimura and Asai were disappointed tonight.
After entering Yoshiwara tonight, Gokutaro did not go to Shikiya to drink, but went straight to a brothel and started his night of pleasure.
After realizing that they had come to nothing, Makimura and Asai had no choice but to return to the inn where they were staying for the time being.
As for Gokutaro - after he entered a restaurant he had never been to before and ordered a prostitute he had never ordered before, he hugged the prostitute and sipped the wine poured by the prostitute, making preparations for the pleasure that was to follow.
"My lord, I'm back."
Just when Gokutaro was drinking happily, Keitaro's voice suddenly sounded outside the room.
"Oh, it's Keitaro." Gokutaro, whose face was a little flushed from drinking, shouted, "Come in!"
As soon as Gokutaro finished speaking, the door opened with a "whoosh". Keitaro walked quickly into the room and then knelt respectfully in front of Gokutaro.
After the written test results were finally announced just now, Gokutaro asked his follower, Keitaro, to help him check whether he had passed the written test.
Now that Keitaro is back, it means that Keitaro has finished reading the list of those who passed the written test.
"How is it?" Gokutaro asked Keitaro who had returned, "Did I pass the written test?"
As soon as Gokutaro finished asking the question, Keitaro said with a smile on his face:
"Sir, congratulations, you have passed the written test."
Gokutaro did not show any excessive excitement about the good news reported by Keitaro. He just smiled slightly, raised the wine glass in his hand, and took a sip of the wine in the glass.
He looked so calm, as if he had already expected that he would pass the written test.
Gokutaro's reaction was indifferent, but the girl sitting next to Gokutaro - her reaction was much more dramatic.
"Wow! Sir! Congratulations!"
"I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable! I just heard from a friend about this 'Imperial Examination'! I heard that many people failed this examination!"
The prostitute continued praising Gokutaro.
Hearing the praises from the prostitute next to him, the smile on Gokutaro's face faded a little.
"It's only natural that I passed the written test."
"I read these Chinese classics carefully every day."
"A mere written test is not a problem for me."
"Sir, do you read Chinese classics every day?" asked the prostitute.
"Yeah." Jitaro took a sip of wine and nodded, "Don't look at me like this, I really like reading."
After saying that, Gokutaro drank the wine in the glass and slammed the glass back on the table in front of him.
"Now that I have passed the written test, all that remains is the martial arts test."
Gokutaro gave a sinister smile.
"Fighting with others is what I am best at."
…
…
Although Hasegawa's personal visit did not bring any very useful information to Ogata, it was not a complete failure.
At least we know that Gokutaro passed the literary examination and that Gokutaro participated in the "Imperial Examination" under the pseudonym "Gokutaro".
After bidding farewell to Hasegawa, Ogata returned to the post he was in charge of tonight.
Not long after returning to the sentry post, it was time for Ogata to go off work.
After Sashuang "got off work", Xu Fang returned to the hotel where he was staying.
As soon as I returned to the hotel, I was warmly welcomed by everyone led by A-Ming.
They have all learned through different channels that Ogata has won the first place in the literary examination.
After Ogata came back, they all looked at him as if he were a rare animal.
Ogata had seen this kind of look many times tonight, so he was used to it.
Since he himself had no idea how he had gotten the first place in the examination, when Atachi and others asked him questions like "You are also proficient in Chinese studies?", Ogata could only fool them by saying something like "I was just lucky".
Of course - while accepting everyone's questions and congratulations, Ogata did not forget to share with everyone the new information he had just learned from Hasegawa.
Because everyone was congratulating Ogata and celebrating, the party didn't last until almost 11pm tonight before everyone went back to their rooms and prepared to go to bed.
Only Yuan Yi was huddled in the corner of the room as usual, drinking alone after everyone else had gone to sleep...
…
…
Ogata Moto was sleeping soundly.
But suddenly, I heard a slight strange sound beside me.
The ability that he had developed while wandering around before - the ability to "remain highly alert even when asleep" - was now put to use.
Although the volume of the strange noise was very small, Ogata was still awakened by it and quickly opened his eyes.
The next moment after opening his eyes, Osamu looked towards the direction where the strange sound came from.
As he moved his gaze to the source of the sound, Ogata's hand subconsciously reached for the two swords, Da Shi Tian and Da Zi, which had always been placed beside him and inseparable from him.
His eyes met the object that made that subtle noise - and then Ogata saw Genichi.
Genichi was wearing only a white yukata, barefoot, with his Wakizashi Enryu inserted on his waist, and holding his katana Yangshen in his right hand. He was standing in front of the window of the room with bare feet and slightly hunched over.
What is striking is that Genichi is wearing a mask on his face at this time.
A dark red Tengu mask.
Genichi's appearance reminded Ogata of a thief who disguised himself, crouched down, and tiptoed into other people's homes to steal.
The subtle noises that Ogata had just heard were probably the sound of Genichi picking up his sword and the sound of footsteps approaching the window.
When Ogata woke up and looked at him, Genichi also turned his head to look at Ogata.
After their eyes met in mid-air, Genichi took off the Tengu mask on his face, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
Just as Ogata was about to say something, Genichi put his finger to his lips, signaling Ogata not to speak, and then raised his thumb and pointed to the door.
Ogata understood the meaning of Genichi's gesture and closed his slightly opened lips, then crawled out of the bed and followed Genichi, walking out of their room one after the other.
As soon as he walked out of the room and stepped into the corridor outside, Ogata closed the door and checked around the corridor to see if there were other outsiders.
After closing the door and confirming that there were no outsiders around the corridor, Obe immediately frowned slightly and asked Genichi with a puzzled look on his face:
"Master Genichi, what are you doing? What are you doing with a knife?"
Hearing Ogata's question, the embarrassment on Genichi's face became even more intense, and he raised his hand to scratch his hair.
"I didn't expect to wake you up..."
"After all, we are very close to each other." Ogata said, "I am very sensitive to footsteps. We are in the same room, less than 2 steps away from each other. It is difficult for me not to hear your footsteps."
Ogata was extremely sensitive to the sound of footsteps that were very close to him—this was an almost instinctive ability that he had developed from his previous wandering life.
"Okay, Master Genichi, tell me what you are doing."
Although they were both outside, Ogata and Genichi lowered their voices in order not to disturb the others in the room.
During this period, Genichi lived an extremely regular life - drinking like a loser every day.
Almost every day he would drink until Ogata and the others fell asleep before he went to bed.
Ogata also admired Genichi's drinking capacity. He drank from morning to night but never got drunk.
"…Since I've been discovered, there's nothing I can do about it." Genichi shrugged, "I plan to go out and stretch my body."
"Exercise some energy? Do you want to go for a walk outside?"
"That's not the case. I like walking, but I'm not a fool to go walking in the middle of the night."
"The more I think about it these days, the more I feel something is wrong."
Yuanyi raised his head slightly, pretending to reminisce.
"Because there are many of my enemies out there looking for me, I have been staying in the hotel and not going out. This doesn't seem to be in line with my personality."
“…Huh?” Ogata tilted his head.
A bad premonition emerged in Ogata's heart...
"He came all the way to Edo to find me just because 'Kinoshita Genichi might be in Edo'. If I don't respond, I feel like I'm being disrespectful to him."
At this point, Yuan Yi smiled brightly.
“So I decided.”
"I will take the initiative and kill all the enemies who come to take my life one by one."