Popular history: [Shiromuku] - the wedding dress of ancient Japanese women. You can search for the photos on Baidu. It is a very beautiful dress.
…
The second year of Kanzheng (1790), November 2.
Edo, Kitakazeya——
Kondo, who was sitting behind the counter, stared straight into the air in front of him.
Like thinking about something.
Chiba, who worked with him in the Kitakaze House, was sitting next to Kondo with a book in hand.
Chiba's main job is to serve as the personal doctor of the owner of Kitakaze-ya.
So it’s pretty leisurely on weekdays.
When I have nothing to do, I will just hold a book and read leisurely like I am doing now.
Chiba, who was sitting next to Kondo reading a book at this time, sideways his eyes and glanced at Kondo beside him.
Looking at Kondo who seemed to be thinking about something, Chiba let out a low sigh.
"Kondo-kun, didn't someone come to tell you that Majima-kun is safe now?"
Chiba continued to flip through the book in his hand, without looking up, and continued to talk to Kondo:
"You don't believe what that man said?"
"No... I believe what that person said..." Kondo sighed, "But if I don't see with my own eyes that Majima is really safe, I really can't feel at ease..."
The "that person" that Kondo and Chiba were referring to was naturally Atachi.
On the third day of the martial arts examination, Ogata was suddenly absent.
Ogata's sudden absence naturally made Kondo very uneasy, worrying that Ogata had met with an accident.
One day after Ogata missed the martial arts test, Atachi suddenly found Kondo and told him that Ogata was safe now, but he had encountered some things and had to be "missing" for a while.
Kondo asked Atsushi Ogata what had happened to her, but Atsushi remained secretive about it.
After reporting to Kondo that he was safe, Atachi left in a hurry.
Although A-machi's words made Kondo feel a little relieved, he would still feel uneasy unless he saw with his own eyes that Ogata was really safe.
Kondo let out a long sigh and turned to look at Chiba.
"Whenever I have some free time now, I can't help but think about Mashima-kun."
"So - Chiba, chat with me."
"Okay." Qianye nodded without hesitation, "What do you want to talk about? Cats again?"
"We'll talk about cats later. Let's talk about your 100 taels of gold bonus. Have you decided how to spend it?"
With his superb swordsmanship, Chiba won the championship of the "Imperial Test" martial arts test.
Afterwards, Chiba immediately went to the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office to collect his generous bonus of 100 taels of gold.
"...No." Qianye thought for a while and shook his head. "It's strange to say."
" I sometimes fantasize about how I will spend my money when I have money."
"But when I really got rich, I didn't know how to spend the money..."
"How about building a sword hall?" Kondo suggested, "100 taels of gold is enough to build a sword hall."
"Qianye, your swordsmanship is so strong. Once you build a sword gym, you won't have to worry about not having students."
"I don't plan to be a sword master..." Qianye said softly, "Anyway, let's save this money for now. I'll use it later when I figure out how to use it."
"I advise you not to save money." Kondo shrugged. "Haven't you heard of the saying? 'Edo people don't spend money overnight.'"
"The world has not been very peaceful recently. It has only been three years since the 'Tianming Famine' that killed so many people."
“When the world is not peaceful, the value of money will easily fluctuate.”
“The value of money is fluctuating wildly these days.”
"If you keep saving and don't spend, maybe in a few months, your money will become a pile of waste stone."
"I know what you said." Qianye smiled bitterly, "But apart from saving it temporarily, I can't think of any better way to deal with this money."
"Anyway, let's just save it for now, and then we'll take it one step at a time."
As soon as Qianye finished speaking, footsteps were suddenly heard outside the shop door, approaching from afar.
Hearing the footsteps, Kondo immediately muttered:
"A guest has arrived..."
As soon as he uttered this mutter, Kondo immediately sat up straight.
Chiba, who was sitting next to Kondo, did the same. He sat up straight and put away the book in his hand.
Wow.
The shop door was opened.
"Welcome light..."
Before Kondo could utter the last syllable of "Welcome", his eyes widened in surprise.
The people who opened the shop door were a man and a woman.
Kondo was very familiar with this couple, both the man and the woman.
"Mashima!" Kondo exclaimed excitedly and stood up suddenly.
This man and woman are none other than Atachi and Ogata, who is now wearing a human skin mask.
…
…
Ogata looked at Kondo who was screaming in front of him and smiled slightly:
"It's been a while, Kondo."
Although Ogata had just moved into the remote little house to recuperate, he immediately asked Atachi to go to Kitafuya to help him report to Kondo that he was safe.
But just as Kondo never felt at ease until he saw with his own eyes that Ogata was truly safe, Kondo would also feel uneasy unless Ogata showed up in person.
However, Ogata has always been powerless about going to Kitakaze-ya to find Kondo.
Because the North Wind House is too far away from where he lives now, and the injuries on Ogata's body do not allow him to move such a long distance.
So we can only wait patiently.
Waiting for his injuries to heal enough to allow his body to travel back and forth between North Wind House and his current residence.
And now the vitality of up to 36 points is really powerful.
The injuries on Ogata's body changed almost every day.
When Ogata went to the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office to collect his bonus three days ago, he was still limping.
When he woke up this morning, Obi found that he could now walk normally.
Not only could I walk normally, but none of my injuries were aching anymore.
After discovering that his body had recovered to the point where he could travel back and forth between Kitakaze House and the house he lived in, Ogata immediately led Atachi to Kitakaze House without any hesitation to personally report his safety to Kondo and let Kondo see with his own eyes that he was still alive and well.
As soon as Ogata said, "It's been a while," Kondo quickly walked out from behind the counter and ran in front of Ogata.
"Mashima, you finally showed up!"
"After you suddenly missed the martial arts test, I have been worried that something happened to you!"
"I have looked everywhere for you. But I can't find you anywhere."
"If Miss A-machi hadn't come to me and told me that you were safe, I would have gone to the magistrate's office and asked the officials there to find a samurai named 'Mashima Goro'!"
"I'm sorry." Ogata's face showed some apology, "I made you worry. I've been dealing with some things these days."
"Mashima, are you hurt?" Kondo only then discovered that some of Ogata's exposed skin was wrapped in thick linen.
"Yeah, but they are just minor injuries that are not serious."
"I'm glad you're okay." Kondo let out a long sigh, "As long as you're okay, I'll be at ease."
Looking at Kondo who looked relieved, a special smile appeared on Ogata's face involuntarily.
Even if he was wanted nationwide by the shogunate, even if his head was being eyed by so many people, there would still be people who would express concern when he was in danger - when he thought of this, Oofang felt an inexplicable smile emerge on his face.
He raised his hand and patted Kondo's shoulder. After exchanging greetings with Kondo for a while, Ogata looked over Kondo's shoulder at Chiba who was still sitting behind the counter.
"Chiba-kun." Ogata smiled, "I've heard that you successfully won the first place in the martial arts test. Congratulations."
"I was just lucky at the moment." Qianye smiled slightly, "Mashima-kun, you smell strongly of medicine... What did you do? You have so many injuries..."
"Well, I encountered some things and accidentally got these injuries, but they are just minor injuries and will heal after resting for a while."
After exchanging brief greetings with Chiba for a while, Ogata turned his gaze back to Kondo in front of him.
"Kondo, is the owner of your Kitakaze-ya here now?"
"Hmm? Yes. What's wrong?"
"It's like this." Ogata changed his tone to a more serious one. "I'm going to Ezo later, so I plan to ask the owner of your Kitakaze-ya about some matters related to Ezo."
This time, Ogata brought Atachi to Kitakaze-ya, not only to report his safety to Kondo in person, but also for another reason - to ask the owner of Kitakaze-ya for information about Ezo.
"Ezo?" Kondo's face showed astonishment. "Master, why are you going to a wild place like Ezo?"
"I'm going to find someone." Ogata said, "I'm going to Ezo to find two people who are very important to me."
Although Kondo behaves in a carefree manner, he is actually a person with a thoughtful side.
Seeing that Ogata seemed unwilling to say more about the purpose of his trip to Ezo, Kondo did not ask any more questions.
"Master, you came at the right time."
"The boss happens to be in the store right now."
"He's in the bathroom now though."
At this point, Kondo couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"If the boss hadn't gone to the bathroom, I wouldn't be sitting here at the counter helping to look after the store."
"The boss always takes a long time to go to the toilet, but he has been gone for quite some time, so he should be back soon..."
Before Kondo could finish his words, footsteps were heard in the corridor behind the counter.
"Ah, the boss is back." Kondo said happily, "He came back just in time. He came back just as I mentioned him."
The footsteps were getting closer and closer to Ogata and the others, and finally a short middle-aged man with half-white hair appeared from the entrance of the corridor.
When the middle-aged man saw Ogata and Atachi, he was stunned for a moment, then immediately said loudly as if by reflex:
"Welcome! What can I do for you?"
"Mashima." Kondo introduced Ogata, "This is the owner of our Kitakaze-ya."
After briefly introducing the middle-aged man to Ogata, Kondo turned his attention to the middle-aged man and introduced Ogata to him.
"Boss! This guest is my friend. He plans to go to Ezo later, so he wants to ask about Ezo."
"Ezo land?"
The middle-aged man, the owner of Kitakaze-ya, looked Ogata up and down with a puzzled look.
"Mr. Samurai, I don't know why you are planning to go to Ezo. But I advise you not to go there if you can. Ezo is not peaceful right now, and there may be a war."
"If you must go to Ezo, then I suggest you wait until Ezo is a little more peaceful before going there."
As soon as the boss finished speaking, Xu Fang said without hesitation in a firm tone:
"I know Ezo is in chaos and danger right now. But I have something very important to do, so I can't wait too long."
"If you insist on going to Ezo right now, my lord, I won't say anything more."
The host shrugged.
"You said you were here to inquire about matters related to Ezo, right?"
"What do you want to ask?"
"We would like to know where we can board a ship to Ezo," Ogata said. "And I would like to know if you have any maps of Ezo for sale."
"The best way to get to Ezo is to find a merchant ship that goes there," the host said, "and ask the owner of that merchant ship to give you a ride."
“This method is the safest and also the lowest cost.”
"If you don't want to take a commercial ship, you have to find a boat yourself. But this method is expensive and unsafe."
"I recommend you go to the Dewa area or the Mutsu area."
"There are many businesses in those two areas that specialize in doing business with the Ainu people."
"The Ezo goods I have here are all purchased from merchants in Dewa and Mutsu."
"Why don't you go to Dewa or Mutsu and see if there is any merchant willing to take you to Ezo."
"As for the map of Ezo, we don't sell it here."
"The big merchants in Dewa and Mutsu who do business with the Ezo people may have maps of the Ezo land."
"Once you get to Dewa or Mutsu, ask if there are any merchants willing to sell you a map."
"No map..." A look of disappointment appeared on Ogata's face.
However, just as a look of loss appeared on Ogata's face, the next words spoken by the host made Ogata raise his eyebrows, and the look of loss on his face disappeared a little.
"Although I don't have a map of Ezo, I have another good thing."
"Give me a moment."
After saying that, the host turned and walked towards the stairs not far away.
The boss came back not long after he went up to the second floor of the North Wind House.
When he came back, his host had an extra book in his hand.
"This book should be very useful to you."
After slowly walking back to Ogata and Atachi, the host handed the book in his hand to Ogata.
"This book was written by an old friend of mine and given to me."
"It contains some common expressions in the Ainu language."
"The old friend who gave me this book told me that as long as I learn all the common phrases recorded in this book, I will be able to communicate with the Ainu in a simple way."
Ogata's pupils shrank slightly in surprise.
When Ogata learned that Kitakaze-ya did not sell maps of Ezo, he was a little disappointed. He did not expect to receive a pleasant surprise so soon.
After receiving the book from the host, Ogata asked:
"Can I see it?"
"Of course." The boss smiled, "One of my main principles when doing business with others is to warmly welcome customers to inspect the goods."
After obtaining the host's permission, Ogata turned to the first page.
The first line of the first page begins with a string of pseudonyms.
After transliterating this string of kana, it means "Pinna".
The string of kana is followed by a line of text: "There is no specific meaning. When eating, the Ezo people will keep repeating the word "pinna" to express their gratitude for the food."
"The Ezo people don't have a written language," Dongjia explained, "so we can only use kana to transliterate their words."
"For example, 'Ayi' in the Ainu language means 'arrow'."
Ogata listened carefully to his host's introduction while flipping through the book in his hand.
The teaching method of this "Guide to Teaching Common Expressions in Ainu" is quite simple and crude.
Because the Ezo people had no written language, they simply used kana to transliterate their words, and then noted the meaning of the word at the end.
Ogata briefly flipped through the book and found that it contained some commonly used words and sentences.
This is indeed a very useful book for Ogata and Omachi who plan to go to Ezo later.
After all, once you go to Ezo, you will inevitably encounter the local indigenous people.
It would be a problem if we couldn't communicate with the Ainu.
"There's no use for me keeping this book. If you want it, I'll sell it to you."
"Since you are Kondo-kun's friend, I will sell it to you at a lower price."
The owner raised 8 fingers.
"80 pieces of silver."
"For only 80 silver pieces, this book will be yours."
80 pieces of silver - this is indeed a very cheap price for a book.
What's more, this is a very rare reference book for teaching languages.
Ogata had just received the 100 taels of gold for winning the first place in the literary examination, so he was quite wealthy, so he didn't think much about it and nodded vigorously:
"Okay, I'll buy it."
Ogata took out his purse and counted out 80 taels of silver.
After handing the money to the host, Ogata asked:
"Have you ever been to Ezo? Are there any things you must pay attention to or any taboos when dealing with Ezo?"
"I have never been to Ezo." The owner smiled bitterly and shook his head. "All the Ezo goods sold in my shop are purchased from others. I did not go to Ezo to purchase them myself."
"I haven't even seen Ezo."
"So I don't know what precautions or taboos there are when facing the Ezo."
"Is that so..." A hint of disappointment once again appeared in the depths of Ogata's eyes.
"...Mashima." Kondo, who had been silent since a while ago, suddenly spoke up, "Are you really determined to go to Ezo?"
"Yes." Ogata nodded without hesitation, "It's decided."
"When are you going to leave?"
"Probably in a few days..." Ogata shook his head gently, "The exact number of days has not yet been determined."
“……” Kondo slowly lowered his head, and the expression on his face slowly changed.
Kondo's expression at this moment was exactly the same as the one he had when he parted with him in Kyoto.
Ogata couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"... Kondo, don't make that expression."
Seeing Kondo's expression, Ogata felt a little sad for some reason.
Ogata raised his hand and patted Kondo's shoulders.
"I will stay in Edo for some time."
"I'll come to see you more often in the next few days."
"I'll visit again tomorrow."
"Then let me see whether your swordsmanship has improved since we last met in Kyoto."
"Hmm..." Kondo nodded slightly.
Although Kondo forced a smile.
But in this smile, there is more disappointment than joy...
…
…
Ogata and Atachi left Kitafuya side by side.
After leaving Beifeng House, Ating said in a lost tone:
"I didn't get much information..."
"It doesn't matter." Ogata continued, "At least we did gain something."
Ogata raised the "Guide to Teaching Common Expressions in Ainu" in his hand.
“It’s so thick…” Ating twitched his lips.
"Just learn it slowly." Ogata stuffed the book back into his arms. "It will take at least two months to get to Ezo anyway, so use these two months to slowly learn the common words in Ezo language."
The two of them walked back to their residence at a leisurely pace.
To return to their residence from North Wind House, one had to pass through a fairly busy commercial street.
After entering this fairly busy commercial street, the flow of people suddenly increased, and the sounds reaching my ears became increasingly noisy.
Looking at the dense crowds of people around him, Ogata raised his eyebrows as if he remembered something.
"…A-Ming."
"Um?"
"It's a rare opportunity for us to come out, why don't we just walk around for a while before going back?" Ogata smiled.
A light appeared in Ating's eyes.
But as soon as a light appeared in his eyes, Atachi looked Ogata up and down with a hesitant look.
"Ayi, your injury should be okay, right?"
"It's okay. I'm just taking a quick stroll. It won't affect my injuries too much."
"...Okay then!" Ating nodded vigorously, "Then let's go shopping for a while before going back!"
Looking at Atachi's happy smile, Ogata couldn't help but smile as well.
The reason why he suddenly suggested going shopping was because - Ogata suddenly remembered: although he had been in Edo for some time, he had never really traveled with Atachi in this "largest city in Japan".
Although they were in the most prosperous city in the country, Ogata felt a little uncomfortable because he had not had a good time in Edo with A-machi...
We will be leaving Edo in a few days.
After this farewell, I don’t know when I will be able to return to Edo next time.
So Ogata planned to spend more time with Ah-machi before leaving Edo, and to stroll around and have more fun with Ah-machi in Edo.
…
…
Holding Atachi's hand, Ogata turned into the drill bit of a drilling machine, drilling through the flow of people and the wall of people in front of him, and making a path for him and Atachi to pass through.
Just as Ogata was concentrating on moving forward, he suddenly smelled a pleasant sweet scent.
After sniffing hard, Ogata turned his head following the scent.
This tempting aroma came from a Japanese confectionery shop not far away.
Atachi, who was walking behind Ogata, was also attracted by the aroma and turned her head to look at the Japanese confectionery shop.
Ogata has always liked sweet things.
Wagashi, which are basically sweets, are very much to Ogata's liking and are one of his favorite foods.
And the taste of A-Machi is the same as Ogata's.
A-Machi also likes sweets and Japanese confectionery.
After staring at the Japanese confectionery shop for a long time, Ogata suddenly asked Atachi beside him:
"A-Ming, do you want to eat some Japanese sweets now?"
"What a coincidence! I just wanted to ask you the same question."
After just two sentences, Ogata and Atachi reached a consensus and quickly ran towards the Japanese confectionery shop.
This Japanese confectionery shop was doing very good business. Ogata and A-machi waited in line for nearly 10 minutes before it was finally their turn to buy.
Ogata bought three full boxes - he not only used them for himself and Atachi, but also took some back for the people in Huluwu.
As he left the store with the three large boxes of Japanese confectionery, contentedly, a male voice that he seemed to have heard somewhere suddenly rang out from beside Ogata:
"Isn't this the samurai-sama?"
Xu looked in the direction of the voice with confusion.
A young man who looked familiar but the couple couldn't remember when they had seen him before ran towards Ogata and Atachi.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Xu asked back with a little apology.
“Hahahaha.” The young man laughed heartily a few times. “I’m the owner of the teahouse that you helped a while ago.”
"He's the shop owner who couldn't deliver to Yoshiwara because of a back injury."
Hearing the young man's words, Ogata instantly remembered who this person was.
"It's you." Ogata smiled, "From your appearance, your back injury seems to have healed."
The young man patted his lower back and laughed heartily again: "I'm completely healed!"
When they first arrived in Edo, Ogata and Atachi went together to various places in Edo to collect information about the "Imperial Test Match".
As it was getting close to evening, we went into a teahouse to have some tea and rest.
That evening, the teahouse happened to have a delivery order from Yoshiwara.
"Sakuramonya" in Yoshiwara has ordered their special steamed buns, and the owner of the teahouse has to deliver the special steamed buns to "Sakuramonya" in time tonight.
Unfortunately, that night, the owner of the teahouse injured his waist.
His wife was also ill at the time, leaving him with only a 12-year-old daughter.
Just when the owner of the teahouse was at a loss, Ogata, who happened to be drinking tea and taking a break in the teahouse at that time, decided to help him and delivered the steamed buns to "Sakuramonya" in Yoshiwara for him.
After recalling who this young man was, the look in Ogata's eyes became complicated.
From a certain perspective, that teahouse can be considered as the place where Ogata's dream began.
It was because Ogata chose to deliver goods for the owner of the teahouse that night that Ogata entered Yoshiwara that night, met Ueyoshi that night, became acquainted with Furin-Tayu that night, and met Gokutaro by chance that night...
The teahouse owner didn't seem to recognize Atachi - but that was normal.
At that time, in order to avoid being recognized by the Shiranui ninja who might be lurking somewhere in Edo, Atachi put on ugly and scary makeup.
The makeup was so ugly that you couldn't even tell Ating's true face.
Now that Shiranui has died, there is no need for Atachi to continue disguising herself, so she has been going out without makeup recently.
Ating's appearance without makeup and Ating with that scary heavy makeup are completely two different appearances.
Therefore, it is quite normal that the teahouse owner who has only seen the "heavily made-up type of Atachi" cannot recognize the "bare-makeup type of Atachi".
"Thank you so much!" The teahouse owner bowed to Ogata, "If it weren't for your help, I don't know what I would have done."
"It's just a trivial matter." Ogata smiled and straightened the body of the teahouse owner who was bowing to him, "So you don't need to thank me for such a small thing."
"Mr. Samurai!" the teahouse owner said solemnly, "No matter what, I want to express my gratitude to you! Please let me buy you a cup of tea!"
"Ah, that's not necessary." Ogata said hurriedly, "I just said it, it's just a trivial matter, there's no need to thank you so grandly, I appreciate your kindness."
"That won't do." The teahouse owner shook his head. "Samurai-sama, you don't understand how much of a favor you were doing."
"If we hadn't delivered the steamed buns to Sakuramon-ya in time that night, we would have had to pay a huge sum of money."
"You have helped us so much. If I don't thank you properly, I will feel guilty. At least let me buy you a cup of tea!"
Ogata kept saying "No need" and "No need".
The teahouse owner stubbornly said, "I will always thank you well."
Unable to persuade the teahouse owner, Ogata could only say helplessly, "How about this, you don't have to treat me to food or drinks. Just tell me which places in Edo are more interesting."
Teahouse owner: "Interesting things?"
"I'm a foreigner," Ogata said, "and I don't know much about Edo. So you can tell me some interesting things about Edo. For example, which store sells the most delicious Japanese confectionery, or which places in Edo are fun."
Ogata had just decided that he would take advantage of the fact that they were still in Edo to accompany Atachi on a tour of the city.
But he was a foreigner after all and was not familiar with Edo at all, so he didn't even know which place in Edo was more fun and lively.
So Ogata decided to kill two birds with one stone - let the teahouse owner tell him what fun places there are in Edo. This would not only allow the teahouse owner to thank him for "delivering the goods", but Ogata would also be able to get information about Edo.
"What are the interesting places in Edo..." The teahouse owner looked thoughtful, "There are quite a few interesting places in Edo... There is a very interesting place not far away."
"Oh?" Ogata raised his eyebrows. "Is there an interesting place not far away?"
"Yes, the 'Shenmu' is not far from here."
"'Sacred tree'?" Ogata asked in confusion, "What is that?"
"The sacred tree is a famous tree in Edo that has divine power." The teahouse owner said with a hint of pride, "Sir Samurai, if you have time, would you like to go see the sacred tree now?"
"It would be a great pity if you didn't get to see this divine tree."
Ogata is indeed quite free now.
Ogata was also somewhat curious about the "divine tree" mentioned by the teahouse owner.
So Ogata turned his head and cast a questioning look at Atachi beside him.
As soon as Ogata turned his eyes to Atachi, Atachi nodded at Ogata.
"Well then." Ogata turned his gaze back to the teahouse owner, "The sacred tree shouldn't be far from here, right?"
"Not far." The teahouse owner said immediately, "It's very close to here, follow me!"
The teahouse owner turned around and walked towards a small path next to him.
Ogata and Atachi followed closely behind.
The teahouse owner who was walking in front led the way while introducing the sacred tree to Ogata and A-machi.
"The sacred tree was once a tree planted in a shrine."
"The shrine was later destroyed by fire."
"The fire that destroyed the entire shrine was huge, but the sacred tree miraculously survived the fire."
"Since then, people have believed that the tree has divine power, and they have started calling it the 'sacred tree'."
"There is a very interesting story about the 'Shenmu'."
"It is said that a long time ago, a certain samurai fell in love with a girl who was also from a samurai family."
"Not long after they fell in love, they decided to get married."
"The wedding was not held at home, nor at a shrine or a Buddhist temple."
"It is located under the 'Shenmu'."
"Because the 'Shenmu' is a very meaningful tree to them."
"They met each other by chance under the 'sacred tree'."
"So in order to commemorate this meaningful place, they chose to hold their wedding under the 'sacred tree' where they first met."
"It's a pity that the good times didn't last long."
"Not long after the marriage, the warrior suddenly fell seriously ill."
"No matter how many doctors were called in, they could not cure the samurai's illness."
"The girl was at a loss and could only pray to the gods and Buddhas to protect the warrior."
"However, the girl visited every shrine and temple in Edo, but was unable to make the samurai's health better."
"When the girl began to despair, a certain witch suddenly found her."
"The witch told the girl: Go and pray to the 'sacred tree' and the warrior's illness will be cured."
"But when you pray to the 'Sacred Tree', you must wear the White Pure Color. And when you make a wish, you cannot just recite it silently. You must clearly state your wish and why you want to make it."
"Only in this way can the 'Shenmu' hear and understand your wish, and then fulfill it."
"The girl was already desperate, so after receiving the advice from the miko, she immediately put on the white wedding gown she wore when she married the samurai, ran to the sacred tree, made a sincere wish to the sacred tree, and prayed for the sacred tree to bless the samurai."
"Then—a miracle happened."
"Not long after the girl made a wish to the 'sacred tree', the warrior's illness suddenly healed."
"After the warrior recovered, the girl looked for the shrine maiden who asked her to make a wish to the sacred tree, wanting to personally thank her for saving her life."
"But the girl searched every shrine in Edo and couldn't find the miko."
"Everyone at every shrine said that they didn't have such a person in their shrine."
"The witch just appeared suddenly, and then disappeared just as suddenly."
Ogata listened quietly the whole time.
After hearing the story told by the teahouse owner, Ogata said in a half-joking tone: "Is this a true story? Why does it sound so much like a myth?"
Ogata is a materialist and never believes that there are any gods or Buddhas in this world.
So after hearing this story, the first thought that came to Ogata’s mind was: Is this story made up?
As soon as Ogata asked the question, the teahouse owner smiled bitterly:
“I actually doubt the authenticity of this story.”
"But - this story may be false, but the fact that the 'Sacred Tree' survived the fire is true."
"We have always believed that the 'Shenmu' is truly divine."
Having said this, the teahouse owner raised his hand and pointed forward.
"Sir, we are here. That tree is the 'Sacred Tree'."
Ogata and Atachi hurriedly looked in the direction the teahouse owner's finger was pointing.
"Is this... the 'sacred tree'?" Ogata murmured.
While whispering, he moved his gaze and looked up and down at the big tree not far ahead.
This tree is not very big, and three adults can probably hug it together.
Although the "Shenmu" is not big, it is very tall. According to Ogata's visual estimation, the total height of the "Shenmu" is nearly 10 meters.
Because he knew nothing about botany, Ogata didn't know what kind of tree the sacred tree was.
Although it is already November and autumn is in full swing, the leaves of the "Shenmu" are still lush and swaying in the breeze that blows from time to time.
A somewhat old shimenawa rope was wrapped around the tree trunk.
The so-called shimenawa is a rope made of straw, with a white zigzag-shaped imperial coin hanging on it.
In Japan's Shinto religion, the shimenawa is a sacred object, used to mark the boundary between secular and sacred objects.
After looking at this "sacred tree", Ogata began to look at the surrounding environment.
The "sacred tree" is located in a very remote place with no houses around it. Apart from Ogata and others, there are no other people around.
"Master Samurai," the teahouse owner said with a smile, "this is the 'sacred tree'."
Ogata didn't know whether this tree had any divinity or not.
But this big tree tied with the rope, with its branches swaying in the wind, does have a sense of sacredness.
Looking at the "sacred tree", Ogata couldn't help but recall the story the teahouse owner had just told him.
Another person who also recalled that story was Ating.
"Make a wish..." Ating on the side muttered as he looked at the "sacred tree" in front of him.
After mumbling, Atachi turned his head and said to Ogata in a half-joking tone:
"Come to think of it - I have a wish that I really want to fulfill."
"Oh? What wish?" Ogata asked.
Ating pinched the flesh on his waist and abdomen.
"I always feel like I've gained some weight," said Ah-Ming seriously, "so I really want to make a wish: I hope the extra fat on my belly disappears."
"Don't make such a boring wish to God..."
…
…
After admiring the "sacred tree", Ogata and Atachi left the "sacred tree" and said goodbye to the teahouse owner.
Before parting, the teahouse owner told Ogata and Omachi everything he knew about Edo.
Where is the more fun, where is the more lively, where is best not to go... the teahouse owner told Ogata and the others all of this.
After receiving the information provided by the teahouse owner, Ogata and his friends wandered around somewhere for a while before returning to their residence.
As soon as Ogata and Atachi returned to the house they were currently living in, they saw Mamiya walking in the corridor connected to the front door of the house.
When Mamiya saw Ogata and Atachi returning, he immediately said to them:
"You guys came back just in time."
"What's wrong?" Ogata asked.
"Ms. Uesugi is here. She is now in Mr. Keitaro's room."
"Ms. Uesugi is here?" Ogata raised his eyebrows. "I see. I'll go now."
Ogata and A-machi went up to the second floor of the house one after another.
"Uncle Qing, Miss Guasheng." Ogata stood outside Uncle Qing's room and whispered to the other side of the door, "It's me. Is it convenient for me to come in now?"
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Uncle Qing's voice came from the room.
"Of course it's convenient."
After obtaining Uncle Qing's permission to enter the room, Xu Fang slowly opened the door in front of him.
As soon as he opened the door, Xu Fang saw Uncle Qing lying on the quilt, and Gua Sheng kneeling beside Uncle Qing.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ueyu." After opening the door and entering the room, Osamu was the first to say to Ueyu, "I was out for something just now. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"No need to apologize, I didn't wait long, I just got here."
After Ogata and Atachi sat side by side opposite Ueyu, Ueyu handed a small cloth bag placed on the tatami next to her to Ogata.
"Lord Ogata! This is for you!"
"What is this?" Ogata asked puzzledly as he took the cloth bag.
"It's eel." Guasheng said, "It's very good for replenishing physical strength."
Although eel was not a luxury food in ancient Japan, it was not cheap either.
"Thank you, Ms. Uesugi." A helpless look appeared on Ogata's face. "I really made you spend a lot of money..."
"It's just a small amount of money. It's far from being a big expense." Guasheng waved his hand generously, "There are four in it, you can share it."
Ueo should be the only person in Edo besides Ogata and others who knows the specific truth about the destruction of Shiranui.
He is also the only one who knows where the people who destroyed Shiranui live now.
After being destroyed in Shiranui, Uesugi's life slowly got back on track.
Returned to Yoshiwara's home.
Continue to work at the Shirobei Club.
Continue to defend Yoshiwara as usual.
He continued to be respected by the prostitutes as "Yoshiwara-ri Doshin".
Ever since Ogata and the others moved into this remote house to recuperate, Uesugi came to visit them almost every day.
Every time Uesugi came to visit Ogata and Uncle Qing, he would bring some food or supplements that could help restore physical strength and promote wound healing.
Because Uesugi sent supplements every day, Ogata felt a little embarrassed.
Ogata put away the bag of eels in his hand and asked Uesugi:
"Ms. Ueyoshi, how is Fuu Ling Taifu now?"
"The lady started working again yesterday." Uesugi said, "The owner of Meiwu has really invested a lot of money this time. He hired a new thug today."
After defeating Shiranui, the Taifu who was kidnapped by the ninjas of Shiranui was naturally rescued by Ogata and his men.
The lady who returned to Yoshiwara naturally would not tell the truth.
At the moment when Shiranui was attacked by unknown persons, if he said that he was kidnapped by the ninjas of Shiranui, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble.
In order to avoid trouble, the lady lied and said that she was kidnapped by human traffickers.
The trafficker climbed through the window, entered her room and kidnapped her, then he took the opportunity to escape.
The Taifu is the cash cow of Miumeya.
The owner of Meiwu was naturally overjoyed to see that his money-making tree, which had suddenly disappeared, had returned.
After the maid came back, she saw that the owner of Umeya had given her a long vacation so that she could have a good rest and calm her mind.
Then a very good doctor was invited to give Taifu a full body examination.
Finally, he spent a large sum of money to hire new guards.
The disappearance of the lady-in-waiting really scared the owner of the Umeya House half to death.
In order to avoid repeating the same mistake, the owner of Jianmeiya decided to comprehensively strengthen Jianmeiya's defense capabilities.
To avoid the situation where prostitutes are kidnapped again.
After learning that Taifu's life, like Uesugi's, was slowly returning to normal, Ogata breathed a sigh of relief, and the other stone that had been hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground.
"Lord Ogata, your injuries are healing really quickly."
Uesugi looked Ogata up and down several times, then continued:
"You couldn't walk steadily a few days ago."
"Now I have recovered like a normal person."
"How do you feel today? You don't feel so tired suddenly like before, do you?"
What Uosuke meant by "suddenly feeling very tired" was naturally referring to the incident when Ogata fainted due to his body absorbing the "Immortality Poison" for the second time.
That day, Uekus also came to visit Ogata.
However, when Ueo came to visit Ogata, Ogata was in a coma.
Ueoka was also startled by Ogata's sudden fainting.
I finally breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Ogata had woken up and was not seriously injured.
"He's fine now." Ogata nodded. "He's no longer unconscious, and his injuries are recovering well."
"That's good..." Guasheng let out a breath and showed a relieved expression.
However, the next moment after he showed a relieved expression, a hint of loss slowly emerged in Guasheng's eyes.
"... Lord Ogata, I just heard from Mr. Mamiya and the others."
Guasheng said softly.
"You're leaving Edo in a few days...right?"
After a look of disappointment slowly emerged in his eyes, the expression on Guasheng's face also slowly changed.
A few days ago, when Ogata had just decided to leave for Ezo after his wounds had healed, he also informed Uesugi of his plan.
So Uesugi also knew about this. He knew that Ogata would leave for Ezo after his injury healed.
However, Ogata naturally concealed the real reason for going to Ezo from Urobuchi.
Uesugi's expression at this moment was almost identical to the expression Kondo had just shown.
Ogata has never been good at dealing with people who show this kind of expression...
After sighing softly, Ogata smiled at Ueyu and said:
"I haven't decided when exactly I'm going to leave yet."
"I'm not leaving just yet."
"So you can come to see me more often these days. I'm always here."
"Hmm..." Guasheng forced a smile.
The smile on Uesugi's face was the same as the one Ogata had seen on Kondou's face just now - it showed more disappointment than joy.
…
…
late at night--
The moon was fading in the west and would sink behind the dark clouds that hung like a torn curtain over the distant hills.
Apart from the occasional sound of the night wind blowing outside the window and the even breathing of himself and Atachi, Ogata could not hear any other extra sounds.
During this period, Ogata had difficulty falling asleep.
It’s not because Ogata has insomnia or anything.
Although there were no more painful wounds on Ogata's body, he still felt a tingling sensation when he touched some of the wounds.
Ogata has always liked to sleep on his side.
But sleeping on your side can easily put pressure on some wounds on your upper body, so Ogata can only sleep lying down facing the ceiling these days.
But Ogata was not used to sleeping in this position, so it took him a long time to fall asleep every night.
It was the same tonight. I maintained this sleeping position that I was not used to. After lying in bed for an unknown amount of time, I finally fell into a half-asleep, half-awake, dazed state.
It won't be long before you fall into a deep sleep.
But at this moment, Ogata suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the bed next to him.
The unusual noise was so small that if Ogata had not fallen asleep yet, he might not have been able to hear it.
——Ating?
Ogata woke up from his half-asleep state, opened his eyes a little, and glanced at Atachi who had crawled out from the quilt beside him.
As soon as Atachi crawled out of the bed, she cast her gaze on Ogata, looking at him carefully, as if she wanted to check whether she had woken Ogata up just now.
When Ogata noticed that Atachi was looking at him, he immediately closed his eyes which were slightly open and pretended to be still asleep.
Atachi, who didn't notice that Ogata had woken up, shifted her gaze away from Ogata, then stood up straight and began to take off her white yukata.
Because he didn't know whether Atachi was looking at him, Ogata didn't dare to open his eyes and continued to keep them closed.
A-machi took off her white yukata, changed into an ordinary kimono, and then tiptoed out of the room.
Ogata opened his eyes only after hearing Atachi's footsteps leaving the room.
——It’s so late, what is Ating going to do?
Ogata looked at the white yukata that Atachi had just changed out of, and his brows frowned slightly uncontrollably.
Originally, Ogata thought that Atachi was going to the toilet, but now it seems that is not the case.
After all, if you are just going to the toilet, you don't need to change clothes.
Driven by doubt and curiosity, Ogata decided to go and take a look.
As there was no time to change clothes, Ogata simply did not change clothes and wore the black yukata he was wearing now. He picked up the Daishakuten and Daijizai on the knife rack next to him and quickly left the room, following closely behind Atachi.
After leaving the room, Ating quickly went downstairs and ran to the front door of the house.
After pulling on her straw sandals with her white and tender feet without socks, she quickly rushed out of the house.
Seeing this, Ogata became even more confused.
I don't understand why Ating went out in the middle of the night.
Unable to figure out what was going on, Ogata could only follow Atachi silently.
It's probably around 3 o'clock in the morning now.
At this time in Edo, there wasn't even a stray dog ​​on the streets.
Ah-Ming was jogging along the unobstructed street.
It is cloudy tonight, and the moonlight is obscured by layers of "black clouds" that have been dyed black by the darkness of the night.
Ogata was thankful that the kimono Atachi was currently wearing was light yellow.
Even without the moonlight, Ogata could still see the conspicuous yellow color.
Soon, Atachi arrived at a place that Ogata was very familiar with.
Because Ogata and Atachi had just been to this place during the day today.
It is the "sacred tree" that the teahouse owner recommended today, which is said to have divine powers.
A-Ming stood in front of the big tree, looking up at it while regulating his disordered breathing caused by the jogging just now.
Ogata, who was lurking not far away, had an expression of surprise that he could not hide on his face.
Ogata never expected that Atachi, who suddenly went out in the middle of the night, actually came here specifically to find this "sacred tree".
——What does Ah-Ming want to do? Does she want to imitate the girl in the story and make a wish to this “sacred tree”?
Ogata couldn't help but recall what Atachi had told him today, that "she hopes to lose weight."
——She came here in the middle of the night, could she be here to make a wish to the “sacred tree” to lose weight?
When he thought of this, Ogata couldn't help but laugh secretly, and a helpless smile appeared on his face.
But... the moment Atachi spoke, the smile on Ogata's face froze.
After his breathing became a little calmer, Ating took a deep breath.
After slowly exhaling the air he had inhaled, a wry smile appeared on Atachi's face.
"The girl in that story wore a white wedding gown and made a wish to the 'sacred tree', and her wish came true..."
"I... don't have a White Wife... I don't know if the wish I made to the 'Sacred Tree' will work..."
After uttering this bitter murmur, Ating faced the big tree, bowed twice, and then knelt on the ground.
While kneeling on the ground, put your hands together and close your eyes.
"Oh, 'Shenmu'... please listen to my wish."
There was silence all around, and A-machi's gentle voice reached Ogata's ears clearly.
"The first time I met that person was on the island called 'Butterfly Island'."
"The opportunity to get to know him was that I took the initiative to find him and invited him to team up with me."
"The reason why I took the initiative to find him to form a team was actually to use him."
"Because I recognized him as the famous 'Executioner Ittosai', so I thought that teaming up with such a strong man would be very helpful in completing the mission assigned to me by the Flame Demon."
"I originally just wanted to use him..."
"But before I knew it, I started to have a crush on him."
"Not long after I met him, I saw him covered in bruises."
"He almost died in the battle with the demon monk."
"That was the first time I saw him with so many scars..."
"After that, he and I parted ways for a short while."
"Maybe it's fate. Not long after we separated, I met him again in Kyoto."
"Not long after they reunited in Kyoto, he was drawn into a conspiracy with the ultimate goal of destroying Kyoto."
"He had to fight against various masters, and ended up getting himself covered in wounds again."
"That was the second time I saw him covered in wounds..."
"Those days were when I felt the most helpless..."
"I'm afraid of the pursuers in the Shiranui."
"I was afraid that I would be captured and tortured beyond recognition..."
"It was he who lent a helping hand to me when I was helpless at that time."
"It was probably at that time that I fell in love with him for being willing to lend a helping hand."
"Then we came to Edo."
"After the decisive battle with Shiranui, he turned into a bloody man again..."
"This is... the third time I've seen him covered in scars."
"At that time, when he said he was going to deal with Shuntaro, I really wanted to hold him back and tell him not to go."
"Shuntaro is very strong. I don't want him to fight such a strong enemy and then get himself hurt..."
"Since I met him, I have personally witnessed him covered in bruises three times."
"Although he survived every time, what about the next time?"
"Will he still be so lucky to survive next time he encounters a stronger enemy?"
"I'm scared..."
"I'm afraid of the upcoming trip to Ezo..."
"I'm afraid he might not be so lucky one day in the future..."
"If I could choose, I hope that the next person to be injured would be me, not him..."
"'Sacred Tree'..."
Ating lowered his head even more.
The whole body seemed to be huddled together.
Like a devout and humble believer.
"Please keep Ogata Issei safe."
"I just hope he's safe now."
"To realize my dream in peace and safety..."
"Then he will take me with him to realize his dream..."
As soon as Ating finished speaking, a gentle night breeze suddenly blew.
The leaves of the "sacred tree" swayed accordingly.
The shimenawa rope wrapped around the tree trunk also dances along with the movement.
Ating's beautiful hair fluttered in the sudden night breeze.
The clouds that had originally blocked the moonlight completely began to float under the influence of the wind, and a tiny gap appeared.
The moonlight, as hazy as a wisp of smoke, penetrated the tiny gap and fell on Ating's body.
Under the cover of the bright moonlight, Ating seemed to be wearing a holy white robe.
Ogata stared blankly at Atachi who was "covered" with the white wedding gown.
Scenes from the past flashed through Ogata's mind one by one.
Ogata thought back to that night in Owari.
That night, the girl told him that her dream was to be a bride.
He also told the girl, whom he had fallen in love with at some unknown time, his equally childish dream: he wanted to travel around.
Although it happened a long time ago, Ogata still remembers every scene of that night as vividly as if it happened yesterday.
…
…
"Yes... Whether it's your dream or my dream, it can definitely come true... I promise you."
…
…
This sudden male voice broke the silence.
The girl, clad in a white robe made of moonlight, shuddered slightly.
After opening his eyes filled with surprise, he slowly stood up and slowly turned his head to look behind him...
…
…
Chapter 6 "Edo Castle Test" - The End!
…
End of Volume 6:
"I was young and frivolous, I set out on a journey alone and got lost. When I met people, I felt fulfilled. People are the joy of people."