Edo, Yoshiwara, Meiwuya——
"You want to see Taifu?"
The owner of the Plum House was seen looking Ogata up and down in front of him.
His eyes were filled with undisguised suspicion.
"Yes." Ogata nodded, "I am the former employee of Shirobei Club - 'Mashima Goro'. I have to leave Edo for some reasons and will no longer work at Shirobei Club."
"During the time I worked at the Shirobei Club, I received a lot of help from the Taifu."
"So before I leave, I want to visit the lady and express my gratitude to her in person."
Just now, after saying goodbye to Shirobei and others and leaving the club, Obe rushed to the Ume-ya in Yoshiwara.
After entering the Umeya, Osamu directly stated his identity as a "former club servant" and said frankly that he wanted to meet Furin no Taifu.
Because Ogata said that he was a "former employee of the club", the staff of Kenmeiya did not dare to neglect Ogata, so they invited the owner of Kenmeiya to come over.
The lady-in-waiting had just been kidnapped a few days ago, so when the owner of the Umeya learned that someone was looking for the lady-in-waiting, he immediately became nervous.
The owner of Umeya had naturally heard of the name "Mashima Goro".
After Ogata finished speaking, the middle-aged woman who was following the host and was responsible for taking care of the daily lives of the prostitutes let out a low cry of surprise and said:
"Boss, I recognize him. He is indeed the Majima Goro."
This hand had probably met Ogata, who was a little famous in the Shirobei Club, at some point before, so he recognized Ogata's face.
After his subordinates personally said that this person was Goro Majima, the suspicion in the boss's eyes was slightly reduced.
"...Please wait a moment." The host said after a moment's silence, "I'll go ask the lady-in-waiting to see if she is willing to see you."
After saying that, the host quickly left Ogata, ran towards the stairs not far away, and ran up to the upper floor.
Not long after, the host returned to Ogata's sight.
"Mashima-sama, please follow me," the host said.
Ogata followed the host and slowly climbed to the top floor of the Mei-ya building, then came to a gorgeously shaped paper sliding door.
"The lady-in-waiting is in the room," said the host. "You can just go in."
After bowing to express his gratitude to the host, Xu Xiang slowly opened the paper sliding door in front of him and walked into the room.
Previously, on the first night that Ogata came to work in Yoshiwara, he was invited by the tayu and visited her room once.
The layout of the Taifu's room was exactly the same as the last time I visited her room - just as simple.
As soon as he entered the room, Ogata saw the lady kneeling by the window.
The lady was holding a book in her hands and seemed to be reading.
At this time, the tayu had her long hair loose and was wearing a bright red kimono.
After Ogata entered the room, the lady turned her head and cast a complicated look at Ogata.
Ogata knelt beside the tayū and placed Daishakuten on the tatami on the right.
"Taifu." Ogata smiled, "Long time no see."
"Well, long time no see." Looking at Ogata who was so close to him, the complex look in Taifu's eyes became even more intense.
After looking Ogata up and down with a complicated gaze, the lady sighed:
"I never thought... a living legend is actually in Yoshiwara, right in front of me... I even talked to this living legend and gave him lipstick..."
Previously, when Ogata and Shuntaro were fighting, Taifu recognized Majima Goro as Ogata Yoshisei based on Ogata's voice and sword.
After successfully rescuing Taifu from the Shiranui, Ogata knew that Taifu already knew that "Mashima is Ogata", so he just smiled at Taifu's words and whispered:
"Tayu, I have to leave Edo because of some things. I will be gone for a long time."
"So I came to say goodbye to you."
Tayu was one of the friends Ogata made after arriving in Yoshiwara. Although their relationship was not particularly close, Ogata was indeed taken care of by Tayu during the time he was lurking in Yoshiwara.
A-machi still treasures the box of lip balm that the lady gave her, so Ogata feels that he should say goodbye to the lady properly.
"Are you leaving Edo?" There was a hint of surprise in the Taifu's eyes.
"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "I'll probably leave in a few days."
"Before I leave, I want to meet each person I need to say goodbye to."
"so--"
Ogata changed the subject.
"Taifu, tell me where Shuntaro... No, tell me where Goroku is."
When Ogata finished speaking, the lady was stunned for a moment.
Then a faint bitter smile appeared on his face.
"When you told me that Wuliu escaped on his own, I knew you were lying." Ogata said softly, "I was the one who fought with Wuliu at that time."
"So I know very well that Wu Liu was in such a bad condition that he couldn't even stand up, so how could he have the energy to escape?"
"You must know where he is now, right?"
"Don't worry, Taifu. I won't do anything to Goroku."
"I don't have any personal grudges against Wuliu."
"The previous confrontation with Wuliu was just forced by the situation."
"He and I have some friendship."
"So before leaving Edo, I also want to say goodbye to him."
Taifu looked straight at Ogata.
Then he let out a sigh with a hint of helplessness.
"Go to the Rashomon Riverbank," the lady-in-waiting said softly, "and find a prostitute named 'Wafeng'. She is now at 'Wafeng's' home."
Ogata's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Noticing the surprise in Ogata's eyes, the Taifu asked back:
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing... I'm just a little surprised. I thought I would have to put in a lot of effort to get you to tell me where he is now..."
"Wu Liu asked me to do this." Taifu sighed again with helplessness, "Wu Liu told me before: If you come and ask to see him, I will tell you his location without hesitation."
After saying this, the lady-in-waiting turned sideways and picked up a headdress from a table next to her.
"When you meet Hefeng, give her this headdress."
"When you see five or six, don't fight."
"Don't worry." Ogata took the headdress and smiled, "I just said that I don't have any personal grudges against him."
After handing the headdress to the buyer, the lady raised her eyes and looked directly into Ogata's eyes.
"Since you will be leaving Edo in a few days, I will take this opportunity to thank you."
After he finished speaking, the tayu faced Ogata, then bowed solemnly, supporting himself with his hands and resting his forehead on the tatami.
"I heard Guasheng say that before."
"The night I was kidnapped, you noticed the mark I left on my captor's neck and tried to rescue me."
"Thank you so much for helping me at that time."
"I will never forget your kindness."
"Taifu, please raise your head." Ogata said hurriedly, "I was not able to successfully rescue you, so you don't need to thank me."
The lady smiled and shook her head slightly.
"I don't focus on results, I only focus on the process."
"Whether you succeeded in rescuing me or not, the fact that you tried 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 come to me at will."
The lady raised her head, and a charming smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Anything I can do to help, I will help."
"I am an oiran after all, and I know some high-ranking officials in the shogunate."
“So I can still help a lot.”
"Yes." Ogata smiled and nodded vigorously. "If I return to Edo in the future and encounter any difficult troubles, I will definitely come to you for help and reminisce about the past with you."
…
…
Edo, Yoshiwara, Rashomon Riverbank——
After leaving the Umeya, Obun followed his memory and came to the Rashomon Riverbank, located at the westernmost edge of Yoshiwara.
Because it is morning now, there are not many prostitutes standing on the side of the road soliciting customers.
Ogata just asked casually and found out the home of the prostitute named "Wafu" - it was located in a remote place on the bank of the Rashomon River.
Ogata came to Kazufu's house and knocked on the door.
Not long after, a woman who was probably in her 30s opened the door.
In her 30s, this is the age of a middle-aged woman in this era.
"Hello. Are you Miss Kaze?"
The woman nodded and looked at Ogata with a vigilant look: "It's me. May I ask who you are?"
While greeting, Ogata handed the headdress that the lady had just given him to Hefeng.
After taking the headdress from Ogata, the woman raised an eyebrow.
After glancing at Ogata with surprise again, Hefeng moved his body to the side, making way for him to enter and exit her room.
"Come in."
The Japanese-style house is considered to be one of the larger ones on the Rashomon Riverbank.
There are several rooms.
Kazufu led Ogata to the door of the room 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 three tatami mats.
A person who was quite familiar to Ogata was sitting on a futon in this room.
His body was wrapped in sackcloth like a mummy, and he was stretching his left arm, apparently doing some rehabilitation.
When Ogata appeared in his field of vision, he was surprised at first, and then the surprise on his face quickly turned into a faint smile.
After bringing Ogata here, Kazufu left quietly.
Ogata entered the room, closed the door, and then took the lead in greeting:
"Long time no see. Five or six."
…
…
Time goes back to 5 days after Shiranui was extinguished——
Edo, Yoshiwara, Rashomon Riverbank——
Good smell...
Quite a nice smell...
A wave of very pleasant smell entered Shuntaro's nostrils.
The hunger in my belly was aroused.
Under the ravages of hunger, Shintaro gradually regained consciousness.
And 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 it was emitted by an oil lamp.
The faint light from the burning wick provided the only illumination for this narrow space.
After taking his eyes off the oil lamp, Shuntaro began to carefully look at his current environment.
It was a narrow room, about the size of four tatami mats, with little furniture.
He was lying on a relatively clean bed, covered with a thin blanket.
Shuntaro sat up subconsciously.
However, as soon as he moved the muscles in his waist, chest and other parts, Shuntaro suddenly felt as if countless needles were pricking his body.
The severe pain almost made Shuntaro scream.
Shuntaro gently moved his limbs and found that only his right hand could move relatively freely.
Turning his right hand, he gently lifted the thin blanket covering his body and looked at his current body.
He was wearing a thin white yukata, and underneath it were layers of thick linen that wrapped his entire body, with nearly 80% of his skin covered in linen.
Questions popped up in Shuntaro's mind one after another.
Where is this?
Where is A Chang?
Why am I here?
Where is Itosai?
How's the fire in Shiranui?
Who healed me?
…
Just when Shuntaro was about to shout to see if there was anyone else here, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from outside the paper sliding door of the room.
The footsteps stopped outside the paper sliding door, and then the paper sliding door was slowly opened.
The person who opened the paper sliding door was a middle-aged woman around 35 years old.
Her hair was not in a bun, but casually scattered. 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 pink kimono.
Although her face shows signs of aging, it can still be seen that this woman must have been a beauty when she was young.
The woman opened the door and when she saw Shuntaro woke up, she raised her eyebrows and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"You're awake." The woman said softly, "How is it? Are you hungry? If you are hungry, I can cook some porridge for you now."
After hearing the woman's reminder, Shuntaro remembered that he was very hungry.
"Thank you for your help..." As he was still very weak, Shuntaro spoke weakly.
"You're welcome." The woman smiled.
After saying that, the woman slowly walked away from 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 pair of footsteps approaching him.
However, these footsteps were somewhat different from the footsteps of the woman just now.
This time the footsteps were deeper and heavier.
More like the sound of a man's footsteps.
Wow.
The paper sliding door was opened.
This time it was not the woman who opened the paper sliding door.
It was a man who looked familiar to Shuntaro.
"You actually woke up." The man's tone was full of surprise. "You were so badly injured and yet you were able to wake up. It's incredible..."
"You are...?" Shuntaro's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "Hayashi... Ziping...?"
This man was none other than the strange man whom Shuntaro was forced to rescue from the prison in the east of the city under the orders of Shintaro - Hayashi Ziping.
"Oh? 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 the head of Shuntaro's bed 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 at him by Shuntaro at once, Lin Ziping was neither hurried nor slow.
"You asked so many questions at once, it's hard for me to answer them."
"Anyway..." Lin Ziping crossed his arms over his chest, "Let me start from the day I rescued you."
Lin Ziping slowly recounted what happened on the day Shiranui was attacked.
After being taken from the prison to Shiranui, Hayashi Shihei was imprisoned by Shintaro somewhere in Shiranui.
Although they eat well and dress well, their movements are restricted.
There were two ninjas guarding outside his residence.
In name it was to protect him, but in reality it was to monitor him.
Just as it was noon, the sound of the bombardment of the large guns resounded throughout the Shiranui.
Lin Ziping was not a person who had never seen the world. He could recognize the sound of artillery fire.
After the sound of the large gun's bombardment was heard, Lin Ziping immediately went out to ask the two ninjas who were responsible for monitoring him what was going on.
The two ninjas naturally had no idea what had happened, and could only give vague answers to Lin Ziping's questions, allowing Lin Ziping to continue staying here with peace of mind.
But gradually, the sound of the bombardment from the cannon became louder and louder, and it was getting 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 who suddenly attacked them in the Shiranui, and the released "Gu" are chasing the defeated ninjas.
The mission is important, but not as important as life.
So after receiving this bad news, the two ninjas who were responsible for monitoring Lin Ziping ran away.
When Lin Ziping saw the two ninjas in charge of guarding run away, although he didn't know what had happened, he instinctively felt that it would be dangerous to stay here, so he ran away too.
Lin Ziping, who is not familiar with Shiranui, can only run around.
By accident, he avoided the "dirt" that were chasing the ninjas everywhere.
At the same time, by accident, he arrived at the place of the decisive battle between Ogata and Shuntaro.
At that time, Ogata had already killed Keitaro in seconds with his "transparent state".
So when Hayashi Shiping arrived at the place where Ogata and Shuntaro had their decisive battle, he only saw Ogata and Shuntaro who had fallen to the ground, Keitaro who had turned into a corpse, and Furin no Taifu who was tied up and lying on the ground.
Lin Ziping still has a simple sense of justice.
Seeing the woman who was suspected to be tied up by criminals, there was no way he could pretend not to see it, so after confirming that there was no one else around, he quickly ran to the side of the woman and untied her.
An old man in his 50s whom she didn't know suddenly appeared and untied her - the wife was stunned for a moment.
But after the confusion came to an end, the lady loudly requested Hayashi Shiping to take Shuntaro away and bring him to a safe place.
The lady didn't know Lin Ziping.
It is a question whether the old man in front of me is trustworthy.
But in a hurry, the lady couldn't care less.
If Shuntaro continues to lie here like this, he will probably be in great danger.
She was just a weak woman, and it was hard for her to just carry Shintaro on her back, let alone bring him to a safe place.
Although Lin Ziping is old, he has a strong body that even the loose kimono cannot cover up - so the wife can only take a gamble, betting that this old man can help her.
When Lin Ziping heard the lady's request, he was a little hesitant.
He is capable of doing things like untying people.
But as for carrying a living person to a safe place... Lin Ziping was a little hesitant.
Just as Lin Ziping was hesitating, the lady of the house said something.
It was this sentence that made Lin Ziping make up his mind - he decided to help Taifu and bring Shuntaro to a safe place...
…
…
“…That’s it anyway.”
Lin Ziping, feeling a little thirsty after talking, looked around 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. You ran into me."
"I lived here in Edo for a long time."
"So I'm pretty familiar with Edo."
"I happen to know of an izakaya in the northern suburbs of Edo that is no longer in business."
"That's an izakaya opened by someone I know. He returned to his hometown to inherit the family business, so the izakaya has been closed ever since."
"My friend gave me the key to this izakaya when he left Edo, and told me to use it whenever I needed it."
"That izakaya happens to be located in a very remote location, 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's nothing much to say about what happened next."
"I carried you on my back to the long-abandoned izakaya built by my friend."
"Not long after she gave you a simple bandage, the girl sent two young men over to put you in a sedan chair, pretending that they were sending a doctor to Yoshiwara, and took you all the way to Yoshiwara."
Speaking of this, Lin Ziping smiled.
"It was only after I sent you to Yoshiwara that I learned that the girl was actually Yoshiwara's oiran... No wonder she was so beautiful."
"You mean... I'm in Yoshiwara now?" Shuntaro's eyes widened in surprise.
"To be precise, it's on the Rashomon Riverbank in Yoshiwara," Lin Ziping said, "We are now at the home of a prostitute on the Rashomon Riverbank."
"You should have seen that woman just now, right? Her name is Hefeng, and she is the owner of this house."
When he heard the name "Wafu", Shuntaro immediately remembered who she was.
He had heard about this person from Fuu Ling Taifu before.
Kazufu is one of Furin Taifu's friends.
She was once a prostitute in a prostitute house, but due to her old age she had to drift to the banks of the Rashomon River.
Not long after he drifted to the banks of the Rashomon River, he suddenly fell seriously ill.
Fortunately, with the timely help of the wife, Hefeng was able to save his life.
So for Hefeng, Taifu is her savior.
Perhaps it was because the lady had done her a favor, and because they had a good relationship, that Kazufu was willing to let Shuntaro stay in her house temporarily and take care of him.
As for the two young men who put him in the sedan chair, pretended to be doctors, and took him all the way to Yoshiwara, Shuntaro guessed that they must be people who had received favors from the tayu.
The wife has always been kind and charitable.
Not long after becoming an oiran, she used her hard-earned savings to renovate the house on the banks of the Rashomon River, and she also often helped those she could.
Those two people might be the children of two prostitutes on the Rashomon River.
The wife used her own savings to repair the houses on the Rashomon River Bank, and often took care of some sick prostitutes on the Rashomon River Bank. All the prostitutes on the Rashomon River Bank were grateful to the wife.
Therefore, when the tayu was in need, the prostitutes and their families along the Rashomon River naturally came forward to help.
After learning the general cause and effect, Shuntaro asked:
"You said you decided to help me because of Ah Chang... ah, no, because of what the Oiran said."
"What did the Oiran tell you?"
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Lin Ziping's face.
Then he raised his right hand and made a gesture of showing money.
"The courtesan told me that if I was willing to help her, she would give me 50 taels of gold as a reward."
"I just happen to be short of a large sum of money for the trip to Ezo."
“So I decided to take a gamble.”
"I bet that this girl who asked me for help really has money and will really keep her promise to pay."
"Luckily, I won the bet."
"Just the day before yesterday, I received 50 taels of gold from the courtesan."
"This money comes just in time." Lin Ziping breathed a sigh of relief. "This way, I will have enough money to go to Ezo."
"Ezo?" Shuntaro looked puzzled.
"Before I was imprisoned, I planned to recompile the military geography of Ezo." A solemn expression gradually climbed onto Lin Ziping's face. "Unfortunately, I was arrested and imprisoned before I could implement my plan."
"Now that I have regained my freedom, I want to restart my plan and do what I can for this country."
"After receiving the 50 gold reward from the oiran, I will stay here temporarily, helping Miss Hefeng take care of you while buying various things needed for the journey."
"Now I have bought everything I need."
"You've woken up too."
"So I plan to officially leave for Ezo in two or three days."
"...By the way," Shuntaro said softly, "Although I helped you regain your freedom, I still don't know why you were imprisoned."
"This is not my first time in prison," Lin Ziping said self-deprecatingly, "This is my third time in prison."
"The reason why I was imprisoned three times was the same: I wrote to the shogunate and proposed to lift the maritime ban. Then I angered the shogunate and was imprisoned."
"It's just that this time it's more serious."
"Maybe it's because the words I wrote this time were sharper than before."
"From what I know, I will be sentenced to death or imprisoned until I die this time."
"I had already made up my mind to die and was ready to die in prison."
"But I didn't expect that you guys would rescue me."
"Maybe it's not my fate."
After saying that, Lin Ziping slowly stood up.
"Wait a moment, I'll get you something."
After leaving these words, Hayashi Ziping quickly left from Shuntaro's sight.
Then, not long after, she returned to Shuntaro's sight.
After coming back, Lin Ziping had a cloth bag in his hand.
"This is something that belongs to you. Return it to its original owner."
Lin Ziping sat back down beside Shintaro's bed and handed the cloth bag to Shintaro.
Shuntaro untied the cloth bag with the hand that was still barely free.
The cloth bag contained all the equipment that Shiranui had on the day he was attacked.
His two ninja swords, several kunai, and some small props.
And... a black pill.
Shuntaro picked up the pill, played with it for a while, and whispered in a voice that only he could hear: "I didn't lose it..."
"The porridge is here!"
Just then, the voice of the breeze sounded.
Hefeng walked into Shuntaro's room carrying a bowl of steaming porridge.
"How is it?" Hefeng placed the bowl of porridge next to Shuntaro's quilt, "Can you drink the porridge by yourself?"
"Well... my right arm can move freely, so eating porridge shouldn't be a problem."
"Then I'll go first. Call me if you need anything."
"Ms. Kazufu!" When Kazufu was about to get up and leave, Shuntaro called her.
"What's up?"
"Can I trouble you with something?"
"Please go ahead."
"Please tell the lady a message for me later." A strange smile appeared on Shuntaro's face. "If Majima Goro comes and asks to see me, feel free to tell him my location."
…
…
The timeline goes back to the present.
"It's amazing that you were able to escape despite being so badly injured." Ogata said softly, "Someone must have helped you escape, right? If no one helped you, you wouldn't even be able to stand up at that time."
"Yes, that's right. Someone who was imprisoned in our Shiranui escaped during the chaos."
"He and I... have some friendship. Ah Chang asked him for help, so he helped me out and carried me, who was seriously injured at the time, to a safe place."
"Then, with Ah Chang's help, he brought me here. Not long after he brought me here, he left, and I don't know where he is now... I hope he is safe on his journey."
Speaking of this, the image of the old man who was old but surprisingly strong appeared in Shuntaro's mind.
The old man who saved his life had left five days ago and officially set off for Ezo.
"...You're calmer than I thought." Ogata said.
Shuntaro: "Why do you say that?"
"Just now I was wondering if you would be displeased with me after seeing me, the one who launched a surprise attack on Shiranui and destroyed her."
"You think too much." Shuntaro smiled and shrugged, "I don't have any feelings for Shiranui."
"The reason why I joined Shiranui and became a ninja was just to make it easier to encounter strong enemies and hone my skills."
"I don't care whether Shiranui is prosperous or declining."
"I'm not even interested in why you attacked Shiranui."
"Rather, now that you've helped me destroy Shiranui, I should actually be grateful to you."
Shuntaro cast a grateful look towards Ogata.
"Originally - before you and your companions attacked Shiranui, I realized that staying in Shiranui would no longer help me improve my skills, so I planned to leave Shiranui and try to practice martial arts."
"Now that Shiranui has been destroyed by you, I don't have to worry about it anymore."
After saying that, Shuntaro changed the subject and asked Ogata:
"Okay, let's talk about your business."
"What's the reason for your sudden visit?"
"Are you here to confirm whether I am dead or not?"
"Or are you here to kill all the remaining members of my group, Shiranui?" Shuntaro's last sentence was said in a joking tone.
"Neither," Ogata responded in the same joking tone, "I came to say goodbye to you."
"I'm leaving Edo because of something."
"We'll probably leave in a few days."
"After all, you are a friend of mine."
"So I decided to come and say goodbye to you as well."
"I see..." After learning that Ogata was leaving Edo, the surprise on Shuntaro's face disappeared in an instant.
"Ogata Ittosai...are you going to a new place to create a new legend?" Shuntaro grinned.
"If possible, I would like to complete this journey safely and without any troubles." The smile on Ogata's face showed a bit more helplessness.
"Since you are leaving Edo... I will give you a farewell gift and a thank you gift."
After saying that, Shuntaro untied the cloth bag placed next to his bedding, revealing the things inside the 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, this is for you."
"Yashamaru?" Ogata raised his eyebrows suddenly and exclaimed.
"Yes, it is Yashamaru." Shuntaro nodded with a smile, "Yashamaru is a drug that Enma developed after spending countless manpower, time, and money to improve the strength of the ninjas in the village."
"But only those who are strong enough can take Yashagan."
"If you don't have enough physical fitness, you will die if you take Yashamaru."
"Because the conditions for taking Yashagan are strict, only Enma and the Four Heavenly Kings have Yashagan in the entire Shiranui."
"Because Yashamaru is difficult to make. So since the birth of Yashamaru until now, I have only obtained 3 Yashamaru."
"The first Yashamaru was used in a previous fierce battle."
"The second Yashamaru was used in the battle with you."
"Two of the three have been taken. The Yasha Pill in my hand now is the last one I have."
"You've done me a favor."
The gratitude in Shuntaro's eyes became even more intense.
"Thanks to you and your companions. Shiranui is dead."
"A Chang was also saved because of you."
"I am free because of you too."
“This is a favor that is hard to repay.”
"So - Ogata Ittosai, please accept this Yashamaru."
"This is my farewell gift and thank you gift."
"Your physical condition is definitely qualified to take Yasha Pills."
"Although this Yashamaru may only be the icing on the cake for you, it may save your life at a critical moment."
"...Are you really going to give me this only remaining Yashamaru?" A hint of hesitation appeared on Ogata's face.
"Of course." Shuntaro answered without hesitation, "Yashamaru may be precious, but repaying your kindness is more important."
"Just accept this Yashamaru with peace of mind, Ogata Ittosai."
Since Shuntaro has said so much, it would be a bit rude to refuse.
"...I understand." Ogata nodded solemnly, then took the Yashamaru with both hands, "Yashamaru - I'll take it."
The Yasha pill is only as big as an adult's thumb and emits a faint medicinal smell.
"Such a powerful medicine should have significant side effects, right?" Ogata asked.
"The only side effect of taking Yasha Pill is that you will be very tired after the effect of the drug wears off." Shuntaro said, "As for why this is the case, I'm not sure. I don't know much about pharmacology."
— Are you becoming very tired?
Ogata lowered his eyes and glanced at Yashamaru lying in his palm.
——The side effects are the same as the “state of no self”…
——What would happen if I took Yashamaru while entering the "state of no self"?
Ogata couldn't help but think so.