"Then again, His Majesty the Emperor is really good at finding things for us to do..." Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone was filled with dissatisfaction and displeasure, "Can't you just study peacefully?"
Hearing Matsudaira Sadanobu's sudden complaint, the bitter smile on Tachibana's face became more helpless.
Tachibana was not sure what kind of feelings Matsudaira Sadanobu had towards the Emperor, but he guessed that Matsudaira Sadanobu must have some complaints about the Emperor.
Two years ago, Matsudaira Sadanobu had an incident with the Emperor that might go down in history.
Two years earlier, in the first year of Kansei (1789 AD), the Emperor wanted to grant his father, Prince Norihito, the title of "Retired Emperor", but was strongly opposed by Matsudaira Sadanobu.
The reason for opposition is that granting the title of "retired emperor" to a non-imperial successor is an act of privatizing honor.
Matsudaira Sadanobu's direct opposition to granting his father the title of honor naturally angered the emperor.
Tachibana heard that when the Emperor learned that Matsudaira Sadanobu did not give him face, he flew into a rage and was fuming with anger - whether it was true or not, Tachibana did not know, the only thing that was certain was that the Emperor was really very angry at the time.
But it was no use for the emperor to be angry.
The emperor was only the nominal head of state, with no power or money, and no soldiers under his command. What could he do to the shogunate? What could he do to the powerful Matsudaira Sadanobu?
Finally, under pressure from Matsudaira Sadanobu, the emperor had to give up the idea of ​​granting his father the title of "Retired Emperor".
So, it can be said that Matsudaira Sadanobu had a not-so-small feud with the Emperor.
Hearing the displeasure in Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone just now, Tachibana guessed: Lord Rochu must be somewhat unhappy with the Emperor's behavior of directly interfering in the shogunate's governance of the country.
Matsudaira Sadanobu had told Tachibana more than once: The Emperor only needs to focus on studying and should not interfere in political affairs. All political affairs should be handled by the shogunate.
"… Lord Old Master, should we try to form a team specifically responsible for chasing after Ogata Issei?" Tachibana pursed her lips and offered her own suggestion, "Gather the best thief catchers in the country and chase after Ogata Issei everywhere."
"A team specifically responsible for chasing after Ogata Issei..." Matsudaira Sadanobu murmured, "Who do you think is more suitable to join this team?"
"I think Lord Hasegawa Heizo is very suitable!" Tachibana said without hesitation, "Although Lord Hasegawa Heizo has done despicable things such as embezzling public funds, it is undeniable that his abilities are quite outstanding."
"Hasegawa Heizo..." After mumbling Hasegawa's name, Matsudaira Sadanobu fell silent.
After a long silence, Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly said:
"Let's leave the pursuit of Ogata Issei for later."
"Let's focus on the upcoming attack on the Red Moon Fortress and the development of Ezo."
"Tachibana, go check if the bath water is ready for me."
"I want to take a shower now."
Tachibana: “Yes!”
…
…
Somewhere in the wilderness of Ezo—
"Uenkamuyi?" Ogata frowned slightly.
Certain memories began to emerge in Ogata's mind.
Ogata still remembers what the "original hunter" Shimasuke said to him when he first heard his hunting story: Unkamuyi is an Ainu word meaning evil god, and the Ainu people would call a bear that eats human flesh "Unkamuyi".
"You called the bear that just escaped 'Unkamui'." Considering that the man in front of him was Ezo and might not be very fluent in Japanese, Ogata deliberately spoke a little slower, "Could it be that the bear that just escaped also ate human flesh?"
"Oh?" Ezo cast a surprised look at Ogata, "Kazuto, you actually know what 'Uenkamuyi' means?"
Ogata said, “I heard about it from a friend.”
"I see... That's right, the bear that escaped just now was also a bear that ate human flesh."
"The dead bear at your feet and the bear that just escaped are a couple."
Ogata, Atachi: "Husband and wife?"*2
The two said in unison, then involuntarily glanced at the dead bear at their feet.
"Yes. That's right. It's a couple. They act together, and they are both bears that have eaten humans. This is the first time I've seen such a situation."
Ezo let out a low sigh.
"According to our rules, any bear that has killed or eaten a human being must be hunted down."
"We discovered the pair of man-eating bears half a month ago, and then several of our settlements joined together to search for and hunt the pair of man-eating bears."
"I am one of the hunters who came to kill this pair of man-eating bears."
"You two killed this pair of man-eating bears. I pay my respects and gratitude to you."
The Ezo performed their Japanese bows to the Ogatas.
"Now the only thing left is the male bear..."
"Just by listening to the roar, I could tell that the bear that ran away was the male bear of the pair of man-eating bears."
"I have encountered it twice, but it escaped each time."
"This male bear is very cunning, and far more intelligent and smart than ordinary bears."
"The reason why he suddenly ran away and didn't attack you just now was probably because he sensed that you two were not easy to deal with, and he smelled my scent and knew I was approaching."
"I've encountered it twice. It probably has memorized my smell."
After listening to all that Ezo had to say quietly, Atachi seemed to have suddenly realized something and hurriedly asked Ezo:
"We two killed its wife, so it shouldn't seek revenge on us, right?"
"This..." Ezo smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's hard to say."
"That male bear is incredibly smart and it's hard for me to predict his actions."
"It might decide that you two are difficult to deal with and won't come near you anymore."
"It's also possible... to follow you quietly, and then wait for an opportunity to attack you when you are least prepared."
"...So far, I have made quite a few enemies." Ogata said in a joking tone, "I never thought that I would have to make enemies with 'non-humans' one day."
“My life is becoming more and more fulfilling.”
Hearing Ogata's joke, Ezo's face showed a bit of surprise.
"You are so calm. You might have been targeted by the bear. Aren't you scared?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of, right?" Ogata said calmly, "If it comes to you, just kill it."
Ezo raised his eyebrows, then smiled and said:
"You are so brave. If you were one of us Ainu, you would definitely be one of the bravest hunters in the settlement."
After saying that, Ezo moved his eyes, looked up and down at Ogata and A-Machi several times, and said seriously:
"You two, I have an unwelcome request."
"As I said earlier, I am one of the hunters who came to kill the pair of man-eating bears."
"Once a bear eats a human, it will have to eat humans for the rest of its life."
"If we don't kill the remaining male bear quickly, we don't know when it will break into our settlement and eat people again."
"Since the male bear that is still on the run may have set its sights on you two, I hope you can help me."
"Please let me act with you two."
"If the male bear comes to my house later and wants to avenge his wife, I will kill him in one go."
“It’s not only good for me, it’s good for you too.”
"It may sound a bit boastful, but I am actually one of the best hunters in our settlement."
"With me by your side, you will be much safer if the male bear comes looking for you."
After patiently listening to Ezo's stuttering Japanese, Ogata pondered for a moment and then said:
"Bear hunting?"
"Well, if you want to cooperate with us, it's not impossible."
"But I have one condition."
"What conditions?" asked Aizo.
"We are currently looking for two people," Ogata said. "According to existing investigations, they had previously penetrated deep into the heart of Ezo."
"So I hope you can take us to the settlement where you live later, so that we can ask the people in your settlement if they have seen the two people I'm looking for."
"When the time comes, I hope you can help us convince those who are unwilling to cooperate with us."
"Please help us translate. We both only speak a little bit of Ainu, and we are not able to communicate fluently with Ainu."
"Besides that, we hope you can take us to other settlements and help us find the two people we are looking for in other settlements. Help us translate and help us explain that we have no bad intentions."
When Ogata heard the Ezo express his desire to cooperate, he keenly realized that this was a good opportunity.
A good opportunity to get in touch with Ezo, so that the subsequent search for Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen will go much more smoothly.
After Ogata told Ezo all the conditions he wanted in one breath, Ezo lowered his head and began to think.
"Looking for someone..." Ezo thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay. This little thing is no problem."
"But there are not many settlements I can take you to. I can only take you to the settlements that have a good relationship with my settlement. I can't take you to other settlements."
"That's fine." Ogata said, "Take me to as many settlements as you can."
"Then I wish us a happy cooperation." Ezo smiled and said, "My name is Ayaka."
Ogata: "Mashima Goro."
A-Ting: "A-Ting."
Ogata and A-machi both gave their names.
…
…
"It's getting dark." Ayaka looked at the sky and said, "You two should hurry up and get your spoils."
Ayaka pursed his lips at the dead bear whose blood had already drained out.
"According to our rules, whoever kills the prey owns it."
"So everything on this dead bear belongs to you."
"This bear is so big. Although its skin is a little damaged, its skin and gallbladder can still be sold for a lot of money in your market."
Ogata was planning to take the bear's skin and gallbladder so that he could use them for barter with the Ainu people later.
"Speaking of which..." Ogata raised his hand and scratched his hair, "Neither of us knows how to skin a bear, nor do we know which organ is the bear's gallbladder..."
“Oh.” Ayaka said softly, “Is that so… Then do you want me to help? When it comes to skinning, I’m one of the best in the settlement.”
After saying this, Ayaka puffed out his chest with pride.
"Would you like to help us skin them?" Ogata nodded, "Then I'll trouble you."
"You're welcome. It's just a small matter." Ayaka drew the dagger from his waist, then quickly walked to the dead bear and began to skin the bear.
Ayaka just said that he was one of the best skinners in the settlement, and it didn't seem like he was bragging.
The skinning technique is so skillful that it creates a strange sense of beauty.
While Ayaka was concentrating on skinning the bear, in order to kill time and get to know his current partner better, Ogata asked:
"You speak Japanese really well. Did you learn it specially?"
“Well, I guess so.” Ayaka nodded, “Our settlement has always been doing business with your people’s merchants.”
"Thanks to those 'harmony merchants', our settlement is relatively prosperous."
"So the people in our settlement don't hate Kazuto."
"We have been dealing with the He merchants for a long time, so after a while, many people in our settlement can speak He language."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot to remind you."
Ayaka turned his head and looked at Ogata and Atachi.
"Although we know that 'Ezo' is the name you and the others use to refer to us."
"But we still prefer you to call us 'Ainu'."
"'Ainu'?" A-Machi asked in confusion.
"'Ainu' means 'people' in our language," Ayaka said with a smile. "Some people are quite bothered by the name 'Ezo'."
"So if you want to search for the two people you just mentioned among the various settlements, it's best to avoid using the term 'Ezo' as much as possible."
"I see... Thank you for your reminder." A-Ming nodded. "By the way, Aiyaka, don't you have any companions?"
A-Ming looked around and asked:
"Are you the only one chasing after this pair of man-eating bears?"
"Yeah, that's right." Ayaka has successfully skinned the bear. He now uses a knife to cut open the bear's belly and begins to search for something in the bear's stomach. "But this is just my personal preference."
"Among us Ainu, there are many people like me who like to hunt alone."
"But most people will still bring one or two companions with them when they hunt."
"Generally speaking, I only bring two companions with me when I go hunting."
"You can't bring too many people with you when hunting. If you go hunting in a group, it will make a lot of noise and the prey will run away."
As he finished speaking, Ayaka had just cut something from the belly of the dead bear, and then held it and handed it to Ogata.
"This is the gall of the bear."
"Please get something to hold it."
"The weather is cold now, so the bear gall should be able to be preserved for quite some time."
This was the first time Ogata saw bear bile.
It is round and as big as an adult's fist.
Ogata took out the bamboo box he carried with him and put the bear gall in it.
This bamboo box is Ogata's lunch box.
Ogata had two lunch boxes in total, so even if he used one to store the bear bile, he could still use the other one to eat.
Bear skin and bear gall - Ogata had heard from the "former hunter" Shimasuke that these were the two most valuable parts of a bear.
If possible, Ogata would like to take away all the valuable parts of the bear.
But that would be too much and too heavy.
Therefore, Ogata only planned to take away the bear skin and bear gall, which were more convenient to carry and also the most valuable.
Although the bear skin is very wide and large, it can be folded, rolled up and carried on the back.
The bear gall is only as big as an adult's fist, and Ogata's lunch box can fit it just right.
After helping Ogata and the others skin the bear and take out the bear gall, Ayaka looked up at the sky.
"It's getting dark now," Ayaka said. "Come with me. There's a hunting lodge nearby. I'll take you there to spend the night."
"Ah, the so-called hunting lodge is a temporary resting place built by us Ainu in the mountains and forests."
Ayaka knew that Ogata and Atachi might not know what a hunting lodge was, so he hurried to explain.
"It is common to go out hunting and spend a few days and nights in the wild."
"So, for the convenience of hunting, there is a place to stay overnight. We Ainu have the habit of building temporary resting places in the mountains and forests. We call these temporary resting places 'hunting lodges'."
"Come with me. There is a relatively intact, brand new hunting lodge not far away. It is large enough to accommodate five people overnight. Let's spend the night in that hunting lodge."
In such icy and snowy weather, no one would be unwilling to spend the night under a roof.
So Ogata and A-Machi followed Ayaka and, under his guidance, headed for the hunting lodge he had mentioned.
While following Ayaka, Ogata was not idle either.
He asked Ayaka the question that he would ask many times in the future:
"Aiyaka, have you seen these two people?"
Ogata reported the physical characteristics of Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen.
After Ogata finished , Ayaka turned around and asked:
"Is this the person you just said you were looking for?"
"Yeah." Ogata nodded.
"Two Japanese people, one old and one young..."
Ayaka muttered, reminiscing.
"...I don't think I've ever seen such a person." After finishing his recollection, Ayaka said softly, "In my memory, the Japanese who came to our village in the past two years, besides those Japanese merchants, there was only one weird person."
"Weirdo?" Ogata raised his eyebrows.
"Yes." Ayaka nodded, "He is a very strange old man. He can speak our Ainu language fluently."
“After entering our village, they only asked us where the nearest river was and then left.”
"He did say his name, it seemed to be something like Lin Ping... I don't remember the name."
Ogata had no interest in this strange man that Ayaka mentioned who had visited their settlement.
Seeing that Ayaka had never met Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen, Ogata was not disappointed or frustrated. He had already prepared himself to ask 100 people and still not get any results.
It is difficult to have the super good luck of getting relevant clues immediately from Mr. Tang Shen, the old man who runs the pet stall, like last time.
"After we successfully hunt down the last male bear, I will keep my promise and take you to the settlement where I live, as well as other settlements that are on good terms with ours."
Ayaka smiled.
"Perhaps someone who went out hunting happened to have seen the two people you were looking for."
"Those villages that are on good terms with yours won't deny us entry just because we're friendly, right?" Ogata said this half-jokingly.
“They won’t do that.” Ayaka shook his head. “Those settlements that have good relations with us, like the one I live in, have always done business with the merchants.”
“So they don’t hate people.”
"So you can rest assured that as long as you don't cause trouble, they won't do anything to you."
"Are there any taboos that you Ainu people absolutely cannot do?" Ogata asked.
"There are no taboos that you absolutely cannot do." Ayaka shrugged, "As long as you are polite and don't cause trouble."
…
…
After a brief chat, the three fell silent because they couldn't find any new topics to talk about.
But the silence didn't last long.
After only a moment, Ayaka suddenly raised his hand and pointed forward.
"Look, here we are. That's our hunting lodge."
What Ayaka had just said was true; the hunting lodge was indeed not far from them.
After walking for just over 20 minutes, Oobian saw a triangular object appearing in front of him.
“That’s the hunting lodge.” Ayaka pointed to the triangular object in front of him. “It’s made of fir wood. Although it looks like it will collapse if touched, it’s actually very solid.”
After getting a little closer, Ogata could see the entirety of the hunting lodge.
If Ogata had to describe this hunting lodge in one sentence, it would be - a "pyramid" made of branches and leaves.
Use branches to piece together the skeleton of the "pyramid", and then use leaves to make the walls and top of the pyramid.
"Luckily, no one seems to be using this hunting lodge."
"We all use these hunting lodges in common."
"I hope the last person who lived in there didn't make you too dirty."
Ayaka took the lead and entered the "pyramid".
Ogata followed closely behind.
Although this hunting cabin is made of branches and leaves, it is surprisingly warm inside and has a lot of space, which is definitely more than enough for three people to rest in.
Not long after the three men entered the hunting lodge, it became completely dark.
After dark, Ayaka lit a small bonfire in the middle of the hunting lodge.
It is used for lighting and heating at the same time.
After quickly eating the dry food they brought with them and filling their stomachs, A-Ming looked at Aiyaka and asked :
"There's a question I've been wanting to ask you since the beginning."
"Huh? What's the problem?" Ayaka asked back.
"Why do you call a bear that has eaten human flesh 'Uenkamuyi'? Is there any meaning behind it?"
“Oh, this one.” Ayaka smiled, “Actually, there’s no deep meaning in it.”
"The reasons are quite complicated. I will explain it to you as briefly as possible."
"First, let me explain to you what 'Uenkamuyi' means. This is related to our Ainu beliefs."
"I know a little about you and people's Shintoism."
"There are some similarities between our Ainu beliefs and your Shintoism."
"'Kamui' means 'god' in our language."
"And 'Uenkamuyi' means 'evil god'."
"We Ainu people have always believed in the elements of fire, water, and wind. Gods reside in natural phenomena such as rain, avalanches, and cold waves; in animals and plants; and in all the utensils we use in our daily lives."
"So in simple terms, we believe that there is a god living inside every animal."
"If an animal hurts a human, it means that the god living in their body has fallen into evil."
"So we call these animals that hurt people 'Uenkamuyi'."
"So 'Uenkamuyi' is not just a name for bears that have hurt people."
"We call any animal that causes harm to humans, whether it's a wolf or a deer, 'Uenkamuyi'."
Because Ayaka's Japanese is barely good enough to communicate with others, he cannot use overly fancy words to explain the origin of the word "Unkamui".
I can only explain it briefly and in the most straightforward language.
However, this overly straightforward language also has its advantages. Ogata and A-machi quickly understood what he wanted to express.
"It is indeed somewhat similar to our Shintoism." Ating said, "Our Shintoism also believes that all things have spirits."
"I actually have a question that I've been wanting to ask you two." Aiyaka glanced at Ogata and A-Machi, "From the looks of you, are you a couple?"
"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "That's right."
"Why do you still have eyebrows and white teeth?" Aiyaka cast a puzzled look at Ating. "Don't Japanese women shave their eyebrows and dye their teeth black after they get married ?"
"That was in the past." Ating said helplessly, "In the past, all married women had to shave their eyebrows and dye their teeth black."
"This tradition is still very popular among nobles, but it is no longer so popular among ordinary people."
After saying that, Ating raised his hands and touched his beautiful eyebrows.
"So that's how it is..." Aiyaka smiled awkwardly, "It turns out that not all married women shave their eyebrows and dye their teeth."
…
…
It was completely dark outside.
Fortunately, it is a sunny night, and there is a crescent moon hanging in the sky, bringing some light to the dark earth.
"Let's take turns to rest," Ayaka suggested. "The male bear might attack us while we sleep."
"So we have to be on guard."
"When one of them sleeps, the other two keep watch."
"What do you think?"
Ogata and Omachi nodded, indicating that they had no objection.
“Don’t fall into a deep sleep when you go to bed,” Ayaka continued. “The male bear might attack in the middle of the night. If that happens, you’ll have to get up quickly and pick up your weapons to fight.”
"That male bear is very smart. He attacked us while we were sleeping. It's possible that he could do this," Ayaka said with a wry smile. "He is the smartest bear I have ever seen."
"Hunters from several of our settlements have joined forces and have been chasing it for half a month. But we still haven't been able to catch it."
"Because of it, I have been living in the open air for half a month."
"I really hope I can kill it quickly. Then I can return to the settlement as soon as possible."
"What if the male bear never shows up and comes to seek revenge on my wife and me?" Ogata asked.
"At that time, we will have to start from scratch and find another way to find the male bear."
After saying that, Ayaka sighed.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Ayaka." Ogata smiled and comforted him, "Although the bear may never come."
"But it is also possible that he will attack tonight while roaring."
“Aa ...
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, a roar suddenly exploded, as if in response to what Ogata had just said.
The expressions of Ogata and the other two changed one after another.
"It's the male bear's voice!" Ayaka said anxiously, grabbing the bow and arrow placed nearby. "The roar is so close! It's near us!"
Ogata's expression is very complicated now.
And Atachi on the side also cast a complicated look at Ogata.
Because both of them vaguely remembered that during the day today, Ogata said, "Man-eating bears are not so easy to appear."
Then came the man-eating bear.
And now Ogata also said, "The male bear may attack tonight, roaring."
Then the male bear came.
"Ayi." A-Ming took out her Su-Yakura and whispered to Ogata, "Are you the kind of person that bears particularly like?"
"Could you try saying 'A bear covered in gold is coming soon' next time? I want to see if a 'golden bear' will appear immediately."
"…If I have a chance later, I will give it a try…"
Ogata and his two companions picked up their weapons and rushed out of the hunting lodge.
The three of them ran in the direction where the roar came from.
The weather was nice and there was moonlight.
Even without lighting the torches, the three people could see the road ahead clearly.
The roar was very close, and according to Ogata's estimation, the male bear was less than 400 meters away from them.
Sure enough - after running nearly 400 meters in the direction of the roar, Ogata saw a bear.
It was the giant bear that suddenly escaped during the day today.
In addition to the bear, there were 2 other people.
Two Ezo wearing Ezo costumes.
A man was lying not far away, groaning, with his arms folded.
Another man was being pinned down by the bear, covered in blood - he was struggling hard to get out from under the bear.
However, how can mere humans beat bears in terms of strength?
No matter how hard he struggled, the man couldn't get away from the bear.
“Aa ...
The bear roared several times at the Ezo that it was pressing down, then opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and bit the head of the Ezo that it was pressing down.
Seeing this, Ogata no longer hesitated, quickly took out the Kasumi from his arms, aimed at the bear, and fired all the bullets in the gun in one breath.
The bear's flank was facing Ogata.
All four of Kasumagami's bullets penetrated its flank.
“Aa ...
It let out a shrill cry of pain.
Then he turned to look at Ogata.
I don’t know if it was Ogata’s illusion - he always felt that the bear’s eyes suddenly became ferocious after discovering it.
“Aa ...
After another series of roars, the giant bear let go of the Ezo under it and pounced towards Ogata.