Aisuma dragged her somewhat tired body on the way home.
She had just successfully reported back to an old man named "Peleshinope", reporting the news of "successfully eliminating the gold diggers" and all the things that needed to be reported during the journey.
This old woman is also one of the elders of their Red Moon Fortress. She has a very high status and prestige in the Red Moon Fortress and is often entrusted with important tasks by her father, Chanup.
After discovering the gold diggers, Chanup gave the task of eliminating them to Peleshinope.
Who to send to wipe out the gold diggers and when to set off...all these matters are decided by Peleshinope.
Peleshinope had originally planned to lead Aisuma and others to deal with the gold diggers, but Aisuma and others took into account that Peleshinope was already 64 years old this year. So for safety reasons, Aisuma and others spent a lot of effort to persuade Peleshinope to stay in the fortress and not go out like these young people.
After successfully reporting the news of "great victory" and "everyone is safe" to Peleshinope, Asuma, who was walking on a road in the fortress, noticed that the residents around were whispering about the villagers of China Village who had just arrived, as well as Ogata, Atachi and others.
As far back as she can remember, Asuma has been learning various hunting techniques and started hunting at the age of 12.
Through one hunting battle after another, Asuma developed good eyesight and hearing.
Aizuma, who was somewhat interested in the discussion of the surrounding residents about Ogata and others, pricked up her ears and listened quietly to the discussion of the people around her.
Thanks to her good hearing, the discussions of the people around her were clearly heard by Asuma.
"It is said that people from the village called Qina Village have just arrived here."
"Really?"
"Yes. It's true. I just went to join in the fun and took a look at the villagers of Qina Village. Just like the rumors, it is a village with very few men. I counted and there seemed to be only about ten young men in their village..."
"It's so miserable... There are only a few men in the whole village... It must be very hard..."
"I've heard some things about that village before. It is said that a few years ago, many men in their village disappeared inexplicably and have not returned until now."
"It's so scary... How could someone disappear for no reason..."
"I don't know what happened. After the 'disappearance incident', there were very few men in the village, and they were attacked by white people some time ago... Sigh..."
"No wonder the whole village has to move in with us. There are only so few men left in the village... They can't even protect themselves ..."
"Those white people are just like the Japanese, they are not good people."
"Speaking of He Ren...did you know? It seems that two He Ren followed the villagers of Qina Village to our He Ye Zhe."
"Really? Two Kazuto?!"
"Yes, a man and a woman. The man has two swords hanging on his waist. He must be a samurai among the people."
"Samurai...why would two Japanese people follow the villagers of Qina Village into our Heyezhe?"
"Those two Japanese people seem to be the saviors of the villagers of Qina Village. They are both very skilled. After Qina Village was attacked by the white people, those two Japanese people assisted the villagers of Qina Village in repelling the attacking white people. However... I don't know why those two Japanese people came to us..."
"Wato... I hate Wato the most... It's because of them that my husband's hometown was burned down..."
"I don't like Kazuto either. Kazuto never thought about living in peace with us from the beginning to the end."
"That's not true... Not all Kazuto are annoying."
"It is said that the two Japanese were able to come here with Chanup's permission."
"Got Chanup's permission? What is Chanup thinking? Why did he let two Japanese people come to our Heyezhe for no reason?"
"Shh, shh... keep your voice down, Asuma is not far away."
One of the women who were discussing Ogata and others in a low voice noticed Aisuma not far away, so she hurriedly whispered to her friends around her.
The woman who had just uttered such arrogant words as "What is Chanup thinking about?" now shut her mouth and glanced at Aisuma not far away with a somewhat embarrassed look.
Aisuma had heard everything they had just discussed.
In response to what they had just said, Asuma simply sighed and quickly walked away from the women.
"Sister! Are you back?"
At this moment, a hearty voice sounded from behind Asuma.
Hearing this hearty voice, Aisuma was stunned at first, then smiled and turned to look behind him.
"Otunpui. I'm back."
The man who ran towards Asuma from behind, shouting "Sister" loudly, was a boy who was probably only 13 or 14 years old.
The young man's figure running towards Asuma while shouting "Sister" naturally attracted a lot of attention.
However, some passers-by looked at the boy in a somewhat... strange way.
Some passers-by looked at the young man who was running towards Asuma with a bit of disgust.
When the young man came to Aisuma, he threw himself into her arms.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Aisuma and asking him whether he was injured during the fight against the gold diggers, the young man asked Aisuma impatiently:
"Sister! I heard that Majima Goro came to our Heyezhe! Is this true?"
"Yes." Asuma nodded gently, "It seems that he and his wife are at my father's place now. During the time I was away from home, have you practiced your archery skills seriously?"
"The 'Hunting Festival' is about to begin."
"It would be embarrassing if we don't perform well in the Hunting Festival."
After hearing the word "Hunting Festival" from Asuma's mouth, the boy immediately shrank his neck as if he had heard something terrible.
"I, of course I've been practicing my archery skills..."
"Yes." Asuma nodded, "That's good."
"Although I have practiced archery well..." the young man's weak voice sounded again, "But I have not been able to find a companion willing to participate in the hunting festival with me..."
Asuma was stunned for a moment, then sighed heavily.
"...Otungpuyi, why don't you go and make some good friends..."
Otunpuyi said nothing, but just lowered his head and remained silent.
Aisuma held her forehead with her hands, looking helpless.
"…Forget it, let's talk about this later, let's go home now."
Aisuma grabbed the boy's arm and strode home.
As Chanup's daughter, her home is naturally Chanup's home.
After quickly returning home, Aisuma saw her father sitting in a circle with Chepke and others.
The two of them just happened to pass by Ogata.
When they returned home, Ogata had just left their house to look for Hayashi Shiping.
…
…
While Hayashi Ziping was staring at Ogata with a serious look, Ogata, with an expressionless face, was also looking at Hayashi Ziping.
No one spoke again.
Finally, it was Lin Ziping who seemed to be unable to bear the silent atmosphere any longer. He scratched his hair and broke the silence.
“…How about this?”
"If you can help me get out of this hellhole as soon as possible, in addition to taking you to the village where the weird doctor is, I will owe you another favor. If you need help from others in the future, you can always come to me!"
"I specialize in military affairs, geography, history and other subjects."
"Although I'm just a scholar, I can still help a lot."
"I have traveled a lot to study academic subjects, and I have been to many places. I am quite knowledgeable!"
"I know all about the geography and history of the three countries, Ryukyu, Korea, and Ezo!"
Lin Ziping wanted to continue promoting himself, but Xu Fang suddenly sighed and interrupted him.
"Okay, stop talking."
After interrupting Lin Ziping's words, Ogata approached Lin Ziping with a serious face.
The two people were looking at each other through the window, their faces so close that their breath could spray on each other's faces.
"...I'll just trust you for once."
"I will do my best to help you get out of here as soon as possible."
"I hope you can fulfill your promise to me after you get out of here."
"Otherwise - the knife at my waist..."
Ogata raised his left hand and placed his left palm on the hilt of Daishikatsu.
“It’s not a wooden sword.”
Ogata threatened Hayashi Shiping very directly.
Facing Ogata's threat, Lin Ziping did not show any panic. He nodded vigorously and said:
"Don't worry. I won't break my promise."
"I don't dare to say anything big."
"But I can still say with confidence that I will 'keep my promises'."
At this moment, Atachi, who was standing by, was looking at Ogata with a bit of surprise.
"Are you really going to help this man?"
"This person has information that may be very useful to us. I don't want to just throw away this rare and useful information."
Ogata said softly.
"Let's give it a try...Even if we fail to rescue this person in the end, we won't suffer any substantial loss."
"Please don't say that!" Lin Ziping protested immediately, "Please do your best to rescue me!"
"I just told you that my relationship with the top leaders of the Red Moon Fortress is not good enough to the extent that they will release me if I just say a word to them."
"Their leader and I just met for the first time."
Ogata placed both his hands on the handle of the Great Shiten sword at his left waist and asked Lin Ziping in an interrogative tone:
"I have to find out your real purpose for coming here first. Otherwise, I won't be able to convince the Red Moon Fortress's leaders to release you."
"Tell me first - why are you here in Ezo, and why do you have so many hand-drawn maps?"
Ogata never thought that after coming to the Edo period, he would become a "defense lawyer", collect information and evidence, and then pull people out of prison...
"I just said that it's for academic research." Lin Ziping said, "I mainly study geography."
"I came to Ezo just to survey the topography of Ezo and study its geography."
"The shogunate has always ignored Ezo, so few people have studied its history and geography."
"For those of us who specialize in geography, Ezo is a treasure trove of knowledge waiting for us to explore and study."
"The reason I came to Ezo and drew so many maps by hand was just to conduct academic research! I just wanted to study the geography of Ezo!"
"Did you come to Ezo alone?" Ogata asked.
"Yes. I came here alone." Lin Ziping said, "I wanted to hire a few ronin to be my bodyguards, but I don't have much money, and it's not safe to hire ronin whose background I don't know."
"You are really brave..." Ogata couldn't help but look at Lin Ziping a few more times, "You are obviously already quite old, but you still dare to come to Ezo without even a companion..."
Ogata, who has been in Ezo for some time, has a clear understanding of the degree of danger of Ezo.
He and Ating first encountered a man-eating giant bear and then encountered brutal Cossacks.
And this Hayashi Shiping actually dared to come to Ezo without any guards or companions...Ogata didn't know whether to say he was brave or stupid.
"I also know that this is dangerous." Lin Ziping smiled bitterly, "But compared to such danger, I am more afraid of not being able to complete my academic research."
"And it's not like I don't have the ability to protect myself."
"For academic research, I have been traveling all over the country and have built up a strong physique. I can guarantee that most warriors may not be as strong as me."
"And I am also the holder of the 'catalog' of the Nakajo Ryu."
"I also know a lot about hunting. I know what to do to avoid encountering wild animals."
Table of Contents - The hierarchy of swordsmanship schools of this era.
Most sword-fighting schools are divided into three levels from low to high: paper cutting, catalog, and permission-free.
If the assessment conditions are not diluted, then those who possess the "Catalog" certificate are indeed considered to be quite capable.
After listening to Lin Ziping's words, Ogata said silently in his heart:
——He is an academic madman...
Lin Ziping's words just now, "Compared to such danger, I am more afraid of not being able to complete my academic research," exude the aura of an academic maniac from beginning to end.
Ogata has seen many people who are obsessed with improving their martial arts.
But this was the first time Ogata had seen someone who was so persistent in improving his academic level.
"Do you know any Ainu friends in Ezo? If you do, you can ask them to come and help clear your suspicion."
Lin Ziping shook his head.
"Although I have been to many Ainu villages and stayed in many of them temporarily, I don't have any Ainu friends..."
"...This is difficult to do." Ogata suppressed the urge to sigh, "There is no physical evidence to prove that you are not a spy for the shogunate..."
"All I have now is your one-sided statement..."
Ogata lowered his head, thinking.
After a while, Ogata slowly said:
"...Let's leave it at that for now - I'm going to go find Chanup now."
"Go talk to him about you."
“People may not necessarily buy into the evidence we think is useful.”
"You have to know what kind of evidence is considered useful in the eyes of the people in Red Moon Fortress, and what kind of evidence can prove that you are not a spy for the shogunate."
"After I have discussed your case with Chanup in detail, I will slowly think about how to get you out of prison."
"Who is Chanup?" Lin Ziping asked back.
"The person who commands the Red Moon Fortress should be considered the supreme ruler of the Red Moon Fortress."
"Oh oh..." Lin Ziping murmured, "Should we go talk to the supreme ruler of Red Moon Fortress first..."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Ziping nodded gently:
"Well then... this is the only way for now..."
…
…
Ogata and A-machi were walking side by side on a street in the Red Moon Fortress.
The "guide" who was responsible for taking them to Lin Ziping was now walking in front of them.
Just now, this "guide" brought Ogata and the other two from Chanup's home to the small house where Lin Ziping was imprisoned.
But now it's the other way around.
Now this "guide" is taking Ogata and the other man from the hut where Hayashi Shiping is imprisoned to Chanup's home.
" ...I don't think there is any way to prove Lin Ziping's innocence."
Atachi, who was walking beside Ogata, said this suddenly.
"There is no physical evidence, and no one in the Red Moon Fortress's upper echelons who can be trusted to help prove that he is not a spy."
"Based on just a few words from the two of us, I don't think we can convince Chanup and the others to release the hostages..."
"Anyway, let's give it a try." Ogata shrugged with a wry smile, "If there's really no way to get Lin Ziping out of prison as soon as possible... then let's wait until that time comes."
Soon, Ogata and his friends returned to Chanup's house.
The "guide boy" shouted something into the house in Ainu.
Afterwards, Ogata and the others heard Chanup's response, but because Chanup spoke in Ainu, Ogata could not understand what Chanup was saying.
After Chanup's response, the "leader" turned around and nodded to Ogata and Atachi:
"You may go in now."
After obtaining permission to enter, Ogata and Atachi entered Chanup's house again one after another.
Village chief Chepke and his men are still here, so they probably have something important to discuss.
However, compared to when Ogata and the others left just now, there are two more people here.
The two extra people sat on the left and right sides of Chanup respectively.
One of these two people is Aisuma, whom Ogata is familiar with.
Next to Asuma sat a young man whom Ogata did not recognize.
After seeing Ogata and Atachi entering, the boy was stunned at first, then looked at Ogata with excitement on his face.
"Mr. Majima, Ms. Atachi, you're back." Chanup was the first to speak to the two, "How's it going? Is that old man in the cell the one you're looking for?"
Ogata shook his head: "That person is not the one we are looking for."
"Is that so... That's a shame... Ah, Mr. Majima, Ms. Atachi, let me introduce you."
Chanup pointed at Aisuma and the boy who were sitting on his left and right respectively.
"This is my eldest daughter, Asuma."
"You should know each other. So I won't introduce myself to you."
Chanup already knew the details that Aisuma and the others had joined forces with Ogata and his group, and were returning to the Red Moon Fortress with Ogata and his group.
"And this is my eldest son, Otunpui."
--eldest son?
Ogata looked at the young man.
Ogata was not surprised by the sudden appearance of Chanup's eldest son.
Whether it is the Japanese society that has long entered the feudal era, or the Ainu society that is still in the tribal era, they have one thing in common - lack of entertainment activities.
It's okay during the day, but at night there's really nothing you can do.
Therefore, in this era, making children has become the only entertainment that ordinary people can do at night.
Since leaving Edo with A-machi, trying to pass on the ancestral chromosomes to A-machi has become an important pastime for Ogata and A-machi to pass the long nights.
So in this era, it is very common for a family to have 7, 8 or even more than a dozen children.
Ogata would have found it strange if Chanup had only one child, Aisuma.
After carefully observing the boy named Aotongpuyi, Ogata discovered that the boy's facial features were indeed somewhat similar to Aisuma.
The boy looks to be about 13 or 14 years old, and he should be Aisuma's sibling.
Xu Fang bowed to Ao Tong Puyi:
"Nice to meet you. (Ainu)"
Ogata first said "Nice to meet you" in the not-so-standard "plastic Ainu language", and then switched back to Japanese.
"My name is Majima Goro. This is Uchiko Majimacho."
This sentence was too complicated for Ogata to say in Ainu.
After Ogata introduced himself, Aotongpuyi seemed a little nervous and said with a stutter:
"Nice to meet you. I'm Otungpui."
Otungpui spoke Japanese.
And his Japanese is much more standard than that of his sister and his father.
In terms of standard level - if you only listen to the voice, you can't tell that the owner of the voice is an Ainu.
Although Ogata was no longer surprised to see Ainu people who could speak Japanese, he still couldn't help but look at him in surprise after hearing Otonpui's unusually standard Japanese.
Catching the surprise in Ogata's eyes, Ottompui smiled shyly:
"I have studied Japanese seriously, so my speech may not be very good, please forgive me."
"No, no, no." Ogata shook his head. "That's not true. You speak Japanese very well."
After briefly greeting Otunpuyi, Ogata turned his attention back to Chanup.
"Mr. Chanup, do you have anything else to discuss with Chief Chepke and his men? I have something to tell you now. If you have anything else to discuss with Chief Chepke and his men, then I will wait for a moment."
"Hmm? You have something to tell me?" Chanup looked at Ogata in surprise. "I have already said all the important things I need to say to Chepke and the others. I was just chatting with Chepke and the others just now. If you have something to tell me, you can tell me now."
Seeing that Chanup said so, Ogata didn't act pretentiously and directly told Chanup about Lin Ziping.
After Ogata finished speaking, Chanup raised his eyebrows: "You want to free that old man?"
"Yeah." Ogata nodded. Just as he was about to say something else, Chanup suddenly smiled bitterly and said:
“That might be difficult.”
Chanup picked up his pipe and took a long drag on the cigarette.
"Many people have called for the old man to be executed."