Grandfather Jiang is now so real that he dares not even breathe.
The palms that were covering their mouth and nose were now slightly wet with cold sweat.
He stared with wide eyes at Ogata who suddenly appeared and killed the wolf beautifully.
The voice, height, build, style of sword, sword skills, and... the look in his eyes when he drew his sword to take lives, were all exactly the same as the Ogata Issey that his grandfather Jiang had seen on the top of the Nijo Castle tower more than half a year ago.
The only difference is probably the appearance.
The Ogata Issey we saw on Nijo Castle was not particularly handsome, but his facial features were still pretty delicate.
But the young man who now appeared in front of Grandfather Jiang had an ordinary face that would be forgotten as soon as he was thrown into the street.
——What’s going on?
Grandfather Jiang asked loudly in horror.
——Did he disguise himself in some way?
While Grandfather Jiang was racking his brains to figure out what had changed about Ogata Yoshisuke's appearance, Ogata and Matsudaira Sadanobu were having an awkward reunion.
…
…
When Ogata saw that the person he saved was the old man who had not been saved for several months, his mind went blank for a moment.
After coming to his senses in an instant, the expression on Ogata's face became strange uncontrollably.
Ogata still remembers clearly the scenes that happened in Edo a few months ago.
Because the essay he wrote in the "Imperial Examination" resonated greatly with Matsudaira Sadanobu, Matsudaira Sadanobu admired him very much and directly offered to recruit Okata as his nickname.
In this era, becoming the son of such a big shot is basically equivalent to rising to great heights.
Regardless of whether it is the kind of young man who only does ordinary attendant work, or the kind of young man who does attendant work and is also responsible for comforting the loneliness of the master, they all have great prospects.
Most people would certainly accept the olive branch thrown by Matsudaira Sadanobu without hesitation.
But Ogata happens to be one of those few people.
Putting aside his identity as "the shogunate's most wanted criminal", he was busy dealing with Shiranui at that time and had no extra time and energy to deal with the matter of "a young man serving as an elder".
So Ogata used the "delay tactic" at that time and told the elder councilor, "Let him think about it, and give him an answer after the 'Imperial Trial' is over."
Then, as the matter dragged on, events happened one after another to Ogata, who was so busy that he completely forgot about the matter...
It was not until he left Edo with Atachi that he remembered that he had such an agreement with Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Because he felt that he would never have the chance to meet Matsudaira Sadanobu again in his lifetime, Osamu decided to just pretend that the "promise with the elder" had never happened and just leave...
Unexpectedly, within just a few months, in this frozen snowy country, Obe reunited with Matsudaira Sadanobu, whom he had stood up for several months.
"…It's been a long time since we last met. You really made me wait for so long. I promised you that you would give me your answer after the trial in front of the emperor, but I waited for several months."
After hearing Matsudaira Sadanobu say this in a tone that was not without sadness, Ogata twitched the corners of his mouth, reorganized his expression, and tried to force a smile.
"Hello, long time no see, Lord. Are you okay?"
"It's nothing serious." Matsudaira Sadanobu supported his knees and stood up. "Thank you so much for what you did just now. If you hadn't shown up in time, I would have been eaten by wolves by now."
"I owe you a huge favor."
"You're welcome. I just did what I could." After saying that, Ogata looked around and said, "Master Rochu, why are you here?"
There was no way Ogata could connect the still pristine wilderness with the honorable second-in-command of the shogunate.
"This is a long story..." Matsudaira Sadanobu said as he looked up at the sky above his head, "Let's find a place to hide from the snow now, it's snowing again."
Ogata looked up at the sky - the sky, which had finally calmed down, was snowing again.
"I just happen to have a suitable place to hide right now..." Ogata said softly, looking at the sky above where snow was beginning to fall again.
…
…
——Great! They are gone!
Looking at Ogata and Matsudaira Sadanobu leaving one after another, Grandfather Jiang felt that the taut string in his mind finally slowly relaxed.
He was now extremely grateful that the place where he was hiding was quite far away from Itdaosai, at a distance of nearly 200 rooms (nearly 400 meters).
Thanks to the nearly 200-room gap, the executioner Itosai did not find him hiding in the dense bushes.
It was not until Ichidosai and the middle-aged man had disappeared from his sight that Grandfather Jiang hurriedly broke out of the bushes where he was hiding, and then fled for his life in the opposite direction of Ichidosai and the others.
Grandfather Jiang didn't have the courage to rest next to a bear.
He just wanted to escape quickly now.
The farther away from Ogata Issei who has killed countless people, the better.
…
…
While Ogata went to collect firewood, A-machi and the others were preparing dinner for tonight.
In the past few days, every time it was mealtime and when they entered an area with many animals, Ayizan and Yashili would hunt some animals and bring them back so that everyone could have fresh food.
The cave where A-Cheng and his companions are currently staying is adjacent to a forest. There must be a lot of animals in that forest. However, because it is late and they do not have enough time to go hunting, A-Cheng and his companions can only make do with the dry food they brought with them tonight.
A-Cheng laid out their dinner for tonight one by one and roasted dried meat and other things on the campfire.
Food like dried meat can become softer and more fragrant after being roasted over flames.
When Ating was concentrating on roasting dried meat over the campfire, the voice she had been waiting for since the beginning finally came from outside the cave.
"I'm back."
It was Ogata's voice.
"It's so slow!"
As soon as Ogata said "I'm back", Atachi turned his head to look at the cave entrance and said bluntly: "Why are you back so late..."
Before Ating could finish his words, the remaining words got stuck in his throat and he could no longer utter them.
The scene in front of Ating not only surprised Ating, but also shocked Ayizan and Yashili.
The reason they did this was because Ogata did not come back alone.
Ogata had a large bundle of firewood tucked under his left armpit.
Ogata's right arm was supporting a middle-aged man who was probably in his thirties.
The middle-aged man took a quick look around the cave and fixed his gaze on Ating and the others:
"Mashima-kun, who are these people?"
"Those two are my friends." Ogata nodded his chin towards where Aizan and Yashili were sitting, "And this one is Uchiko - Majima-cho."
"My wife?" Matsudaira Sadanobu praised, "You are so beautiful."
"Mr. Majima." Ayi Zan asked at this time, "Who is this?"
Before Ogata could reply, Matsudaira Sadanobu spoke up before Ogata:
"My name is Matsudaira Sadanobu. I hold the official title of 'Rochu'. You can call me 'Rochu', but if that's too much trouble, you can call me 'Matsudaira'."
Majima knows his true identity.
Therefore, there was no need for Matsudaira Sadanobu to hide his identity when facing Majima's wife and friends.
As Ainu people who were unfamiliar with Japan, Aizen and Yashili did not know what the word "Laochu" meant and did not recognize the name "Matsudaira Sadanobu", so they looked confused.
As for Ating...
Omachi: ∑(っ°Д°;)っ"Matsuhira Sadanobu?!"
At this moment, she is like a female cat with its fur standing on end...
…
…
Somewhere in Ezo—
A red fox was carrying a newly caught rabbit in its mouth and walking briskly across the white snowfield.
Its big furry tail swung back and forth because it was in a good mood - unfortunately, its tail would soon no longer be able to wag so happily.
Because just now, its right front foot stepped on a ring made of thin wire.
There was a slight "click" sound, and the ring made of thin wire tightened directly, wrapped around the right front foot of the big fox, and then directly hung the big fox up.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
The red fox hung in the air struggled frantically like a hung fish, flapping its limbs, and the rabbit in its mouth naturally fell to the ground.
“Hahahahahahaha!”
A loud laugh filled with information rang out.
An old man with gray hair flashed out from the bushes not far away.
If Ogata and Atachi were present, they would immediately recognize this old man after seeing him - this old man was none other than the Tang Shen who sold pets before and told them important information about Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen.
"Not bad!" Tang Shen looked at the fat fox that was still jumping around. "This fox looks good! It will definitely sell for a good price!"
After saying that, Tang Shen took out two thick ropes, tied up the fat fox's limbs with skillful techniques, and then let the fox down from his homemade trap.
"I picked up a fat rabbit for free! It's still warm! Great! I have a dinner for today!"
Tang Shen picked up the fat rabbit that had just fallen out of the big fox's mouth.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu——!"
The big fox let out an even more miserable cry, feeling that he was caught and the prey he had caught with great difficulty was given to others for nothing.
Tang Shen was already accustomed to these roars. He held the big fox's neck with one hand and the fat rabbit with the other, and strode towards his special sled parked not far away, with his walking stick, which he never left behind, tucked under his left armpit.
After many days of hard work, Tang Shen has reaped a great harvest. He has successfully caught many popular animals such as red foxes and squirrels that are easier to sell.
After putting the newly captured red fox into the cage at the back of the sled, Tang Shen looked up at the sky above his head.
"It's getting dark..." Tang Shen murmured, "It's time to find a place to spend the night..."
Tang Shen got on the sled and shouted to the big dog pulling the sled, "Go!"
The well-trained sled dogs quickly stood up, and then pulled the sled, under the control of Tang Shen, towards the vast snowfield not far away.
Tang Shen, who was concentrating on driving the sled, suddenly heard a noisy sound coming from the front.
Look forward carefully - there is a huge group of people in front of you.
There were about 20 people in the group. In the middle of the team was a carriage pulled by two skinny horses.
Based on his experience, Tang Shen concluded that this group of people should be a group of peaceful businessmen.
The area where Yushin is currently located is a "pro-Japanese area". The Ainu people living in this area are generally close to the Japanese and are willing to interact with Japanese merchants. Therefore, Japanese merchants can often be seen walking around in this area.
Tang Shen was no longer surprised to meet He Shang here.
But the sudden appearance of the Heshang team in front caught Tang Shen's attention.
Because they all looked panicked.
Tang Shen frowned slightly and shouted "Stop" to the sled dogs pulling the cart in front of him.
After stopping the sled, Tang Shen asked loudly to the group of merchants in front of him who were getting closer and closer:
"Hey! What happened?"
The leader of this group of merchants seemed to be the middle-aged man driving the carriage.
The middle-aged man pulled the reins to stop the carriage, then frowned and looked Tang Shen up and down.
"I'm a pet trader. I'm catching animals here." Tang Shen pointed with his thumb to the cages behind his sled that currently held a number of animals, and took the initiative to introduce himself. "What happened? Why are you all in such a hurry?"
"Don't you know yet?" asked the middle-aged man.
"Know what?" Tang Shen asked back.
"There's a war!" the middle-aged man shouted, "The shogunate is sending troops to the Ainu! If you don't want to be involved in the war, leave here quickly!"
"There's a war?!" Tang Shen's eyes widened.
Because he suddenly received such shocking news, Thompson's brain froze for a moment.
When Tang Shen's brain was shut down, the middle-aged man continued:
"I don't know the details, but I know that the shogunate sent a large army to Ezo, and the target seems to be the Red Moon Fortress!"
"Red Moon Fortress?!" Tang Shen exclaimed again, "Is it the Red Moon Fortress with the iron cannon?"
The middle-aged man nodded.
"Why, why is it so sudden?! Why did you suddenly send troops to the Red Moon Fortress?!" Tang Shen's voice broke due to his excitement.
"How should I know?" The middle-aged man frowned. "Didn't I just tell you? I don't know the details. Maybe the shogunate wants to expand its territory."
"In short - don't try to catch any more animals, just run away! Wait until this storm is over!"
"Now the Japanese merchants in Ezo are trying their best to flee!"
After saying that, the middle-aged man said no more to Tang Shen. He shook the reins in his hand and drove the carriage forward. His attendants and guards surrounded the carriage and passed by Tang Shen.
As for Tang Shen, he was now sitting on the sled with a dull look on his face: "The shogunate actually sent troops to the Red Moon Fortress... This..."
The god Tang seemed to be petrified , sitting on the sled without moving.
After a while, as if he had made up his mind, he gritted his teeth, stood up and walked to the cages behind the sled, opened the cages, and released all the animals he had caught with great effort these days.
Not only that, after releasing the animals, Tang Shen also threw the cages directly off the sled.
He did this to reduce the weight of the sled and reduce the burden on the sled dogs.
After doing all this, Tang Shen returned to the driver's seat.
"Go!" Tang Shen shouted to the sled dogs.
The direction that Yushin was heading was not to return to the south of Matsumae Domain.
Instead, he headed straight north without any hesitation.
…
…
In the cave where Ogata and his companions lived—
"All right." After checking the bones in Matsudaira Sadanobu's right arm, Ayizan nodded to Matsudaira Sadanobu, "The muscles in the right arm are a little strained, but it will be fine after a few days of rest. There is nothing wrong with other parts of the body."
The judgment and emergency treatment of injuries are one of the essential skills for veteran hunters like Ai Zan.
"Thank you." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled at Ayizan.
"Come here, Lord Rochu." At this time, Ogata handed a piece of roasted dried meat to Matsudaira Sadanobu, "Have something to eat."
"Thank you." Matsudaira Sadanobu took the jerky handed to him by Ogata.
After receiving the jerky, Matsudaira Sadanobu let out a long sigh and said quietly:
“It’s really unpredictable.”
"I thought the world was so big that I would never have the chance to see you again in my lifetime. I didn't expect that only a few months later, I would be able to meet you again in this icy Ezo land, and you even saved me."
"Since we are so lucky to meet again, can you tell me why you only participated in the "Imperial Trial" martial arts test halfway through and then stopped participating afterwards?"
"And - after the 'Imperial Trial' is over, why don't you come see me and tell me your answer?"
After finishing his words, Matsudaira Sadanobu added:
"I waited for you for a long time."
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished his words, Ogata and Atachi's expressions turned strange.
Ogata stood up Matsudaira Sadanobu - of course, Atachi knew about this.
That's why Atachi showed such a surprised expression when he saw Ogata bringing Matsudaira Sadanobu back to the cave just now.
Of course, it was impossible for Ogata to just confess honestly and say that he was busy dealing with Shiranui at the time and therefore forgot about it.
"Uchiko's uncle who lives in her hometown had some disputes with some villagers, and was beaten by some people in the village." Ogata said seriously, "Uchiko's family is my family."
"The 'Imperial Trial' is important, but it is not as important as my family."
"So when I learned that my wife's uncle was beaten up in her hometown, I didn't care about the 'imperial test' and hurriedly took my wife back to her hometown to deal with her uncle's matter."
"Because I was busy dealing with my wife's uncle's affairs, I forgot about the promise I made to you."
After Ogata finished speaking, Atachi, who was sitting next to Ogata, resisted the urge to cast a shocked and astonished look at Ogata.
Looking closely at what Ogata said just now, it was all true...
A-Ming’s uncle, Uncle Qing, did have a dispute with the “villagers” in their hometown: Shiranui, and was beaten...
After that, Ogata was indeed busy going back to their hometown with Atachi to deal with these matters, and had no time to take care of the "Imperial Trial"...
After listening to Ogata's explanation quietly, Matsudaira Sadanobu asked:
"I see... You actually forgot the promise you made to me..." Matsudaira Sadanobu let out a self-deprecating smile, "Never mind... It's all a long time ago. It's been so long, I don't care about it anymore."
"Besides, you saved my life now, and I owe you a huge favor. So, let's just forget about your promise to me."
After saying that, Matsudaira Sadanobu picked up the jerky that Ogata had just handed him and began to eat it politely.
Seeing that Matsudaira Sadanobu said that the past was forgotten, Ogata was relieved. He was naturally happy to see that Matsudaira Sadanobu had forgotten the past, because in this way, neither Matsudaira Sadanobu nor he would have to feel embarrassed about the past.
"Master Rochu." It was Ogata's turn to ask, "Why are you in Ezo? This kind of place doesn't seem like a place where someone of your status would come."
Matsudaira Sadanobu glanced at Aizen and Yashili who were not far away, then slowly said while chewing some dried meat:
"The main reason I came to Ezo is for investigation."
"You should have heard about it more or less, right? Lucia has been restless in recent years and has made a lot of moves in Ezo."
"In order to guard against Russia, I decided to strengthen the construction of the north with Matsumae as the core."
"I came to Ezo this time to personally inspect the current situation of Matsumae Domain and Ezo. This will help me prepare for the future construction of the north."
"My goal is to unite all the Ainu who are willing to be close to us and form a defense line that can prevent the Lucia people from moving south."
"Recently, I took some people out for an investigation. As a result, this afternoon, we accidentally encountered a blizzard and were attacked by a pack of wolves."
"During the fierce battle with the wolves, the person who was responsible for carrying my sedan chair accidentally stepped on the snow cornice, and both the person carrying the sedan chair and I fell down the snow slope."
"As for what happened next, you should know. I fell down the slope, luckily I didn't die, and was caught up by a wolf, and then I was rescued by you."
Matsudaira Sadanobu briefly told Ogata and others why he was there.
A-Machi had never seen Matsudaira Sadanobu before, and this was the first time she saw his true face. Because she was not familiar with Matsudaira Sadanobu, A-Machi had not taken the initiative to talk to him since just now.
And now, after listening to what Matsudaira Sadanobu just said, A-Machi couldn't help but say:
"You are so brave... If it were someone less courageous, they would definitely not dare to go to such a dangerous place..."
"This is my habit. I like to inspect things in person." Matsudaira Sadanobu sneered, "This is a habit I developed from being tortured by my subordinates."
"It only takes fifty taels of gold to repair the temple, but the people below dare to ask me for five hundred taels of gold."
"'Northern Construction' is a big deal, and the money required is measured in tens of thousands. If I completely ignore this matter, God knows how much corruption will arise."
"So I have to personally take a look at the current situation of Matsumae Domain and Ezo. After I have an idea of ​​how long it will take and how much it will cost to build the north, I can also effectively prevent someone from deceiving me after the official start of the construction in the north."
"But I seem to have underestimated the dangers of Ezo."
Matsudaira Sadanobu laughed at himself again.
"If Mashima-kun had not shown up today, the General would have had to choose a new senior councillor."
By the time he finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu had already finished eating the dried meat that Ogata had just given him.
"Mashima- kun, what about you? Why are you here?"
"I'm here to train as a warrior." Ogata, who couldn't possibly confess his true purpose for coming to Ezo, did not hesitate to come up with this very useful excuse.
In fact, what Ogata said was not a lie - on the journey of searching for Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen, Ogata's skills had been constantly improving, and he could be considered to be practicing as a warrior.
"Martial arts training?" Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his eyebrows and glanced at Atachi who was sitting next to Ogata. "Take your wife to practice martial arts together?"
"There probably isn't a rule in this world that prohibits you from bringing your wife along with you when you train as a warrior," Ogata said jokingly.
"Training as a warrior with your wife..." Matsudaira Sadanobu murmured.
For some reason, a smile slowly appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
Memories slowly emerged in his eyes.
After a while, Matsudaira Sadanobu said slowly:
"Superb swordsmanship, training as a warrior with your wife... Mashima-kun. Now that I look closely, you are exactly the person I always dreamed of becoming when I was young."
"Looking at you reminds me of my younger self."
"Hmm?" Ogata raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
Matsudaira Sadanobu untied the Kotetsu hanging from his left waist and held it with both hands.
He looked at Kotetsu in his palm with a look of nostalgia.
"When I was young... I also dreamed of becoming a swordsman with superb swordsmanship like you are now, and then traveling around and practicing with my beautiful wife. Then, when I saw injustice on the road, I would draw my sword to help..."
"In my ignorant youth, in order to achieve my ideal, I foolishly practiced swordsmanship."
“When I grew up a little, I realized that my ideal was too far away from me.”
"My background has already determined that I will never be able to practice martial arts in the future."
"So, I realized the reality and stopped practicing swordsmanship. This dream from my youth was gradually forgotten."
"The man who dreamed of becoming a great swordsman who could travel around everywhere, has now become a middle-aged man who rarely even touches the sword, and his belly is getting bigger and bigger as he gets older..."
"If my younger self saw me like this now, I wonder what he would think..."
After saying this, Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled bitterly and hung the Kotetsu in his hand back to his left waist.
"Now that I think about it, the reason why I like to go around and inspect in person is probably because of the dream I had when I was young..."
…
…
"Drink...drink...drink..." Grandfather Jiang looked around, "Escaping here...should be enough..."
In order to stay away from Ogata, Grandfather Jiang fled for his life.
Once people encounter a critical moment, they often burst out with extremely strong power under the influence of factors such as adrenaline and psychological suggestion.
Under normal circumstances, Grandfather Jiang would definitely not be able to run at such a speed for such a long time.
And now, in his hurry to get away from Ogata Issei, the potential deep within Grandfather Jiang's body was stimulated in one breath. He ran wildly for nearly half an hour without stopping, until his legs became weak and he could no longer run.
Grandfather Jiang leaned against a big tree, recovering his strength while observing his surroundings - there were nothing but trees around him. He was in a forest.
After observing the environment he was currently in, Grandfather Jiang looked up at the sky above his head again.
The dark clouds that had been raging for nearly half an afternoon, with heavy snow and wind, had dispersed, revealing the sky. The sky had turned gray, and soon, the black veil would cover the sky.
Judging from the current weather, tonight will definitely be a moonless night.
——Let’s just spend the night in the tree…
Grandfather Jiang no longer had the energy to find a new place to live.
He often did this during this period - if he couldn't find a suitable place to stay, he would climb up a tree and sleep there all night.
Grandfather Jiang looked around again, looking for a tree that was strong enough for him to sleep on.
But suddenly - he suddenly heard a "click, click" sound behind him.
Grandfather Jiang immediately turned his head and looked back - several warriors in armor were rushing towards him with weapons in hand.
And the "crackling" sound is the sound of armor plates colliding when running.
Grandfather Jiang's face, which was already a little pale due to fatigue, became even paler at this moment.
——Why are there soldiers here? !
Grandfather Jiang shouted in panic in his heart and subconsciously wanted to turn around and run.
However, Grandfather Jiang, who had just been running wildly for a long time, was now out of strength.
He had only run a few steps when he was caught up and surrounded by these soldiers who suddenly appeared.
"Don't move!" A young warrior among the soldiers, wearing a battle feather robe and even more exquisite armor, shouted at Grandfather Jiang.
…
…
When Kitano Shuki learned that Matsudaira Sadanobu accidentally fell off the snow slope, he was as anxious as Tachibana.
He was one of the 50 elite shogunate troops assigned by Inamori to Matsudaira Sadanobu to protect his personal safety.
Among these 50 people, Kitano has the highest status and is the "Samurai General" in the army. Therefore, if anything happens to Matsudaira Sadanobu, Inamori will definitely be the first to ask him.
Even if he was not asked to commit seppuku to apologize, he would definitely be removed from his current position as "Samurai-shogun".
So - from a rational point of view, Kitano must not let anything happen to Matsudaira Sadanobu no matter what.
From an emotional perspective, Kitano also didn't want anything to happen to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
The first time he saw Matsudaira Sadanobu, Kitano was attracted by his sharp and bright eyes.
This look gave Matsudaira Sadanobu, who was not very handsome, a different kind of charm.
So from an emotional level, Kitano also doesn't want anything unexpected to happen to a handsome man like Matsudaira Sadanobu who is full of unique charm.
So when they fought off the sudden attack of the wolf pack and began to search for Matsudaira Sadanobu who had fallen off the snow slope, Kitano's efforts were no less than those of Tachibana, who was Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname.
Kitano and several of his men entered a forest at the foot of the snow slope, trying to find Matsudaira Sadanobu in the forest.
After searching for a long time, Matsudaira Sadanobu didn't find him, but instead found a young Japanese man who was ragged, dirty, and wearing a kimono.
In such a remote place, he actually encountered a lone Kazuto - this made Kitano frown involuntarily.
Kitano led his men towards the young man.
When the young man discovered Kitano and the others, he looked panicked and turned around and ran away.
But he had only run a few steps before being caught up by Kitano and the others.
"Don't move!" After surrounding the young man, Kitano yelled at him.
The young man was frightened by Kitano's loud voice and his body trembled. Then he stood obediently in place, looking at Kitano and others who were surrounding him with a look of fear.
"What's your name? Why are you here alone?" Kitano asked the young man two questions in one breath.
"My name is Grandfather Jiang Sanlang." The young man, that is, Grandfather Jiang, was nervous and stuttered, "Yes, yes..."
Grandfather Jiang racked his brains, thinking about how to answer Kitano's second question.
Seeing that Grandfather Jiang stuttered and couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time, Kitano frowned slightly and cast a meaningful look at Grandfather Jiang.
"...Are you a gold digger?" Kitano's tone was neither sad nor happy.
But these words, without any trace of sadness, made Grandfather Jiang feel as if he had heard the whispers of the devil.
According to the laws of the Edo Shogunate, all gold diggers were treated as felons.
So after Kitano finished speaking, Grandfather Jiang hurriedly explained:
"No! I'm not a gold digger! I-I'm just...training as a warrior!"
Kitano ignored Grandfather Jiang's explanation and said to the two subordinates beside him:
"Search him for gold dust."
Two subordinates: "Yes!"*2
Seeing that Kitano was going to search him, Grandfather Jiang's face turned completely whiter than snow.
He subconsciously wanted to escape, but the two soldiers who were ordered by Kitano to search him quickly stepped forward, one of them restrained Yufu Jiang, while the other groped Yufu Jiang's body up and down.
"My Lord! Found this!"
Soon, the soldier in charge of the body search found a small cloth bag and handed it to Kitano.
Kitano opened the cloth bag - it was full of golden sand and gold grains.
"The evidence is conclusive. Do you have anything else to say?" Kitano said to Grandfather Jiang in a joking tone, "Don't tell me that you picked up this bag of gold sand."
Grandfather Jiang looked ashen.
But even so, Grandfather Jiang's desire to survive still spurred him on, making him think hard about what he could say to exonerate himself in this desperate situation.
"According to the regulations of the shogunate, gold diggers will be subject to beheading." Kitano said as he tied the bag of gold sand tightly and put it away for himself.
After hearing the word "beheading", Grandfather Jiang could no longer control his body which was filled with fear, and his limbs began to tremble slightly.
But what Kitano said next made Grandfather Jiang feel like he saw a beam of light shooting out from the depths of the abyss.
"But I'm giving you a chance now." Kitano said seriously, "I'm looking for someone now. If you see that person and provide relevant information about him, I can spare your life."
"What about my gold sand..." Grandfather Jiang asked subconsciously.
This bag of gold sand carried his hope. He pinned his second half of life on this bag of gold sand.
This bag of gold sand is no less than a second life to Grandfather Jiang.
"Hmph!" Kitano snorted heavily, "Of course I can't give back the gold sand you illegally mined! You committed the great crime of gold panning, and I am willing to give you a chance to save your life, which is already a great blessing from heaven!"
The light that had just appeared in Grandfather Jiang's eyes dimmed again...
At this time, Kitano described Matsudaira Sadanobu's physical characteristics one by one.
Kitano thought: If this gold digger is actually in this area, he might have seen Matsudaira Sadanobu who slipped to the bottom of the snow slope.
After listening to Kitano's description of Matsudaira Sadanobu's appearance, Grandfather Jiang was stunned.
The figure of the middle-aged man with an exquisite sword on his waist just now jumped into Grandfather Jiang's mind.
Grandfather Jiang quickly remembered that he had just seen this person.
I just wanted to steal that person's knife, but in the end, that person was rescued by Ogata Issei who had disguised himself by some unknown means...
But at this moment, Grandfather Jiang suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind.
——Hmm? Yes...! Why didn't I think of that...
Grandfather Jiang suddenly realized that he might have a way to save his life and also keep the bag of gold sand that he had worked so hard to get.
Seeing that Grandfather Jiang was slow to speak, Kitano seemed to be losing his patience.
"Hey!" Kitano's tone was full of displeasure, "Why are you in a daze? If you don't say anything, I'll chop off your head!"
——Let’s take a gamble! At worst, I’ll just die!
Grandfather Jiang gritted his teeth, determined to go all out, and nodded vigorously.
"I have seen him! I have seen the person you are talking about!"
Kitano's eyes suddenly widened, and he asked anxiously:
"Where did you meet that man?"
Grandfather Jiang did not immediately answer Kitano's question.
Instead, he asked:
"Sir, you are wearing armor, so you must be in the army, right? Not only have I seen the man you are looking for, but I also have information that is very important to you and may make you rich or famous."
"I can tell you the location of the person you are looking for, as well as this important information I have! Can you spare my life and return the gold sand to me?"
"Information that can make you rich or famous?" Kitano laughed dumbly, "What kind of information can you, a person who makes a living by panning for gold, have?"
"What I said is true!" Grandfather Jiang said anxiously, "This important information of mine may really make you rich or famous!"
"…Then tell me about it." Kitano said impatiently, "If the important information you mentioned is really valuable, then I will return this bag of gold sand to you. Let me be frank - if the 'important information' you mentioned is just some nonsense, then I will kill you!"
"No problem!" After nodding vigorously, Grandfather Jiang took a deep breath.
Then, Grandfather Jiang pointed in the direction where he had just escaped.
"I just saw the person you are looking for lying in the snow! If you keep walking in this direction, you will reach the place where the person you are looking for fell."
"He just happened to wake up when I ran into him."
"When he first woke up, he was attacked by a wolf, but he was finally rescued by someone!"
"And that person is the famous 'Executioner Ittosai' Ogata Issei!"
"The executioner Ittosai?!" Kitano's mouth opened into an "O" shape.