Red Moon Fortress——
Aotongpuyi stood on the outer wall of the Red Moon Fortress, fighting against sleepiness.
According to the rules, all young men in the Red Moon Fortress are obliged to stand guard on the city walls regularly.
This rule was made by Chanup himself.
At the beginning, it was Chanup who forced this rule to be implemented under tremendous pressure.
When Chanup and his companions first found this abandoned Lucia stronghold and prepared to settle here, they proposed to establish a rule "requiring all young men to stand guard on the city walls regularly" - and then were strongly opposed by many people.
The Ainu people have always lived in settlements, and their "experience of living in a fortress" is almost zero, so many people do not understand why such rules were established to restrict the freedom of the villagers and require young men to stand guard on the city walls regularly.
In response to these people's opposition, Chanup also argued with reason - living inside such a tall city wall, if there are not enough people standing on the wall to guard, they will not know when an external enemy attacks.
At that time, Chanup, who had made great contributions to the migration of the people to the south, was at the peak of his reputation. Relying on his overwhelming reputation advantage, Chanup forcibly implemented this rule.
It turns out – Chanup was right.
Not long after they settled here, a group of gold thieves who couldn't find any gold and planned to make some "extra money" by committing crimes set their sights on the Red Moon Fortress.
Fortunately, a tribesman who was standing guard on the city wall discovered the gold diggers who launched a night attack in time, and then successfully drove them away.
Since this incident, no one has any objection to the rule set by Chanup.
This rule has continued to this day. Even Chanup's only son, Otunpui, has to abide by it and stand guard on the city wall regularly after he becomes an adult.
This task is actually not very tiring. You just need to stand at your post and monitor all movements outside the city wall.
But precisely because the things to be done are very simple, this task is very boring and tedious.
From the beginning, Aotongpuyi felt that his eyelids were very heavy, and his upper eyelids were constantly fighting with his lower eyelids.
After suppressing the urge to yawn, Aotongpuyi looked up at the sky - it was almost dark.
Aotongpuyi's sentry duty today will only last until dark.
After dark, Otunpuyi will be able to take over the shift and have another person stand guard.
Seeing that his sentry duty was finally coming to an end, Aotongpuyi's mind was somewhat encouraged and his sleepiness faded a little.
After successfully suppressing another yawn that was about to come out, suddenly - Aotongpui discovered that there seemed to be several shadows shaking on the horizon outside the city wall.
As Aotongpuyi looked carefully, the swaying shadows slowly revealed their shapes - they were two horses.
There were two people sitting on the back of each of the two horses.
However, due to the distance, Aotongpuyi could not see clearly what the four people sitting on the backs of the two horses looked like.
At the same time when Aotongpui discovered the four people and two horses, the rest of the people on the city wall also discovered the group of people who suddenly appeared and approached them.
"Hey! Someone's approaching! Someone's approaching!"
"Is it Kazuto? Or Lucia?"
"I don't know! It's too far away! I can't see clearly!"
"Everyone pay attention! Everyone pay attention! Someone is approaching!"
…
There was a lack of high-quality horses in Ezo, and as they lived a life of fishing and hunting, they lacked the motivation to use horses. Therefore, the Ainu people have been slow to light up the "horse riding" technology tree, and their main means of transportation is dog sleds.
Therefore, in Ezo, there are generally only two types of people who can ride horses - the Japanese and the Russians.
The originally silent city wall suddenly became agitated when someone on horseback approached.
Most of the people on the city wall could not hide their nervousness and uneasiness at this moment - including Aotongpuyi.
Ever since what happened a few days ago, everyone in the fortress is now very nervous when they find someone approaching the fortress - especially when they find someone approaching the fortress.
While everyone on the city wall was on tense alert, the four men and two horses kept approaching the city at a moderate speed.
Finally - the group of uninvited guests finally came close enough for Aotongpui to see their faces clearly.
After seeing the four people on horseback... or to be more precise, the appearance of two of them, Aotongpuyi was stunned for a moment, and then his stunned state turned into ecstasy.
"Don't be nervous!" Ottompui shouted to the people around him, "They are not enemies! They are Mr. Majima and Ms. Atachi! They are the two Japanese who saved the villagers of Qina Village before!"
After Aotongpuyi's shouting, Ayi Zan and Yashili outside the wall also shouted at this time:
"We are back!", "We are from Qina Village!"...
Hearing the shouts of Aotongpuyi, Ayi Zan and Yashili outside the wall, the tension of the people on the wall faded a little.
"Are you telling the truth?" asked a tribesman standing next to Aotongpui.
Aotongpuyi nodded vigorously: "I won't be wrong!"
"Didn't the two people who rescued the villagers of Qina Village leave long ago?" asked another person.
"They didn't leave." Aotongpuyi said, "They left our Heyezhe some time ago because they had to go out to do some things. Now they should have finished their business and returned."
"… As long as they are not enemies, it is good. Otungpuyi, you should go there in person and ask Mr. Chanup to open the door."
"Okay!" Aotongpuyi nodded vigorously.
The gate of Red Moon Fortress cannot be opened casually.
Whenever the gate of Red Moon Fortress is to be opened, Chanup's consent must be obtained first.
If Chanup happens to be away from the Red Moon Fortress for some reason, he would go and seek the consent of Retannoe, who is second only to Chanup in status, and so on.
Otunpuyi put the bow in his hand back to the north, then took two steps at a time and hurried back to his home as fast as he could.
When he returned home, Otunpuyi saw his sister and his father.
Sister Aisuma is now sitting behind her father Chanup, massaging Chanup's neck.
Chanup closed his eyes tightly, his face full of unconcealable fatigue.
"Father!" Ottompui shouted, "Mr. Majima and the others are back!"
"Oh?" Asuma stopped massaging Chanup's neck and said, "Mr. Majima and the others are back so soon?"
After Aotongpuyi finished speaking, Chanup slowly opened his eyes and looked at Aotongpuyi.
"They and two villagers from Qina Village who are traveling with them are now outside the gate." Otunpuyi added, "Father, please give the order to open the gate."
Chanup was silent for a while.
Then, he laughed a few times in self-deprecation:
"Are you coming back to us at this time..."
After muttering something that puzzled Aizuma and Otunpuyi, Chanup nodded to Otunpuyi and said, "Open the door..."
…
…
Boom boom...
The majestic gate of Red Moon Fortress was slowly opened.
Seeing the gate wide open, Ogata and others immediately rode their horses towards the gate of the Red Moon Fortress .
As soon as they passed through the gate and returned to the long-lost Red Moon Fortress, many people immediately surrounded them, looking at Ogata and others with different expressions.
Among the crowd of onlookers, Ogata saw two familiar figures walking towards them quickly.
"Aisuma, Otunpui, long time no see." Ogata took the initiative to greet them. "What a coincidence, I ran into you two just after I passed through the wall gate."
The two figures walking quickly towards Ogata and others were Aisuma and Otunpui.
After receiving permission from his father to open the gate, Otunpuyi rushed back to the city wall without stopping - on the way back to the city wall, he was accompanied by Aisuma.
Aisuma had a very good relationship with Ogata and his friends, so when he saw Ogata and his friends coming back, Aisuma also wanted to go to the city gate to greet them.
"That's because I was standing guard on the city wall just now, so I was the first to know that you were back." Aotongpui smiled.
After Otungpuyi briefly explained how he and Asuma knew that Ogata and the others had returned, Asuma suddenly screamed:
"Ah! What happened to Miss Atachi? Is she sick?"
The perceptive Aisuma finally noticed Ating leaning on Ogata on horseback, with a very ugly look on his face.
"It's a long story..." Ogata forced an ugly smile at Asuma, "During the time we were away from here, many things and accidents happened... A-Ming was also seriously injured due to my negligence."
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Asuma immediately said:
"That's terrible! Mr. Majima, we have a famous doctor here in Heyezhe! If you don't mind, I'll take you to see her and ask her to take a look at Miss A-Ming's injury!"
"Our doctor is amazing. She not only understands Lucia's medical skills, but also yours. She can cure many diseases that other doctors can't!"
Hearing what Asuma said, Ogata's eyes couldn't help but widen, with a hint of surprise in his pupils.
One of the main reasons for his return to the Red Moon Fortress this time was to find a doctor to treat Ating's injuries.
Ogata was in urgent need of a professional doctor.
He is an expert in both Lucia and Japanese medicine. In this era, he is a rare talent. Ogata did not expect that at this critical moment when Atachi's temperature could not be lowered for a long time, he would encounter such an unexpected surprise.
"Thank you for your help!" Ogata said immediately.
"Come with me." Asuma nodded.
…
…
Ogata let Ating lie on Luobo's horse, and then he led Luobo and followed closely behind Aisuma and Otunpuyi who were responsible for leading the way.
As for Aizen and Yashili, they followed closely, holding Grape's hands.
After eating and living with Ogata and Ating for so many days, Ayizan and Yashili have unknowingly developed a deep friendship with the two of them.
Ayizan and Yashili have been worried about Ating's injury these days, so when they learned that Aisuma was going to take Ating to see their Heyezhe's famous doctor, they took the initiative to ask to go along.
On the way to the doctor that Aisuma mentioned, he was naturally surrounded by a large number of people.
Feeling the gazes from the people around him, Ogata couldn't help but frown slightly.
Ogata always felt that the looks from people around him were very different from before...
The last time they came to Red Moon Fortress, they were also surrounded by a large number of people.
But at that time, the looks that the crowd cast towards Ogata and his group were mostly filled with curiosity and confusion.
And now... there are still those curious and doubtful looks.
But among these looks, there were also some looks of uneasiness and fear...
Just as Ogata was silently paying attention to the strange looks that the people around him were giving him and Ating, Otumpui, who was walking in front of him and leading the way with Asuma, suddenly said:
"Mashima-san, what on earth did you go through? Why was Miss Atachi so badly injured?"
"It's not convenient to talk here." Ogata smiled bitterly, "I'll tell you the reason slowly later."
The famous doctor that Aisuma mentioned actually lived quite close to the gate of the city wall.
After walking for only a few minutes, Aisuma and Otunpui both stopped in front of an ordinary Ainu-style house.
Asuma: "We're here!"
Ogata simply took a look at the ordinary-style house in front of him - compared with other houses, the biggest difference of this house might be the constant flow of strong medicinal smell wafting out.
"Kunoya! Kunoya! Are you there? (Ainu)" Aizuma shouted into the house.
As soon as Asuma finished speaking, a lazy young female voice sounded from inside the room:
"It's Asuma... What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
As soon as the words fell, the door curtain was slowly lifted - the person who lifted the door curtain was a young woman who was probably between 25 and 30 years old.
This young woman had a fairly pretty face and was dressed in simple clothes. She had a tattoo unique to Ainu women on her lip. She was holding up the door curtain with one hand and smoking a cigarette with the other. She was looking at Ogata and his group with half-opened eyes, exuding a lazy aura.
After seeing the two strangers, Ogata and Atachi, the young woman's eyes, which were originally half-open, widened a little.
For some reason... the appearance and temperament of the woman in front of him reminded Ogata of those "spiritual girls" who hung out in bars and nightclubs in his previous life...
"Aisuma. Who are these two? (Ainu)" the young woman asked.
"Kunoya, these two are my friends, and they are also the couple who saved the village of Qina! (Ainu)"
The young woman understood. "Oh... So it's these two people... I've heard of their names for a long time... (Ainu language)"
The young woman put down the pipe in her hand, blew out a big smoke ring, and said to Ogata in fluent Japanese:
"My name is Kunoya. You can just call me Kunoya. What's your name?"
Ogata was no longer surprised by the Ainu people who could speak fluent Japanese.
"My name is Majima Goro, and this is Uchiko-Amachi."
Aizen and Yashili, who were standing behind Ogata, also introduced themselves.
The young woman who called herself "Cunoya" nodded slightly and put the pipe back into her mouth:
"Let me guess - you came here to show me your wife, right?"
Kunoya looked at Ating who was lying on Radish's back.
"Your wife seems to be injured... She looks very unhappy."
"That's right." Ogata nodded quickly, "She was stabbed in the collarbone."
"Bring her in." Kunoya turned and walked into the house, "Let me see her injuries."
Ogata helped Atachi up, and then carried her into the house in a princess-like manner.
Aotongpuyi and Ayi Zan knew it was inconvenient for them to go in, so they stayed outside the house. Only Aisuma and Yashili followed Ogata in.
After carrying Atachi inside, Ogata finally got a glimpse of the inside of Kunoya's house - Kunoya's house looked very much like a Chinese medicine shop.
A Chinese medicine cabinet with at least a hundred cabinets is against the west wall.
"Put her here." Kunoya extinguished the pipe in her hand, placed it on a small table, and pointed to a straw mat at her feet.
Following Kunoya's instructions, Ogata laid Atachi flat on the straw mat.
"Let me see how your injury is first." Kunoya knelt beside Ating, then unbuttoned Ating's clothes, took out a pair of small scissors, and cut the linen cloth that wrapped Ating's chest tightly.
After cutting the linen in one go, Kunoya raised an eyebrow.
"Little girl, you have grown up very fast."
After Kunoya made a joke that made Atachi's face turn slightly red due to shyness, she began to carefully check Atachi's injuries.
While checking the injuries, he also raised his hand and touched Ating's forehead to confirm Ating's body temperature.
"...Did you treat your wife's injury?" Kunoya looked at Ogata.
Ogata nodded.
"You used Zhonghuang ointment to treat your wife's injury." Kunoya said calmly, "Zhonghuang ointment is indeed very suitable for treating such injuries, but the way you applied the ointment was a bit too rough."
After that, Kunoya listed several ointments and herbs that Ogata used to treat Atachi's injuries.
After Kunoa finished speaking, Ogata couldn't help but cast a surprised look at Kunoa.
"You are amazing. You can tell what medicine I used just by looking at the wound..."
Kunoya smiled and said, "Didn't Asuma tell you? I used to run a clinic in the Matsumae clan of yours. It was very popular, and there were a lot of people coming to see me every day."
"Aisuma really didn't tell me this... She only told me that you are proficient in both Lucia and Japanese medicine..."
" So now you know about it."
After saying that, Kunoya turned her attention back to Atachi's wound.
"Fortunately, your wife's wound did not become inflamed."
"But your wife's wound must be freshly stitched."
"After the wound is sutured, I will prescribe two new sets of medicine for your wife. One set is for applying to the wound, and the other is for drinking. The set for applying should be changed every two days, and the set for drinking should be taken twice a day."
"Just apply the compress and drink the medicine. Then lie in bed for a month and your wife will recover."
"A month...of time?" At this moment, Ating's eyes suddenly widened and he asked Kunoya in a weak voice.
Kunoya nodded: "That's right. After I sew up your wound and use the medicine I prescribed for you, you must lie down for a month."
After she finished speaking, Kunoya suddenly put on an extremely serious expression.
"Your injury is neither serious nor light. Applying medicine alone is far from enough. You need enough time to rest and let the wound heal slowly."
"If you don't rest , a wound as big as yours will easily become inflamed."
"Letting you rest is also to prevent the wound from cracking. If your wound cracks, it will easily become inflamed."
"Do you need me to tell you what the consequences of wound inflammation will be?"
After saying that, Kunoya stood up and walked towards the huge Chinese medicine cabinet next to her.
"You mean... I have to lie here... for a month... and can't go anywhere...?" Ating asked anxiously.
"Of course." Kunoya answered without hesitation.