After leaving Zenhyōkan, Ogata first went back to the hotel where he, A-machi and A-tsuki were staying. As Ogata had expected, there was no trace of them in the hotel at all.
Ogata naturally had no idea where the two of them were going or when they would come back.
How should I spend this time alone without Ating and the others by my side?
Staying in the hotel and staring at the ceiling is something that the emotional person would never do.
After thinking it over, he couldn't think of any place he really wanted to go, so he swaggered out of the hotel.
——Just go outside and take a walk.
He bought a few sticks of glutinous rice dumplings from a teahouse near the hotel and had them as lunch. He strolled aimlessly on the streets of Osaka, leisurely eating the glutinous rice dumplings in his hand.
As far as Ogata could remember, it had been a long time since he had walked alone in a bustling metropolis like this since he left Edo last autumn.
The long-awaited "solo walk" brought a special sense of freshness to Ogata's heart, and his steps became a little lighter.
Ogata's walk had no destination, he just went wherever he wanted.
Before I knew it, I had entered a commercial street.
——Osaka is indeed the "commercial capital" and "the country's largest economic city"...
Ogata couldn't help but sigh.
The density of commercial streets in Osaka is far greater than that in Kyoto and slightly higher than that in Edo. No matter where you go, you can find commercial streets and vendors shouting their wares.
Ogata had just finished eating all the glutinous rice dumplings in his hand. He crossed his hands and put them into the wide sleeves of his haori, and walked slowly in the center of the commercial street, carefully looking at every shop on the street.
This is a comprehensive commercial street with a wide variety of shops on both sides of the street selling everything.
Porcelain, clothes, sundries, tatami...
Perhaps because this place is in the western suburbs of Osaka, there are not many people here.
Just when Ogata reached almost the center of the commercial street, his feet suddenly stopped.
He looked at a shop on his left with shining eyes.
On his left was a rather grand bookstore.
——A bookstore...
Reading is one of Ogata's hobbies.
Looking back, he was reading a book in his own study room. Because he was tired, he closed his eyes and took a nap. When he opened his eyes again, he had turned into Ogata Noriyoshi.
Since entering the Edo period, he seldom read books because he had no time and the books of that era were generally not to his taste.
Because he loved reading, one of Ogata's favorite places to visit in his previous life was bookstores.
Since he was free now, it was a rare opportunity to come across a store that interested him, so Ogata strode into the bookstore without thinking too much.
As soon as I entered the bookstore, the strong smell of ink and paper hit me.
A clerk (a merchant's clerk) walked towards Ogata quickly like a cat that smelled blood.
"Sir, what may I help you with?" the young attendant asked politely to Ogata.
"I just came here to see if there were any interesting books," said Ogata.
"In that case, please do as you please, sir." Tedai maintained a bowed posture, stood aside, and made a "please" gesture to Ogata.
This magnificent bookstore has a large and diverse collection of books.
But after a quick look, a hint of disappointment slowly emerged in Ogata's eyes - the collection of books in this bookstore was just as he expected, and most of them were books that he was not very interested in.
They are basically history books, some Han classics, and some Chinese novels.
For example, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin were undoubtedly bestsellers in the Edo period. They remained on the bestseller list and refused to fall off.
Ogata moved inch by inch, scanning every book on the bookshelf bit by bit, looking for books that interested him.
Before I knew it, I had walked to the counter.
Behind the counter sat an old man with thinning hair.
The old man was reading a book with great interest. On the cover of the book were four Chinese characters neatly arranged: Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
At this time, the old man discovered Ogata who was standing not far from him, looking for books.
"...Sir." The old man grinned, "What book do you want?"
"Ah, I was just browsing around," Ogata said, "seeking to see if there were any books that interested me."
"Books of interest..." A meaningful smile appeared on the old man's face, "Then I wonder if you are interested in this kind of book?"
After saying that, the old man reached under the counter and pulled out a book with a yellow cover.
Looking at the yellow-covered book in the old man's hand, Ogata's eyes widened and he exclaimed in surprise: "Yellow cover?"
"That's right." The old man nodded with a kind face, "It's yellow paper."
Yellow Paper - a book that can make countless men of this era smile knowingly after hearing it.
Simply put, it is an illustrated erotic literary work from the Edo period. Because the cover is basically yellow, it is called "yellow paper".
Seeing the old man showing the yellow paper in his hand to Ogata so carelessly, Ogata couldn't help but look around subconsciously.
After confirming that there were no other people around, Ogata lowered his voice and asked the old man:
"Boss, how dare you sell this kind of stuff? I remember that this kind of stuff has been banned for a long time, right?"
Since Matsudaira Sadanobu came to power, he issued a series of rectification measures in order to reverse the decadent social atmosphere of advocating consumption and enjoyment, and to make the increasingly decadent samurai class more samurai-like.
For example, mixed bathing of men and women is prohibited .
For example, the sale of pornographic publications such as yellow papers is prohibited.
If any merchant sells these things, they will be severely punished.
Before Matsudaira Sadanobu issued this ban, this kind of reading material could be openly displayed on bookshelves and was extremely popular.
In Ogata's eyes, the old man who was holding the yellow paper high looked like he was holding a bomb.
"Sir, judging from your accent, you are not from Osaka, right? You don't know Osaka very well!"
“In Osaka, this is the most important thing.”
The old man made a money gesture towards Ogata.
"In front of this, whether it's the general or the emperor, they all have to stand aside."
"As long as you have this, you will have connections, and with connections, you can do anything."
"Don't worry. If I was worried about getting caught for this, I wouldn't have shown it to you."
After he finished speaking, the old man stuffed the yellow paper in his hand into Ogata's arms.
"Take it and have a look. If you are interested, I will sell it to you at a lower price."
A person who had just been reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms seriously suddenly took out a book with yellow paper and stuffed it into his hand - for some reason, this made Ogata feel an inexplicable weird feeling.
He lowered his head and looked at the yellow paper in his arms.
Ogata's brain was saying to him loudly: No! What's so good about this kind of thing that destroys human will!
My brain has clearly said so.
But something strange happened!
Ogata found that he could not control his fingers.
His fingers uncontrollably flipped the yellow paper in his hand.
After the yellow paper was turned over, he was surprised to find that not only his fingers were out of control, but his eyes were also out of control.
My eyes uncontrollably looked at the lines of words on the book.
I haven't read this type of book since I traveled to the Edo period, so just take a look - Ogata felt that his fingers and eyes seemed to be saying this to him.
Ogata's reading speed was very fast. He could read ten lines at a glance and remember the contents of the book accurately.
Yellow paper is generally very thin, and the thickest is no thicker than a finger.
After a short while, only two-thirds of the content of the yellow paper in Ogata's hand remained.
In terms of content, the content of this yellow paper is very simple. It just tells the detailed process of how a ronin met, fell in love with, and connected with the daughter of a dojo owner.
There are also several illustrations in this book - however, Ogata has never been able to appreciate the art style of the Edo period, so these illustrations are worse off than not being there for him, and looking at them will make him "calm down".
This was Ogata's first exposure to literary works of this kind from the Edo period. He had intended only to take a quick look at it for fun, but gradually... his entire body and mind were uncontrollably immersed in the plot of the book.
Just then—
"Mr. Sheng, long time no see."
"Oh! It's you! It's been a long time!"
"I'm here to give my mother something she forgot to bring. Is my mother here?"
"Oh! Yes, yes! Your mother is chatting with my wife upstairs!"
A very familiar female voice came into Ogata's ears.
This sudden female voice brought Ogata's mind back to reality from the plot in the book.
Ogata was stunned, then slowly turned his head and looked in the direction of the female voice he had just heard. A beautiful light yellow color appeared in his eyes...
Isshikika, who was talking to the old man sitting behind the counter, noticed that someone seemed to be looking at her.
So she turned her head in the direction her body felt the gaze was taking.
Her eyes met with Ogata's in mid-air.
Isshikika just froze where she was.
She stared at Ogata blankly.
Then... she slowly moved her gaze to look at the yellow paper in Ogata's hand...
…
…
At this moment——
Koya Town——
"Is this Koya Town?" Yamauchi, the new recruit Hasegawa has been focusing on training recently, opened his eyes wide and scanned the surroundings with curiosity. "Sure enough, there are so many monks..."
"If Osaka is an 'economic city' that serves the economy..." Hasegawa said with a smile as he and his subordinates walked in front of the mountain, all dressed in casual clothes, "then Koya-cho should be a 'religious city' that serves the monks of Koyasan."
Although Koyasan is called a "mountain ", it is not a solitary mountain.
Koyasan is a vast expanse of mountains.
More than 120 temples, headed by the Vajra Temple, are scattered among these layers of mountains.
Koya Town is a town located in the mountains.
Since leaving Kyoto, Hasegawa led his men and rushed to Koyasan without stopping, and finally arrived in Koya Town today.
Koya-cho is considered a transit station for outsiders to enter Koyasan.
Hasegawa planned to rest in Koya Town for half a day and then set out into the mountains tomorrow morning to head to Sengen-ji Temple, where he had reported a large number of Buddhist supplies being stolen.
Hasegawa was quite unfamiliar with Koyacho. It was also his first time to visit Koyacho. Before that, he had only heard that Koyacho was a town with a strong Buddhist atmosphere .
Now I see it with my own eyes - it is true.
After leading his men into Koya Town, Hasegawa discovered that monks from Koyasan with shaved heads could be seen everywhere.
Koyasan is the main mountain of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, which has very strict precepts.
The strict precepts make Shingon monks very similar to Chinese monks, both of whom shave their heads and abstain from meat.
Koyacho is not only a transit station for the outside world to enter Koyasan, but also the first channel for Koyasan monks to contact the outside world.
Monks also need to eat, drink, defecate and urinate. The monks of Koyasan basically purchase their food, clothing, housing and transportation in Koya-cho.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call Koyacho "a town dedicated to providing services for the monks of Koyasan."
The vast majority of the townspeople living in Koya-cho make a living by earning money from the monks of Koyasan.
Because it is close to Mount Koya, the air in Koya-cho is also filled with a strong Buddhist atmosphere.
As soon as he entered Koyacho, Hasegawa smelled the faint scent of burning incense in the air.
Hasegawa had heard before that almost all the residents of Koya Town believed in Buddhism, but he was not sure whether it was true or not.
"Mr. Hasegawa." Yamauchi, who was also visiting Koya Town for the first time, continued to look around and asked Hasegawa, "Should we go say hello to the Koya Town Magistrate first?"
Hasegawa came to Koya Town this time, but because the matter happened suddenly, he did not greet the magistrate of Koya Town first. The magistrate of Koya Town probably still doesn't know that the famous "Onihira" has come to their Koya Town.
“…No rush.” Hasegawa said, “Let’s go after lunch to greet the town magistrate.”
Hasegawa smiled bitterly and touched his stomach.
"I haven't had anything hot since I left Kyoto and came here. I'm so hungry."
Hasegawa's subordinates were all hungry now. When they heard Hasegawa say that they should go eat first, they immediately voted unanimously in favor of filling their stomachs first.
Koya-cho is a small town.
But even though it was small, it had everything. Hasegawa soon found a restaurant that was emitting a rich aroma.
Hasegawa was just about to lead people in when he saw a young monk coming out of the restaurant and bumped into Hasegawa.
"Ah, sorry, sorry." Hasegawa was the first to apologize to the young monk.
"I am the one who should apologize." The young monk also apologized to Hasegawa very politely.
The two apologized to each other and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
But at this moment, the young monk who had just politely apologized to Hasegawa suddenly opened his eyes wide:
"You...are Lord Hasegawa?"
Before Hasegawa could say anything, the young monk frowned and continued:
"Master Hasegawa, I never thought I could meet you here. I am so lucky to meet you again here."
"Please allow me to ask you a question - how is the case of the Honzoji Temple in Nara going? Have you found the whereabouts of the enemy who stole the treasure of our Honzoji Temple?"
Hearing the young monk's words, Hasegawa's expression suddenly changed: "Are you... a monk from Honzoji Temple?"
"That's right. My Buddhist name is Faru."
"When you went to the burned-down Benxiang Temple to collect clues, I was there too. But you were so focused on collecting clues that you didn't pay attention to me."
"After Honzoji Temple was destroyed, he moved to Koyasan to continue his training."
Facing the young monk who called himself Faru, Hasegawa forced a stiff smile.
"This... the case of the Honzoji Temple... we have been actively investigating it."
"But there are too few clues, so our investigation is progressing with great difficulty."
Hasegawa was talking incoherently.
Although he said a lot, the main idea of ​​his words can be simply summarized as follows: we have been working very hard to solve the case, but due to various reasons, we have not been able to catch the Buddhist enemy who burned down the temple and stole the treasures until now.
"Master Hasegawa, I understand that as the leader of the Fire Thieves, you have a lot of things to do every day and are very busy."
"But I still hope that you can arrest the Buddha's enemy who burned down my Benxiang Temple and stole my Benxiang Temple's treasures as soon as possible."
"I really can't bear to see this kind of evildoer brought to justice without seeing it with my own eyes."
"If you cannot catch him, please find back the stolen treasure of our temple, the sword Yama."
"This sword was once one of the swords that Taiko Hideyoshi carried. It has a history of more than 200 years. It is not only a precious sword that can cut through iron like mud, but also a precious cultural relic. No matter what, it must not fall into the hands of thieves."
Fa Ru was talking in a babble.
He spoke for a long time, but the message he conveyed was just one thing: bring the thieves who burned down the temple and stole the treasures to justice as soon as possible.
Hasegawa assured Faru in a strong voice that one day he would capture the enemy of Buddha and give an explanation to the monks of Honzoji Temple.
After struggling with this Faru for a long time, Hasegawa finally sent Faru away.
"There are monks from Honzoji Temple here..." Hasegawa scratched his hair and sighed helplessly. Then he turned to his subordinates and said, "Okay, let's go in and eat."
This is a hotel with private rooms.
Hasegawa booked a large private room that was large enough to accommodate him and his subordinates—a total of 24 people—for dining.
After ordering the food and sitting in the private room waiting for it to be served, Yamauchi quietly asked Hasegawa:
"Master Hasegawa, Honzoji Temple... is that the temple in Nara that was burned down and stolen three years ago?"
Hasegawa nodded, "Yes, that's the one. You weren't a member of the Fire Thieves at that time, so you probably don't have any impression of this case."
"On the day when the Honzoji Temple was attacked by the enemies of Buddhism, not only was the entire temple burned down, the precious sword Yama in the temple was stolen, but the 13 monks headed by the abbot Lianlu were also killed by the enemies of Buddhism."
"After the destruction of Honzoji Temple, the surviving monks built a temple in the eastern suburbs of Nara."
"I never thought I would run into a monk from Honjoji Temple in Koyasan... I really don't want to run into a monk from Honjoji Temple..."
"If they knew that we have no clue about the case of the destruction of the Benxiang Temple, they would drown us with their spit..."
"Just now, Faluo said that the Enma Sword was the sword that Taiko Hideyoshi once wore, which is over 200 years old. Is this true?"
"Who knows." Hasegawa shrugged. "A great man like Taiko Hideyoshi would have owned countless valuable swords. Who knows if that sword is really Taiko Hideyoshi's sword?"
"In short, we don't have the energy to deal with the case of the Benxiang Temple right now. Let's put it aside for now and postpone it. We will deal with it when we have more clues about the Buddha's enemy."
"Let's focus on the current 'Xianyuan Temple Buddhist supplies theft case'."
While they were talking, the dishes ordered by Hasegawa were served one after another.
Hasegawa and the others, who had been starving for a long time, immediately began to eat with relish.
The food in this restaurant was already well cooked, and since Hasegawa's stomach was empty to begin with, he enjoyed the meal even more.
After eating three big bowls of rice in one go, Hasegawa burped loudly in satisfaction.
After burping, Hasegawa yawned loudly.
——I really have to admit that I’m getting old… When I was young, I could be energetic even if I didn’t sleep for 1 or 2 days. But now I feel so sleepy after every meal…
After rubbing his eyes vigorously, Hasegawa was surprised to find that all his subordinates in front of him looked very sleepy.
Immediately afterwards... an even stronger feeling of sleepiness hit Hasegawa's brain.
Hasegawa's pupils suddenly shrank.
——Could it be?!
A terrible thought popped up in Hasegawa's mind.
He subconsciously reached for the sword at his side.
However, his fingers touched the hilt of the sword, and the sleepiness that attacked Hasegawa's brain instantly became several times stronger.
Although he tried hard to open his eyes and keep his eyelids from closing, his control over his eyelids was getting weaker and weaker...
The strength was draining away from Hasegawa's body at an alarming rate, and now he didn't even have the strength to speak.
Before his eyelids closed and he completely lost consciousness, Hasegawa saw his subordinates falling to the ground one after another...
…
…
After Hasegawa and others all fainted, nearly 10 young men in black clothes opened the door and entered the private room where Hasegawa and others were staying.
"These drugs from the West are really powerful. After the effect of the drugs took effect, I immediately lost the strength to speak."
"Stop talking nonsense and quickly transport them all to Sengenji Temple. When moving Onihira, remember to be gentle. He is a distinguished guest that Lord Toyotomi specifically requested to meet in person."
"yes!"