——Is Osaka such a small city?
Ogata couldn't remember how many times he had expressed such a sentiment.
The person standing in front of Ogata was undoubtedly Isshikika, with whom he had just parted less than an hour ago.
Ogata and Isshikika looked into each other's eyes.
Looking at Ogata, whom she met again so soon, a faint light of joy first appeared in Isshikika's eyes.
Then… She was originally looking straight at Ogata’s face, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed the yellow thing in Ogata’s hand…
She subconsciously turned her eyes and looked over there... After taking a closer look at what Ogata was holding, Isshikika was stunned.
The next moment after her expression froze, a blush quickly spread from Isshika's cheeks to most of her face, even her two small ears turned red.
Isshikika is not some young lady who is ignorant of the ways of the world. She naturally knows what the thing in Ogata's hand is.
Not only did she know it, she had also seen it.
That was when she was 14 years old.
Regarding this memory, Isekahana still seems like it happened yesterday.
Isshikika was not a person who liked reading very much, but on that ordinary afternoon, she suddenly felt like reading a book to relieve her boredom.
Rushui happened to be not at home at the time, so Isika went to her father's study without her father's permission to see if there were any interesting books.
Unlike Yisehua who doesn't like reading, Rushui is a bookworm. His collection of books is so huge that in order to store his collection, Rushui even vacated a storage room in his home and converted it into a study.
Isshiki looked across her father's massive bookshelf from top to bottom.
When her eyes swept across a corner of the bookshelf, Isshiki suddenly made a surprising discovery: in Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian", which had 12 volumes, there seemed to be a thin thing sandwiched between the 5th and 6th volumes.
What is this? Isshikika, curious, pulled out the thin booklet sandwiched between the "Records of the Grand Historian".
This is a book with a yellow cover...
Why is the cover yellow? How weird!
Isshikika thought so as she opened the book.
Isshikika was only 14 years old at the time and was fully protected by her parents. She didn't know what yellow paper was.
On that day, she opened the door to a new world.
After reading only two or three pages, Isshikika's face turned red - a 14-year-old girl was of marriageable age in the Edo period. She had already been taught the ways of men and women by her mother at that time, so there was no possibility that she could not understand what was written on the yellow paper.
The yellow paper book collected by Rushui is one of those with a slightly heavy plot - it tells the story of the son of a sword gym owner, who, with his powerful swordsmanship, captured the hearts of seven young women in one breath, and slept with these seven young women in his last breath.
The plot was too explosive, far beyond the psychological endurance of Isshikika, who was still young at the time.
After reading half of it, Isshikika couldn't bear it any longer. She hurriedly stuffed the yellow paper back to its place and fled out of her father's study.
Afterwards, after some investigation on her own, Isshikika found out that this booklet with a yellow cover was called "yellow paper".
For a long time after that, she couldn't look her father in the face for secretly hiding such things in the study.
Every time she saw her father teaching the students swordsmanship seriously, Isshiki would involuntarily think of her father hiding in the study, smiling obscenely while carefully reading the yellow paper...
Looking at Ogata holding the yellow paper, Isshikika's expression changed wonderfully - and Ogata's expression changed equally wonderfully.
He looked surprised at first.
Then, when he saw Isshikika's gaze turned to the yellow paper in his hand, the blood color on his face hidden under the scarf quickly faded.
As if it was a conditioned reflex, Ogata quickly closed the yellow paper in his hand.
My brain was working fast, thinking about what to say at this moment to break this awkward situation.
"Hmm? Xiaohua, do you know this customer?" The old man behind the counter looked at Ogata, then at Isshikika.
"I guess I'm someone I know." Isshiki quickly withdrew her gaze from Ogata and turned her back to him. "Uncle Katsu, can you take me to my mother's place? I want to give her something she forgot to bring."
"Oh oh! Come with me, your mother and my wife are upstairs!"
"Ms. Isshiki!" Ogata said hurriedly, "Please wait a moment! You must have misunderstood something. I'm not looking at anything weird!"
As Ogata spoke, he quickly put the yellow paper in his hand back on the counter.
Ogata didn't want the people he knew to have any strange misunderstandings about him...
Although it is normal for men to read paintings and calligraphy of this kind in this era, he does not want to leave others with the impression that "a man nicknamed 'Xura' would secretly read erotic books in a bookstore"...
"Misunderstanding?" Isshikika paused and turned her gaze back to Ogata.
"I, I have to give my mother something she forgot to take." Isshiki looked at Ogata for a few seconds, then turned away hurriedly, still stuttering as she spoke, "I'll be back soon."
After understanding that Isshikika wanted him to wait here for a while, Ogata stopped talking and just stood there.
Isshika quickly took the cloth bag in her hand and followed the old man towards the stairs not far away.
Isshiki didn't keep Ogata waiting for too long.
After a while, this beautiful goose yellow color appeared in front of Ogata again.
Until now, there is still a faint blush on Yisehua's face.
Ogata was about to explain immediately, but Isshikika spoke first:
"Let's go somewhere else. Talking here will affect other people's business."
…
…
Osaka is a city close to the ocean and with a dense network of rivers.
A large part of the reason why it developed into the first commercial capital in the Edo period was because of the dense network of rivers and well-developed transportation within the city.
Canals, wide or narrow, can be seen everywhere, with cargo ships carrying goods and small boats carrying people shuttling back and forth on the canals.
After following Isshiki Ka out of the bookstore, Obe was led by her to a secluded riverbank not far from the bookstore where almost no one passed by.
After standing together with Isshikika on the river bank, Ogata hurriedly argued with Isshikika...ah, no, explaining everything that Isshikika had just seen.
"...Anyway, that's it." Ogata said seriously, "I just happened to be forced to give him a yellow paper."
"I didn't want to look at this kind of stuff, but the old man insisted on stuffing the yellow paper into my arms."
"I couldn't get rid of him, so I picked it up and flipped through it."
"I just took a casual look and you're here."
Being able to remain calm even when panicking is one of Ogata's specialties.
He threw all the blame onto the old man.
In fact, Ogata didn't think that what he said just now was not entirely a lie. At least half of it was correct.
He only made minor changes in the two items: "I actually picked up the yellow paper immediately and started to look through it" and "I actually read it carefully for a while."
Isshikika folded her hands in front of her, stood in front of Ogata with a graceful posture, and listened to Ogata's explanation attentively.
After Ogata finished speaking, Isshiki nodded gently: "So that's how it is..."
After saying this, a gentle smile bloomed on Isseka's face.
"It seems that I did misunderstand you."
"I really shouldn't have done that just now. I actually thought you were the kind of person who was very serious in front of outsiders but very frivolous in private."
"That's true. How could a 'Shura' who has dared to fight against the tyranny of the shogunate do something like secretly reading yellow paper in a bookstore?"
The corners of Ogata's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
In order to hide his embarrassment, Ogata quickly cleared his throat and asked Isshikika:
"Ms. Isshiki, do you know the people in that bookstore? I saw you and that old man seemed very familiar with each other just now."
"The bookstore owner is my mother's friend," Isshikika replied. "My mother happened to be visiting her old friend's home today, but she forgot to bring a gift."
"So I just came to deliver the gift that my mother forgot to bring."
"I didn't expect to see you again like this..."
Isshikika let out a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Isshikika seemed to suddenly remember something and her expression froze.
The light called "hesitation" flashed in Isshiki's eyes for a few times, and Isshiki took a deep breath.
" Master Ittosai, may I ask... do you have time now?"
"Hmm? Why are you asking that?"
"You have helped me twice, during the pirate attack and today's 'Great Test'." Isshiki said, "You saved my life during the pirate attack. If you hadn't helped me in time, I would have died that day."
"You've helped me so much, and I've only said thank you a few times."
"I want to give you a little gift as a token of my gratitude."
"But I don't have much money, so I can't give you a decent gift to thank you."
"So I would like to take this opportunity to recommend a piece of precious land in Osaka that few people know about to you, as a thank you for your assistance to me all the time."
Ogata subconsciously wanted to refuse.
Because he never thought that helping Isshikika was something worthy of being thanked solemnly, and he never thought of asking Isshikika for any reward for it.
But he changed his mind and thought - after all, this was Isseka's good intention.
If we just refuse like that, it will inevitably be inhumane and hurtful.
Moreover, the thank-you gift that Isshiki Hana wanted to give was not an expensive gift that was difficult to accept. It was just to recommend a precious piece of land in Osaka to him.
Anyway, I'm pretty free now, so I have time to follow Isshikika to see her so-called treasure land.
After thinking for a moment, Ogata asked:
"The 'treasure land' you mentioned shouldn't be far from here, right?"
"Not far." Isshikika shook her head like a rattle. "From here, it only takes half an hour to arrive."
"Then - I'll have to trouble you to lead the way."
Looking at Ogata who was smiling at her in front of her, Isshikika was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously with a smile on her face.
"Um!"
…
…
Isshiki did not exaggerate or downplay the time required to reach her "treasure land."
After following Isshikika for half an hour, Obe saw Isshikika pointing forward -
“That’s what I call a treasure land.”
Ogata and Isshikika are now in a remote .
There is little traffic, and even the houses are a bit sparse.
Ogata looked in the direction Isshikika's finger was pointing - he saw that Isshikika was pointing at a Buddhist temple.
To be more precise, it is a Buddhist temple that seems to have been abandoned.
Ogata couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked, "Is that the treasure land you mentioned?"
Isshiki nodded: "Follow me."
Perhaps because she had finally arrived at her destination, Isshikika was in a very excited mood and her steps became much lighter.
Isshiki led Ogata to the west side of the abandoned temple, and then pushed open the window on the west side of the temple: "The gate of this temple is sealed. The only way to get in and out is to climb through the window."
After opening the window in front of her, Isshikika nimbly jumped into the temple through the open window.
Ogata followed Isshiki Hana into the temple and his eyes widened slightly as he was shocked by the scene before him.
He originally thought that this abandoned temple must be filled with dust.
But who would have thought that it was so clean inside, the floor and walls were so clean as if someone had lived in this temple for a long time.
This is just a small Buddhist temple. There are no extra rooms, only a Buddhist hall with a large wooden Buddha statue in the center.
After entering the temple, Isshikika first came to the big Buddha in the center of the temple with a pious look on her face. She put her hands together and bowed to the Buddha, muttered a few Buddhist mantras in a low voice, and then smiled and explained to Ogata:
“This is a great place I discovered by accident 1 year ago.”
"Because of the remote location, there are not many people around, it is very secluded."
"No one is in charge of this temple anymore, so you can come and go as you please. You can come to this temple whenever you want."
“More importantly – the scenery is great.”
After saying that, Isshikika quickly walked to the east side of the temple and pushed open a window on the east side.
Outside the window, there are thousands of tiles and curling smoke.
This abandoned temple located in the northwest corner of Osaka offers a panoramic view of half of Osaka due to its high terrain.
Looking at the scenery outside the window, Ogata's eyes lit up: "Nice scenery, this is the first time I have overlooked Osaka from this angle..."
"This is also my 'secret base'." Isshiki turned to look at the Buddha statue, "Sometimes when I'm in a bad mood, I stay in this secluded temple for a while."
"Looking at the scenery outside the window, or chanting sutras in front of the Buddha statue, your mood will gradually calm down."
"Miss Isshiki, are you a Buddhist?"
"Yeah. That's one of the reasons why I like coming to this place."
"Did you clean this temple?" Ogata looked at the clean walls and floor.
Isshiki nodded. "After all, I don't want to stay in a dusty place. Although I am the eldest daughter of a famous sword hall, I am not the kind of delicate woman who can't even wring a rag."
The second half of her sentence was said in a joking tone, which was very rare.
Ogata turned his gaze back to the window.
"Can I bring some of my friends and family here later?" Ogata asked.
"Please do as you please." Isshikika said without hesitation, "This is not my private property anyway. You can come and go as you please."
Having said this, Isshikika paused, then smiled and asked Ogata:
"How is it? Is this place I recommended good?"
"Yes, it is indeed a treasure land." Ogata nodded vigorously, "It is secluded and has beautiful scenery."
“A great spot to view the city of Osaka.”
"and--"
Ogata then changed his tone to a joking one.
"It's also a good place to escape and hide."
"If I'm ever hunted down in Osaka, this will be a great hiding place."
"It's in a remote location and not easily discovered."
"And because of the good field of vision, we can promptly observe if there are any pursuers approaching."
"Master Ittosai." Isshikika pursed her beautiful lips and cast a reproachful look at Ogata, "Please don't talk about these things of fighting and killing in the Buddhist temple."
"Oh, sorry, sorry." Ogata laughed a few times, "It was just a little joke."
…
…
——Hmm…my head hurts.
Hasegawa felt a headache.
But after the pain, he felt consciousness slowly returning.
As consciousness regained, control of his limbs gradually returned.
After feeling that control of his eyelids had been restored, Hasegawa slowly opened his eyes.
What appeared before his eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling...ah, no, an unfamiliar rock wall.
“?!”
Hasegawa sat up abruptly and looked around.
——Is this... a dungeon?
Hasegawa found himself imprisoned in a dungeon-like place.
Three sides of the cell were uneven rock walls, and only one side was covered with wooden fences.
Although it is a dungeon, the facilities are very good.
There is soft tatami under your feet.
Next to it was a pot of water and a plate of snacks with tempting aroma.
There was a toilet in the corner.
There was no bad smell in the air either.
Hasegawa also discovered that he was covered with a thin blanket.
There is everything in this cell except my sword.
He was about to shout "Is anyone there?" to the outside of the cell, when he suddenly heard a young man's voice coming from a shadow outside the cell:
"Oh? What a coincidence! I was just thinking of coming to see you, and you just happened to wake up now."
Hasegawa looked in the direction of the sound - he saw a young man with a purple-handled katana on his waist, with his hands behind his back, walking slowly towards him.
"Nice to meet you, Master Hasegawa."
Before Hasegawa could say anything, the young man took the lead and bowed to Hasegawa from a distance.
"My name is Toyotomi Nobuhide."
"The Toyotomi who sat on the throne of the world 200 years ago."
"A letter from Oda Nobunaga."
"Hideyoshi Toyotomi's show."
"She is a person who is determined to take all the outstanding men into her room!"
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide gave Hasegawa a very graceful smile, revealing a row of beautiful white teeth.