"Although things have changed, at least Aruo still remembers me as his brother."
"Luckily, Aruo is still alive and still remembers me. Otherwise, I really don't know how to prove to Xiaolin and her mother that I am their family member."
"After listening to Aruo's explanation, I realized that Shengyi had died of illness when Xiaolin was just born."
"Katsuichi also had a problem with infertility. Until his death, he and Araka had only one son whom I had never met - Kinoshita Yoshimichi."
"With Katsuichi's careful cultivation, Jitong has also become a person who is deeply affected by the 'curse' of 'Resurgence of Toyotomi'..."
Genichi paused.
Seems to be thinking about measures.
After a long while, he continued quietly:
"…Poor guy."
"Not only do I set strict standards for myself, like I'm possessed."
"At the same time, he also places strict demands on his offspring."
"His fertility was better than his father's - he had one son and one daughter."
"His daughter is naturally Xiaolin."
"And his eldest son... is Nobuhide, who is 6 years older than Xiaolin."
"According to Araka, Nobuhide is a very smart person."
"His original name was Nobuyuki Kinoshita."
"He could speak when he was less than six months old."
"When he was a little older and could read, he understood everything immediately no matter what we taught him."
"Jitsugi and Shengyi are different. Shengyi thinks swordsmanship is useless, but Jitsugi thinks that although swordsmanship can only defeat ten or a hundred people at most, it can cultivate one's character."
"So when Nobuhide was old enough to practice swordsmanship, he spent a lot of money to send Nobuhide to the best sword gym in the area to learn swordsmanship."
"In swordsmanship, Nobuhide also showed great talent. It only took him two or three days to master a move that would take a normal person a month to master."
"Nobuhide showed great talent in both learning and swordsmanship, which made Yoshimichi overjoyed."
"Nobuhide's excellence made Yoshimichi conclude that it was possible to realize the revival of Toyotomi in Nobuhide's generation."
"Yoshimichi placed all his hopes for the revival of Toyotomi on Nobuhide, trained Nobuhide with greater efforts, and changed Nobuhide's name."
"The name 'Nobuhide' was formed by taking one character from each of the names of Oda Nobunaga, the overlord who almost ended the Warring States Period and unified the world more than 200 years ago, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ancestor of the family."
"It changed Nobuhide from the original Nobuyuki to the current Nobuhide."
"Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, these two names each have one character, which shows how much Yoshimichi expected of Nobuhide."
"Yoshimichi devoted all his energy to Nobuhide."
"But... to Xiaolin, it's a different face."
"Jitong is... a very typical person who looks down on girls."
"He thinks women are just tools for men to continue their family line ."
"So all along, I have been...ignoring Xiaolin."
"Unlike Ji Tong, Xiao Lin's mother, A Ning, is a gentle person."
"It's the same with Aruo. Aruo is also a very gentle person."
"Jitong doesn't care about Xiaolin at all. Only the gentle Aruo and A Ning treat her well."
"They are all gentle, but they are also weak."
"I don't dare to say 'no' to my husband."
"Aruko didn't dare to say 'no' to Shengyi firmly, which led to Shengyi training Jitong, a qualified successor to 'revitalize Toyotomi'."
"A Ning didn't dare to say 'no' to Ji Tong, which led to the same ending for Xiao Lin and her generation."
"They both tried to persuade Yoshitsugu not to focus on anything other than 'revitalizing Toyotomi'. Unfortunately, their efforts were ineffective."
"Although I have never met Ji Tong, I can imagine how much Ji Tong is like Sheng Yi and how stubborn he is."
"Yoshimichi has always wanted to have another son so that the Toyotomi clan can flourish. Having more sons would also provide more 'insurance' in case something unexpected happens to Nobuhide."
"But no matter how much he wanted it, Aruo's stomach never moved."
"Feeling disappointed that he didn't have a second son, Ji often said to Xiaolin: 'It would be great if you were a boy'... Ugh!"
Before Yuanyi could finish his sentence, he let out a low cry of pain - Lin, who was sitting next to him, just secretly stretched out his fingers, gently pinched the flesh on Yuanyi's waist and abdomen with his fingernails, and then gently twisted it in a counterclockwise direction.
"Uncle, there's no need to go into too much detail on this aspect," Lin said calmly.
"Well..." Minamoto nodded, then cleared his throat, "Yoshimichi was ambitious to see the revival of the Toyotomi clan in Nobuhide's generation."
"But he has the heart, but not the fate."
"When Xiaolin was 7 years old, exactly 2 years before I returned to China, he died of illness."
"Then... when Xiaolin was 8 years old, Nobuhide, who was already 14 years old... left home."
"Under Yoshimichi's education, Nobuhide also became a person who... made the revival of Toyotomi his highest aspiration in life."
"'I can't learn anything by staying here. Even if I stay here for another hundred years, I won't be able to revive Toyotomi. Please take care of yourself. I'm going to go out and gain experience and find a way to revive Toyotomi' - these are what Nobuhide said to his grandmother, mother, and sister when he left home."
"After saying this, Nobuhide left his family behind, left home, and... never came back."
"When Nobuhide left home, he also took with him the Toyotomi family's heirloom at the time - the great sword Yoshimitsu Boneshoku."
"More than a hundred years ago, our Toyotomi family was prosperous and had saved a lot of money. The head of the Toyotomi family at that time spent a lot of money to find and buy Yoshimitsu Boneshoku, the purple-handled katana that once belonged to Toyotomi Hideyoshi."
"After Yoshimitsu Boneshoku returned to the Toyotomi clan, the head of the family made the sword a family heirloom that must be passed down from generation to generation."
"As a member of the Toyotomi clan, I have had the honor of wielding this sword several times myself. It is indeed a precious sword that can cut through iron like mud, and is both sharp and tough."
"Not only did Nobuhide take away Yoshimitsu's bones and food, he also took away all the savings of the family at that time."
"The family originally had only two able-bodied people, one died of illness, and the other left home. The one who left also took away all the family savings and the only valuable treasure. Lin and her family immediately fell into a difficult situation."
"For the past 200 years, the fortunes of our Toyotomi family have risen and fallen."
"By the time of our generation, our family fortune had fallen on hard times."
"In terms of economic status, it's just an ordinary family."
"Jitong has a pretty good skill in making pottery, and he relies on this skill to support his family. He is the only breadwinner in the family."
"After this sole pillar of support collapsed, Xiaolin and her family lost their only source of income."
"The death of Nobuhide, the only young and strong man left, made the situation even worse."
"After Nobuhide left, Aruo was old and frail and could no longer do any work, so the responsibility of supporting the family fell on A Ning's shoulders."
"She doesn't have any special skills. All she can do is make umbrellas and do some simple handicrafts."
"A Ning worked very hard to support the family, but she...has always been in poor health."
"After only two months, she fell ill due to overwork."
"Because of Ji Tong's neglect of Xiao Lin, Xiao Lin, who had been looked down upon by Ji Tong since she was a child, had to become a precocious child."
"At the same time, because of Jitong's neglect of Xiaolin, Xiaolin was not too deeply poisoned by the 'curse' of 'reviving Toyotomi'."
"After her mother fell ill due to overwork, Xiaolin, who was only 8 years old at the time, resolutely took on the burden of supporting the family."
"It was also at that time that Xiaolin's business talent blossomed."
"Our hometown is near a small town. In that town there is a drugstore that specializes in selling pills such as 'Etsu Pills'."
"What is 'Yue Nu Wan'? You should be able to guess what it is just by the name, so I won't go into details."
"After investigation, Xiaolin found that this shop is deserted. The reason is that many people are ashamed and dare not approach such a shop."
"Xiao Lin discovered this business opportunity and took the initiative to find the owner of the store. She signed a contract with him, agreeing that she would get a share of the profits based on how many Yue Nu Pills and other pills she helped him sell. Then she carried a medicine box that was half her height and sold these pills door to door."
"Xiao Lin, who keenly grasped this business opportunity, finally succeeded in supporting this shaky family on her own."
"Although our family doesn't have to worry about finances for the time being because of Xiaolin's intelligence, but... you should also know that a family without young and strong men is very easy to be bullied."
"Xiaolin and her friends were often harassed and ridiculed by some bored guys."
"She suffered a lot of injustice at that time, but Xiaolin was also very strong. Even though she was ridiculed like that, she could still wipe away her tears and continue to run around to raise money for her family's meals and her mother's medical treatment. She proved with her own actions that even though she was just a girl, she could do things that many men couldn't do...ah!"
Genichi cried out in pain again.
Lin reached out again and grabbed the flesh on Yuanyi's waist and abdomen, pinching it with much greater force than before.
"Why are you talking more and more about my past..." Lin frowned slightly, with obvious displeasure on her face.
"Okay, okay..." Yuan Yi rubbed the place where he was pinched just now and said, "I know, I know."
"In short, thanks to Xiaolin's efforts, she managed to hold on until I returned home when she was 9 years old."
"After I returned to my hometown, with my help and support, Xiaolin and her family finally lived a life where they no longer had to rely on one grain of rice for two meals."
At this point, Yuan paused, then changed his tone to a half-joking one:
"At that time, in order to make Xiaolin accept me, an uncle whom she had never met before, it took me a lot of effort..."
"I still remember it clearly... Xiaolin threw herself into my arms, crying and hitting me hard, crying, 'When my mother fell ill and I worked hard to support the family alone, where was you, the so-called great uncle?'"
"Hmm..." Lin's face turned slightly red, and she whispered, "I was still young and ignorant at that time. I almost forgot about this embarrassing thing..."
After saying that, Lin raised her hands and patted her cheeks, as if trying to brush off the blush on her cheeks - unexpectedly, it actually worked.
After gently patting her cheeks a few times, the blush on Lin's cheeks gradually faded away, and her expression returned to her usual stern look.
"My so-called brother only had 'revitalizing Toyotomi' in his mind." Lin said slowly, "For the so-called 'revitalizing Toyotomi', he left his grandmother, mother, and sister behind."
"He left home alone and took away all the family savings."
"And after leaving, he never came back."
"Before my grandmother and mother passed away, they always wanted to take one more look at that bastard..."
"That bastard's actions made me want to draw my sword and chop him into pieces right away."
"I hate him so much that I don't even want to mention his name."
"I also don't want people around me to know that I have such a brother who is worse than pigs and dogs, so I have never mentioned him and his affairs to outsiders."
Having said this, Lin turned her gaze and looked directly at Ogata.
"He has a purple-handled katana on his waist, calls himself 'Kinoshita', and is still very young - these are all characteristics of that guy."
"The purple-handled katana he wears on his waist is probably Yoshimitsu Gushi."
"Although I'm not 100% sure, the 'Kinoshita' who sent firearms to the Red Moon Fortress and was suspected of researching 'immortality'... is very likely my brother."
"If it were him, using such a cruel method as human trafficking to study 'immortality'... it really seems like something he would do..."
"He has always been a... a beast with a smiling face but no blood or tears..."
Lin seemed to have recalled something very bad, and her brows slowly furrowed...
"To 'revive Toyotomi', he started to study 'immortality'... If it was him, it wouldn't be surprising for him to do such a thing."
After saying that, Lin took several deep breaths as if she wanted to suppress her emotions.
At this time——Ogata lowered his head, as if thinking.
Muttering:
"Toyotomi..."
It wasn't the first time he heard this last name.
Just now, when Ogata heard Lin announce her and Genichi's real names as "Toyotomi Lin" and "Toyotomi Genichi" respectively, past memories flooded into his mind like a tide.
He recalled.
He recalled that he had heard relevant information about "Toyotomi" half a year ago .
From the mouth of Shuntaro, the leader of the "Four Heavenly Kings" in Shiranui.
When Obaka visited Shuntaro, who was recovering from his injuries in Yoshiwara, before leaving Edo, he first heard about the "remnants of Toyotomi" from him...
After a moment of silence, Ogata slowly said:
"…If that 'Kinoshita' is really your brother…then he did more than just research 'immortality' in order to 'revitalize Toyotomi'…"
"More than half a year ago, the group of lunatics who tried to blow up Kyoto... must have had some connection with your brother."
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, the faces of the people in Huluwu fell - especially Makimura.
A few days ago, when exchanging information with Mamiya and others, Ogata told them all about his previous experiences in Ezo - including the whole process of the destruction of his human skin mask.
Miyabe once said to Ogata, "We just want to find out - your real face under this human skin mask, and why you have this human skin mask that we sold to Junroku Kunieda." Ogata also told the group of people in Huluya exactly what he said.
Junroku Kunieda was the mastermind who planned to blow up Kyoto half a year ago. The human skin mask he used was provided by the forces behind him, Miyabe. Anyone with a little bit of common sense can deduce that this organization that studies "immortality" must have been behind the terrorist act against Kyoto half a year ago.
"In addition to trying to help those lunatics blow up Kyoto..." Ogata then continued, "your brother also tried to take Shiranui for himself..."
"I don't know fire?" Lin's eyebrows jumped slightly, "What do you mean?"
Ogata told him all the information he had heard from Shuntaro, that "the remnants of Toyotomi had been secretly planning to take Shiranui for themselves."
Ogata once briefly mentioned this matter to Atachi.
At first, when Atachi learned that there was such a force behind Shiranui, she was frightened.
After all, people are always afraid of the unknown.
But as time passed, Ating's worries gradually faded away.
After learning that Shiranui had such a close connection with the "Toyotomi remnants", the faces of the people in Huluya changed one after another.
"...The remnants of Toyotomi... Haha, I am increasingly certain that the 'Kinoshita' who is researching 'immortality' is my bastard brother..."
Lin raised her hand and rubbed her brows hard with a tired look on her face.
"Okay...don't you have two questions for me?"
"For your first question, my uncle and I have already said everything I can."
"Tell me about your second question."
As soon as Lin finished speaking, Xu Fang said:
"…The second question is also the question I have been wanting to ask for a long time."
"It's just that I've never asked about this issue out of courtesy, considering it too private."
"But now, both you and we have the will to work together and investigate 'immortality' together."
"So now that both sides are willing to cooperate on this matter, I think it is necessary to clarify this issue."
After a pause, Ogata said word by word:
"Ms. Lin, why are you investigating 'immortality' in Calabash House?"
"Don't tell me that the reason you're 'investigating' immortality is to restore your body to normal like me."
"...Should I say I have a keen intuition?" Lin smiled, which was very rare at this time. "I actually guessed that you wanted to ask me this question."
"On this issue... the story is relatively brief."
As Lin spoke, she slowly turned her gaze to look at Yan Mo placed next to her.
"It all started three years ago when I planned to buy Yanma from Honzoji Temple."
“I first saw ‘The Man Who Dies Hard’ at Honzoji Temple three years ago.”