The beautiful face that appeared in Isekana's eyes made her dazzled for a moment.
She recognized the face.
It is the face of Hatsumitsu, who is now known as the "number one geisha in Osaka".
Issekaihana recognized the first light.
By chance.
About half a year ago, Isshikika saw Hatsumitsu on the street for the first and last time. Hatsumitsu was on his way to a certain place to perform at a banquet.
Although she only met Hatsukuni once, her temperament, which reminded people of "a white lotus blooming in the mud", left a deep impression on Isshiki.
Even though she had only met Hatsukiri once and had not seen this beautiful musician for half a year, Isshikika still remembered Hatsukiri's face clearly and could recognize her at a glance.
Isshikika was only surprised for a moment that "Hatsumi appeared before her eyes".
In just a moment, the surprise in Isshikika's eyes turned into horror.
She looked around to confirm her situation and tried to struggle a few times, trying to break free from the thin ropes that tied her to the wooden pillar.
The thin rope that is tied to Isshiki is very skillfully tied up. It ties Isshiki tightly without making her feel uncomfortable.
Isshikika struggled with all her might for a few times, but to no avail, except for the pain in the places where she was bound by the thin ropes, the knot of the thin rope remained motionless.
After struggling in vain, Isshikika gradually calmed down.
The look of panic gradually faded and turned into alertness.
She raised her head and looked at Chu Guang with a wary look.
"Oh?" Chu Guang raised the corner of his mouth and revealed a charming smile, "Not bad courage."
"You were able to regain your composure so quickly."
"It's really rare to find such a courageous woman."
Hatsukiri knelt in front of Isshikika with his knees bent, so that his eyes were level with hers.
"I don't have much time to be myself like this, so I'll make it short."
"I will first tell you what you want to know most right now, as briefly as possible."
"The reason why your Isshiki family was attacked is because you have connections with that 'Shura' Ogata Ittosai."
When she heard the name "Ogata Ittosai", Isshikika's pupils shrank slightly uncontrollably.
Hatsukiri continued without paying any attention to Isshikika's changing expression.
"For some reason, my immediate superior is determined to kill Ogata Ittosai."
"They used a method unknown to me to find out that your Isshiki Sword Hall is very likely to have a close relationship with Ogata Ittosai."
"My crazy boss, who is eager to know the whereabouts of Ogata Ittosai, has decided to raid your home tonight, arrest you all, and then torture you to get information about Ogata Ittosai."
"My crazy boss's various confidentiality tasks are still so airtight. It was not until nightfall when the mission was about to begin that I was allowed to tell the full content of the mission tonight, including the goal. Before that, I only knew that there was a mission tonight."
"So it's a pity. If I had known earlier that the target of tonight's mission was your home, I could have acted earlier and let you escape quickly."
"But the silver lining is that you were lucky enough to escape from your home in time."
"And among the people sent to capture you—is me."
"And I just happened to be the first one to find you."
"In a way, you should thank the pervert who tried to strip you of your clothes and whom I just killed."
"If he hadn't made that noisy noise, I wouldn't have been able to locate you so quickly."
"I don't want to follow my crazy boss and murder innocent people."
"God knows how those people will torture your family, so the fewer people they catch, the better."
"So after finding you first, I secretly brought you to this absolutely safe place."
"Although your grandfather and parents have been captured, they are currently safe and have not suffered any serious injuries. He should be safe for the next period of time."
"I have a very important question for you now."
As Hatsumi spoke, she raised her hand and grabbed the white band tied around Issekai's mouth.
"I'm going to take the tape off your mouth."
"Don't you scream after I take the tape off your mouth?"
"You should be a smart person. You can understand the current situation without me explaining it in detail. The best solution is to just listen to me, right?"
After he finished speaking, Chu Guang tore off the strip of cloth tied around the colorful mouth.
As soon as the strip of cloth was removed, Chu Guang immediately asked with a smile:
"If you know where Ogata Ittosai lives, please tell me his address as soon as possible. He is in danger now and needs to leave Osaka immediately."
As soon as Chuguang finished asking the question, Isshikika immediately "changed her tactics" and asked Chuguang:
"Who are you? Why did you kill Lord Itosai? And why did you save me?"
Looking at Isshikika who not only did not answer her question but also asked questions to her, Chuguang curled her lips.
"...I didn't give you permission to ask me questions."
"Never mind. Anyway, I still have some time, so I'll spend more time to help you solve your doubts."
"During the Summer Campaign of Osaka 200 years ago, the bloodline of the Toyotomi clan was not cut off and it survived tenaciously."
"The 'mad boss' I have been referring to is Toyotomi Nobuhide, a descendant of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the world's leader two hundred years ago."
"I don't quite understand why this lunatic suddenly wants to kill Ogata Ittosai so much. After all, my position in the organization is not very high, and I am not qualified to know all kinds of confidential information."
"Even before this, he had mobilized a large number of his men to search for Ogata Ittosai everywhere, and issued strict orders that Ogata Ittosai must be captured alive."
"Hatsumitsu, the 'first geisha of Osaka' who belongs to Nanakusa--this is just my disguised identity."
"My true identity is that I am a member of the Iga Ninja."
"After the destruction of Iga Village 41 years ago, some of the surviving Iga Ninjas gathered together to try to rebuild and revive Iga Village."
" The remnants of Iga no Sato had been lingering on until a few years ago, when they were conquered by Toyotomi Nobuhide and their lives finally became better."
"Disguising one's identity, infiltrating, and gathering intelligence have always been one of the main jobs of a female kunoichi like me."
"I can play the shamisen, so I was sent here to collect intelligence in Osaka disguised as a geisha named 'Hatsumitsu'."
"Compared to my colleagues who need to disguise themselves as prostitutes, my mission is much easier. At least I don't need to sleep with other men."
"As for why I saved you, it's also very simple."
"Because from the beginning, I never intended to work for Toyotomi Nobuhide."
"I became an Iga kunoichi and worked for Toyotomi Nobuhide purely out of compulsion."
"When I was forced to work for Toyotomi Nobuhide, I secretly swore that I would cause great damage."
"The best thing would be to destroy the entire Toyotomi Group from within - although this is unlikely, I am also working hard in this direction."
"And this isn't the first time I've sabotaged a mission."
"I am pretty familiar with secretly causing trouble for the Toyotomi Group."
Chu Guang answered Isshikika's three questions in one breath in a concise manner.
In response to what Hatsukuni had just said, Isshikika gave a response that was completely within Hatsukuni's expectations:
"Toyotomi Group...are you kidding?"
"Every word I said is true." Chu Guang said, "Believe it or not. Is there anything else you want to ask? I am still in the mood to answer your questions. If you have any other questions, please ask as soon as possible."
"...You just..." Although she tried hard to control herself, Isshikika's face still showed worry uncontrollably, "You said that my family members are safe now. Is that true?"
"Really." Chu Guang nodded, "The person responsible for arresting and interrogating your family is that Lou Luo."
"Although I don't like this sinister monk, I still admire the fact that he always sticks to his principles."
"Roula is a man of strong principles. One of his principles is not to kill people who don't work for the Edo Shogunate."
"As long as your family members don't commit suicide, they will be safe now and for some time to come."
Having said this, Chu Guang suddenly changed the subject.
"Well, I've answered a lot of your questions. It's almost your turn to answer mine."
"If you know where Ogata Ittosai lives now, please tell me where he lives. If you know where Ogata Ittosai often goes or where he will go in the future, that will be fine too."
“……” Isshikika did not answer.
Instead, just like at the beginning, he glanced at Chu Guang with a wary look.
“Hey, hey, hey.” Chu Guang frowned, “I’ve just told you so many things, don’t you still trust me?”
"I'm not an enemy."
Chu Guang spoke word by word.
"If I were your enemy, I would have reunited you with your family in the cell long ago, instead of taking the trouble to bring you here to protect you."
"I don't want to see too many innocent people being harmed by that lunatic Toyotomi Nobuhide, so I tried my best to protect you and tried to protect Ogata Ittosai who was already targeted."
"No matter how strong Ogata Ittosai is, facing Toyotomi Nobuhide's targeted attack, even if he doesn't die, he will be tortured unbearably."
"If you want to see Ogata Ittosai lying dead on the street, then continue to remain silent."
Hatsukuni's words successfully wavered Isshikika's expression.
She lowered her head and looked at the tatami between her and Hatsumi.
"I also... don't know where Master Ittosai lives in Osaka... nor do I know Master Ittosai's whereabouts."
After waiting for a while, Hatsumitsu finally heard Isshikika say this.
Chu Guang stared at Isshikika's face for a while: "...It seems you are not lying. Oh...this is troublesome..."
Chu Guang sighed heavily, then took out a Western pocket watch from his arms.
After checking the time on her watch, she muttered, "There's not much time left... I should go."
After saying that, Chu Guang stuffed the pocket watch back into his arms, then picked up the cloth strip that was used to seal Isshikika's mouth and tied it around Isshikika's mouth at a rapid speed.
Chu Guang’s hand speed is extremely fast.
Isshikika had just reacted when Chuguang had already tied her mouth tightly again.
"My free time is running out. I should go now."
Chu Guang spoke seriously to Isshikika, whose mouth was sealed again.
"My colleagues are still looking for you, so we can't let you go free yet. You will have to stay here for a while."
"The old lady who lives in this house is my friend. She is someone you can absolutely trust. I will ask her to take good care of you."
"If you need anything, just tell her."
"When I can set you free, I will let you go."
"Although I don't think you're the type of person who would act rashly to save your family, in order to avoid any accidents, I have to tie you up like this until I set you free. Please forgive me."
"I will do everything I can to make your family comfortable and keep them safe."
"That's it. I'll come see you later when I have time."
Isshikika struggled hard and made a "Mmmm" sound.
Chu Guang ignored him and walked out of the room.
As soon as she left the room, she saw her mother-in-law walking towards her.
"Are you done talking?" asked the mother-in-law.
"Yeah." Chu Guang smiled bitterly, "Mother-in-law, I'll trouble you to take care of her from now on."
"Haha, it's just a small matter."
"Mother-in-law, do you have any tea? I want to have a cup of hot tea before I leave."
"Yes, I'll go get it. You can sit in the hall for a while."
"I'll just stand here, and leave after I finish my drink. I won't stay long."
"Okay, then you wait here for a while."
My mother-in-law took small steps and walked quickly towards the kitchen at the back of the house.
Just as the mother-in-law left, Chu Guang heard the sound of a door being opened not far away.
Following the sound, I saw that the door was opened a small gap just enough for one person to pass through, and then a strong man slipped into the room through the gap.
"Miss Chuguang."
"It's Shibata."
The person who entered the room was none other than Hatsumitsu’s bodyguard, Shibata.
"Ms. Hatsumitsu, how is it?" Shibata walked quickly to Hatsumitsu, "Does Isshiki know anything?"
Chu Guang shook his head: "She knows nothing."
"I see..." Shibata said with a look of regret, "I thought she might know where Ogata Ittosai lives..."
"Now we can only try our luck and see if we can find Ogata Ittosai's residence based on the clues we know so far." Chu Guang said, "If we still can't find Ogata Ittosai until the end... then we can only ask him to wish him good luck."
"The workload is so overwhelming," Shibata said with a wry smile.
"I don't want to see any innocent people being harmed by that lunatic Toyotomi Nobuhide." Chu Guang said word by word, "No matter how heavy the workload is, we have to do it."
Shibata scratched his hair, and the wry smile on his face turned into a smile: "Then I can only sacrifice my life to accompany you. Who told me to swear a poisonous oath to work with you to destroy the Toyotomi Group from within."
Hearing Shibata's words, a charming smile appeared on Hatsumitsu's face.
"By the way, Miss Hatsumitsu." Shibata suddenly said seriously, "I have something important to tell you. The people above seem to be determined to make some big moves in the near future."
"Big move?" Shibata's words made the smile on Hatsukuni's face disappear, and his expression turned serious again.
"I don't know the details." Shibata sighed. "Neither you nor I are high-ranking officials. We are not qualified to know many things."
"I just heard some rumors. It seems that Toyotomi Nobuhide is going to make some big moves next to prepare for the war to overthrow the shogunate and revive Toyotomi."
Chu Guang’s expression changed.
"'War to Overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate'..." Hatsumitsu's face changed, "That Toyotomi Nobuhide is really crazy... Does he really think he has the ability to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate..."
"...Ms. Hatsumitsu." Shibata said in a deep voice, "I think... it's not unimaginable that Toyotomi Nobuhide would launch a 'war to overthrow the shogunate' now..."
"I hate Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but even though I hate him so much, I have to admit that he is an incredible hero."
"He made one extraordinary person after another willingly work for him."
"Ms. Hatsumitsu, you should also know how powerful Toyotomi Nobuhide's ability to gather people's hearts is, right?"
In response to Shibata's question, Chuguang pursed his lips and remained silent.
Shibata then continued:
"Toyotomi Nobuhide had many talented people under his command, and he also accumulated a huge fortune through smuggling trade."
"The Edo Shogunate is now extremely corrupt. A while ago, its 10,000-strong army was defeated by Ogata Ittosai. It is no longer the Edo Shogunate that made all the lords in the world dare not challenge it 200 years ago."
"After several years of dormancy, preparation, and... mastery of that special technique, I think Toyotomi Nobuhide may actually have the ability to overthrow the Edo Shogunate."
"In short - we should both be more careful from now on, collect intelligence carefully, and investigate what the next 'big move' Toyotomi Nobuhide is going to make."
"...Tsk." Chu Guang's mouth drooped, "The war to overthrow the shogunate...Reviving Toyotomi...It's really crazy..."
…
…
2 days later——
In Osaka, inside the inn where the group of people from Huluya stayed——
"Ogata-kun."
Genichi, who was drinking from a bottle of wine, asked Ogata, who was standing at the door, in a tone that was a little slurred due to drinking.
"What exactly is this surprise you mentioned for me?"
The room that the group of people from Huluwu are currently using as their temporary base is now unprecedentedly deserted - there are only four people in the room: Genichi, Lin, Makimura, and Shimada.
Lin was now sitting next to Yuanyi, blowing on the steaming hot tea in her hand.
Makimura sat in the corner of the room, flipping through the Analects in his hand. Shimada sat next to Makimura, sharpening his knife with a small whetstone.
The couple Ogata and Atachi, who had just opened the door while shouting "Excuse me", stood at the door with strange smiles on their faces, and were reluctant to come in.
Mr. Genichi, I have a surprise for you - these are the exact words that Ogata said to Genichi after he greeted Lin and others in the room.
This is also the reason why Genichi just asked Ogata "What is the surprise?"
When Genichi asked him what the surprise was, the smile on Ogata's face became even stranger.
With a strange smile on his face, Ogata took a step back and waved to the side.
At Ogata's beckoning, a bald man slowly walked out from behind the door where Genichi and the others could not see, and stood where Ogata had just stood.
Looking at the bald man who suddenly appeared, Yuanyi was stunned and his hand that was pouring wine into his mouth stopped.
"Master Genichi." Ogata said with a smile, "This surprise..."
Bang!
Before Ogata could finish his words, a loud bang interrupted him.
This was the sound of Genichi stomping on the tatami.
Following the explosion was a sharp sound of metal collision.
clang!
Yuan Yi suddenly jumped up, and while rushing towards the bald man, he quickly drew out the katana Yangshen from his waist and chopped at the shiny bald man.
The bald man's reaction was also extremely fast.
When Genichi's Yang Shen was only a few inches away from his head, the bald man quickly raised his left hand.
Yang Shen and the bald man's left arm... to be precise, the iron chain wrapped around the bald man's left arm collided heavily, creating sparks.
Ogata, who was originally standing behind the bald man, narrowed his pupils when Genichi suddenly jumped up, and then he quickly jumped away with his wife in his arms, putting some distance between him and Genichi and the bald man.
"Ohh..." Genichi grinned, "This chain...this reaction...is really amazing."
As if they had agreed in advance, Genichi and the bald man...or rather, Fuma, opened their mouths wide at the same time.
"This slash...is indeed Genichi."
"How on earth do you two recognize people...?" Atachi, who was still held in Ogata's arms, twitched his lips and complained.
clang!
The sound of metal colliding rang out again.
Fengmo shook his arm and blocked Yuanyi's Yang Shen.
The moment Yang Shen was pulled away, Yuan Yi quickly reorganized his stance and swung his sword towards Feng Mo again.
The knife comes and the chain goes.
Whether it was Genichi or Fuma, both of them stood still.
The two men stood still and exchanged fierce attacks and defenses.
Every time Yuan Yizhao swung the sword at Fengma, Fengma blocked it accurately.
And every attack launched by Fengmo was also unsuccessful.
Lin continued to blow the tea calmly. When she saw Fuma appear just now, a look of shock flashed across her face, but she quickly regained her composure and looked at Genichi and Fuma who were in a fierce confrontation with an expression as if she was used to it.
As for Ogata, Makimura, Shimada and the others, they all had an expression that said, "What's going on? What should I do now?"
The battle between the Sword Master and the Wind Demon was fierce.
But the winner was soon decided.
clang!
Fengma used both hands to pull the chain to force Yuanyi's Yangshen away, leaving a slight flaw in Yuanyi's middle gate.
The rich combat experience accumulated over the years allowed Feng Mo to seize this fleeting opportunity as if by instinct.
Fuma grabbed the chain wrapped around his left arm with his right hand and pulled it across Genichi's neck.
"I win." Fengmo smiled.
And Genichi…also laughed at the same time.
He lowered his eyes and glanced at the iron chain across his neck, and smiled:
"Ganshi, time has really made you less powerful than before. You didn't even know you were already dead."
"Huh?" Feng Mo looked puzzled at first, then his face changed as if he had discovered something, and then he looked down suddenly.
I saw that Genichi had already pulled out his Wakizashi Enryu with his left hand at some point and pointed the tip of the knife at Fuma's vital points.
"...I really can't accept this." Fengma sighed and slowly put away the chain across Genichi's neck. "When we were both young men, I couldn't beat you. Now we are both old men with white hair, but I am still no match for you."
"We haven't all turned into white-haired old people." Yuan Yi smiled playfully, looking at Feng Mo's glowing head.
"The secret of the Wind Demon Style!"