Ogata used the simplest possible words to tell Hatsumitsu the general process of how he obtained the "immortal power".
"I actually got the 'power of immortality' from 'Purple Eyes'..." Chu Guang muttered in shock, "I don't know much about 'Purple Eyes'... Can I actually get the 'power of immortality' from 'Purple Eyes'..."
"Whether you believe it or not, this is exactly what happened." Ogata said softly, "Do you know which number of pill I took?"
"I'm sorry... I'm not sure about this... After all, I'm not the developer of the Henwakamaru. I can't tell which pill you took based on the information you provided."
"Is that so..." Ogata's face flashed with shock. "Then how are people like me who got the 'immortality' from 'Purple Eyes' compared to people like Soemon who got the 'immortality' from strange pieces of meat?"
"For example, I have more weaknesses than them."
"I don't know about that..." Chu Guang shook his head, "No one in the Toyotomi army has obtained the 'power of immortality' from the 'Purple Eyes' like you, so there is no one to use as a reference."
"...If you don't know, then forget it." Ogata sighed lightly, then held the knife at his waist and slowly stood up.
Ogata had just stood up, and Genichi, who had been in charge of the interrogation of Hatsumitsu, spoke up:
"...You really know a lot about the 'power of immortality'."
"It feels a bit strange - I always feel like you seem to know too much."
Yuan Yi folded his hands, placed them on the hilt of Yang Shen's sword at his waist, and looked at Chu Guang with a look without any sadness or joy.
"The 'power of immortality' must be a secret among the Toyotomi clan."
"You are just an Iga kunoichi, yet you know this secret so well... Can you tell me why you know so much about the 'power of immortality'?"
"…Because I hold a high position in Igali."
"High status? Do you have a high authority in Iga?"
"No... In terms of position, I'm just an ordinary soldier in Iga. What I mean by 'high status' refers to another level of status..." At this point, Chu Guang paused.
After a long silence, he continued:
"Jiujiu...has always considered me his successor."
"He has always wanted to train me to be a pillar who can revitalize Iga in the future."
"So he often took me with him and trained me hand in hand."
"So I know a lot of things that people at my level shouldn't know."
"He regards you as his successor." Genichi raised his eyebrows, "From what I know... in Iga Village, the status of women is very low."
"That's the truth." Chu Guang curled his lips slightly, " Believe it or not ..."
"...Then I will just believe what you said just now."
"If you have any other questions, please ask quickly." Chu Guang, who had been talking non-stop since just now, sighed lightly with a slightly tired look on his face.
"We still have a lot of questions. But don't worry - once you answer all our questions, we will keep our promise and set you free."
"Then, the next question - why did the Toyotomi clan attack Osaka tonight? Why did they attack Ogata-kun?"
“…Ha.” Chu Guang laughed at himself. “I’m afraid if I tell you the reason, you’ll be scared.”
"…Is it Nobuhide's intention to overthrow the Edo Shogunate and rebuild the Toyotomi Empire?" Genichi asked back out of the blue.
Hearing Genichi's question, Chuguang was shocked.
"...Who are you?" A hint of vigilance flashed through his eyes again, and he carefully looked Genichi up several times, "You seem to have a deep understanding of the Toyotomi clan... no, Toyotomi Nobuhide..."
"You don't need to ask who we are." The light in Yuan's eyes dimmed slightly.
"…You are right. That madman Toyotomi Nobuhide had been preparing to rebuild the Toyotomi Empire several years ago."
"Although there is no direct evidence, I feel that the reason why he got his hands on the 'power of immortality' was to revive Toyotomi."
"It was not until tonight that I learned that Toyotomi Nobuhide planned to destroy Osaka and hunt down Ogata Ittosai tonight."
"He named tonight's battle 'Osaka Spring Campaign and Suppression Operation'."
"How will destroying Osaka like this help him in reviving Toyotomi?" Shimada couldn't help but ask.
As soon as Shimada finished speaking, Mamiya said coldly:
"…In order to make the Edo Shogunate lose control of the western part of the country?"
"You're right. You're a man with glasses, and you have a bright mind." Chu Guang glanced at Mamiya, "The power of the Edo Shogunate is basically concentrated in the East. The control of the West has never been strong."
"And the feudal domains that had a bad relationship with the Edo shogunate and were most likely to rebel against it, such as Satsuma and Choshu, were basically concentrated in the western part of the country."
"Therefore, Kyoto and Osaka, located in the center of Japan and regarded as the front line of the Edo Shogunate against the west, are of great importance.
"They were not only important towns used by the Edo Shogunate to monitor and intimidate the western countries, but also the Edo Shogunate's most important supply bases facing the western countries."
"Kyoto has never recovered since the Tenmei Fire three years ago."
"The responsibility of monitoring and deterring the Western Kingdom currently rests entirely on Osaka's shoulders."
"And right now, if Osaka is reduced to ruins, imagine what will happen."
"The Edo Shogunate's control and deterrence over the western provinces will plummet."
"If the Western Kingdom were to fall into chaos, the Edo Shogunate, which currently has lost its two major supply bases in Kyoto and Osaka, would not even be able to send out its troops."
"To make the Edo shogunate lose control of the western part of the country - Toyotomi Nobuhide launched the Osaka Spring Campaign for this purpose, destroying the Osaka treasury and paralyzing Osaka's administrative capacity so that it would be difficult to recover in a short period of time."
"Then why attack Ogata-senpai?" Shimada asked, "How can attacking Ogata-senpai help him in his great cause of 'reviving Toyotomi'?"
"… About this, I don't know." Chu Guang's voice sank, "It has always been difficult to guess what Toyotomi Nobuhide was thinking."
"He had a strong hostility towards Ogata Ittosai a long time ago."
"It was probably when Ogata Ittosai had just killed the lord of Hirose Domain and his name had just spread throughout the country that Toyotomi Nobuhide announced publicly: If you meet Ogata Ittosai, try to capture him alive in front of me. If you can't capture him alive, just kill him directly."
"Last summer, he also gave a human skin mask of Ogata Ittosai to a madman who was planning to burn down the entire Kyoto."
Chu Guang's words triggered a "switch" in Mucun's brain. His pupils shrank slightly, and he asked quickly:
"A madman who plans to burn down the entire Kyoto?"
"That madman seems to be Junroku Kunieda," Hatsumitsu continued, "In order to effectively strike at the Edo Shogunate, Toyotomi Nobuhide has been secretly supporting those individuals or organizations that have grudges against the Edo Shogunate and dare to go against it."
"For example, I just mentioned Junroku Kunieda who wanted to burn down the entire Kyoto."
"If Junroku Kunieda's plan to 'burn down Kyoto and pass the blame to the six great sword halls' is to succeed, the most important step is to have someone with a certain reputation brutally kill the people from the six great sword halls in Kyoto, so as to draw the hatred of the masters and apprentices of the six great sword halls to him."
"Ogata Ittosai was already well-known throughout the country at that time, and he was very powerful. If I disguised myself as Ogata Ittosai and went to kill someone, it would not be easy for people to be suspicious."
"So, Toyotomi Nobuhide, who had already mastered the technique of making human skin masks, gave a human skin mask of Ogata Ittosai to Kunieda Junroku."
"After the Nijo Castle Incident in Kyoto, Toyotomi Nobuhide's hatred for Ogata Ittosai seems to have deepened."
"He dispatched a large number of Iga ninjas to various parts of the country to search for Ogata Ittosai."
"It is said that Toyotomi Nobuhide originally intended to destroy Osaka tonight."
"But after learning that Ogata Ittosai is currently in Osaka, we urgently added a mission tonight to eliminate Ogata Ittosai."
"That Toyotomi Nobuhide...what's wrong with him?" At this time, Ah-Ming could no longer bear it and said in an unbelievable tone, "Ayi has never seen him from beginning to end. Why did Toyotomi Nobuhide keep targeting Ayi like he was hunting down the murderer of his father?"
“Who knows…” Chu Guang shrugged lightly.
"... Attacking Osaka... This is equivalent to directly confronting the Edo Shogunate..." Genichi's hands have been clenched since some time ago. "... Do you know what Nobuhide's next move is? What is he going to do after destroying Osaka?"
"I don't know." Chu Guang said immediately, "All military operations directly related to the 'Revitalization of Toyotomi' are kept strictly confidential."
"Even I, who was regarded as the successor by Yoshihisa, did not know until the night fell today that Toyotomi Nobuhide planned to destroy Osaka tonight."
"I have no idea what Toyotomi Nobuhide will do next."
"...Then let me ask you another question." A complex mixture of anger, dissatisfaction, nervousness, and... shame appeared in Genichi's tone. "Nobuhide... is he in Osaka tonight?"
"Forget it, let me ask this question in a different way - do you know where Nobuhide is now?"
"...Do you want to hunt down Toyotomi Nobuhide?" Chu Guang looked at Yuan Yi without dodging.
"These problems have nothing to do with you." Yuan Yi responded bluntly.
"If you want to hunt down Toyotomi Nobuhide... that would be very difficult..." A bitter smile slowly appeared on Chu Guang's face, "Toyotomi Nobuhide... he is most likely still staying in Koyasan now."
Genichi: "Koyasan?"
Koyasan - this word has recently been frequently heard by Ogata and others, as well as Hyakuya and others.
Hearing the word "Koyasan" again, the expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly.
"Are you surprised? The madman who tried to overthrow the Edo Shogunate actually has a base in the sacred Koyasan." Hatsumitsu, who was unaware that Ogata and others had already known about the problems in Koyasan, laughed at himself again, "Toyotomi Nobuhide had been in cahoots with Sengen-sensei of Koyasan Sengen-ji Temple for a long time."
"With the help of Master Sengen, Toyotomi Nobuhide established the Toyotomi clan's stronghold on Mount Koya, with Sengen-ji as its center."
"I heard a few days ago that Toyotomi Nobuhide came to Koyasan."
"It is very likely that he is still in Koyasan."
"Koyasan..." Mamiya looked up and sighed.
The expressions of the others all showed a more or less heavy look - except Ogata and Genichi.
"...Are you familiar with Toyotomi Nobuhide's base in Koyasan?" Genichi asked silently.
"I'm not very familiar with it. I haven't been to Koyasan very often. I only know that Toyotomi Nobuhide's base in Koyasan is centered on Sengenji Temple, which is Toyotomi Nobuhide's most important base in mainland Japan."
"...Thank you for your hard work." Genichi waved to Mamiya next to him.
Mamiya, who had a very sharp eye, saw at a glance what Genichi was going to do. He took out a bamboo tube filled with clean water from his arms and threw it to Genichi.
"Come, have a drink." Genichi handed the unplugged tube to Chuguang's mouth.
Chu Guang, whose lips were already chapped from talking, took the bamboo tube without any hesitation and drank the water in it in big gulps.
Just then—
“Hmm…”
Suddenly, a low groan was heard from the corner of the Buddhist hall.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
Ogata: “Finally you woke up…”
…
…
——Where am I…?
Slowly regaining consciousness, Soemon blinked twice vigorously.
When Soemon opened his eyes with his head drooped on his chest, the first thing that came into his sight was the chains.
A long and thick iron chain tied his entire body tightly to a wooden pillar that was almost as tall as him. The iron chain was wrapped around and around, making it impossible for Zuoemon to even stand up. He could only lie on his back on the ground with the wooden pillar.
Just as he was about to turn his head and look around him, he suddenly heard dense footsteps coming from the front of him.
Mamiya and Makimura walked towards him quickly, and like dragging a dog, they pulled up Soemon on the left and right and dragged him towards the side room on the side of the Buddhist hall.
"Who are you? What are you going to do?!" Zuoemon roared at Mamiya and Makimura, and struggled hard, trying to open the chains that entangled him to the wooden pillar.
The chains on his body were found by Ogata and his companions specifically for Soemon.
They knew that an ordinary hemp rope would not be able to trap Soemon.
So they were very "considerate" and found an iron chain, used it to serve Zuoemon, and even wrapped it around a few more times.
The "consideration" of Ogata and his companions turned into despair for Soemon.
But even though he was strengthened by the "power of immortality", it was difficult for him to break free from such thick chains.
After Mamiya and Makimura dragged Soemon and the pillar into the side room, Makimura immediately covered his face with a white cloth.
…
…
“Mmm…Mmm! Phew! Cough cough! Cough…”
From the side room came the sound of Soemon being water tortured.
After taking a glance at the side room, Yuan Yi announced to everyone:
"Alright...let's leave the interrogation to Mamiya and Makimura."
"Asai, come and tie up Hatsumitsu and Shibata again, and then take them to rest."
"Wait a minute!" At this time, Shibata, who had been silent just now, said anxiously, "Didn't you promise us that you would let us go free after we answer all your questions?"
"Yes. I promised you that." Yuan Yi replied, "That's why I didn't let you go free immediately - because we still have questions to ask."
"After we're done questioning the big guy, we might have new questions for you."
"This..." Shibata opened his mouth, wanting to argue with Genichi.
But just as he opened his mouth again, he saw Chu Guang raised his hand and pressed his shoulder.
Although Hatsumitsu didn't say a word, her small action seemed to have some magical power, which made Shibata calm down immediately.
The two of them were tied up again by Asai , and then sent to another side room next door.
After Asai came back, Asai said to Genichi directly:
"Master Genichi, our next goal is now clear. Koyasan is not far from Osaka. If we ride a fast horse, we can reach Koyasan in less than half a day."
"Hey, hey, hey..." Fengma interrupted at this time, "Don't tell me...you are planning to attack Koyasan next..."
"It is now certain that Toyotomi Nobuhide has indeed established an important base on Mount Koya," Asai said righteously, "Right now, the lord cannot be found anywhere in Osaka."
"My lord, she might be in Koyasan now."
"Even if it's just to confirm whether the lord is in Koyasan, I think Koyasan is a must."
"...As an outsider, I won't interfere in your private affairs." Feng Mo said calmly, "But I still want to remind you - if you want to go to Koyasan, you must be extremely careful."
"I don't think I need to give you more information about the history of Mount Koya, do I?"
"Koyasan is a Buddhist holy place with a thousand-year history."
"It is a forbidden food for countless Buddhists."
"In Japan, there are countless people who believe in Buddhism or have a favorable impression of Buddhism."
"If things go wrong... Not only did I fail to find Xiaolin, but I also failed to strike a blow to the Toyotomi clan. Instead, I was branded as the 'enemy of Buddhism' for all eternity... and became the next Oda Nobunaga."
"Becoming an 'enemy of Buddha' is more terrifying than becoming an 'enemy of the court'."
"Two hundred years ago, Oda Nobunaga burned down Mount Hiei, another sacred Buddhist site that is as famous as Mount Koya, and people have been stabbing him in the back and cursing him to this day."