"Huixing, are you ready?" Master Xianyuan asked a middle-aged monk in front of him.
"Everything is ready." Huixing patted his neatly dressed clothes.
"Yes." Master Xianyuan nodded, "Let's go, it's time to go to the banquet."
After saying this, Master Xianyuan led Huixing, and the two of them walked out of Xianyuan Temple quickly, one in front and one behind.
Koyasan is not a single mountain, but a general term for a group of mountains.
More than 120 temples are scattered among these mountains.
Standing at the top of the Koyasan temple complex is Kongobuji Temple, which has a thousand-year history and was built by Kukai, the founder of Koyasan.
Although Sengenji Temple is not as prestigious as Kongobuji Temple, it is also a famous temple in Koyasan and has a very high status in Koyasan.
Being able to become the abbot of such a large temple, Master Sengen's attainments in Buddhism must have been unanimously recognized by all the monks in Koyasan. Otherwise, he would not have been honored as "Master" and become the abbot of Sengen-ji Temple.
His prominent identity and high status also made Master Sengen one of the most prominent celebrities in Koyasan.
As for Huixing, he was also one of the famous people in Koyasan.
Huixing is a famous monk in Sengen-ji Temple. He is also well-known among the temples in Koyasan for his high attainments in Buddhism. He is recognized as the monk most likely to succeed Sengen Shonin and become the next abbot of Sengen-ji Temple.
In Koyasan, whenever one meets the monks of Sengen Shonin and Huixing, they will basically bow to him and greet him respectfully.
For example, right now——
"Master! Good afternoon!"
"Master! Are you going to the back mountain to study Buddhist scriptures again?"
…
Similar greetings are heard everywhere.
When Master Xianyuan led Huixing towards the deserted back mountain, all the monks they met on the way immediately put down what they were doing and greeted Master Xianyuan and Huixing respectfully.
Facing all the greetings, Master Xianyuan responded to them with a smile.
"Well, good afternoon to you too."
"Well, yes, I am planning to go to the back mountain to study Buddhist scriptures now."
It was a well-known fact in Koyasan that Sengen Shonin and Huixing liked to go to a secluded mountain where no one was around to study sutras.
Seeing that Master Xianyuan and Huixing were so diligent and hardworking, they went to the back mountain to study Buddhist scriptures at noon. The monks who asked Master Xianyuan what they were doing all looked at them with admiration and respect.
Master Xianyuan and Huixing repeatedly greeted dozens of monks who passed by them before they finally arrived at an uninhabited forest area that was usually visited only by birds.
There are countless "undeveloped areas" like this in Koyasan where only birds come.
"...Master." Huixing looked around and confirmed that there were no monks around. He lowered his voice and asked Master Xianyuan in front of him, "Is Toyotomi's love for his sister so deep?"
"Why do you ask?" Master Xianyuan asked without turning his head.
"I was just curious for a moment." Huixing replied, "I always thought that Toyotomi-sama and his sister had a bad relationship."
"Because you told me before: Lord Toyotomi's sister does not support the reconstruction of the Toyotomi world, and her ideas are completely contrary to Lord Toyotomi's."
"But Lord Toyotomi actually held a celebration banquet at noon today on the pretext of 'reuniting with his sister after a long absence'."
"Since a celebration banquet is being held for 'reunion with relatives', then Lord Toyotomi's relationship with his sister... should be very good, right?"
"...I don't know much about Lord Toyotomi's family affairs." After a moment of silence, Master Xianyuan slowly replied, "I don't know what his feelings are towards Miss Toyotomi. Whether in public or in private, Lord Toyotomi rarely talks about his sister to others."
"Lord Toyotomi loves to host banquets."
"So, I think... maybe he just found a random excuse to hold the banquet."
While they were talking, the two had arrived at a rather inconspicuous cave.
This is a cave with a very narrow entrance, which can only accommodate two people side by side.
After lifting aside a few vines hanging in front of the cave entrance, Master Xianyuan led Huixing into the cave.
The cave was very deep, and looking inside, all one could see was seemingly endless darkness.
Without the need for torches or any lighting, Master Xianyuan strode into the depths of the cave with ease.
The air in the cave was not filled with the usual damp and musty smells of caves. Instead, it was filled with a smell that was definitely not found in ordinary caves - the fragrance of food.
The deeper you go, the stronger the aroma of food becomes in the air.
The deeper you go, the originally cramped cave becomes more and more spacious.
The deeper you go, the clearer the light you can see ahead, and the more obvious the sounds of talking and laughing.
Finally, after turning a corner, the view suddenly opened up.
At the deepest part of the cave is an extremely spacious cave.
At this time, candles were installed all around the cave, making the place as bright as day.
This is a cave that was secretly excavated by Toyotomi Nobuhide with the help of Master Sengen after he reached a cooperation agreement with Master Sengen. It was one of the secret strongholds of the Toyotomi army in Koyasan.
At the same time, this is also the place where Toyotomi Nobuhide held a banquet at noon today.
There are more than 20 guests who are qualified to attend today's banquet, most of whom are cadres of the Toyotomi army currently staying in Koyasan.
They sat on the left and right sides of the cave, talking and laughing loudly. The table in front of them was already filled with a sumptuous meal.
The person sitting at the main seat at the banquet was naturally the commander-in-chief of the Toyotomi army - Toyotomi Nobuhide.
"Master, Huixing. You are finally back. We are missing you two." Toyotomi Nobuhide, who was the first to discover the return of Master Xianyuan and Huixing, said to Master Xianyuan in a joking tone, "We have been waiting for you two just now."
"Sir Toyotomi, I'm sorry." Xianyuan Shangren bowed to Toyotomi Nobuhide with an apologetic look on his face, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
"It's okay." Toyotomi Nobuhide waved his hand, "Hurry up and take a seat!"
"Yes." After Master Xianyuan responded, everyone present took their seats.
Sengen-shoin, who held a very high status in the Toyotomi army, sat in a seat second only to Toyotomi Nobuhide.
In the Toyotomi army, Kaixing was just an ordinary cadre who did not hold much real power, so his seat was closer to the end.
"Everyone!" After Xianyuan Shangren and Huixing were seated, Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly stood up, "Shangren and Huixing are here, everyone is here, we can finally start the banquet."
"But before the banquet begins, I have something to announce."
Toyotomi Nobuhide stood up and turned his gaze to look at someone sitting in the seat.
"Prajna, come forward."
"Yes!" The man called Prajna by Toyotomi Nobuhide was a very young man.
When he was suddenly called by Toyotomi Nobuhide, he was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded loudly, stepped out of the line, ran to Toyotomi Nobuhide, and knelt on the ground.
"Everyone present here should have heard about what great achievements Prajna has made recently." Toyotomi Nobuhide looked around at the executives in the circle and said loudly, "It was Prajna who discovered the relationship between Ogata Ittosai and Isshiki Kenkan during the 'Great Trial'."
"Thanks to Prajna, we were able to find Ogata Ittosai."
"It can be said that Prajna made great contributions to our 'Osaka Spring Campaign and Suppression Operation'."
Having said this, Toyotomi Nobuhide turned his gaze to Prajna.
"So, in order to commend Prajna for such a great achievement, I decided—"
Toyotomi Nobuhide leaned over and picked up a katana with a yellow handle and a red sheath beside him.
"Give this sword to Prajna."
"This sword is called 'Xue Yi'. It is a 300-year-old ancient sword that I spent a lot of effort to obtain."
"Although it is an ancient sword, in terms of sharpness and toughness, many swords on the market that are called 'treasure swords' cannot compare with it."
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide deliberately pulled about an inch.
The inch-long blade that was pulled out of the sheath, reflected a dazzling cold light under the surrounding candlelight, as if one's eyes would be cut by the blade at a glance.
Only a blade made of extremely high-quality iron can reflect such a beautiful and sharp cold light under the light.
Looking at Xue Yi's inch-long blade, many people at the table cast envious or jealous glances at Prajna.
"Although this sword is not the best in the world, it is also the best one among all the swords in my collection." Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly put Xueyi back into the sheath.
"I hope you can treat this sword well and be worthy of being its new owner."
Toyotomi Nobuhide held Xueyi in both hands and handed her to Prajna.
"Sir..." Prajna hesitated, "This sword is too valuable to me... I can't afford it."
"Just accept it with peace of mind." Toyotomi Nobuhide smiled, "The reason why I chose to give this sword to you is not only because you have made great contributions."
"It's also because of your desire for revenge that I admire you so much."
"Prajna, you and Ogata Ittosai clearly have a deep hatred, and you wish to cut Ogata Ittosai into pieces immediately. But why didn't you immediately draw your sword and rush forward to fight Ogata Ittosai to the death after you recognized Ogata Ittosai at the venue of the 'Great Test'?"
"…Because I can't beat Ogata Issei." Prajna said slowly and calmly, "I was no match for Ogata Issei a long time ago, when he was still not famous."
"Even if I rushed forward with full of hatred and fought with Ogata Issei, I might not even be able to touch him and would be killed by him."
"So I held back my resentment at the time."
"Pretend you don't know Ogata Issei, leave the venue of the 'Grand Test' with gritted teeth, and report the important information that 'Ogata Issei and Isshiki Kenkan may have a close relationship'."
"I admire your desire for revenge!" Toyotomi Nobuhide said in a joyful tone, "Even though you know you can't win, you still risk your life and launch a desperate attack on your enemy that is doomed to have no effect. Such an act may seem courageous, but in my eyes, it is just the 'revenge of a fool'."
"And 'Revenge of the Wise' is just like you, Prajna - because the best time for revenge has not yet arrived, even if the enemy is right in front of you, even if it means biting your teeth to pieces, you still have to hold back the hatred in your heart."
"This kind of Avenger is the best Avenger and the one I admire most."
"Therefore, even if it is just out of admiration for you, I will give this knife to you."
"Hurry up and take the knife. If you keep dawdling like this, the food for the banquet will get cold."
After hearing what Toyotomi Nobuhide said just now, the hesitation on Prajna's face disappeared a lot.
After hesitating for a few moments, Prajna finally took Xueyi from Toyotomi Nobuhide while shouting out her thanks and raising her hands high.
When Prajna returned to his seat with Xueyi in his arms, Toyotomi Nobuhide spread his hands and let out a long sigh.
"Okay, we've done what needs to be done. Now - let's start today's banquet!"
As soon as the words fell, the cave, which had been a little quiet, immediately became lively.
The guests who attended the banquet grabbed the food and drinks on the table in front of them, and talked loudly while eating heartily.
As for Toyotomi Nobuhide, he sat on the main seat and ate his meal with very gentle and elegant movements.
As he ate, he smiled and secretly glanced at the guests in front of him with a meaningful look that was barely noticeable.
He kept scanning around, as if he was observing something.
Although there was no singing or dancing to liven up the party, the presence of a few loud talkative people made this not-so-large banquet quite lively.
At this moment, a middle-aged man who had drunk some wine and whose cheeks were already somewhat flushed slapped his thigh and said loudly to Toyotomi Nobuhide with an extremely moved look as if he was about to shed tears:
"Lord Toyotomi! After so many years of preparation, we have finally officially started our counterattack against the Edo Shogunate! It really wasn't easy!"
As soon as this person said this, it was like Pandora's box was opened. Many people at the table seemed to be competing with each other and said all kinds of nice things to Toyotomi Nobuhide.
"Lord Toyotomi! All my years of preparation have paid off! The defenders of Osaka are vulnerable! It won't be long before we receive news of victory from Lord Yoshihisa!"
"Of course! The Edo Shogunate is already corrupt, and Osaka's defenses are barely made of paper!"
…
Faced with all the nice words coming from everyone, Toyotomi Nobuhide just smiled and nodded.
"Lord Toyotomi!"
At this moment, a voice louder than anyone else's suddenly rang out, drowning out the voices of everyone else at the table.
The owner of this loud voice is a fat and big-eared young man.
He took a gulp of wine and shouted to Toyotomi Nobuhide with great emotion:
"We are so honored to be able to participate in the great cause of reviving Toyotomi!"
This man delivered a long speech in an eloquent manner.
To summarize the content - the general meaning of this long speech by this fat and big-eared young man is to flatter Toyotomi Nobuhide.
From the ancestors of Toyotomi Nobuhide who kept in mind the "revitalization of Toyotomi" for generations, all the way to Toyotomi Nobuhide himself.
After a long round of flattery, he said passionately with an upright look:
"Lord Toyotomi! In order to contribute to this great cause that is destined to go down in history, and to repay your kindness, all of us in Shiranui will fight for you!"
Ever since the young man started flattering him crazily, Toyotomi Nobuhide had been looking at him with a smile.
Only after this person finished speaking did Toyotomi Nobuhide nod his head:
"Kikutaro, thank you. I am very touched by what you just said."
"But it's a coincidence, Kikutaro. I just happen to have a mission for you right now."
The young man... or rather Kikutaro was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and said:
"Lord Toyotomi! Please tell me! Whatever the mission is, I will do it!"
"I recently heard that many ninjas from Shiranui have been complaining about me in recent days."
"They said that ever since I accepted you as part of the Toyotomi Army, I have been ignoring you and not giving you any chance to show your abilities."
"I fully understand your desire to pledge your loyalty to me as soon as possible."
"But there are indeed no missions that are very suitable for you, Shiranui, to perform. Asking you to do missions that are not suitable for you is like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken."
“So I hope you can understand me.”
"Kikutaro, could you please help me explain this to everyone in Shiranui afterwards?"
"This is the task I gave you."
As soon as Toyotomi Nobuhide finished speaking, a hint of embarrassment immediately appeared on Kikutaro's face.
"Yes." Kikutaro said quickly, "I will definitely warn those fools who don't know how hard you, Lord Toyotomi, have worked!"
Many people at the table looked at Kikutaro with naked mockery at his embarrassed expression.
What's more, he whispered to the person next to him:
"These remnants of Shiranui are getting more and more funny."
Kikutaro's flattery just now and Toyotomi Nobuhide's assignment of the task to Kikutaro were just a small episode at the banquet.
After being given that embarrassing task by Toyotomi Nobuhide, Kikutaro became much quieter and kept eating and drinking quietly.
Just now, after someone brought up the topic of "Osaka Battle", the rest of the people at the table have been discussing this topic enthusiastically.
"Master Jijiu should have returned by now, right?"
"Well, it should be about time."
"Hehe." Someone laughed triumphantly. "Whether it's Osaka or Ogata Ittosai, they should be finished now. How can the defenders of Osaka and Ogata Ittosai be a match for our musket troops! No matter how good Ogata Ittosai is at fighting, can he beat the muskets?"
Before this person's smug laughter died down, someone else retorted:
"That's hard to say."
The one who refuted this person was none other than Toyotomi Nobuhide.
Toyotomi Nobuhide gently shook the wine glass in his hand and said slowly:
"That Ogata Ittosai is, after all, a great swordsman who has never been seen before. He was able to defeat the shogunate's 10,000-man army. Even if he was no match for the muskets, he could still escape with his agile skills."
"I just hope that if Ogata Ittosai escapes, he won't run away to a place where we can't find him anymore."
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide laughed with a strong sense of teasing.
Many people at the table laughed along with Toyotomi Nobuhide.
After Toyotomi Nobuhide brought up this issue, the topic turned to Ogata.
Many people echoed Toyotomi Nobuhide and said:
"By the way, Ogata Ittosai is really good at hiding. We spent so much effort looking for him before, but we couldn't find him."
"When we sent a large number of Iga ninjas to look for him, he should have been in Ezo. The timing was just right. When he defeated the 10,000-strong army of the shogunate, the Iga ninjas we sent out were searching for him all over the country."
"That Ogata Ittosai is really good at escaping! If he really escaped, he shouldn't have fled to some place I've never heard of!"
"According to the intelligence, doesn't Ogata Ittosai have another wife? Humph, I wonder if Ogata Ittosai will abandon his wife in Osaka and run away alone."
"It shouldn't be the case. It's unlikely that Ogata Ittosai would do such a thing."
"When people are in danger, they will do anything! Who knows if Ogata Ittosai will be like Liu Bang in the Tang Dynasty, who kicked the child !"
"Well...what you said...does make some sense."
The guests at the banquet were talking about Ogata as much as they could and engaging in a heated discussion about the matter of "Ogata's escape", filling the banquet with a cheerful atmosphere.
However, at this moment——
"Lord Toyotomi! Urgent news!"
A male ninja dressed as an Iga ninja quickly walked along the tunnel and entered the cave.
Toyotomi Nobuhide, who was about to bring the wine glass to his lips, paused.
"Emergency news? Who sent the urgent news?"
"Yes... Lord Jiku..."
Toyotomi Nobuhide raised an eyebrow and waved at the male ninja.
The male ninja understood what he meant and quickly walked to Toyotomi Nobuhide's side, lowered his head, and whispered something in Toyotomi Nobuhide's ear.
After the male ninja's whisper fell, the smile on Toyotomi Nobuhide's face... froze at a speed visible to the naked eye.