Chapter 49 Chapter 13 The Shadow of Dongyang

The young goddesses who live in Zi et al's house are of course also Qing girls.The younger ones are about thirteen or fourteen years old, and the older ones are about twenty years old. They are all virgins. They wear white silk narrow-sleeved tops and red long skirts when they play Kagura, and they usually wear loose cotton long skirts and narrow-sleeved tops when studying and cleaning in the hall.After work in the morning, each took a book to Nigi Arakita's private school to learn Mandarin and Japanese songs. This is a daily lesson. "what is that?" A group of Qing girls were walking out the back door one after another, and one of them saw something hanging on the wall.

That was the baggage of the practicing martial artist that Musashi hung on the wall last night. "Whose?" "have no idea." "Like a samurai thing." "Of course I know it belongs to a samurai, but I don't know which samurai it is?" "The thief must have forgotten to take it away." "Oh! It's better not to touch it." Everyone stared wide-eyed, as if they were scrambling to see a thief wearing cowhide taking a nap in broad daylight, and swallowed hard in fear. One of them said: "I'll tell Miss Atong." After finishing speaking, he walked back.

"Master, Master, it's amazing! Come and take a look." The little goddess called up from under the railing. Atong was practicing calligraphy in the dormitory. She put down her pen and asked: "What's up?" Open the window and stick your head out. The little goddess pointed with her finger: "Over there, there is a knife and a bundle left by a thief." "It's best to give it to Mr. Arakita." "But no one dares to touch it, what should I do?" "You guys are really making a fuss, I'll just get it later, everyone, don't waste your time there, go to the private school!"

After a while, Atong went outside, and everyone had already left, leaving only an old woman cooking and a sick goddess standing guard. "Grandma! Do you know whose belongings this is?" After A-Tong asked casually, he went to get the burden of a martial artist. She grabbed it and couldn't lift it. Why would a man tie such a heavy thing around his waist to walk? "I'm going to see Mr. Arakita." After Ah Tong explained to the housekeeper grandma, he went out with the heavy burden in both hands. Two months ago, Atong and Jotaro stayed at the home of Ise Daijingu Shrine.At that time, in order to find Musashi, they had already walked through Iga Road, Omi, and Mino. Seeing that winter was approaching, a woman could not cross the snow-covered valley, so she had to teach flute for a living near Toba.When Niyi's Arakita family heard the news, they invited Atong to come to the club to teach the Qing girls in Zidengzhiguan to play the flute.

A Tong's main purpose is not to teach the flute, but to know the ancient music circulating here.Moreover, she also likes to live with Qing girls in the sacred forest, so she decided to live here temporarily. The inconvenience was her companion, Jotaro, who was not allowed to live in Kiyomi's dormitory even though he was still young, and had to be told to clean the courtyard of Shinen during the day and sleep in the woodshed of Mr. Arakida's house at night. In the winter of Shenyuan, the cold wind blows the bare tree trunks, rustling. In the sparse forest, a wisp of morning smoke slowly rises—like the incarnation of a fairy.It can't help but remind people that under the morning smoke, Jotaro is cleaning with a bamboo broom!

Atong stopped. Jotaro must be cleaning there. At the thought of Jotaro, a smile appeared on Atong's face. That little boy. That disobedient guy. Recently, Jotaro actually listened to his own words honestly, and even though he was having fun, he worked hard. She heard the sound of snapping branches.Carrying the heavy burden in both hands, A-Tong came to the path in the forest. "Jotaro!" she called out.And from far away— "Yo--" It was Jotaro's energetic voice, and it didn't take long to hear his footsteps running down. "It's Sister Atong!"

He stopped in front of Atong. "Oh! I thought you were sweeping the floor! What are you doing with your short jacket and wooden sword?" "I'm practicing swordsmanship! I use trees as my enemies and practice swordsmanship by myself." "Practicing swords is fine, but this is a shrine, where we pursue tranquility and peace. It is the spiritual place of our Japanese people, and it is also a sacred place for everyone to come here to worship the goddess—so, do you see that there is a sign hanging there, which says It is forbidden to climb and break the trees in the shrine, and kill birds and animals indiscriminately. Besides, you are the person in charge of cleaning the shrine, how can you use a wooden sword to cut down branches?"

"I know!" Jotaro replied, disapproving of Atong's preaching. "If you know, why do you still need to cut down the branches? Mr. Arakida will definitely be scolded if he finds out." "But, it doesn't matter if the dead branches are cut off! Can't even cut off dead branches?" "no." "What are you talking about! Then I have something to ask Sister Atong." "What's up?" "Since this shrine is so important, why don't people cherish it?" "It's a shame. It's like weeds are growing in your own mind."

"It doesn't matter if the weeds are overgrown. Some tree trunks were struck by lightning and split open, so they were left to rot and be ignored. The big trees that were blown down by the storm have died; look at the shrine, where there are bird's nests everywhere. The roof is leaking, the wing rooms have been damaged, and the lanterns are hanging crookedly. How can this kind of place look like an important shrine? Sister Atong, I want to ask you, the view of Osaka Castle from the sea outside Settsu is really dazzling; Tokugawa Ieyasu is now starting to build Fushimi Castle, and has begun to build more than a dozen huge castles in various countries; in Kyoto and Osaka, apart from the official residences of the generals and wealthy families, the general houses are also beautifully built, and the courtyards are in the Rikyu style or Enshu style, and I heard that even the tea will not drop a speck of dust. But look at our place, in this vast shrine, why only me and my grandfather in white coat are cleaning, and there are no more than three Only four people!"

Atong nodded slightly. "Jotaro, why are your words exactly the same as what Mr. Arakita said a few days ago?" "Ah! Is sister Atong going to the class too?" "Of course I went to listen." "It's worn out." "It won't work if you learn and sell now. However, Mr. Arakida's words are indeed sincere, although I am not moved by your showing off." "Really... After listening to Mr. Arakida's lecture, I don't think Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu are not great at all. Although everyone praises their great achievements, after they won the world, they think they are the world. Invincible, so I don't think they're great."

"Nobunaga and Hideyoshi are okay. Although they use the world and themselves as an excuse, they still have a little awe of the imperial palace in Kyoto, and they can win the hearts of the people. It is the Ashikaga shogunate era, especially the era of civilization. times, that's really miserable." "Hey, what do you say?" "Didn't the Yingren Rebellion happen during this period?" "That's right." "Because of the incompetence of the Muromachi shogunate, civil strife broke out everywhere. In order to expand their own rights and interests, powerful people fought one after another, causing people to live in dire straits. No one cared about the overall situation of the country." "Are you referring to the power struggle between Yamana and Hosokawa?" "That's right, they started wars for their own interests. It can be said that it was an era of selfish self-interest. At that time, Mr. Arakida's ancestor, Mr. Arakita Nobune, served in Ise Shrine from generation to generation. But most of the samurai in the world are selfish. They are all fighting endlessly for self-interest. Therefore, since the Onin Rebellion, few people have worshiped the gods. The ceremonies left over from ancient times have also been abandoned, although Mr. Arakida’s ancestors have responded to the government for twenty-seven The second time, I asked to revive the festival, but the court funds were insufficient, the shogunate lacked sincerity, and the samurai were even more selfish. They only fought for their own territory, and no one paid attention to this matter. Mr. Shi Jing In the trend, it is necessary to fight against the power, overcome poverty, and lobby the people everywhere, and finally moved the shrine to a temporary palace in the sixth year of Mingying. Do you think this is ridiculous? But think carefully, we don’t Do you often forget your mother's nurturing grace after you grow up?" Jotaro waited for Atong to finish speaking in one breath, clapped his hands and jumped up. "Hahaha, hahaha, do you think I don't know if I don't say anything? It turns out that Sister Atong is also learning and selling." "Gee! You've had the lessons—you're a horrible person!" A Tong made a gesture to hit him, but the burden in his hands was too heavy, so he stopped after only a few steps, and could only look at him with a smile. "Hey, what's that?" Jotaro ran over. "Sister Ah Tong whose knife is that..." "No, you can't take it, it's someone else's." "I'm not going to take it, you can lend me a look - it looks very heavy, what a big knife!" "Look at those greedy eyes of yours." Atong heard the sound of straw sandals slapping from behind. It turned out to be an immature goddess who had just left the Ziwai's Pavilion. "Master, Master, Mr. Ni Yi is looking for you, and seems to have something to ask you for." When A-Tong turned around, she turned around and ran back again. Jotaro seemed to be frightened, and immediately looked around the forest. The winter sun shines through the treetops, forming waves of light, reflecting speckled shadows on the ground.Jotaro was under the tree, not knowing what was going on in his mind. "What's the matter with you, Jotaro, what are you looking at with your wide eyes?" "……nothing." Jotaro bit his finger thoughtfully. "The girl who ran over just now called you master suddenly. I thought she was calling me master, so I was shocked." "Are you referring to Brother Musashi?" "Ah, ah!" Jotaro faltered like a mute, and Atong was suddenly heartbroken, his nose was sore, and he almost shed tears. Why did Cheng Taro mention this person? Although he was unintentional, it aroused Atong's sadness. Atong cannot forget Musashi for a day.This is her heavy burden, why can't she get rid of this burden?The ruthless Ze'an once asked Atong to live on undisputed land to marry and have children.However, Ah Tong only felt that he was a Zen monk who didn't understand emotions, and felt sorry for him.But her yearning for Musashi cannot be forgotten. Love is like tooth-cavity bacteria, it makes the tooth decay bigger and bigger.Usually she doesn't think about this incident, and Atong is doing well, but whenever she thinks about Musashi, she is at a loss. She just wanders around blindly, looking for traces of Musashi, and wants to cry on Musashi's chest. Atong walked silently.Where is Musashi?Where?Not being able to find Musashi made her anxious. A Tong was weeping, walking silently with her hands folded around her chest—her hands were still holding the burden of a martial artist who smelled of sweat and a heavy sword. However, Atong didn't know about it. How did she know it was Musashi's sweaty smell?She just felt that the burden was very heavy, and because she was thinking about Musashi, she didn't pay attention to the burden at all. "Sister Ah Tong—" Jotaro chased after him with an apologetic expression on his face.When Atong was about to enter Mr. Arakida's house, Jotaro just caught up with her. "Are you angry?" "...No, I'm not angry." "I'm sorry! Sister Atong, I'm so sorry." "It's not Jotaro's fault, it's the crybaby who came to me again. Now I have something to ask Mr. Arakita, you go back and sweep the floor first, okay?" Arakida Ushitomi named his house "Gaku no House" and used it as a private school.The students who come here to study, in addition to the pure and lovely goddess, there are also children from all walks of life in the three counties of the gods, about 50 of them. Shi Fu taught these students some knowledge that has been lost in today's society, that is, ancient studies that are not valued by the metropolis. After these children have learned this knowledge, they will understand the Ise native land with its vast forest and its glorious allusions.From the perspective of the overall situation of the whole country, everyone now believes that the prosperity of the samurai family is the prosperity of the national system. As for the decline of the local area, they do not think it is a sign of the decline of the country.At least, among the disciples of the gods, cultivate seedlings, hoping that they will pass on in the future, just like this big forest, endlessly, hoping that the spiritual culture will be strong and prosperous one day.This is Arakida's tragic career. With love and patience, Thi Fu explained the profound and difficult "Ancient Matters" and Chinese scriptures to the children every day. Maybe Ushitou has been tirelessly educating the next generation for more than ten years. Therefore, whether it is Toyotomi Hideyoshi who controls the power of the world, or Tokugawa Ieyasu as the general who conquers barbarians, the people in this area, even three-year-old children, will not take it seriously. These star-like heroes mistaken for the sun. Now, Shifu finished his class and walked out of the "School of Learning". After class, the students dispersed and went home. "Mr. Ni Yi, Miss Atong is waiting for you over there." A goddess spoke to Shifu. "I almost forgot." It was only then that Shifu remembered this matter. "I came to her, but I forgot all about it." A Tong stood outside the private school, holding the burden of a martial artist in her hands. She had been listening to Shi Fu's lecture outside the door since just now. "Mr. Arakida, I'm here, what do you want me to do?" "Miss Atong, I've kept you waiting, please come in." Shi Fu invited A-Tong into the house, but before he could sit still, he saw the bundle in A-Tong's hand and asked: "what is that?" A-Tong told him: This was hung on the wall of Zideng's Pavilion this morning. I don't know whose thing it is.The goddesses didn't dare to get close to it because they didn't think it was the burden of ordinary people, so I brought it to my husband.After listening to it, Ushitomi Arakida also felt puzzled. "Oh……" He frowned and looked at the bundle. "It doesn't look like something left by someone who came here to worship." "Ordinary people who come to worship don't go there. And they didn't find it last night. The little goddesses only found this burden this morning. It can be seen that this person came in in the middle of the night or at dawn." "Hmm..." Shi Fu's face was a bit ugly, and he muttered to himself: "Maybe it's aimed at me, or maybe it's a deliberate prank by a villager from the gods." "Who do you think is playing a prank?" "To be honest, that's exactly why I came to you." "Is it about me?" "Don't be angry when I say it out—the thing is like this, some of the priests of the gods have protested to me, thinking that it is not appropriate to keep you in the house of children." "Oh! So I caused it." "You don't need to apologize in the slightest, but, from a worldly point of view—I told you, don't be angry... They don't think you are a goddess who doesn't understand men. Therefore, if you are left in the child's house, it will hurt you." Desecrate the holy place." Although Shifu downplayed it, Atong's eyes were filled with tears of regret. She was not angry, but felt helpless.Measure yourself by secular standards, think that she is wandering around, rolling in the rivers and lakes, and wandering the world with an unforgettable and eternal love, of course you will think that she is no longer pure.However, a chaste woman cannot bear this kind of shame and injustice!Atong was trembling with excitement. Shifu didn't seem to think so much. In short, people's words are scary, and spring is coming soon, so Shifu wanted to discuss with Atong that he didn't need to teach Qing girls to play the flute. museum. Atong didn't plan to stay here for a long time, but now it has brought trouble to Shifu, which further deepened her intention to leave, so she immediately agreed, thanked Shifu for taking care of her in the past two months, and decided to leave today. go. "No, there's no need to be in such a hurry." After finishing speaking, Shi Fu also sympathized with Atong's situation. He didn't know how to comfort her, so he just put his hand on the bookshelf. Jotaro followed Atong, and at some point he had reached the corridor behind. At this time, he poked his head and said quietly to Atong: "Sister Atong, are you leaving Ise? I want to go together too. I'm tired of cleaning here, so I just took this opportunity to escape, okay...this is a good opportunity, Sister Atong." "It's a little bit of my heart... Ms. Atong, this meager gift of thanks can be used as a entourage on the road!" Shifu took some silver from the box on the bookshelf. A Tong was deeply terrified and did not accept the money.Although she taught the Qing girl playing the flute in Zi et al's house, she has been here for two months and has been taken care of by Shifu, so she said that if she wants to accept the thank you gift, she should also pay the accommodation fee, so she refused. accept.Shi Fu said: "No, you must accept this thank you gift, because I still have something to ask you when you arrive in Kyoto, so please accept the money." "I will definitely do what you entrusted to me, but I take the money with my heart." Atong pushes the silver back, Shifu sees Jotaro behind Atong: "Hey! Then this is for you on the way." "thank you!" Jotaro accepted it immediately, and said: "Sister Atong, can I accept it?" Jotaro cut first and then played, but Atong had nothing to do with him. "Thank you very much." Atong thanked him again and again, and Shifu felt relieved. "I would like to ask you to hand this over to Mitsuhiro Karasuma who lives in Horikawa when you arrive in Kyoto." With that said, take a roll of pictures from the shelf. "This is a picture I drew at the request of Guang Guangqing the year before last. At that time, it was agreed to ask Guang Guangqing to inscribe poems on the painting. I don't think it can express my sincerity if I send someone or entrust a messenger, so please go all the way. Be careful not to get caught in the rain or get dirty." Ah Tong felt that the responsibility was heavy, but he couldn't refuse it.Shifu took out a special box and oiled paper, ready to wrap the painting.But he may have a soft spot for this painting, and he is always reluctant to give it away, so he said: "Let me show you this picture too!" After speaking, spread out the painting. "Wow!" Atong unconsciously gave out praise, and Jotaro also opened his eyes wide, and came closer to watch. Although no poems have been inscribed yet, I can't understand the meaning expressed by this painting.However, it can be seen that it is the life and customs of the Heian period. It is painted with gorgeous cinnabar pigments using Tosaryu's fine brushwork, which makes people never get tired of it. Jotaro doesn't know how to draw. "Ah! This fire is really painted, it looks like it's really burning..." "You can only see but not touch!" Both of them were engrossed, both attracted by the painting.At this moment, the butler came from the courtyard and said a few words to Shi Fu. After listening, Shi Fu nodded and said: "Well! If it looks like this, then it's not a suspicious person. To be on the safe side, I'd better ask that person to write down a note and return the things to him." After speaking, he took the sweaty samurai bag that Atong brought to the housekeeper. The Qing girls in Ziwaizhiguan heard that the master who taught the flute was leaving suddenly, and everyone felt reluctant to leave. "Really?" "is this real?" Everyone surrounded Atong. "Are you not coming back?" Everyone seemed to be separated from their own sister, very sad.At this time, Jotaro shouted outside the building: "Sister Atong, are you ready?" Jotaro took off his white coat and put on his own jacket, with a wooden sword hanging across his waist.The important pictures brought by Futo Arakida and the others were wrapped in two or three layers of oiled paper, put in a box, wrapped in a large towel, and carried by Jotaro. "Oh! You're so fast!" Atong answered from the window. "Of course I'm fast—Sister Atong, aren't you ready yet? Why are women moving so slowly when they go out!" This place prohibits men from entering, so when Jotaro was waiting for Atong, he could only stand under the eaves and bask in the sun. He looked at the Kamiji Mountain shrouded in mist, stretched his waist and yawned. Jotaro is a lively and active little boy, he can't bear to wait, and he becomes bored after a while, and he is getting impatient to wait. "Sister Ah Tong, are you still alright?" Atong replied in the museum: "I'm going out right away." Atong had already made preparations, but in just two months of getting along, she had become so close to these goddesses that she was like brothers and sisters. When she wanted to leave suddenly, those young girls were very sad and could not bear to let Atong go. "I'll be back again, please take care of yourself." Atong knew in her heart that it was impossible to come back, and she knew she was lying. Some of the goddesses sobbed softly, and some said that they wanted to send Atong to the Shinkyo Bridge in Isuzu River. Everyone surrounded Atong and walked outside the door. "Hey! Strange." "Jotarou just kept yelling to leave, why is there no one around now?" The goddesses put their hands around their mouths and shouted: "Chengtai!" "Where are you, Chengtai?" Atong knew Jotaro well, so he wasn't worried. "He must not be able to wait. He ran to Shenqiao alone." "It's unbearable." A goddess looked at Atong's face and said: "Is that child your master's child?" Atong couldn't laugh, she replied solemnly: "What are you talking about? How could that Chengtai be my child? I'm only twenty-one this spring! Do I look that old?" "But there are people who say so." Ah Tung suddenly remembered the terrible words that Thi Fu mentioned just now, and felt very angry.However, no matter what others say, as long as there is one person who trusts himself, it will be fine. "Sister Atong, you are good or bad! You are good or bad!" I thought Jotaro had already left first, but unexpectedly he chased him from behind. "Tell me to wait for you, but you left first, it's really unmeaning." Jotaro muttered. "But you weren't here at all just now!" "I'm not here, so you have to look for it first! Just now I saw a man who looks like my master walking towards Toba Street. I thought it was strange, so I ran over to find out!" "Ah! Someone like Musashi?" "But I was wrong. I chased after the street tree, and saw the back of the man walking with a limp from a long distance... I was very disappointed." The two of them traveled all the way, and Jotaro, like just now, tasted the pain of shattered hopes almost every time.Because, on the road, whether it is a person who passes by or a person whose back looks like Musashi, he will run up to make sure. Sometimes he sees a figure of Musashi upstairs in someone else's building, or a person sitting in a ferry. People who look like Musashi—whether they are riding a horse or riding a sedan chair, as long as everyone looks a little bit like Musashi, Jotaro will say excitedly: Hey!is it him? Jotaro will definitely try his best to confirm whether the other party is Musashi, and he always comes back with a lonely expression every time, and this kind of thing has happened dozens of times. Therefore, Atong was not angry at what Jotaro said, especially when she heard Jotaro say that it was a lame samurai, she actually laughed. "It's too hard for you. If you feel depressed just before you start the journey, the rest of the journey will be very boring. Let's shake hands and say goodbye before we start!" "Where are these little girls?" Jotaro looked around impolitely at the group of goddesses following behind: "Are they going together?" "That's not the case, they just reluctantly want to send us to the Uji Bridge on the Isuzu River." "That was really hard work." Jotaro imitated Atong's tone. The goddesses, who were originally full of sorrow, immediately became lively because of Jotaro's participation. "Master A-Tong, you are going the wrong way, you didn't turn there." "I didn't go wrong." A Tong turned to the direction of the jade string imperial gate, facing the main hall of the inner palace in the distance, put his hands together and bowed his head in worship for a long time. Seeing this, Jotaro said: "Ah! So that's it, Sister Atong is saying goodbye to the gods." Jotaro said, looking at Atong from a distance.The goddesses poked his back with their fingers. "Chengtai, why don't you come to worship?" "I do not want." "How can you say no? You can twist your mouth!" "I won't feel well if you do." "Why is it uncomfortable to worship a god? This god is different from the common secular gods, or popular and fashionable gods. You can imagine her as a distant mother. How can you feel uncomfortable?" "I understand this." "If you understand, go to worship!" "I don't like it!" "You are so stubborn!" "Shut up, you stinky girls, stinky Sanba." "Ouch! Cursed." The goddesses dressed in the same style all stared wide-eyed. "Ouch--" "Ouch." "This kid is scary." Atong walked back after paying respects. "What happen to you guys?" The goddesses are waiting for Atong to come back to uphold justice. "Cheng Tai called us stinky girls just now—and, he also said that he hates worshiping gods." "Chengtai, it's your fault." "what the hell?" "Didn't you say before that in the Prajna Wilderness of Yamato, when Musashi was dueling with the people of Hozoin, you were very worried, and clasped your palms in the air and shouted for the blessing of the gods. Isn't there such a thing? Now you also go to worship." "But...everyone is looking at me." "Okay, everyone, turn your heads away, and I will also turn your head—" Everyone lined up with their backs to Jotaro. "...Is this okay?" After Atong finished speaking, he didn't hear Jotaro's reply, so he secretly turned his head to look, and saw Jotaro running in the direction of the jade string imperial gate, standing there and bowing deeply.