Chapter 95 Chapter 05

Musashi fell into a deep sleep. He was lying in a small temple, and the plaque of "Asama Shrine" was hung on the eaves of the temple. This small temple sits right on a fist-shaped rock on the plateau, the highest point of Mt. Yanwei. "Hey! Come up quickly! You can see Mount Fuji from here!" The human voice came to the ears, and Musashi, who was lying under the eaves of the temple with his hands as a pillow, jumped up.I saw the brilliant morning sun reflecting the colorful clouds, but no one was seen climbing up. Looking into the distance of the sea of ​​clouds, the top of Mount Fuji had been dyed red by the rising sun.

"Ah! It's Mount Fuji." Musashi exclaimed like a boy.In the past, he had only seen the scenery of Mount Fuji in pictures, and had described its scenery in his heart, but this was the first time in his life that he saw Mount Fuji with his own eyes. Especially at the moment of waking up, when he suddenly saw Mt. Fuji, which was the same height as him, it felt as if he had met it head-on, which made Musashi forget himself for a moment, and could only keep admiring it. "what!" Musashi gazed at Mount Fuji intently.Suddenly I couldn't help but shed tears.He didn't wipe away his tears, the tears glowed red on his face facing the rising sun.

How insignificant human beings are. Musashi was deeply impacted. Compared with the magnificent universe, he was even more dwarfed and smaller, and he couldn't help but feel sad from it. In all fairness, when Musashi went down the pine tree at Ichijo-ji Temple, dozens of Yoshioka's disciples were all intimidated by his sword, so that Musashi thought—— The world is just like that. The seedlings of self-conceit grow in his heart. There are not a few people who have the reputation of "swordman" in the world, but their strength is nothing more than that!This kind of arrogance made Musashi even more arrogant.

However, no matter how great a person with superb swordsmanship and world-renowned is!How many lives can you have? Musashi was sad.Especially seeing the eternal standing and pleasant appearance of Mount Fuji made him even more ashamed and remorseful.After all, human life is limited and cannot last forever like nature. Those who are better than themselves are greater than themselves, and those who lag behind are ordinary people. There is no way for Musashi to be as magnificent as Mount Fuji. Unknowingly, he has already knelt on his knees land. "..." Musashi clasped his hands together.

Pray that my mother can enjoy the blessings under the nine springs.Thank you for the grace of the earth, and pray for the safety of Atong and Jotaro.He also secretly made a wish, that is—even though he is incapable of being as great as the gods of heaven and earth, even though he is only a small human being, he must spur himself to become a great man. "..." He joined hands again. ——I am so stupid, why do you think human beings are so small? he muttered to himself. ——Nature is great because it is reflected in the eyes of human beings.God exists through the human heart.Therefore man is the greatest and can make the greatest action.Moreover, human beings are the spirits of all things!

——The difference between human beings, gods, and the universe is not far apart, even just in front of the three-foot long knife you wear on your waist.No, it should be said that when there are still differences among the three, it is still quite far from the realm of great men and celebrities. Musashi put his palms together in prayer, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.At this time, the voice of the traveler came again. "Wow! It's so clear!" "It's rare to have the opportunity to worship the God of Mount Fuji like this!" Four or five climbers watched the scenery with their hands shaded from the sun.Among these people, some people look at the mountains to see the mountains, and some people look at the mountains to see the gods, each has its own merits.

Travelers from the east and west directions met at the foot of Fist Mountain and went their separate ways.At this time, the figures of the travelers gradually became as small as ants. Musashi went to the back of the pond and looked at the mountain road——Dazura and Jotaro of Narai should have come along this mountain road. If they hadn't met here, they should have seen his message—so Musashi was very relieved. Because for the sake of caution, Musashi picked up a stone slab on the roadside at the foot of the mountain, left a message and stood on the edge of the cliff.It says: But it was already past the time when there were many people in the early morning, and the sun was shining brightly on the plateau, but no one like Mr. Dazang passed by, and no one saw his message board and called him from below.

"Strange." Musashi was full of suspicion and could hardly hold back. "They should come." Musashi was convinced. Because this road is divided by the mountains of this plateau, leading to Koshu, Zhongsen Road, and Beiguo Street respectively.And the river flows all the way north into the seaside of Echigo. Regardless of whether Narai Dazang is going to the plain of Zenko Temple or the direction of Nakasendo, it must pass here. However, the world is unpredictable and often unexpected.Maybe there was an emergency, or the other party suddenly changed his mind and went to another place, and stayed at the hotel at the foot of the previous mountain.Although Musashi had a day's worth of food with him, he decided to go back to the hotel at the foot of the mountain for breakfast and lunch.

"Just do it!" Musashi was about to walk down the rocky mountain. Suddenly, there was a sound of angry reprimand from the bottom of the rocky mountain. "Ah! There he is." That voice was as murderous as the stick that attacked him the night before.Startled, Musashi grabbed the rock and looked down, and happened to meet the eyes of the yeller. "Friend, I've caught up with you." It turned out to be Konosuke and his mother at the foot of Mount Komayake. The mother was riding on the back of the ox, and Gonnosuke held the four-foot-long stick and the ox rope in his hand, staring straight at Musashi.

"My friend, it's great to meet here. You must have known our strategy, so you left without saying goodbye. In this way, I also lost my position. Let's fight again! Come and taste the power of my wooden stick." Musashi was walking on a narrow mountain path between rocks.At this time, he stopped and leaned on the rock to look down.Seeing that Musashi refused to come down, Quan Zhisuke said: "Mother, you stand guard here. The competition does not have to be on flat ground. I will climb up and knock him down for you to see." He let go of the ox rope in his hand.And re-hold the wooden stick under the armpit.About to climb up a rocky mountain.

"Son!" His mother explained again. "You failed last time because you were too negligent. Before you took action this time, you still didn't understand the hostility first. If he pushes down the rock from above to attack, what should you do?" Then, the mother and son talked for a while.Musashi only heard his voice, but couldn't distinguish his meaning. Musashi decided as they discussed - this challenge must be avoided. Because he has already won.Moreover, he has already seen the opponent's stick skills, so there is no need to compete again.Moreover, although the mother and son failed, they couldn't swallow this breath, and even chased him to this place.It can be seen that the mother and son not only can't afford to lose, but also have a daunting hatred.Just like the feud between himself and Yoshioka, this kind of confrontation will only increase the resentment.Things that harm more than benefit can be avoided, otherwise, one step will be wrong. When Musashi saw the ignorant old mother blindly doting on her son and cursing others indiscriminately, she was deeply horrified.This kind of fear is deeply rooted in his heart, and it makes him afraid. That is the shadow of Yasuhachi's mother Ashanpo. There was no need for Musashi to provoke another mother's curse.Therefore, no matter what, this contest must be avoided, and there is no better way than this. He didn't say a word. He had already halfway down the rocky mountain, but now he turned back and climbed up step by step. "Ah! Samurai!" The call from behind was not Gonnosuke, out of breath, but his mother, who had just jumped off the back of the bull. "..." There was a majesty in that voice, and Musashi stopped in his tracks. Musashi turned his head to see the mother sitting at the foot of the mountain, looking up at him.Seeing Musashi turning his head, the mother immediately put her hands on the ground and saluted. Musashi had to turn around hastily.After all, she was kind to Musashi for staying overnight, and she slipped out through the back door without thanking her, how can she let her elders kneel down and salute to her now! "Old mother, I can't bear it, please get up." Just as Musashi was about to speak, his knees bent and he also knelt down. "Samurai, maybe you despise my son and think him a nuisance, and I'm ashamed. But we don't hold grudges, and we don't give up on a dead end. My son grew up with a stick without a teacher, but he didn't know how to use it. Friends or opponents can learn from each other, I think it's a pity, I hope you can guide him." Musashi remained silent, the mother spoke loudly from the foot of the mountain, fearing that Musashi would not hear.Her tone of sincerity made one have to listen attentively. "If we parted at this point, it would be too regrettable. That's why I decided to come to you again. If we fail here, our mother and son will have no face to face our ancestors who are famous for their martial arts. If we can't learn from the failure, pursue In the end, it’s just an ordinary farmer who was defeated! It’s rare to meet a master like you nowadays. If you don’t ask for your advice, it’s like entering a treasure mountain empty-handed. It’s embarrassing. That’s why I will teach my son a lesson. Bring him here. Please fight him again, please!" After the mother finished speaking, she put her hands on the ground again and worshiped Musashi's heels. Musashi came down, went to his mother who was kneeling by the roadside, took her hand, put her on the back of the bull, and said: "Mr. Aquan, you lead the bull rope, and we will talk as we walk. Let me consider whether to talk to you or not." Tournament." So Musashi walked silently in front of the mother and son.Although Musashi just said that he wanted to talk while walking, he remained silent all the time. What is Musashi hesitating about?Quan Zhisuke couldn't understand.He just stared at Musashi's back with suspicious eyes, followed closely, and kept yelling at the slow-moving cow to go fast. Will Musashi refuse? Will you agree? The old mother riding on the back of the bull was also uneasy.After they walked on the small road on the plateau for about one or two kilometers, Musashi, who was walking ahead: "Ok!" He stopped suddenly. "I'll fight you." Musashi finally spoke. Quan Zhisuke dropped the ox rope. "Did you agree?" Musashi also realized that his decision was too hasty, ignoring Gonnosuke's excited eyes. "But, the old mother." He said to the mother on the back of the bull: "It doesn't matter if there is a mistake? The only difference between a martial arts competition and a life-and-death duel is that the weapons used are different, and there is no difference in other things." Musashi was so cautious, the old mother smiled for the first time. "Samurai, you don't have to be so cautious. My son has been learning Bangzi Kung Fu for ten years, and he still lost to you, who is younger than him. This is a disgrace to my family. If we give up the spirit of martial arts, we will lose the value of life. So even if he lost his life because of this, it was voluntary, and my mother will never hold any resentment." "Since you have this awareness." After Musashi finished speaking, his face straightened, and he picked up the ox rope that Gonnosuke had left behind. "There are a lot of people coming and going here, it's best to tie the cattle in a remote place, so that we can concentrate on fighting." In the middle of the Yiyu plateau, there is a huge larch that is dying.Musashi tied the ox under the pine tree and said: "Mr. Aquan, please get ready." Musashi urged. Gonnosuke, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately responded and stood in front of Musashi holding the stick.Musashi stood still, watching his opponent quietly. "..." Musashi didn't have a wooden sword in his hand, and he didn't intend to pick up anything nearby to use as a weapon.His shoulders are not tense, and his hands hang down easily. "Aren't you ready?" Quan Zhisuke asked him. Musashi asked back: "why?" Quan Zhisuke was exasperated, widened his eyes and said: "You have to use a weapon, anything." "I have got." "Unarmed?" "no." Musashi shook his head, and slowly moved his left hand under the guard of the katana. "it's here." Musashi replied. "What? With a real sword?" "..." Musashi curled his lips and smiled in reply.At this time, the two sides are confronting each other, and the atmosphere is tense and dignified. It is necessary to concentrate and not be negligent. The old mother sat quietly on the root of the larch tree.Hearing these words, his face turned ashen instantly. ——with a real sword! When the old mother heard Musashi's answer, she trembled all over. "Ah! Please wait." The old mother spoke suddenly. But both Musashi and Gonnosuke stared at each other.As motionless as a mountain, he turned a deaf ear to the old mother's exclamation. The stick that Quan Zhisuke held tightly in his hand seemed to absorb the spirit of the plateau, ready to go.And Musashi held the scabbard in his hand, and his sharp eyes met the opponent's eyes. In fact, the two had already been fighting and fighting mentally.Their respective eyes were shining brightly, and they confronted each other more sharply than swords and sticks, trying to use their weapons to confront each other with their eyes intimidating. "Wait a minute." The old mother shouted again. "what?" Musashi stepped back four or five feet and replied. "Are you going to fight with a real sword?" "That's right—it makes no difference to me whether I use a wooden sword or a real sword." "I'm not stopping this." "You know best, as long as I hold the sword in my hand, don't ask me to only use 50% or 70% of my strength. If you are afraid, run away now!" "That's not the case. It's not my intention to stop you, but if I don't introduce myself before the competition, I'm afraid I won't have a chance in the future. That's why I called timeout." "I see." "I don't hold any grudges at all. But it's your fate that you have this opportunity to learn from each other. Ah Quan! You will introduce yourself first." "yes." Konnosuke saluted respectfully. "It is said that my ancestor was the grand husband Fang Jueming, who was once a minister under the curtain of His Highness Kiso. After the death of His Highness Kiso, Jueming left home to serve under the command of Lord Fran. My ancestors must be from this family. After a period of time In the long years, the salary has been handed down to my generation, but I was a farmer in the countryside. But my father was deeply regretful because of the humiliation he had suffered, so he swore at the mountain shrine that he would carry forward martial arts. He also named his self-created Bangzigong in front of the gods For Dream Stream, everyone calls me "Dream Quanzhisuke"." After Quanzhi's assistant finished speaking, Musashi also returned the gift and said: "I come from a branch of Akamatsu in Banzhou. I am the last retainer of Hirata Shogun. I live in Miyamoto Village, Misaku Township. My father is Miyamoto Mujisai. I am the only son Musashi. I have no relatives or friends. I am alone in the rivers and lakes. Lost under your stick, there is no need to deal with the aftermath for me." And said: "let's start!" Musashi regained his stance, and Gonnosuke grasped the stick again. He responded: "it is good." Gonnosuke's mother sat on the root of a pine tree to watch the battle.At this moment, she held her breath and could barely breathe. If you want to say that this is a disaster from heaven, it is self-inflicted.Because it was him who caught up and let his son face the challenge of the white blade.The mother's behavior was different from ordinary people, but at this time her mood was determined.No matter what others will say in the future, she has her own set of beliefs. "..." The mother sat firmly with her shoulders slightly tilted, her hands on her knees, as if she was sitting upright and saluting.I don't know how many children she raised, and how many sons died young. Her body has endured so much poverty and suffering, which makes her appearance even weaker and thinner. But at this moment, Musashi and Gonnosuke confronted each other within close proximity. "it has started!" When they spoke out to fight, the mother's eyes were shining, as if all the gods of heaven and earth had gathered to watch the battle. Her son has exposed his life to Musashi's sword.The moment Musashi pulled out the scabbard, Gonnosuke seemed to realize his fate, and his whole body felt cold. Strangely, he was a completely different person than he was a few days ago. Quan Zhisuke suddenly noticed the difference. The impression I had when I was fighting Musashi at home a few days ago was completely different from now.If it is described in calligraphy, it can be said that Musashi moved like flowing cursive script that day; but in today's serious atmosphere, Musashi is like regular script without any ambiguity, with correct handwriting.Quan Zhizhu realized that he had underestimated the strength of his opponent. After Quan Zhisuke noticed it, the originally confident Bang Zi Gong could only hold the stick above his head, unable to make a move at all. "..." "..." The mist on the grassland of the Yiyu Plateau slowly gathers and then slowly dissipates.A lone bird can be seen flying over the mountains in the distance. "啪"—a sound, there was a sound of air between the two, the vibration was extremely fast, like a bird being shot down, it was difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.I don't know if the sound was the sound of a stick or a sword piercing the air, so I couldn't tell.It is like the subtle sound between the fingers in Zen. Not only that, the bodies and weapons of the two sides are integrated into one, and they move quickly, and the positions of the two have long been out of position. Gonnosuke swung his stick and missed Musashi.Musashi fought back, and although the blade missed from the bottom to the top, it sliced ​​through Gonnosuke's right shoulder, almost cutting off his small mane. At this time, the sword technique used by Musashi is very unique.After his blade hit the opponent's body, a flash retracted the blade like a pine leaf.This retraction of the blade is also an attack move, which is enough to kill the opponent. Quan Zhisuke was unable to fight back at all, and could only hold the two ends of the stick tightly and hold it above his head to resist Musashi's attack. With a "clang", the big knife hit the stick in front of his forehead.In this case, the stick is usually cut in two.But if the blade is not cut obliquely, the stick will not break.Therefore, when Quanzhisuke received the move, he knew what to do. He held the stick with both hands horizontally in front of his forehead, and pushed his left elbow deeply towards Musashi's hand; he bent and raised his right elbow, trying to hit Musashi's ribs with only one end of the stick.In this way, although Musashi's broadsword was blocked, Gonnosuke Uogami's quick strike with all his strength was unsuccessful. It got stuck because of the vertical impact of the stick and knife above Gonnosuke's head.The end of the stick went straight to Musashi's chest, but it was a pity that he was only an inch away from hitting Musashi. Neither side is pulling now. Neither is push. If you want to forcefully push and pull, the impatient will definitely lose. If it is a duel of knives and knives, it may be evenly divided.But one side holds a knife and the other holds a stick, and the two cannot choose for a while. The stick has neither a guard nor a blade, nor a point nor a handle. But this four-foot-long round stick can be said to be the entire blade, and also the tip or handle.As long as the heat is enough, the ever-changing stick skills cannot be matched by swords and swords. If the opponent receives the move with swordsmanship—— Will the stick attack? If this speculation is true, I am afraid that something unexpected will happen!Because the stick can be adapted to local conditions, and at the same time has the characteristics of a short gun. Musashi's sword and club clashed vertically, and the reason why he didn't draw back his sword was because he couldn't predict it at the moment. Quan Zhisuke was more cautious.Because his stick supported Musashi's broadsword above his head, he was at a disadvantage.Not to mention pulling it back, as long as the momentum of the body is slightly relaxed, Musashi's big sword may be given an opportunity to take advantage of it. This dozen may be bloody. Although Quan Zhisuke comprehended Mengmengliu's stick skill in front of the mountain god and used it freely, but at this moment he couldn't use a single move. During the confrontation between the two sides, Quan Zhisuke's face turned pale.He bit his lower lip tightly, sweat dripping from the corners of his eyes. "..." The sticks and knives entangled above Gonnosuke's head moved like waves.Gonnosuke, who was standing below, was breathing more and more rapidly. At this moment, the old mother, who was sitting under the pine tree watching the battle with bated breath, looked even paler than Gonnosuke. "Ah Quan!" she cried out. When she called Ah Quan, she must have forgotten herself.She straightened her back and kept patting her waist with her hands. "waist!" After the old mother scolded, she fell straight forward as if exhausted. Musashi and Gonnosuke's knives and sticks tangled together like fossils, suddenly separated after the old mother yelled.Its power is even stronger than when they were chopped together just now. This power comes from Musashi. Even if Musashi backed away, it would not be more than two or three feet.But the stamina was so strong that his heels retreated as if digging soil, and the strong reaction forced him back about seven feet. But Quannosuke and his team approached this distance with a four-foot-long stick in an instant, causing Musashi to be suddenly oppressed. "what!" Although Musashi was attacked, he still threw Gonnosuke aside. Originally, Quan Zhisuke came back from the dead and turned from defense to offense, wanting to take the opportunity to attack.Unexpectedly, he was thrown instead, his head almost fell to the ground, and he staggered forward.And Musashi is like an eagle fighting to the death against a strong enemy. With such a stagger, the defenseless weakness of his back is exposed to the enemy. A silky flash of light flashed across his back.Uh, uh, uh, Quan Zhisuke wailed like a calf, walked three steps forward and fell to the ground. Musashi also pressed his hands under the ribs, and fell down on the grass. "It's over!" Musashi yelled. Quan Zhisuke was silent. After Quan Zhisuke fell forward without support, there was no movement.His old mother was heartbroken upon seeing this. "I hit it with the back of a knife." Musashi explained to the old mother, but the old mother did not stand up. "Hurry up and give him water, your son should not be injured." "what?" Only then did the old mother raise her head and observe Quan Zhisuke's body suspiciously.As Musashi said, no blood was seen. "Oh!" The old mother staggered up to her son, gave him water, called his name, and kept shaking his body.Only then did Quan Zhisuke wake up.I saw Musashi sitting at the side in a daze. "Thank you for your mercy." After speaking, he kowtowed to Musashi.After returning the salute, Musashi hurriedly took his hand. "No, the loser is not you, but me." Musashi lifted his clothes to show them just below his ribs. "I was hit by your stick here, and it is already bruised. If the force was stronger, I'm afraid I would have died in Huangquan." After speaking, Musashi was still confused, wondering why he lost. Similarly, Quannosuke and his mother were both tongue-tied, looking at the blood on Musashi's skin, not knowing what to say. Musashi put down his skirt and asked the old mother.Why did the two of them yell "waist" when they were competing in martial arts just now?What omissions did Gonosuke have in his posture at the time? When asked, my mother replied: "It's really embarrassing. When Quanzi tried his best to resist your big knife with a stick, his feet were nailed to the ground in a dilemma, and he was on the verge of dying. Although I don't know martial arts, but bystanders can clearly see a flaw, that is, Quan Zhisuke is wholeheartedly resisting your attack Only when he was stuck in a stalemate and hesitant to pull his hand back or push it out, he didn't pay attention to this flaw at all. In my opinion, as long as he maintains his posture and squats down, the stick will naturally hit the opponent's chest. So I called out unconsciously." Musashi nodded, sincerely grateful for this opportunity to learn. Quan Zhisuke listened silently, presumably he felt the same way.This time, it is not the dream flow of the mountain god, but the mother who sees her son on the verge of life and death in reality, and because of maternal love, the principle of "extremely living" is inspired. Konnosuke was originally a farmer in Kiso, and later got the title of "Dream Ryu Gonnosuke", and he is the ancestor of the dream Ryu stick.In the epilogue of his biography, he wrote the secret book - "The Old Mother's Move of Chess". It records the great maternal love and the process of competing with Musashi, but it does not write "Win Musashi".Throughout his life, he always told others that he lost to Musashi, and recorded the process of losing in detail. Musashi blessed the mother and son, and after they broke up, they also left Yiyu Plateau.At this time, it was almost near Kamisuwa. "Did you see a man named Musashi pass by here? He did go this way—" A samurai asks passers-by about Musashi's whereabouts at the horse station.