Chapter 97 Chapter 07 Money

As soon as he opened his eyes, Musashi immediately thought of one thing—what happened to Atong?Also, where is Jotaro? "It was such a pleasant talk last night." Ishimoda Geki had breakfast with Musashi, and did not forget to mention the topic of last night.After breakfast, the two walked out of the inn and walked among the crowds on Zhongshan Road. Musashi paid attention to the comings and goings of pedestrians and kept looking around. Seeing the person who looked like A Tong at the back, his heart was shocked. (Is it her?) Musashi guessed. Geji noticed something strange. "Are you looking for someone?"

he asked Musashi. "That's right." Musashi scratched his head, and told him exactly what happened.He also said that he wanted to find the whereabouts of the two of them on the way to Edo.So I broke up with Geji here, walked away, and thanked for the hospitality the night before. I'm so sorry. "I finally met a fellow traveler, but I don't force you. As I said last night, please come to Sendai." "If there is a chance, I will definitely bother." "I hope you can take a look at Date's morale, or it would be nice to listen to the song of praying for rain. If you don't like to listen to the song, you can come and enjoy the scenery of Songdo. We look forward to your visit."

After finishing speaking, he said goodbye to this one-night friend, and left in the direction of Hetian Mountain first.Looking at his back, Musashi was quite moved, and decided to visit Date's feudal land whenever he had the opportunity in the future. In that era, Musashi was not the only one who happened to meet a destined person during the journey!Because the world was turbulent at that time, the feudal vassals of various countries kept recruiting talents, and as retainers, they tried their best to find talents during the journey and recommend them to their masters.This is their greatest duty.

"Guest officer, guest officer." A call came from behind. Musashi was going in the direction of Wada, but then turned back and went in the direction of Suwa.I hesitated at the branch point of Koshu Kaido and Nakasendo, not knowing which way to go.Seeing this, the clerk at the inn chased him and called him. Among the guys in these inns, there are those who carry luggage and those who pull horses, and it happens to be an uphill road in the direction of Hotan, so there are bearers who specialize in mountain climbing. "What's your business?" Musashi turned around and asked:

The guys walk towards Musashi with their wrists arched like crabs. "Guest officer, you seemed to be looking for someone just now. Did your friend come from elsewhere? Or was he traveling with you?" Musashi had no luggage to carry, and he had no intention of calling for a sedan chair. Musashi thought they were long-winded. "nothing……" He shook his head and silently left the group.Just as he was about to leave, he couldn't help hesitating. West?Or east? When he made up his mind to go to Edo, he decided to leave everything to fate.But when he thought that Jotaro and Otong were still missing, he couldn't let it go.

By the way, I will search around here today... If I still can't find it, I have no choice but to give up and go by myself. When he made this decision—— "Guest officer, anyway, we're just here to bask in the sun and have nothing to do. If you're looking for someone, why don't you let us help?" One of them said so, and another said: "You can pay the fee for lifting the sedan chair as you like." "Is the person you are looking for a young woman or an old man?" They searched for the bottom line and asked questions.Musashi could only answer: "It's like this—"

After explaining the situation to them, ask them if anyone has seen such boys and young women on the street. "This one!" Everyone looked at each other. "It seems that no one has seen the person you are looking for. How about it! Guest officer, we can help you find it in the direction of Suwa and Shio in three directions. It is impossible for the person who kidnapped the woman to go to the wilderness. And Those remote paths are full of dragons and snakes, unless you are familiar with the terrain like us, it is impossible to avoid these dangers." "I see." Musashi nodded in agreement, what they said was indeed reasonable.I am not familiar with the terrain in this area, so I searched blindly, but the effect was not good, and it just made me anxious.It's better to ask this group of people for help, maybe the whereabouts of the two of them can be found out soon.

"I ask you to help find it." Musashi's tone was crisp.The guys said in unison: "no problem." They discussed how to find it, and finally pushed out a representative.The man came out, rubbed his hands and said: "Well! Guest officer, I'm really embarrassed to speak. We are businessmen, and we haven't had breakfast yet. We promise to find out the whereabouts of the person you are looking for before dark. Could you please pay half a day's salary in advance, as it is The money for straw sandals is ready." "Oh! It should be." Musashi took it for granted.Ordered a meager package, even if it was all emptied, it would not be enough for the price offered by the other party.

Because Musashi is alone and travels around.He understands the importance of money better than anyone else.But he takes money very lightly, is single, and has no burdens.Alone, he sometimes stays in temples, sometimes makes friends and shares a piece of the pie. If there is no food, just skip it.This is the portrayal of his wandering life. Looking back on the journey here, A-Tong took care of all the expenses.The Karasuma family gave Atong a considerable amount of money, and Atong used it as travel expenses, and gave some to Musashi. (You keep these!) At this time, Musashi paid all the money Atong gave him to these guys.

"Are these enough?" Musashi asked them. After the guys split the money: "Okay, let's say it's cheaper for you! That's all right, please wait by the archway of the Suwa gate god. We will definitely bring good news before dark." After speaking, they dispersed like a group of little spiders. Although he had sent people to look for it, he couldn't wait here all day, so Musashi set off from Takashima Castle and circled Suwa for a week. In order to find Atong and Jotaro, he wandered aimlessly for a whole day.Musashi felt that it was a pity to live like this for a day, so he kept the geographical situation and customs of this area firmly in his mind, and asked everywhere if there were martial arts experts, etc... In addition to looking for the two of them, he also included the two of them. These things.

But neither of these things came to fruition.Seeing the setting sun, Musashi came to the Suwa Menshen Temple that he had agreed with the guys, but there was no one around the archway. "Ah! So tired!" Musashi sat down on the stone steps of the archway. Perhaps mentally exhausted, his soliloquies sounded like he was sighing, which was rarely the case with Musashi. He waited for a while, but still no one came. Musashi was so bored, so he wandered around the spacious temple and returned to the gate. The guys who agreed to meet here are still missing. In the darkness, sometimes he could hear a rattling sound, as if something was being kicked, and Musashi was brought to his senses by the sound. Musashi was quite concerned about the sound, so he walked down the steps in front of the door and came to a hut in the forest.Peeping into the house, I saw a white horse tied to the shrine. The sound I heard just now was the sound of this horse kicking the floor. "This rogue, what is your business?" A man who was feeding the horses saw Musashi and turned to ask him. "What is your business in the temple?" The man gave a stern look. Musashi explained the whole story to him and explained that he was not a bad person.The man in the white coat couldn't stop laughing after listening. "Ahaha! Ahahaha..." Musashi felt a burst of anger in his heart, and asked the other party what was so ridiculous.The man laughed even more when he heard it. "It's a pity that you are still a traveler, and you have encountered such a thing? Like that kind of man-eating fly-like villain, who took the money first, would he honestly spend the whole day looking for someone for you?" After hearing what the man said, Musashi asked: "Then they lied to me when they said they would go find them separately?" Musashi confirmed again.This time the man was quite sympathetic to Musashi, so he replied solemnly: "You have been cheated. By the way, I saw a dozen errand guys sitting around drinking and gambling in the miscellaneous forest in the back mountain today. Well, they are the group of people you mentioned!" After finishing speaking, the man told Musashi that among the crowds in Suwa and Shioo, there were many errand runners who cheated the passengers and exploited them for money.The man also cited several examples. "No matter where you go, you may encounter the same thing. You'd better pay more attention in the future." After the man finished speaking, he left with an empty horse grain bucket. Musashi looked bewildered. "..." Only now did he realize that he was still so naive. Originally, he was quite conceited about his swordsmanship, thinking that others could take advantage of it.Unexpectedly, when dealing with ordinary people, he was actually teased by these errands in the inn.Obviously, my own experience is not enough to cope with complex society. "It can't be helped." Musashi muttered to himself. Although he doesn't regret the money, it's just that if his experience is not mature enough, he will also show an immature style when leading the army in the future. Musashi is determined to put down his body humbly and learn more from the secular world in the future. He went back to the archway and saw a man standing there. "Oh! Sir." The man looked around in front of the archway, and when he saw Musashi, he walked down the steps. "I found out the whereabouts of one of the two you were looking for, so I'll come back and report to you right away," the man told Musashi. "what?" Musashi looked surprised.After a closer look, it was one of the guys who got paid this morning and agreed to help find someone.Just now I was mocked by the man in the stable: "You've been tricked." Therefore, Musashi was very surprised. At the same time, I also learned that although dozens of people cheated out of rewards to drink and have fun, but—— The world is not all liars. Musashi felt relieved. "You said the person you inquired about was the boy Jotaro? Or the Atong girl?" "I found out about Mr. Narai who brought Jotaro with him." "Really?" Even with this little news, Musashi was still relieved. The honest errand boy told the whole story. ——This morning, although my companions were paid, they didn't really look for it.A group of people do nothing and are addicted to gambling. Only I am quite sympathetic after hearing what happened to Musashi.So he asked every station from Yanwei to Xichang alone, one by one.As a result of inquiries, no one knew the whereabouts of the woman.On the contrary, Mr. Dazang from Narai passed through Suwa at noon today and crossed the Hotan Mountains.This is what I heard from the maid at the inn at lunch. "Thank you for your briefing." Musashi really wanted to send some wine money to this honest errand guy to show his gratitude, but unfortunately, all the money in his pockets had been stolen by those cunning guys, and after calculation, there was only dinner money left for tonight. However, I really want to thank him. He thought about it again. But there was nothing of value with him.In the end, he decided that even if he was hungry tonight, he would pay the other party the only meal money he had.So he took out all the money left in his pocket and gave it to the man. "Thank you very much!" The honest guy did his duty, and got a reward from Musashi, so I am very grateful.He put the money on his forehead, thanked Musashi repeatedly, and left. Musashi was now penniless. He subconsciously looked at each other's back.I gave all the money to someone else, and I felt that I had nowhere to go, and I had been hungry since evening. But, having said that, the positive benefits of giving money to that honest guy must be higher than feeding yourself.What's more, the guy knows that the reward he gets for his faithful service will surely work more faithfully for other travelers on the street in the future. "By the way... instead of staying here overnight, it is better to cross Wada Ridge and catch up with Mr. Daizo and Jotaro in Narai." If he could cross Wada Pass tonight, maybe he would meet Jotaro somewhere tomorrow—this thought flashed through Musashi's mind, and he immediately left the inn street in Suwa, walking alone in the dark night, something Musashi hadn't experienced in a long time. Musashi likes to walk alone in the dark. Maybe it's because of his withdrawn nature.Listen to your own footsteps accompanied by the sounds of nature.Walking alone can make him forget the troubles of the world and enjoy himself. When Musashi is in the bustling crowd, he will always feel lonely for no reason.And when I walk alone in the lonely dark night, my heart becomes boiling and turbulent. This is because in the crowd, the inexpressible emotions all come to the fore at this time.In addition to being able to calmly think about mundane trivial matters, you can even jump out of your own body and look at yourself calmly as if observing others. "Oh! There's a light there." Although-- Musashi took one step at a time, but when he suddenly saw lights in the night road, Musashi still breathed a sigh of relief. That is the light of others. After returning to himself, his heart throbbed with attachment and nostalgia for people.At this time, I have no time to ask myself why I am so contradictory. "It seems that someone is warming up by the fire. I'll borrow a fire to dry the cuffs wet with Yelu! Ah! I'm so hungry, it would be great if there were leftovers." Musashi walked quickly towards the light. It should be midnight by now. He left Suwa Street in the evening, and after crossing the bridge over the Ochiai River, the road was almost entirely mountainous.Although it has crossed a mountain, it is still several layers of starry sky away from Dashanling, Dashanling and Damenling in Hotan. The tail ridges of these two mountains are connected to form a vast wetland.Just at the end of the swamp, a flickering light could be seen. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a post station tea shed.Four or five wooden stakes for tying horses were erected in front of the door of the wing room.In this deep mountain night, it seems that there are still guests.From the inn came the crackling of firewood, mingled with rough conversation. "What should we do now?" Musashi stood under the eaves with a blank face, at a loss. If this is just an ordinary farm or woodcutter's family, you can ask the other party to let you rest your legs and rest. It is not difficult to ask for a cup of porridge to satisfy your hunger.But this is a tea house for business and you have to pay to leave even for a cup of tea. Musashi had no money on him.But the smell of food constantly wafted in the air, making him even more hungry.He has been unable to leave. "You might as well tell the truth..." Musashi thought that what could be used to pay for the meal was something in his back pack. "Sorry." Musashi called the door, struggling for a long time.For those who were drinking and chatting in the house, Musashi's appearance seemed extremely abrupt. Everyone was startled, and suddenly fell silent, looking at Musashi with strange eyes. A large hook hangs from the ceiling in the center of the kitchen, and a small stove is dug underneath. Guests can sit around the stove without taking off their straw sandals.There is a large soup pot hanging on the hook, and there is hot pork and radish soup in the pot. There were three guests in samurai costumes sitting on the floor and wine barrels, drinking broth.And buried the jug in the charcoal fire to warm the wine, they passed the wine cups to each other and drank freely.The owner of the store with his back to the door was cutting side dishes while chatting with customers. "What's your business?" The one who answered instead of the shop owner was a man with piercing eyes and half-moon-shaved hair among the three customers. The smell of the broth and the warm lights in the house made Musashi very hungry and thirsty. The wild samurai who replied just now didn't know what to ask again.Musashi didn't answer, he went into the house and sat on an empty seat. "Boss, quickly bring me a bowl of soup and rice!" The shop owner served cold rice and broth. "Guest officer, are you going to climb the mountains overnight?" "Well! I'm also on my way at night." Musashi had already picked up his chopsticks and ordered a second bowl of broth. "During the day, have you ever heard of a Daizo living in Narai leading a boy across the mountains?" "Well, I haven't heard of it. Hey! Fujiji, have you ever heard of such a passer-by?" The shop owner asked everyone through the pot on the fire. The three people who were sitting together drinking and chatting shook their heads in unison and answered: "I do not know!" After eating and drinking the last bowl of broth, Musashi warmed up.Now he remembered how to pay for the meal. If only I had made things clear before eating.But the other three guests were drinking just now, and Musashi also wanted to beg for mercy from the other party, so he filled his stomach first.But now, what if the shop owner refuses to accept it? Finally he decided that if that didn't work, he would use the grate as a substitute. "Boss, I have an unfeeling request. To be honest, I have no money, but I definitely don't mean to eat and drink for free. Can I use things as collateral for the meal?" Unexpectedly, the shop owner was very kind. "No problem. What are you talking about?" "It's a Guanyin statue." "This kind of thing?!" "This is not the work of a famous person. It is a small statue of Guanyin carved from plum trees during Xia Yu's journey. It may not be worth the value of this meal, but please take a look." When Musashi was about to untie the burden behind him, the three samurai sitting opposite the stove also forgot to drink and looked straight at Musashi's hands. Musashi put the burden on his lap.His bundle is woven from the fibers of the goose bark woven with musk ink.Ordinary chivalrous men carry valuables in their luggage, but Musashi's luggage contains only a piece of underwear and shabby pen and ink supplies, apart from the wooden Guanyin he mentioned just now. Musashi shook the bag to take out the wooden Guanyin, but something fell out of the bag on the floor. "what?" The owner of the tea shed and the three wild samurai sitting by the stove blurted out at the same time.Musashi looked at the things that fell beside him, and was speechless for a moment. That's a wallet. Silver and golden Qingda's heads were scattered all over the floor. Whose money is this? Musashi wondered.The other four seemed to have the same doubts.Everyone was silent, their souls seemed to be intimidated by the money on the ground. Musashi shook the bundle again, and this time, in addition to dropping more gold, there was also a letter inside. Musashi opened the letter suspiciously and saw that it was left by Ishimota Geki. There is only a short line of words in it. Only one sentence. There is a lot of money.Musashi seemed to understand the original meaning of this line.Not only Date Masamune, but also generals from all over the world are implementing this policy. It is not easy to recruit talented people, but with the trend of the times, there is an increasing need for talented people.After the Battle of Sekigahara, there were many ronin wandering around.They wander around, seeking fame and fortune, but there are very few who can be called talents.If you can meet a talented person, you will not hesitate to spend thousands of shi or hundreds of shi to recruit them, and even take care of their family, young and old. As long as the horn of war is sounded, it is not a problem to gather as many miscellaneous soldiers as possible.However, in normal times, various domains still try their best to recruit rare talents.Whenever the feudal society finds such a talent, it will definitely find a way to give favors or make a tacit understanding with him. Speaking of talents, Hideyori of Osaka Castle did not hesitate to spend huge sums of money for Goto Matabei.This is known all over the world.And Ieyasu in Kanto is also very clear.Osaka Castle spends a lot of gold and silver treasures every year to Sanada Yukimura who lives in hermitage on Mount Kuhiro. Idle ronin don't need so much living expenses.But the money was distributed from Yukimura to thousands of people and became their living expenses.Therefore, before the war broke out, many people were hiding in the streets and doing nothing. Date Masamune's servants, after hearing about Musashi's deeds in Xiamatsu, would of course try to recruit him. ——It is now certain that the money represents Waiji's wishes. ——The money also puzzled him. If you use it, you owe him a favor. If not? By the way, I will be confused because I saw the money, why not put it away and treat it as if I didn't see it! Thinking about it, Musashi immediately picked up the gold that fell at his feet and put it back into his bag. "Let's do this! Boss, use this thing to pay for my meal." Musashi took the wooden Guanyin carved by himself to the shop owner, and the shop owner showed displeasure. "No! Guest officer, I don't accept this." The boss refused. Musashi asked him why he refused, and the boss replied: "You still ask me why? Guest officer, you said just now that you have no money, so you used the Avalokitesvara statue as collateral... But you actually carry a lot of money with you! Don't just show it to others, I'd better ask you to pay it !" The three wild samurai next to him, since they saw the money dropped all over the floor just now, have already recovered from their drunkenness and watched from the sidelines, sipping their saliva.Hearing the shop owner's protest at this moment, he followed behind him and kept nodding in agreement. It would be foolish to explain to the other party that it is not your money. "Really?...That can't be helped." Musashi had no choice but to take out a silver dollar and hand it to the shop owner. "Hey! I don't have any change for you...Guest officer, do you have a smaller amount of money?" Musashi looked for it.But apart from Qingda's head, there was no smaller amount of money in the baggage. "You don't need to look for it, just use it as the cost of tea!" "That's really a big thank you." The store owner's tone softened immediately. Musashi has already spent the money.He tied the gold on the waist of his trousers, and picked up the wooden Guanyin statue rejected by the shop owner, put it back into the bag, and carried it on his back. "Oh! Let's go when the guest officer is warm!" The shopkeeper added firewood to the stove, and Musashi took the opportunity to go outside. It was late at night, and Musashi had just filled his stomach. Musashi planned to cross this Hotan Ridge and Damen Ridge before dawn.If it is broad daylight, you should see heather, gentian, and centella blooming on the plateau here.But under the night sky at this moment, there is a vague fog in front of my eyes, covering the ground like white cotton wool. The ground is full of flowers.The starry night sky is like a field of stars and flowers. "Hey!" About two kilometers after Musashi left the tea shed at the post station, he heard someone calling him. "Guest officer just now! You dropped something." It turned out to be one of the wild warriors who ate at the tea shed just now. He ran to Musashi. "You travel so fast! Not long after you left, we found out that you dropped this silver piece!" The wild samurai showed Musashi a piece of silver on his palm, explaining that he wanted to pay back the money. Give it to him, only to catch up. Musashi said it was not his own money, but the wild samurai insisted on pushing the money back.And said, this silver must have rolled to the wall when you dropped your wallet just now. Since Musashi didn't know how much money he had on him, he also felt that this might be the case after hearing what the other party said. After Musashi thanked him, he put the money in his cuff.But Musashi himself was not at all grateful for the man's actions. "Who did you learn your martial arts from?" The man changed the subject and followed Musashi all the time. "I'm the ego genre." Musashi's tone was slightly impatient. "Although I am now living in the mountains doing this kind of business, I was also a samurai before!" "Oh!" "It's the same with those who ate with me just now. Just like Ryuzuo Shoal, some people work as woodcutters to collect herbs in the mountains to make a living. When there is a war, although we are not as brave as Genzaemon Sano, we still Prepare to wear a machete around your waist, wear old armor, and use the camp of the famous generals to show off the glory of the past." "Are you an Osaka school? Or a Kanto school?" "Any faction is fine. If you can't see the wind and turn the rudder, I'm afraid you won't have a chance to stand out in your life." "Hahaha! Indeed." Musashi didn't want to continue dealing with him, so he strode away quickly.However, the man followed quickly.Not only that, but what annoyed Musashi even more was that the man followed at will on his left side.This position is the most taboo place for those who are interested, because it will affect their actions of drawing their swords for self-defense. Musashi understood what this fierce stranger was trying to do, so he intentionally exposed a gap on the left side, making the opponent think he could take advantage of it. "How about it? This samurai. If you don't mind, you can stay at my house tonight... There is a Damen Ridge behind Hetian Ridge. If you want to climb these two mountains before dawn, you may be unfamiliar with the road conditions. And it will be more difficult. Besides, the road ahead is getting more and more rough and prone to danger.” "Thank you very much. Then I will accept your suggestion and go to the house to borrow a night!" "Yes, yes, no problem—but we may not have anything to entertain you." "Just a place where I can lie down and rest. Where do you live?" "Climb about five or six hundred meters to the left from this valley." "You live in the mountains!" "I also said just now that before the time came, we kept our identities incognito and made a living by gathering herbs and hunting. I lived with those two people just now." "So, after I'm gone, what are those two doing?" "Still drinking at the station! They are always drunk, and I carry them home every time. I don't care about them tonight... Oh, knight, this cliff is the riverside of the stream Now, the road is not easy to walk, you have to be careful." "Want to cross the river to the other side?" "Well... After crossing the single-plank bridge over the stream, go up the mountain to the left along the river..." After the man finished speaking, he stopped on the way to the small cliff. Musashi walked forward without looking back. When he was about to cross the single-plank bridge. The man suddenly jumped off the small cliff, grabbed the single-plank bridge where Musashi was standing with his hands, and raised the wood to throw Musashi into the rapids. "what you do?" At this time, Musashi had already jumped off the single-plank bridge, standing on the rock above the spray like a golden rooster. "what!" The single-plank bridge that the man threw down fell into the stream, splashing water.Before the splashes fell back to the water surface, the golden rooster, which was independent of the rock, bounced back with a snap, and hacked to death the old and cunning villain in the blink of an eye. Under such circumstances, Musashi usually never looked at the corpse he had hacked to death.The corpse was still rolling, and Musashi's sword was ready for the next move.He was furious, looking around like a mountain full of enemies, and put on strict guard. "..." With a "bang", there was a loud noise from the other side of the stream, hitting the valley. Needless to say, it was shotgun bullets.The bullet whizzed through where Musashi was standing just now, and hit the cliff behind him.After the bullet hit the cliff, Musashi immediately rushed to the place where the bullet fell, and carefully observed the opposite bank, and saw a red light flickering like a firefly. —Two figures were creeping furtively down to the river. The man who went to see Hades first lied to Musashi that the two friends were still drunk in the tea shed of the post station. It turned out that they had already gone around to ambush in front of him and planned to attack Musashi. This was as early as Musashi expected. Just now, the wild samurai said that they are hunters and gather herbs for a living.Of course it was a lie.There is no doubt that they are all bandits. However, what the man said just now—— The time has not come. There is some truth to this sentence. No one who is a thief hopes that his descendants will also be thieves.They are in the turbulent times, and they have to make such a bad move in order to survive.Now there are bandits and robbers everywhere in all countries. When the world is in chaos and war breaks out, these people will all pick up rusty weapons, put on dilapidated armor, and follow the barracks to restore the nature of the tough men of the past.It's a pity that these people don't have the elegant feelings to burn plums and make tea for guests in the snowy days of their lives.