Chapter 134 Chapter 11 Dial

The dense crowd resembles a group of ants, climbing Mount Chichibu.From time to time, clouds drifted from the mountainside, covering these figures. Finally, these people finally climbed to the top of the mountain and arrived at the Sanfeng Shrine.Looking up at the sky from here, it is cloudless, which is very comfortable. It straddles the four districts of Bando and leads to the mountains of Untorri, Shiraishi, Myoho, etc. It can be said to be a town in the sky.A shrine and Buddhist pavilion was built on the mountain, which contains monks' huts, gift shops, and teahouses for believers to rest.In addition, there are a small number of farm families scattered among them, about 70 households.

"Ah! I heard the big drum." Musashi and Iori had already lived in the shrine's annex "Kannon-in Temple" last night.Yizhi heard the sound of the drum and hurriedly finished her meal. "Master! It's about to start." Iori dropped the chopsticks. "Is that Kagura?" "Let's go and see!" "I've seen it last night. You go alone!" "However, there were only two performances last night." "Okay! Don't worry! You can watch it all night tonight." There was still rice on Musashi's plate, and he seemed to want to finish it.So, Iori lobbied him again:

"The starry sky is beautiful tonight!" "yes?" "Thousands of people came up the mountain yesterday. Fortunately, the weather is fine, otherwise it would be a disappointment." Musashi saw that Iori was very pitiful, so he said: "Then, I'll go see it too!" "Great! Let's go!" Iori jumped to the door and set up the straw sandals for Musashi. There are big torches set up in front of the gate of the other hall and on both sides of the mountain gate, and they are burning vigorously.On the street in front of the shrine, every household also lights pine torches in front of the door.On the mountain thousands of feet high, it was bright like daytime.

The night sky is like a deep lake.The starlight of the Milky Way is constantly flickering, coupled with the light of the torches, making the crowd in front of the Kagura Hall forget the cold. "Ok……" Yizhi mixed in the crowd, looking around with wide eyes. "Where did Master go? He was still here just now!" The sound of flutes and drums floated on the mountain peak, and people slowly gathered in front of the hall, but the Kagura Hall was still silent, only the shadows of lights and fluttering curtains, and the dancers had not yet appeared. "Master—" Iori searched for a long time in the crowd before finding Musashi.

Musashi was standing in front of the pillar in the hall, looking up at the list of donors, and Iori ran over. "Master!" He tugged on Musashi's sleeve, but Musashi still raised his head without saying a word. Among countless donors, there was one person who donated a lot of money and a big brand, which attracted Musashi's attention. "?..." Dazang in Narai was the person Musashi was looking for along the road from Kiso to Suwa a few years ago. Because he heard that Dazang was traveling with the lost Jotaro. "Shibaura from Wuzhou?" Isn't this place the Edo area where I lived a while ago?Suddenly seeing the name of Dazang, Musashi was at a loss, reminding him of the person who broke up with him.

Musashi did not forget. Watching Iori grow up day by day always reminds Musashi. "It's like a dream, and it's been three years." Musashi counted Jotaro's age in his mind. At this time, the sound of the big drum from the Kagura Hall brought Musashi back to his senses. "Ah! It has already begun." Iori's heart has already flown there. "Master, what are you looking at?" "It's nothing. Iori, you go to the Kagura performance alone. I suddenly remembered something, and I will go to see it later." After sending Iori away, Musashi walked to the shrine's office alone.

"I want to ask about the donor." The other party listened and answered: "We don't have records here, I'll take you to the General Affairs Office of the annex to ask." The old monk was a little hard of hearing, so he walked ahead to lead the way. They walked up to a house with a sign at the entrance saying "The Main Annex Kounji Byodobo", and the atmosphere was very solemn.The inside is full of white walls, and this general office handles all the affairs of the temple. The old monk stood at the door and talked for a long time with the monk inside.

A monk solemnly said: "Please!" and bring them inside. Some people brought tea and cakes, and two servings of food.Then, a beautiful girl brought a wine glass and put it in front of them. Soon a senior monk came out and said: "You are welcome. There are only some wild vegetables here, there is nothing to entertain, please forgive me—" His manner was very accommodating. strangeness? Musashi felt a little baffled. So he said without even touching the glass: "I'm just here to ask about donations." After listening to Musashi's explanation, the fat old monk in his fifties said in surprise:

"what?" He widened his eyes and asked: "Are you here to investigate?" Surprised, he stared at Musashi unceremoniously. Musashi asked him when, among the donors, Narai Daizo of Shibaura Village in Wuzhou came to the mountain?Ask again: Does Dazang come here often, and does he bring another person with him? The old monk became very unhappy. "What? You're not here to donate, but to ask about these things?" Was it the old monk who led the way who miscommunicated, or the old monk with a higher status misheard.The old monk in front of him seemed very confused.

"Maybe you heard it wrong? I'm not here to donate, but to ask about Narai Daizo." The old monk interrupted Musashi and said: "If this is the case, you should have made it clear at the door just now. I think you are just a wanderer. I can't tell someone about the donor that I have never met. If I say the wrong thing, it may cause trouble." "There will never be such a thing." "Oh! Then you go ask the monk!" The old monk seemed to have lost something and left angrily. The monk in charge of donations made a general investigation on behalf of Musashi.

"I don't have any detailed records here. But Mr. Dazang seems to visit mountains often. How old is the person he takes? I don't know." The attitude of the monk was not friendly. Even so, Musashi did not forget etiquette. "It's too much trouble for you, thank you." After thanking him, he walked outside the house and came to the Kagura Hall to look for Iori, who was standing behind the crowd. Because of Iori's short stature, he climbed up a tree to watch the show. He didn't know that Musashi had come under the tree and was fascinated by it! The stage made of black cypress is surrounded by colorful curtains.The inner court is surrounded by ropes in all directions.When the wind blows, the curtains sway with the wind, and the torches in the courtyard are also swaying, making the sparks flutter with the wind. "..." Like Iori, Musashi watched the performance on the stage. He was once as young as Iori.The night festival at Sangan Shrine in my hometown is like this atmosphere.He looked in a daze, as if he saw Atong, Youba eating, and Uncle Quan walking.Once I came home too late, and my mother was worried and looked everywhere-these phantoms of childhood, but now surrounded Musashi, vividly in my mind. On the stage, someone played the flute and someone played the piano.These mountain god musicians, in order to convey the customs of the quaint Jinwei She people, are all dressed in ancient costumes, and the clothes are inlaid with gold flowers, which just match the colorful splendor in the courtyard, making people feel like they are in ancient times. The sound of heavy drums made the surrounding cedar wood panels vibrate, flutes and other small drums also followed.On the stage there is a head of a Kagura master wearing a mask of a Kagami.The paint on the mask's cheeks and chin had peeled off.The man danced completely oblivious to himself.In addition to dancing, they also sang the ballad of "Fugue". After the leader sang a ballad, the performers began to beat the beat and play the instruments.In this way, the dance, the music and the ballad become one, and the melody is quickened. sing again—— There are several ballads in Kagura that Musashi heard when he was a child.This reminded him that he once wore a mask and danced at the Kaguraden of Zangan Shrine in his hometown. Musashi listened to the ballad, but kept his eyes on the drummer. "Ah! This is the two swords method." He ignored the others and let out a loud cry. Someone in the tree spoke. "Huh? Master, so you are here?" Iori heard Musashi's voice and hurriedly looked down. "..." Musashi didn't look up.His eyes are not like the surrounding audience, intoxicated by the sound of Kagura, but full of excitement. "Well, Erdao, this is the principle of Erdao. When you hit the drum, you pluck it twice, but only one sound is produced." Musashi kept arching his wrists, staring at the stage.However, from the tip of his eyebrows, it can be seen that the knot in his heart over the past few years has been untied. That is the kung fu of two swords. People are born with two hands, but when holding a sword, they only use one hand. If both opposing sides use only one hand, it's fine.But if one of them holds two swords with both hands, how should the person who only uses a knife with one hand deal with it? In fact, Musashi has already had this experience.That was in the confrontation with Shitamatsu at Ichijo Temple, and he faced Yoshioka's crowd alone, which was the principle of using two swords.After the duel, Musashi discovered that he was holding two swords in both hands—a broad sword in his right hand and a small sword in his left. At that time, it was driven by instinct, and unconsciously, each hand worked hard to protect the body.It can be said that it is a skill learned naturally when facing the edge of life and death. In a big battle where large armies confront each other, both sides must use all their strength to defeat the enemy, especially for individuals. Habits can be cultivated, this is a well-known truth. There is really a two-sword method, or it can be said that the two-sword method is the most natural. So far, Musashi is convinced of the theory of the two swords. However, daily life is an ordinary behavior, and the edge of life and death is rarely encountered in a lifetime.But the highest state of swordsmanship must often imitate oneself in the critical moment of life and death. The practice of the two swordsmanship is not unconscious, but a conscious action—— With conscious practice, it must be possible to move freely and become a reflex action. The two swordsmanship must be practiced to this point.Musashi often thinks about the truth of this kind of kung fu.With his belief and philosophy, he has always wanted to grasp the essence of the two-sword technique. Now, the doubts hidden in my heart suddenly became clear.While admiring the performance of the Kagura drum, he saw the drummer's plucking hand, which made him realize the essence of the two-sword technique. When beating the drum, the drum stick is struck twice, but only one sound is produced.The drummer seems to be consciously swinging the drumstick left and right—right, left—but unconsciously hits the sound of the drum, completely entering the state of being free and unimpeded.The knot in Musashi's chest was completely untied. All five Kagura performances begin with ballads.Add in dancing at the end.Iwato Kagura is also played, as well as Arazun's sword dance, accompanied by brisk flutes and rattles. "Iori! Do you still want to watch?" Musashi looked up at the tree. "Yes, I still want to watch." Iori replied casually.His whole body has been fascinated by Kagura dance, as if he himself has become a dancer. "Tomorrow we have to climb Dayue Mountain to the monastery on the back mountain, so don't watch it too late, go back to sleep early." After speaking, Musashi walked towards Kannon Betsuin. At this time, a man who acted strangely followed behind Musashi, leading a big black dog.After seeing Musashi walking into the Guanyin Temple, the man quickly turned his head and said to the back: "Hey! Hey!" He waved to the darkness.