Chapter 164 Chapter 17

Last night in Tatsuno, Wanbingwei was very kind to Atong along the way. Nowadays-- When they came to Sanriyue Village in Zuoyong, the sunset had already set, and the autumn sunset was even more bleak. "Mr. Wanbingwei." Perhaps, Ah Tong was tired from walking, so he stopped Wan Bingwei who was walking in front. "Isn't this Sanriyue Village? After passing that mountain, you will arrive at Zangan's Guanben Village." After hearing this, Wanbingwei stopped in his tracks. "Miyamoto Village and Qibao Temple are on the other side of the mountain, you probably miss them very much!"

"..." Atong nodded silently, looking at the black shadows of the rolling hills in the setting sun. The beautiful scenery in front of me, the scenery remains the same, but where is the person?It only makes people feel a little more melancholy. "It's almost here, Miss Atong, are you tired!" Wan Bingwei continued walking, and A Tong followed behind. "Where, you are tired too!" "Don't say that, I'm used to this road for business." "Where is the country scholar's house where Sister Ah Yin lives?" "over there."

Wan Bingwei pointed. "Miss Ah Yin must be waiting for you too, let's work harder!" They quicken their pace. Finally came to the foot of a mountain.Several families appeared in front of them. This is an inn street in Tatsuno Street.There are few portals, and it can't be called a town, but the sparrow is small and well-equipped, and restaurants and cheap hotels are on both sides of the road. They cross this street. "It's time to start climbing!" Wanbingwei stepped on the stone steps leading to the mountain. There is a cedar forest on the mountain. Isn't this the territory of the village shrine?Hearing the bleak cry of the little bird, A Tong suddenly felt that he seemed to be in danger.

"Mr. Wan Bingwei, did you go the wrong way? There is no one around here." "I'm going to tell Miss Ayin now. Maybe you will feel lonely, but please wait for me in front of the temple before I come back." "Why did you ask her to come?" "I forgot to tell you this. I heard from Miss Ayin that it is not convenient for her to call you at her sojourn home. There is a field beyond this forest, and she lives there. I will go find her immediately, please wait a moment." It was dark in the forest. The figure of Wanbingwei crossed the path under the woods and hurried away.

Atong's personality is not easy to suspect others, so he is not particularly vigilant about Wan Bingwei's actions. She sat obediently in front of the shrine, looking at the red sky. "..." It was getting dark. Suddenly, she noticed the autumn scenery beside her.In the darkness, the evening wind blew off the leaves, and two or three fell on her lap. She picked up a leaf and played with it in her hands, waiting patiently. Atong was like a young girl, a little ignorant and a little innocent, when he suddenly heard laughter from behind the temple. "—" A-Tong was startled and jumped down from the stone steps.

She has never been defensive, and she is more easily frightened than ordinary people when encountering accidents. "A Tong, don't move." The laughter stopped behind the temple.At the same time, the sharp and mournful voice of the old woman came from the same place. "what!" A Tong unconsciously covered his ears with his hands. If A-Tong was afraid, she should run away immediately, but she froze on the spot, as if frightened by the thunder. At that time, several figures flashed from behind the temple. Even though A Tong covered his ears and squinted his eyes, he still felt that one of them was very scary.That was the white-haired old woman she often dreamed about in her dreams.

"Wan Bingwei, thank you for your hard work. I will reward you later. Now—before Atong screams and resists, gag her, tie her hands and feet, and carry her to Xiazhuang's home." Ashanpo pointed at Atong, ordering his subordinates like Yama in hell. Accompanying the old woman were four or five men who looked like countrymen.When the old woman gave the order, everyone rushed to A Tong like a wolf on a sheep, and tied her up. "By the way." "Let's go." After speaking, he grabbed A Tong and ran away. Ashanpo stayed where she was and watched them leave with a smile, and paid the agreed reward to Wanbingwei.

"It's very kind of you to trick her out. I wonder if the scheme will work!" A Shanpo praised Wan Bingwei. "Don't mention it to others." Ashanpo exhorted again. Wan Bingwei was satisfied when he got the money. "It's not that I'm capable. It's your plan, old woman... It seems that A Tong never dreamed that you had returned to his hometown." "It's really satisfying. Especially when I saw A Tong's frightened expression just now." "She was so scared that she even forgot to run away. It's funny to see her dumbfounded. Hahaha... But when I think about it carefully, I still feel a little guilty."

"What's that? I don't think there's any guilt in it." "It's true, I have heard you mention the past that made you resentful a few days ago." "That's right, I can't take revenge... Anyway, you are welcome to visit my house in Xiazhuang after a while." "Old woman, then I will take my leave. The road ahead is not easy, please be careful." "After you go back, don't mention this to anyone." "Yes, yes. I, Wanbingwei, will keep my mouth shut. Please rest assured." After finishing speaking, Wan Bingwei took his leave and was walking down the dark stone steps when he suddenly yelled and lay down on the ground.

Ashanpo turned her head and screamed: "What's wrong? Is it Wanbingwei? Wanbingwei..." I couldn't hear Wanbingwei's answer because he was dead. "……what!" The old woman gasped, and there was a figure beside Wan Bingwei's body, with a gleaming knife in her hand, which was stained with blood. "...You, who are you?" "Who are you?...Quickly report your name." The old woman managed to make a hoarse voice. The old woman was as bluffing as ever - but the other party seemed to understand the old woman's tricks very well, and he shrugged slightly in the dark.

"It's me...the old woman." "what?" "Can't you recognize it?" "I don't know you, and I haven't heard your voice. Could it be that you are a robber?" "Hmph! If I were a robber, I wouldn't fall in love with you poor old woman." "What did you say?... So, you are coming after me." "That's right." "To find me?" "I will not chase all the way to Sanriyue Village in order to kill Wanbingwei. My goal is you." "Hey!" The old woman broke her throat, a little embarrassed. "You're right! Who are you? I'm Ashan from the original Tian family." "Well! Hearing this name brings back my old hatred. Old woman! Who do you think I am? Have you forgotten me, Jotaro?" "Huh?...Jo...Jotaro?..." "It's not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for three years. You are already old, and I can grow into a big tree. Old woman, now I am no longer the brat I used to be." "...Oh, oh, are you really Jotaro?" "For many years, you have caused my master to suffer. My master Musashi thought you were old and weak, so he didn't care about you, and fled everywhere. But you didn't know what to do, and even Edo spread rumors that were not good for him. You not only To seek revenge on him, but also to hinder his future." "..." "Also—you drove Sister Atong into a corner whenever you had the chance. I thought you had repented and returned to your hometown to retire. Unexpectedly, you would use Wanbingwei from Mawu to try to harm Sister Atong. -" "..." "Just calling you an old woman is not enough to vent your hatred. It is easy to kill you with a knife, but my Jotaro's father, Aoki Tansa, is no longer a vagabond, and now he has returned to Himeji Castle. This spring, he will resume the previous Ikeda family's vassal. position... Therefore, in order not to drag my father's name, I will not kill you." Jotaro took a step forward. Although he won't kill the old woman, the knife in his right hand has not been sheathed yet. "..." The old woman backed away step by step, as if trying to escape. The old woman took the opportunity to run to the path in the mountain forest, and Jotaro jumped up. "Where are you going?" Grab the old woman by the collar from behind. "What are you going to do?" Although the old woman was old, she was stubborn by nature and did not give in. She immediately turned around and attacked Jotaro's abdomen with her elbow. Jotaro is no longer the child he used to be. With a flash of his body, he pushed the old woman forward. "Wow! You little brat is really ruthless!" Before she finished speaking, the old woman fell headlong into the grass like an onion.Although his head fell to the ground, the image of Jotaro was still a child in his mind. "What did you say?" Jotaro let out a loud shout.He stepped on the old woman's thin back and easily subdued her. Seeing the old woman gritted her teeth and endured the pain, Jotaro showed no sympathy at all.He was grown up now, and although he was tall, he was still not really a grown-up. He was eighteen or nineteen years old, he was tall and tall, and he was still childish. In addition, he had accumulated grievances for many years, which made him want to punish the old woman even more. "What do you want to do to me?" The old woman was dragged to the front of the temple, but she still did not lose her fighting spirit.Jotaro stared at her frail body, he didn't want to kill her, he didn't want to kill her, he was a little confused, he didn't know how to deal with this old woman. On the other hand, he is also worried about Atong, who was caught by Wuhua Dadai and taken to Xiazhuang just now. There is also a reason why Jotaro knew that Atong was working in Shimo's dyeing room.Since he settled down in the nearby Himeji Castle with his father Tanzaemon, he was often sent to the seaside magistrate's office this fall. During his trip, he once saw Otong from the wall. That person really looks like Miss Atong. Jotaro thought so.It was only under special attention that Atong was killed by chance. Jotaro thanked the gods for their guidance and gave him this opportunity.At the same time, he hated the old woman for persecuting A-Tong from the bottom of his heart.Now he recalls the times when Atong was almost killed several times. If you don't get rid of the old woman, Sister Atong will not be able to live in peace. Jotaro thought so, and suddenly had a killing intent.However, he also thought of his father Dan Zuo's difficulty in returning to the city.Moreover, whenever something happens to the village family in this mountain, it will be exaggerated, so it is best to avoid making a big fuss.Jotaro also has the deliberation similar to that of an adult, so he decided to punish the old woman well and rescue Atong. "Hmph! I found an ideal place, the old woman is here." Jotaro grabbed the old woman by the collar and told her to stand up, but the old woman lay on the ground. "You are so troublesome!" Jotaro had no choice but to hug the old woman and drag her to the back of the temple. There is a cliff there, and there is a cave under the cliff, just enough to accommodate a person in and out. The lights of a family in the distance may be Zuo Yong's village. Mountain winds, mulberry fields, river banks and other vast wildernesses are already in darkness.A group of people had just crossed the crescent moon mountain range shrouded in darkness. They stepped on the stones and listened to the sound of the Sayo River. "Hey, wait a minute." A person walking behind called the two people in front to stop. Those two people grabbed Atong with his hands tied behind his back. "The old lady said she would come right away, why is there no one there?" "Oh, after some calculation, she should have followed." "The old woman has old bones, it may take a lot of time to climb this mountain!" "Let's take a rest here! It's better to go to Zuoyong's Ergen Tea House to rest." "Anyway, we have to wait, why don't we go to the Erxuan Tea House to have a cup of tea! And you have such luggage." As they said, the three of them were about to walk across Asakawa. "Hey!" A call came from the dark distance. Everyone looks back. --strangeness? They listened attentively, and the call came closer to them. "Is it an old woman?" "No, not right." "who is it?" "It's a man's voice." "It shouldn't be calling us!" "Yes, no one should call us, and it's not the voice of an old woman." The river in autumn is icy cold.A Tong stepped on the river, feeling desolate in his heart. At this moment, the sound of footsteps came from behind. Only after hearing the sound, the figure who was chasing up had already approached the three of them, and suddenly shouted: "Miss Atong—" The man ran to the opposite bank, splashing a burst of water. "what!" The three villagers were sprayed with water all over their bodies and stood in the middle of the river around Atong. Jotaro ran to the opposite bank first to block the front. "Wait a minute." He opens his hands. "Who are you guys?" "Never mind who I am, where are you going to take Miss Atong?" "So you came to rescue Ah Tong?" "That's right." "If you dare to act rashly, you will die!" "Are you guys with Ashanpo? Ashanpo has orders to hand over Miss Atong to me." "What? The old woman's order?" "That's right." "you're lying." The villagers couldn't help laughing together. "I'm not lying, look at this." Jotaro showed them a letter written on straw paper by an old woman. Accidentally revealed tonight. Atong is handed over to Jotaro. Then come and take me back. "What's the matter?" Everyone frowned after reading the letter, looked Jotaro up and down, and went up to the river bank one by one at the same time. "Don't you know after reading the letter? Are you illiterate?" "Shut up, the Jotaro mentioned in the letter is you?" "Exactly, next is Aoki Jotaro." Just finished speaking-- "It's Cheng Tai!" A Tong suddenly yelled and almost fainted. Atong has been paying attention to Jotaro since just now, but she still couldn't believe her eyes. She didn't yell out selfishly until Jotaro announced her name. "Ah! The strap of her mouth is loose, hurry up and tighten it!" The countryman who dealt with Jotaro ordered the people behind him, and then said: "So that's right, it's the old woman's handwriting. What's the matter with the old woman saying 'then come back and take me away'?" The other party's eyes were bloodshot, and he questioned Jotaro. "Exchange hostages." Jotaro made it clear. "Give Miss Atong to me, and I'll tell you where the old lady is, how about it?" The three of them looked at each other in blank dismay, because no matter how much they waited for the old woman to appear, Kanjotaro was still a child, so he didn't take him seriously. "Don't talk nonsense, you kid, do you know who we are? We are vassals of Himeji Castle from the Xiazhuang Bentian family." "It's really troublesome. I just ask if you agree. If you don't agree, I will let the old woman starve to death alone in the mountains." "You bastard." One jumped over and grabbed Jotaro's hand, while the other held the hilt of the knife in an attacking stance. "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will cut off your head. Quickly tell me where the old woman is?" "Do you want to hand over A-Tong to me?" "No." "Then I won't say anything." "Aren't you going to say anything anyway?" "Give Atong to me and it will be fine, and both parties will not be injured." "Hmph! You brat." The man who grabbed Jotaro was about to kick him down. "What are you doing?" Using the opponent's strength, Jotaro gave the man a shoulder throw, but suddenly—— "what……" Jotaro also fell to the ground, pressing his right thigh with his hand. It turned out that the man who was thrown over his shoulder took advantage of the situation and drew out a big knife to injure Jotaro. Jotaro knows the technique of throwing people, but he doesn't know the law of throwing people. Because the other party is a living person, it can't be like throwing something.What's more, the opponent will draw a knife to attack himself at any time. Jotaro didn't take this into account when he threw his opponent down, it seems that he threw the enemy to his feet like a frog, and his body didn't get out of the way. was cut! A thought came to Jotaro's mind. He had been cut near his thigh, but he stood up still injured. Fortunately, the wound was very shallow. As soon as Jotaro stood up, the other party also stood up immediately. "Don't kill him." "Catch alive." Other sages also attacked Jotaro from all directions. If Jotaro is killed, there will be no way of knowing where the old woman is hiding. Similarly, Jotaro didn't want to talk to these countrymen.If Fanli knew about this, it might implicate his father. But people are not as good as heaven, and being besieged by three people will naturally fill the house with righteous indignation. Jotaro is full of blood, and a bloody battle is inevitable. The opponent beat and scolded. "You brat." "How dare you be so arrogant." "Watch me clean you up." Jotaro was thrown and beaten by the opponent, punched and kicked again, and he was almost subdued. "what is this?" Suddenly he turned from defense to attack, drew out his saber, and stabbed the abdomen of the man who was rushing over. "Woo!" It was as if Jotaro had inserted his hands into a pipe of bituminous coal, his arms were flushed red with blood. Jotaro's mind was empty and he lost his sanity. "Bastard, you have a knife too." Jotaro lunged at another man, and he slashed across with his knife, as if cutting a fish, and the other man's meat was turned over. "Wow!" Fang Long yelled before he could draw his sword.They were too confident to be hurt so badly. "You guys, you bad guys." Jotaro seemed to be reciting a mantra, cursing every time he slashed, and turned around to slash at the other two enemies. Jotaro doesn't know sword skills, unlike Iori who accepts the orthodox guidance of Musashi, but he is not surprised when he sees blood, and he has been carrying a sword for many years, and he is very precocious. Maybe in the past two or three years, he has been acting in the dark with Narai's Dazang I'm used to it, I've had a lot of training. Of the remaining two villagers, one was injured and was very frightened.On the other hand, Jotaro's legs kept bleeding, which looked like a picture of a bloody battle. Are the two sides evenly matched?Or will Jotaro be subdued?A Tong desperately ran to the river, trying to break free from her hands tied behind her back. She kept calling for help in the darkness. "Come on! Come on! Help this young warrior!" No matter how much she yelled, the surroundings were still pitch black, only the sound of water and the sound of wind blowing across the sky could be heard, and no one responded at all. At this time, Atong, who was originally cowardly, was also aroused to strength. Before asking for help, why didn't he think that he had strength? Thinking of this, A Tong sat on the rock and rubbed her hands back and forth on the edge of the rock, because the straw rope in her hand was randomly picked up by the villagers on the roadside, and it broke after just a few rubs. Then, Atong picked up small stones with both hands, and ran to the place where Jotaro was fighting with the two villagers. "Chengtai!" She screamed and threw the stone at Jotaro's opponent. "I'm here, don't be afraid!" After speaking, a stone was thrown. "Hold on!" Lin - lost another one. But all three stones missed each other. Atong quickly bent over to pick up the small stones.At this time, another villager noticed her. "Ah! You woman." He jumped two steps away from Jotaro, and was about to chop Atong's back. "stop!" Jotaro catches up. When the villager was slashing at A-Tong with his knife—— "You bastard." Jotaro's fist hit him hard on the back.It turned out that Jotaro's knife stabbed from Goshi's back through his abdomen, and only Jotaro's fist and the handle of the knife were seen. This blow was so important that Jotaro's sword could not be pulled out of the corpse.This panic, if the remaining villager on the other side also attacks him, what should be done. Fortunately, this is not the case. The remaining villager had been injured before, and when he saw his companions dying miserably, he ran away in a panic like a praying mantis with a broken leg.Seeing this, Jotaro immediately drew his sword and gave chase. "Wait a minute." It is common sense for samurai to take advantage of the victory and chase after them, and it is common sense to want to kill them all.But Atong shook his head to stop. "Let him go! . . . Let him escape! . . . He is already wounded!" Atong's voice seemed to be protecting his relatives, which surprised Jotaro very much.Why does Atong protect those who hurt him so much? "Don't worry about it, I want to know what happened after we broke up, and I also want to talk to you... Chengtai, let's escape from here as soon as possible!" right! Jotaro has no objection.There is only one mountain away from Zangan.If the matter spread to Xiazhuang, and relatives of the Tian family called friends and companions to come here to attack him, it would be bad. "Sister Atong, can you still run?" "Yes, no problem." The two recalled the time when they were little girls and boys, so they kept running in the dark. Only one or two inns in Sanriyue are still lit. One of the lights was an old hotel. The gold merchants from the mines, as well as the Malay thread peddlers and monks would make noise in the main house during the day, but at this moment it was quiet at night, and only one small side room was still lit. The owner of the hotel is an old man. He puts the cocoon cooking pot and the spinning wheel in this wing and lives alone in it. However, when Atong and Jotaro came here to knock on the door for lodging, he let him out. "Jota, so you haven't seen Musashi-san in Edo?" After listening to Jotaro's description of what happened after the breakup, Ah Tong felt a burst of sadness in his heart. Jotaro was also very sad to hear that Atong was still looking for Musashi after he broke up with him on Kiso Road, and he didn't know how to speak. "Sister Atong, don't sigh, I heard some rumors in Himeji." "What wind?" She doesn't let go of even a little news now. "I heard that Master Musashi will come to Himeji soon." "To Himeji...is this true?" "Because it's a rumor, I don't know how credible it is. Everyone in the domain is saying that the official Musashi and the military coach Sasaki Kojiro of the Hosokawa family will compete in martial arts, and they will come to Ogura soon." "I have also heard this rumor a little bit, but no one knows the whereabouts of Musashi." "No. There is evidence to prove that the rumors in the clan are true... Because the Myoshin Temple in the Garden of Kyoto, which has a long history with the Hosokawa family, has found the whereabouts of Master Musashi. Therefore, Nagaoka Sado, the veteran of the Hosokawa family, is the son of Kojiro. Send the challenge book to Master Musashi." "So, there will be a martial arts competition soon?" "I don't know. I don't know when and where the martial arts competition will be held. If it is near Kyoto, you must pass by Himeji Castle if you want to go to Kokura in Buzen." "But he may go by water." "No, he probably won't go by boat." Jotaro shook his head. "Whether they are in Himeji or Okayama, they are all waiting for Master Musashi to pass by, and they are planning to keep him overnight. Everyone is eager to see this big man, and asks if the master is willing to take up an official position, etc... Now Himeji Castle The Ikeda family also wrote to Master Zean, and even asked Myoshinji Temple, and ordered the shops in front of the post station under the castle to report immediately if they saw Master Musashi." After hearing these words, Ah Tong sighed instead. "In this way, it is even more impossible for Brother Musashi to travel by land. Because there are people waiting for him in every city. Brother Musashi hates causing unnecessary commotion—" A Tong felt a trace of despair. Jotaro thought, even if it was a rumor, Miss Atong would be happy to hear it.But Atong thinks that the possibility of Musashi passing Himeji is even slimmer. "Jota, if we go to Hanazono Myoshinji Temple in Kyoto, we will know the real news!" "Maybe, but it's just a rumor." "You have no ambition." "Are you going to find it?" "That's right. As soon as I hear the news, I can't wait to start tomorrow." "No, wait a minute." Jotaro is not like before, and now he also has opinions on Atong. "Every time Sister Atong hears a little bit of wind, or people's vivid rumors about Master Musashi, she immediately decides to chase after him, but she will never be found. It should be like a person who observes migratory birds, who goes to the front after hearing the birdsong Wait, that's right. Sister Atong, you have been chasing after me, and you will lose your way one day..." "You are right. However, I can't restrain myself. Maybe this is the so-called common problem of love!" Atong has nothing to say to Jotaro. However, when Atong mentioned the word "love" just now, he was startled when he saw Jotaro, because Jotaro's face was already flushed. It was no longer possible to be frank with Jotaro.Because Jotaro himself has reached the age of youth to fall in love. So Ah Tong quickly changed the subject. "Thank you, I will act after careful consideration." Jotaro replied: "I hope so, you will go back to Himeji first, right?" "yes." "You must come to my house then. I live with my father." "..." "I told my father about you. It turned out that he knew about Sister Atong when he was in Qibao Temple. I don't know why? He always said that he wanted to meet and talk with you." Atong didn't answer. The wick is about to burn out.She looked back at the night sky. "Ah! It's raining." "It's raining? We have to go to Himeji tomorrow!" "It doesn't matter, as long as there is a coir raincoat, this little autumn rain is nothing." "I hope it doesn't rain too much." "Ah! It's windy." "Close the windows!" Jotaro stood up and closed the window.As a result, the air in the room became stuffy, and it seemed that A Tong could smell the woman's body fragrance on his body. "Sister Atong, go to bed early, I will sleep here—" With that said, he took out the wooden pillow, went under the window, and lay down facing the wall. "..." Atong couldn't fall asleep and listened to the sound of the rain alone. "It's impossible not to sleep, Sister Atong, can't you sleep yet?" Jotaro seemed to be unable to sleep either, with his back to Ah Tong covering his face with the quilt.