The sun sets in the west and the sound of waves sounds like sipping.
On the calm sea, a broken sailboat with its mast broken was drifting with the current.
On the day it set sail, there were about twenty people on the boat, but now, there were only two left.
Terashima Yasuhei leaned against the side of the ship and sat slumped on the deck, looking at the sunset in the distance. Next to him, there was a little boy who was only seven or eight years old leaning against him.
"Uncle, is the sun going to set soon?" The boy's eyes had long been blind, but this also made his other senses relatively sharp.
"Yes." Terashima's voice sounded weak, but he still tried his best to sound kind and gentle, "Are you feeling cold? Taro."
"Well..." Taro shook his head, "No, uncle's side is very warm."
"Really... Then go to sleep quickly." Terashima thought, "You won't feel hungry when you sleep. Maybe when you wake up tomorrow, we have already arrived on land."
"Uncle, do you really still believe it? Regarding '朙'..." Taro asked.
"Of course I believe it." Terashima replied, "'朙' exists, there is no doubt about it."
"No...I'm not talking about that..." Taro said, "I mean...Does uncle really believe that there will be a place on the other side of the sea where there will be no wars, no fights, and everyone can be happy?"
Terashima was silent.
What Taro said was what the leader of the twenty people on the boat, their village chief, said to them on the day they left their hometown; although...the village chief himself had never been to Dashu.
If even children don’t believe it, how can adults believe it? But those who got on the boat had no choice but to believe.
The vassal state they lived in had just been contested by the shogunate army not long ago. The war swept through their homeland. Their families were killed, raped, and insulted. Their property was plundered, their dignity was trampled on, and their lives were treated as carelessly as grass. Destroy.
Now that their hometown has become Shura Hell, even if it is the ideal hometown in lies, it is still worth pursuing. After all... they have nothing to lose.
"Stop thinking nonsense..." Terajima lied, not for himself, but because he didn't want the boys around him to be crushed by the despair of reality. "How could the village chief lie to us? As long as we get to Dashu, we will have nothing." No need to worry anymore, there will be a lot of delicious food there, warm and soft beds, and the friendly villagers will treat us like family members... So, Taro, you should have a good rest and keep your spirits up. Maybe we will be there early tomorrow morning. I can see those.”
After hearing this, Taro showed a sad smile: "Uncle...what did you do before?"
Terashima didn't expect that he would suddenly change the topic, but he still replied: "Me...if I hadn't fought, I should still be a swordsman in my father's dojo."
"Ha..." Taro responded with a smile, "It's not unexpected at all... I can still imagine the uncle scolding the juniors loudly in the dojo with a serious look on his face." He paused, then mused, "Like People like uncle are really bad at lying..."
At this moment, Terashima realized that the child beside him, this child who had been baptized by the fire of war, was far from being as innocent as he thought.
Perhaps, this blind child sees the world more clearly than he does.
"Uncle, I'm tired." Taro's voice gradually became lower.
"Go to sleep, uncle will watch over you." Terajima said.
"Uncle, if I don't wake up tomorrow, please let me keep sleeping..." Taro's tone was very calm. It was obvious that he could act like an adult... no, he could go more calmly than an adult. Talk about death.
Terashima did not respond to this sentence, because he did not know whether it was cruel or merciful to let the other party "not wake up".
Taro's words continued: "...In that way, maybe I can see my father and mother again..." After a slight pause, he said in a concerned tone, "Promise me, uncle, if I really can't wake up... Come, please don't throw me into the sea like the others, before I rot, my blood and flesh..."
"Stop talking!" Terajima suddenly shouted loudly to stop the other party, not letting Taro say the last half of the sentence, "You smart boy... don't look down on adults! You want others to accept the kind of thing from a child that will never be repaid until death. The favor!”
When the roar ended, two lines of hot tears had flowed down Terashima's face.
And Taro did not speak any more. He had fallen asleep leaning against Terashima.
The next day, a pirate ship passing by found Terashima, who had fainted from hunger, and the body of a little boy.
There were mostly Japanese people on this ship. After they saw Terashima's clothes and the sword in his hand, they thought that this man was probably a samurai who might be useful, so they rescued him.
Taro's body disappeared into the waves forever along with the broken ship.
…………
Terashima opened his eyes.
In front of him was a wasteland, and above his head was a bright moon.
Tonight, Kang Haijiao kept him waiting for a long time, so long that when he closed his eyes and rested his mind, he recalled some distant and vague past.
Now that I think about it, Taro did see things more clearly than he did.
Dashu is naturally not the ideal hometown described by their village chief. This is just another place where the weak and the strong prey on each other.
After that day, Terashima still lived a life of drifting with the crowd: he was rescued by Japanese pirates and boarded a pirate ship, so he could only follow them as Japanese pirates. Later, the group was wiped out by Dazao's army, and Terashima was lucky He escaped and became a wandering robber again.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to put down his sword and become an upright and law-abiding person, but at his age, it’s almost impossible to change his accent and behavior. It’s unrealistic to hide his Japanese identity. At that time, the Japanese pirates were in full swing along the coast. The common people had long hated the Japanese, and there was no talk of deportation in those days. People with criminal records like him would basically die if they were caught by the government.
Therefore, for Terashima, there is neither a hometown to return to nor a harbor that can truly accept him.
He could only live a life of licking blood day after day, using the only thing he was good at, the pursuit of "martial arts"... to numb himself.
It was also during this process that Terashima's swordsmanship became increasingly sophisticated and he gradually became famous; until a few months ago, a well-known figure in the Central Plains martial arts found someone to get in touch with him and offered to take him under his wing. Being a "client", of course... is the kind that cannot be made public.
Terashima had no reason to refuse. Even though he had been a thief for many years, he still believed in his heart that he was a samurai. It was better to find a "lord" to serve him than to make a living by doing some robbery that made him feel ashamed.
Just like that, tonight, he met that man.
When Lin Yuancheng walked towards Terashima, Terashima could feel it from the other person's eyes - this was also a man who sought the truth, a man who was extremely honest with the sword.
Although Terashima also saw Sun Yihe and Kang Haijiao with chains tied to their bodies in the distance, he had no interest in asking what was going on; at this moment, he only had Lin Yuancheng in his eyes.
Just like in Lin Yuancheng's eyes, he was the only one.
"Good sword." When Lin Yuancheng stood in front of the opponent, he first commented on the Japanese sword at the opponent's waist.
He didn't even confirm whether the opponent was Terashima Kohei...because it didn't matter who the opponent was or what his name was.
"Oh? Do you think this is a sword?" Terashima asked slightly surprised.
"Of course this is a sword." Lin Yuancheng said, "And you are also a very powerful swordsman."
"Ha..." Terashima smiled, "Yes, I am a swordsman, and I also practice 'kendo', but... my weapon looks like a sword to you Central Plains people, so most people think that I am a swordsman. .”
"Most people in this world are ignorant." Lin Yuancheng said.
"It seems you are in the minority." Terajima said.
"Me?" Lin Yuancheng thought for a while, and a trace of sadness appeared on his face, "I'm different, I've always been 'alone'."
Others may not understand what he said, but Terashima vaguely understood it. He looked at the expression on the other person's face, and he didn't know whether it was envy or sympathy in his heart: "Huh... you are either so arrogant that you can't even think of yourself." Either he was cheated, or he is really pathetic."
"You will know the answer soon." After Lin Yuancheng said this, his hand was already on the hilt of the sword.
Terashima stopped talking and silently took out his sword from its sheath and took a stance.
The long sword is plain and plain, still in its sheath, but the diffused sword intent is already coming majestically like the majestic mountains.
The Japanese sword is strong and strong, and its edge has appeared, but the raised blade is still as quiet as a cicada, and there is no ripple in the ancient well.
This battle can never be called a showdown between the top masters in the world, because the internal strength of these two people is still far behind those of the first-class masters; they can't shoot anything that can hurt people from a few feet away. Even with his sword energy, he couldn't forcefully break the enemy's weapon by suppressing his skills.
But this is indeed a duel between top-notch swordsmen. Their understanding of their respective swordsmanship is unparalleled in the world.
Hiss——
The wind blew, and Terashima's sword moved.
At the same moment, Lin Yuancheng's sword was finally unsheathed.
When the two figures crossed each other and staggered, the sound of sword fighting also started playing.
Terashima uses the sword technique "Ji Shang Shui Ten Ryu" passed down by his family. This is a martial art he has learned since he was a child. It is said that his ancestors practiced swinging swords under the waterfall every day and slowly realized it; The internal energy he possesses is also matched with the family-inherited mental method. Although this mental method can only be regarded as a third-rate breathing method compared with Zhongyuan's internal energy, Terashima is much older than Lin Yuancheng after all, and his internal strength will not be at a disadvantage in terms of total volume.
And Lin Yuancheng... strangely enough, after the battle started, he did not use his "Sigh of Lingwu". He only used the most basic sweeping, blocking, stabbing, teasing and splitting moves, only defending but not attacking. , and tried his best to avoid a head-on confrontation with Terashima, giving priority to side blocking and maneuvering to dodge.
The two of them continued to attack like this for twenty times. At this time, Terashima realized something belatedly, so he feinted with his sword, took half a step back, and stopped the attack.
"What are you doing?" Terashima asked, "Why don't you take action?"
"It's not that I don't want to take action, it's just that I can't do it casually..." Lin Yuancheng said.
Hearing this, Terajima's expression changed slightly, and he thought to himself: "This kid...did he realize from the beginning that his sword might break if he fought me?"
He guessed correctly.
Only after the first sword collision, Lin Yuancheng instinctively noticed this through the feeling in his hands, so he responded in this way.
"Ha... Then what's the point of continuing to fight like this? It's only a matter of time before you lose." Terajima continued with a smile.
Lin Yuancheng replied expressionlessly: "If we are divided into life and death, how can we ask about victory or defeat? If we are looking for swordsmanship, what is the point?"
His sixteen words left Terashima speechless.
After thinking about it for a moment, Terashima felt a faint sense of fear - he suddenly discovered that the young man in front of him was far more eager to seek truth and swordsmanship than he was.
Terashima's pursuit of "martial arts" is at best like that of a craftsman, but Lin Yuancheng is already a madman.
Lin Yuancheng has never had victory or defeat in his heart, not even life or death. He feels that everything he has done for the sword is natural.
For ordinary people, using "relatively disadvantageous weapons to fight" is an "unfavorable situation" and "unfair", but for Lin Yuancheng, this is just one of the countless experiences he needs to go through. He cares about What matters is not what is fair or unfair, but how to cross this hurdle, because on his "Tao", crossing this hurdle is necessary and should be done.
"So that's it..." After taking a breath, Terashima's expression gradually became cold, "It seems that I have to kill you here... If you continue to grow, you will one day become a serious problem for the master... "
"Master?" Lin Yuancheng was slightly startled when he heard these two words, "What? So it turns out that you are not seeking swordsmanship with others, but because you are entrusted by others?"
"Is there any conflict between the two?" Terajima asked, "Since I am entrusted by others, you can also allow me to discuss martial arts and seek Taoism, right?"
"Okay." Lin Yuancheng nodded, "But there is a difference between which one is 'by the way' and which one."
"In my opinion, there is no difference." Terajima said.
"Then let me tell you what the difference is." After Lin Yuancheng said this, he actually took the initiative.
But he saw Lin Yuancheng stepping on the Seven Stars, his sword striking the giant, his mind and spirit united, and his moves were like turbulence.
Suddenly, there was a sharp flash of cold light under the moon, and a sharp sword threatened his life.
Na Si Dao was also always ready to respond to the attack, and did not relax. When he saw the sword light coming, he immediately leaned down, pressed the knife and turned his wrist, flipped his hand and slashed, using the "collapse flow back" technique of the "collapse flow back" to move up the water quickly.
pong——
The next second, there was a golden roar.
The sword breaks and the blade flies away.
Then there was a soft sound of "呲——", and a piece of blood mist flew in the wind.
The dust is stained with blood, and the figures are misaligned.
Lin Yuancheng held the broken sword in his hand, his eyes were cold, and he stood facing the wind, unscathed.
Terashima was still standing, but there was a bloody mouth on the side of his neck.
"The sword is a good sword, and the swordsmanship is not bad, but your heart contains too many things other than the sword." Lin Yuancheng slowly turned around and summed up, "If the mind is confused, the swordsmanship will be messed up, so A broken sword is enough to kill you."
Before he could finish his words, Terashima fell face down.
When he was dying, Terashima actually didn't listen, or in other words, he didn't care what Lin Yuancheng said.
At that moment, the sound of waves seemed to ring in Terashima's ears.
He seemed to be back on the sea again, leaning against the side of the ship, looking at the sunset, with a child leaning next to him.
Everything these years has seemed like a dream.
The upright samurai Terashima Yasuhei had already stayed on that broken ship with Taro, and fell asleep forever in that ray of illusion and hope for the "Utopia".
