Edo, somewhere——
After Nishino and my grandson rushed out of the tea house in no particular order, they ran non-stop towards the river embankment.
——We must catch up...!
While Nishino was thinking this secretly, he subconsciously raised his left hand and held down the saber on his left waist.
Although Nishino is not from a noble family, the sword he uses is not simple.
Knife name: Zhenzhu.
Nishino's great-great-grandfather paid a heavy sum of 150 taels of gold to hire a famous craftsman to make the sword.
This sword has been passed down from generation to generation in the Nishino family. It has been passed down to five generations now. It is truly a family heirloom sword.
It has been passed down for five generations, but it is still sharp and can cut iron as well as clay... This also shows from the side how excellent the quality of this knife is.
It was named Zhenzhu because Nishino's great-great-grandfather hoped that his descendants would be as proud of the snow and frost as the chaste bamboo, and never be a villain who violated samurai ethics.
As a "criminal police officer" who has been working away from home for many years, Nishino's body has been well-trained, and both physical strength and footwork are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He thought that my grandson, who was a purely civil servant, would not be able to keep up with his speed, but he did not expect that the other party's pace was not much slower than his.
As the two of them galloped forward, the far from lively street scene quickly receded behind them.
Within a moment, the unique muddy smell from the river bank penetrated Nishino's nostrils.
Nishino looked forward, and the river embankment was already in front of him.
The mysterious man who behaved strangely still stayed where he was.
I was on the second floor of the tea house just now. Because the distance was too far, I couldn't see very clearly. Now that the distance was closer, Nishino was able to see clearly the figure and appearance of the mysterious man.
He has a body shape that is neither fat nor thin; he has a standard shaved head; he wears two swords at his waist; his skin is dark; his chin is protruding; his teeth are as big as the sky; his facial features are ferocious.
Seeing this man's dignity, Nishino couldn't help but think of a wild boar.
As the saying goes: Appearance comes from the heart.
Although some people often say that this is nonsense, Nishino has always believed that "images come from the heart" has certain merits and reference significance.
Because of his profession, Nishino has seen too many criminals and scum. According to his own observation, the appearance of villains and traitors is really different from ordinary people.
Although saying this is a bit arbitrary, at the first sight of the mysterious man...that is, the man who looks exactly like a wild boar, Nishino concluded: He is definitely not a good person!
There were not many pedestrians around the river embankment, so it was very quiet.
Therefore, against the backdrop of this quiet atmosphere, the footsteps of Nishino and my grandson became particularly noticeable.
Boar Face immediately turned his head following the sound.
When he saw clearly that the people who came were two menacing warriors, one of whom had a Jushou with a red tassel on the waist, the expression on Boar Lian's face suddenly changed.
Then, as if by conditioned reflex, he turned around and ran away without any hesitation.
Just run away when you see an official... Boar Face's level of suspicion in Xiyou has risen to the highest level.
The direction of Boar Face's escape was to the east - this was the town's land.
"Get out of the way! Get out of my way!"
Boar Face roared impatiently while pushing away all the innocent people blocking his way with extremely rough movements.
"Follow the case you are handling! Get out of the way of everyone else!"
Nishino lifted up Haori's right hem, revealing the red tasseled juju and the exclusive seal of the shrine hanging on his right waist.
Although he is not as rough as Boar Face, he is not polite to anyone who reacts too slowly and fails to move to the side of the road in time - he directly pushes them away.
As for whether the person who was pushed fell down or was injured... Nishino didn't know and didn't have time to know because he didn't bother to look.
Catching the wild boar's face is the top priority at the moment. Compared with this, whether passers-by fell down or were injured are just trivial matters that are not worth mentioning.
Although Boar Face's legs are not long, his speed is not slow.
Even Nishino and my grandson, who have been in battle for a long time and have experienced countless street chases in their lives, have always been unable to close the distance with each other.
"If this continues, that guy might be able to escape..."
Behind Nishino, my grandson’s murmur came from behind.
Because Nishino ran in front of my grandson, he didn't know: After muttering like this, my grandson stretched out his right index finger and put it between his eyebrows, closed his eyes tightly, and looked thoughtful.
After a moment, he opened his eyes suddenly.
Immediately afterwards, a sonorous and powerful shout startled Nishino:
"Nishino-kun! This way!"
"Um?"
Nishino turned around and saw my grandson suddenly made a 90-degree turn and ran straight towards a narrow path not far away.
"What are you doing?!"
Nishino couldn't help but pause and asked loudly.
"Let's take a shortcut to block him."
My grandson gave a simple, straightforward answer without looking back.
"shortcut?"
Nishino was stunned.
If there is a shortcut, that would be great.
However, because he is not very familiar with my grandson, Nishino is instinctively suspicious of the other person's words and deeds.
But obviously, the current environment does not allow Nishino to think slowly and hesitate here.
Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and took steps to keep up with my grandson.
The positions of the two people who entered the narrow path changed drastically. Now my grandson is running in front and Nishino is running behind.
"My grandson, are you familiar with this area?"
Nishino couldn't help but asked.
"Except for Edo Castle, there is no place in Edo that I am not familiar with."
My grandson turned his face sideways and smiled calmly.
…
"Whoosh...! Whoosh...! Whoosh...! Whoosh...!"
Boar Face felt his lungs swell with pain. He held his chest while staggering and dragging his body forward.
This place is a remote area between two streets, with few pedestrians.
He ran up to this point in one breath. Unable to run any further, he put his hands on the wall and turned his head to look back while taking advantage of his breath.
Looking at his empty back, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Did you get rid of it..."
A little joy and luck appeared on his brows.
Just as he was about to lean against the wall next to him and take a rest——
Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap...
He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from a certain alley not far away.
Before he could follow the sound, two tall figures shot out of the alley like arrows.
“Hoho~ Looks like I’ve caught up~~”
In an instant, the ugly face of the wild boar was filled with fear and panic.
"Nishino-kun, how are you? The shortcut I took you to take is not the wrong one, right?"
Nishino ignored my grandson's request for credit. After rushing out of the alley, his eyes were fixed on the boar face.
"You should recognize what this is, right?"
Nishino once again lifted the right hem of Haori's hand, revealing the red ear of Juju and the seal cage of Fengxingshou.
"If you don't want to be beaten, just surrender and be captured. You have no way to escape."
"..."
Boar Face pretended to run away.
But he soon discovered that running away now would be in vain.
He was out of breath and exhausted now.
On the other hand, Nishino and my grandson...because they took a shortcut here, they still have considerable physical strength.
Even if Boar Face tries to run away again, it will only be a matter of time before he is caught up as the physical strength of both sides is ebbing and flowing.
"...Why are you chasing after me?"
Boar Face took a deep breath and pretended to be calm.
"I didn't steal, rob, or kill. Why are you chasing me murderously through the streets?"
My grandson heard this and grinned:
"I want to ask you instead: Since you are an innocent person who has done nothing wrong, why did you turn around and run away without hesitation when you saw the two of us approaching?"
"I was just scared."
Boar Face answered without hesitation.
"Anyone would be frightened if they suddenly saw an official rushing toward him, right?"
"That's enough, shut up!"
Nishino interrupted Boar Face's argument with an impatient tone.
"If you have anything to say, let's wait until we get to the execution center. If you are really innocent, we will definitely clear your name."
"..."
As Nishino finished speaking, the expression on Boar's face became extremely ugly and solemn.
He looked at Nishino with a fierce look in his eyes, and then looked at my grandson.
Nor spoke.
Just silently, he reached for his waist and drew his sword out of its sheath.
Boar Face's thoughts are clearly revealed.
"...I advise you not to do this."
Nishino said calmly, while raising his left hand to hold the mouth of the sheath, raised his thumb, held the blade against the blade, and pushed it forward. There was a "click" sound, and a silver-white blade one finger wide suddenly popped out of the sheath.
"Hmph~ He actually dared to draw his sword on the official, what a commendable courage~~"
"But it's a pity that your courage has been misplaced~~"
"Here's a piece of advice for you: throw away the guy in your hand, then kneel down and surrender."
"Otherwise, the sword has no eyes!"
"If we wait for the war to begin, if we want to surrender, we will have no chance!"
Although my grandson has a habit of "prolonging his voice when speaking," he can still speak well when he puts aside his careless and lazy attitude and assumes a serious posture.
My grandson's persuasion to surrender just now is quite impassioned.
Full of energy, loud and powerful.
However, the moment my grandson handed out this surrender notice with high spirits——
"...My grandson."
"Huh? Nishino-kun, what's wrong?"
"You want to use your words to shake the thief's will and strive to achieve the goal of 'conquering the enemy without fighting'. I have no problem with this. But when you say these cruel words, can you stop hiding behind me?"
After saying that, Nishino turned his face sideways and glanced at my grandson who had most of his body hidden behind him with a look that was somewhat helpless.
You are the one who shouts the loudest, and you are the one who hides the most.
"Nishino-kun, I am the 'strategist'~~"
My grandson said quietly in a tone that was half serious and half teasing:
"You can't expect the 'strategist' to take the lead, right?"
"...Forget it, no matter what. Since you are not good at martial arts, then retreat as far as you can."
After finishing speaking, Nishino neatly pulled out the Zhenzhu from his waist.
The clanging sound of the sword being unsheathed echoes throughout heaven and earth for a long time.
Judging from the current situation, there is no doubt that my grandson's persuasion to surrender has had little effect... No, it should be said that it has had no effect at all.
Boar Face was not moved at all.
He spread his legs and pointed the tip of the sword at Nishino's face. He didn't look like he was planning to abandon the sword and surrender.
"Nishino-kun, although I am not good at martial arts, I can still provide some simple combat support~~"
"Just remember to protect yourself."
Nishino answered casually.
Although there was no need to talk about samurai etiquette with the "target to be arrested", based on the simple samurai sentiment, Nishino still reported to the house in a loud voice:
"Beichen Yidao Style,"
"Nishino Hosejiro!"
Boar Face was immediately stunned.
"Nishino Hosejiro...you are the Nishino Hosejiro from Kitabansuo..."
Apparently, Boar Face had heard of Nishino's name.
Perhaps he was intimidated by Nishino's famous name, and the expression on Boar's face suddenly changed drastically.
It wasn't until quite a while later that he came back to his senses and shouted loudly at a volume not inferior to Nishino:
"Shinto Wu Nian Liu,"
"Etaro Komatsu!"
Nishino: "..."
Xiaosong: "..."
Bang - the brief silence was broken by a huge kicking sound.
Nishino concentrated his strength on the toes of his hind feet, then pushed forward suddenly.
While running, he raised the Zhenzhu in his hand high and assumed a high-up posture.
For Nishino, the purpose of this battle is to capture Komatsu alive, not to kill the opponent.
Therefore, his knife did not hit Komatsu's vitals, but went straight to Komatsu's knife.
He planned to disarm Komatsu directly.
The moment Nishino's body came within Komatsu's attack range, a "silver snake" bit Nishino's chest from below with fierce force.
Nishino didn't dare to be too bold and quickly changed his moves. The "disarming heavy blow" was transformed into a "defensive block" in the blink of an eye.
clang!
Zhenzhu and Komatsu's swords were entangled in mid-air.
The white blades intersected and splashed out sparks.
As if being scalded by boiling water, Komatsu hurriedly stepped back.
The retreating pace may seem casual at first glance, but the center of gravity of the lower body and the posture of the upper body remain completely unchanged.
When Nishino saw this, he immediately understood: the person opposite him was quite skilled and was not an ordinary person.
As soon as he thought about this, Nishino mustered up his energy and focused all his attention on the Zhenzhu in his hand and the battle situation in front of him.
Strictly speaking, Nishino's swordsmanship level is not that superb.
Although he has practiced Beichen Ittōryu since he was a child, because he has no ambition to do so, he only holds the catalog qualification of Beichen Ittōryu until now.
However, there is not a strong correlation between combat effectiveness and swordsmanship level.
Nishino's swordsmanship is indeed average, but he possesses something that countless senior warriors do not have: rich practical experience.
At this time, Nishino relaxed his grip a little and gave the knife a light rhythm. The tip of the knife suddenly twitched slightly like a wagtail's tail, and the cold light on the tip of the knife was like a firefly, flying up and down quickly.
It is the signature stance of Beichen's Itto Style: slightly twitching the tip of the knife to prevent the tip from freezing, while enhancing the flexibility of the attack and making it difficult for the opponent to see through his intentions.
The next moment, a wave of fierce attack hit Komatsu's whole body.
*******
*******
Leopard is resurrected!
I even took 4 days of sick leave... This is the first time that Bao Baozi has taken such a long leave since he wrote it. It is indeed because of the new crown (Bao Baozi.jpg) that I haven't written it for so long. Bao Baozi has even forgotten where I wrote it. .
Because Bao Baozi just got out of bed, my writing state is not that good. Sitting on the chair for a long time will make your body feel like it is hanging in the air, so today's chapter is a little short, sorry! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
(End of chapter)
