Edo, somewhere——
"Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...!"
Nishino stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, he reached out in time to hold on to the wall next to him and stabilize his body.
"Damn...! Cough! Cough!"
The turbid liquid, which was completely unclear whether it was blood or saliva, splashed out from Nishino's mouth.
Nishino, who knows nothing about modern medicine, certainly doesn't understand what "adrenaline" is.
When a large amount of "adrenaline" is secreted, people will temporarily forget the pain.
Nishino didn't know the reason.
All he knew was: when he and his grandson cooperated to risk their lives to break through, the wounds on his body miraculously no longer hurt.
But now... As time slowly passes, the adrenaline in Nishino's body returns to normal levels, and the burning pain once again dominates all his nerves... No! Even worse than before!
He probably accidentally tore the wound... I think so. He was running like crazy, breaking a window and jumping off a building. He was doing such strenuous exercise without interruption. How could he not damage the wound?
Nishino is feeling torment every step he takes now.
The continuous pain almost numbed his nerves.
My hands and feet are cold and my fingertips are numb.
His face was so pale that no trace of blood could be seen and was covered in cold sweat, as if he had just washed his face.
He stretched out his palm and wiped his face. He didn't know whether it was his palm or his face that was numb. The touch of his skin was blurry.
At this time, my grandson’s voice came to Nishino’s ears:
"Nishino-kun...are you okay?"
"It's okay... I can still move..."
As he said that, Nishino lowered his head silently and took a look at his side where the broken arrow was still inserted.
When an arrow enters the body, one must not pull it out randomly - this is common sense.
Let's not forget that pulling out arrows randomly can easily lead to further damage and splitting of the wound.
If the arrow hits the human body, it will be a hole.
If you pull out arrows randomly before you are completely prepared, then this big hole will be an excellent "bleeding hole".
Allowing the arrow to stay in the body can also play a role in "blocking the wound and preventing blood from flowing out."
However, it would not be a good idea not to deal with the arrows on the body.
The He bow is the largest bow in the world, so accordingly, the arrows of the He bow are also very long.
There are several wooden poles nearly one meter long hanging on the body, which will dangle if the body moves slightly... Just imagining it, you can feel it is very obstructive.
Therefore, after escaping from Phoenix Yataro's house, in order to facilitate movement and prevent aggravation of injuries, Nishino and my grandson broke all the arrows on their bodies, leaving only the arrow cluster inside the body and a small hole outside the body. Arrow shaft.
Although Nishino couldn't see clearly the status of the wound due to the chainmail and clothes, he could still clearly feel that the condition of his injury was very unsatisfactory... If he didn't receive treatment quickly, he would really return to the shrine. Got it
After looking at his injuries, Nishino squinted his eyes and glanced at my grandson beside him.
"Instead of worrying about me... why not worry about yourself..."
Although Nishino's physical condition is poor, compared to my grandson, he actually belongs to the "fairly healthy" category.
My grandson's injuries were already more serious than Nishino's.
Nishino's only fatal injury was an arrow wound in his abdomen.
Just like that, he was in excruciating pain.
On the other hand, my grandson has two fatal wounds.
Two arrows hit the abdomen... Nishino couldn't imagine how painful this would be.
My grandson's physical fitness is not as good as Nishino's. As a result, just using the word "terrible" to describe my grandson's current physical condition seems too mild and inappropriate.
Let’s not mention the complexion, mental state, etc. for now.
Just the way he walked made Nishino sweat.
At this time, my grandson does not seem to be walking, but more like floating.
My steps were weak, my lower body was shaking, and I was walking silently... like a ghost that could float up to the sky at any time.
"Hahaha... I'm okay too..."
My grandson twitched the corner of his mouth and showed an indifferent smile.
"It was quite uncomfortable just now...but now...it's a little better..."
When Xi Ye heard this, he couldn't help but open his eyes wide.
"Hey you……"
When I was seriously injured, I suddenly felt better... This is not a good thing...
Nishino wanted to say something, but when he was about to speak, for some reason, he hesitated.
After hesitating for a long time, he swallowed the words in his mouth and changed his words:
"...my grandson."
"Um?"
"You... are really amazing."
"how you said that?"
"Obviously he looks like he's going to die soon, but he can still laugh like a normal person."
"Hahaha... Didn't I say it before? As a loyalist of the Great Salt Party, I have long been mentally prepared to be injured or even sacrificed..."
At this time, Phoenix House Yataro, who was walking in front of Nishino and my grandson, secretly turned his head and looked at
Phoenix House Yataro was as fat as a pig, and Nishino didn't have the strength to keep dragging him around.
Therefore, he put a knife on Phoenix House Yataro's neck and asked him to walk in front of him and my grandson.
If you dare to call for help or run away, I will kill you. When Nishino said this, Phoenix House Yataro was so frightened that he trembled all over and nodded in agreement.
Nishino noticed the gaze that Phoenix House Yataro was looking at him at this time. He immediately straightened his face and said coldly:
"Hey, don't move...if you dare to move again, I will send you to hell immediately."
While saying this, Nishino put the Sadazhu in his hand close to the neck of Phoenix House Yataro.
The sharp blade only lightly touched the skin and immediately cut a shallow blood mark.
Phoenix House Yataro's fat body suddenly trembled three times.
"Ah, ah hahaha... I, I, how could I run away?"
While showing a smile that was full of flattery, he straightened his head and turned his gaze back to the front.
Looking at the obviously restless "fat pig" in front of him, Nishino thought for a moment, and then with a hiss, he tore off a strip of cloth from his shirt, and used this strip to tightly seal his right palm and the Zhenzhu in his palm. tied together.
Although he still has some strength left now, it is unclear whether he will still have the strength to hold the sword after a while.
Therefore, it is necessary to be on guard.
After escaping from the siege of the archers, Nishino and my grandson could not take care of Shanghai Laoning and others for the time being, so they could only leave in a hurry with Phoenix House Yataro.
Because the situation was urgent, the two of them didn't have time to identify the road. They dug wherever there was a well-hidden and complex road suitable for escaping the pursuers.
Therefore, Nishino is not sure where he is now.
He turned his head and looked back, and after confirming that there were no rapid footsteps coming from behind, he let out a long breath.
At this time, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a tea house not far away.
"Huh? This is..."
Nishino felt that this tea house seemed familiar.
He raised his eyes and scanned the surrounding streets with a look of surprise on his face.
"Huh? This is...Daika Town?"
Daika Town - one of the temples and shrines in Edo.
In the Edo period, in order to facilitate the control of the people and to divide the power of officials, the shogunate artificially divided all the cities under its rule into three types of land that did not belong to each other, namely, the "samurai land" where samurai lived, and the "samurai land" where civilians lived. Town people's land", and temple grounds housing shrines and temples.
Among them, the town's land is under the management of the temple, while the temple land is under the management of the temple.
The temple office cannot interfere with the management of the temple grounds, and the temple office cannot interfere with the management of the town.
For this reason, Nishino, who was born in the "Sankai" of the Buddhist temple, did not often set foot in the temple grounds of Edo.
Fortunately, he happens to be very familiar with this area.
Because Sakai Kingo, one of the current priests of the temple, lives nearby.
In order to socialize before, Nishino often went to Sakai Kingo's house for several rounds of drinks under the leadership of his boss...that is, the North Ban leader: Susui Chujiro.
The temple administration, the designated administration and the Edo town administration are collectively called the "three administrations". Their daily work often requires each other to provide a convenient place, so there are often exchanges of favors and benefits between each other.
The relationship between Hakui and Kingo Sakai was very good. Whenever they had free time, they would often get together, chat, drink, listen to Japanese songs, and do elegant things.
"My grandson, if you persist a little longer, you will be able to..."
Nishino originally wanted to cheer up my grandson.
But before he could finish speaking...
"Cough, cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Suddenly, my grandson coughed violently.
The loudness and frequency of the sound startled Nishino.
He subconsciously stretched out his right hand and held on to the earth wall next to him.
But the moment his palm touched the wall, his right arm bones seemed to have been shattered, sliding down softly, and he continued to fall forward.
"Hello!"
At the critical moment, Nishino supported my grandson.
The moment his palm touched my grandson's body, Nishino felt that his palm was sticky... His palm was covered with fresh blood and dried viscous plasma.
When Nishino saw this, the lines on his face gradually became stiff.
My grandson, who was lively and cheerful half an hour ago and could talk and laugh with him happily, turned into this dying figure just because of two arrows... This strong contrast made Nishino doubt that he was dreaming for a moment. Sense of reality.
After coughing for ten more times and vomiting out a large amount of blood and some internal organ fragments, my grandson slowly raised his head and smiled at Nishino - his usual calm smile.
"Nishino-kun... I'm sorry... can you help me a little...?"
"……I see."
Nishino stretched out his left hand and held my grandson's torso.
The two continued to move forward, leaving long shadows and deep blood marks on the ground under the moonlight.
A heavy atmosphere continued to build up between the two of them.
Suddenly, as if Nishino couldn't stand the atmosphere, he said expressionlessly:
"My grandson, this is the end of the matter, you..."
Nishino's voice was interrupted against his will.
Somehow, his words stuck in his throat, and elusive colors kept emerging from the depths of his heart.
Nishino took a deep breath, suppressed all kinds of emotions in his chest, spoke again, and continued.
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
My grandson only lowered his eyebrows in embarrassment for a moment, and then he smiled softly, as if he acknowledged everything Nishino said.
From this moment on, Nishino felt inexplicably that the sounds around him were so far away, as if only the space centered on him and my grandson was cut off from the world.
In this extremely peaceful world, the first sentence Nishino produced was a laugh full of self-deprecation.
"Aha...haha...hahahaha..."
He was obviously smiling, but it sounded like he was asking for help from someone.
"Looking back... has it been... 8 years... time flies so fast..."
Nishino remained silent and listened quietly.
My grandson raised his head and raised his gaze, as if he was looking at the sky or the world beyond.
"Eight years ago... when I was not a 'fire dragon'... I investigated a case..."
"A little girl who was not as good as a sword...died tragically on the street..."
"From the left shoulder to the right side of the abdomen... such a delicate body... was chopped into two neat halves..."
"This little girl who died tragically... was not a lady... just an ordinary town girl..."
"Obviously, someone is testing the knife on civilians..."
"I quickly locked the prisoner..."
"But... after finally catching the prisoner... the superior officer asked me to release him..."
"Although those guys gave high-sounding reasons,... Nishino-kun, you should be able to guess what the truth is, right?"
Nishino pursed his lips, and after a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice:
"...The murderer is covered, right?"
My grandson smiled sadly.
"I'm obviously an official who was reformed by a thieves...but I can't even redress a little girl's injustice..."
"The reason why I joined the Great Salt Party and devoted myself to the cause of a near-death collapse...perhaps it was to heal the helpless grief I felt at that time...Cough cough cough cough! Cough cough! Cough cough cough!"
My grandson started coughing again.
"Okay, stop talking!"
Nishino held my grandson steady, fearing that he would slip from his arms.
Although Nishino sternly asked my grandson to shut up, he still suppressed his cough and asked Nishino a question intermittently:
"Nishino-kun... you say... when I arrive... in that world... what expression should I use... to face that poor little girl? Will she... forgive me for my weakness and incompetence... "
Nishino: "..."
A long silence fell between Nishino and my grandson.
The sound of wind coming from afar sounded inexplicably far away.
About five seconds later, the various emotions hidden deep in the chest finally turned into sounds.
"Who knows."
"Hahaha... what you said... is really merciless..."
"but--"
Seeing that Nishino had not finished speaking, my grandson quickly stopped talking and listened.
"If I were you... I would rather hope that little girl can beat me up, preferably beat me half to death for being so incompetent."
For an instant, my grandson showed a surprised expression, which soon turned into a complex expression of laughter and laughter, and finally changed to the calm smile he usually showed most.
At this time, my grandson cast a surprised look forward.
"Oh my... Arikadatsu..."
Nishino followed my grandson's line of sight and saw two still green Kadomatsu outside the door of a home not far away.
The so-called Kadomatsu is a New Year decoration that the Japanese place outside the door during the New Year. It is generally composed of moso bamboo, pine branches, bamboo poles and wintersweet.
Japanese Shintoism is a typical "animistic belief" and believes that all things have animism.
In Shintoism, there is a saying that gods live on tree branches, so there is a possibility that gods may be attached to kadomatsu.
Hanging the kadomatsu in front of the door is to invite the God of Nian into the home and to herald good luck in the new year.
The God of Nian is the god who brings harvest and happiness to every household during the first lunar month.
Although it is almost February, there are still many families who have not put away the loose doors outside their doors due to laziness or other reasons.
"Nishino-kun..."
"what?"
"Do you know..."Man'yoshu"...?"
"What stupid question are you asking? As long as you're Kazuto, it's impossible that you don't know "Man'yoshu", right?"
"Man'yoshu" - the oldest extant poetry collection in Japan, contains more than 4,500 ancient poems of various lengths and styles spanning 450 years from the fourth century AD to the late 1960s. Similar to the Chinese Book of Songs.
"Then do you know...the defense song in "Man'yoshu"?"
"What are you doing? Are you bleeding so much that your brain is damaged? Why do you keep asking me such stupid questions?"
"Man'yoshu" contains a total of one hundred "anti-human songs", which are divided into volumes 13, 14 and 20.
"Defense" means that after Japan was defeated in the "Battle of Baijiangkou", in order to defend against the attacks of the Tang Dynasty and Silla, it recruited strong men from all over the country, replaced them every three years, and stationed them on the coast of Chikushi (Kyushu Island) and Iki , Tsushima and other island defense troops.
"Defending Song" is a song composed by "Defending Person" and his family members. Similar to Japan's "frontier poem".
My grandson chuckled "hahaha" a few times, and the smile on his face became softer.
While looking at the Kadomatsu tree not far away, he softly sang a very famous "Defense Song" in the "Man'yoshu"——
"Those pines..."
"Stand there..."
"Like family..."
"Send me off..."
In Japanese, "pine" and "waiting" have the same pronunciation, so the poem also has the meaning of "waiting for me to go home early."
"At times like this, don't sing such unlucky poems."
Nishino said angrily.
"..."
"What are you doing? When I asked you to stop talking just now, you insisted on talking. Now when I need you to answer, you are silent again."
"..."
"My grandson? Hello! My grandson?!"
"..."
Nishino stopped and stared blankly at the face of my grandson who was still being supported by him.
…
The icy evening wind howled.
The night wind took away his breath.
But he couldn't erase the smile that was permanently fixed on his face.
**********
**********
Fifty years in this world are like a dream and an illusion.
There is life and death, so a strong man has nothing to regret.
——"Dun Sheng"
Good night, Fire Dragon.
(End of chapter)
