He opened his clothes, exposed his belly, and asked for his sword... Anyone who saw Nishino's actions would know what he wanted to do.
"Nishino-kun..."
Ebina couldn't stop talking.
He subconsciously turned to look at Ichinose.
Ichinose closed his eyes and shook his head.
"..."
Ebina didn't speak, didn't sigh, didn't show sadness, and had no intention of blaming Ichinose.
Because he already knew that Nishino was dying...
There was not a single piece of good flesh on his body, and the blood in his body was almost drained... Anyone with a little common sense, after seeing Nishino's terrifying appearance, would know that there was no chance of him surviving...
At this time, Nishino twitched the corners of his mouth and let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"I'm going to die anyway... just let me... die with dignity... Doesn't anyone have a sword...? That's fine..."
Nishino pulled out the wakizashi from his waist with one hand.
Since his right palm was still tightly bound to the hilt of his sword, he was left with only one left hand to use.
"Who... is willing to be my... wrong person...?"
[Note: Error: Refers to the beheading of a person who committed suicide in the Japanese seppuku ritual, so that the person who commits seppuku will die faster and avoid pain and torture]
Ebina and the others looked at each other, but no one came forward.
Not everyone can do it.
According to the rules, the wrong person cannot chop off the head of the person who commits seppuku. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to those who commit seppuku.
A qualified fault requires cutting off the neck but not completely, leaving the head and neck still slightly connected.
This decapitation method is called "head-holding" - when the head and neck are connected by only a little skin, the severed head will fall into the arms of the person committing seppuku under the pull of gravity, hence the name.
The knife must be cut from the gap between the third and fourth bones of the cervical vertebrae to achieve the best beheading effect.
The person who commits seppuku will move around in pain after inserting the knife into the stomach, and even if it fails, the whole body will tremble, which makes it more difficult to decapitate the wrong person.
It requires not only a strong psychological quality, but also the precise swordsmanship to be able to cut off the opponent's head and neck with only a trace of skin remaining even if the target moves around... It cannot be done unless you are a top swordsman.
The skill of the wrongdoer was so poor that he could not successfully cut off the head of the person who committed seppuku even with several chops. As a result, the person who committed seppuku suffered extremely painful physical torture before dying - this kind of tragedy is not uncommon.
Just when Ebina was hesitating, a calm male voice intervened between them.
"……Let me do it."
Qingteng supported Echizenzumi Tsunalu Moru Kanezhong on his waist and stepped forward.
If anyone had to say who had the best swordsmanship among everyone present...it was undoubtedly Qingdeng.
Seeing Qingden taking the initiative to ask for a job, Ebina had no reason to stop him.
He turned his head and signaled Ichinose and Akutsu with his eyes, and the three of them stepped back to give them enough space.
Qingden walked slowly to the left rear of Nishino.
"Nioh, continue."
Saying that, Ebina threw a bamboo tube to Aomori.
"There is water in the bamboo tube."
After hearing this, Qingdeng nodded knowingly, then pulled out Echizenzumi Tsunaglu Moru Kaneshige, unscrewed the bamboo tube, and poured the water in the tube onto the blade.
The person in charge washes the blade with clean water - this is one of the necessary rituals for seppuku.
"Is it wrong that the famous... King Ni... comes to tell me...? Hahaha... I am so lucky..."
Nishino raised his head and looked at Qingden with an expression that was half-smiling.
"Speaking of which... ever since you moved to the right... after you were transferred to Huo Fu Thief Kai... I haven't... spoken to you... again..."
Qingden nodded slightly.
"Indeed."
"Hmph...More than a year ago...you were just...a very ineffective...idiot...but now...you have risen to great heights...the title of 'Renou' has become famous far and wide...although that being said...maybe... It's a little late...but now you...really make me...impressive..."
This is probably the so-called "when a person is about to die, his words are also good".
Nishino's eyes were calm and indifferent, without any trace of jealousy or ridicule.
"I understand a little bit... Lu Zijing found out that Lu Ziming was not in the same mood as Wu Xia Amen..."
Qingdeng pursed his lips and said:
"To each other. In my opinion, you have changed a lot."
"Change...? What changes have happened to me...?"
Nishino's expression was colored with confusion.
There was a brief silence as Qingden was trying to formulate his words.
"To be honest, I don't know how to describe it. To put it bluntly... you used to be like a cold puppet, but now you have a slightly more 'human' flavor."
Having said this, Qingdeng paused for a while before continuing:
"It seems like you've been through a lot."
Of course, Qingto didn't know what Nishino had been thinking recently, but he could clearly feel it from his eyes: the man in front of him was no longer the rigid, aloof, and thought-provoking person he had known before. Stay away from the "puppet".
"'people'……?"
Nishino blinked, a faint light overflowing from his eyes.
For a few moments, panic, confusion, and confusion were all three emotions beautifully mixed on his face.
"No longer a 'samurai'... but a 'human being'..."
After mumbling like he was chewing every word, Nishino took a deep breath, straightened his back, sat upright, looked straight ahead, and took off his shirt from his right arm.
Seeing this, Qingdeng spread his legs silently and held the wet saber in an eight-pair stance.
[Note·Bashuang: The posture of standing the sword vertically in front of the right side of the body]
Nishino held the sword in one hand and slowly held the wakizashi vertically on the left side of his abdomen...but he still didn't draw the sword.
"...Tachibana Aoden."
"Um?"
"I...violated the moral principles of a samurai..."
"From the moment I drew my sword against...Sakai-sama, who is honored by the temple...I have been...sinful...'disloyal'..."
"When I arrive... in that world... will my ancestors... scold me...?"
"Thinking of this...I'm a little...scared..."
Nishino looked as if nothing had happened, and there was even a slight curve in the corner of his mouth.
But if you observe carefully, you can find that although the amplitude is very small, the hand holding the knife is indeed trembling slightly...
Qingdeng lowered his eyebrows for a moment as if embarrassed, and then immediately sighed helplessly.
"What troubles there are in this world and that world. Don't go anywhere. Become a free soul who is no longer bound by anything."
When he said the last sentence, his tone suddenly became more refined, and his response was so powerful that it was like a bolt from the blue.
After hearing this, Nishino was startled, and then he squeezed out a dumbfounded wry smile bit by bit:
"A free soul soaring thousands of miles across the sky... That would be too lonely...?"
"Well... that's not necessarily the case."
Qingden paused for a moment and looked at the distant sky, as if letting his thoughts fly to a distant place that was not here.
"When I die one day, you can meet me. Although I can't guarantee that we can get along."
Nishino turned his head and looked directly at Qingden, the emotion contained in his eyes was difficult to grasp.
After a moment, he slowly turned his face and gaze back to the front - Qingden couldn't see the expression on his face.
"Tachibana Aoden."
He still had a calm attitude, but there was a hint of relief in his tone.
"Thanks."
The moment the words fell, the sharp blade sank into his abdomen!
Without saying a word, Nishino pulled the blade little by little to the right side of his abdomen.
When he completed "Ichimonjiri" and Aoden was about to chop off his head with a sword -
"Wait a minute...!"
Nishino shouted lowly.
At the same time, he pulled the wakizashi out of his abdomen, lowered the tip of the knife slightly tremblingly, and then inserted the knife into his abdomen again.
Everyone at the scene, including Qingdeng, saw this and their expressions changed.
Akutsu murmured:
"Hey hey hey, does he want to..."
Ebina on the side looked solemn:
"Sanmonjiri...!"
Generally speaking, there are three main methods of seppuku, namely "Ichimonjiri", "Jumonjiri" and "Sanmonjiri"
As the name suggests, "Ichimonjiri" is a horizontal cut made once on the stomach; "Jumonjiri" is made a cross on the stomach; and "Sanmonjiri" is made three horizontal cuts to create a three-character.
Among them, the "Sanmonji cut", which requires three horizontal cuts, is the most difficult and painful.
Throughout the entire history of Japan, no one has ever succeeded in committing suicide using "Sanmonjiri".
Nishino's face was as red as if it had been roasted by fire, countless veins were jumping on his forehead, and his body was shaking uncontrollably.
But even so, he still held the handle of the knife tightly and dragged the blade firmly.
Finally, he cut out the second word "one".
Without breathing, without stopping - he pulled out the knife for the second time and plunged the knife into his belly for the third time...
Nishino's face turned the color of clay. He clenched his teeth to prevent blood from spurting out of his mouth, so only clusters of blood foam flowed from the corners of his lips.
Anyone who sees it will know that Nishino has no strength... He now relies entirely on willpower to operate.
At this moment, everyone present, including Aoto, Ebina, Sanako and Souji, Ichinose and Akutsu, all focused their eyes on Nishino with different emotions.
On the silent river beach, only the sound of the blade cutting skin and internal organs was particularly loud.
Finally...the third character "one" took shape.
At this point, "Sanmonjiri" ends - Nishino didn't say a word the whole time.
He pulled out his wakizashi for the third time... and for the last time, placed it in front of his knees, then straightened his waist and held his head high.
No pain, no sadness.
There is only relief, only relief.
With such an attitude and expression, he didn't look like a man waiting to be killed, but more like an innocent but proud child.
"Nioh...do it...!"
Qingdeng held his sword steady with an expressionless expression.
In an instant, the silver light fell...
…
…
Aomori gently covered Nishino's body with the haori he had taken off.
At the same time, Ebina stepped forward, squatted down, and held Nishino's left hand tightly.
Qingdeng originally thought he was going to recite Buddhist scriptures, but who knew that he actually said seriously in a solemn tone:
"My child, you performed very well. Thank you for your hard work."
"Sleep, sleep, rest in peace."
"Go, go, cross the Santu River."
"The fire of will you leave behind will become our strength."
"I promise you, we will win a comprehensive victory in this great struggle!"
The solemn expression of Ebina looked very much like the priest in the confessional.
His every move and every word is filled with a strong sense of sanctity.
When Ebina put down Nishino's hand and stood up, Aomori couldn't help but ask:
"Is this the exclusive eulogy for your Great Salt Party?"
"Absolutely. Whenever a comrade dies, we will read this eulogy to him."
"Is Nishino also a member of the Great Salt Party?"
"Although he is not a member of the Great Salt Party, he is our comrade. Deep in Nishino-kun's heart lies the same ideal as ours."
Speaking of this, Ebina smiled magnanimously.
"As long as we have the same ideals, we are our comrades."
"...It's not without reason that you have been able to survive under the shogunate's crazy siege to this day."
"Thanks for the compliment. Okay, now... let's get down to business."
Ebina turned around and looked straight at Aomori.
At this time, Sanako and Souji both stood back behind Aoto.
"Your Majesty Nioh, let me get straight to the point - why are you trying to get into trouble with Phoenix House Yataro?"
"...Mr. Ebina, I can tell you the reason. But on the other hand, please be honest with me after I finish speaking."
As soon as Aonto said this, he immediately attracted surprised looks from Sanako and Souji.
The general manager said quickly:
"Tangerine-kun..."
Before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Qingdeng:
"It doesn't matter. Although this is not a reason, I guess the reason why the Great Salt Party is targeting Phoenix House Yataro is the same as us."
Speaking of this, Qingdeng's lips curled up slightly.
At the same time, Ebina also smiled.
"That's a coincidence. Your Majesty, Nioh, I have the same idea as you."
"Then I won't beat around the bush—Mr. Ebina, do you know about the Fa Zhu Dang and Huanfudian?"
…
…
Qingdeng selectively told everything he knew.
Contents related to Tianzhang Academy and New Imperial Court were avoided.
The identities of the "bodyguards" on the left and right...that is, Sanako and Souji were not even mentioned.
His grievances with Fa Zhu Dang, Qingshui clan and Huanfudian were emphasized.
After Aoto said everything that should and could be discussed, Ebina kept his promise and began to share the details of their side with Aoto and others, as well as the intelligence they had collected so far.
The content of what he said was not much different from Qingdeng.
"How could such a thing happen..."
Ebina smiled bitterly.
"Two waves of people who had barely interacted with each other before actually launched an attack on the Fa Zun Party at the same time..."
Qingden nodded with deep understanding - such a dramatic development really caught him by surprise.
At this time, someone made an impatient voice:
"So...what's going on now?"
Akutsu turned his head to the side and pursed his lips at Phoenix House Yataro, who had been hiding away since just now, curled up and shivering.
"What to do with this fat pig...it's impossible to chop him in half, half for each person, right?"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-!"
"Akutsu, don't scare him."
Ichinose said helplessly.
"If you scare him to death, you'll be in trouble."
"...Your Majesty Nioh, I have a proposal."
When he heard Ebina say the word "proposal", Aomori immediately guessed what he wanted to say.
And what he said next was exactly what Qingdeng expected——
"Shall we cooperate?"
…
…
About half an hour later——
Edo, Ayamachi, somewhere——
"That's it..."
Ayoto and Ebina poked their heads out of the bushes, one on the other, staring closely at a medicinal herb workshop twenty meters away.
From the outside, this is just an ordinary, featureless room.
Throughout Edo, you can find at least 20 workshops similar to his.
The brown wooden board walls, mottled tiles, and the faint smell of medicine floating in the air... It's hard to imagine that this medicinal material workshop is the production workshop of Huandu Lake.
"I don't know what Genfusyo is...I am only responsible for...helping Rakshasa plant and purchase medicinal herbs...and open a pharmaceutical factory...in the name of Phoenix House...the factory is in the...northern suburbs of Edo...Aya Town "...Seven-chome..." - This was the precious information he spat out before his death after Seito and others punched Phoenix Yataro a few times and peeled off some of his nails.
If what Phoenix House Yataro said is true, then Rakshasa's move is indeed beautiful and classic.
The transcendent status of Zha Chai makes it impossible for people in the government to take the initiative to provoke this group of privileged people who are well-versed and wealthy.
Therefore, it would undoubtedly be much safer to cooperate with Zhazai and use Zhazai's house number to open a manufacturing workshop in Genfusyo, and would be less likely to be targeted by the shogunate.
Under the guise of a "legitimate company", they do illegal things... Such operations have been common throughout the ages.
"Mr. Ebina, let's go."
"Um."
Ayoto and Ebina rushed out of the bushes in no particular order, climbed over the wall and sneaked into the workshop.
The two of them moved forward cautiously while paying attention to the movements around them.
The factory was completely quiet, with no human voices, no dogs barking, no snoring, moaning, crying and other sounds.
"no one there……"
Ebina murmured.
"Mr. Ebina, don't be careless."
Qingdeng said calmly.
"I know."
Ebina smiled slightly.
"I'm a veteran who has experienced the Battle of Osaka. I won't make stupid mistakes, don't worry."
*******
*******
According to historical facts, there were actually people who committed seppuku and succeeded in cutting Sanmonji.
This man's name is Takeichi Zuishan. He is the only person in Japanese history who successfully committed suicide with "Sanmonjiri". Book friends who are interested in this can go and get to know this person. One of the historical prototypes of Nishino Hosejiro is Takeichi Zuishan.
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(End of chapter)
