It was getting late at night, and there seemed to be fog on the sea, covering everything. Kuwako and Hayakawa Naomi had gone back to their dormitory to rest. The night was getting late, and Kuwako and Hayakawa Naomi had returned to their dormitory.
Pei Zi Yun finished his meal and wiped his mouth. He stretched lazily and yawned, as though he was tired. He stood up and bowed, "My apologies, Hitaki-kun. I shall return to my room to rest."
Pei Zi Yun did not reply. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the aura of the person in front of him change, "So that's what you think, Yamada-kun."
Kitaoka Toru followed him out of the dining hall, feeling a deep sense of regret, "Yamada-kun, I thought you would be one of our comrades."
"Hitaki-kun, 130 years have passed since the fall of the Bakufu." Pei Zi Yun was not surprised, "Since the shogunate was unable to clean up the entire house through a bloody war, it was destined that democracy would be born."
"In fact, any dictatorship would have democracy. The power that was originally in the hands of one or a few people would be expanded to the hands of the governor and the cabinet as the system loosened. Even if this was only a democracy for the scholar-officials or the nobles."
"The King and the nobles share the world."
"Even if the shogunate had a wise ruler like Shinkawa Keihei, they would not be able to eradicate those who took root. They could only turn them into a new generation of officials and councilors."
"When Shinkawa Keihei died, the power of the officials and councilors grew. Naturally, this system was expanded as well. When everyone could vote for the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, it became a modern democracy."
"Under the rule of the shogunate, Japan enjoyed a hundred years of peace behind the scenes. They even returned power to the people. What regrets do you have?"
"Must the Emperor be the one to govern?"
Pei Zi Yun walked on the deck, his footsteps echoing. A few people glanced at him and went back to rest. There was no one on the deck. The sound of a violin could be heard.
Kitaoka Toru stopped walking as though he was listening. He had short hair and a medium build. He took off his glasses and lowered his head, deep in thought for a long time.
Gradually, Kitaoka Toru shook his head and said, "Yamada-kun, if you had become one of our comrades, based on your talents, you could have become our leader in the future and know all our secrets."
"But you rejected us. I can only say that we are not madmen. In fact, we are not doing this for the Emperor. We have our reasons."
"The wrong history must be corrected."
Tatsuya Kitaoka's tone was a little hesitant at first, but when he said this, it became gloomy, firm, and decisive.
"Erroneous history?" These words caused Pei Zi Yun's heart to skip a beat.
"Perhaps you don't understand. In fact, it's normal that you don't understand. However, we chivalrous people haven't died out yet. In fact, we're still expanding. Yamada-kun, you're a samurai. Let us use samurai methods to end today's conversation!" When Kitagi Toru had finished speaking, his eyes swept across Pei Zi Yun's face, stopping at his heart and throat. He then opened the package that he had been holding.
It was a long saber.
Pei Zi Yun sighed and took out his wooden blade as well.
In the next moment, Takeshi Kitaoka's heart skipped a beat. The Pei Zi Yun in front of him was just standing there, yet there was no way for him to attack him. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead.
"That's impossible. I started practicing swordsmanship when I was seven, obtained profound meaning when I was fifteen, and mastered it when I was twenty-one."
"The person in front of me can't even be considered a youth. How could he have such a high level of cultivation?"
Takeshi Kitaoka's breathing became heavy. With a loud shout, he took a step forward and leaped into the air. Like a swallow, he circled around Pei Zi Yun's left side and swung his blade at him.
"Swallow's Return Slash!"
Takeshi Kitaoka's figure disappeared in front of his eyes. His astonishing speed and stamina showed how strong a samurai was. At the moment when he disappeared, Pei Zi Yun's heart rate increased rapidly. He turned around and swung his blade.
In an instant, the two of them crossed paths. Pei Zi Yun landed safely on the ground and swung his wooden blade diagonally to the right. However, the wooden blade did not need to be swung diagonally.
Takeshi Kitaoka half knelt on the deck and used his blade to support himself. A line of blood seeped out from his wound and gradually expanded. He panted twice before standing up.
It was a red line that did not cut deep into his flesh.
"Yamada-kun, are you showing mercy?"
"No, I'm only twelve years old. I'm just a step away, but I've reached my limit." Pei Zi Yun was slightly regretful. He had always been merciless in his attacks. It was just that his limits were limited to the body of a twelve year old.
Takeshi Kitaoka remained silent for a long time before keeping his blade. He then stood upright and bowed, "Yamada-kun, please give up on Sakato Genko's mission!"
"Even if we ignore the shogunate, there's still the Barbarian God."
"Barbarian God?"
"That's right, Harutora God." Takeshi Kitaoka's voice was filled with regret, "Do you know why the Sakato family would hire you? You're not the only samurai here. That's the reason."
"If the Barbarian God becomes stronger, the Barbarians will become stronger."
"That's a joke. Do pure Barbarians still exist?" Pei Zi Yun remained expressionless. During the era of the shogunate, the Barbarians were seen as a backward race and were encouraged to assimilate. Even the Barbarians themselves believed that it was their only way out. Now, there were no pure Barbarians left.
"You're right, but they haven't completely assimilated yet." Takeshi Kitaoka shook his head.
"So it's still a Barbarian God. However, the Great General has conferred a title to it. I don't think it's a Barbarian God."
"Is that so? Let me give you a warning. The Sakato family is not a friendly bunch. "Takeshi Kitaoka didn't intend to make another move and retreated.
Pei Zi Yun laughed before he turned around and returned to his room.
After some time, a man appeared on the empty deck. This man was Takeshi Kitaoka, who had just fought with Pei Zi Yun. He took out a handphone and dialed a number. When the call was connected, he bowed his head respectfully and said, "My apologies, your excellency. The negotiation has failed!"
"Have you already tested his inclination, and told him about the Yi God?" The phone asked.
"Yes, your excellency. I've told him about it, but he still rejected." Takeshi Kitaoka spoke in a serious tone, "Yamada Shinichi is more inclined towards the shogunate, which maintains peace."
"He also thinks that the Barbarian God is a god of the shogunate and doesn't reject him."
"Oh, is that so?" The person on the other side of the phone seemed regretful that Pei Zi Yun did not accept his conditions. "According to our observations, Yamada Shinichi is a very talented samurai. He is skilled in both the pen and the sword, and has a bright future."
"He is more inclined towards the shogunate, which maintains peace. He also thinks that the Barbarian God is a god of the shogunate and doesn't reject him. In fact, this is very normal for people who live in a peaceful era."
"It's a pity that he's a samurai, not an ordinary person."
"Furthermore, he was involved in a war at a critical time and stood on the opposing side. If that's the case, for the sake of history, the plan cannot have any variables."
"Execute Yamada Shinichi. I will bear the pressure of the Minagawa Shrine." The person on the other side of the phone spoke in a regretful but resolute voice, "Also, continue with the plan against the Sakato Main School."
"If you want to restore order, you have to remove the variable in Hokkaido. I authorize you to use all the chess pieces that you have in the Sakato Main School, at all costs."
"Yes!" As expected, this order was within Tatsuya's expectations. Tatsuya stood respectfully, bowed, and waited for the call to end before hanging up and straightening his body.
"It's a pity, Yamada-kun." Tatsuya shook his head, his eyes filled with fatigue, "How much more blood does my path have to bear?"
Time seemed to pass very quickly on the cruise ship. After a good night's sleep and lunch, the Sunflower docked and followed the route to the harbor.
When they disembarked from the cruise ship, a group of people cheered. Especially Mokuyama Shinga, whose face was pale and had a tinge of green in it. He kept mumbling, "Ah, we're finally on shore!"
It turned out that not long after Mokuyama Shinga boarded the ship, he realized that he was seasick. This fact made him extremely depressed!
Being seasick, Mokuyama Shinga could not eat, drink or have fun. He never thought that his trip to Hokkaido would begin in such a tragic manner.
This naturally made Mokuyama Shinga very unhappy. Now that he was finally on dry land, he could rest and have fun.
During the shogunate era, the first Great Shogun had sent people to survey Hokkaido. He had also sent people to establish a stronghold where there was a harbor and land for cultivation.
Not long after, it became the territory of the shogunate, and development began. The leaders of the Shrimp Barbarians were either recruited or killed. It could be said that they were forced to return to Japan.
The Bantō family was one of them. At that time, they were given 800 stones to move to Edo.
After the Tobaku War, due to their meritorious service, they were given 3000 stones of knowledge. The Bantō family then returned to Hokkaido. Within a hundred years, they expanded their power and became a prominent family in Hokkaido.
West Tail Hotel was one of them.
Although it was drizzling, they could still see the boundless sea and sky all around them. The environment was very pleasant. The lady who was wearing a kimono received the black card and bowed to Pei Zi Yun and the rest before introducing the West Tail Inn, "Please allow me to introduce the West Tail Inn to you."
"West Tail Hotel has been around for 230 years. It was planned to be in sync with the development of the local area."
"Samurai and their families needed a suitable location. Hence, this West Tail Hotel was built." The moment they entered the hotel, the woman in the kimono bowed down and asked everyone to take off their shoes. Some of them immediately took them for maintenance, before putting on wooden clogs. As it was summer, they did not prepare any socks.
She then led them into the hotel and said, "West Tail Hotel is located on high ground, overlooking the port. There's also an outdoor hot spring!"
"Dear guests, feel free to experience the hot spring!" The woman in the kimono said as she led Pei Zi Yun and the rest into a guest room.
The guest room was isolated and spacious. There were floor-to-ceiling windows and a resting area with chairs and a coffee table. There were tatami mats as well.
"Because the hotel is located near the sea, we provide fresh fish and shellfish. If any of you are allergic to seafood, please let us know. We will prepare other dishes for you in advance. We hope you don't mind!"
"Also, the hotel's dining hours are as follows. Breakfast will be served between 07: 30 and 08: 30. Dinner will be served between 17: 30 and 19. Guests who arrive after 19 will not be able to enjoy dinner. The hot spring tax is 150 stones per person per night."
Hearing the woman in the kimono say this, Kuwako jumped up and exclaimed, "That's great! We can play in the hot spring again!"
Hayakawa Naomi was surprised by the price and asked softly, "Isn't that a little expensive?"
Yuta nodded his head in agreement. He then walked closer to Pei Zi Yun and asked, "This hotel must be very expensive, right?"
"Yes, but we're not paying." Pei Zi Yun replied.
"That's right, you have a VIP card. All expenses have been covered, so please enjoy yourself." Hearing this, Yuuta smiled from ear to ear. The club members that followed him were all delighted.
"Let's disperse and return to our rooms. Three to a room."
"Yes!" The club members were not dissatisfied. A hotel like this cost 40000 stones a day. It was a rare experience for three people to stay in such a hotel.
Of course, the club leader had the privilege of having a room to himself. Pei Zi Yun put down his backpack and used his phone to search for information.
At this point, Kuwako, Hayakawa Naomi, Yuta and the rest had all gone to play or to check out the hot spring. Pei Zi Yun said that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest. Hence, he stayed in his room to search for information.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the information on his phone and mumbled, "The Barbarian Shrimp people. Due to intermarriage and assimilation, the pure-blooded Barbarian Shrimp people have basically disappeared. The official population is 25000, while the unofficial number is 200,000. However, these 200,000 definitely include everyone with Barbarian blood."
"Furthermore, the pure-blooded Barbarian Shrimp people are short in stature and have dark skin. They are the furriest race in the world. The men have thick beards, while the women have marks on their mouths."
"Hm, this appearance is probably one of the reasons why the pure-blooded Barbarian Shrimp people have disappeared. No wonder there aren't any pure-blooded Barbarian Shrimp people around." Pei Zi Yun thought to himself.
"There's also Harutorihime. She didn't exist in the original Barbarian mythology. However, if she was given a title, she would be given a new title. Was she originally a goddess, or was she a combination of several deities?"
Just as he was thinking about this, he heard the sound of a phone ringing, "Is this Yamada-kun? This is the car from the Banto Club. Have you rested for a while? "
"I've rested for a while. You can send a car over now." Pei Zi Yun replied as he wrote a message to the club members. He then stood up and left the club.
When he reached the entrance, he was welcomed by a beautiful young lady. She bowed sweetly, "Is this Yamada-kun? Please, come in! "
The interior of the limousine was luxurious. There was a small fridge and a cigar box. However, Pei Zi Yun didn't smoke. He didn't have much desire for alcohol. He looked out of the window and saw a vast field.
"Hokkaido accounts for about a quarter of the entire country's grain production. If it was in ancient times, it would be equivalent to about five million stones."
The view before him was vast and his breathing was much smoother. The car wasn't far from the club. After ten minutes, they arrived at a mountain road. The clouds were getting darker and darker as lightning struck down.
Seeing this, Pei Zi Yun frowned as he felt uneasy.
The young lady who was accompanying him thought that Pei Zi Yun was afraid of lightning and said, "Yamada-kun, it doesn't matter if it rains. We'll reach our destination soon."
Indeed, before long, they arrived at their destination. It was a place that occupied a large area.
Pei Zi Yun alighted from the car and looked around. It was filled with cherry trees, but the flowers had long withered. The club stood tall in the middle. He looked around and asked, "Is this a fortress?"
"You're right. This club was built from a fortress."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
