Chapter 304： Demon Sword

Mountain Hidden Country is an island country composed of hundreds of islands.

The area of ​​Honshu Island is very large, and there are many feudal countries such as Izumo, Akada, Owari, Mikawa, Nagano, and Qiuyuan. . .

It is said that it is a vassal state, but the territory is actually not large, and three or two vassals are roughly equivalent to one county of Luying.

The lord is called the feudal lord, usually also called the big name. They are independent of each other, conquest, and nominally allegiance to the royal family.

God gave the imperial family "Shenfu clan", and the capital was in Edo.

"Old Man Rune" is the shogun of the shogunate, with great power, almost the first person under the imperial power. This guy's life is also full of legend, from a small feudal lord into the family, and then step by step to the present.

This is the information that Su Lun had learned about Shanyin Kingdom before.

......

From Pirate City to Shanyin Kingdom, usually take the sea route into the inland river, change boats directly to Nagano, and then change the land route to Edo Castle.

Now the ships of their Ninth Fleet have been scuttled into the sea before they entered the inland river, so they can only travel by land.

On the winding mountain road, the beams of alchemy lamps and torches illuminated a long fire dragon.

There were snowflakes in the sky, and a thick layer of white snow had accumulated on the roadside.

Under the moonlight, a piece of silver was wrapped.

"Bah! As soon as I came here, I encountered some monsters and sank the ship. It's really bad luck..."

"Well, it's not far from the shore, or we'll be in big trouble."

"The evil fire just now was so **** terrifying. People said it was gone. I still don't understand what happened..."

"Yeah, I've heard of the monsters in Shanyin Kingdom before, but it's rare to see them. I didn't expect to be so unlucky, but we met them."

"..."

The six or seven hundred people of the Ninth Fleet just came out of the sea, shivering with cold, trembling, and walking cursing.

In the crowd, Su Lun listened to everyone's whispers, and his thoughts flew in his head.

Is it really because the filth was thrown into the sea to offend the youkai?

Obviously not that simple.

There should be someone to stop them from going there.

Those squad leaders and mates seem to have guessed something wrong, but the big pirate group has money and is obliged.

Now that I realized something was wrong, I could only bite the bullet and move on.

The group walked for a few kilometers, and the guide Song Yongxiu, who was walking in the front, suddenly spoke again, his attitude was still extremely humble, "Master Hands, there is a village in the front of the mountain called 'Jianjian Village'. There are some special customs, and some small places will also enshrine monsters to protect peace. Therefore, no matter what strange sacrifices you see this time, please don't pay attention to those rural people, and try not to touch some taboos. Otherwise, you will offend the monsters and cause a lot of trouble."

"..."

"Teabeard" Heinz listened, the corners of his eyes twitched slightly.

If it was before, he would probably take it seriously.

But just after the shipwreck, he no longer dared to be careless.

He even regretted that he didn't listen to the guide's advice before, offended the monster, and he lost a lot, so he said to the people behind him: "Everyone heard it? After entering the village for a while, let me be honest, don't mess with him. Something happened. Tomorrow morning, we will continue on our way!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Everyone listlessly replied that they had just encountered a big change, and no one wanted to cause more trouble.

But at the tail of the team, Su Lun heard the guide's words, but his mind became active.

Worshiping monsters?

He has been thinking about how the monster of Shanyin Kingdom came to be.

Demons, sea monsters, and even aberrations can all be traced back to their origins.

And only this "monster" is special.

They are like rootless duckweeds, apparently like existences that should only appear in legends, but suddenly appeared in reality.

The food chain, ecological chain, reproductive chain... are all difficult to explain with conventional principles.

It gives the impression that it has emerged out of thin air from myths and legends.

......

After thinking hard to no avail, Su Lun continued to follow the army.

After a while, they crossed a mountain col and suddenly saw a small village.

There are not very bright lights in the village, which look like oil lamps and firewood. The roof was covered with a layer of snow, and the chimneys were still smoking upwards.

When the pirates of the Ninth Fleet saw the village, they suddenly became excited.

Not only did I have a place to stay, but more importantly, I saw a living person, and the fear of being dominated by monsters before dissipated a lot.

"Tea Beard" Hanz waved his hand and said, "Brothers, find farmers to live in by yourself, and each team will arrange their own sentries. Start tomorrow morning!"

After a pause, he thought of something, and then warned again: "We are not here to rob this time, remember to stay in the house honestly, don't **** around!"

"Okay, Captain!"

"Got it, boss."

"Hahaha, I finally have a place to stay..."

Everyone responded in unison, and they couldn't wait to go to the house to bake the fire and warm their frozen bodies.

Pirates have no military discipline to speak of, and a group of people swarmed down.

Whoever can grab a good house is his.

Su Lun was still carrying the assigned individual artillery on his shoulders. He walked unhappily and fell behind the team.

When he passed the mountain pass, he was watching the pirates whose guide Matsu Yongxiu was trying hard to persuade them not to touch some taboos.

After seeing that there was no one in the group, the guide followed.

Seeing that he was walking beside him, Su Lun asked casually, "Mr. Guide, this place is called 'Sword Casting Village', what's the point of it?"

Yongxiu glanced at Su Lun and bowed in fear: "I can't afford to be an adult 'sir'. It's fine if you call Xiao Yongxiu."

He buried his head and said, "We are now in the 'Izumo' region, which is rich in black iron ore. Good swords have also been produced since ancient times. Many villages near here used to mine and forge weapons for a living... This is So did the village. Later, due to some changes, the village disappeared."

"Oh..."

Su Lun was stunned.

I wanted to ask a few more questions, but that Yongxiu quietly landed at the end and didn't follow up.

Su Lun glanced at the guy, his eyes flashed with thought, and he muttered in his heart: "The fleet's itinerary is arranged by the guide, if anyone really wants to stop this team from going to Edo Castle to collect taxes. This guy is very suspicious. ..."

However, there is nothing special in the perception of the soul, and he did not think about it any more.

......

This cast sword could not survive in a hundred households. When Su Lun came, the bigger and better houses had already been occupied by those powerful pirates.

Because people who go to Edo usually go by water, almost no outsiders come to this village. The villagers who had never seen outsiders looked terrified and carefully served the pirates with the word "evil" written on their faces.

The sailing food is not bad, but the food is very monotonous, and most of them are mashed potatoes. The pirates who had eaten dry food for a few days were eagerly catching livestock chickens and ducks in the cages, and the village was full of chickens and dogs.

Fortunately, all the squad leaders greeted each other in advance, and there was no trouble.

Su Lun carried the artillery and the camouflaged rune black umbrella, and the black crow was very quiet on his shoulders and didn't look dangerous.

He was not careless, he walked all the way, swept it all the way, and carefully observed every corner of the village.

Before taking a few steps, Su Lun discovered that the houses in the village were all similar in shape. But there is only one building that looks like an ancestral hall, which is especially exquisite.

Taking the opportunity of looking for a house, Su Lun walked over, only to find that the ancestral hall was flickering with dim yellow candles, and the table was not enshrining tablets, but a "sword-shaped object". Because of the cloth strips wrapped around prayer flags, it is impossible to see the whole picture of the sword.

It is not surprising that the village that originally made a living by casting swords enshrined swords, but Su Lun glanced at it, and there was an unnoticeable strange color on his expression.

"what..."

A light hum in my heart.

Because, from the "sword-shaped object", he sensed a strange soul fluctuation.

"A monster, or the spirit of a sword?"

Su Lun thought in his heart.

In either case, he felt something was wrong.

I won't say it if it is a monster. The guide also reminded before that these villagers will worship monsters.

It is not surprising that there will be spiritual fluctuations of monsters in the ancestral hall.

But if it is a sword with spirit, then it is probably a famous weapon at the level of "Twelve Excellent Swords". How can it appear in such a village where the villagers are ordinary people? Nobody came to get it?

It seems that the previous warning from the guide worked, and there were no pirates to disturb this ancestral hall.

Su Lun didn't plan to do much, just glanced at it and walked straight to the end of the village.

There were people in the cottages along the way, and at the end, I found a house made of thatch and mud walls.

This Jianjian Village was already very poor, and this household looked exceptionally poor.

The pirates are so poor that they are unwilling to settle down.

The window paper was torn and the holes were not covered with new paper, but were blocked with piles of firewood.

There were no lights in the room, and it looked cold.

The other houses were crowded with seven or eight pirates, but there was none in this one. Before Su Lun came, he also watched a few pirates come, but when he entered the house, he walked away cursing, and went to the next room to squeeze.

Su Lun felt that it was good to have fewer people, clean and undisturbed.

He walked in and greeted the terrified old man at the door, "I'm sorry, old man. I want to stay overnight at your house."

In the soul perception, in addition to the old man and the half-eldest boy at the door, there is another person in the room. It seems to be hiding on purpose, holding his breath, and has not made any movement.

But Su Lun didn't care, it would be good to have a tile to keep out the wind and snow.

The old man watched Su Lun enter the house, he didn't dare to refuse, he bowed and saluted, and explained fearfully: "There is no warm resistance at home, I'm afraid that adults will not be used to it."

Su Lun didn't mind, "It doesn't matter."

The old man watched people come in, but he didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction. He greeted the innocent and curious boy at the door, and shouted, "Yoshino, go and boil some water for this lord."

"Oh."

The boy crawled into the house.

Just as Su Lun was about to enter the house, the team leader outside the door saw him and shouted, "Johnny, you and Sharp are guarding the midnight post!"

There are three shifts in the night post, but only the midnight post is cold and sleepy, which is hard work.

Usually it's the bad guys in the pirate group who get it.

Su Lun also felt that it didn't matter, and responded, "Okay!"

Sharp's reluctant response came from the rooms next door, "Oh."

......

The house is not big, just three rooms.

It is not an exaggeration to say that this house is a family with four walls. Except for an old table and two bamboo chairs, there is nothing that can be regarded as furniture. There are hay piled everywhere in the house, which is a reserve of firewood and is also used to keep out the wind.

Su Lun walked in, no one bothered anyone, so he deliberately avoided the room where the people were hidden.

The old man pointed to the main house and said with a humble expression: "Sir, you don't mind, just rest here tonight."

The bed was covered with thick straw, and there was only a thin blue blanket. In this windy and snowy day, people could not feel the slightest temperature.

Sullen frowned.

It's not that I feel unaccustomed to living in it, but I feel that this kind of house is leaking everywhere. How can the three people in this house survive the winter?

There is only one bed in the house, and the other room where people are hidden is the woodshed.

In other words, Su Lun fell asleep in bed, and the old man and the other two could only spend one night in the pyre.

He looked at Wei Wei with a sigh, and felt a little guilty for bothering him.

At this time, the child who had gone to boil the water also walked in cautiously holding a porcelain bowl.

The bowl was steaming hot.

The old man took it and handed it to Su Lun, with an uneasy smile on his face: "Laughing at the adults. There are no cups or tea leaves at home, so I can only put some boiling water in a porcelain bowl. I don't take good care of it..."

Su Lun looked at the porcelain bowl with gaps, and probably guessed that there was probably not a single intact porcelain bowl in the house.

He didn't mind at all, took a sip and said, "Thank you."

The warm boiled water entered the stomach along the throat, Su Lun felt that his heart was not very pleasant.

It has been a long time since I traveled to this world, and I have seen many poor and miserable people. But not once, like tonight, made him feel bad.

Humans pity the weak?

Or do you think the world could be a better place?

Sullen didn't know.

At the moment of thinking, the old man and the young man turned around and stood there cautiously, as if they did not dare to leave without his "adult" speaking.

Su Lun saw the wide clothes on the boy's body and asked, "The clothes don't seem to fit?"

Like a robe, like a long gown, starched and whitened, and full of patches.

The stitches are very rough, and it doesn't look like a woman's handwork, probably an old man's handwriting.

Looking down, the shoes under his feet were still exposed, turning purple from the cold.

The young man looked a little timid, and did not dare to speak when he heard the question.

The old man listened and smiled bitterly: "Reporting to my lord, this dress was changed from the old man's. It's not that it doesn't fit. It's just a dress during the day, and a quilt at night. It's better to cover it if it's bigger."

"Oh."

Su Lun looked at it and said something lightly.

He didn't see a quilt on the bed before, and he actually guessed it.

Without saying much, he took out a few pieces of clothes and shoes from the storage ring and handed them over, "These old clothes are not worth much, so I will use them as a resistance."

Seeing his actions, the old man and the young man were not only displeased, but immediately knelt down on the ground, even more frightened: "Sir, it's an honor for the Kochi family to be a guest at our house, and I definitely don't dare to accept your things... "

For these villagers who have never been out of the mountain village, foreign pirates are probably very important "big men".

Not to be offended.

Su Lun put the clothes on the bed and said lightly, "Take it."

He was afraid that the two of them would be frightened, and wanted to find something to talk about to ease the atmosphere. Suddenly thinking of something, he casually said some light topics: "I also knew a girl surnamed Koike before, who happened to be from Izumo, I don't know if you know her. Well... her name is 'Koike Teppei' ."

This is the geisha I met at the "Naganoya Geisha Museum" before, and Su Lun has a good impression.

Hearing this, the boy was suddenly startled and couldn't help but say, "My sister is also called Teppei!"

Su Lun thought it might be the same name, and said, "I met her in the Golden City. She is a geisha."

The boy's eyes lit up, and he said again: "My sister is also a Kabuki from Edo!"

Saying this, Su Lun also thought it was a coincidence, this is probably the home of that Koike Tepei.

Hearing this, the old man couldn't help but excitedly said: "Sir, have you seen the little girl? She... is she okay now? Cough..."

He couldn't help but coughed twice.

Su Lun heard from the coughing sound that the old man had a big problem with his lungs, like pneumoconiosis.

He said, "It's good. She's already a very good geisha in Naganoya in the Golden City."

Hearing this, the old man's face finally saw a hint of joy, as if he had heard the news that he had been waiting for for a long time, and he looked relieved, "She is doing well, that's fine..."

In the country of Yamayin, the status of geisha is not low.

But usually the birth of geisha is very tragic, and most of them are little girls from poor families who are sold to geisha houses since childhood.

After the sale, you can no longer contact the family.

Su Lun said that he knew Teppei Koike, and the old man's words were not as lively as before, and he could chat a few words.

"The problem caused by the previous mining was that iron powder was inhaled into the lungs. When I got tuberculosis and I lost the strength, the mine owner refused to let me go into the mine. When I was born in Yoshino eight years ago, his mother also died of dystocia... The family was completely cut off. I had no choice but to sell Teppei..."

"Master Mitte is very good. He gave us settlement expenses and a lot of help. It's a pity that the old man was too stupid and was deceived by the rogues who came to the village."

"..."

After a few chats, Su Lun also knew the situation of the Kochi family.

It was very sad to hear.

Mountain Yinguo is already poor, and this is really the kind of family where several generations are poor.

But Wei Wei is a little strange that when Su Lun listened to the old man talking about "Master Mitre", there was an almost fanatical adoration on his face.

What is the charm of the legendary "the most beautiful girl in the world", Yasuhime, that makes people worship like this? (Not the surname of "Mitarai", don't take it seriously)

He probably thought that Su Lun was not that scary. When chatting, he secretly peeked out to take a look at the black head hiding in the woodshed. It was a fairly handsome little girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old.

Su Lun's night vision ability is very good, but he also pretends not to see.

He let the boy named Yoshino put on the clothes he gave him, and gave the old man a healing medicine, which could not cure the lung disease, but he could live a few more years.

Chatting and chatting, the family finally saw expressions other than fear on their faces.

The atmosphere also gradually became harmonious.

Su Lun is very interested in the monsters in the mountain hidden country, and wants to ask the locals. Thinking about it, I told all my experiences of encountering [Shiranui] and [Kappa] before.

The old man also said something he knew.

Monsters have a special meaning for the Shanyin people, they are terrifying and respectable, but they often bless them.

This statement is similar to what was written in the gods and ghosts, and Su Lun didn't get much useful information.

......

Chatting and chatting, Su Lun suddenly thought of the spirit knife in the village ancestral hall, and asked, "Old man, when I passed by the village entrance before, I saw a knife enshrined in the village ancestral hall, what's the point of it? Is it?"

"This..."

Hearing this, the old man's face clearly showed an embarrassed look, and he hesitated: "It's not that the old man doesn't tell the adults, but that it will bring you misfortune."

Su Lun became more interested when he heard it, but also said, "If it's inconvenient to say, it's fine."

At this time, the young Yoshino on the side was a little anxious, as if he was afraid of neglecting the distinguished guest, he interjected: "Father, the eminent monk once said that people with upright hearts will not be affected. Just say it, Mr. Jonny is so good. people, no..."

High monk?

Su Lun listened and felt as if the sword was really special.

The old man glared at his son, but there was nothing he could do.

He felt that it was a bit neglectful to conceal it He hesitated for a moment, then turned his head and asked Su Lun again, "Sir, do you really want to hear it?"

Su Lun smiled and nodded: "Yeah. I'm really interested."

Hearing this, the old man sighed slightly, as if he had decided to speak.

He paused for a moment, and then said, "Because that is a famous sword, "Onimaru Hakumu Zongzheng". "

When Su Lun heard the name, he suddenly felt his hair exploded, and said in disbelief, "The 'Demon Sword', "Onimaru Hundred Eyes Zongzheng", ranked third among the Twelve Excellent Swordsmen? "

This is a twelve swordsman whose legend has disappeared!

In the ancestral hall of this small village?

With this opening, Su Lun said in his heart that it was impossible, and felt that something was wrong.

But the old man on the opposite side nodded with a complicated expression, "Yes."

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