Chapter 464: Settling Old and New Grievances Together (2)

Chapter 464: Settling All Scores, Old and New Alike (Part Two)

Osaka Castle. Inside a black carriage parked in a quiet corner.

"Word came from Old Ma. The basic situation is confirmed. We can make our move."

Zou Sijiu looked at Chen Qisheng, whose face was murderous, and asked in utter bewilderment, "We? You don't mean just you and me?!"

"Who else? Xiao Hei is leading his men right now, tracing the server room locations in Liangren Xian's mind to purge the Huangliang mainframes across Osaka Castle. Besides, they wouldn't be much help in a situation like this anyway."

Chen Qisheng pushed the carriage door open, glanced back at the terrified Zou Sijiu, and asked with a smirk, "What's the matter, Lord Zou? Are you actually scared?"

"Me, fucking scared of a Huangliang ghost? You've got to be joking. Exorcising demons isn't a trick exclusive to your Daoist Order."

His face flushing slightly, Zou Sijiu barked out with a stiff neck, then stepped out of the carriage to stand shoulder to shoulder with Chen Qisheng, gazing into the distance.

At the far end of the long street, the dimly lit Pacification Commission Office loomed like a vicious beast crouching in the shadows.

"That being said, even though we've both advanced to Rank Five now, that woman Akechi Haruhide is a Rank Four of the Yin-Yang Order, after all. Do you have a plan, Taoist?"

"You should be asking yourself that. Whether we win or lose depends entirely on whether a Huangliang master-thief like you can strip her of her clearance."

Chen Qisheng methodically rolled up the sleeves of his Daoist robe, revealing arms that had, at some unknown point, become covered in tiny talismanic script.

The Scripture of Exorcising Evils upon the left arm, the Curse of Demon Slaying upon the right.

With just a single glance, Zou Sijiu felt a sharp, stinging pain in his eyes, forcing him to hastily look away.

"Protective incantations... a Fifth-Grade Daoist Armament? Where on earth did you dig up a prize like that?"

Chen Qisheng replied testily, "I am an official Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, a disciple of the grand Commander of the Dou Department. What is there to be shocked about if I keep a few trump cards up my sleeve?"

"Ah, a Celestial Master..."

Zou Sijiu drew out his words, chuckling softly. "If you hadn't brought it up, I would have forgotten you actually have a background. I only remember the miserable sight of you getting beaten black and blue. But if you had such an exquisite thing, why didn't you use it back when Gezao Mountain chased you so hard you nearly lost your pants?"

"Wielding a Fifth-Grade Armament with the strength of a Rank Six Daoist is like hitching a pony to a massive cart. Before the cart even moves, the pony breaks down."

Chen Qisheng shot him a sideways glare, but Zou Sijiu threw an arm around his shoulders anyway.

"Who knew you were so well-versed in our slang? Out with it, did you sneak off behind my back to indulge yourself with Lord Ma and the others?"

"Do not lump me in with your lot. This Daoist seeks only immortality and never loses himself in illusions of carnal desire."

With a look of disdain, Chen Qisheng shook Zou Sijiu's hand off his shoulder and stepped toward the Pacification Commission Office.

Zou Sijiu caught up in two quick strides and teased, "Just listening to you tells me you didn't study well as an acolyte. Dual cultivation is one of the Grand Paths; there are plenty of people within the Daoist Order researching it today. Besides, even labor-slaves get two days off every week, so why shouldn't a Daoist enjoy a little dual cultivation? It's perfectly reasonable."

Chen Qisheng did not bother to argue with this smooth-talking charlatan. The pitch-black flying sword, Zhuangyuan, hovered up and down beside his left shoulder, its vibrating blade like the restless hooves of a cavalry mount before a charge, awaiting the command to strike.

"Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, yet walking straight into them. What we are doing right now fits that proverb perfectly."

His gaze sharp as steel, Chen Qisheng stared ahead and said calmly, "Have you never done it before?"

"Not once."

"Banknotes, reputation, clearance, women... have you never risked your life for any of those?"

"I never used to do anything without absolute certainty."

Zou Sijiu laced his fingers together behind his head. "We of the Yin-Yang Order, to put it nicely, can divine fortune and avert disaster. To put it bluntly, we are just terrified of dying. But ever since I boarded that martial artist's pirate ship, my head hasn't left my belt for a single second. It really is a wicked thing; if those folks in the Donghuang Palace found out, they'd mock me to no end."

"It seems everyone feels much the same."

"Why is the pollution of the Martial Order so damn potent? How is it that whoever hangs around them ends up a brainless brute who only knows how to use his fists?" Zou Sijiu smacked his lips.

Chen Qisheng smiled. "Perhaps because all of us just want to wrest a life for ourselves."

Perhaps due to the series of high-pressure decrees recently issued by the Pacification Commission Office, the citizens of the city gave the government office a wide berth. Thus, although it was not yet entirely dark, the streets were mostly deserted.

The night wind swept through the avenue, yet it failed to stir up the scattered debris on the ground as it usually did; upon the pristine road, only two elongated shadows stretched beneath the streetlamps.

"Old Chen, you don't think that bastard Arase Retsu will suddenly pull a U-turn and catch us from behind, do you?"

Shivering suddenly, Zou Sijiu raised a hand to button his collar tight against his neck.

"He won't. Mount Qingcheng is their only buyer now. If Akechi Haruhide wants to keep the trade going, she will never allow anything to happen to Liangren Xian."

"That's a relief. We really have that kid Yang Baize to thank this time for anticipating their intent. Otherwise, we might have met our downfall here."

Zou Sijiu took a deep breath and suddenly cursed under his breath, "But does that Scholar Order bastard named Wang Changting have a screw loose? We have no old grudges or recent enmity with him, yet the moment he arrived in the Yamato Region, he tipped off Akechi Haruhide to borrow her blade to kill us. Did he really have to be that ruthless?"

"Hasn't the Confucian faction always operated this way? Otherwise, how could they be qualified to sit at the head of the Three Doctrines?"

Chen Qisheng's tone remained unruffled, as though he had long grown accustomed to such backstabbing.

Zou Sijiu continued to curse, "Once we're back in Inuyama Castle, this Lord Zou is going to settle this score with him thoroughly."

"We can handle what comes later when it comes. Let us settle what is right in front of us first."

A biting chill entered Chen Qisheng's voice as his footsteps ground to a halt.

The long street had reached its end, where two tightly shut, vermilion-lacquered gates blocked their path.

Chen Qisheng made no move to force his way in immediately; instead, he turned to look at Zou Sijiu beside him.

"Are you still nervous?"

"We're going in to gamble with our lives. Anyone who says they aren't nervous is a lying bastard."

Sighing heavily, Zou Sijiu suddenly drew three ancient coins from the Ming dynasty out of his coat pocket, spreading them across his palm.

The round coins with square holes were inscribed with four small characters: Hongwu Tongbao.

"Want a divination?"

Chen Qisheng grinned. "Sure, but is your reading actually accurate?"

"This is the trade I live by. How could it not be accurate?"

Zou Sijiu tossed his hand up, sending the three coins spinning into the air. The moment their upward momentum vanished and they flipped to fall back down, they were snapped tight between his closing palms with a sharp smack.

Chen Qisheng frowned slightly. "What is the hexagram? Aren't you going to open your hands to look?"

"No need. I've been fortunetelling for so many years; I know exactly what hexagram it is without looking."

"Great fortune?"

"Great fortune!"

Zou Sijiu spoke with absolute solemnity, yet his clenched right hand quietly retreated behind his back as fine nickel powder drifted silently from between his fingers.

The Daoist hitched up the front hem of his robe and raised his foot to kick the gate.

"Hold on, let me do it. This Lord Zou has wanted to try this brutal feeling of kicking down a door to kill people for a long time now."

Forcing his way forward, Zou Sijiu pressed his hands to his temples, smoothing back his stray hairs, took a long, slow breath, and suddenly delivered a ferocious kick to the shut vermilion gates.

Boom!

The gates crashed inward, and a roaring shout charged ahead into the courtyard.

"Embroidered Uniform Guard on business! Anyone who doesn't want to die, get the fuck down on the ground!"

Inside the pitch-black courtyard, rigid heads turned slowly toward the newly opened gates.

Behind those ghostly silhouettes, a mangled, halved body reclined upon the official's chair in the main hall.

Atop that grotesque, featureless face, the flesh quivered; though it bore no expression, a profound sense of joy could still be felt radiating from it.

Behold my new garb—does it please you?

No wonder the old one caught a stench at the threshold; a den of sprites and phantoms filled the room, not a living soul in sight.

Zou Sijiu, perched like a grandee upon the magistrate's threshold, lifted a hand before his nose and snarled, "Master, why wait? Draw your sword!"

The words had scarcely faded when the sword rang out sharply.

A sable blade, like ink, slipped into the night, flashing like lightning through the crowded courtyard of specters, splashing torrents of blood.

Zou Sijiu's eyes turned icy, fixed upon that horrid figure like a man‑pig, and he spat contempt.

Damn it, how ugly!

Within a factory tucked in a corner of Osaka Castle.

A pair of eyes suddenly opened in the darkness, a slender beam spreading from the pupil, barely illuminating the owner's surroundings.

The light swayed vaguely, finally settling upon the five fingers of the right hand pressed upon the knees.

The hand stiffened, turning palm upward, fingers bending and extending in slow succession, as a long‑sleeping soul awakens to a body long out of use.

After a moment, the hand rose slowly, and the gaze converged upon it.

After a restless search, the light from the eyes fixed upon the middle finger of the right hand, where a string of tiny inscriptions were etched upon its side.

Unit Twelve.

I am Tokugawa Hiroshi, I am Tokugawa Hiroshi!

A cold, emotionless voice echoed in the darkness, each syllable separated starkly, brutally blunt.

I am Tokugawa Hiroshi, I am Tokugawa Hiroshi!

The self‑spoken voice grew clearer and louder, reverberating like rolling thunder, finally sounding like a drought‑struck thunderclap!

Time has finally arrived; it is high time for us to awaken!

The light from Tokugawa Hiroshi's eyes flared suddenly, like twin swords cleaving the thick, black ocean.

Each humanoid Huang Liang unit stood solemnly, shoulder to shoulder, their suddenly opened eyes emitting eerie emerald glints, dense as fireflies boiling in a midnight forest.

These awakened humanoid units did not linger; they surged together, pouncing upon their kin who remained blind.

Their ferocity was savage, like a tiger upon a sheep.

The mechanical hum, the brutal clang of twisted steel, the grotesque tearing of flesh—all mingled, rising and falling.

Yet amidst that tumult, there were no dying cries or lamentations.

For this was a seizure waged upon non‑human entities, a one‑sided appropriation of permission.

Tap… tap… tap…

When the clamor ceased, the lanterns suspended beneath the ceiling finally flared, illuminating a scene below that resembled an endless hell.

Amidst the scattered corpses, synthetic white blood gathered like a stream, bathing countless heads bowed upon the ground.

Pay homage to the head of the house.

All of you have forsaken your bodies, hidden within these Huang Liang units, bearing insults until today, to resurrect the glory of ancient Yamato. Now is the time to fight!

Upon the high platform, only a mechanical frame of Tokugawa Hiroshi stretched his arms toward the kneeling kin below.

Let us enter Takama-ga-hara, slaying all traitors and invaders! The unyielding sun shall rend the darkness, and a barren world shall once more bloom with dancing cherry blossoms! The will of the sun, unbroken till death!

The sun's will, unbroken till death!

The sun's will, unbroken till death!

Like identical fervent gazes converging upon that lone figure atop the platform, mad cries rose from all sides, thundering in the ears.

Tokugawa Hiroshi clenched his fists, slowly closed his eyes, his whispered words tinged with a mischievous grin.

Akechi Haruhide, I eagerly await our reunion—what expression shall you wear then?

Uncle, why are you still here?

The girl's startled exclamation cut short Tomoteru's standby, and a pair of withered eyes lifted blankly.

That dreadful man from yesterday didn't trouble you, did he? You needn't blame me for leaving you behind; truly, I am of no use left behind.

Perhaps it was the family crest, or perhaps because all were cast into the streets; Xiazi, toward the half‑shattered elder, felt no wariness, and settled onto Tomoteru's side.

Ah, who knows when this edict will lift; if these taverns stay shut, I'll have to gamble my life against the Buddha's sect.

Xiazi rested her chin, gazing at the desolate street, sighing endlessly.

Beside him, Tomoteru fell silent, yet a slender arm slipped into his line of sight.

Looks like today's brew won't sell; if you don't mind, take some.

Xiazi flicked her wrist, extending a soft tube that swayed in the wind; its unsealed valve let droplets of wine spill, splattering Tomoteru's face.

Until now, Tomoteru's dead‑water eye regained a flicker of life; he did not take the tube offered, but calmly said, "Leave Osaka Castle."

What?

Leave Osaka Castle.

Tomoteru repeated, "Leave at once; the farther, the better."

Is an attack imminent?

Xiazi shivered, leapt from the ground, her face as pale as paper, muttering, "How shall I survive? The perpetrator of the last raid remains uncaught; now another assault looms—what becomes of my wine? Even if I flee Osaka, what use is it? Those of the Buddha's sect will not spare me."

The girl moved like an ant upon a boiling pot, pacing frantically, her voice acquiring a sobbing tone.

Forget it—nothing outweighs this life! Uncle, escape with me, else, in your state, staying here leads only to death.

Xiazi turned, only to find Tomoteru risen, his gaze indifferent upon her.

Like a blade carving flesh, like a needle piercing bone.

Uncle.

The girl froze, voice trembling, a bone‑deep chill sweeping through her.

Tomoteru gazed deeply at her, then said nothing, merely stepping aside in cold indifference, brushing past Xiazi.

Only when his silhouette vanished from her sight did the girl exhale a relieved breath, the sudden weakness causing her to stagger and collapse upon the steps.

'Did he see through me? Impossible; my performance must be flawless… Alas, I have barely encountered a member of the Tomoto family, though I cannot fathom how I fell to such plight, yet he is an irreplaceable figure.'

Xiazi, with a reluctant heart, gazed into the empty alley and sighed; she pressed her wrist to her lips, inhaling deeply a fine liquor crafted for Tomoteru.

'Leave Osaka now? Of course I shall, with the family crest you gave me, how could I linger in this swine‑like existence?'

The girl blushed, murmuring, 'But we cannot go yet; though risks remain, if I can bring your corpse back to Edo Castle, the Tomoto clan will surely treat me favorably.'

'Indeed, certainly.'