I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

Although it's been two years since they left, Shun Liu's face hasn't changed much.

"Ah Ba, I knew you would come here." Shun Liu had a gentle smile on his face.

"...Because I remember the habit of the two of us." Mu Cun said softly, "This place is our 'secret stronghold', we used to practice swords and drink together here... after knowing that you are also in Kyoto After that, I knew—Shun Liu, you will definitely come here too."

"Time is so fast..." Shunliu said to Mucun in a relaxed tone that seemed to be homely, "The fire at dawn... and our parting ways are already two years ago."

"That's right..." Mu Cun pursed his lips tightly, "The scenes that happened on the day we two parted ways... I still remember it all..."

...

...

2 years ago - more than a month after the Tianming fire broke out.

Tianming 8th year (AD 1788), April 29th.

"Mucun... Kunie... I'm here...to see you."

It is the voice of Mount Shenshan.

Mucun, who was recuperating with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes and looked forward after hearing the voice from Shenshan.

Shenshan was standing behind the wooden fence, looking at him and Shunliu with complicated eyes.

At this time, Mucun and Shunliu were both imprisoned in the cage of Chengbei Prison.

Because they are both special criminals, they received special care: only the two of them were detained in the entire cell, and no one else was put into their cell to keep them company.

"Me too... It took a lot of effort to get the two of you who committed the 'crime of disobedience' an amnesty..." Shenshan said softly, "You will be able to come out in seven days."

The reason why Mucun and Shunliu were imprisoned was naturally "crime of disobedience".

When Tadahiro Toda, the governor of Kyoto, ordered the protection of Nijo Castle, only the two of them refused to obey the order and ran to evacuate the civilians.

When the flames of the Tianming fire finally receded because there was nothing else to burn, the two were sent to the prison without any surprise.

"Let's all cheer up."

Shenshan looked at Mucun, who was leaning against the corner of the wall, and then at Shunliu, who was lying on his side on the ground with his back turned.

Although he couldn't see Shun Liu's face, Shenshan could tell that Shun Liu wasn't sleeping, he was awake.

Shenshan tried his best to speak to the two in a relaxed and calm tone.

"With the way you are now, you won't be able to do anything after you get out of prison."

Mucun and Shunliu: "..."

It's a pity...no one responded to Shenshan's words.

Seeing that the two of them were still unmoved by what he just said, Shenshan sighed again.

"...Shunliu." Shenshan cast complicated eyes on Shunliu, "Adian's matter...I'm very sorry..."

Adian, Shunliu's wife who just got married half a year ago, died in the dawn fire a month ago.

Not killed by fire.

Nor was it smoked to death.

Instead, he was trampled to death by the fleeing crowd...

In the Tianming fire a month ago, most people were either killed by the fire or smoked to death.

Instead, in a chaotic environment, he was trampled to death by the people around him.

After hearing these words from Shenshan, Shunliu finally had a little reaction - his whole body trembled.

"...Master Shenshan." At this moment, Mucun, who had been silent since just now, said to Shenshan in a calm and terrifying tone, "When Shunliu and I were imprisoned, we had already made a decision—we The two will no longer be the power of Kyoto."

"What?!" Shen Shan, who hadn't expected Mu Cun's words, screamed, "Why?!"

"...Master Shenshan. I... used to think that 'samurai' symbolized 'glory'."

Makimura said slowly.

"In my mind, 'samurai' is synonymous with 'eliminating the strong and supporting the weak'."

"That's why I always dreamed of becoming a samurai."

"But...it wasn't until I became a samurai that I realized that the real samurai was so different from the samurai in my mind..."

"A real samurai...it turns out to be so unbearable..."

"After working in Kyoto for so many years, I realized that what Abe Riri told us before was right!"

"The vocation of the warriors... is really just to protect the powerful and be their dogs...!"

Mucun began to cry in his tone.

"All kinds of things happened in front of me, time and time again let me down on 'Samurai'..."

"The big fire a month ago finally made me feel hopeless."

"Compared with the lives of ordinary people, the protection of the so-called shogunate authority is actually given priority."

"Ertiao City was protected, but countless people died!"

"If all the officials who were used to protect Ertiao City were transferred to help the people evacuate, how many people would survive!"

"Master Shenshan..."

Clear tears welled up from Mucun's eyes.

"I am now... really disappointed in 'Samurai'!"

"I already... don't want to be a samurai anymore, and I don't want to be a Yori from Kyoto anymore...!"

"As long as Shunliu and I are still in Kyoto's Yuli, sooner or later we will encounter this kind of lousy mission that must prioritize protecting the powerful!"

"We... don't want to be the dogs of the rich and powerful anymore!"

Mucun's tone was sonorous and forceful.

It reveals firmness like a rock.

"...I understand." After a long silence, Shenshan sighed heavily, "I will... revoke the establishment of the two of you in our Kyoto Prefecture..."

Mu Cun wiped the tears from his face.

"Lord Shenshan, let's go our separate ways."

Makimura continued.

"To be honest, I don't want to see you again, Lord Shenshan, for the rest of my life."

"I will try my best not to return to Kyoto."

"Seeing you... will bring back my painful past in Kyoto. If you meet me somewhere in the future, please pretend that you didn't see me."

"I see..." Shenshan smiled wryly, "I can understand...I assure you - if I meet you two somewhere in the future, I will pretend I didn't see it..."

After Shenshan left, Mucun rubbed his face vigorously, and said to Shunliu who was beside him:

"Shunliu, when you get out of prison and leave the capital, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to blow up Kyoto."

As soon as Mucun's voice fell, Shunliu said so without thinking.

"The first place I want to blow up is the 'white ground' where we used to practice swordsmanship."

Shunliu's words made Mucun stunned.

"Shunliu..." Mucun was surprised and a little panicked, "What are you... talking about?"

Shunliu did not immediately respond to Mucun's question.

Instead, after being silent for a while, he suddenly turned his head and said to Mucun with a smile on his face:

"I was just joking."

After finishing speaking, Shunliu turned his head back.

"Okay, I'm going to bed, don't talk to me again."

...

...

Kanzheng two years (1790).

In Kyoto, in an unnamed open space.

"Shunliu..." Looking at Shunliu who had been away for 2 years, the emotions in Mucun's eyes were extremely complicated, "What have you been doing for the past 2 years?"

Two years ago, after the two came out of prison, Shun Liu suddenly disappeared.

He didn't even say hello to Mucun, just disappeared suddenly.

It has been 2 years since the two met again.

Shunroku, whose pseudonym was Ryunosuke, did not answer Mucun's question, but chuckled a few times first:

"Ah, you really made me wait. I've been waiting for you in this 'white ground' for nearly half an hour. I even started to wonder if you didn't recognize 'Ryunosuke' just now. It's me, or forget the 'white ground'."

"The moment I found 'Wakasa' next to the corpses of those innocent people you killed, I thought of you." Incense, only Ayado in the whole of Kyoto frequently goes to Iguchiya to buy and use Wakasa incense.”

"I even helped Adian go to Iguchiya to buy Wakasa incense."

"After the bomb was found in the building on Third Prince Street, I was sure it was you who was behind it."

"And then... I saw your face when you opened the window and threw a bomb at me and my companions..."

"Haha..." Shun Liu touched his face, "You really saw my face at that time... It's no wonder, I could see your face at that time, there is no reason why you can't see mine .”

"When Ichisaburo told me that there was a 7-foot-tough guy chasing him, I was thinking—haha, have you returned to Kyoto?"

"It wasn't until I opened the window and was about to throw a bomb in and saw your face that I was finally convinced——Haha, you really returned to Kyoto."

"Now that I think about it, I'm afraid. After I heard Shi Saburo's voice downstairs, I wanted to use explosive bombs to kill all those who dared to attack my stronghold."

"I didn't see your face until I threw all the bombs out."

"After seeing your face, my soul almost flew away from fright."

"Fortunately, you threw the explosive bomb back and didn't kill you."

"If I blow up the only remaining relatives in the world, I will be restless for the rest of my life."

"Shunliu..." Mucun gritted his teeth, "Where have you been for the past two years?"

"I have been recruiting soldiers and buying weapons for the past two years, always preparing to destroy Kyoto."

"Shunliu!" Mucun couldn't control his emotions anymore, Chaoshunliu yelled, "Do you know what you are doing? Do you know how many innocent civilians will die if your crazy plan succeeds?" ?!"

"I know." Shunliu said to Mucun in a calm tone, "My purpose is to destroy Kyoto and humiliate the shogunate. Of course I know that after my plan succeeds, many people will die unexpectedly."

"Kyoto is one of the three capitals of the Edo shogunate, and Kyoto was destroyed by a group of people—is there nothing more shameful to the shogunate than this kind of thing?"

"Shunroku...you...are you going to overthrow the shogunate...?!"

"That's right!" Shunliu's face showed a bit of madness at this time, "I want to overthrow the shogunate! I want to overthrow the shogunate! Destroying the capital and slapping the shogunate twice in the face is my first step." !"

"Shunliu..." The face of the young man in front of him is so familiar, but Mucun only feels quite strange now, "Are you... are you crazy...?!"

"I'm not crazy, I'm calm."

"Ahba, do you know what I was thinking when I hugged the corpse of Adian who was trampled to death after the Tianming fire ended?"

"I'm thinking—the shogunate really sucks."

"The world built by the Tokugawa family is a world of 'you oppress me and I oppress you'."

"The generals, the daimyo, these dignitaries oppressed the samurai."

"Samurai oppressed civilians."

"Civilians will continue to oppress Zhe Duo."

"The samurai we two have been looking forward to before are just the eagle dogs of the powerful, the objects of oppression by the powerful!"

"What these dignitaries ask us to do, we must do. There is no right to resist."

"What bullshit bushido! It's just a set of tools to restrain the samurai and ask the samurai to be the eagle dogs of the dignitaries with all their heart and responsibility!"

"In this world built by the shogunate, the face of the rich and powerful is more important than the lives of warriors and ordinary people!"

"In order to protect one's own face, the lives of mere civilians are gone to the shogunate!"

"The Tianming fire two years ago was a tragedy that gods and Buddhas didn't open their eyes. It can't be avoided."

"But such heavy casualties are man-made tragedies!"

"The Tianming fire two years ago, if it weren't for the ridiculous order to protect Nijo Castle, I don't know how many people would have survived because of the orderly evacuation of the officials!"

"After the disaster, the shogunate still brazenly said that the number of casualties was only 150?"

"Stop joking! Do you think everyone is a fool! There are hundreds of thousands of people in Kyoto, how could a fire that destroyed more than 80% of the buildings in Kyoto kill and injure only 150 people!"

"The corpses cleaned up are all measured in thousands, and the shogunate blatantly lied about the total number of deaths and injuries in order to protect their face!"

"When holding my wife's body, I swear to my heart - I will definitely uproot this rotten shogunate!"

"...So..." Mu Cun said in a deep voice, "Two years ago, you told me in prison 'you are going to blow up the capital', wasn't it a joke?"

"That's right! At that time, I was thinking about how to reverse the curtain!"

"After I got out of prison and parted ways with you, I ran around, preparing for the curtain down, accumulating the power of the curtain down!"

"I didn't realize it before. It wasn't until I decided to overthrow the shogunate and ran around the world that I realized that there are so many people who hate the shogunate!"

"There are ronin who were framed by Shangguan and had to leave the domain."

"A samurai whose salary has not been raised and whose family is on the verge of starvation."

"There are farmers who cannot afford high taxes."

"There are a lot of people who hate the shogunate! So I can easily gather a large number of combat power!"

"After discovering that there are so many people who hate the shogunate, I am even more convinced that the Edo shogunate of the Tokugawa family is rotten!"

"I recruited all these people who hated the shogunate, and named our fallen force 'Gravedigger'."

"We will be the gravediggers of the Edo Shogunate!"

Speaking of this, Shun Liu raised his head and roared to the sky:

"I want to let the dignitaries of the Edo shogunate experience the power of these people they usually look down upon!"

"I want these dignitaries to see how weak their Edo shogunate is! A group of small forces composed of warriors, ronin, peasants, etc. can destroy Kyoto!"

"When Kyoto is destroyed, my next goal is Edo!"

"Then why do you let your subordinates join the Six Great Swords Academy, pretending to be the disciples of the Six Great Swords Academy, setting fires everywhere, and blaming the Six Great Swords Academy?" Mu Cun asked.

"Makimura, have you forgotten? When we were 14 years old, we planned to join Qing Academy to learn swords."

"But because we had no money, we were turned away."

Shun Liu sneered.

"It wasn't until I became self-taught that I realized that the level of the masters of the Six Great Sword Gyms is just like that!"

"Dare to teach people how to learn swords at this level! And charge such a high tuition fee, what's the use of keeping this kind of bad swordsmanship?"

"So... you came up with this plan to make the Six Great Sword Halls never turn around?" Mu Cun said in a deep voice.

"That's right! It's a pity, because of that old fellow He Xian, my plan has become a mess, but it doesn't matter!"

After a roar, Shun Liu took several breaths, trying to adjust his breathing.

After his breathing stabilized again, Shunliu said to Mucun with a smile on his face:

"Ah Ba, come here and fight side by side with me."

"It's just like we used to strive for a living on Sanzizi Street, and worked hard to serve the public in the enforcement office."

"You're disappointed in the samurai and the shogunate too, aren't you?"

"I still hear what you said to Shenshan in prison two years ago."

"You said you were disappointed in the samurai."

"It's because I still remember your words that I've been waiting for you in this 'white ground', and I want to recruit you, brother."

"Hachi, you haven't forgotten how disgusting the Edo Shogunate is, have you?"

"Dang Yuli's five years, we really saw too much of the various disgusting activities of the Edo shogunate."

"For this disgusting shogunate, what is the need for you to support and protect Hachi?"

"So—bro! Come help me!"

"We brothers will destroy this rotten shogunate together!"

After finishing speaking, Shun Liuchao Mucun stretched out his right hand.

Mucun has been quietly listening to Shunliu's roars one after another since just now.

Looking at Shunliu's hand stretched towards him, Mucun pursed his lips tightly.

Then... slowly raised his hand, and stretched out towards Shun Liu.

Looking at Mucun's hand stretched out towards him, Shun Liu showed joy, and then walked towards Mucun.

However - just as he took a step forward, Mucun suddenly said:

"Shunliu, just now... I saw Lord Jinle."

Shun Liu raised his eyebrows: "You actually saw Jin Le..."

"When I met Master Jinle, Master Jinle asked me a question that was very similar to the question you just asked."

"Master Jinle asked me: I am obviously no longer the leader of Kyoto, and I no longer have the responsibility to protect Kyoto. Why have I risked my life so far?"

"I didn't answer Master Jinle's question."

"Because I didn't know the answer to that question then."

"But now...after seeing you, Shunliu, I suddenly understand."

"Understood... what drives me, who is obviously white, to still go forward to protect Kyoto like this."

"Shunliu, just like what you said just now, I told Lord Shenshan personally two years ago: I am completely disappointed in the samurai."

"And my idea has not changed until now."

"I'm still pretty disappointed in the samurai."

"It's just..."

An inexplicable smile appeared on Mucun's face.

"Although I still know very well that the real samurai is unbearable and very disappointing."

Mucun slowly lowered the hand that was originally raised and stretched out to Shunliu.

"But I still look forward to the kind of warriors who fight for justice and fight against the strong and help the weak."

"Even if this kind of warrior only exists in the mouths of storytellers."

"Only in my heart."

"I longed to become the kind of warrior who fights for righteousness and fights against the strong and helps the weak. That's why I resolutely accepted the invitation of Shenshan to change from a commoner to a warrior and become the leader of Kyoto."

"As long as my heart is still there, it doesn't matter whether I have a title or not."

"So——Shunliu, turn around!"

"Call back your subordinates who plan to burn Kyoto!"

After hearing Mucun's words, "I still look forward to the kind of warriors who fight for justice and fight against the strong and help the weak", Shunliu was taken aback.

After a while, Shunliu smiled wryly, and then slowly put down the hand that was originally stretched out towards Mucun.

"...Makimura, do you know why I told you two years ago that the first place I wanted to blow up was 'Baidi'?"

Shun Liu looked at the desolate open space under his feet where there was nothing but weeds.

"Because this is the place where our brothers' dreams started."

"We who don't have the money to study in such a sword gym can only learn by ourselves."

"Back then, we two brothers practiced swords with branches in an open space."

"Because there is nothing here, and no one passes by here, we brothers named this open space 'White Land'."

"If we hadn't practiced our own unique swordsmanship on this 'white ground', we would not be able to become famous in the area of ​​Sanzizi Street, and we would not be able to gain the appreciation of Shenshan, and there would be no series of stories about us. .”

"So I'm going to destroy this place!"

Shunliu's tone gradually became serious.

"This will be an important ceremony for me."

"A... farewell ceremony to my past self."

"Looking at it now...it's really ironic."

"Now I want to say goodbye not only to the place where my dream started, but also to the people who were once as close as brothers."

Hearing Shunliu's words, Mucun narrowed his eyes slightly, and slowly clenched his naturally lowered fists.

"Ahba. Nine years ago, in order to survive, the two of us had to choose to live as Yakuza."

"That year, we asked Jinle to give us tattoos."

"Jinle's tattoo rule is to tattoo different animals for different customers. Customers do not have the right to freely choose the tattoo they want."

"Jin Le, who has such rules, tattooed a dragon for each of us."

"The two of us were so happy at the time. To be tattooed with dragon tattoos by the famous Jinle, we both thought that we would definitely become some big shots in the future."

"After having the dragon pattern, we often compete in this 'white ground' on the grounds of 'comparing to see whether the red dragon is stronger or the black dragon is stronger'."

"Tonight... let's fight the last fight!"

Shunliu slowly raised his right hand, tightly grasping the clothes on his left shoulder.

"All of our previous competitions were point-to-point, and we have never fought with our lives!"

"In the last competition tonight, let us risk our lives to see whether the black dragon is stronger or the red dragon is better!"

Shun Liu tore up the clothes on his upper body, then threw them aside casually.

Shunliu, who showed his muscular upper body, also showed the tattoo on his back.

A black dragon.

The black dragon opened its teeth and claws, bowed its head, and stared fiercely at the ground with fierce eyes, as if it was about to fly out from Shun Liu's back at any time, swoop down to the world, and devour anyone!

"Jinle once told us that Kyoto is too small to accommodate two dragons."

"Looking at it now, Jin Le's words are indeed correct."

Shun Liu slowly pulled out the knife from his waist, his eyes were full of light.

"Kyoto is too small, so... just one dragon is enough!"

"The title of 'Dragon' doesn't matter to me at all." Mucun also slowly pulled out his big sword, "But since you want to fight Shunroku... then I will accompany you to the end!"

Mucun raised his left hand and grabbed the clothes on his right abdomen, and then tore the clothes on his upper body.

As the clothes covering his upper body crumbled, the red dragon on Mucun's back appeared.

The red dragon is reclining and hovering, with its head raised high, its eyes staring at the sky with unyielding light, as if it is about to fly out from the back of Mucun at any time, soar into the sky, and fight with the gods and Buddhas in the sky!

"Ahba! Since you said just now that you still look forward to the kind of samurai who fights the strong and helps the weak, then—let's use the etiquette of the samurai to fight this last fight!"

Ah Ba raised the knife in his hand.

"I am good at swordsmanship! Junroku Kunieda!"

Mu Cun swung the big sword in his hand.

"I am good at swordsmanship! Yahachi Makimura!"

Then they both shouted in unison:

"Participate!!!"