I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 930: Toyotomi's Remnants: Immortals and Immortal Power [6200]

"The Immortal..."

Katsura Kogoro chewed on this term gently and cast a meaningful look at Shuten-doji.

Shuten-doji noticed his look and couldn't help but laugh.

"What? Guijun, do you think I'm talking nonsense?"

Katsura Kogoro said calmly:
"Any normal person would think you are talking nonsense, right?"

"Is Ogata Issei the 'immortal'?"

"Why don't you just say he's the reincarnation of Hachiman Daimyojin?"

Facing Katsura Kogoro's ridicule, Shuten-doji shrugged:

"No wonder you're like this."

"In fact, I was also in disbelief when I learned the full story."

"Let me think...where should I start..."

He fell silent, thinking to himself.

After a while, he slowly spoke:
"...Katsura-kun, do you know 'Yabai Bhikkhuni'?"

Katsura Kogoro answered without hesitation:

"Of course I know. She's an 800-year-old nun."

Yaobikuni - a famous Japanese folk legend.

Legend has it that a long time ago, a man named Takahashi who looked like a fisherman moved to a village called Obama in the Wakasa region.

One day, the man invited villagers to his house for dinner. Someone discovered that he was cooking a fish with a human-like head in his kitchen. He was so scared that he quickly told others.

When the cooked fish was served in front of everyone, everyone knew what was going on and pretended to enjoy it, but in fact no one dared to eat it.

One of them secretly hid the fish in his sleeve and took it back for his wife to eat.

It is said that if a wife eats a mermaid, she will gain the ability to remain young forever.

No matter how much time passes, her appearance will not change at all.

Later, this long-lived woman became a nun and was honored as "Eight Hundred Bhikkhuni" because of her ageless appearance and the fact that she lived for over 800 years.

The name "Yaobikuni" began to appear in Japanese literature from the 15th century.

Except for remote areas such as Ezo and Kyushu Island, the legend is spread everywhere.

There are many different versions of the story of the Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis. The most original version is no longer traceable, but the content of the stories are basically the same.

Some say that mermaids are actually local products brought back by the man from the so-called other world, which is the ocean that the Japanese have worshipped since ancient times.

There are other theories, for example, that the woman ate something offered by the Dragon God, or that the woman ate the elixir of immortality obtained from the Dragon God.

Regardless of the version or content, Katsura Kogoro has always had only one attitude towards these folk tales: disdain.

He classified "Yaobikuni" as a fairy tale like "Momotaro" and "Kaguya-hime" - suitable only as a bedtime story to read to children and not to be taken seriously.

Katsura Kogoro has always believed that many stories become more and more distorted in the process of being spread, and finally completely deviate from their original appearance and become absurd legends.

Perhaps these eight hundred nuns did have a real prototype, and there was indeed a very long-lived nun, but she was just an ordinary person.

She may just have lived a long life, eighty, ninety, or even a hundred years old, so people have the illusion that "she will never die."

Due to the backwardness in medical care, diet and other aspects, the average life expectancy in ancient Japan was not high, only about 20 or 30 years old.

That’s why there is a saying that “life is fifty years”, which means that a normal person can only live to fifty years old.

For this reason, coupled with ignorant thinking, in the eyes of ordinary people, people in their eighties or nineties are like gods.

This nun had been alive since he was a child, and had lived for several generations without dying, so he believed that the other party was a "divine person" with divine power who would never die.

As a result, as word of mouth spread, the story became more and more outrageous, and gradually evolved into the "Eight Hundred Nuns" that is well-known to everyone today.

After Katsura Kogoro said that he knew about Yaobikuni, he immediately changed his tone to a joking one:
"Shuten-doji, you are not trying to tell me that Yaobikuni really existed and that she is an immortal who never ages or dies."

"..."

Shuten-doji did not speak immediately.

I saw him raise the corners of his mouth and reveal an intriguing smile.

Katsura Kogoro noticed the strange facial expression and was stunned.

"... Could it be that I was right?"

Shuten-doji laughed loudly:

"Yes, that's right!"

"There really are such people as 'Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis'."

"She is indeed an 'immortal' who has lived for more than 800 years!"

"It is impossible to know how the eight hundred nuns obtained the power of immortality."

"Maybe she really ate a fish from another world."

"In short, she is a genuine 'immortal'!"

Having said this, Shuten-doji stretched out three fingers.

"'Undead' has three characteristics."

"First, youthfulness remains forever, and the appearance remains unchanged."

"Second, physical functions far exceed the limits of mortals."

"The third, and most frightening, point is the extremely terrifying regenerative ability."

"No matter how terrible the injury is, even if her head is chopped off or her heart is pierced, she will not die. Even the most serious injury can be restored to its original state."

"In a nutshell, nothing in this world, including time, can kill her!"

"What a pity...'Eternal Life' and 'Loneliness' are a pair of inseparable twins."

"The familiar people have all turned to dust, the familiar scenery has become unfamiliar, but I remain unchanged... The loneliness in it is absolutely unimaginable to us mortals."

"Gradually, the eight hundred nuns became tired of 'living'."

"Although mortal beings cannot kill the Undead, the Undead can kill themselves."

"She hid in a remote cave, isolated from the world, and ended her life in some unknown way."

"Although the eight hundred bhikkhunis committed suicide, their bodies were affected by the power of immortality and would never decay."

"Logically, her body and immortality should be buried by time and forever gone from this world."

"However...about 70 years ago, a group of people learned of the existence of the 'Undead' by chance and began to covet its power."

"And this group of people are the remnants of the Toyotomi family."

Shuten-doji paused, cleared his throat, and was about to continue speaking when he was stopped by Katsura Kogoro.

“Stop, stop!”

Katsura Kogoro rubbed his temples with one hand and made a "pause" gesture with the other.

From the beginning, his brain had been running at high speed, overwhelmed and almost crashing.

First there was the "immortal man" and Yaobikuni, and now a remnant of the Toyotomi family has appeared...

The remnants of the Toyotomi family - in the Edo period, this was a widely circulated urban legend.

Two hundred and sixty years ago, Tokugawa Ieyasu launched two battles of Osaka (Osaka Winter Campaign and Osaka Summer Campaign), completely annihilating the Toyotomi clan, forcing Toyotomi Hideyori, the head of the Toyotomi family, to commit suicide, and even the majestic Osaka Castle was burned down.

Toyotomi Hideyori had a son named Toyotomi Kunimatsu. He was only 8 years old when the Toyotomi family was destroyed.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was determined to destroy the Toyotomi family, so naturally he would not let go of any bloodline descendants of the Toyotomi family.

After the Toyotomi clan was defeated in the Summer Campaign of Osaka, Toyotomi Kunimatsu and his wet nurse were beheaded at Rokujo Kawara in Kyoto and later buried in Shiganji Temple in Kyoto. The above is the "orthodox content" written in history books.

There are completely different opinions among the people about the whereabouts of Toyotomi Kunimatsu.

One is that the person who died in Rokujo Kawara was his shadow warrior, and his real body successfully escaped to Satsuma Domain and became a branch of the Kinoshita family in Hideo Domain in Bungo Province, and the ancestor of the Kinoshita family, Kinoshita Nobuji.

As for the second one... it is much more mysterious - a group of loyal ninjas risked their lives to rescue Toyotomi Kunimatsu from the burning Osaka Castle, and the bloodline of the Toyotomi family was thus lost among the people.

No matter how the Tokugawa family whitewashes it, they cannot change the fact that they bullied orphans and widows (Toyotomi Hideyori and Chacha) and usurped the throne of their lord as a subject.

In order to defeat the disloyal and unfilial traitors and take back the country that should have belonged to the Toyotomi family, the remnants of the Toyotomi family have never forgotten their hatred for the Tokugawa family. They have secretly accumulated strength, ready to overthrow the Edo shogunate and reshape the Toyotomi world.

Katsura Kogoro has heard too many urban legends like this.

Seven hundred years ago, during the Genpei War, after the Minamoto clan wiped out the Taira clan, rumors spread that the Taira clan was not over yet and that its descendants were gathering strength in an attempt to take back the world.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties five hundred years ago, after the Northern Dynasty annexed the Southern Dynasty, there were rumors that the remnants of the Southern Dynasty had not given up and were always ready to eliminate the Northern puppets and rebuild the orthodoxy of the Southern Dynasty.

Katsura Kogoro has always been contemptuous of this old-fashioned story of "the remnants of the rebellion make a comeback."

Shuten-doji saw through Katsura Kogoro's doubts and said calmly:

"You may not believe it, but these are the facts."

"The remnants of the Toyotomi family are indeed living among the people."

"They really do see 'taking back the world' as their goal, and have really worked hard towards it, achieving remarkable results."

"Without territory and without the support of the people, it is simply nonsense to want to rebuild the Toyotomi world."

"Even if they spend ten lifetimes, they will never be able to shake the rule of the Tokugawa family."

"So, they set their sights on the 'supernatural power', the power of immortality."

"They tried every possible means to find the bodies of the eight hundred nuns, and finally they found them."

"In order to study and control the power of immortality, they gathered a large number of highly skilled medical scientists and pharmacists, and used the corpses of eight hundred nuns as materials to successfully develop a drug that contains the 'power of immortality' and can transform the user into a monster."

"With such a terrible power in hand...'Eliminating the Tokugawa family and rebuilding the Toyotomi world' is no longer an unattainable luxury."

"What a pity...they ran into Ogata Ittosai."

"It turns out that 'humor' is indeed an important underlying color of history."

"When the remnants of Toyotomi were only one step away from success, Ogata Ittosai appeared out of nowhere."

"It's as if God sent him specifically to deal with the remnants of Toyotomi."

"I will not go into the details of the reasons and process. I will tell you in detail when I have the chance."

"In short, Ogata Ittosai and the Toyotomi family had a feud, and the two sides became mortal enemies." "Ogata Ittosai is worthy of being the eternal swordsman who 'commands an army of one man'."

"Even the remnants of Toyotomi, who possess the power of immortality, are no match for his sword."

"And just like that, Ogata Ittosai defeated the remaining Toyotomi forces."

"I have to say that the remnants of Toyotomi are quite resilient."

"They held out for a long time despite Ogata Ittosai's pursuit to the north - until 60 years ago, when they were completely wiped out."

"However, although the remnants of the Toyotomi faction have completely become the dust of history, the 'research team' they trained to master the power of immortality has not completely perished."

"Twenty years ago, by chance, we met an old doctor who had worked for the remnants of the Toyotomi clan."

"This old doctor is not interested in the so-called 'rebuilding the Toyotomi world' at all."

"He is a pure scholar who only wants to study."

"The reason why he worked for the remnants of Toyotomi was entirely to study the power of immortality."

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"With his outstanding talents, he was successfully promoted to one of the core researchers of the immortal power, so he knows a lot of secrets."

"Even though Toyotomi Yu died, he did not give up his research on the power of immortality."

"It is thanks to his story that we know the existence of the 'power of immortality' and thus the secret of Ogata Ittosai."

"According to what he said, Ogata Ittosai is no longer a mortal."

"The power of immortality is a violent force beyond common sense."

"Anyone who allows the power of immortality to invade their bodies will die suddenly without exception."

"The drug developed by the remnants of Toyotomi that turns people into monsters only contains a tiny bit of immortality."

"But even so, there are still many people who unfortunately died because they could not adapt to this tiny bit of immortal power."

"Due to the influence of a certain incident - it is difficult to verify what the incident was - Ogata Ittosai was infected with a very high content of immortal power."

"Logically speaking, he should have died suddenly."

"But he relied on his amazing physique and tenacious willpower to successfully subdue the immortal power in his body and integrate it into his own body, becoming a non-human being like Yaobikuni!"

Hearing this, Katsura Kogoro could no longer suppress his shock, and his facial expression changed dramatically.

After a while, he finally recovered and said softly with a strange expression:
"According to what you said... Ogata Ittosai became immortal like Yaobikuni?"

Ogata Ittosai is not only still alive, but also still looks youthful and is always in peak condition... Thinking of this, Katsura Kogoro couldn't help swallowing.

However, Shuten-doji spread his hands and shook his head.

"That's not true."

"The immortal power that invaded his body was originally incomplete."

"In other words, he only merged the diluted immortal power."

"Therefore, the immortal power possessed by Ogata Ittosai is far inferior to Yaobikuni."

"He is not immortal, but his life span has increased and his body has aged more slowly."

"He is not immortal. Although his body functions and recovery abilities have greatly increased, he will still die if he suffers fatal injuries such as decapitation or stabbing the heart."

"Ogata Ittosai is still alive, but he is not young anymore."

"He should have the face of a middle-aged man now."

When Katsura Kogoro heard this, he nodded suddenly, with a look of sudden enlightenment on his face.

“…I see. I understand now.”

As he spoke, he raised his eyes and cast a solemn and vigilant look at Shuten-doji.

"Are you also...coveting the power of immortality like the remnants of the Toyotomi clan? That's why Otakemaru took the initiative to accept the mission of 'finding Ogata Ittosai'."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shuten-doji sneered:
"Gui-kun, you misunderstood!"

"Although we in the Fazhu Party often present ourselves as 'using whatever means necessary', we also have our own ways of doing things and our own ways of not doing things."

"We are not interested in this kind of 'force that can easily get out of control.'"

"Compared to this mysterious 'divine power', we prefer the 'ordinary power' that can be seen and touched, such as guns and cannons."

"The reason why Otakemaru is looking for Ogata Ittosai is actually very simple - he wants to get Ogata Ittosai's blood."

"As I just said, the power of immortality is extremely violent. Ordinary people simply cannot withstand its might."

“Only by diluting it can ordinary people have a chance to bear and absorb it.”

"According to the old doctor's research, the whole body of an immortal person, including his body fluids, contains a certain amount of immortal power."

"If it is the body fluid of eight hundred bhikkhunis, then the immortal power contained in it is still terrifying and impossible for people to adapt to it."

"But if it was Ogata Ittosai's bodily fluid, then the situation would be very different!"

"The immortal power absorbed by Ogata Ittosai was originally diluted and incomplete."

"That is to say, the immortal power contained in its body fluids is incomplete among incomplete ones!"

"Even an ordinary person with average physique has the opportunity to absorb the immortal power in his body fluids!"

"No matter how tiny the amount of immortality power is, it contains the powerful force to enhance human regeneration ability!"

"In a nutshell, as long as you drink Ogata Ittosai's body fluids, even incurable diseases have a chance of being cured."

"If you are lucky enough to drink Ogata Ittosai's body fluids regularly, you will be able to greatly slow down the aging of your body and avoid all diseases."

"Although what I said above is all the old doctor's speculation, it is worth a try for us!"

Speaking of this, Shuten-doji paused, and then changed to a heavy tone:
"Lord Orochi is suffering from a terminal illness and is now relying on medication to stay alive."

"Although he has no intention of using his immortality to cure his illness, we all don't want him to be defeated by the disease."

"Indeed, Otakemaru is a guy who does what he wants, doesn't listen to orders, and acts according to his own preferences."

"But his feelings for Lord Orochi are genuine and unquestionable."

"After learning that Orochi-sama would have a chance to recover if he drank Ogata Ittosai's body fluid, he said nothing... oh, that's wrong, he didn't say anything at all. Anyway, he set off without hesitation, looking for Ogata Ittosai everywhere, wanting to borrow his blood."

"In order to save his adoptive father, the free-spirited deaf-mute took the initiative to accept the mission for the first time in his life... Haha, thinking about it this way, Otakemaru is also a man of temperament."

"Unfortunately... although Japan is a small island country, finding a person in this island country is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Ogata Ittosai was originally a ronin who had no fixed place to live and changed his name frequently."

"Unless he shows up on his own initiative, we will never be able to find him in this lifetime."

Shuten-doji finally finished telling this long story.

Looking at Shuten-doji who had finished speaking, Katsura Kogoro's facial expression changed several times.

After a while, he sighed softly, and said in a deep voice:

"The undead, the remnants of Toyotomi, and the still-living Ogata Ittosai... In just a dozen minutes, the world in my eyes seemed to have changed."

"To be honest, I never believe in gods, Buddhas, demons or ghosts in this world."

"You touched your upper and lower lips together and swore to me that there are immortals and immortal powers in this world... but it's just empty talk. To be honest, it's hard for me to believe it."

Shuten-doji chuckled:
"Kui-kun, this world is very big."

"The shallow intelligence of ants means that they are doomed to be unable to understand the world outside the anthill."

"Similarly, how can you be sure that the world you see is 'just this'?"

When he said "that's all", he emphasized it.

“The world we see may just be a large ant nest.”

"I don't believe in the existence of gods, Buddhas, demons or ghosts in this world either."

"But I believe there is knowledge and power in this world that we humans cannot understand."

“Can you imagine an animal you’ve never seen? That’s pretty much it.”

Katsura Kogoro was silent for a moment.

After a moment, he shook his head gently:

"…Even though you described it so vividly, I still can't believe it."

"All your knowledge about the immortals and immortal powers comes from the old doctor's narration, doesn't it?"

"You have never seen the 'power of immortality' with your own eyes, let alone Ogata Ittosai. How do you know that the old doctor is not talking nonsense?"

"Perhaps the old doctor has gone mad and is telling you a lot of nonsense."

Shuten-doji shrugged.

"Maybe."

"I'm not saying all this to convince you of the existence of the undead and the power of immortality."

"I just want to tell you: as long as we can cure Lord Orochi's illness, we will accept it even if it means dealing with the devil."

"No matter whether the old doctor is lying or not, as long as there is a glimmer of hope to cure Lord Orochi, we will not give up."

"It is with this awareness that we have persisted in our search for Ogata Ittosai."

Having said this, Shuten-doji seemed to recall something, paused for a moment, and then smiled.

"Although we cannot verify the truth of the old doctor's words, his medical skills... especially his talent in making medicines, are impeccable!"

"When we met him, he was destitute and nearly starving to death."

"We helped him... to put it bluntly, we took him in."

"In return, he shared the knowledge of medicine he had acquired while serving the remnants of the Toyotomi clan."

"As a former core researcher of the Toyotomi remnants, he possesses a large amount of pharmaceutical technology."

"It was thanks to his help that we were able to make 'it'."

As he spoke, he took out a red pill from his pocket.

Looking at the pill, Katsura Kogoro's face immediately darkened, and he murmured word by word:
"The decisive battle with Yodo...!"

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