I was a swordsman in ancient Japan

After all, he threw the small windmill in his hand to the ground as if he was throwing some disgusting garbage.

Windmills made of branches and leaves are inherently fragile.

After the windmill was thrown aside most casually, one of the blades of the windmill that touched the ground head down fell directly from the pole made of tree branches.

"The biggest man." Sakaguchi asked at this time, "Do you want to continue to torture this little barbarian, or other villagers?"

The most thoughtful moment: "... Forget it, no need. The information collected so far is enough."

"Sakaguchi, inform everyone—ready to go. Target: the north side of the village."

Speaking of this, Zui grinned:

"We might still be able to chase those two men and two women now."

"Then... what about these villagers?" Sakaguchi glanced at Lilata next to him.

Finally, he glanced at Lilata together: "...let them fend for themselves, I am no longer interested in them, and I don't want to waste precious time on them anymore."

After all, Lilata, who didn't look at the ground any more, swung the haori around her and walked away.

"Action! Sakaguchi! I want to see the team ready to go within a stick of incense!"

"Yes!"

……

……

"Mr. Mashima, look! The tree in front is very suitable for building a hunting lodge!" Aizan, who was sitting behind Ogata, pointed forward.

At the end of the direction Aizan pointed at was a fir tree that grew just beside a small slope, with a trunk so thick that a grown man could hug it.

Fir trees are the most common trees in Ezo. No matter where you go, you can always see fir trees.

"It's not too early now, and I don't think the weather is very good. It should snow soon. Shall we spend the night here tonight?" Aizan continued.

Ogata looked up at the sky above his head.

According to Ogata's estimation, the current time is probably approaching 5 pm.

At this time, the sky was covered with a thin layer of dark clouds, as if covered with a layer of black gauze.

Ogata nodded lightly: "Okay then, let's spend the night here tonight."

Ogata and A-Ming took the radishes and grapes to a big tree and tied them up, while Aizan took his machete and chopped down the fir tree that happened to grow next to the small slope. It took a few minutes So a "temporary hunting lodge" was built enough for the four of Ogata and the others to lie in and rest.

After Ogata and the others got into the hunting lodge, Aizan sighed softly:

"If only the road we started on hadn't been blocked by an avalanche. That way we can get out of the mountain now."

Not long after leaving Siwaxi Village today, Ogata and the others encountered a small accident—the road ahead was blocked by trees crushed by an avalanche, and Ogata and the others had to take a detour, which wasted a lot of time.

"Forget it." Ogata smiled, "Anyway, it doesn't make much difference whether you leave this mountain earlier or later."

"Mr. Aizan." Ahili on the side said at this time, "Let's go and hunt some prey while it's still daylight? (Ainu language)"

"Hmm... That's right, the sky is pitch black now, (Ainu language)"

Aizan turned his head to look at Ogata:

"Mr. Mashima, Ashley and I are going hunting now, you two should rest here first. We will be back as soon as possible."

"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "Be careful. If you can't catch any prey, just come back."

After Aizan agreed, he and Ahili got out of the hunting lodge with their respective bows and arrows, and both disappeared into the depths of the nearby woods.

After Aizan and Ahili left, A-Machi, who was sitting cross-legged beside Ogata, suddenly asked Ogata in a joking tone:

"Thinking about it now - the life we're living in right now is very nourishing."

"You don't have to worry about eating. Aizan and Ahili will help us get fresh food every meal time."

Hearing Ah-cho's words, Ogata couldn't help but smile:

"Treasure the life you have now." Ogata changed his joking tone like A-machi just now, "After that, you probably won't be able to live a good life where someone will help you hunt for food and come back."

After finishing speaking, Ogata undid Da Shitian stuck in his left waist, and then pulled Da Shitian out of the sheath.

"Do you want to change the oil on your knife?" Machi asked.

"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "It's been a while since I changed the knife oil."

Ogata took out the powder stick for knife wiping powder that he carried with him, the knife powder for removing oil from the knife, and the knife oil that was applied to the blade to prevent rust.

Ogata knew that after coming to Ezodi, there should be no other way to get knife powder and knife oil, so long before he went to Ezodi, Ogata bought enough "oil replenishment set" for him to use for 2 years ".

Replacing the oil on the knife—this kind of thing, Ogata has long been familiar with it.

Ogata had just dipped the powder stick into the knife powder, and was about to apply the powder to the blade, when A-Machi suddenly called Ogata:

"Wait a moment."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

A-Machi tapped his cheek.

"Now that Aizan and Ahili are not here, take off your mask temporarily."

"You've been wearing it all this time, I think it's time for your face to breathe." A-Ming changed his tone with a hint of joking.

"... That's true." Ogata put down the powder stick in his hand, stretched his fingers to the root of his left ear, and peeled off the human skin mask that had been worn on his face for a long time.

"Hmm..." A-Machi stared straight at the face that had just taken off the human skin mask.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing." Ah-Ming smiled, "It's just that I haven't seen your real appearance for too long, and I feel a little strange to your real appearance."

"Then I have to wear this human skin mask as little as possible in the future." After responding to A-Ming with a joke, Ogata picked up the powder stick again, and used the powder stick to rub the knife powder on the blade with skillful movements. Then, little by little, he wiped off the old knife oil remaining on the blade of Da Shitian.

When Ogata was changing the oil on his saber, A-Machi sat aside, quietly watching Ogata who was seriously changing the oil on the knife, and the knife in Ogata's hand was being repainted little by little. The big release day of oil.

Unexpectedly, Ah-Ming suddenly murmured in a low voice:

"...Your saber is also covered in cuts and bruises..."

"Yeah. That's right." Ogata responded softly, "No matter how tough a sword is, it still has its limits."

"Think about it carefully—these two knives have been with me for a long time, almost a year..."

While Ogata was sighing softly here, A-Machi kept looking at Da Shitian in Ogata's hand with a lot of gaps with complicated eyes.

After Ogata's sigh fell, A-Machi was silent for a moment, and suddenly said faintly:

"Ayi...while we are alone now...I have something to tell you..."

"Huh?" Ogata stopped what he was doing, and looked at A-Ming, "Just speak up if you have something to say, I'm all ears, don't be so mysterious."

"What I'm going to say next...you may not like to hear it, but I'm going to say it anyway."

After all, Ah-Machi took a deep breath, as if to muster up his courage.

After taking several deep breaths in a row, A-Machi, with a serious face, said word by word:

"Ayi, I have no objection to you acting bravely."

"But I think...you should protect yourself more while you are acting bravely..."

"To be honest... the night before yesterday, when I saw you confronting the army of the country, I was actually a little scared..."

Speaking of this, Ah-Ming couldn't help but pursed his lips tightly.

And Ogata——he at this moment laughed dumbfoundedly.

"...Are you afraid that I will miss and be killed?"

A-Ming shook his head: "I'm afraid that your identity as 'Mashima Goro' will also be wanted by the whole country, or...'Ogata Issei' further annoyed the shogunate, causing the shogunate to hunt down and kill you..."

"I don't need to tell you, you should also know how bad your situation in Japan is right now...?"

"Before, there was the felony crime of killing the lord, and later there was the attack on Ertiao City..."

"You have offended the shogunate badly now."

"I'm worried that if you offend the shogunate further, the shogunate might decide to adopt a hunting method that has never been seen before, and will use all the power of the country to hunt and kill you..."

"I think if you further annoy the shogunate, it is really possible for the shogunate to do such a thing..."

"The shogunate ruled the whole of Japan. No matter how strong a person's martial arts are, they can't shake such a huge monster."

"Shiranui is so powerful, in order to survive, he has to rely on the shogunate."

"So—Ayi, promise me."

A-Machi raised his hands and pressed Ogata's cheeks.

"Anything that may further offend the shogunate should be done as little as possible, it is best not to do it, and live as low-key and anonymous as possible in the future, okay?"

"I can guarantee this kind of thing for you..." Ogata smiled wryly, "Things are impermanent, and there will always be some uncontrollable things..."

Before Ogata could finish his sentence, the conversation stopped.

Because he saw A-cho's eyes looking straight at him.

There was no extra emotion in Ah-ding's dark pupils.

Yes, only seriousness, and——real worries about Ogata's future.

Looking directly at Ah-Machi's pupils, Ogata sighed silently:

"...I see." Ogata smiled wryly, "I promise you. I will try to do as little as possible to offend the shogunate."

Hearing Ogata's promise to her, Acho put on a big smile at Ogata, and then let go of Ogata's cheeks.

"Oh." Ah-Ming looked outside the hunting lodge, "It's snowing..."

Ogata also turned his gaze to the outside of the hunting hut—only bits of white snow were falling from the dark clouds.

Looking at the current situation, the amount of snowfall seems to have a tendency to increase further.

Machi stood up slowly while patting the dust on his buttocks:

"Okay, I'll find something to do now."

"I just saw a clean river not far from here. I'll go fetch some water and come back. Give me your kettle."

"It's snowing outside now, do you still have to fetch water?" Ogata said.

"It's not some blizzard that's too big to walk on. I'll be back soon."

"Ah, since you are oiling your knife now, then help maintain my weapon by the way."

A-cho took out her Su Sakura and Hi Sakura and handed them to Ogata.

"My two short guns have not been properly maintained for a long time, so I will trouble you."

"Ah, and - after hearing the voices of Aizan and Ahili coming back, remember to put back the human skin mask in time."

After all, without waiting for Ogata's response, Ah-Ming got out of the hunting lodge with her and Ogata's water bottle, leaving Ogata alone in the hunting lodge.

Ogata glanced at the saber in front of him that was still not fully oiled, and the two pistols that A-Machi had just thrown to her.

"Speaking of which...my gun seems to have been out of maintenance for a long time..."

After saying this to himself, a helpless smile appeared on Ogata's face, then Ogata temporarily put away his knife, picked up A-Machi's Su Sakura, and took the lead in maintaining A-Machi's weapon.

……

……

Following his own memory, A-Ming walked quickly towards the clear river he had just seen.

After a while, Ah Ding heard the sound of gurgling water.

After hearing the sound of water, A-Machi quickened his pace a little.After a while, I saw a clear river.

"Woo...it's really ice..." After putting the unscrewed kettle into the icy cold river water, Ah-Ming was immediately so cold that his whole body shivered a few times.

……

……

With a telescope in hand, he stood on a high slope and looked around.

Although binoculars are expensive and extravagant imported items in Japan today, as a senior general, he is still qualified to own one.

While Zui was observing his surroundings with binoculars, Lieutenant General Sakaguchi and other generals stood around him, silently waiting for Zui's observation to end.