Mokushō's Wonderful Journey

After Masato left with his men, only Hiroyama, Tamamo-no-Mae, and a few personal guards remained in the main hall.

Hiroyama waved for the guards to retreat outside the door, walked up to Tamamo-no-Mae, looked her up and down to make sure she was unharmed, then breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the spot.

"Next time something like this happens, send someone to me immediately. Don't try to talk to him yourself. That Masato is no pushover. What if you, a young woman, suffer a loss dealing with him?"

Tamamo-no-Mae shook her head. "If even something like this requires my Big Brother to personally intervene, then I shouldn't be the Tavern Keeper of Tamamoya. His men are using knives on our turf; if I don't even have the courage to confront him face to face, how am I supposed to manage my subordinates in the future?"

Hiroyama knew she was right, but he still couldn't help but sigh.

He pulled up a chair and sat down, his tone softening slightly. "I won't stop you from protecting your brother. But don't be so obvious next time."

"You know that Tamaro is just a debt collector now. You keep calling him 'brother' in front of Masato. Masato can easily find out this with a little investigation when he gets back."

"It's not that I think Tamaro is shameful; on the contrary, I admire him. His skills and courage are unmatched in the entire Yuhara Street, but he is, after all, a bit... you know. Taking him out will affect your image and the reputation of Tamamoya."

Tamamo-no-Mae put down her teacup and looked directly into Hiroyama's eyes. "Big Brother, we've discussed this before, and my stance remains the same: I refuse."

Several years ago, Hiroyama mentioned that with Tamaro's fighting skills, it was too unfair for him to be relegated to the position of a debt collector.

If he were willing to cover his face and dress decently, Hiroyama could arrange a Guard Unit or even a higher position for him.

But Tamamo-no-Mae refused on the spot without the slightest hesitation.

"My brother isn't a product that needs to be packaged. He should live his life openly and honestly, just as he looks. I won't let him hide his face for a higher position, as if his appearance were something shameful."

Hiroyama was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. He had known she would answer like that, and he knew he couldn't persuade her otherwise.

But he couldn't help bringing it up every time, because he knew better than anyone what people here would do because of their appearance.

Hiroyama didn't want such things to bind them, but Tamamo-no-Mae never wavered on these matters, not even once.

He took in the brother and sister back then precisely because of this spirit they possessed.

A skinny little girl, with her brother who was regarded as a monster by everyone, survived in the most chaotic alley of Yuhara Street.

With Tamaro's fists and Tamamo-no-Mae's beauty and wit, he lived with more backbone than anyone else. They helped him a lot during his most desperate period, and Hiroyama was not an ungrateful person. Over the years, he had always treated them as his own younger brothers and sisters.

And they never let him down.

Tamaro was ruthless when collecting debts. He remembered the accounts better than the accountant. He would handle any request perfectly and never made a mistake.

Tamamo-no-Mae exceptionally beautiful but also possessed a shrewd and resourceful nature, turning Tamamoya into the most famous brothel in Yuhara Street.

Most importantly, even after they gained the ability to be independent, they never harbored any disloyalty.

They were the most yakuza-spirited people he had ever met.

So he always spoiled them and never forced them to do anything they didn't want to do.

"Alright, I won't mention it anymore." Hiroyama patted his knees and stood up. "But lately I've had a bad feeling. There are more and more people from the Land of Lightning on this street, and Masato's gambling den has hired quite a few new faces. Today's incident is just the beginning; there will probably be even bigger trouble later. You all need to be extremely careful lately, take two extra people with you when you go out, and don't walk through alleys at night."

Tamamo-no-Mae also dropped her joking expression and said seriously, "Big Brother, that Masato won't let this go easily. He conceded too readily this time, losing so much wealth and even losing a trusted confidant. Given his personality, he's definitely not afraid of us."

"I know."

"Then why did he...?"

"Whatever his reasons," Hiroyama waved his hand, a cold smile creeping onto his lips. "What's done is done. Let him try whatever he wants. I, Hiroyama, have been on this street for twenty years. A foreigner from the Land of Lightning thinks he can turn the tables on me? He's not qualified. I'll handle this. You just focus on managing the Tamamoya business; don't worry about anything else."

Tamamo-no-Mae nodded at Hiroyama's confident face, whispered "Be careful, Big Brother," and watched Hiroyama stride Earth Flow of the main hall of Tamamoya with his guards.

Tamamo-no-Mae watched Hiroyama's figure disappear beyond the paper door, her dignified smile gradually fading. She sighed, walked over to Tamaro, and sat down beside him.

"How's your arm? Let me see."

Tamaro subconsciously hid his wrist, which had been twisted by the guard, behind his back and muttered, "It's healed a long time ago. That guy's a coward; he was stunned after being hit, and then I slashed him with my sickle."

Tamamo-no-Mae didn't speak, she just looked at him quietly.

Tamaro hesitated for a moment under that gaze, but finally obediently extended his hand.

He bandaged his wrist himself, but it was crooked and several loops were so loose they were about to come undone.

Tamamo-no-Mae removed the bandages to check the injury, and only after confirming that no bones were broken did she re-bandage it.

"Brother, don't be so reckless next time. In that situation, you should have grabbed the person who broke in first, instead of directly attacking that guard. Luckily Masato seemed to be in a hurry today and didn't dwell on this for too long. If he were to turn around and say that you attacked his people first, we would be in a passive position."

"He's a threat to you," Tamaro said in a muffled voice.

Tamamo-no-Mae paused in tying the bandage for him, then tucked the end in and grumbled, "Are all men this stubborn?"

Tamaro looked up at Tamamo-no-Mae, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction. "Don't always criticize me. I know what I've done. As for you, although being a courtesan in a place like this brings you luxury and adulation, I don't think it's a long-term solution. I'd much rather you find a good family to marry into and live a peaceful life."

Tamamo-no-Mae raised an eyebrow slightly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, "That's none of your concern, brother. If I take a fancy to someone, I'll naturally marry him in style. But it's your marriage that's on your mind—"

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, looked Tamaro up and down, and sighed, "Sigh, being ugly is definitely a problem."

Tamaro waved his hand dismissively. "It's not like I don't have women."

"Those Courtesans in the Pleasure Quarters don't count! Since you want me to marry into a good family, you'd better have higher standards for your wife too; she can't be a prostitute."

"What's wrong with Courtesan? They earn their living through their own abilities, and you're trying to use that to pressure me."

Tamaro muttered to himself, "Besides, normal girls wouldn't be interested in someone like me. If you can find a girl who can accept me, I'll marry her."

Tamamo-no-Mae looked at him silently. Although she really didn't want to judge her brother by his appearance, even an Ordinary People wouldn't accept a guy covered in black spots, with a crooked face, a crooked mouth, and yellow teeth.

It seems my brother really won't be able to get married...

It was dusk, and the Yuhara Pleasure Quarter was shrouded in a thin layer of gold.

The setting sun cast its rays diagonally down the western mountain ridge, bathing the entire Hot Spring Street in a warm orange-red hue.

Lanterns along the stone-paved road were lit one after another, and wisps of white smoke rose from the chimneys of the distant Hot Springs Inn. The aroma of sulfur mixed with the slightly bitter smell of Sulfur and the smoky fragrance of roasted dumplings wafting from the street stalls created a warm and drowsy atmosphere in the air.

Mokushō changed into an inconspicuous plain-colored short jacket, slipped into a snack shop on the street corner, ordered a plate of Soy Sauce Dango, and slowly dipped them in the sauce before putting them in his mouth.

He knew nothing of the commotion that afternoon, only that Masato might be targeting him.

Avoiding Masato's watchful eyes, I quietly enjoyed afternoon tea, then visited the nearby Inari Shrine to admire the scenery, before disappearing from sight and returning to find Izuna.

That was his entire plan for this afternoon.

After finishing the last Dango, he paid the bill and Earth Flow of the store satisfied.

Just as he turned into a side alley to take a shortcut back, a faint groan suddenly came from ahead.

Mokushō looked up and saw an old woman with gray hair trapped under an overturned cart. The rice bags that had been piled on the cart were scattered all over the ground, one of which had torn open, and white rice was spread across half the alley.

Mokushō rushed forward in three quick steps, grabbed the edge of the cart with both hands, and lifted it up.

He overturned the cart to the side, and several more bags of rice rolled out, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

He knelt down and reached out to support the old woman's shoulder. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The old woman took a while to catch her breath. Supporting herself on Mokushō's arm, she slowly stood up, brushed the rice grains and dust off her skirt, and smiled slightly at him, "It's alright, it's alright. I dodged in time and wasn't hurt. All thanks to this kind person. I must thank you properly."

"It was nothing, don't worry about it." Mokushō gathered the scattered rice bags against the wall and righted the cart, casually asking, "But how did you end up under the cart? This alley isn't that narrow, and the cart was parked perfectly fine, how did it suddenly tip over?"

The old woman sighed, "I was walking along just fine, intending to go around this cart and continue on my way. Suddenly, two people jumped out from nowhere. One bumped into me, and the other overturned the cart, pinning me underneath. They ran so fast that they disappeared in the blink of an eye; I didn't even catch a glimpse of them."

Mokushō carried the last bag of rice back onto the cart, patted the rice bran off his hands, and said with a touch of emotion, "Ninja must have done this; Ordinary People couldn't lift a cart so easily."

"I think so too," the old woman nodded. "Usually, I have someone with me when I go out, but today I just went to the Shrine with my best friend and didn't bring any servants. I never expected to run into something like this."

"Shrine? Could it be the Inari Shrine?"

"Yes, it's that Inari Shrine on the mountain." The old woman smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Could it be that we just met at the Shrine?"

"No," Mokushō's voice carried a faint hint of amusement, "I'm exactly going there. We're really destined to meet."

Upon hearing this, the old woman's wrinkles smoothed out. "That's what I was thinking too. You saved my life, so you absolutely must come to my house and let me treat you properly. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

Mokushō also considered taking her back, since the old lady was probably over seventy years old. If she walked back alone and tripped and fell on the way, then his effort to help her would have been wasted.

So he took the old woman's hand and followed her directions to her house.

Then they turned into a quiet alley.

At the end was a large black lacquered door, with a nameplate bearing the words "Hiroyama" hanging above it.

The old woman called out to the gatekeeper, who immediately opened the gate to welcome her in.

Mokushō followed her across the threshold, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

The courtyard was huge, with artificial hills, ponds, and pine trees arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner. Several guards in dark short jackets stood in the corridor, their sharp eyes clearly indicating that they were not ordinary guards.

Hearing the commotion, a burly middle-aged man strode out of the main hall; it was Hiroyama.

He strode across the corridor, grabbed the old woman's shoulders, and said in a hoarse, urgent voice, "Mother! Where have you been? They said you and Kiyoko went to the Shrine, without even a guard! I was so worried about you!"

The old woman patted his arm, indicating that he shouldn't panic. "I'm fine. I just had a little trouble on the way, and this kind young man saved me."

Mokushō Hiroyama looking at him, Mu Zheng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "It was nothing. Now that the old lady has arrived home safely, I shall take my leave."

Hiroyama stopped him, saying, "You saved my mother, you must stay for a meal before you leave. Although I, Hiroyama, am not wealthy or noble, I can still offer you a bowl of wine to express my gratitude."

Mokushō looked embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I just ate a plate of Soy Sauce Dango at a snack shop, I really can't eat anymore..."

Just as Hiroyama was about to try to persuade him again, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the gate.

Two figures stumbled into the courtyard, and the dark-skinned man in the lead fell to his knees with a thud.

It was Luotai, followed by an elderly woman with gray hair, about the same age as Hiroyama's mother, who was also panting heavily from running.

"Kiyoko!" the old woman exclaimed, rushing forward to help the old man. "Why are you here? What happened?"

Kiyoko looked at the old woman in a daze and called out her name, "Sachiko? Is this your home?"

Luotai prostrated himself on the ground, kneeling on the earth. "Please, Hiroyama Boss, take us in! I'm willing to reveal all of Masato's conspiracies, I only ask that you protect my mother!"

Mokushō: "Huh?"