Pointing the Blade

Bai Mo reached out a finger and lightly touched the raindrops, looking at the chaotic Kaizu Castle, his brows furrowing. This rain was indeed somewhat problematic; it seemed to have disturbed people's minds to some extent, though not severely—at most, it only made it difficult to see people clearly.

This meant that even though many people were still holding their ground on the city walls, a large number of the Uesugi Clan soldiers poured in. However, the rain clearly made it impossible to distinguish friend from foe, so the Uesugi Clan soldiers were mostly scattered and did not concentrate all their forces on attacking the Takeda residence.

Many people were running around like headless flies.

With his eyes closed, Bai Mo sensed the flow of magic in the rain. Now the children were safe, and the remaining ordinary people either evacuated or were protected in their homes by Bai Mo.

Now that I have the time, I've found the person behind it all.

Because he is in the recovery period and cannot use the power of Magnetic Field Rotation, and because Bai Mo is not good at Japan's spells, it will take him about ten seconds to find and deal with the person hiding behind him.

In those few seconds, a soldier with no moral compass could rush into someone's home and let the children see their mother being disemboweled.

Japan soldiers of this era had virtually no military discipline. Even the armies under Takeda Shingen or Uesugi Kenshin could not prevent acts of burning, killing, and looting.

Such ideas were deeply ingrained in the minds of these people, which is why Bai Mo refused to treat the soldiers; they were "beyond saving." For them, the post-war looting and arson were indispensable, a "means of livelihood" and a "pathway to upward social mobility."

In the social consciousness of that era, the plundering and trafficking of people and property were considered legitimate spoils of war. From daimyo down to foot soldiers, everyone participated in it.

To put it bluntly, many of these people are just a bunch of bandits dressed as soldiers.

As the raindrops continued to fall, the candles in the distant Onmyoji's room, where there was no wind, went out instantly. The Onmyoji's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints. He bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood that landed on the paper in his hand. The paper automatically folded into a red paper crane, carrying him away.

He flew dozens of miles in an instant, then turned to look at Kaizu Castle in the distance, a deep sense of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"I wonder who it is. Oh well, let's just get going."

He turned around and suddenly felt a giant crow crashing into him. The Onmyoji's vision went black, and he felt as if he had fallen into Wubian deep sea.

"Come and go as you please? Dream on."

These were the last words he heard.

Bai Mo grabbed the Onmyoji's head and instantly read his brain. After a while, he frowned slightly. This guy's memories were strangely scarce, and they were mostly commands.

If other people's memories are a sheet of paper filled with writing, this Onmyoji's memories have been wiped clean, leaving only his teacher's orders.

"Never mind, knowing who sent him is enough. An Onmyoji from Kyoto serving the Emperor? His target is Chiyome? They have quite a few informants."

Bai Mo controlled the unconscious Onmyoji and returned to the room where he had cast the spell. Looking at the complex array in front of him, he quickly sensed the flow of magical power within it. Soon, the spell was like an instruction manual, and everything was imprinted in his mind.

His fingers brushed against the pendant, a drop of water hovering on Bai Mo's fingertip. With a slight movement of his fingers, a thin layer of mist fell from the sky above Kaizu Castle. Unlike the previous cold, it carried a sense of warmth instead.

Chiyome had been fighting in the street, stopped. She looked at the rain falling from the sky, and all the hesitation in her eyes vanished. At that moment, as if struck by lightning, she turned around.

The Mochizuki Clan members had vanished, and he was covered in blood, with corpses strewn along the roadside. Some were from the Uesugi Clan, and others from the Takeda Clan.

"How could this happen? What did I do..."

Looking back, it seems like it's been a long time since I could hear the voices of the Mochizuki Clan behind me; all I could hear were wails and the sound of blades slicing through flesh.

She ran back without hesitation. With each turn, she felt a chill run down her spine. She was afraid that at the next turn, she would see the corpse of the Mochizuki Clan's child lying by the roadside.

Anxiety gnawed at her heart like insects, and at the last crossroads, the place where she last heard the voices of her people in her memory.

Chiyome stopped moving. There was only a white-haired girl in armor, riding a majestic warhorse, looking at the sky with a puzzled expression.

Seemingly sensing Chiyome's gaze, Uesugi Kenshin turned his head and raised the sword in his hand.

"Oh dear, it seems we've been tricked. It looks like the best course of action is to retreat. How about we fight another day?"

Uesugi Kenshin gave a gentle smile, but now, that smile and those words completely dimmed Chiyome's eyes. She had almost searched all over Kaizu Castle and hadn't seen a single member of the Mochizuki Clan. So, they could only have been captured.

What would happen if a group of ninjas, mostly women, were captured? Chiyome knew better than anyone.

She slowly drew her ninja sword, and a blinding bolt of electricity flashed out.

Uesugi Kenshin an eyebrow, clearly surprised by Chiyome's behavior, but he couldn't understand human emotions, and Chiyome didn't want to explain at the moment.

With a flash of lightning, the ninja sword pointed directly at Uesugi Kenshin's spear. The tip of the sword clashed with the tip of the spear, and a piercing clang of metal echoed through the street.

Uesugi Kenshin's mount Hōshō Tsukige, let out a roar, and a hint of surprise flashed in Uesugi Kenshin's eyes.

"You've gotten much stronger, haven't you? Oh well, I'm in a hurry, I have to get serious!" Uesugi Kenshin roared, and then a strange light emerged from the tip of her spear.

She tossed several weapons high into the air, and they landed on the ground. After Uesugi Kenshin dismounted, a faint golden light seemed to appear on her body.

Grabbing weapons from the ground, Uesugi Kenshin's offensive rained down like Gale. After being thwarted, Chiyome gathered her strength and found an opportunity to counterattack, but Hōshō Tsukige leaped into the fray. Kenshin charged in with unstoppable momentum, like a motorcyclist speeding at night with his headlights on.

A surge of electricity coursed through her as she gripped the small ninja sword in her hand. Chiyome felt a surge of confidence; she could cut down both man and horse with it.

With a muffled thud, Chiyome's eyes widened abruptly. She saw Hōshō Tsukige kneel down, launching Kenshin away like a cannonball. Kenshin gripped his naginata in reverse, the hilt striking Chiyome in the abdomen. The intense pain nearly made her faint.

"Sayonara, Ninja Girl."

Kenshin's naginata spun like a whirlwind, tossing Chiyome's small body into the air. Then, the sharp blade of the naginata pointed directly at her face.

The feeling of death surged into her heart. Chiyome stared at the sharp blade, and at that moment, this second felt incredibly long.

Am I going to die?

Memories flooded in like a tide, then receded like the tide receding. In my memory, I felt only a deep weariness, a curse from birth, and a defeat in the war against Takeda.

Originally, all that was needed was to surrender and submit, but the arrival of this power disrupted everything, forcing him to devote himself to managing his family business and politics, areas he was completely unsuited for.

She was a source of vain hope for revival for her defeated clan, was seen as an unstable entity by Takeda above her, and was regarded as an enemy by her former fiancé.

She knew what Takeda Moritoki was thinking. When that Source of Power appeared that day, if Takeda Moritoki had just reached out, that power would have been his. But her actions caused him to miss out, and therefore, she was deeply resented.

Perhaps that's the right thing to do; perhaps I shouldn't have come into this world.

I'm so tired, so incredibly tired. I feel like even death would be a relief.

But in the end, for no apparent reason, she thought of that pharmacy filled with the aroma of medicine.

Looking back now, that easy and ordinary life is truly enviable.

She closed her eyes and gradually lost consciousness.

The naginata flashed a silver light through the air. Kenshin sheathed his sword, pouting slightly in Kenshin.

"This time it's a battlefield, isn't it? You've rescued my enemy again. What kind of friend are you?"

Bai Mo, who was holding Chiyome by the back of the neck, shook his head and said:

"Alright, you're being used as a pawn without even realizing it. Take your men and leave before Takeda realizes what's happening. Once the soldiers on the city wall react, you're doomed."

Kenshin glanced at the distant city walls and nodded in deep agreement, but quickly revealed a subtle smile, rubbing his fingers together as he said to Bai Mo:

"Well, I did miss out on some battle merits, don't you think I deserve some compensation..."

A golden wine jug landed in Kenshin's arms. Bai Mo, seeing her overjoyed expression, reminded her:

"Beware of cerebral hemorrhage caused by excessive drinking."

"How could I possibly have a brain hemorrhage... Besides, I have you as a doctor friend. Okay, I'm leaving now, or I won't be able to leave later."

Driving his white horse, Kenshin quickly departed, while Bai Mo, carrying Chiyome, also disappeared into the street.