"If you've got the guts, go up there and deal with all those inhumane Shogunate Army members. What's the point of suicide?"
Ember, while holding down Dan Oni Roku, tapped his head and said with a look of disappointment.
"Deal with all of them?"
Dan Oni Roku's suicidal expression froze. He kept muttering Ember's words.
Seeing Dan Oni Roku's expression, Ember secretly nodded in his heart. It seemed he had enlightened him.
As a warrior, what kind of hero commits suicide? With so many inhumane creatures in Inazuma, he should at least take one or two of those pests with him before he dies.
However, the next moment, he was proven wrong.
"You should still give me a blade and let me end myself."
After a brief moment of confusion, Dan Oni Roku became desperate again.
"Hey! I've figured it out, you're just trying to escape, aren't you?" Ember saw Dan Oni Roku wriggling in the mud and picked him up like a chick.
"I didn't! Don't slander me!" Dan Oni Roku struggled in Ember's hands, but he soon realized that even if he used all his strength, this strange fellow didn't budge at all.
Recalling the scene where Ember easily rescued him from the brink of death earlier, Dan Oni Roku felt that he had probably met a master.
So, Dan Oni Roku, who had been struggling fiercely, quickly wilted, becoming like a frost-bitten eggplant.
"What can I do? I'm just an Ashigaru. The Shogunate's controllers are the Kujou Clan."
"That's a thousand-year-old great family. If I go up against them, calling it a 'mayfly shaking a tree' would be an overestimation of me. It's better to die and be done with it."
"It can preserve my honor and also ensure prosperity for my family and friends." As Dan Oni Roku spoke, his tone became increasingly low, sounding as if he was about to cry.
Feeling the strength in his hand dissipate, Ember released his grip on Dan Oni Roku.
He pondered Dan Oni Roku's words and finally made the following assessment: "Aren't you still escaping?"
"Escaping your responsibilities, escaping the guilt in your heart, escaping the major decisions you need to make..."
Ember shook his head and rattled off a lot of words, with one core idea—to prove that Dan Oni Roku was escaping.
Washizu, who was nearby, nodded in rare agreement.
"Indeed. Putting everything else aside, if you die, who will deliver the news of the widespread tatarigami on Yashiori Island to the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
"It's useless. From what you're saying, the Shogunate Army already knows about the tatarigami outbreak on Yashiori Island."
"The Grand Narukami Shrine hasn't sent any shrine maidens to suppress the tatarigami, which can only mean the Kujou Clan has concealed the news."
"I'm just a small soldier. You think I can betray them? It would be good enough if I don't get stabbed eight times in the back and commit seppuku."
Dan Oni Roku slumped, the resolute spirit he had shown earlier, intending to deliver the message even in death, was instantly shattered.
A person's spirit, when it becomes strong, cannot be destroyed by anything. But to break it, sometimes it's incredibly simple.
Dan Oni Roku in front of him was a good example. Earlier, even with such severe injuries, he didn't let out a single breath.
But now, Ember looked up and down at the hunched Dan Oni Roku. There was no spirit left; it had all been drained.
"You... alas—" Washizu listened to Dan Oni Roku's complaints and also felt the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The Kujou Clan, just thinking of that behemoth, Washizu himself couldn't help but tremble. How could he ask Dan Oni Roku, who was inferior to him in all aspects, to confront this thousand-year-old great family?
"If you have nowhere to go, you can come to our Higi Village."
"But let me tell you first, remain calm if you see anything unusual. Also, don't refuse when you're asked to do work."
Washizu patted Dan Oni Roku's shoulder, then took off the mask on his face and said with a smile.
"You are..."
Dan Oni Roku's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the fine hair growing on both sides of Washizu's cheeks.
This density of hair was definitely not something a normal person could have.
"He hasn't shaved his beard for a year, that's why." Ember leaned over and looked at the fine hair on Washizu's face, explaining with a serious expression.
"A small price to pay for surviving the tatarigami." Washizu pushed Ember away, shrugging helplessly.
"After the tatarigami outbreak... you can still survive?!" Dan Oni Roku seemed even more shocked, no longer caring about the abnormality on Washizu's face.
He was a guard specifically tasked with overseeing the tatarigami seal. Besides ordinary martial arts, he also dabbled in some Onmyodo and common knowledge about tatarigami.
tatarigami are formed from the resentment of ancient Gods. If a person is exposed to tatarigami for a short time, it's manageable; with some recuperation, recovery is possible.
But if one lives for a long time in an environment where tatarigami has erupted, survival is simply impossible.
Yet, there was a living example right before him, and it sounded like Washizu had lived on Yashiori Island for a long time after the tatarigami outbreak.
How could Dan Oni Roku not be shocked?
"Haha, it has nothing to do with us." Washizu felt Dan Oni Roku's shocked gaze and awkwardly scratched his head.
Then he pointed to Ember, who was idle nearby, and said, "We should thank him for our survival."
"Him?" Dan Oni Roku looked at Ember, and the shock in his eyes immediately turned into admiration.
Not only was his medical skill so superb, but his mastery of Onmyodo was also so profound. Such a person truly deserved admiration.
"Moreover, you can also have him take your note to the Grand Narukami Shrine."
"How do you know I'm going to the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
Ember glanced at Washizu, taking a sharp breath. Had he seen wrong? Was Washizu a powerful reclusive master capable of reading his mind?
"Not only do I know you're going to the Grand Narukami Shrine, I also know you're going to Watatsumi Island, Ritou, Enkanomiya..."
Washizu recited the classic place names of Inazuma one by one.
As he recited, Ember was taking notes, though he had switched to a different notebook.
After Washizu finished his recitation, Ember nodded in sudden realization and said, "So Inazuma has so many interesting places. I've learned a lot, learned a lot."
"Now do you know why I know your whereabouts? Is Great Adventurer Ember only going to stay in Higi Village for a while and then end his journey in Inazuma?"
Washizu continued. Although Higi Village was factually isolated, and outside information couldn't get in, Washizu could go out and find it himself.
As long as he concealed his abnormality well, Washizu could easily gather all sorts of information.
Coupled with the words of the four mysterious visitors a while ago, Washizu had a general understanding of what kind of person Ember was.
Dan Oni Roku listened to the entire conversation between Ember and Washizu from the side, and after hearing it, he twitched the corners of his mouth and eyes.
Now he began to doubt whether Ember would actually deliver the message.
But on second thought, the difference between delivering it and not delivering it seemed negligible now.
The tatarigami had been erupting on Yashiori Island for at least a few months. During this time, their guard squad had resisted the tatarigami with specialized talismans issued by the Grand Narukami Shrine.
During this period, besides contacting other squads, they also actively tried to inform the outside world about the tatarigami outbreak.
However, they received no response. Later, when the resistance squad attacked, Dan Oni Roku realized that the resistance had caused all of this.
When he ran out in a panic, he found that he was the only one left of the entire squad.
Thinking of the resistance, Dan Oni Roku couldn't help but shiver. Those guys not only acted like beasts but fought even more like beasts.
He had been injured at the time and could only traverse the tatarigami-infested Yashiori Island with the few talismans he had left.
Yet, those resistance members could travel through the tatarigami-filled Yashiori Island without any protection. Dan Oni Roku almost suspected they weren't human.
Fortunately, he eventually shook them off. But he didn't know how far he had managed to get away.
"This place is not safe to stay. The resistance might catch up later, so let's hurry up and leave!"
Thinking of this, Dan Oni Roku forcefully shoved the note into Ember's hand, took a deep breath, and walked out of the bushes.
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