Chapter 118: She Will Fiercely Mock Them!
A Man, the “star of hope” of the Kōka Life Preservation Style, the sole inheritor of the top-secret “Sun Technique,” even though she was naturally poor at martial arts, a scoundrel who spent her days figuring out how to kill masters with a matchlock gun and had no martial ethics, it was generally impossible for her to be injured by a sneak attack.
She sat on her horse, and the sound of the wind in her ears instinctively triggered a move, “Life Preservation Style Secret Art: Xuanwu Shrinks Its Head.” A pebble grazed her little pigtail as it flew past. She instantly became furious, reined in her horse, and charged towards the direction the pebble came from, yelling, “Which dung beetle is so despicable, daring to sneak attack even me? Are you tired of living?”
She was no longer the street urchin A Man of the past; she was an important pillar of the Yuan Ye Family, a legitimate Director of the Eastern Depot. If anyone dared to sneak attack her again, it would be slapping the face of “Lord Wanjin, the Master of Wanjin, Nohara Saburo,” and it would definitely draw blood!
There was no movement in the roadside bushes. After a moment, they rustled slightly, and a half-sentence came out, “The eyebrows are right, it really is that old beast… Ugh, let go quickly, stop covering my mouth, your hands are covered in mud!”
A Man’s dou dou eyebrows twitched. She wasn’t angry anymore. She silently took out her matchlock gun and began to load gunpowder. At the same time, she waved her hand, signaling her followers and retainers not to be nervous. This wasn’t a thief coming to rob them; they had encountered an acquaintance.
A moment later, two children, younger than her, with similar boyish hairstyles, tied-up pigtails, and bangs, emerged from the bushes. Both had a short-handled shuriken tucked diagonally at their waists. They were A Qian and A Yu, inheritors of the Life Preservation Style’s “Yin Technique.”
After emerging from the bushes, the two of them didn’t approach the main road. From five or six meters away, A Qian asked her with a look of surprise and uncertainty, “Old… A Man, is that really you!? What are you doing here? And… and so…”
Her education level wasn’t high, not even as good as the A Man of the past. She was momentarily speechless, as A Man had truly changed a lot.
A Man had eaten too well over the past year, with rice and fatty chicken at every meal, and a fondness for fried food. As a result, her small face now had no trace of paleness, and besides being smooth and tender, it was flushed with a healthy rosy glow. Her hair was no longer messy; even though it was still tied in a little pigtail, it was washed and styled very neatly, and her hair quality was healthy, reflecting light like raven feathers in the sun.
Even the color of her dou dou eyebrows seemed to have deepened a bit compared to before, making them even more conspicuous.
Her clothing and appearance were also very presentable. She wore a bright blue, fine cotton chokorei on her upper body, over which was a dark blue haori printed with white gourd patterns. Her waist was cinched with a wide, gold-threaded silk belt, and below that were brown ōhakama. She was also riding a very magnificent tall steed. Even without mentioning the horse, which was worth dozens of kan, just looking at her outfit, one could say the fabric was exquisite, the cut was perfect, and it certainly wasn’t cheap.
She really couldn’t recognize her. After all, just as gold adorns Buddha, clothes adorn people. A Man dressed like this was like a completely different person compared to her previous beggar-like attire. If it weren’t for A Man’s eyebrows, which were similar to a Shiba Inu’s and very distinctive, she wouldn’t have believed A Yu’s words and thrown that pebble to test her. Even now, face to face, she still found it hard to believe.
Seeing her surprised expression, A Man also looked down at herself. She felt a slight regret that she hadn’t worn her armor today. Otherwise, with her dōmaru, which had been specially fitted with many small parts and was super gorgeous, paired with a katana and wakizashi, she would have definitely blown their minds—Nohara had bought them for her again. However, this small path had always been peaceful, and she didn’t need to wear armor for daily outings. She hadn’t worn it today and couldn’t show off to an old acquaintance, which was a bit of a regret.
But it didn’t matter. This was enough to make them stew in their own juices, making them so jealous they were in agony.
A Man raised her head, advanced a few steps on her horse, looked A Qian and A Yu up and down, and laughed heartily, “Of course it’s me. But it’s been so long, why are you two little beasts still the same? Haven’t you grown at all?”
There was nothing in the world more pleasant than showing off wealth in front of old acquaintances. She felt very good right now.
A Qian was provoked by her. She hated A Man acting like an elder the most and was about to retort, but A Yu tugged at her hem from behind and whispered in her ear. She immediately realized and said, “So you old beast have been hiding away, serving others as a dog! No wonder you suddenly have a horse!”
“You’re talking out of your dung beetle ass! You two little beasts are the ones acting like dogs! You’re here to serve the Saito Family, aren’t you?!” A Man was displeased and turned hostile in an instant. She took out a fire starter, lit the matchcord, raised her matchlock gun, and aimed it at them, cursing, “It’s been over a year since I last dealt with you two, are your backs itching again? You dare speak to me like this? Today, I’ll take care of both of you by myself and let you know who calls the shots in the Life Preservation Style!”
Before, if these two little brats ganged up on her, she really couldn’t beat them. But now it was different. Two little dung balls without armor, and she had a matchlock gun in hand. Killing them would be as easy as killing chickens.
A Qian looked at the dark muzzle of the matchlock gun and was indeed startled for a moment. But she wouldn’t lose face. She didn’t dodge and said loudly, “Who are you trying to scare? I don’t believe you’d actually dare to fire!”
“I wouldn’t dare?!” A Man laughed heartily to the sky. As she laughed, she lowered her head, her bangs casting a shadow over her eyes. Without further words, she pulled the trigger, intending to teach her a lesson and let her know what respect for elders meant. The matchlock gun didn’t hesitate either, immediately letting out a loud bang and spewing out a large plume of gray-white smoke that enveloped the two little brats, A Qian and A Yu.
A Qian and A Yu didn’t expect her to be fearless, not even of the old man, and to actually dare to fire. Moreover, the distance was too close. Even though they rolled to the sides the moment they saw her pull the trigger, they still couldn’t avoid the smoke that erupted instantly. They were choked and coughed repeatedly, their faces blackened even after rolling away, and their ears were ringing incessantly. They felt dizzy and disoriented even while lying on the ground.
A Man laughed heartily, waved her hand, signaling her followers and retainers to grab them, and quickly reloaded. This time, she used a cartridge bottle to load a real bullet, not intending to just spray smoke to scare them. She warned them, “Don’t resist, and don’t even think about escaping, or I’ll break your legs. You know I always keep my word!”
“You’re full of shit! What do you mean keep your word? You still owe us money! You’ve been saying that for centuries, and we haven’t seen a single coin!” A Qian was still defiant, but in her dazed state, she was surrounded. Even with their “Yin Technique,” they couldn’t escape smoothly in this situation. They could only obediently have their weapons taken away and be tied up tightly.
Of course, the main reason was that A Man was always lawless, acting on impulse, and would do anything when her temper flared. Now that she had loaded real bullets, the possibility of her actually shooting them wasn’t low, and they didn’t want to gamble their lives against A Man’s accuracy with a bloody hole.
“That’s 161 mon? You still remember such a small amount of money for so long? No wonder you’re so useless!” A Man was no longer the poor A Man of the past. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver tack, intending to flick it at A Qian’s head to show her A Man’s wealth. But after a moment’s hesitation, she felt it was too much and put it back. She directly ordered her followers, “Stuff their mouths, throw them onto the ox cart, and let’s continue!”
She loaded A Qian and A Yu onto the cart and took them away. She didn’t rush back to Wanjin. She first went to Atsuta Port to finish her business, then picked up a batch of pre-ordered coarse cloth and bean cakes. Only then did she bring them and the bean cakes and coarse cloth back home, piling them together. She then had them carried to her room and, incidentally, asked for A Qing to be called over.
As soon as A Qing arrived, she saw A Qian and A Yu tied up like silkworms on the floor, their mouths stuffed tightly. They were wriggling like maggots, trying to sit up but failing. She cast a cold glance at A Man. Seeing that she didn’t object, she went over and untied them, then casually picked them up.
As soon as A Qian sat up, she took out the rag from her mouth and spat several times. She looked up and was about to curse A Man, that old beast, for being so inhumane, daring to treat her own people like this, and that she was rebelling. But upon seeing A Qing, she paused and asked with surprise and uncertainty, “Are you a big beast… No, are you A Qing?”
A Qing had also changed a lot. She had grown a whole head taller than before, and her figure looked even more slender. However, her complexion was very rosy, indicating that she had also eaten well. She had only grown taller, not gained weight. Moreover, she was no longer dressed like a little boy. The little pigtail on her head was gone, and she had grown her hair out. However, it didn’t seem like she had been growing it for too long, and her hair was now medium-length. So, she had to tie it into a ponytail with a headscarf for now.
Her clothing had also changed drastically. Although she was only wearing a plain, unpatterned kozode and was barefoot, unlike A Man who was so flashy, choosing bright colors and even wearing a silk belt, it could still be seen that the fabric was crisp and smooth, of the highest quality. If sold outside, the price would also not be cheap.
At the same time, a very beautifully crafted katana was tucked diagonally at her waist. This was also a high-end weapon that she didn’t have before.
A Qian dared not recognize A Qing for a moment. She felt that with such an appearance, people would believe her if she claimed to be a noble lady of a samurai family. A Qing glanced at her indifferently and then sat down beside A Man. She didn’t bother with A Qian’s insults. Her demeanor and personality were still similar to before: cool and reserved, and not talkative.
A Qian shifted her gaze from A Qing and, thinking about A Man’s imposing demeanor on the road earlier, couldn’t help but her eyes redden again, “You say you’re not acting like dogs, but you clearly are! The old man would never agree!”
A Qing glanced at her and then lowered her eyelids again, still not bothering with her. This time, A Man didn’t get angry either. She just said disdainfully, “How can dogs be like us? Look in the mirror. People like you are the ones truly acting like dogs.”
She wasn’t stupid. Normally, whatever Yuan Ye ate, she and A Qing ate; whatever Yuan Ye wore, she and A Qing wore; whatever Yuan Ye used, she and A Qing used. How could a dog have such treatment? Moreover, Yuan Ye was incapacitated and on the verge of death. Before dying, he didn’t intend to burden her and A Qing, actively letting them find their own way out, and even remembered to let them take a “legacy.”
This was definitely not the attitude towards a dog. This was treating them as close friends. Only then would he think of them when he encountered life-threatening danger.
There is great terror between life and death, which reveals a person’s true nature. This cannot be deceived.
If it weren’t for this, she wouldn’t have gritted her teeth and made up her mind to risk her life to fulfill the righteousness of a friend—since you dare to treat me as a friend, I cannot betray that loyalty—to lure away the pursuers, risking death and barely surviving, and hard-earned a way out for Yuan Ye. Otherwise, she would have already dragged A Qing and fled without looking back, perhaps only offering him a stick of incense on holidays.
Conversely, in the past, when their Life Preservation Style served as spies for local lords and daimyo, it was bitter and tiring, with very little pay, and they could only eat leftovers. That was truly acting like dogs.
A Qian had no mirror; she couldn’t afford one. She was speechless for a moment. Looking around the room, she found a steel dōmaru placed in a corner, topped with a peach-shaped steel helmet. The matchlock gun A Man had taken earlier was also there, along with a wakizashi, a katana, and a steel axe. They had everything they could have dreamed of, luxurious equipment that, if fully equipped, would have given them several more lives.
This made her even more speechless. She felt that A Man might actually be right. This really didn’t look like acting like a dog. If they were acting like dogs, they were living too comfortably, having everything they wanted, more so than their master.
Seeing that she had finally become obedient, A Man decided to let bygones be bygones and didn’t intend to kick her again. She was about to ask them how they ended up in this area and what they intended to do. But seeing their listless expressions, sitting there unable to straighten their backs, she guessed they had been suffering from hunger all day. So, she first instructed A Qing, “They are acquaintances after all. Go get some food and feed these two little beasts. Make it good, don’t be stingy.”
Returning home without achieving wealth is like traveling at night in fine clothes. She was now working for Yuan Ye but had never been able to go back and show off. So, being able to show off to old acquaintances would suffice.
Well, these two little beasts would surely look terrible when they started eating later. She would mock them fiercely and disgust them. She was such a shallow and wicked A Man!
