Chapter 97: It’s a pity that one cannot start over when surviving Turbulent Times
The Momoi brothers carried Yuan Ye on a door panel, rapidly fleeing Takeuchi Manor along the lagoon. Beside them was A Qing, followed by A Man and over twenty disarmed followers. Further in the distance, the enemy’s pursuit was marked by flickering torchlight and the blazing South Gate.
During the street battle at the South Gate earlier, A Man used her “playing dead divine skill” to sneak attack and kill Hayashi Sadamasa, saving the precarious situation. This allowed them to forcefully repel the enemy’s attack and escape by setting the gate ablaze. However, Hayashi Sadamasa’s death completely enraged the Hayashi Family, especially his father, Hayashi Katsusada. Setting the gate on fire only delayed them for a short while; the main force of the Hayashi Family was already in pursuit, seemingly intent on not stopping until they were dead.
More importantly, Yuan Ye was severely injured. He had been struck in the waist and ribs with a blunt weapon, suspected to have broken one or two ribs. He was now completely incapacitated and could only be carried.
“No, we can’t escape like this!” A Man stepped into a mud pit, stumbling and nearly falling. After coughing several times to steady herself, her nose began to bleed again. She glanced back at the pursuing torchlight, which seemed to have drawn closer. She felt the situation hadn’t improved much; being caught was only a matter of time.
The darkness was a significant disadvantage for their escape. Lighting torches would reveal their position to the enemy, but without them, they couldn’t see where they were going and couldn’t escape quickly. If they continued like this until dawn, when the enemy could ride at full speed, their remaining strength would be insufficient, and they would be doomed.
This was a situation they hadn’t anticipated. They never expected the Hayashi Family to pursue them so relentlessly, nor did they expect Yuan Ye to be injured in the abdomen and ribs, becoming the biggest burden during their escape.
But it was too late to say anything now…
A Man felt this situation was untenable. She quickly ran a few steps and grabbed A Qing, who was guarding Yuan Ye, asking, “How is he?”
A Qing didn’t stop walking and shook her head slightly. Then, realizing it was too dark, she softly added, “Not good!”
A Man took out a fire starter and flicked it, using the brief flash of light to glance at Yuan Ye. He was covered in sweat, his eyes tightly shut, seemingly in a stupor from extreme pain. However, the situation was urgent, so she couldn’t dwell on it. She pinched Yuan Ye hard several times and repeatedly asked him, “We can’t shake off the Hayashi Family, what do we do now?”
Yuan Ye’s ribs had been broken by that short, stout samurai. Even breathing caused the broken ends to rub, inflicting excruciating pain. Lying on the door panel as the Momoi brothers jogged through the dark, his pain was amplified, feeling worse than childbirth. His brain was nearing shutdown. It took A Man’s prodding for a while before he regained a bit of consciousness.
Even after waking, the pain was intense. After managing to grasp the situation, he felt surprisingly calm, estimating that he was beyond saving this time.
But it was alright. He had done his best. As an ordinary person, he had tried hard to survive. If an accident happened, there was nothing he could do but calmly accept the outcome.
Everyone encounters failure; it’s nothing unusual. It’s a shame that survival in turbulent times doesn’t allow for do-overs, which is somewhat regrettable.
Fortunately, he hadn’t come for nothing. He had accomplished something; at least he had severely inconvenienced the Monkey, which could be considered a small good deed.
He looked up at the starry sky, having accepted his fate. Forcing himself not to faint again, he softly gave his final instructions, “It seems there’s no other way. Throw me and the door panel into the lake! Then go find Yayoi and the others and divide the money. Try to let my friend… live a little longer. When he passes away, or… when you lose patience, cremate him and bury his ashes on Mount Ise.”
He paused, then patted A Man’s hand and glanced at A Qing beside him, managing a weak smile. “Thank you both for everything during this time! Thank you so much…”
As he finished speaking, Ichishiro stumbled, causing a jolt. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen and ribs again, and his vision went black as he closed his eyes, truly shut down this time.
A Qing’s eyes immediately reddened. Gritting her teeth, she said to A Man, “I’ll go lure them away!”
“It’s useless. They aren’t fools; they won’t all chase just you!” A Man replied without thinking. She looked at A Qing, then at Yuan Ye, who was barely conscious again, her expression hesitant.
To be honest, she had done her best for Yuan Ye. She had eaten his food and fatty chicken, taken his matchlock gun and dōmaru, and followed him through life and death, risking her own life. Even now, her chest felt tight, and her back burned with pain, which more than compensated for the meager things she had taken.
Therefore, if she abandoned Yuan Ye and ran now, he wouldn’t be able to blame her even if he died.
But…
She recalled the past year of their interactions and finally sighed, dejectedly saying, “Forget it, I’ll go! I knew I wasn’t destined for a life of ease. After enjoying good fortune, retribution always follows. Now the retribution has come, so forget it, I’ll lead the men to lure them away!”
“Let me go, sister!” A Qing’s eyes grew redder. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I’ll set up an ambush here, maybe I can kill their commander…”
“Don’t dream so big. There are hundreds of them behind us, and you’re not a god or a monster!” A Man was pragmatic. After a moment of discomfort, she felt better and directly interrupted her. “Besides, you’re not as good at escaping as I am. If I go, I might not die, but you definitely will!”
“Sister!”
“Alright, we don’t need to argue about this!” A Man had made up her mind. She felt Yuan Ye had been loyal to her, and now it was her turn to reciprocate that loyalty. She said directly, “Do as I say. You take him into the wetlands, drag him along, and I’ll lead the Hayashi Family on a chase!”
She paused, then added with some reluctance, “Of course, if I die, you must remember to tell this guy to wipe out the Hayashi Family completely, leaving not even a single chicken. Don’t let me die in vain!”
A Qing took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then opened them again, nodding forcefully. “I will, sister! You won’t die in vain!”
“Don’t ‘I will’! You’re not capable, and you might just throw your life away. But this guy is good at making money. Let him earn enough to hire people to do it, and he’ll definitely succeed!”
A Man dropped this remark and ignored A Qing. She turned and loudly ordered the followers to stop, telling them to quickly drink some water by the lake to recover their strength and to prepare some torches. Meanwhile, she used this opportunity to call over a follower from the Oda Family, instructing A Qing to knock him out. She then haphazardly put the “plank cuirass” that Yuan Ye hadn’t had time to discard onto him, feeling it would be sufficient to impersonate a general and deceive people in the darkness.
She was very calm and methodical, completing these tasks in a few minutes. Then she handed Yuan Ye over to A Qing and instructed, “You two go! Hide around here first. After I lure the Hayashi Family away, you drag him into the wetlands and circle around in the opposite direction. Then… then what to do, ask him when he wakes up!”
A Qing nodded silently, looked at her intently in the darkness, and then dragged Yuan Ye’s heavy body into the reeds. A Man, hand on her sword hilt, stared menacingly at the Momoi brothers. “Carry this guy and keep following me. If you dare to run, I’ll kill you now and find two more to carry! If you don’t run… as long as we survive this, you know his temperament. You’ll get houses, land, money, and wives later. Make your choice!”
The Momoi brothers were mentally prepared and didn’t hesitate. They went over, placed the “fake head of the family” on the door panel, and obediently followed A Man. A Man then waved her sword, calling back the followers, and began to deceive them again, demanding everyone speed up and follow her. In Yuan Ye’s name, she promised heavy rewards: a minimum of one hundred kan per person if Yuan Ye was safely delivered, with houses, tenant farms, and wives to follow.
In short, follow her and take a gamble. If they could shake off the enemy, their descendants would have nothing to worry about for three generations!
Whether they could secure an inheritance for their descendants depended on this night!
She forcibly boosted morale, preventing a sudden collapse. Seeing that the Hayashi Family was already close, she immediately led everyone around a bend and set off towards the direction where the river flowed into the lagoon.
Without Yuan Ye, the heavy burden, and with torches lit, their speed suddenly increased, momentarily matching the speed of the Hayashi Family behind them.
The two groups ran along the lake shore to the riverside like this, one after the other.
By this time, the sky was gradually brightening, and the Hayashi Family finally dared to pursue on horseback. Soon, a small group of mounted samurai caught up with them, using arrows to harass them and slowly forcing them into a small river bend.
A Man hadn’t given up yet. She wanted to stall for more time, increasing the reward amount again and leading the exhausted followers to hold their ground. After a prolonged struggle, she gave up when the main force of the Hayashi Family arrived.
She abandoned the followers, disregarding their lives. Those who ate this rice and were meant to die should die. She only took the Momoi brothers and the “fake Yuan Ye” to a high point by the river and said to the Momoi brothers, “Alright, you two escape too. Your survival now depends on luck. If it doesn’t work out, surrender! As long as you live, there’s a chance for salvation in the future!”
After speaking, she paid no more attention to the Momoi brothers. She forcefully overturned the door panel, tossing the “fake Yuan Ye” directly into the river. Just then, Hayashi Katsusada arrived on horseback with his men. He only saw “Yuan Ye” fall into the river, splashing a large amount of water, bubbling a few times, and then sinking to the bottom.
His face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He slowly raised his hand, and the samurai beside him immediately drew their bows and aimed at A Man. A Man knew that surrendering would have no good outcome. With a sinister grin, she gave Hayashi Katsusada the middle finger.
Ever since she learned this gesture, Yuan Ye’s face would contort in pain every time she made it. She immediately guessed it was not a good gesture, and now Hayashi Katsusada could enjoy it too!
Immediately after, she was hit by several arrows, tumbling into the river with a splash, bubbling a few times before disappearing. Only large patches of bright red blood remained on the river’s surface.
Soon, the flowing water washed away the bloodstains, and they were gone.
