Chapter 98: The Shame of the Top Ten Transmigrators of the 21st Century
Yuan Ye woke up feeling extremely cold.
He managed to prop himself up and look around, finding himself in a cave with a dying campfire nearby. It seemed to be daytime, but as soon as he pushed himself up, a sharp pain shot through his waist and ribs, and his throat felt sweet.
“You… you’re awake!” A Qing returned, carrying a full armful of dry, withered reed firewood. A hint of joy appeared on her delicate, pretty face, as if she had breathed a huge sigh of relief seeing him awake. She quickly dropped her load and went to help him.
Yuan Ye felt a bit more at ease seeing her and lay back down, enduring the pain as he asked, “Where are we?”
A Qing softly recounted what had happened the previous night, explaining how she had dragged him with makeshift grass ropes and reeds, hiding and dodging all the way. They had spent most of the day getting out of the wetland, and since they couldn’t risk being seen yet, they continued towards the mountains, eventually finding this small, unintentionally discovered cave to take temporary refuge in.
Yuan Ye hadn’t expected to be dragged for so long without waking up, or perhaps he had woken up but was disoriented and had no clear memory. He also hadn’t expected that A Man, that wild child… that A Man would be willing to sacrifice herself and actively draw away the pursuers.
Theoretically, she should have just thrown him and the door panel into the lake, letting him hold onto the panel for a final gamble, with his survival left to fate.
After A Qing finished speaking, her eyes also turned slightly red. She lowered her head, pretending to be affected by the smoke, and wiped her eyes. Then she softly asked, “How is your injury…”
Yuan Ye endured the pain and pressed his waist and ribs, feeling them silently for a moment. His time as a Mongolian doctor hadn’t been in vain. He said softly, “It hasn’t worsened, but I’ll have to trouble you again. I need some sturdier grass ropes, and also… earthworms and reed roots.”
He needed to create a makeshift corset for himself to stabilize his ribs, preventing the broken ends from rubbing against each other and causing him unbearable pain. The earthworms were helpful for dispersing bruises and mending broken bones, while the reed roots could provide a mild analgesic effect.
A Qing nodded and went out again. Yuan Ye lay on the ground, staring blankly at the dark cave ceiling until A Qing returned with more reeds and had finished braiding the grass ropes. Only then did he force himself to begin self-treatment.
His efforts lasted until evening. A Qing caught a bird and roasted it for him to eat, but he couldn’t eat much and told A Qing to eat it herself. After she finished, she brought more reeds, bundled them up, and buried him within them. She then burrowed in herself, pressing against his uninjured side to keep him warm, resting in silence.
Yuan Ye also remained silent. Too many unexpected events and too great a loss had left him feeling very dejected. He felt that if he could return to the Modern Era and write his experiences into a novel to publish online, it would surely contend for the title of “Shame of the Top Ten Transmigrators of the 21st Century” – over a year of struggle, his loyal friend’s life and death unknown, and he himself sleeping in a cave.
He reflected on his mistakes for a long time, sighed silently, and turned to look at A Qing. He saw that her eyes were slightly red and swollen, and she was also lost in thought, completely lacking her usual cool demeanor. It seemed A Man’s uncertain fate had hit her hard.
Seeing her like this, Yuan Ye felt a surge of renewed spirit. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and pulled her closer to him, so she could be warmer.
A Qing didn’t refuse, only her eyes became redder. She buried her head in the crook of his shoulder and asked softly, “If Sister A Man really… will you do as she said?”
“Yes,” Yuan Ye replied concisely, offering no false comfort. Twenty-odd people being pursued by hundreds in an open plain, and A Man being one of the main culprits in killing Hayashi Sadamasa – unless she had become a ninja from an Anime, capable of flying and earth-walking, her chances of survival were slim.
As for avenging her…
A Man had traded her life for his. Therefore, avenging A Man was his duty, and he would not shirk it in the slightest. Even if he couldn’t find and kill every single chicken from the Hayashi Family, not a single person from the Lord down to the vassals of the Hayashi Family would escape.
A Qing nodded gently, seeming to finally feel a bit more at ease. She closed her eyes slightly. She was also very tired. Nestled in the thick reed bundles, leaning against Yuan Ye, she fell asleep.
Yuan Ye didn’t disturb her. He simply gently pulled her closer again, trying to transfer more warmth to her, and slowly closed his eyes as well.
This matter would not be let go. He had always been honest, only seeking to survive and live a slightly better life. He had done many good deeds and had never harmed a single good person. Even so, these ancient people still didn’t want him to live. Fine!
If he couldn’t live, no one else would!
…
A night passed quickly. Since Yuan Ye had difficulty moving and the situation outside was unclear, they temporarily stayed in the cave. A Qing had considerable experience in independent living. She wove several straw mats and cushions herself, then went to a distant village to steal some clay jars, old clothes, and grains. She also set traps and snares, occasionally catching some wild game. In just two days, she had managed to make their lives quite comfortable, peaceful, and leisurely.
If one were planning to retire to the mountains, living here with her would be quite nice.
At Yuan Ye’s instruction, she also made a trip to Hibitsu Village. However, she waited outside for a considerable time and didn’t see Yayoi and the others. Fearing that any accident would leave Yuan Ye to die in the cave, she didn’t dare to enter and returned empty-handed. Yuan Ye was also unable to move at the moment, so even if Yayoi and the others encountered trouble, he couldn’t help. He decided to let it go for now and didn’t continue searching for them.
He would focus on recuperating and hoped to regain some mobility as soon as possible. He had initially thought it would take more than ten days, but after six or seven days, he found that his ribs seemed to be starting to heal preliminarily. As long as he moved slowly, the pain was no longer as intense, nearly half a month earlier than he had expected.
He was somewhat surprised by this and suspected it was a benefit of transmigration.
Thinking about it carefully, his physical condition had been excellent since he transmigrated. He hadn’t even had a headache or a fever, and his stamina and strength seemed to have increased. He hadn’t brought any modern pathogens to kill off the ancient people. Perhaps his body had truly benefited from the transmigration process, undergoing some form of strengthening and purification.
However, after pondering for a while, he suspected it was an illusion. After all, he had always been afraid of being beaten and had paid great attention to physical training since his youth, so he could beat up anyone who wanted to hit him at any time. Thus, he was already much stronger than the average person. It wasn’t strange to only get the flu once in two years from eighteen to nineteen, or to not get sick for an entire year at twenty.
Besides, he was young and his recovery speed was faster than the average. It didn’t seem like a miracle, as he wasn’t instantly healed, and could only move slowly for now, with the pain not being too severe.
If he could be completely healed overnight, that would be considered a transmigration cheat, but such a cheat was almost as good as having none, still not very useful.
He pondered for a while without understanding and decided to research it later. For now, he needed to focus on important matters. He took A Qing and began to slowly move towards Hibitsu Village, avoiding the main roads and winding through the mountains. With A Qing’s support and assistance, they walked and rested, taking a full day to cover a distance that would normally take just over three hours.
A Qing hid him in a nearby forest and went to scout outside Hibitsu Village herself. This time, she finally found people. Soon after, she brought back Yayoi’s father, Jikuro, alone. Then she learned the whereabouts of Yayoi and the others. Upon hearing that Takeuchi Manor had been attacked, Jikuro instinctively felt it was a serious matter. Unsure of how Maeda Toshiharu would react and fearing complications, he hadn’t dared to hide his daughter and her group in the village. His priority was to shelter them in a secluded valley, intending to wait and see how things unfolded.
This was a prudent move, and Yuan Ye had no objections. With Jikuro’s help, they reached a small valley in the Mount Ise Range, where he finally reunited with his forces.
Actually, it couldn’t really be called “forces” anymore. The strength he had accumulated over a year was mostly lost, leaving only a group of non-combatant family retainers and some money. Most of the work had to be started anew.
He wasn’t too concerned about this. He simply asked Maeshima Shichiro and Jikuro about the current situation. It turned out Maeshima Shichiro knew nothing, and Jikuro only knew that the Aragiko Maeda Family had mobilized on an unprecedented scale, drawing a large number of farmers from each village to form rookie ashigaru gathered at Aragiko Castle. However, they didn’t know who they were going to fight, and no one would inform him of such matters.
Yuan Ye had no choice but to trouble A Qing to go again and see if she could ascertain the current situation. However, A Qing was a bit slow in this regard and not very professional. After going out for a day, she didn’t clarify the cause and effect of the events or any of the internal details. She only managed to gather some widely known information:
Hayashi Hidesada had indeed rebelled. That night, he launched a coup at Nagoya Castle, attempting to expel Oda Nobunaga and seize Nagoya Castle, but he failed.
At a critical moment, the Castle Guard Deputy of Nagoya Castle, the Sawa family, suddenly sided with Oda Nobunaga and launched a backstab, causing his seemingly foolproof plan to fail. After a chaotic battle within the castle, he retreated to the Hayashi Family’s territory. However, he wasn’t without gains. The armed forces that couldn’t be deployed to Nagoya Castle from the Hayashi Family’s territory split into three groups and launched a surprise attack, capturing three important direct territories of Oda Nobunaga and crippling or incorporating nearly half of Oda Nobunaga’s direct forces.
Oda Nobuyuki of Suemori Castle had also rebelled, officially changing his tsūna to Danjō no Chū, clearly indicating he was the heir to the “Tiger of Owari.” He called upon the local lords of the Lower Four Districts of Owari to jointly attack his elder brother, Oda Nobunaga. However, only a few responded for the time being. Furthermore, his Senior Retainer, Sakuma Morishige, had also rebelled. He suddenly acted, attempting to control his Lord, Oda Nobuyuki, and force him to apologize to the Head of the Family. However, he was defeated by Shibata Katsuie and was forced to retreat to his own territory with his vassals and followers.
As for the brothers Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobuyuki…
The two sides had already fought a battle at Shinogi Castle a few days prior. The details of the battle were unclear, as was the troop strength, but ultimately, Oda Nobuyuki’s side failed to capture Shinogi Castle and retreated to the north bank of the Odaigawa River, where they began to build fortifications and prepare for another offensive. Oda Nobunaga also ordered fortifications to be built on the south bank, confronting his younger brother. The defending general was Sakuma Morishige.
Both sides were now actively recruiting, desperately trying to persuade the Family Members, Important Retainers, and Local Lords of the neutral Oda Danjō no Chū family to join their cause. It seemed that before long, the two sides would engage in another major battle until a decisive victory was achieved.
Yuan Ye fell silent for a long time after listening. He hadn’t expected that both Nagoya Castle and Suemori Castle would experience coups, and that neither side would succeed. In the end, it turned out to be an exchange of Senior Retainers between the two Oda brothers. There were likely many schemes and tricks involved, and it was highly probable that both sides secretly intended to strike at the other, leading to this outcome by chance.
The day had indeed come. With no external threats, and after the disappearance of Hirate Masahide, the “lubricant” of the Oda Danjō no Chū family, the Oda brothers had finally reached the point of internal conflict.
