Chapter 156: Autumn Harvest

As autumn arrived, the land was filled with the joy of harvest.

“It’s truly wonderful to have a life like this today… I’m so happy that I wake up laughing from dreams every day…”

Choji tied the last bundle of rice, his face beaming with a smile: “I’m so grateful to Lord Wu Ming…”

“Choji!”

At that moment, another farmer approached, also smiling broadly: “Your wife Qingzi is about to give birth, right? Congratulations!”

“Yes… I’m going to be a father… It feels just like a dream…”

Choji murmured: “No, a life like this… I couldn’t even dream of it before!”

“All thanks to our lord!”

The farmer laughed: “With such a noble lord, we should certainly pray for his well-being. Once the new temple is completed, we’ll go there!”

As they spoke, both involuntarily turned their gazes toward a small hill nearby, and the small temple atop it.

Several months ago, there had been nothing there, but it was said that the lord had spent a great deal of money, mobilized foot soldiers during the farming off-season, and even invited craftsmen from the castle. With everyone’s joint efforts, the temple was finally nearing completion.

“There’s no need to think about that…” Choji’s face showed a trace of disappointment: “I heard… this temple seems to be designated as the family temple for the Oni family and won’t accept outsiders for worship…”

“A family temple? Then who will be the head priest?”

“Surely, with our lord’s prestige and wealth, it must be a very famous master…”

As Choji speculated, he walked home side by side with the farmer.

Unknown to them, the temple had not only already been completed, but Wu Ming had also already decided on the chief priest.

“Ghost Maru Meng, how do you find your stay here?”

Wu Ming strolled within the temple, where the paint was still fresh but livable.

“I eat until full and sleep in peace!”

Ghost Maru Meng replied solemnly like a little adult, while behind him, Amakusa Shiroemon kept his head deeply bowed, not daring to raise his eyes.

“Oh? Are you satisfied with this page? If not, I’ll replace him immediately!”

“There’s no need, he’s fine!”

At this, a flicker of emotion finally appeared in Ghost Maru Meng’s eyes.

“As long as you’re satisfied!”

Wu Ming smiled, realizing that Amakusa had been completely subdued by Ghost丸猛. Perhaps this talent was always destined to be his.

“There’s another matter; I’ve already chosen the head priest for this temple, and he will arrive soon!”

Wu Ming coughed slightly: “His name is Sanyuzhengfang, a highly learned master. You must respect him as you respect me. Do you understand?”

“Hai!”

This solemnity instantly made both Ghost Maru Meng and Amakusa nod gravely.

“That puts my mind at ease…”

As Wu Ming stepped out of the temple, a faint smile appeared on his face. This so-called “Sanyuzhengfang” was naturally a fake, or rather, a second identity, a secondary persona he had prepared for himself.

Using Daoist techniques to create a lookalike with identical appearance and the aura of a powerful figure was not difficult.

Thus, within the Toyotamaru, the “Oni Kazu no Hogen” could now be used as bait.

After all, Wu Ming felt that although his actions weren’t exactly earth-shattering, they were certainly enough to attract attention across the province.

“When the time comes… if that permission holder hears of this and suspects anything, he won’t be able to resist coming to investigate, right?”

A smile tugged at Wu Ming’s lips. This dual identity, one visible and one hidden, which could even be switched, was the backup he had prepared for himself.

“Finding someone to serve as a shadow warrior must now be prioritized… Although anyone will do, we still need to consider their bearing. Preferably, we should use someone with the aura of a strong warrior, which would fool most people…”

“Lord! Lord!”

Upon returning to the Tomita Maru, Shigetake hurried over with an excited expression, exclaiming, “I have urgent news to report!”

“Hmm, is it about the autumn harvest? Go ahead and speak!”

Wu Ming stood in the garden, gazing at the cherry blossom tree without Spring Hua, and the pond nearby, naturally exuding a mysterious and profound atmosphere.

“Ah… yes!”

Shigetake was nearly overwhelmed by this profound aura. He wiped his eyes and silently reprimanded himself for his momentary lapse in respect before speaking: “My Lord… this harvest, our Tomitamaru has yielded a total of 1,200 koku of rice. With our population now reaching 60 households, according to our house laws, 600 koku of this is directly taxable at a rate of 300 koku. After deducting the 200 koku allocated to the two samurai lords, the remaining 700 koku belongs to our direct domain!”

“Hmm, with the fields increasing by 20% and the households increasing by 20 families, these are all your achievements. I’ll reward you with 50 kan!”

Wu Ming naturally knew of this man’s talent, and since he had achieved results, he was not stingy with rewards.

He continued: “You don’t yet have a family name, so I’ll grant you the name Tachibana. From today on, you will be Tachibana Shigetake! However, you haven’t yet achieved major merit, so I cannot grant you a stipend, do you understand?”

“My lord has already been too kind to me!”

Tachibana Shigetake’s eyes glistened with emotion, thinking back half a year ago when he was merely the lowest servant in Numata Castle, without even the qualification to receive wages, and now comparing it to his current situation, it truly felt like heaven and earth.

Though he should be extremely excited at receiving this reward, for some unknown reason, seeing Lord Wu Ming’s back, Tachibana Shigetake blurted out: “My lord, are you admiring the cherry blossoms? It’s not spring yet, so you’ll have to wait until next year…”

“No, I’m admiring the cherry blossoms now…”

Wu Ming sighed.

“Admiring cherry blossoms?”

Tachibana Shigetake looked at the bare branches with confusion.

“Samurai usually admire the beauty of falling cherry blossoms, but the ancient elegance and austere beauty of autumn and winter branches are even more strikingly beautiful…”

Wu Ming looked toward the city gate with a sense of feeling, then sighed: “Pass the order, anyone who comes looking for me today should be taken directly to the dojo!”

“Hai!”

Tachibana Shigetake respectfully agreed, but his back was already covered in cold sweat.

From his lord’s words, he sensed an infinite amount of killing intent!

…

At this moment, a middle-aged ronin was also gradually approaching the Tomita Maru.

His clothes were tattered, barefoot, seemingly unafraid of the sharp stones on the ground. His hair was slightly gray, his face full of the marks of time, only his eyes were gentle like jade, yet with a hidden sharpness. The only remarkable thing about him was the katana at his waist, though its sheath was old and did not seem valuable.

“The head of the Oni family! Oni Kazu no Hogen!”

He murmured the name to himself, glancing at the bustling fields on both sides, slightly lowering his head, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.

The Oni clan governs a fief of 300 koku in Tomita-maru, though their actual holdings approach 1,000 koku, supplemented by an additional 300 koku from the island branch. They can muster a force of 100 infantrymen and boast seven warriors as formidable as demons. Within the entire Inasa District, they stand as a truly formidable clan…

Pondering the information, the old ronin arrived at the gates of Tomita Maru.

“Halt! Who are you and where are you from?”

The guard at the gate, suspicious, placed his hand on the katana at his waist.

“My name is Tsuchihara Fujisuke, and I have come to challenge the head of the Oni family, Oni Kazu no Hogen!”

The old man raised his head, his eyes growing sharper and sharper.

“What did you say?”

The foot soldier’s face changed dramatically, ready to draw his sword, but in the next moment, he saw the old man’s eyes and the immense, mountain-like aura.

Instantly, cold sweat poured from his forehead, and he instinctively took several steps back, his fighting spirit completely vanishing, unable to draw his sword.

“What’s going on?”

Hearing the commotion, Matsushita Ken’ichi hurried over. Seeing the scene, he first grew furious, then turned his demon-like gaze toward Tsuchihara Fujisuke.

“This is… Mekumi! You two can step aside; this is beyond your ability to handle!”

Then Matsushita Ken’ichi’s expression turned solemn, and he slowly drew his katana.

He was no longer the ignorant Tsuchigumo as before. After becoming a samurai, even though he was immersed in slaughter, he had read a few books and knew that among swordsmen, there were highly skilled practitioners who practiced something called “Mekumi,” meaning to use sharp eyes and aura to psychologically overwhelm the opponent, achieving the effect of defeating the enemy without fighting.

“But this gaze… only makes me more excited, wanting to kill you!”

Matsushita Ken’ichi gripped his sword with both hands, licking his lips.

“This… is the heart of the Asura…”

Feeling the opponent’s fighting spirit, Tsuchihara Fujisuke also turned solemn, slowly placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Lord Matsushita Ken’ichi! Please wait!”

At that moment, Tachibana Shigetake came panting up: “The lord has ordered that this man be taken to the dojo to meet him!”

“Ah…”

Matsushita Ken’ichi roared, his face’s blood vessels bulging, looking like a beast ready to devour someone.

“This is the command of the head of the Oni family, Lord Oni Kazu no Hogen!”

Tachibana Shigetake gritted his teeth, unflinchingly meeting the gaze.

“I naturally must obey the lord’s command!”

After a long while, Matsushita Ken’ichi exhaled two streams of white breath through his nose, suddenly let out a loud roar, and chopped the nearby wooden post in half, finally calming down, and said to Tsuchihara Fujisuke: “My apologies, please follow me!”

“To have this demon tamed, someone whose very name inspires fear…”

Tsuchihara Fujisuke thought silently, released his sword hilt, and followed Tachibana Shigetake.

The two passed through many buildings and arrived at the dojo.

This dojo had been renovated from the former residence of Utagotengu, with a very vast area. At this time, twenty swordsmen were already kneeling on both sides, their gazes focused sharply, making Tsuchihara Fujisuke feel as if he had entered an Asura battlefield.

“Six of them are Asura like that previous warrior, and the rest are all demons…”

His keen perception made Tsuchihara Fujisuke clearly aware that even if he could defeat one Asura, if they all attacked together, he would certainly die.

But at this moment, he had already cast aside his fear of death, turning his gaze toward the man at the center of the dojo.