After bandaging the bandages and giving a few more instructions, the military doctor saluted Tachibana Kanazawa and withdrew. Tachibana Kanazawa sat on the bed, didn't say a word, just gently wiped the red boy with a flannel cloth, and his eyes fell on He Mao Chiren, refusing to move a single bit.

He Mochito gently wiped the sweat oozing from his forehead with his cuffs, and said cautiously, "Tachibana-sama, this matter has nothing to do with me at all. Believe me, I'm definitely not involved. ”

Sharp bones popped out from the fingertips of Tachibana's left hand and slashed across the knife with a sharp and piercing sound. When he fought against Huzi before, because the magic weapon was damaged, he clearly pulled out the ulna of his left arm, and now he can move freely.

He tapped the blade of the knife with his sharp claws and said, "That means you know?" ”

"Not what you think, Tachibana-sama, please listen to my explanation." He Maochi hurriedly said, "I always knew what Zhiwen was planning, but I didn't interfere, because I think he was just collecting Chinese monsters to be Shikigami like you." After all, he did the same when he didn't go to the Northeast. I never expected him to do such a thing and cultivate such an evil method. Tachibana-sama, please believe that I am innocent and that I am not involved. ”

"If you look closely, this kind of stone talisman does have traces of yin and yang arts, but there are many changes, there is such a study in the formation, it can only be Zhiwen, you can't do it." Tachibana Kanazawa's face was expressionless, "You go and call Zhiwen over, I'm going to ask him personally." ”

He Maochi bowed slightly and replied, "Tachibana-sama...... Actually, Zhiwen has been at the command post for three days and is not at the command post. ”

Tachibana Jinze nodded, suddenly sighed lightly, and said: "Speaking of which, I grew up in Xunhualiao since I was a child, and for some reasons that you all know, I am very distant from my family, if I have to say it, this Yinyangliao is my home." In this way, Master is my father. It's just that my father is too strict, but you, who have been taking care of me since I was a child, are closer to me. Although you are of a lower rank than me, in my heart, I have always regarded you as a brother. ”

"Please don't say that." He Maochi saluted again, "It is my duty to serve you, and it is not worthy of your special attention. ”

"Don't be humble, what I say is from my heart." Tachibana Kanazawa shook his head, "You also know my situation, coming to China to be a Shinto priest with the army is actually the meaning of sending exile, just because some people don't want to see me." You're the only one I can get close to. So, I am very willing to believe in you, please don't let me down. ”

"Tachibana-sama......" Kamo Chiren actually choked up a little, "I can hear Tachibana-sama's words like this, I, Kamo Chiren, have no regrets in this life." Please rest assured that I will not fail to live up to the trust you have placed in me. ”

"yes, okay." Tachibana Kanazawa nodded, picked up the clothes that Kamo Chi had prepared for him, and dressed them neatly one by one. Even though he was seriously injured, Tachibana Kanazawa still meticulously dressed himself in front of the mirror. White leather shoes, white trousers, a white suit with a black shirt and a white bow tie, and his hair was combed in a ponytail-like braid with a white ribbon at the back of his head. If it weren't for the bruises on his face and the delicate wound on his neck, Tachibana would have regained his usual appearance of a noble son. Kamo Chiren stood aside, watching Tachibana Kanazawa change his clothes, and didn't say a word.

"So, let's go." Tachibana Kanazawa put the red boy on his waist, turned his head and said to Kamo Chiren.

He Mao Chiren was stunned for a moment and asked, "Tachibana-sama, where do you want to go?" What's more, if you are injured now, it is advisable to recuperate in peace. ”

"My injuries are not enough to worry about." Tachibana Kanazawa walked up to Kamo Chiren, "Take me to Zhiwen, wherever he is." ”

"Tachibana-sama...... This...... Look at ......" Kamo Chiren's words and expressions flickered.

Tachibana Kanazawa suddenly said: "Don't forget what you just said, and don't forget why you inherited the surname 'He Mao'." ”

"I haven't forgotten!" He Mao Chiren set the Shinto, "He Mao's family has been an onmyoji for generations, and it is their responsibility to protect the principles of the five elements of yin and yang. ”

"He Mao Zhiwen has done things that harm people's lives and living beings." Tachibana Kanazawa stared into Kamo Chiren's eyes, "No matter where he got this power from, it means that he has turned his back on the principle of the five elements of yin and yang, on the teachings of his master, on the morality of the Xunhualiao inheritance, and on the glorious surname of 'He Mao'. So, don't cover him. Don't tell me you don't know where he is, I don't believe him. ”

He Maochiren gasped and blushed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and nodded: "Tachibana-sama, I'll take you there." So saying, he took a knife and a rib from the wall and put them on his waist.

Tachibana Kanazawa was puzzled: "You don't know the way of the sword, what do you do with a sword?" ”

Kamo Chiren pulled out the ribs, put it in front of him, and said, "In order to be worthy of the love of Tachibana-sama, even if it is thin, I should do my best." If because of my indulgence, Zhiwen will make a big mistake and commit a great evil. I should kill myself to make amends. However, I also asked Tachibana-sama to make a mistake for me. ”

Tachibana Kanazawa smiled bitterly and said, "You're not a samurai, so why bother with seppuku?" But if you do get to that point, I will make a mistake for you, and I will not let you suffer too much. Don't worry, brother. ”

Seppuku is the samurai's way of dying, and it is the last resort for the samurai to forge their sins and maintain their dignity. It started in the first year of Yongzuo, the great thief Fujiwara Yoshi. This person is like a good person during the day, but at night it is for the disaster in Kyoto, and then the incident happened, the head catchers in Kyoto surrounded the Fujiwara family, but they saw that the doors of the Fujiwara family were open and the lights were bright, and Fujiwara Yoshinori himself was kneeling in the main hall with his chest and stomach exposed, and he was giving a, with a knife in front of him, and no one dared to step forward for a while. At the end of the song, Fujiwara Yoshishi picked up the knife, but the tip of the knife was aimed at himself, he cut open his stomach, cut off the internal organs, and threw it at the officers and soldiers who came to arrest him. Fujiwara Yoshishi also became the first samurai to commit suicide by seppuku in the official history. In later generations, it became a fashion for every samurai to commit suicide by seppuku, imagining that one day he would commit suicide under the cherry blossom tree, but he would die for the rest of his life, as the haiku says, "The samurai are like cherry blossoms, and the most beautiful moment is the moment of withering."

The most common method of seppuku is to cut the abdomen in one line, hold the blade with both hands, and cut the entire abdominal cavity horizontally to the right, and when it reaches the far right, lift the knife upwards to let the internal organs flow out of the wound. This is extremely painful for people who commit suicide by caesarean section, and at this time the wrong person needs to intervene. In order not to make the seppuku more painful, the intermediated person should quickly cut the back of the neck, and end the seppuku ceremony. And this is also a great test for the knife skills of the wrong person, because seppuku is not a decapitation, and the head of the seppuku cannot be cut off entirely, only about half of it, so that his head can remain on his body.

Because seppuku was so painful, there were few real knives used since the late Edo period. On the day they became samurai, some people prepared wooden knives that they would use to cut their stomachs in the future. There are also some people who use a fan to scratch their stomach as a symbol when they cut their abdomen, which is the so-called fan cut, although it is also to die, but it is a lot less painful.

In any case, the delivery of the wrong person is a great trust, and Tachibana Kanazawa will naturally not refuse. At this time, he also dispelled the doubts in his heart and fully trusted the people of He Maochi. He believed that no Japanese would ever use such solemn things as seppuku and seppuku as a joke to deceive.

The two walked side by side, Kamo Chito holding the umbrella and leaning towards Tachibana Kanazawa, half of his body was outside the umbrella, soaking wet.

"Here we are," said the Kawachito, who suddenly stopped, "and here it is." ”

The two of them didn't walk long, this place was actually not far from the city of Changtufu, and Tachibana Jinze looked around and found that this was just a large piece of farmland. At this time, cultivation had not yet begun, and it was barren and uninhabited. He thought to himself and said, "Is it an enchantment?" ”

"That's right, Tachibana-sama." He Maochi nodded, "According to Chinese Taoists, it is a dojo of its own. ”

"So do you know how to open the enchantment?" Tachibana Kanazawa asked again.

He Mao Chiren pondered for a moment and said, "Zhiwen specializes in formations, and I may not be able to open the enchantment he has laid out. But they are all from Xunhualiao, I think even if I am not as good as him, I will not be much worse, I can give it a try. ”

With that, he took out a white piece of talisman paper from his pocket and placed it on the ground to let it soak in the rain. Then he drew his knife and swiped it lightly on his fingertips, squeezing out a few drops of blood and dripping them onto the rune paper.

After the rain-soaked rune paper was stained with blood, it turned red in an instant, and then glowed crimson. Tachibana Kanazawa tilted his head and frowned slightly: "If you do this, Zhiwen will know." ”

He Maochi smiled bitterly and said, "Tachibana-sama, you think highly of me. I also wanted to go in quietly and avoid Jiwen's eyes and ears, but I really couldn't do it, so I had to come up with such a stupid solution. ”

As soon as he spoke, he saw that the rune paper on the ground was full of red mangs, and then a crypt was opened on the flat ground. The crypt is lit with flickering lights and stairs leading downward. Kamo Chito turned to Tachibana Kanazawa and said, "Since you can already go in, please ask Tachibana-sama for permission to explore the way in front of you." ”

With that, Kamo Chito handed the umbrella into Tachibana Kanazawa's hand, and he himself held a long knife in one hand. With the other hand, he raised a piece of rune paper and slowly leaned into the crypt. Tachibana followed suit, collected his umbrella, and entered the crypt as well.

When the two of them entered the dojo, this crypt was quietly closed, and only a red rune paper remained, which was shattered by the rain.