Chapter 168: The Village of Eternal Life——Death and Encounter on the Road!

someone said……

Death is the heavy fruit that grows in the pure earth and can heal everything. We eat it with a smile and then heal all the diseases of life.

But some people also say...

Death is also the most painful and decisive farewell in the world. We hugged and waved to each other, and unknowingly became the last voice and appearance in the world.

……

The wooden coffin covered the woman's rare relaxed face. Behind her, two children could be heard sobbing in repressed sobs. Even the whistling of the wind was whimpering...

But Rengoku Fujuro didn't shed a single tear!
He even had the mind to complain why the sky was clear today instead of raining heavily like in the storyline.

……

——Rengoku Ruka died today.

After Gojuro told her everything yesterday and let her make her own decision, Ruhu, who had returned to normal, resolutely chose to refuse to take the demon blood.

This decision was not unexpected, and Gojuro had been prepared for it. But the empty space in his heart seemed to drain away all his strength, and the feeling of nothingness made him decide to resign from the position of [Flame Pillar].

Even though he knew that countless people were still under the threat of ghosts, he still buried his head in the sand like an ostrich, drinking and having fun all day long, and even didn't care about his son who came to him with a tattered breathing book for advice.

Decadent and cowardly!
【That's it, my life. 】

He sat drunkenly under the eaves, holding the empty gourd mouth in his mouth, trying to suck out more wine.

only……

When he opened the closet one day and suddenly saw the clothes that Ruka had put away in the closet, Gojuro's gradually dying heart suddenly trembled!
He reached out and held the kimono in his arms, as if he could smell the lingering smell on it.

【Let’s go out for a walk. 】

He suddenly thought so.

[At least, revisit the places she has been to. ]

So, after packing his luggage, Rengoku Gojuro set out alone.

room.

Street.

shop.

food market.

Then go home...

It was only then that Rengoku Fujuro suddenly realized that Ruka had been to very few places! She had never even been out of this area alone.

She always stayed at home, waiting for her husband to come home from his trip to slay demons, or went out to buy some food so that her family would have hot meals whenever they came back.

She has been enjoying this kind of boring life that seems to be restricted for more than ten years, and I have never heard her complain!
——【I said, I also want to live in the village with Gojuro forever.】

Holding the clothes that Ruka had sewn for him personally, Rengoku Gojuro burst into tears in a trance!

When he heard this, he just thought it was just nonsense from his wife, who had a drastic change in temperament and a sign that something was wrong with her.

But could it be that this was her true feelings? The grievances and loneliness that she had to keep in her heart on weekdays were expressed through the effects of the medicine, showing him her pain.

But...how did he do it?

When Ruhuo expressed her feelings, he pushed her into the abyss without mercy.

Tell her all the side effects and let her choose?

[What would Ruka think? ]

[By making the consequences so serious, are you forcing her to give up? ]

People always think over and over again about things that are difficult to change, and then interpret various meanings for them.

Maybe it's to shirk responsibility... or maybe, it's to punish himself?

At this moment, Rengoku Fujuro's dead heart finally began to twitch with pain.

He quietly packed his luggage, left a letter for his two sons, and prepared to settle in Changshi Village to fulfill his wife's last "last wish".

##
Villages need cellars.

Whether it is used to store food, store wine, or maintain a stable temperature, it can play a huge role.

There is naturally no shortage of such structures in a village in the Changshi world.

Passing through a long tunnel in a remote corner of the village, in the deep darkness, crazy and hoarse roars floated out from the unknown depths, and no one knew what kind of monster was hidden in there.

Creak~!
The thick wooden door at the end was gently pushed open by a pale hand, leaving two clear friction marks on the ground.

The candlelight dances wildly, driving away all the haziness.

There was a huge metal cylinder stuck in the ground in the center. A chain stretched out from it, and a thin girl with disheveled hair was trapped at the end.

She was in tattered clothes, with red eyes. She knelt on the ground and dug her nails into the ground, but her ferocious face swayed back and forth as the other boy ran.

"Alas... Hanako, it's already been 27 days."

Su Beixun leaned against the doorway, looked at the two imprisoned people and sighed: "I'll give you three more days. If you still can't overcome the sunlight after three days, then I'll eat your brother and fall completely."

Hanako Kamado didn't look at him, and it's unclear whether she heard it or not.

She just bent down and kept making a "ho ho" sound from her mouth.

The other boy shouted angrily, "Bad guy! What did you do to my sister?! Where on earth is this place?!"

Su Beixun glanced at Kamado Shigeru who was clenching his fists - he was the one who caught this little devil again that night to awaken Hanako's sanity.

no answer.

Throwing the meat pie wrapped in oilcloth on the ground, Su Beixun gestured with his chin: "Come and eat."

Kamado Shigeru pursed his lips.

He was old enough to understand, so he could clearly recognize the tone of the other party treating livestock. But past experience told him that if he wanted dignity, he had to bear the pain of hunger.

Su Beixun ignored the child who was struggling there, walked to the cylinder, and pulled the iron chain wrapped inside out another meter.

click!
The chain that had just loosened tightened again in an instant!

Hanako Kamado pounced forward!

The sharp nails scratched in front of Kamado Shigeru, scaring him so much that he stepped back repeatedly, pressing against the wall and gasping for breath.

The thirsty saliva wet the loose soil in large patches. Seeing that there was no food to be found, Hanako began to scratch the ground frantically again.

Su Beixun also scratched his hair in annoyance.

It has been nearly a month since Hanako Kamado was turned into a ghost.

At first, he wanted to cut the Gordian knot, but after Kamado Shigeru nearly had his throat bitten off, he had no choice but to proceed step by step.

Lock the two together and lengthen the chains a little bit every day, so that they have a sense of crisis but also enough time to spend together day and night and develop feelings for each other again.

Unfortunately, judging from the current situation, the effect is not ideal.

"grown ups!"

With light footsteps, a man came from the other end of the cave. He did not enter the cellar, but knelt outside with his knees together.

"What's wrong, [Cage]?"

"The swordsman you let go is back again."

"...The swordsman who was let go?" Su Beixun turned around with the coal lamp in his hand: "Are you talking about Rengoku Shouro?"

"Yes... I have seen him through the Jizo statue beside the stone road."

The man prostrated himself on the ground and asked, "Do you need me to get rid of him before he enters the village?"

"up to you."

Su Beixun scratched his cheek with his fingernails and turned his gaze back to Kamado Hanako.

"He has no use to me anymore."

##
Under the scorching sun, Rengoku Fujuro was walking alone.

Because this trip was for personal reasons, he did not apply for the [Anbu] personnel to accompany him. But thinking of the strange things in the village that had not yet been solved, he still carried his own Nichirin Sword.

The cobblestone road seemed very long. Gojuro wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up in surprise.

[How long have I been walking? Is it still daytime? ]

He felt that he had already walked for six hours, and it should be dark by now!
But I didn't pay much attention to the time before because of my mood. Now I can't be sure, so I can only think that something is wrong in my trance. The breath of approaching winter swept through the forest.

A few more steps forward.

Rengoku Fujuro held the hilt of the knife and suddenly stopped.

In front of him, a young man in a gray shirt appeared from nowhere, with his hands hanging down and a cold expression!

——It was the law enforcement officer he had met!
Anjuro said nothing.

His instinct, which had not yet retreated, sensed a hidden danger from the man, and his muscles tensed unconsciously!

suddenly!

A sharp claw was brought to my eyes by the wind!!!

No dialogue!

No explanation!

No reason
There was only the whistling cold wind and a heart full of murderous intent!
Rengoku Fujuro's pupils shrank, and he was too late to react! In a hurry, he pulled the half-drawn blade horizontally in front of him!
click!
The sharp claws slid across the blade, rubbing against the metal and making a harsh noise! ​​Sparks flew everywhere! The scabbard hanging on the back half of the sword was also spun away!

【Damn! 】

Rengoku Fujuro lowered his body and moved his center of gravity forward! However, he was still pushed back three meters by the opponent!
A disgraced face was reflected on the silver-white blade!
[This speed... This force...]

Rengoku Gojuro shouted in disbelief: "You are a ghost?! How is this possible?!"

He raised his head suddenly! The sun above his head hurt his eyes!

[It’s… daytime!!]

But there is no time to think!

A fierce kick was sent straight towards his abdomen!

The flesh and blood want to collide dully!

Rengoku Gojuro bent down and flexed his arms, but after blocking, he was still kicked and slightly floated in the air!

The man stepped forward and attacked with an uppercut!

Gojuro quickly held the knife with both hands and chopped down on the head with the intention of blocking!
clang!
There was actually a collision sound between the two, which is only heard when the hardness is similar!

[The body is not a weakness! 】

The sharp blade cut through the flesh, but was blocked by the metacarpal bones! Furious Shoulang narrowed his eyes slightly, and felt that the opponent's bones were as hard as jade!

After landing, he immediately jumped far away to create some distance.

Rengoku Fujuro turned his wrist and chose to hold the knife in reverse, so that the blade and the forearm formed a right angle, thus maximizing the strength of the body.

He tensed his muscles! He took the lead!

Take a leap!
Use the inertia of the sprint to chop down diagonally!

The man stepped back to avoid the attack, but was hit in the chest by the opponent's subsequent horizontal slash!
Blood splattered instantly, sparkling in the sunlight!

The unexpected attack made the man stagger! But before he could steady himself, he was hit in the chest by another swift and fierce slash!

An X-shaped blood arrow instantly shot out in front of him!
These two moves completely disrupted the man's rhythm!
He has never been the type to be good at technology. After losing the initiative, he could only defend himself with his head in his hands and was beaten back again and again!

Amid the messy footsteps.

The cloth shoes stepped on the floor, leaving a series of bright red footprints.

but……

Although the swordsman's strikes were continuous, they were not lethal enough to the tough leather on the surface of the ghost!
The man, with the Nichirin Sword coming down on his head, closed the distance and grabbed Gojuro's shoulder with one hand, trying to crush his bones!
But what responded to him was an even more fierce blow!

"You underestimate me!"

"Evil!!!"

Amid the roar, the blade left a dark line in the air and cut into the man's wrist at an oblique angle!
The creaking sound continues!

The blade was resisted wildly by the muscles, and slashing became like squeezing!
Sinking into the opponent's resilient flesh and blood, even the carefully maintained Sun Blade could not move an inch!
"A ghost like you doesn't belong to the [Twelve Ghost Moons]?!"

Rengoku Fujuro gritted his teeth slightly, held the knife with both hands, and put all his strength into it!
But even so, the wrist still couldn't be cut off!

The physical fitness currently displayed by this ghost has surpassed all the ghosts he has encountered before!
Although he didn't know how it compared to the [Upper Moon], it was definitely better than all the [Lower Moon] demons he had seen!
but……

The other person's pupils were actually blank? !

The man clenched his fist and smashed down with his other hand!

"What is the [Twelve Demon Moons]?!"

"I am a member of the great law enforcement team appointed by the Lord!!"

Brick and stone collapse!

Rengoku Fujuro drew his sword to dodge, but the flying small stones still cut a gash on his face.

【Law enforcement team?】

[Could it be that... all those law enforcement officers I saw last time were ghosts?! ]

Purgatory Angry Shoulang was shocked, and a chill surged in his heart!

[A bunch of ghosts that can move under the sun?! ]

This ridiculous conjecture made his throat tighten!
But before he could ask any more questions, a fist smashed hard on the blade that was blocking in front of him!

Amid the clanging sounds, the blade of the Sun Blade trembled slightly!
Rengoku Gojuro immediately took a step back, pressing the blade forward diagonally to exert better force!

A trace of blood slowly dripped from the contact surface, but it was only a few drops! Conventional slashing attacks could not break through this damn flesh!

A brief stalemate!
Fen Shoulang's eyes became fierce and he took a deep breath!

The bright flames climbed up the blade, burning a series of red lines on the black blade!

It is not more than a faint light, but it turns into a torch and becomes the sun!

The vigorous flames shot up into the sky, lighting up the world and sweeping out a heat wave that caused a violent wind!

——The third form of Breathing of Flame: Breath of All Flames!

The hem of the dress is flying!

Under the gaze of the Jizo statues on both sides!
The scorching temperature burns through the man's flesh!
The Nichirin Sword finally cut through the metacarpal bone and slid directly to the opponent's elbow!
The man screamed!
The blood fell to the ground! It was instantly evaporated into dry powder! It dyed the invisible wind dazzling and scarlet!
He growled, gritted his teeth and swung his right hand downwards which had been chopped!
As the blade rubbed against the bone, the sudden loss of force caused Rengoku Fujuro to be pulled off balance and he could not help but lean to the left!

A pale fist bypassed the gap on his right side and hit him hard in the chest!

Click!

There was a faint cracking sound from the ribs!

But there was no change in Rengoku Gojuro's breathing rhythm!
He nailed his feet to the ground! He converted the impact force into torsion force, twisted his waist and swung the knife hard on the man's neck!
The lungs swelled to their limit in an instant!
With a blazing fire! The long sword seemed to be a crescent moon falling towards the world, leaving a long-lasting trail of fire in the air!

——Fire Breathing Type 1 Shiranui!
With the added force of multiple forces, the blade cut through the man's skin without even feeling much resistance!

【I won! 】

The pupils of Rengoku Gojuro shone with a fiery red light, and when he shook his head, it seemed as if two drops of blood flew out!

Holding back in battle has always been a taboo for swordsmen! So, even though he wanted to find out why the man was not afraid of the sun, he decided to eliminate the other party first!

He was going to return immediately, report this important intelligence to his master, and then bring a group of support to search Changshi Village inside and out to see how many tricks and conspiracies were hidden inside!

The man raised his hands in panic, trying to block the long knife that was embedded in his neck!

But Rengoku Gojuro just grinned confidently!

——Too late!

"Ah."

But just as these thoughts popped up, a light laugh made his hair stand on end!

The hand that was about to chop off the opponent's neck froze instantly! The long sword was unable to move after chopping halfway!

The man suddenly stretched out his nails and fiercely stabbed them into Rengoku Gojuro's shoulder!

Accompanied by a burst of sharp pain, Goshouro came back to his senses!
Through the torn clothes, he could see a big red letter appearing on the skin on his shoulder!

--【cage】!
"Swordsman!"

The man laughed.

"You are already in my cage!"

(End of this chapter)