novelraw Chapter 264-1: The Daimyo Lord of the Tenshukaku, Heaven and Earth Flash (1)
Chapter 264-1: The Daimyo Lord of the Tenshukaku, Heaven and Earth Flash (1)
[Apostle, what will you do?]
[1. Enraged beyond reason, you decide to lay the Retainer of the Ogiwara Clan to rest. Not only will you kill it, but you will also exterminate all the samurai within the barrier to vent your fury.]
[2. Cold-hearted, you decide to slip away in secret, ignoring the little yokai about to be executed, even if they refuse to reveal your and Nurarihyon’s whereabouts to their dying breath.]
[3. Swallowing your humiliation, you decide to stay your hand for now. After the Retainer of the Ogiwara Clan departs, you will kill the samurai left behind and free the little yokai.]
Among the three options, the optimal choice was undoubtedly the second.
According to the documents found after eliminating the Palace Master of Iya Palace, the head of the Ogiwara Clan was likely the daimyo of Thousand Orchid City, the very leader who would have to be slain in the upcoming Tenshukaku operation.
Acting rashly now would almost certainly compromise Lin Xun’s infiltration plan, increasing the difficulty of subsequent steps.
Therefore, the second option was the best for the progression of the mission.
The third option seemed like a compromise, but after killing those samurai, how would he rescue the little yokai?
Trying to flee with them back to Dragon Marsh Temple would inevitably trigger a large-scale pursuit.Even if Lin Xun could ensure his own survival, the little yokai would undoubtedly perish along the way, or worse, the existence of Dragon Marsh Temple could be exposed.
As for the first option, the outcome would ultimately be no different from the third…
For a moment, Lin Xun hesitated. Reason told him to pick the second option, but compromising so easily left him frustrated.
Seeing that the Retainer of the Ogiwara Clan was about to leave Dharma-Aspect Temple, the first option began to flicker and blur, as though it would vanish at any second.
Suddenly, inspiration struck his mind, and he chose none of the three options. Instead, he decided on a bold maneuver.
[You have possessed the Shell of the Fire-Worshipping Palace Master of Iya Palace!]
[A man wearing hunting robes and a tall black eboshi appeared before the grand golden hall.]
[Your sudden arrival made all the samurai draw their swords in alarm. But when they recognized your face, they hurriedly sheathed their blades and bowed deeply in respect…]
[The commotion was not small. The Retainer of the Ogiwara Clan, who had been about to leave through the temple’s gate, stopped and turned back.]
[You were not only the esteemed chief onmyoji, but also a close friend of the daimyo of the Ogiwara Clan who ruled the Tenshukaku. The retainer hurried back at a trot to the golden hall, bowing low before you…]
[The Retainer of the Ogiwara Clan, face brimming with delight, said, “Noble Lord, you have finally appeared!”]
[Two days ago, when disaster struck Iya Palace, the clan head dispatched elite samurai to aid the palace but failed to capture the culprit.]
[The clan head knew you were not within the castle but roaming far afield, gathering secret medicines on his behalf. He was filled with remorse for failing to safeguard the palace.]
[Unable to contact you, he had no choice but to send craftsmen to rebuild it, longing each day for your return…]
[Seeing the retainer’s delighted expression, you understood clearly: originally, it would have suffered severe punishment, perhaps even decapitation, for letting Nurarihyon escape. But now, encountering the long-lost Palace Master of Iya Palace, bringing you back to the daimyo would be a great merit. Not only would it escape blame, it would even receive a reward.]
[You explained that Nurarihyon was originally a shikigami granted to you by the daimyo himself. You had planted secret onmyo spells on it, and sensing it had escaped its cage last night, you hurried here to Dharma-Aspect Temple… only to arrive too late.]
[As for the calamity at Iya Palace, you had heard about it while on the road and were on your way to the Tenshukaku to discuss it with the daimyo personally…]
[The Retainer of the Ogiwara Clan nodded obsequiously the entire time, escorting you out the temple gate. Just as it was about to invite you into the carriage to travel together to the Tenshukaku, you turned back toward the temple and slowly ordered…]
[Rebuilding Iya Palace would require not only craftsmen to raise the walls but also new onmyoji. And of course, cultivating onmyoji could not proceed without shikigami. Though the remnants of these demonic abominations are weak, they still have some utility.]
[You instructed the retainer to keep these remnants of demonic abominations well fed. Once you had rebuilt Iya Palace, they would all become shikigami of your disciples.]
[The Retainer of the Ogiwara Clan suspected nothing and nodded repeatedly.]
[Surrounded by an escort of heavily armed samurai, you boarded the luxurious carriage and set out directly for the heart of Thousand Orchid City, toward the greatest fortress symbolizing the daimyo’s power: the Tenshukaku.]
[Travelling…]
[…]
[Before long, you arrived in the central district of Thousand Orchid City.]
[Lifting the carriage curtain, you saw that you had reached the mountain’s foot.]
[Looking up, you beheld sturdy walls rising atop the tall hill. Those ramparts encircled a towering, grand castle keep.]
[The carriage climbed the winding mountain path, drawing ever closer to the summit and the Tenshukaku…]
[Passing checkpoint after checkpoint under tight security, you finally reached the base of the Tenshukaku.]
[Disembarking, you saw four watchtowers ringing the Tenshukaku. Their upper levels bristled with samurai armed with bows and swords, and you even spotted giant ballistae ready to defend the walls.]
[The samurai stationed here were all tall, broad-shouldered men, clearly elite retainers raised by the daimyo himself, far stronger than common warriors.]
[You understood that under the crossfire of countless arrows and bolts, any fool who dared act rashly here would die without a corpse left intact.]
[The soaring Tenshukaku itself was protected by a powerful barrier. The keep had five levels, white plaster walls crowned with black-tiled roofs, sweeping eaves and layered brackets, presenting an imposing and magnificent sight.]
[Led by the retainer, you entered the castle fortification. After a full report by fully armed samurai, you passed through the castle and ascended to the Tenshukaku’s topmost watchtower.]
[According to what you know, the daimyo usually resides in the first floor of the Tenshukaku’s main keep, while the upper three levels are watchtowers used by the samurai guards for surveillance and defense.]
[Along the way, every samurai you passed was clad in armor and held sharp weapons, powerfully built and imposing. You knew that any one of them, picked at random, would be as strong as a captain among samurai.]
[As for the daimyo himself, he was once a standard bearer under the Great Shogun, a hatamoto samurai, the elite of the shogunate army’s elite, whose martial skill was unmatched.]
[Because of his advanced age, he had been granted the title of oshin hatamoto by the Great Shogun and was awarded Thousand Orchid City as his fiefdom, making him preeminent among the daimyo lords.]
[Trained personally by this martial expert, the many elite samurai of the Tenshukaku had all developed extraordinary combat skill…]
[You ascended to the top of the Tenshukaku…]
[T/N: Hatamoto is a real historical term of the Edo period which translates to ‘guardian of the banner.’]